Author: Ranjitha Ashok
Publisher: East West Books
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 123
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8188661317
Description
A city has many faces-enigmatic, mysterious, romantic, frightening, violent and tragic. And then there are those special moments, fleeting instances, when she allows you a brief, tantalizing glimpse of yet another face-a bright, elusive face, even as she, her eyes glittering with mischief, darts through the traffic, through the heat waves, dust, pollution, ad long, sad lines waiting for water.
She shoots a lightning glance at you to see if you are following her, then leads you to the strangely funny, the singularly unique, the absolutely maddening, and sometimes, the downright incomprehensible all intrinsic elements in the drama that is her. And all evocative of the most hapless, yet somehow endearing, facets of the human condition.
She throws a teasing laugh over her shoulder, as if telling you not to take Life in general, and yourself in particular, too seriously, and vanishes even as you register each new vision.
She knows you’ll search again. This book contains stories of those moments when the city, watching her people cope with both Destiny in particularly playful moods, and, more often, with the results of their own action, decided to smile.
REVIEWS
At last-a humourous look at Madras that is Chennai. It holds up a mirror to the city and keeps one laughing at the images that come up.
-Sriram V
Heritage Columnist, and self-confessed, avid Chennai-ite
These days, when a smile is a mile away for most people, this book makes me smile-at everything, including myself.
-A V Ilango, Artist
A-Musings is always my first read in Madras Musings..the chemistry between Ranjitha’s writing and Biswajit’s cartooning makes for a perfect mix of humour and telling commentary on relevant, everyday issue.
-N Sankar
Chairman, The Sanmar Group
The Chuckles that Ranjitha Ashok’s Chennai-that-is-Madras induces multiply with Biswajit Balasubramanian’s cartoons.
-Keshav, Cartoonist
I thoroughly recommend this delightful and humourous book to anyone who want s to understand contemporary life in Chennai, India.
-Eunice Crook
First Secretary (Cultural Affairs), British Council Division
Contents
A beaker of the warm south
What rubbish
The healing touch
Have spade, will dig
What’s the buzz?
The heat is on
June Blues
Goal Fever
Pipe-dreams
Mirror, mirror
Watch that Space
The Whole six yards
Patch of blue
Evening snacks
New Year-already?
Of mice and men
Two much
Little shining light
Over?
Know em dead!
Pizza, paati?
Ring-a-ring-a-pulse-rate
The ides of July
Jungle patrol
Light of lour lives
Outward Ho!
Tuning in
Listen to the falling rain
Clean sweep
Sweet season
What’s your name?
Big problems
Konjum mixing
Long way home
Fowl mood
Was School out for summer?
A little of this, a pinch of that
You just can’t win
UR 2 much
Burrowing in
Hair Raising
Guess who’s..(sorry!) where we are going for dinner?
Nine’s a crowd?
Summer time-and the livin is easy?
Wanted: a Pied Piper
Shenanigans on the banana leaf
Falling down
Just another day in paradise
Tall tales
Skull and cross bones
The medium’s the message
Gift horses
Toil and spin
Name that baby
What a bargain
Waiting to inhale
Shawl, anyone?
Flying leap
Mr Carnivore, I presume?
The right note