MOVIE 1 - APR 14, 2025 - MON
THE LUNCHBOX
Directed by Ritesh Batra
Released in 2013 and set in Mumbai, the film is about a solitary widower, Saajan, who receives the wrong lunch one day at work, and begins a correspondence via the lunchbox with Ila, a young housewife in a troubled marriage.
Saajan begins to find warmth in Ila's thoughtful meals and the notes she slips in. Ila, in turn, finds validation, empathy, and a sense of being heard for the first time in years. Their messages, first hesitant and later more personal, become a lifeline for both.
Ritesh Batra directs the narrative with remarkable tenderness, exploring the themes of loneliness, connection, and the small accidents that can change the course of life. Irrfan Khan (as Saajan) delivers a masterclass in restrained acting, and Nimrat Kaur brings vulnerability but also strength to Ila. The film won numerous awards, received unanimous critical acclaim, and was a box-office success in India and abroad.
Book 98 - MAR 26, 2025 - WED
WHEN I HIT YOU: OR, A PORTRAIT OF THE WRITER AS A YOUNG WIFE
Based on the author´s own life, this novel is about a highly educated woman from an affuent family who falls in love and marries a renowned college professor. But she soon realizes that what for her is a bond of love for him is a contract of ownership. He tries to reduce her to his image of an obedient wife, bullying her, trashing her dream of being a writer, and, as she tries to rebel, beating and raping her.
Faced with domestic terror and socially isolated, writing becomes her salvation and an act of defiance. In a raw, deeply personal but also funny narrative, Meena Kandasamy depicts the dynamics of an abusive marriage fueled by a toxic patriarchal system, and the resiliance of a wife who refuses to be annihilated and fights back.
Book 90 - MAR 18, 2025 - TUE
THE MARRIAGE BUREAU FOR RICH PEOPLE
by Farahad Zama
Bored after retirement, Mr. Ali sets up a high-end matchmaking agency in his native Vizag, a colourful coastal town in South India. His assistant, Aruna, hides a tragic past and, without a dowry, has no expectation of a match for herself.
Clients come in: a man who wants a tall son-in-law for his short daughter; a divorced woman who ends up back with her ex-husband; a salesman who can't sell himself; a rich young doctor for whom no match is ever perfect; and so on. But will the marriage bureau help Aruna? As people try to plan their lives, fate is often making other arrangements.
In the allure of India, and with a cast of endearing characters, this novel reveals a country still grappling with the politics of caste and religion, while delivering a delightful read.
Book 82 - MAR 10, 2025 - MON
SERIOUS MEN
by Manu Joseph
Serious Men (2010) is about Ayyan Mani, a middle-aged Dalit (the lowest caste in the Hindu hierarchy) trapped in Mumbai’s slums, living a miserable marriage, and working at a research institute as a personal assistant to Arvind Acharya, a hard-to-deal-with famous Brahmin (the highest caste) astronomer. Frustrated by his situation, Mani devises a plan that catapults his ten-year-old son into the limelight as a child genius, manipulating the public opinion for his own advantage.
Meanwhile, Acharya gets entangled in a scandalous affair with Oparna Goshmaulik, the institute’s only female employee, desired by every man there. Mani sees the rivalries between Acharya and his enemies as an opportunity to further his own game, but he sets in motion a chain of events that soon threatens to overtake him.
Manu Joseph´s debut novel is a good-humored critique of the caste system and explores themes of ambition, love, class, and the absurdity of India's deeply entrenched hierarchies.
Book 74 - MAR 02, 2025 - SUN
THE INHERITANCE OF LOSS
by Kiran Desai
During the 1980s in the foothills of the Himalayas, an old judge wants to retire in peace. But his quietness is upended as his sixteen-year-old orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. Their life is further disrupted when the tensions of the Nepalese insurgency reach their house.
At the same time, Biju, the son of the judge’s cook, struggles to survive as an illegal immigrant in the US, moving between low-paying restaurant jobs and experiencing the alienation and indignities of exile.
By means of parallel and intertwined narratives, this novel published in 2006 is a perceptive meditation on the scars of colonialism, the loss of cultural identity, the illusions of Western aspirations, and the resulting fractures within families and societies.
Book 66 - FEB 22, 2025 - SAT
OUR CITY THAT YEAR: A NOVEL
First published in Hindi in 1998, it´s set in an unnamed city in India on the edge of chaos, taken by violence between Hindus and Muslims viewing each other with suspicion, rage, and blame.
As their identities sharpen, friends and colleagues turn against each other, hospital beds fill up, and classrooms empty out. Curfews are imposed. Residents flee en masse.
In this context, Shruti, a writer, spends her time writing and rewriting the same sentence. Hanif is sidelined by his academic department for his secular beliefs. And Sharad finds it increasingly difficult to connect with Hanif, his childhood friend.
Our City that Year is narrated by a young woman whose perspective intertwines themes of loss, identity, and the lingering scars of violence. Through her eyes, the author bears witness to the insanity of religious nationalism in a fractured society, mirroring other equally toxic ideological clashes around the world.
Book 58 - FEB 14, 2025 - FRI
ROSARITA
by Anita Desai
Rosarita is set in San Miguel, Mexico, to where Bonita, an Indian student, went to learn Spanish. One day, she runs into an elderly woman who claims to have been a friend of her mother.
Per that woman, Bonita’s mother had lived in Mexico as a young painter, a striking contrast to Bonita´s image of her mother, who, as long as she knew, had never been in Mexico.
Days later, Bonita seeks out the woman and follows her on a tour of what may have been her mother’s past. As a series of events unfold, Bonita is forced to confront her memory, and specters of violence emerge. In this novel, Anita Desai intertwines themes of marriage, motherhood, family, and identity, questioning how well we truly know our loved ones and how old traumas can impact future generations.
Book 50 - FEB 06, 2025 - THU
THE RAMAYANA: A SHORTENED MODERN PROSE VERSION OF THE INDIAN EPIC
One of India's greatest epics, The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit poem attributed to the sage Valmiki about prince Rama, an incarnation of the god Vishnu, who embarks on a heroic quest to rescue his wife, Sita, after her abduction by the demon king Ravana.
A classic of Hindu mythology and philosophy, it continues to inspire millions with its lessons on dharma (the moral order that sustains the universe and guides individual conduct).
Published in 1972, Narayan´s translation and adaptation made the Sanskrit masterpiece accessible to a larger public. According to him, "Almost every individual living in India is aware of the story of The Ramayana. Everyone of whatever age, outlook, education or station in life knows the essential part of the epic and adores the main figures in it - Rama and Sita. Every child is told the story at bedtime . . . The Ramayana pervades our cultural life".
Book 42 - Jan 29, 2025 - WED
THOSE PRICEY THAKUR GIRLS
Set in the 1980s in New Delhi, Those Pricey Thakur Girls is a tale of love, family, and rebellion, following the lives of judge Laxmi Narayan Thakur, his wife Mamta, and their five beautiful (but troublesome) alphabetically named daughters.
Anjini, married but an incorrigible flirt; Binodini, worried about her children's share in the family property; Chandrakanta, who ran away with a foreigner on the eve of her wedding; Debjani, soft-spoken and determined; and Eshwari, a bit too popular at school and the judge´s favorite.
Each daughter has her moment, but the protagonists are Debjani, a newsreader on Doordarshan TV channel, and the charismatic journalist Dylan Singh Shekhawat. The novel weaves romance with social commentary, offering a nostalgic yet sharp look at Indian society.
Book 34 - Jan 21, 2025 - TUE
TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE
In Too Good to Be True, published in the summer of 2024, Prajakta Koli delivers a story about love, self-discovery, and the complexities of modern relationships.
In the bookstore where Avani works, Aman walks in. He is hot, successful, seems to know what she's going to say before she's said it, and just cannot get enough of her. In short, he's perfect.
So why is Avani losing her mind, ignoring the advice of her friends, and trying to convince herself that he's just too good to be true?
She begins to question the line between real love and illusion.
A captivating journey, this novel is a celebration of resilience, friendship, and the courage to embrace life as it is. Avani is a young woman chasing her dreams while navigating the unpredictable maze of adulthood.
Perfect for fans of romantic comedies, Too Good to Be True is utterly relatable at every turn.
Book 26 - Jan 13, 2025 - Mon
by Amitav Ghosh
Published in 2002, it´s a novel set in Burma (Myanmar), Bengali (India), and Malaya (Malaysia). It spans a century from the Third Anglo-Burmese War and the fall of the Konbaung Dynasty in 1885 to World War II. Through the stories of some elite families and characters, it follows the struggles that have shaped Burma, India and Malaya into the places they are today.
It explores the various facets of the colonial period, including the economic fall of Burma, the rise of timber and rubber plantations, the moral dilemmas faced by Indians in the British Indian Army, the devastating effects of WW II, and necessary questions about what constitutes a nation. The name of the novel derives from the Glass Palace Chronicle, which is an ancient Burmese historical work commissioned by King Bagyidaw in 1829.
BOOK 21 - JAN 08, 2025 - WED
by Vikram Seth
Published in 1993 and set in the early 1950s in a newly post-independence and post-partition India, it´s a long novel about four families during 18 months and is centered on Mrs. Rupa Mehra's efforts to arrange the marriage of her younger daughter, Lata, to a "suitable boy". Lata is a 19-year-old university student who refuses to be influenced by her domineering mother or opinionated brother.
It begins in the fictional town of Brahmpur, along the Ganges, and goes on in real places like Patna, Calcutta, Delhi, Lucknow, and other Indian cities, forming a colourful backdrop and a panoramic portrait of a complex, multiethnic society. Vikram Seth tells the story of ordinary people a web of love, ambition, humor, sadness, prejudice, reconciliation, the most delicate social etiquette, and violence.
BOOK 16 - JAN 03, 2025 - FRI
Set during the partition of British India in 1947, this historical novel is about the unbreakable bond of three sisters in a rural village in Bengali caught up in political events beyond their control.
Daughters of a respected doctor, they feed different life goals: Priya is resolved to follow her father’s career despite social conservative headwinds; Deepa wants to make a marriage that will bring her family joy and status; and Jamini is smarter than it seems, with deeper passions than she reveals.
In violent times, their house remains a safe haven. But one day their father is killed in a riot, and even their neighbors turn against them, bringing politics to their home. While Priya pursues her career, Deepa falls in love with a Muslim, breaking with her family. Jamini tries to hold her family together but at the same time secretly longs for her sister’s fiancé.
India is now for Hindus, Pakistan for Muslims. The sisters are separated from one another, each on different paths. They fear for what will happen to not just themselves, but each other.
BOOK 11 - DEC 29, 2024 - Sun
Hi, I’m Radhika Mehta and I’m getting married this week. I work at Goldman Sachs, an investment bank. Thank you for reading my story. However, let me warn you. You may not like much. One, I make a lot of money. Two, I have an opinion on everything. Three, I have had a boyfriend before. OK, maybe two. Now if I were a guy, you’d be cool with it. Since I am a girl, these things don’t make me likeable, do they?
One Indian Girl is a 2016 novel that follows Radhika Mehta, a senior employee in the distressed debt group at Goldman Sachs. The novel explores the personal and professional challenges she faces within the financial sector, as well as her clashes with her deeply conservative Indian family and friends.
BOOK 6 - DEC 24, 2024 - Tue
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS
Published in 1997 and set in the state of Kerala in the 1960s, it´s about two children, Estha and Rahel, and the shocking consequences of a pivotal event in their young lives: the accidental death by drowning of a visiting English cousin.
Arundhati Roy´s compelling prose paints a vivid picture of life in a small Indian rural town, the thoughts and feelings of the two children, and the complexity and hypocrisy of the adults from the children´s perspective. It´s also a poignant lesson about the destructive power of the caste system in India and of its moral and political conservatism.
BOOK 1 - DEC 19, 2024 - Thu
LATITUDES OF LONGING
Latitudes of Longing is about interconnected characters searching for true intimacy. It sweeps across India to tell a love story of epic proportions. We follow a scientist who studies trees and a clairvoyant who speaks to them; a geologist working to end futile wars over a glacier; octogenarian lovers; a mother struggling to free her revolutionary son; a yeti who seeks human companionship; a turtle who transforms first into a boat and then a woman; and the ghost of an evaporated ocean as restless as the continents.
Shubhangi Swarup, a young writer awarded one of the most prestigious prizes in India for this novel, offers us a peculiar and compelling view of humanity: our beauty and ugliness, our capacity to harm and love one another, and our ambiguous relationship with nature.