Farida, all of sixteen, has recently taken over her father’s tailoring business and has been working for two English memsahibs in their home for intricate embroidery work on a few pieces. She is extremely talented, and Jenny and Mary are quite impressed. In fact, they’re considering hiring her for a much larger order for their boutique back home. Really, Farida couldn’t have asked for better employers.
The only thing that seems to be bothering Farida, however, is Mickey, Jenny’s teenage daughter, whose blouse she’s currently working on. She dresses funny, looks funny—almost like a boy—and everyone, even the cook, has asked her to stay away from Mickey. But all Mickey wants is to have Farida work in her room—away from the heat in the verandah and maybe even have her food with the rest of them. In Mickey’s opinion, that’s the least they could do for the prices they are paying Farida!
It is strange how issues of race and bias are sometimes so ingrained in us that even as victims we don’t realize something that is so obvious to someone else. Originally written for an anthology of short fiction for teenagers, Beads is a powerful story about the voices that often go unheard in the discourse about racism and privilege.
In 1981, Manjula Padmanabhan spent a month in Delhi, living in a barsati in East-of-Kailash in what can only be described as surreal circumstances. As Padmanabhan was about to learn, living with two gay men (one of them, a fellow artist and alcoholic), their (unofficially) adopted Nepali son, a transvestite (bordering on perverse) cook, two spaniels and a Chihuahua (in heat) is far from standard.
The house that had so far been an all-male ménage soon shifts in varying degrees in the presence of an unambiguous, ‘normal’ female. But there is and always has been a deep undercurrent of pathos constantly fed by the recurring characters making an appearance upon the barsati’s peculiar stage. It is a month that doesn’t go by as quickly as a month normally does but it is one full of revelations—for Padmanabhan and her housemates.
Morning Glory in East-of-Kailash is Manjula Padmanabhan’s most non-fictional fiction piece. Almost a semi-fictional essay, this short but poignant read is as rewarding as it is beautifully written.
The year is 2099 and Mr M, erstwhile editor of a prestigious newsmagazine, has just come back to life after eighty-two years in the PSP—the Perma Sleep Programme. While revival experts work on him to make his transition into the new era as smooth as possible, Mr M can’t wait to find out all there is to know about what the world is like in 2099. His journalistic curiousity can hardly contain itself.
The world has indeed changed. It is a whole lot different than what Mr M remembers it from when he was last alive. After the two atomic bombs that had detonated in quick succession in 2015, Mr M had signed up for PSP, having faith in the power of the future. Can 2099 really live up to Mr M’s commitment to knowledge or his faith in the future?
2099 is an excellent example of a prolific author like Manjula Padmanabhan using science fiction for social commentary. Her take on what the end of this century could very well look like attempts to answer those questions that we, as humanity, desperately need to address.
Sitaram Desai, a researcher and the scion of third cousins from Mahatma Gandhi’s bloodline, has just managed to invent a toxin from a vial of ashes belonging to the greatest man the Indian subcontinent has ever seen. The Gandhi-toxin, when diffused through the blood, has the ability to disarm aggression vectors in mammalian brains. Of course, if mass-administered, it can cause catastrophic pacifism and widespread loss of competitive urge—a formidable weapon indeed.
Aidid and Isabella, Supreme Commanders at United Gene Heritage, are aware of the threats, which is why they launch a mass release of the toxin through specially engineered mosquitos that can even cross enemy lines. However, no one has ever managed to predict the long-term effects of genetic manipulation and it looks like the Supreme Commanders are in for a supreme surprise.
Science fiction often manages to look closely at present-day issues through a fairly made-up world. In Gandhi-toxin, Manjula Padmanabhan cleverly uses her literary prowess to build a dystopian—although not entirely unbelievable—near future to make a point about the world we live in today. Funny and incisive, this short read is for anyone who’s ever wondered about the future of our world.
Maya and Angie may have been best friends since boarding school but they are far from equals. Maya, a child of divorce, has always been a little too wordly for the innocent Angie, something that is evident to anyone who see them interact. Things, however, take a strange turn when Maya discovers she’s pregnant with her ex-boyfriend Nick’s baby. Before she knows it, Angie has become a messenger between the two disgruntled ‘adults’, although in trying to resolve things as best as possible she is simply getting entangled in the mess further.
Manjula Padmanabhan is a writer who never shies away from exploring the greyest of grey in her characters, whether it is through Maya’s attitude towards her father’s questionable actions or Nick’s controversial theories about consent.
Based on a real incident involving Padmanabhan’s friend, Betrayal does an excellent job of holding a mirror to the darkness within us, forcing us to confront it at once.
In this brilliantly versatile collection of stories from the award-winning author of Harvest, the reader will encounter a range of themes, from murder mystery to science fiction. The author’s vision of a post-apocalypse future is dark, but rendered with a rich vein of irony and humor that allows us to roller-coast with her into a world where air and water and the earth itself take on new shades of meaning. Then there are the here-and-now stories of bodies turning up in backyards, of love betrayed and sexuality discovered, of bitter awakenings and upbeat endings. Intelligent, opinionated, and playful, this is a collection that defies limitations of time, space, and imagination to conjure up new morality tales for our time.
An inspirational speech is one that awakens something in a listener—a feeling, a thought, or an idea. To understand what constitutes an inspirational speech, one must first start with the goals you want to achieve with that speech.
How to Inspire is a simple and effective guide that not only explains the nuances of inspirational communication but also provides useful tips and examples about what makes a speech truly effective. Read on to make sure you have the tools at your disposal to truly make a difference.
Whether you’re addressing a small team or an auditorium full of people, success is measured not by whether a point is made, but whether it is made well. Motivating communication touches the mind, the intellect, the heart and the soul, inspiring people to rise in life. But how does one craft a motivational speech, let alone deliver one?
Effective communication skills are equally important in a leader as innovative ideas. After all, brilliant ideas are only brilliant if they’re communicated well. Delivering Motivation is a straightforward guide that will help you understand the importance of communication as well as help you hone your skills towards becoming a well-rounded, well-spoken leader.
‘You can change the way the world looks at business and the way business looks at the world.’
Chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo, Indra K. Nooyi is one of the most powerful women in business. She has critical advice for a powerful country in her inspirational convocation address at IIM Kolkata. As developing economies inch closer to success, there has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. However, today’s entrepreneurs must be as committed to sustainable business practices as they are to financial results. Entrepreneurs hold the power to turn the inconceivable into the inevitable.
Choose Your Success is a powerful text. Read on and discover the possibilities of a promising future.
We have an inherent fear of new ideas. We grow up in an environment that forces us to fit in, makes us believe in common goals that are in line with our financial bracket, and ensures we stay within these parameters all our lives. No wonder we’re so far away from innovation.
Innovation comes from taking risks, and risks can only be taken once fears are abandoned. When Mahindra & Mahindra first ventured into the automobiles industry, there was every reason for the company to fail. Today, it’s one of the leaders of the industry. What set its destiny apart?
Change the Rules, Anand Mahindra’s inspiring address at the convocation ceremony of the graduating class of 2014 at IIM Ahmedabad not only reveals the secret behind the organization’s unprecedented success but also highlights the dangers of staying in the comfort zone.
