George Orwell’s prognosis of the world condition is perhaps never truer than today with Pegasus, FB and other technologies acquiring personal information of the citizens world over. Urvashi Sabu presents an absorbing comparison between 1984 and the FaceBook and how governments are trying to manipulate public opinion in her essay – Orwell-FB and the Ministry of Friendship – Digital imperialism and Be(longing) in 21^st Century. (FEATURE)

The day starts like any other for the fifty-seven-year-old Suranjan Mitra when he receives an unexpected call from a Police station. Will he be connected to the individual on the other end? Anuradha Mazumder’s short story A Random Morning Call is a riveting story. Read on. (FEATURE)

Ever since the fateful afternoon Suleiman never stepped into that house. He often passed by the house like any other stranger, mindful only of his quiet but straightforward, contented, and honourable life. But that day, something within had compelled him. Atonement on a Pandemic Saturday by Sacaria Joseph proves Prospero’s The rarer action is in virtue, than revenge. (FEATURE)

Somi Somarajan’s First Contact, debut collection of poems – reviewed by Basudhara Roy – each poem in the book is distinctly mapped in place and time…a testimony or ode to experience. The power of his poems stems not only from his deep reflections thoughtful, attentive self but also from the unique perception of time that he participates in. (FEATURE)

It does not imply that Lakshmi Purana does not have its own share of miracles performed b gods and goddesses, but what informs the divine characters is a tremendous humanness and familiarity – Lahari Behera and Lopamudra Swain regarding the Lakshmi Purana. (LITERARY SECTION)

Senapati seems to be looking at the theme of power and greed from two distinct yet related spheres. The first is the political/economic, which involves the history of the six acres and a third that passes through scheming hands and ultimately lands up in the hands of the colonial rulers, both literarily and allegorically – Jharna Sanyal regarding Fakir Mohan Senapati’s Chha Mana Atha Guntha. (LITERARY SECTION)

Embodiment is a central term that comes into use when we talk about performances. All kinds of performances employ the performer’s or artist’s body in some or the other way. Art genres like painting, dance, sports, sculpting, etc., all require the body's usage and useful skills – Ashly Jossy regarding embodiment & performance. (LITERARY SECTION)

Hitesh Upadhyay’s Christmas Gifts as simple as it reads is a very complex story that highlights the growing distances between people and the attempts made by two individuals to close or narrow it down. (FICTION)

Suyasha Singh’s As the Sky Melts looks at the delicate strands that bind people together. The time stamps that every relationship comes with and how one struggles to make peace with the loss that follows. (FICTION)

Saranya Narayanan’s poems are a meditation on life and the philosophy that her poems have drawn on makes one rethink and relook at life as one knows it. (POETRY)

The haunting quality of Utkarsh M Tripathi’s poems brings to the foreground the sadness that one carries within which erupts like waves and threatens to subsume the self. The questions his work raise have a haunting quality to them. (POETRY)

Whispering Bricks – Stories of Love, Loss, and Friendship from IIMA – an anthology of stories edited by Siddhartha Bhasker – reviewed by Dr Ketaki Datta – is a mélange of memories, scintillating stories, and creative narrations penned by the IIM-A alumni. Among the other books reviewed in his issue are – 2 Poetry, 1 Poetry cum Art, 4 Fiction, and 5 Non-Fiction.  (BOOK REVIEWS)

Among the 5 works of Non-fiction reviewed, The Cult of the Androgyne – Reflections in Life and Literature, Art and Religion – edited by Dr Shruti Lahiri – and reviewed by Dr Tania Chakravertty – contains perceptive essays by academicians and performing artistes. The other genres of books reviewed in this issue include – 2 Poetry, 1 Poetry cum Art, and 4 Fiction. And several of these works are women-centric.  (BOOK REVIEWS)

G Ramakrishna – The Versatile Artist – a commemorative volume on the work of the well-known eponymous artist – presents his varied visual art creations along with a mini representative gallery. Authored by art connoisseur GSP Rao & art faculty-cum-critic MC Mohan – the book is reviewed by Varchaswi L Putcha, an artist himself. The other books reviewed in this issue include – 2 Poetry, 1 Poetry cum Art, 4 Fiction, and 4 Non-fiction. (BOOK REVIEWS)

Dr Sapna Dogra in her analytical review of Hesitancies – a collection of poetry by reputed poet Sanjeev Sethi known for the rich diction he commandeers in his poetry – perceives in it an “infrequent vivacity that unravels the various pungent observations of an unusual poet” with “a spellbinding effect.” The other books reviewed in this issue are – 1 Poetry, 1 Poetry cum Art, 4 Fiction, and 5 Non-fiction. (BOOK REVIEWS)