Diana Mavroleon
What is it about the term ‘Alchemy’ that immediately throws the mind into a gymnasium of ideas and possibilities?
A laconic email from my editor read: ‘l would like you to absorb as much of this as possible’. l opened the attachment and studied the program. lt referred to a five-day festival taking place at [...]

While in recent times the contribution of South African Indians in the struggle against colonial suppression and apartheid has become more widely known and understood, this does not extend to any great degree to the role of Indian women in this struggle. Little is known of their role in the Indian resistance movements, for example, [...]

Indian High Commissioner,
Aldwych, London WC2B 4NA
Dear High Commissioner,
Respectful greetings.
I read your comments with much interest at the Republic Day celebrations at BV Bhavan, London.
Here are some of your key remarks::
A. Our fundamental policies and the state of our country are sound
B. We are determined to sustain a high growth rate of our economy while [...]

Simon Fanshawe and Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah
Britain is not only more diverse than ever before but that diversity itself is growing more diverse. Today, identities are more complex and fluid than they used to be, reflecting shifting interests and allegiances. For those of us interested in equality, this new situation presents some difficult challenges. While inequality and [...]

If you have friends and family back home in Bangladesh you may be looking for the best way to make calls to Bangladesh. Go to free calls to Bangladesh to find out how to call free. There are no hidden or extra charges. You can now save money on cheap calls to Bangladesh by making [...]

There were many attractions that would have drawn Indian theatre-lovers to the play Wedding Album staged at Watermans from 15th to 20th September. Firstly, the play was written by Girish Karnad, secondly, it was directed by Lillete Dubey, and thirdly, the cast was made up of seasoned and well-known actors. The combination of all three [...]

Glancing away from a riveting female historian
turned Sanskrit expert, rowers put out
in the Charles: bathtub vessels flying triangular sails
Like Kuru and Pandava pennants on either side
of the Mahabharata. She asserts: The Charioteer’s
driver, Krishna, is like—think of a Humvee owner
Taking his friends on a Friday night spin
in Bangalore saying, “I am God.” Parsing
an ancient text, and [...]

Blue plumbago waving frantically
in high wind the brass chimes
echoing an emperor’s garden
after he has withdrawn his hands
from a courtesan’s shaved legs
the kingdom’s burdens and labors
are shifted in the official painter’s
brushes water pink and lime bamboo
cured to engineered floors fitting
without nails or paste
interlocking Channels clicking flush
like bodies in a spoon and birds
coming out as tentative as [...]

Pausing in the heat to pour water
around new planted shrubs:
Formosa azaleas still turgid
from last night’s watering.
We misplaced the wheel’s rhythm.
It was not possible.
We could resume at will.
Periwinkles snuggle up to marigolds
over-ripe carrots bloom
because we failed to harvest them
last fall. Lantanas wait on winter.
You whispered goodbye and turned
your face to a land and time we loved
and [...]

Once you’re in lefty
it is right and right and right
and you can stalk cars
forever—Olds gone, GM going
Chrysler’s way. The history of automobiles.
Ford’s blue egg hatching
another fusion. The freight train’s horn
awakening a new year’s slumber
dissolved in the Carolina wrens’ chirps.
Once you’re in lefty
it is left and left and left
until your tenancy’s over. Who slept
in what room, [...]