Articles by Chintan Girish Modi
Ghazala Wahab, author, Born a Muslim: ‘The Muslim vote bank is a myth’
The author, whose book has been longlisted for the ₹15 lakh Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2022, talks about the increasing political irrelevance of Muslims in India and the importance of feminist interpretations of the Quran

Updated on Nov 18, 2022 05:20 PM IST
Rukmini S: ‘Women are socialised into thinking that math is not for them’
The winner of the Tata Literature Live! First Book award, who has also been nominated for the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2022, talks about befriending data

Updated on Nov 15, 2022 04:38 PM IST
Kiddie Lit gets a brand-new awards show
The first ever Binod Kanoria Awards for Children’s Literature held on November 12 at the National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai. Based on the philosophy that children’s literature is a unique space in the literary world that deserves to be honoured, the awards also serve the important function of celebrating the work of Indian authors and illustrators

Updated on Nov 13, 2022 12:52 AM IST
Review: Between You, Me and the Four Walls by Moni Mohsin
Combining socio-political critique with rollicking humour to foreground the first-world problems of the Pakistani elite

Published on Nov 11, 2022 09:58 PM IST
Interview: Subrata K Mitra, author, Governance by Stealth: The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Making of the Indian State - “Patel and Nehru had a yang-and-yin relationship”
What got you interested in writing a book about the Union Ministry of Home Affairs? The idea struck me in 2002 while collecting data for another book – The Puzzle of India’s Governance: Culture, Context and Comparative Theory (2005)

Published on Nov 05, 2022 01:57 AM IST
Nandita Basu, author, Rain Must Fall: ‘Basic human nature doesn’t change’
On her graphic novel about the life of a non-binary teenager that won her the Neev Book Award 2022 in the Young Adult category

Updated on Nov 02, 2022 08:40 PM IST
Interview, Aanchal Malhotra, Author, Remnants of Partition: 21 Objects from a Continent Divided? - “You learn to take care of the sadness of others”
On winning the Council for Museum Anthropology (CMA) Book Award 2022 for her work that revisits the Partition through stories of objects that refugees carried with them across borders

Published on Oct 28, 2022 07:02 PM IST
Report: Jodhpur RIFF 2022
Khasi musicians from Meghalaya, singers of nirguni bhajans, Sufi and Bhakti poetry, Welsh and Turkish performers and Mexican and Kalbeliya dancers were all part of the five-day festival

Updated on Oct 25, 2022 07:59 PM IST
Divya Bhatia: ‘Folk and classical music have much to gain from each other’
On the Jodhpur RIFF (Rajasthan International Folk Festival) that was held from October 6 to 10 this year at the Mehrangarh Fort

Updated on Oct 18, 2022 05:08 PM IST
Neev Literature Festival: Nurturing a love of reading
Children and young adult readers enjoyed interacting with authors, illustrators, publishers, storytellers, and librarians from different parts of the country at the Neev Literature Festival in Bengaluru on September 24 and 25

Published on Oct 15, 2022 12:23 AM IST
Review: You Can’t Be Serious by Kal Penn
The actor’s memoir talks about breaking into Hollywood, his time on Obama’s team and about being a gay man comfortable with his sexual orientation

Updated on Oct 13, 2022 08:22 PM IST
Interview, David Davidar, publisher Aleph, editor, A Case of Indian Marvels - “These stories will stand the test of time.”
In your introduction, you mention that the sole criterion for including stories was “literary excellence”

Published on Oct 07, 2022 05:07 PM IST
Interview: Samina Mishra, author, Jamlo Walks
On her children’s book on the 12-year-old tribal girl who died as she walked back home to Bastar during the lockdown

Updated on Oct 05, 2022 06:42 PM IST
Mehlli Gobhai Award for illustrator Rajiv Eipe
The book is based on a true story written in memory of Serow’s dog, Chitty. A year after Chitty passed away, Serow invited Eipe to visit the farm, in the western ghats, which is the setting of the book

Published on Oct 01, 2022 12:39 AM IST
Meet the author-poet-activist who won this year’s Hermann Kesten Prize
Meena Kandasamy has won this year’s Hermann Kesten Prize for defending free speech and the rights of the marginalised. It takes courage to sustain a conscience, she says. It’s often left her broke. Nonetheless, she persists

Updated on Oct 01, 2022 12:35 AM IST
Review: Indian Media Giants; Unveiling the Business Dynamics of Print Legacies by Surbhi Dahiya
A book on India’s biggest media conglomerates draws on interviews with owners, key editors and executives and tracks how aims and strategies have evolved

Published on Sep 23, 2022 11:23 PM IST
Meena Kandasamy on winning the Hermann Kesten Prize for 2022
The anti-caste activist, poet, novelist, and translator talks about the award given by the PEN Centre in Germany to those who stand up for the rights of persecuted writers and journalists, its political significance, and her upcoming books

Updated on Sep 22, 2022 05:52 PM IST
Review: In Free Fall by Mallika Sarabhai
The dancer, actor and choreographer’s memoir, which describes her adventures with a sense of irony and embraces her imperfections, will soften the critical gaze of those who believe that people born into privilege have no struggles

Updated on Sep 12, 2022 10:22 PM IST
Interview: Mallika Sarabhai, author, In Free Fall: My Experiments with Living – “Every human with a heart should speak up for Bilkis”
The dancer, actor and choreographer talks about writing her memoir, being rooted in tradition, and Indian racism

Published on Sep 09, 2022 05:37 PM IST
Review: Dare to Learn edited by the Malala Fund
A collection of 25 personal essays written by young women from various parts of the world that draw inspiration from Malala Yousafzai and, in turn, inspire her to carry on with her work

Updated on Aug 30, 2022 01:11 PM IST
Interview: Rohini Nilekani, author, Samaaj, Sarkaar, Bazaar: A Citizen-First Approach – “I wanted the book to be available free”
On experimenting with different models of publishing, writing in a range of genres, and on how charity and philanthropy can only have limited impact

Published on Aug 19, 2022 08:06 PM IST
Nandana Sen: When I was growing up, my mother was the superstar in our family
Author, child rights activist and actor Nandana Sen speaks to us about translating her mother Nabaneeta Dev Sen’s poems from Bengali into English

Updated on Aug 19, 2022 08:37 PM IST
Alokparna Sengupta Of HSI/India On Books About Farm Animals
On bringing out children’s books on being compassionate towards farm animals

Updated on Aug 11, 2022 12:31 PM IST
Interview: Sejal Mehta, author, Superpowers on the Shore – “I wrote the book I’d have liked to read”
Gunjan Ahlawat has designed a spectacular cover for your book

Updated on Aug 05, 2022 05:18 PM IST
Interview: Huma Abedin, author, Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds – “My faith has helped me find my inner strength”
A memoir about being an American Muslim, and her relationships with mentor Hillary Clinton and ex-husband Anthony Weiner

Published on Jul 29, 2022 09:27 PM IST
Interview: Amit Chaudhuri, Author, Finding the Raga – “Which way you are going to turn is unknown to you”
The title of your book Finding the Raga signals a kind of quest

Updated on Jul 23, 2022 01:40 AM IST
Interview, Karthika VK, Publisher, Westland Books – “There are lines I would never cross”
On joining Pratilipi after Amazon shut down its publishing business in India, and on being shortlisted for the 2022 IPA Prix Voltaire for publishers who “stand firm on freedom to publish”

Published on Jul 16, 2022 01:50 AM IST
Peter Frankopan, author: ‘The world order led by the West is under pressure’
Author of The New Silk Roads on his abiding interest in the Silk Roads, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and how India, China, Iran, the Middle East, and to an extent, Russia, are reaching back into the past to explain their present and future

Updated on Jul 13, 2022 03:15 PM IST
Interview, Onir, author, I Am Onir, and I am Gay – “I am the suitable boy”
Director-producer-screenwriter Onir, who is best known for making path breaking feature films with gay protagonists, especially My Brother

Updated on Jul 08, 2022 06:26 PM IST
Review: Parvati the Elephant’s Very Important Day by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan
A picture book in rhyming verse meant for children and adults, this is a fictional account of a day in the life of a temple elephant in Kerala

Updated on Jun 28, 2022 04:44 PM IST