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MS Blues

On the last day of school, no matter which city we lived in, we would be on the evening train to Madurai. The overnight train journey was always fun--but our annual destination--we were a little less excited about that. Madurai was my father’s hometown, and...

A Grandmother Remembered

...or an ode to all women whose labor -- physical and emotional -- was dismissed as duty. “Don’t come too close,” our normally affectionate grandmother would beseech us. (மேல படாதே, மேல படாதே was the refrain in Tamil.) Once she had showered, no one --not even...

A Film Buff in Madurai

We had reached the theater late that day. A temple procession on the main road made it impossible for our scooter to pass. Daring shortcuts brought us to the theatre a few minutes past the official show time. Fortunately, the show had not sold out....

In Madurai, City of Movie Theatres

Even a donkey that grazes exclusively on cinema posters would not have starved in this city. Madurai, my father’s hometown, was dotted with that many cinema halls! And the owners of the movie halls plastered walls of the city with movie posters to draw in...

S.Muthiah (1930-2019)

One December, on a visit to my hometown, on a whim, I rang up the man who wrote these well-researched pieces about Madras institutions, personalities, and neighborhoods. Sitting at my desk in MIT, Boston, during lunch break, I’d read S. Muthiah’s Madras Miscellany. I loved...

Frozen Water, Warm Memory

I am an early riser. In the dark winters of New England, I am up even before the sun, and that, you’ll agree, takes some doing. But though I am up, I am, usually, not about. Venturing out before the neighbors have had a chance...