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The roads less taken

I recently signed up for a \Thindi Hopping\ event, an organized walk to explore authentic breakfast spots in and around Malleswaram. I joined in for few reasons1.  A break from routine: I was stuck in the daily grind, even on weekends, rarely doing anything new or interesting. This felt like the perfect excuse to get out and do something different.2.  Exploring a new side of Malleswaram: I only kn...

Sukanya Patil

Unveiling Heart Overruled — A Deep Dive into Debanjana Mukherjee’s Bengali-Tamil Romance

There is a particular kind of love that does not begin with conversation. It begins with watching.While reading Heart Overruled — A Bengali-Tamil Romance by Debanjana Mukherjee, I kept returning to the image of a sixteen-year-old girl at her sister’s wedding, standing amidst marigold garlands and ritual chants, quietly memorising the face of a man who barely registers her presence. That first enco...

Sameer Gudhate

Discovering the Intricacies of Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi through Sameer Gudhate’s Review

There’s something unsettling about the idea that six ordinary days can reroute an entire life.Not years. Not decades. Six days.That quiet tension hums beneath Six Days in Bombay, the latest standalone from Alka Joshi, and it caught me off guard. I went in expecting historical richness and atmospheric detail. I did not expect to feel personally confronted by a young nurse’s hunger for a life larger...

Sameer Gudhate

Chapter 16: Behind The Glass Doors.

The message from Adrian came at 11:17 a.m.“Client presentation tomorrow 10:30 a.m. Conference Room A. You’ll lead the relationship strategy.”Kaia read it twice.Lead.Not assist. Not support. Lead.A steady breath left her.She walked into his cabin five minutes later, notebook in hand.“You called for me?”Adrian looked up from his latop.”Yes. We’re pitching to Westbridge Holdings tomorrow.” He slid a ...

Komal Gujar

Chapter 15: The Silence Between Glances.

Morning unfolded like it always did - Measured, routine, predictable.But Kaia wasn’t.She stepped into the office with her usual grace, but the lightness that normally followed her seemed absent. Her hair fell softly over her shoulders, her bag resting neatly by her desk. Every movement was proper..Controlled.Adrian noticed.He had been pretending to review a file, though his attention had been fixe...

Komal Gujar

Exploring the Depths of City Without Stars by Tim Baker A Review by Sameer Gudhate

There are cities that glitter at night. And then there are cities that swallow light whole.Reading City Without Stars by Tim Baker felt like walking through one of the latter — a place where hope doesn’t disappear dramatically; it erodes quietly, layer by layer, until even the sky feels complicit.Set in Ciudad Real, a fictionalised border town echoing the tragedies of Juárez, the novel drops us in...

Sameer Gudhate

Gita Press

I set out to study the enemy. And I found it deep within.Just kidding - a co-ordinated campaign to market a fundamentally different ideology and set of beliefs to people who neither asked for it nor wanted it. May offer some explanation of how we landed up in this quagmire. Of course the people take some blame for this - but just like Facebook meddling in places where they have no business meddlin...

manan dedhia

Chapter 14: The Morning After

Morning arrived the way it always did at Chapter and Brew.soft light slipping through the windows, the hum of espresso machine, the scent of baked comfort warming the air.Kaia unlocked the door, just like every other day.But today, something was off.She moved through the cafe with practiced ease - switching on lights, setting chairs right, tying her apron - but the rhythm felt slower, heavier. Her...

Komal Gujar

The client

The other day I was watching a new series ‘Space Gen’. Got to know about it due to its viral vedio of its promotional event, how the chair was blocking the main poster. Reminding us how the low budget movies get promoted when compared to the huge budget films. Planned to see it just for the main lead actor and it being produced from TVF and also certainly due to its theam on Chandrayaan. You can...

Sukanya Patil

Sameer Gudhate Presents the Book Review of Operation SINDOOR by Lt Gen K.J.S. Dhillon

The night I began Operation SINDOOR, the house was quiet in that fragile way silence gets after the news has exhausted itself. The phone lay face down. Outside, a distant train horn stitched the darkness together. I didn’t open the book expecting drama. I opened it expecting clarity. What I didn’t expect was to feel as if I’d stepped into a low-lit operations room where time moves in half-seconds ...

Sameer Gudhate

This side.

“Ekad baa”..I called my daughter “come this side” as she was strolling all over in the train to explore it. I was calling her repeatedly and this word stuck in my head. Me being an over thinker, the thoughts lingered for no reason.Ekad Ba - in Kannada ( north slang) - come this side Ee kadea Ba - in Kannada ( Bangalore / south slang ) come this side Eekade Yeaa - in Marathi- ( come this side)Ika...

Sukanya Patil

Careless People

At this point there is enough research, reporting and momentum to point to the fact that social media is harmful for all those who use it and these companies are ready to world this immense power to do the bidding of the highest payer. this book might be the final nail in the coffin for some of you. for some it might be square one to your own social emancipation. to me it is a necessary reminder t...

manan dedhia

Chapter 13: Few Things Left Unsaid. 0.1

The cafe was calmer now, the evening settling into its corners. Kaia placed the sunflowers gently on the counter, removing the paper wrap with care. She didn’t look at them for long - almost as if they demanded more emotion than she was ready to give.Mrs. Alder noticed.“They’re lovely’', she said softly.Kaia nodded, absently.“Yes, someone geve it to me today.'“Mrs. Alder hummed, trimming a stem.“K...

Komal Gujar

Narcopolis

Similar to Shantaram, this is a window into a bygone Bombay that i have never known. Delightful read this one - the poetry in the words and the scenes evoke empathy for the characters even when they are at their worst.

manan dedhia

Hangout

manan dedhia

Sameer Gudhate Presents the Book Review of The River Woman and Other Poems by Renu Roy

I read The River Woman and Other Poems slowly, the way one reads something that does not want to be rushed. A few poems at night. One in the quiet between two tasks. Sometimes just a single page, because the lines had a way of lingering — like the aftersound of water moving past stones long after the river itself has slipped out of view.Renu Roy’s poetry does not announce itself loudly. It arrives...

Sameer Gudhate

Sameer Gudhate Presents the Book Review of Madam Commissioner by Meeran Chadha Borwankar

I began Madam Commissioner expecting a memoir about power, postings, and protocol. What I did not expect was how quietly it would sit with me afterward — like the weight of a khaki uniform folded neatly on a chair, still warm from long use. This is not a book that shouts. It stands. Firmly. And asks you, without drama, to look at what integrity costs.Meeran Chadha Borwankar’s life has been written...

Sameer Gudhate

North Woods

A true love letter to New England - not just the forests and the wildlife. But the history and geography. The palimpsest of stories that sometimes cross paths across eras and some that are lost to the vagaries of time. Waiting to be discovered and told.

manan dedhia

My Coin Has Heads on Both Sides

I was feeling irritated because of a traffic jam that afternoon—such a waste of time. We had barely moved for the last fifteen minutes. In the middle of the jam, I noticed a woman pulling a cart loaded with five heavy bags of white powder. She was dragging it with both hands, carefully finding her way through the traffic.She was Neeta Devi, probably in her late forties. She was covered in white po...

Pree Dew

Shawl of love.

My fathers shawl. This shawl is more than just a piece of cloth to me; it's a symbol of my father's love. He loved it for its quality and warmth, and it's been with me since I left home for studies and now for marriage. It's my go-to companion during travels and winter days.Whenever my father sees it, he can't help but praise its goodness and reminds him how it kept him warm during his pilgrimage ...

Sukanya Patil

Chapter 12: Where the Sunflowers Began.

By the time Kaia stepped out of the building, the sky had begun to soften - blue melting into something warmer, gentler. She was almost at the gate when Adrian called her name.“Kaia.”She turned.He stood there holding a small bundle wrapped in brown paper, as though it had been waiting all day to be remembered.“I meant to give these to you earlier,” he said. “For joining the team.”He unfolded the ...

Komal Gujar

Sip, Read, Review – ‘‘Folklogue” by Yogita Bansal Ahuja

Have you observed how ‘Folk Tales’ are usually intentionally layered? Different ages understand them differently. A child sees adventure and enjoys what happens. An adult sees symbolism and understands what it means. An elder sees life wisdom, thus making these folktales timeless teaching tools!This book is based on a charming concept - to share folk stories from different parts of India. It also ...

jaee jadhav

Fuck Streaming

Streaming can tie a boulder to itself and jump into the Atlantic. Streaming platforms made music available - and what did Napster / Limewire / DC++ do? Napster was villified - it stole from artists. And what does Spotify / Tidal / Deezer et al do exactly?At least DC++ never told me that a certain album was not available in my country. Or that the sampling rate would change mid listen. Or Ads. Dear...

manan dedhia

More to read

The one solace through 2025 was reading. Books were the silent companion whether I realized it or not. Every train ride, walk and commute to office was made not just bearable by some of these volumes. Here is to more reading in 2026.

manan dedhia