Nazia Mallick
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Some would say that his writings are creepy, but the fact is that Kurt Vonnegut wrote beautiful, bizarre and horrifying novels replete with dark humor, and that set him apart as a unique writer. His book "Slaughterhouse-Five
Written in 1969, this novel is considered a classic and is also known as one of his best works. The satirical essence of the novel is portrayed by the repetitive phrase, “so it goes” which Vonnegut uses to describe death and dying; whether it is of man, animal or the bubbles of champagne. He uses it to downplay the fact of ‘mortality’; making it sound humorous and routine. This novel explores the idea of fate, freewill and illogical nature of human beings. Read more...
The ill-fated event of 9/11 where thousands of innocent persons had lost their life is the most unfortunate incident that could happen to Islamic world. It changed the world’s view of Islam and in some cases strengthened the doubts and apprehensions surrounding this faith.
The world got caught in an increasingly strong grip of “Islamophobia”, and Muslims found themselves beleaguered and persecuted. Read more...
Once in while comes along a fiction that is so plausible that it would make some hard core news stories read like “Snow White And Seven Dwarfs’ For most of you out there, India is incredible, mystical, spiritual, beautiful, culturally rich, amicable, hospitable, and magical. Right? You bet it is!
The tourism industry thrives on it. The ‘Incredible India’ is on the world map for its tourist pulling capacity. Every year millions of tourists flock here, charmed by this promising land. Read more...
What constitutes pain and confusion in love and physical attraction? Why do we often find ourselves in agonizing situations despite the primary magic of an intimate association?
Emotions are an integral part of our social and civic self, but we are often conditioned to restrict and push it away, and maintain a stoic facade. The words ‘stiff upper lip’ are not conjecture; we often fall prey to it and end up with a stiffer heart and soul. Read more...
I have heard and experienced too, that everything turns rosy when one falls in love. The proverbial rose tinted glasses, rosy dreams, pink roses, and the blush on the lover’s cheeks! I have read many books on relationships, human psychology, have observed people, studied human behavior, have worked with centers that do ‘paid listening’ for the broken hearted and have listened to many stories of love getting bruised, with ennui, neglect and emotional asphyxiation. True, that everything looks pink in its initial stages, but turns blue with carelessness, extra carefulness, neediness, unfair expectations, suffocating possessiveness and at times, just for no reason at all.
I have written some motivating articles on the intricacies of relationships in various journals; perhaps involuntarily taking on the mantle of being a ‘so called expert’ on the subject. Well, even after all this I cannot vouch for being ‘the expert’ in relationships, because the fact is that it is difficult to figure out people and something as fragile as “feelings”. Human mind is a never-ending mystery, and so is the heart. Read more...
One of the most popular 80’s pop classics, “Every breath you take”...by Sting often made me wonder: Is it really a song of love? Or of resentment and an obsessive need to possess?
If you listen with close attention, “Every smile you fake, every vow you break, I’ll be watching you...” speaks of vicious possessiveness and furious resentment. Read more...
I remember my times at the NCC (National Cadet Corp.) at school, when we girls used to be full of pride wearing that prestigious uniform. When doing ‘One Good Deed a Day’ was the essential way of life for us, and we used to leave our beds every morning, full of an extraordinary verve and courage to meet the daily target of Selfless Service.
The cadets at NCC are trained to acquire qualities of character, discipline, comradeship, secular outlook and apart from sportsmanship and spirit of adventure, the NCC also focused on Community service, Selflessness and Concern for fellow beings. Read more...
I admit that on days when I am coping with jagged nerves, bad hair day, premenstrual symptoms and mood swings, I hate being a woman. And when I think of harassment, leering and molestation perpetrated by a man, I hate him being a man.
But on most of my good days I love being a woman, and I don’t hate men in general too. However sometime ago I happened to bump into a group of few radically opinionated women in Calcutta, who hated men vehemently and apart from their monthly periods perhaps, have nothing about them that reminds you of a woman. Read more...
A warm smile. An unexpected compliment. Moonlit nights. A bear hug.
The smell of burning logs on a cold wintry night, the soft rhythmic sound of wind chimes in my balcony, the rain soaked breeze entering my bedroom window. Seeing a long awaited mail in my inbox, smell of freshly sharpened pencils. Read more...
Does mention of books excite you? Do you love to scan the list of new arrivals in various journals and do you often pass your day thinking about a new book that is lying at your bedside table, which you can’t wait to lose yourself into at the end of the day?
Join the gang, you are my kind of gal! Read more...
