It is time for the next in the series. And in this one we travel to China and its ghosts. Wailing Ghosts by Pu Songling is a collection of really short stories related to supernatural. I was expecting ghosts, but instead I found foxes. To start with I thought that it is translation quirk….
When I wrote about the first season of Criminal Justice, I found myself drawn not to the obvious stars of the story, but to the silent backbone holding it together. Avni Parasher, with her calm faith in her brother amidst chaos. ACP Raghu Salian, who had the courage to revisit certainty and correct himself….
In last month’s update, I wrote about the various announcements related to the war and the talks around it. Somehow, those talks have materialized. Even though, if some announcements were to be believed, there was no one significant enough left to sit on the other side of the table, it appears there are still…
As I continue with the Penguin Little Black Classics, what is becoming clearer is not just the range of material within the series, but the way each book alters the manner of engagement. So far, there has been no continuity of form. Each one seems to reset the expectation of what reading is supposed…
I read the fifth one immediately after the fourth. When the next book is Nietzsche, it feels natural for a philosopher to move to it immediately. As I continue with the series of Penguin Little Black Classics, what is becoming clearer is not just the range of material within the series, but the shift…
As I keep reading the Penguin Little Black Classics, I have started noticing that even though they are grouped as classics, I am yet to come across any repetition. The first thing I am beginning to notice with this series is not just the diversity of forms, but the diversity of postures it asks…
We have gone through a March that probably most of us didn’t see coming at all. As a popular meme proclaims – we saw Holi, Navratri, Eid, war, Cricket world cup, IPL kickoff, uncommon hot weather, uncommon cold weather, rains, thunderstorms, LPG shortage, oil shortage and a market that corrected sharply. And we are…
It has been almost a year since I last read classical literature with any intention. At the start of last year, I had set out to read Penguin Little Black classics, and for a while I stayed with that intention. Then, as often happens, reading drifted. Towards other subjects, other curiosities. A new year…
A new year starts for the three investing stalwarts. And what a month this past one has been. There were moments when the markets seemed ready to break previous highs, and then came the pullback. The sharp drop at the beginning of the chart below reflects the impact of India’s budget. The next day…
Over the past few months, I had been hinting that Shekhar’s portfolio may need a relook. However, we had agreed at the outset that no changes would be made before completing one full year. That year is now over. As Shekhar looked at his portfolio returns over the past year, along with a comparison…