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Articles by Rupamudra Kataki
Mom's the world: Women share the best marital advice they got from their mother
We all have, at some point in our life, come across the phrase 'a mother's instinct'. Whether science agrees to it or not, all mothers possess this innate ability to feel something extra for her child's welfare; it is the same power that gives her some uncanny knowledge about anything related to her child. A mother's wisdom and unconditional love remain unchallenged.
Rishi Kapoor: The man who redefined love and romance for many generations
Pyaar to woh rog hain jo aasaani se lagta nahi, Aur jab lag jaata hain na, phir kabhi mitta nahi. (The passion of love doesn't ignite easily, but once it does, there is no stopping it). This is one of the many unforgettable dialogues by the veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, who succumbed to blood cancer this morning. The man with a mischievous smile and innocent eyes had unleashed an era of unforgettable romance with his work.
Dear Irrfan Khan, thank you for making every Sunday of my childhood unforgettable with 'Chandrakanta'
There is something special about being a 90s kid. We might not have had the luxury of smartphones or the ease of accessing any information with the help of our friend the Internet but we had televisions, DD national and unforgettable Sundays (a deadly combination for children and a dread for parents!) And 'Chandrakanta', a fantasy series aired every Sunday on DD national, almost changed my life.
Why safety and health at work is the need of the hour now
All we needed was a virus to make us realise how vulnerable we are how we need to stay safe and protect ourselves and everyone from the worst pandemic the world has witnessed in this century. Given the situation we are in now, nothing matters more than safety and health at work or workplace.
Why women are more stressed than men during the lockdown - Times of India
How are you these days? Many would just roll their eyes on being asked this question, while others would share their stories of how they are managing household chores and office work. Yes, the pandemic and the ongoing lockdown has made us face some harsh realities of life, among which one ugly truth has scratched the surface of our otherwise happy life—while the stress surrounding our life is mounting at an unbelievable pace, one gender is taking the heat more than the other.
Love in the time of Corona: How you can have some meaningful and romantic moments with your partner
The popular saying—when the going gets tough, the tough get going—perhaps best defines these challenging times. WHO recently declared Coronavirus as a pandemic and people are advised to spend time indoors to avoid getting infected. Precautions like 'social distancing' and 'no physical contact' became the norm overnight. While these measures ensured safety but did you notice that these precautions are everything that could keep too lovers or partners apart?
From 'Pink' to 'Thappad', how Bollywood movies are addressing some serious relationship issues - Times of India
Recently, the trailer of an upcoming movie named 'Thappad' was released. It starts with a frail-looking Taapsee Pannu, who is playing the role of the protagonist, is sitting in front of a formidable-looking woman, perhaps a lawyer. Taapsee is being served a notice by her husband to return home and the lawyer-like woman is asking her questions.
Do you get attracted to people who look like your parents? - Times of India
The famous Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, gave us many interesting psycho-sexual theories among which Oedipus Complex is perhaps the most popular one. Thanks to William Shakespeare for making it famous through Hamlet, one of his popular characters whose obsession with his mother was explained by many critics as an influence of the Oedipus Complex.
How to deal with unfulfilled desires in a relationship?
“To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves.” Through this seemingly simple quote, which appears in the peasant play ‘Blood Wedding ’, the famous Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca raised an important topic that many perhaps fear to address. What is desire? If we look at the origin of the word, it could be traced back to the Latin word desiderare, meaning ‘long for, wish for; demand, expect’.
Do you know what ‘Henry’ is? Find if you are a ‘Henry’ based on your salary and lifestyle
Bhavana and Ankit work in a reputed MNC and earn a handsome salary. The newly-married couple had recently bought an apartment in one of the posh localities in Delhi for which they had to take a loan amounting to almost 90 lakhs. A few months later, they bought a German car, which cost them almost Rs. 45 lakhs. However, after paying their equal monthly installments (EMI) for their home loan and other expenses, the young couple is hardly left with any savings.
If you are single and looking for love in 2020, these love mantras are all you need
Do you know what’s the best thing about love? It can happen anytime, anywhere and with anyone (including falling in love with yourself). You might be single and totally in love with life, your independence, and the world. Or maybe, you have just opened up to the idea of falling in love and want to make 2020 a year of love. Maybe, you have been in love in the past, gotten over it and learned from your mistakes. Or, you want to share your life with another person and are waiting for that to happen.
A letter to those who don’t feel festive during the New Year season! - Times of India
My anxiety started growing as the last month of the year approached its end. Is it just me or does anyone share the feeling that December ends faster than it should? First, there are those days, which I call the ‘discount teaser’.
Dating guide for single parents: Everything you need to know
Nilanjana Ghosh was not prepared for her 13-year-old daughter’s reaction when she told the teenager that she was dating one of her colleagues. Nilanjana was married to her first husband for five years before he left her for another woman. After a bitter divorce, it took Nilanjana almost a decade to gather her courage to trust another man. In her late thirties now, Nilanjana was determined to not repeat the mistakes of entering wedlock without knowing the man properly.
Philosophical and playful, Trishla Jain's books are a delight for both children and parents
However on rare occasions we come across a book that can be as enjoyable a read-aloud experience for parents as it is an entertaining and enlightening read for children. And that’s why ' Om the Gnome and the Chanting Comb' and ' Sunrise, Moonrise ' by author Trishla Jain are so much more than just illustrated books for children. Trishla, a young mother of two, started meditating at the age of eight and ‘dancing with literature’ at 18.
Who killed the living room conversations?
No sooner had I made myself comfortable on the couch of the living room, a pop-up notification on the phone had my attention. I knew it was a message from my boss. No, I didn't have any cosmic connection, it was the ringtone that gave away. “Could you please get me a list of articles filed this month?” The one-liner was enough to spring me into action. Our phones have replaced the need for a laptop and I was no different.
What’s there to rejoice about the abolition of the adultery law? - Times of India
Sex, once a taboo, seems to be the most-discussed topic in India today. The Supreme Court struck down Section 497 of the IPC, an adultery law dating to the British era, terming it unconstitutional yesterday. Last month, the apex court gave a landmark judgement and decriminalised homosexuality between consenting adults by scrapping the controversial Section 377.
Subtle signs of sexual abuse in children that all parents need to know
In a shocking turn of events, Pope Francis, who is the 266th and current Pope of the Catholic Church, recently apologised for the ‘irreparable damage’ caused by sexual abuse of children by the Catholic clergy in Chile. While conscious citizens around the world are working tirelessly to bring this heinous crime to a stop, unfortunately, child sexual abuse is not easy to spot. What happened behind the closed doors of the Catholic churches in Chile is an example of this.
Happy Daughters Day 2018: Can we please stop treating our daughters like sons?
It was one of those days. The Delhi heat was breathing down my neck like an angry dragon, there was no water supply for last 24 hours and my deadline to pay our room rent was long gone. As I hurriedly packed my bag for office, I made sure to take out the envelope containing twenty thousand rupees from the bag. Clutching the bag with one hand and the tattered envelope with the other, I struggled to dial my landlord’s number.
'Finally, I exist'
Consensual adult gay sex is not a crime anymore in Indian. A judgement, which is being hailed as historic, has breathed life to many. People were euphoric and it was infectious. Praise and applause poured in from everywhere. Facebook and Twitter, the stalwarts of social media, were dressed in rainbows.
Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas engagement: A little known love story
Finally, putting all rumours to rest, Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas made their relationship official on Saturday morning. In the low-key ‘roka’ ceremony, Priyanka looked like the diva (that she undoubtedly is) in a yellow suit and Nick, who wore a traditional Indian attire, surprised everyone with his Indian choice of clothes.
Can a stay-at-home mom raise her children better than a working mother?
There is always a silent war raging in the mommy world since time immemorial. Not everyone would say it loud but most people have an opinion about women who choose to stay at home after having children or be a working mother. But it is not easy being a working mother and it’s equally difficult being a stay-at-home mom. This is a classic ‘the grass is greener’ case that keeps the inhabitants of the mommy world awake at night.
Dear Ma, you don’t have to be a perfectionist all the time!
I never thought I would ever tell you this. No one loves you as much as I do (perhaps, dad is a close competitor) but it isn’t easy being your daughter. Yes, growing up under the shadow of a perfectionist is never easy. Of all the childhood memories I have, this one is one of my favourites—you scrubbing that invisible speck of dust from the corner table, which is the most ignored furniture of our house.
Pride and prejudice: No matter what society says, more youths in India are coming out in support of live-in relationships - Times of India
If you visit Pallavi and Mukund’s (names changed) apartment at Vasant Kunj in Delhi, you would be surprised to see how sweet and cosy their home is. As if the love the duo shared permeated through their bodies and filled the space. These young professionals call it their home because this is where they cook their meal, share a bed and resolve their fights. If this isn’t home, then what is? However, Pallavi’s mother Rebati never visits the place her daughter calls home.
Subtle signs of sexual abuse in children that all parents need to know
In a shocking turn of events, Pope Francis, who is the 266th and current Pope of the Catholic Church, recently apologised for the 'irreparable damage' caused by sexual abuse of children by the Catholic clergy in Chile. While conscious citizens around the world are working tirelessly to bring this heinous crime to a stop, unfortunately, child sexual abuse is not easy to spot. What happened behind the closed doors of the Catholic churches in Chile is an example of this.
Are men less 'emotionally available' in a relationship?
Sameera knew that Aakash could make her happy in a way that no one else could. And that gave her nightmares because she could never figure out what made him happy. "We have known each other for years and yet I fail to understand him," Sameera had cried every time they had a break-up. Lost in their respective busy worlds of banking and academics—Aakash was a banker and Sameera was a young teacher—they hardly got time to spend with each other.
Why women’s safety in Delhi NCR is still a joke!
It was a just another evening as I headed home to Lajpat Nagar from my office in Noida. Being a journalist, I was accustomed to working late hours and was prepared to face the snarly traffic in DND (Delhi Noida Direct flyway). But what I was not prepared was to face what happened to me on the busy highway that day.
Is it possible to have a great sex life without orgasms?
What Snigdha was going though was something she refrained from even discussing with anyone. She flinched every time her friends cracked any sex-related jokes. Every time she made love to her husband, she faked an orgasm for she could hardly get one. A time came when she could not fake it any longer.Yes, it is true—like Snigdha there are millions of women for whom getting an orgasm is not as easy as they grew up believing. Some fake it while others continue leading their life in doubts.
Broken marriages depriving children the joy of festive fervour
It was not easy for Rohan (name changed) to feign happiness when his friends discussed their plans for Durga Puja. Kolkata is decked up like a bride, and a festive energy flowed through the veins of the city. Rohan woke up early with thoughts of his father—he will be meeting him after a long time. Deep inside his heart, he knew they would not be going pandal hopping like other kids or eat jalebis from the famous sweetshop that other parents would be taking their children to.
Lights, camera,attraction
Inspired by real life events, Abhishek Krishnan’s debut novel is all about love, passion and friendship.
The pain protocol
Death be not proud, though some have called thee... much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow...” One of the greatest 16th century metaphysical poets John Donne says in the sonnet Death Be Not Proud that death has no reason to be proud of its invincibility, for it brings many pleasures to those whom it releases from the clutches of earthly sufferings. Six hundred years later, those who are suffering from excruciating pain, look forward to death as their saviour.
The New Indian Express
All books are like cookbooks, and use the ingredients of love, life, pain, joy, friendship, light and darkness with the right recipes. This year, the trend is the desire to achieve the perfect balance between improvisation, pushing the envelope and a planchette with the past. Books with Indian topics (lingering tastes of colonial piquancy) such as exploring Hindu saints or going native in an alien culture coexist with dark stories about war and retrospection.
The New Indian Express
The ultimate collection of all the poems of Florence Margaret Smith, aka Stevie Smith, who was an object of obsession of the doomed Sylvia Plath. Though she is the author of the phrase, “a good time was had by all”, it is not the subject of this anthology. Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda The self-explanatory title is a gem for any bookshelf—it is yet to be released.
The New Indian Express
The lost art of making bread by hand is resurrected in this step-by-step recipe book. From the essential white loaf to more complex breads with different flavours, textures and shapes, it has a variety of methods for the rookie baker. After her debut success with Persiana, the poster girl of Middle East cuisine westernises eastern styles; sticky lamb buns with pickled cucumber relish and dark chocolate, cardamom and espresso mousse cake, it’s all there.
Children's Literature
The chubby little god gets all new look in the much-loved children’s writer Meera Uberoi’s (1952-2012) collection of mythological stories, which include little-known tales like how Ganesha created the tabla, how he stopped Ravana from becoming all-powerful. This is the story of adorable Abbie Wu and her attempts to avert everyday disasters of growing up. She is this hilarious neurotic middle school girl whose days are spent in figuring out who she is and where she belongs.
Memoirs and Biographies
Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen The sex life of England’s King Henry VIII has obsessed readers and historians alike. Here is the first story of a six-book series in which each one covers one of the queens, a feat never attempted before.
The New Indian Express
The book features mainly 14-year-olds and is aimed at young readers. Jack Mouse from different schools go to the same ski resort on a school trip. Jack is taken for a French teen popstar. What follows is a narrative of witty confusion. A tragic, moving story about a 13-year-old father who is sent to a juvenile home where he finds an unlikely friend who promises to help him meet Jupiter—the baby he has never seen.
Adult Colouring - The New Indian Express
This colouring book for adults is one of the bestsellers in China. It has intricately drawn pen-and-ink illustrations of gardens. But hidden in these designs are tiny creatures which await to be discovered and take the person who works on the book by surprise. Working on it is no less than meditation. Full of lush details and iconic motifs, the book brings the romance of Mughal miniatures alive. It combines Persian, central Asian and indigenous Indian styles.
The New Indian Express
Translated from French, this is a travel book of a different kind—it’s funny, trivia-ridden time-travel through Europe, its people, races and most important the evolution of its languages. Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travel: Our List of the 500 Best Places to See Full of secret, intriguing destinations as well as famous ones like the Taj Mahal, it’s a guide to the 500 most inviting places put together by Lonely Planet’s travel mavens. Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2016 is its worthy successor.
The New Indian Express
The Kiss of Life: How A Superhero and My Son Defeated Cancer He became famous for his liplocks, but in this moving book, B-Town actor Hashmi narrates how he and his wife Parveen Shahani dealt with their son Ayaan’s battle with cancer. Co-authored with Bilal Siddiqi, the book sensitively chronicles the painful path the three-year-old—now six—travels, and the trauma and triumph of his parents.
The New Indian Express
Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are back in this hair- raising thriller of a murderer who uses technology to warn the world about how money has twisted the world. As the plot reaches its unexpected climax, Rhyme and his partner have to traverse a path full of corpses, romance and the trials of being an invalid. A survivor of an attack by a serial killer, crime researcher John Costello sets out on the track of The Hammer of God, a killer who took away the love of his life in his youth in 1984.
The New Indian Express
An Israeli doctor, Eitan Green, driving his SUV accidentally hits and kills a stranger. He decides to flee the scene, believing he has not been noticed. When the dead man’s widow shows up on his doorstep, Green’s life changes forever in ways he never thought was possible. An untraceable young Arab suicide bomber kills over 1,000 holiday-makers in Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens. Senior cop Lene Jensen is in mourning for her daughter who has commited suicide.
Science Fictions
All the Birds in the Sky When wizards meet scientists who have created time machines, one is left with no option but to expect wonders of the best kinds. Love and apocalypse are redefined by magic and science when a bigger force unites Patricia Delfine, a magician, and Laurence Armstead, an engineering genius and a scientist. Both are childhood friends who part ways. When they are united, however, nothing short of a miracle or scientific surprise takes place.
General Fiction - The New Indian Express
The book revolves around the great guru Sri Ramakrishna and his apocryphal nephew and dedicated guardian Hriday, who saves him from devotees and enemies. Haikus, questionnaires, playlets and forgotten documents intersect the chapters. This whimsical novel upends the concept of the literary novel with panache, almost mocking the genre with a surreal satirist’s whimsy.
The New Indian Express
A renowned Japanese manga artist, Kenji Tsuruta, is out with his first English work in 20 years. Wandering Island, a mystery novel set on the open sea, showcases his stunning immersive inks and paintings. Protagonist Mikura Amelia, who runs an air delivery service, meets a new mission when her dead grandfather leaves behind a parcel to be delivered to a non-existent island. British cartoonist and illustrator Tom Gauld, known for his deadpan humour, is back with his latest work.
Be Skin Safe This Scorching Summer
While Johnson & Johnson is gearing up to dust out with a heavy compensation for damages its powder caused in the US, Proctor & Gamble may meet the same fate. More than 100 men in the US have filed a class action lawsuit against one of its flagship products, Old Spice, claiming that its deodorants have made them break out in painful rashes. In India, Rakshanda Khan frantically searched for a salve to soothe the angry inflamed skin on her face.
When Platters Meet Pages
After choreographing dishes that have created more than a ripple in the world of culinary excellence, chef Manish Mehrotra turns writer with the Indian Accent Restaurant Cookbook. We, for once, could not help but ask a clichéd question, “What do you find more difficult? Cooking or writing?” Expecting a detailed reply, we pause.
The New Indian Express
When the delivery room was filled with the first fragile cry of her baby, Ranjita Srivastava slipped into a happy unconsciousness. Six hours after she recovered her senses, she held the newborn in her weak arms. What everyone mostly discussed when they saw him was whether the baby looked more like the mother or the father. He was a healthy boy and they named him Bonney. Five days later, Ranjita had a hard time putting to sleep her otherwise calm baby.
Diets on the Edge
Fads, be it for diet or clothes, are just not fads. They are real. When 26-year-old aspiring author R Pallavi started writing fiction, the only thing she owned was the night. After working through the day, she found herself making rounds to the kitchen, only to return with mugs of hot Java. Caffeine became her friend, her best friend in fact. “I was vulnerable before it. It could strengthen and destroy me. It kept me fighting, it kept me alive. It took away my liking for solid food.
There is Something About Smoothies
Smoothies have evolved from being a cross between a drink and a slurpy mass blended in a hurry. There used to be a time when three ingredients—milk, any fruit and sugar—and a blender were all that one needed to make this. Today, we have smoothies for all occasions or rather for all moods and needs. For the health conscious, there are detox and weight-loss blends. For the adrenaline junkie, there are concoctions that are perhaps designed only for the bravest.
In School, Sheena Bora Known for Her Smile
In School, Sheena Bora Known for Her Smile It was 1999 when I first met Sheena (in Guwahati). She was a student of class 6 and I was in class 10 at that time. We were both the students of Disneyland High School which has been rechristened as Sudarshan Public School now. Being a senior by quite a few years, it would not have been possible for me to remember all my juniors. But Sheena was different. She was a cheerful girl with a very arresting face.
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