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India Today
a day ago
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Three fine books to read this week
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated July 7, 2025)The Diamond-Eencrusted Rat Trap: Writings From Bombay by Adil JussawallaSpeaking Tiger | Rs 499 | 160 pages advertisement There are many things that The Diamond-Encrusted Rat Trap does not do. It does not tell a comprehensive story of Mumbai. It does not pretend to capture the soul of the city, or even to understand its moods and slim and occasionally eccentric volume—made up of a collection of Adil Jussawalla's prose pieces about Bombay-Mumbai—does something else altogether. It records the fleeting moments that add both beauty and horror to our city. In it, we encounter a city that 'smells of the powder on the carrom board' and reverberates with the 'sledgehammers of demolition crews'. Where life often involves moving through a 'box within box above box out of box inside box'.'The pieces gathered here do not attempt to understand Mumbai-Bombay...,' writes Jerry Pinto in his Introduction. 'They are a way of giving witness to the bigness and the strangeness of the city. His city is built of chance encounters, of laughing liftmen, of departed friends and other ghosts.' Jussawalla has shared a complex relationship with Mumbai. He left Bombay for London in 1957, seeking somewhere grander than the grey, peeling city of his birth. Thirteen years later, he returned to this place of stray dogs and Gokulashtami pot-breakers. After which he stayed on to write poetry, edit newspapers and magazines and observe his city by the writes about the annual exodus when the city's cobblers and fruit sellers and Mafco stall assistants pack up and leave for their 'native places'; about the change of light after men on a scaffolding hang up a jute curtain outside his window; about the drummers who are part of the Ganpati processions and who seem to 'erupt out of the earth just to take part in the celebrations, and to sink back into the earth once the celebrations are over'.This is like a lucky dip: you never know what you will come up with. Some pieces can feel dated and random. But others remain fresh, funny and a reminder that some things—like the disappearing waiters of posh clubs or the 'De daan, de daan' cry after an eclipse—are here to stay.—Shabnam MinwallaA Stranger In Three Worlds by Aubrey MenenSpeaking Tiger | Rs 499 | 280 pages Aubrey Menen was born in England in 1912 to an Irish mother and an Indian father, a doctor—and brought up as an Englishman. The mixed upbringing makes him a stranger in three cultures, or the very opposite—an insider-outsider, which lends a unique flavour to hiswriting: a sage-like perspicacity and playful literary acuity mark every sentence. This edition is a two-in-one boombox—Dead Man in the Silver Market (1953) and Space Within the Heart (1970)—that jolts the reader autobiographical essays here are classics of the genre. In 'My Grandmother and the Dirty English', we meet his maternal grandmother who considers herself superior to the British in all aspects: bathing ritual, food habits, even furniture: 'she disliked chairs and thought them vulgar.' In 'The Dead Man in the Silver Market', the author witnesses an Indian protester being shot dead in Chandni Chowk; later, he dines with a soldier—'from an industrial slum near Liverpool'—who 'had been in the party that had done the shooting.'In the second book, Menen reads the Upanishads after the death of his parents. The titular space within the heart, the void inside the onion, is 'only an empty space to be used as a post for observation'. Menen writes about sex and the spirit, the Gita, Rigveda, Descartes and the Bloomsbury set with wicked humour and in tone-perfect prose. The writing voice is involved yet maintains an arm's distance—it's both participant and observer. 'The best way to stop thinking about yourself is to talk about yourself, and that is why so many people do you know yourself for what you are—or what the world has made of you—you prefer to shut up about it.'advertisement—Palash Krishna MehrotraUnmyth: Works and Worlds of Mithu Sen, Edited by Irina AristarkhovaMapin | Rs 3,500 | 364 pages Is it possible for an artist monograph to feel like a live art performance? Capturing the essence of Mithu Sen's work— installations, moving images, sculptures, word art, performances, and drawings—over two decades, Unmyth: Works and Worlds of Mithu Sen is as untameable as her practice also in line with Sen's ethos behind 'Unlanguage,' a creation where she uses nonsensical phrases and incorrect syntax as an act of dismantling the conventional rules of language. The first comprehensive study of the artist's wide-ranging oeuvre, Unmyth is thoughtfully edited by scholar-writer Irina Aristarkhova and innovatively designed by Anusha Yadav. Along with being an archive, the intention is to underline the individuality of Sen's practice, which provokes us to envision new worlds built around negotiating ideas of lingual anarchy, mything, 'un'mything and postmything, radical hospitality, 'un'taboo sexuality, and 'un'monolith identity. It is what Sen describes as 'a testament to 25 years of love and playbour (play + labour).'advertisementThere are QR codes inserted within the book which when scanned reveal work that unfolds in real book also features contributions from curators, academics, and critics who have engaged with Sen's work over the years. Yet, the book's breathless centrepiece is the 'Fictional Interview' by Sen herself. The questions asked resemble some of the inquiries posed at her practice over the years. But in form and scope, they replicate the playful provocation that makes Mithu Sen truly singular.—Poulomi DasSubscribe to India Today Magazine- Ends
Hans India
13-06-2025
- General
- Hans India
Village youth restore 14th century Venugopalaswamy Temple
Chamarajnagar: More than 50 youths of the village have given a new look to the Sri Venugopalaswamy temple in Haradanahalli village of the taluk, which has a historical background and dates back to the 14th century. The youth of the village, who have formed an association named Sri Vinayaka Bhakta Mandali, have taken up the task of renovating the temple under the association. Despite repeated requests to the concerned departments, including the Archaeological Department, to renovate the dilapidated temple, it was of no use. Therefore, the youths came together and took up the task. As the temple belongs to Muzrai Department, it falls under C Grade category and there are no funds provided from the government for its maintenance. So Madusudhan HN, police constable and a team of kids along with the help of the elders from the village have rejuvenated and protected the Venugopal Swamy temple which is more than 700 years old and has its own history. 'The entire temple is built of stones. Many religious programs were held in the temple, which attracts attention with its attractive art and architecture. As days passed, the temple started to fall into disrepair. Tall plants grew in the premises and became the abode of lizards, snakes and scorpions. The Muzrai and the Archaeological Department did not take up the cleanliness work. That is why we took up the renovation five years ago,' said one of the board members. 'The tuition programme took shape when Madhusudhan and a group of youngsters decided to restore an ancient temple and its kalyani (stepped tank) in their village. As the villagers supported their efforts, they took the initiative a step further and started free tuition classes to support students from government schools. We started keeping Ganesha idol in 2012 for Ganesh Chaturti, from that moment I decided to conduct classes for these kids. As i was into NCC and NSS, I always had the urge to serve public', says Madusudhan. Special Puja Special Pujas are held for Sankranti, Ugadi and Gokulashtami. There is a procedure to build a cradle on Vaikuntha Ekadashi and keep the festival idol from 6 am to 6 pm. It has been 9 years since our youth wing board came into existence. Every year we install Ganapati here. We organize pujas and programs,' he said. So far Rs 22 lakhs have been spent on the renovation of the temple. This has been financially supported by villagers and people from all communities. He says that many more development works need to be done. Since the temple premises are now clean, children are given free homework in the hall. Interested teachers and children come. 'Donors are providing tiles for the temple, stones for the floor, cement, etc. The renovation work is also being done with the help of their finances and the villagers. The government has removed the cement laid last year for a year. Therefore, whenever we get time, we get small works done by the board,' he said. 'The youth used to do Shramadaan for two hours from 6 in the morning. We used to work with them. As a result, the temple is beautiful today. Such work should be done in all villages,' says Mahadev of the village. 'There are many people in our team, including teachers, police officer, and self-employed people. Everyone takes responsibility and works,' said teacher R Chandru. Location details of temple The temple is located 6 km from the district headquarters. It is located near Haradanahalli on the Satyamangala Road. The sanctum sanctorum, Sukhanasi pillars and the installed walls, octagonal corners are attractive. There is a beautiful art painting of Lord Venkatesha inside. The wooden door of Sukhanasi has the name of Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar. The temple was expanded during his time. It is built with materials brought from Shaiva temples. The idol in the sanctum sanctorum is in the Hoysala style. It is said that a treasure was found in the area four years ago when Muslims were digging behind the temple. Since then, the Muzrai department has instructed that wedding programmes should not be held in this temple, according to the villagers. Dakshinabhimukha Anjaneya: There is a rare south-facing Abhaya Anjaneya temple outside the temple. More than 100 devotees come every Thursday and Saturday. Also, more devotees and tourists also visit on special puja days.
