Articles by Chintan Girish Modi
Mark Gevisser: “Pink lines are being drawn across the world”
At the Kolkata Literary Meet 2024, the South African journalist and author of The Pink Line spoke about queer history and how same-sex marriage and gender transition are being celebrated in some societies and criminalized in others, and why the queer rights movement in India is particularly interesting
Published on Oct 11, 2024 09:12 PM IST
Sonali Gupta: “I hope that the book opens conversations around loss”
On World Mental Health Day (October 10), psychotherapist Sonali Gupta, author, You Will Be Alright, talks about how to navigate grief after the loss of a loved one or the end of a relationship, and how to support those who are grieving
Published on Oct 10, 2024 04:25 PM IST
Madhu Khanna – “Karmic connections bring people and places together”
The artist historian, who won the Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize 2024 for ‘Tantra on the Edge’, that examines the work of KCS Paniker, SH Raza and Gogi Saroj Pal, among others, talks about the impact of Tantra on modern Indian art
Published on Oct 01, 2024 07:42 PM IST
Review: The Padmas; Fifty Stories of Perseverance by Neha J Hiranandani
An illuminating introduction to Padma awardees from various fields including medicine, literature, music, sports, education, dance, social work, science, wildlife conservation, peace building and human rights on the 70th anniversary of the institution of these awards
Published on Sep 26, 2024 02:52 PM IST
Ramesh Karthik Nayak – “Mine is a subaltern voice”
On winning the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar (Telugu) for his short story collection, Dhaavlo (Song of Lamentation), and on being a member of the Banjara community
Published on Sep 21, 2024 05:36 PM IST
Dolma Choden Roder – “Bhutanese culture is more relational than individualistic”
The anthropologist, publisher and editor spoke about new writing from Bhutan and how the country’s independent past is allowing it to look at the discipline of anthropology minus its colonial baggage
Published on Sep 16, 2024 09:00 PM IST
Anton Hur: “The plan was always to write, not translate”
In an interview conducted at the Drukyul’s Literature and Arts Festival in Thimphu, Bhutan, the Korean novelist and translator spoke about his new sci-fi novel, queer literature, and finding success as a literary translator
Updated on Sep 14, 2024 05:28 AM IST
Sara Rai – “Exhibitionism has really taken over our society ”
At the Drukyul’s Literature and Arts Festival in Bhutan last month, bilingual author, literary translator, and editor Sara Rai spoke about her latest work, Raw Umber, on how writing helps you transcend pain, and why her grandfather Premchand’s writing is still relevant today
Published on Sep 09, 2024 08:22 PM IST
Report: Drukyul’s Literature and Arts Festival, Bhutan
With 70 speakers from 14 countries, the 13th edition of the festival in Thimphu showcased the Himalayan nation’s vibrant culture
Published on Sep 06, 2024 07:53 PM IST
Daisy Rockwell – “Do whatever you need to do, but do not remain silent”
On Our City That Year, her translation of Geetanjali Shree’s novel, Hamara Shahar Us Baras, based on the rioting that followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid, on why writers must speak up, on her current project, and on mentoring young translators
Published on Aug 30, 2024 09:20 PM IST
Louise Fowler-Smith – “Environmentalism is above all other isms”
The author of Sacred Trees of India on hugging trees, on the veneration of trees in India, climate change and why artists should also be activists
Published on Aug 26, 2024 06:25 PM IST
Roopa Pai – “Yoga looks at holistic well-being, not just fitness”
The author of Yoga Sutras for Children on how the yoga sutras came into her life, and why both children and adults can benefit from a knowledge of yoga that goes beyond breathing techniques and practising asanas as a form of physical exercise
Published on Aug 19, 2024 06:32 PM IST
Shubha Mudgal – “Kumar Gandharvji illustrates that tradition is open to change”
On the impact of the musical legend whose birth centenary it is this year, singing nirgun and sagun poetry, her relationship with the poetry of Meerabai and the role of music in healing divides
Published on Aug 13, 2024 09:23 PM IST
Nandini Sengupta: “In many ways, animals are more evolved than us”
The author of ‘The Blue Horse and Other Amazing Animals from Indian History’, who won the Sahitya Akademi Bal Puraskar 2024, on her relationship with animals and about retelling history through the their perspective
Published on Aug 05, 2024 06:16 PM IST
Review: What Does Israel Fear from Palestine? by Raja Shehadeh
Presenting a record of the destruction caused by the state of Israel since its formation in 1948, and the violence and oppression that Palestinians have faced as a result
Updated on Aug 03, 2024 05:56 AM IST
Divrina Dhingra - “Everyone has scents that they associate with home”
The author of The Perfume Project: Journeys through Indian Fragrance talks about memories associated with smells and working on the art and science of perfumery in India
Published on Jul 30, 2024 05:21 PM IST
Bhuchung D Sonam - “Human experience is as deep as it is vast”
Dharamsala-based Tibetan poet, translator and publisher Bhuchung D Sonam talks about the role of literature in the Tibetan freedom struggle and about editing Under the Blue Skies: A Tibetan Reader, an anthology of fiction, poetry and non-fiction
Updated on Jul 15, 2024 08:48 PM IST
Andrew Quintman: “The notion of sacred geography is fascinating to me”
The author of the forthcoming book, Buddhism on the Border, who is also an associate professor at the Wesleyan University’s Department of Relgion, on being a scholar and a practitioner of the Buddhist faith
Published on Jul 10, 2024 08:30 PM IST
K Vaishali – “Many literature festivals ignored me”
The author of Homeless; Growing Up Lesbian and Dyslexic in India on winning the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2024 for her memoir
Updated on Jul 06, 2024 05:00 AM IST
André Aciman – “Time is not always our friend”
On his new book, The Gentleman From Peru, the concept of rebirth, intergenerational relationships in his fiction, the irrealis mood, and reading the classics correctly
Published on Jun 28, 2024 09:51 PM IST
Andaleeb Wajid – “I don’t want my characters to be unidimensional”
On her latest novel, The Henna Start-up being shortlisted for the Neev Book Award, writing romances, her books being adapted for OTT, and her upcoming memoir
Published on Jun 25, 2024 06:27 PM IST
Arundhathi Subramaniam – “I am aware now of how to turn rage into celebration”
The author of 11 books of poetry and prose talks about her latest work, Wild Women: Seekers, Protagonists and Goddesses in Sacred Indian Poetry and about winning the Mahakavi Kanhaiyalal Sethia Poetry Award
Published on Jun 19, 2024 07:01 PM IST
Amor Towles – “Aspiration is a very strong aspect of American culture”
On avoiding drawing from his personal life while writing fiction, including the late novelist Paul Auster as a character in one of his short stories, and working with translators
Updated on Jun 08, 2024 02:46 PM IST
Vanessa R Sasson - Each time we learn, our world becomes bigger
The professor of religious studies at Marianopolis College in Quebec, who was in India earlier this year for the Jaipur Literature Festival, talks about her novels Yasodhara and The Gathering that she places in the tradition of Buddhist hagiographic fiction
Published on May 28, 2024 05:07 PM IST
Ruskin Bond: Laughing into his 90th year
The author’s nature diaries, ghost stories, novels and essays have instilled a love of reading in generations of Indian readers. On the eve of his birthday on May 19, he speaks about his rich inner world, the wonderful compensations of old age, and how not to give in to despair in the face of mankind’s violent impulses
Updated on May 18, 2024 05:10 AM IST
Raghuram G Rajan - “Everyone should have a chance to succeed”
The former RBI Governor Raghuram G Rajan and economist Rohit Lamba spoke about their book at the Kolkata Literary Meet earlier this year
Published on May 16, 2024 08:07 PM IST
Review: The Boy Who Built a Secret Garden by Lavanya Karthik
A heartwarming biography of Nek Chand Saini, creator of the Rock Garden in Chandigarh, a crown jewel in the built heritage of post Independence India
Published on May 10, 2024 09:53 PM IST
John Boyne – “Simplicity can be really wonderful”
At the Kolkata Literary Meet 2024, the Irish author spoke about the strides made by his country in terms of gay rights, why novelists should imagine others lives, and about mentoring writers
Published on May 03, 2024 09:55 PM IST
Interview: Satish Arora, co-author, Sweets and Bitters
At 26, Satish Arora became the youngest executive chef in the world when the Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai chose him to lead their kitchen in 1970. He spoke about his culinary adventures at the Kolkata Literary Meet 2024
Published on Apr 30, 2024 09:29 PM IST
Yuvan Aves, author, Intertidal – “Sometimes I write to think”
Intertidal, a diary on Chennai's coast, wetlands, and climate, evolved from personal observation to a public resource. It explores the interplay of nature, activism, and self, offering meditative reflections for all readers.
Updated on Apr 19, 2024 09:56 PM IST