A WhatsApp message arrived from an author earlier this week. Like an overexcited schoolgirl, I hit the forward button immediately, sending it to Renu Kaul Verma, Vitasta’s director (no harm in the editorial team at Vitasta scoring brownie points, with Renu, I thought to myself). Here’s what the author had sent in her whatsapp message: […]
This memoir by Dr Susie Baboo Samuel is a charming autobiographical narrative of the tapestry of her experiences with family, friends, patients and colleagues. Crafted with love, empathy and humour, the tale takes us from traditional Kerala and Tamil Nadu, to multicultural Singapore, across the mountainous terrain of Bhutan and Nepal, and back. As the […]
It was a decision we soon came to regret. In order to teach our son a lesson in gratitude and to show him how privileged he was, we decided to send him to his college in Pune via rail. The plan seemed foolproof. We managed to secure a confirmed reservation in tatkal, which initially felt […]
Book Title: – “Transforming India Gamechanger in Action” Author: – Sudesh Verma Genre: Non-fiction, Politics Rating: (5 star) Review: “Transforming India Gamechanger in Action” is an insightful exploration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership journey and the transformative changes he has initiated in India. Through a series of chapters, the book examines into Modi’s vision, his policy […]
In late March 2024, virtually out of the blue, Renu Kaul Verma, the feisty lady who set up Vitasta Publishing offered me a job as executive editor. I had spent a lifetime in The Times of India, retiring as a deputy editor with The Speaking Tree, their spiritual newspaper. Then, for a while, I had […]
We often find ourselves donning blinkers when confronted with the enduring issue of societal and political polarisation—a phenomenon fraught with dangers, yet not entirely new or recent. Indian society has grappled with polarisation along communal lines since the advent of Muslim invasions. Despite this, a remarkable and beautiful paradox exists: amidst mutual distrust, both communities […]
“Beyond the Hashtag: A Decade of Twitter Activism in India” by Vitasta Publishing is a timely exploration of the evolving communication landscape in the face of technological advancements. Vitasta is a publishing house that endeavours to publish books that challenge outdated thoughts and social practices. The publishing house is well known for an extensive catalogue […]
Was Sita present when Rama bent the bow to win her hand in marriage? As per the Ramayana authored by both Valmiki and Kamban, the news of Rama breaking the bow was sent to Sita through her female companions. But the Tulsi Ramayana insists that Sita was present at the Swayamvaram hall when the auspicious […]
The return of Ramayana and Mahabharata in research and fictional retellings has occupied a significant place in the literary-academic domain in the last three decades. Unlike the early 20th century readings, which either endorsed traditional values or totally rejected them as oppressive, the 1990s and the years that followed offered novel readings, rather re-readings of […]
In Satyajit Ray: From Frame to Frame, Shoma Chatterji examines patterns emerging from Satyajit Ray’s body of work and groups his films under broad categories like hunger, masculinity, femininity. Subha Das Mollick reviews the book. Published by Vitasta in 2022, Shoma Chatterji’s book Satyajit Ray: From Frame to Frame is an interesting addition to the oeuvre of literature on […]
