(Image Credit: Visal Print Trading) The now infamous 1MDB scandal that roiled Malaysia beginning 2015 and whose reverberations are felt even today represented a dizzying concoction of the impudence of a rogue individual, the intransigence at the highest levels of a rotten kleptocracy and the greedy ingenuity of a Wall Street behemoth. Swindler, Fixer, Wheeler-Dealer, … Continue reading Scandals & Scoundrels: A Collection of Essays on 1MDB & related issues – R. Nadeswaran
Month: March 2023
Oru Manidhan Oru Veedu Oru Ulagam – Jayakanthan
(Image Credit: http://www.goodreads.com) Acknowledged by Jayakanthan himself as the favourite amongst all his works, Oru Manidhan Oru Veedu Oru Ulagam, literally translating to ‘A Man, A House, A World’, is a courageous exploration into the soul of a man in search of his legacy. A legacy that is compounded by incomplete bits of information which … Continue reading Oru Manidhan Oru Veedu Oru Ulagam – Jayakanthan
The Book of Ichigo Ichie – Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles
(Image Credit: penguinrandomhouse.com) The words ‘Ichigo Ichie’ in Japanese, in their rudimentary parlance literally translate to ‘what we are experiencing right now will never happen again.’ The authors in The Book of Ichigo Ichie, emphasise, using this seemingly plaid yet profound phrase, the value of living in the moment. They resort to an alluring juxtaposition … Continue reading The Book of Ichigo Ichie – Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles
Expression
(Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash) The delicate grip over the fountain pen Crackling whir as the fine nib contacts the pliant paper. Flow of words that symbolise meaning and a shape that denotes purpose. Quick lick for the stamps Technology you killer! (Word Count: 37) Sammi Cox Weekend Writing Prompt #304
Elizabeth Finch – Julian Barnes
(Image Credit: http://www.waterstones.com) Personally, as a Julian Barnes fanatic, every book release of this cerebral author is for me a special event. A celebration. A unique and inclusive moment to savour and preserve. Hence it was with untold enthusiasm and longing that I waited to lay my hands on his latest offering, Elizabeth Finch. But … Continue reading Elizabeth Finch – Julian Barnes
Arch-Conspirator – Veronica Roth
(Image Credit: http://www.amazon.com) A sci-fi retelling of Sophocles’ timeless tragedy Antigone, Arch-Conspirator is a one-sitting breezy and exciting read. The events that unravel in an unattractive, unkempt and dusty city (undoubtedly a throwback to the Thebes of Sophocles but deliberately masked in so far as any cartographical location is concerned, in its current Avatar), are … Continue reading Arch-Conspirator – Veronica Roth
Venture
(Photo by Liam Pozz on Unsplash) Usurpation Man against man, weapon against weapon. Wanton destruction, agonising shrieks of humanity Drowned in the depths of depravity but lost in a frenzy of rage. A self-perpetuating vicious cycle of extinction, resurrection, peace and plunder Whistling vassals of hell streaking through the blue skies Sounds of impartial vengeance sparing neither young … Continue reading Venture
NIRVANA
(Photo by Blake Verdoorn on Unsplash) Looking straight up Mother Nature cascading down Breathtaking offerings which man ignores. Oh, L.I.F.E! (Word Count: 14) Sammi Cox Weekend Writing Prompt#302
Pathin – S. Ramakrishnan
(Image Credit: Desanthiti Pathippagam) A where-The Wimpy Kid-meets-Adrian Mole, with an embellished profundity, S. Ramakrishnan’s Pathin both mesmerizes and provokes. The reader is given a sneak peek into the secret diaries assiduously maintained by Nanda Gopal (“Nandu”). Spanning a decade, the diaries reveal kaleidoscopic escapades of Nandu, ranging from the absorbing to the asinine. The … Continue reading Pathin – S. Ramakrishnan