top of page
RAJI WRITES
READ ALL ABOUT IT
Search
Family, Love & Civil War In Sri Lanka (Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan)
Radicalization of young men in a civil war How does a young man become “radicalized?” Subject him, his family, and his community to...
Dec 7, 20244 min read
39 views
0 comments
‘The Book of Vows’ – Amit Majmudar’s Mahabharata
In an impassioned introduction providing context for this greatest of stories with countless retellings, Amit Majmudar explains why he...
May 3, 20244 min read
64 views
2 comments
Poetry & Politics in Pakistan: "The History Teacher Of Lahore" by Tahira Naqvi
On April 4, 1979, I was getting ready for school when I learned that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto had been...
Feb 8, 20246 min read
122 views
1 comment
From Palakkad Village Girl to Stylish Patti – The Fascinating Life of Lily Tharoor
I am in Kerala as I write this, having just returned to Kochi from visiting a beloved aunt in Palakkad District. I never tire of...
Sep 14, 20236 min read
135 views
0 comments
Midnight's Grandchild: "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida"
In all the years since I first read Salman Rushdie’s Midnight's Children, no book has matched its brilliance, its exuberance and its...
May 7, 20235 min read
540 views
2 comments
Raji's Recordings!
I have moderated book discussions and author interviews in the past few years, and even participated in a Readathon! The recordings are...
Mar 31, 20234 min read
115 views
0 comments
"Independence" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Much of the literature about India’s Partition has been written around the violence and tragedy in the northwest. The focus is the...
Mar 5, 20235 min read
146 views
0 comments
"The Second Life of Mirielle West" by Amanda Skenandore
Silicon Valley Reads had chosen “Journey to New Beginnings” as its 2023 theme. One of the books selected to showcase this theme is The...
Mar 3, 20233 min read
125 views
0 comments
A Mother’s Beginnings, a Nation’s Past (Sisters of Mokama, by Jyoti Thottam)
In 1947, the year India got its hard-won independence from British rule, six nuns from Kentucky voyaged to India to set up a hospital in...
May 10, 20224 min read
95 views
0 comments
The Goddess Will Rise. (Border Less by Namrata Poddar)
Border Less, a debut novel by Namrata Poddar, is a collection of stories or vignettes, tied together by the main character Dia Mittal. We...
Mar 6, 20226 min read
63 views
2 comments
"Together" by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
Loneliness is like a cold hand resting on your heart. It can tighten your chest, and make you desperate with longing for company and...
Jan 23, 20217 min read
203 views
1 comment
"Purple Lotus" by Veena Rao
I have an image of two women. One walks down a path with strong, bold strides, taking in everything around her. There seems to be no...
Oct 10, 20204 min read
118 views
0 comments
"Alpha Girls" by Julian Guthrie (Silicon Valley Reads 2020)
“Women – Making It Happen. Celebrating 100 years of women’s achievements.” This was the 2020 theme for Silicon Valley Reads, in honor of...
Aug 15, 202010 min read
175 views
0 comments
Salman Rushdie's "Quichotte" - On the Road
Salman Rushdie describes the opioid crisis in his new book, "Quichotte." He had researched it for years following a family tragedy. His...
Oct 6, 201910 min read
139 views
0 comments
Your Mother's Eyes, Your Father's Smile and "The Stranger in My Genes" by Bill Gri
We look at a child’s smile and match that smile to her mother or father. Resemblances, in appearance, in a laugh, in a gesture, in...
Feb 23, 20197 min read
164 views
0 comments
"Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy" by Sheryl Sandberg and
Sheryl Sandberg’s and Adam Grant's recent book, "Option B, Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy" is a moving account of...
Oct 11, 20175 min read
61 views
0 comments
"The Golden House" by Salman Rushdie
Mysterious pasts, transformed identities, new beginnings, organized crime, shocking elections, improbable heads of state, conspiracy,...
Sep 12, 201711 min read
160 views
0 comments
In Memoriam: Naiyer Masud (1936 - 2017)
The Urdu scholar and short story writer Naiyer Masud, passed away today. I found in my archives this piece that I had written in 1998. I...
Jul 24, 20174 min read
102 views
0 comments
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, by Arundhati Roy
I finished reading Arundhati Roy's “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” a few days ago, and found myself feeling oddly bereaved. Then,...
Jun 23, 20178 min read
521 views
0 comments
Book review "Ghachar Ghochar" (Tangled up)
Several days ago, I hopped on to the Amazon website to pre-order Arundhuti Roy's new novel upon learning of it on this forum. Vivek...
May 29, 20172 min read
40 views
0 comments
bottom of page