If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who stayed, then welcome back!

It’s been a minute. Initially, I was planning to combine the June and July newsletters for different reasons, but somehow I’ve had a lot of thoughts brimming through my mind these past two months. I’m going to attempt to put most, if not all these thoughts down. Hence, this is going to be a two (maybe three?) part newsletter. And this one is going to have something that I’ve been think about for a very long time - AI and creative work.

At the beginning of June, I attended a session in Chennai by the Hindu Lit For Life where illustrator Canato Jimo spoke about the evolution of art and picture books. Needless to say, Artificial Intelligence (AI) made its way in the conversation. What I found heartening was that the room was filled with people from publishing and other creative fields who understood the consequences - good and bad - of using AI in creative work. What I knew deep down was that nobody else outside of that room really cared about any of this.

Now, I’m not against technology and its ability to make human lives better. And technology has given us many wonderful things in healthcare, construction, agriculture, space exploration, and everyday lives with the use of the internet and access to information. The web has also offered opportunities to small businesses, homepreneurs and of course artists and creators.

AI has been a game changer in terms of helping with automation, research and organising work. What I am finding difficult to digest is the way AI is being used for creative work and the way existing creative work is being used to train these programs. And I’ve had this discomfort since the Studio Ghibli row that happened in 2025.

People told me that I was being naïve and didn’t understand how this was necessary to help AI advance and that there’s no way this was going to displace creative people. More than a year on, the situation has frankly gotten murkier.

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Plagiarism And Intellectual Property (IP) Protection

Anyone working in a creative field knows the time and effort that goes into ideation and creation. Not to mention the passion, perseverance and patience that’s poured into a project.

For me, the question here isn’t whether AI is the way forward or not. The question is where do we draw the line? With Studio Ghibli, we overlooked the fact that Miyazaki and the team were not on board with this idea. The fear that AI could come after small artists had started bubbling and rightly so. Today, you have multiple copyright cases against various AI companies for illegal use of content to train Large Language Models (LLMs). As of 13^th August 2026, there are about 102 active copyright lawsuits against AI companies globally. These include organisations like Hachette, Sony Entertainment, Disney, The New York Times, Authors Guild, Reddit and many more including individual artists. Heck, even Shakespeare is on the list.

The issue isn’t that AI models shouldn’t be trained. It’s more about how this is currently being done. Without consent. This is a wake-up call to have better IP laws in place to protect artworks and artists. This in turn can help develop better licensing models.

Case in point - Winnie The Pooh came into common domain a few years ago and someone decided to make a serial killer movie based on the blood…uh honey loving bear. Now some horror fan is going to come at me saying, “What’s wrong with Winnie The Pooh: Blood And Honey? People should be allowed to take creative liberty.” And you’re right.

That’s why we even have copyright law. By the end of the day, you want to make sure an idea is protected long enough but not gatekept to be built on. This is to make sure the work is protected from plagiarism and the creator is able to benefit from it by means of licensing the work to others who see potential uses for it. Of course, IP laws can be a lot more nuanced but this is the crux of it.

Sure, A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard - the writer and illustrator of Winnie The Pooh - probably wouldn’t be thrilled with seeing their lovable children’s book character being used in this manner, but the idea remained protected throughout their lifetimes and for about a century after that. And Disney has their own trademarked version of the character.

Anthropic just announced that it will be getting Claude to watermark text that it creates. Frankly, I think this is a welcome move and will really force people to think about what they’re putting into these LLMs. More importantly, this could veer people towards using AI as a tool as opposed to completely outsourcing their ability to think to a system. Of course, only time will tell how helpful this feature will end up being.

Meanwhile, Anthropic has also been destructively scanning books to train their AI systems. Why? Based on some recent judgements passed in cases in the US, AI can be trained on legally procured copyrighted materials. This has lead to Anthropic buying books in bulk from different bookstores and destroying them once the LLMs get what they need. No source material, no problem. It’s interesting to note here that they’ve been focusing on older books which are cleaner data for AI systems to train on since they have no ‘AI usage’. Ironic much?

On the other hand, HarperCollins signed an AI licensing deal with Microsoft back in 2024. The reported terms were that this would be a 3-year license period and Microsoft would pay a flat fee of $5,000 for each title which would be split between the Publisher and Author. A method where there was consent, monetary benefit and a fixed term of content usage.

Democratising Art

“But shouldn’t art be made more accessible?” Yes, it should and this has been done before. In fact, Raja Ravi Varma used lithographic printing to create more copies of his paintings. An AI generated image of Vermeer’s Girl With The Pearl Earring was used by The Mauritshuis in The Hague when the original piece was loaned for an exhibition.

We’ve also seen AI being used to create deepfakes of celebrities, using their images for AI generated art and voice cloning. Publishers have raised concerns of copyrighted books being used to train LLMs. Mostly, without consent.

In the case of Studio Ghibli, it was the replication of a signature style of illustration. Specifically by training an AI model with original works created by Ghibli. There’s technically nothing wrong with this if permission had been sought from the original makers.

It would’ve been really cool if they collaborated and made a filter or application to do this. It could have been mutually beneficial for both parties with appropriate guidelines in place. People using the feature would’ve still been euphoric as they were but in a more ethical way. However, that’s an alternate reality.

The fact is, the makers were not for art made in this manner and that’s perfectly fine. What’s not alright was using their illustrations without permission to train an AI model to generate the same style of images. Japan’s Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA) which represents Studio Ghibli and other creative organisations sent a letter to OpenAI demanding they stop training their LLMs - specifically Sora - on their member’s content.

Yes, it’s amazing that there’s a tool that lets us generate pictures like Studio Ghibli. It makes us feel closer to a world that we all love. Yes, it’s cool that AI lets us sound like our favourite singer or write in the same style as a Pulitzer-winning author. But at what cost?

Have these creatives been benefiting in any manner? Are they receiving any kind of monetisation, official credit or satisfaction from this? Maybe some of them are but a large number of them are not. I don’t blame folks for using AI in this manner because for the longest time there’s been no awareness of how this even affects artists. But now that there are more attempts to create awareness around this, everyone needs to start taking stock.

Image courtesy bestadsontv.com

Sure, it’s cool that you can produce haiku, digital art and funky music with a single prompt. But keep in mind that there are folks who have trained years to be able to create these art forms. Not just this, they’ve also formed their own judgement, style and taste which makes their work unique. And now, they’re being stolen from without any repercussion.

There was an incredible opportunity here for AI to truly widen the creative ecosystem but somehow it seems to have narrowed it further.

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Replacing Human Creativity With AI

Do I think that AI can be helpful in creative processes? Most definitely, yes! As a writer and editor, I can fathom it’s usage for line edits and proofreading. Generating ideas for a first draft or even cleaning up a first draft. But do I really need AI to create art as opposed to being a tool that helps in facilitation? I don’t think so.

There is nothing wrong in integrating technology in your creative process. If it works for you and you’re on board with the idea, then go for it! Almost everyone uses tools like Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma or Canva. So do enterprises.

In the case of Studio Ghibli, they made the choice not to do so with AI. And that’s fine too. It’s a choice which they’re entitled to make. A choice.

On the other hand, Disney has now created their own proprietary AI tools in partnership with OpenAI. First, there is DisneyGPT which is a company confidential version of ChatGPT. Then there’s JARVIS (Iron Man may enter the chat soon), an agentic tool that’s been fed 70 years of company data which imagineers (read engineers) are using to conceptualise and build theme parks and the like. In addition, there’s also access to OpenAI’s video generator Sora that’s officially licensing and training on Disney content. There were also talks of a separate video generation app that would be co-built but that seems to have halted. Of course, there has been speculation on what this means for future animated movies by the studio and if Disney will be replacing artists and animators for a faster production method. Though Disney maintains that they intend for these tools to be used as tools and not replacements of creative professionals.

ByteDance (owner and creator of TikTok) made huge bets on AI generated content like micro-dramas and comics, and created the platform Hongguo. They were even licensing faces from people to use in their content! Well, Hongguo recently delisted around 5,200 micro-dramas (though some reports suggest it’s around 10,000) from the platform on account of lower viewership because of a “physiological aversion” to AI faces and that most of these dramas ran on the same four plot lines: rebirth and revenge, the underestimated son-in-law proving himself, system apocalypse, and wealthy family vengeance. Whereas, their live-action short dramas have now picked up and are seeing an increase in viewership!

Martin Scorcese joined Black Forest Labs as an advisor. He spoke about how “creatively freeing” it was to use their text to image tool Flux for storyboarding and other parts of the pre-production process. Of course, it remains unclear on how this might leak into production and post-production of films and if this could lead to displacement of jobs. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan has tried to keep it as old school as possible with creating his latest movie The Odyssey. They filmed with IMAX cameras in live locations and avoided green screens.

Closer to home, there’s talk about AI usage in Indian cinema and television. StarPlus released an AI powered version of the Mahabharat. Though it is not clear how much human intervention was needed to create this series. Filmmaker Shakun Batra stated in an interview that he has been dabbling in AI for making films and advertisements. He shared an anecdote of showing a client something that was made with AI and something that was manually produced and the AI produced clip was preferred. Though he also stated that AI could only amplify and enhance existing taste.

Publishing is going through its own churn. Hachette pulled back on publishing Shy Girl by Mia Ballard on allegations of AI usage. The author denied personally using AI but said that an acquaintance she had hired to work on an earlier version of the manuscript incorporated AI usage. (Truly the modern day witch allegation.) The Commonwealth Prize (CWP) has also come under fire with allegations that the winning story, The Serpent In The Grove by Jamir Nazir had seemingly clear signs of being written with AI. Granta who has been a longstanding partner of the prize ended their collaboration after this debacle. And now, CWP has postponed their 2027 submissions stating that they will be reviewing and making changes to their judging process. Harper’s Bazaar short story prize also came under scrutiny for similar reasons and now theories are floating around of how the reading of the entries itself was outsourced to AI making it biased to the system.

Image courtesy Tubby Darling

James Daunt, CEO of Waterstones and Barnes & Noble said he would be alright to sell AI written books provided it was labelled as such and that customers would actually want to buy them. With growing AI usage for the written word, books completely written by humans are now projected to become premium products!

It’s clear that there’s rapid change happening and the conversation around what constitutes as original creative work is increasing. Mind you, I haven’t even touched upon other creative spaces like fine art, photography, digital art, music and the like. Different organisations are now also trying to help with AI detection. Be it Substack’s new Pangram feature or the rise of independent organisations like Books By People.

I like to look at this as water finding it’s level; that we are moving towards a place where human made creative work and AI creative work will end up co-existing. (Optimistic, I know.) The defining factors will be individual taste, knowledge of the craft that’s being worked on and how AI is being used as a tool to facilitate creation rather than a fast-art generator.

I share some of my views on this on a podcast I was invited to speak on.

What Do We Need AI For?

As a meme once said, “I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing.” Not the other way around.

I’m more keen on seeing AI help people with taxes, help in early detection of cancer and dementia, prevent electrical and plumbing issues, take over labour with no dignity like manual scavenging - things that can genuinely improve quality of life.

For people who have been using AI to put out creative work, I understand the convenience and liberation of it. I also get that creative fields can feel extremely gatekept sometimes and AI now seems like a very accessible way to be a part of the club. But understand that being cringe is very normal when you start learning / practising something new. Acclaimed writer, Ocean Vuong talks about how they’re finding that young people are increasingly getting more conscious of creating something without being cringe and it’s getting in the way of people’s growth as artists.

I can share my own experience here of deciding to learn music at age 23. I was terrible and was put on a probation period before I was allowed to attend music class properly. My teacher didn’t think that I’d be able to take the Trinity College vocal exams. Now, almost a decade later, I have a Grade 4 certification for Rock & Pop vocals, I’m preparing for my next set of exams and I’m slowly learning about musical theatre and classical music.

As a writer, my work has been rejected a number of times. I recently posted about placing in the top 10 for this year’s Wingword Poetry Prize. The last time I submitted something for the prize was about seven years ago and I didn’t win anything then. I kept learning and working on my writing whenever I could.

My point here is that yes, the process of learning a craft and becoming good at it can be daunting. It’s also one of the most fulfilling things you can do if you’re sincere about it. And it’s just good old fun!

To outsource that learning to a machine out of fear of being cringe or feeling the need to be perfect is kind of sad. And this is something all creative communities need to introspect on. How do we become more inclusive, accessible and facilitate genuine joy in the act of creating something? And who gets to decide what is good and bad art?

Also, bear in mind that AI is trained on human created content to be able to produce things and it essentially gives you the average of the quality of work it’s being trained on. Hence, most of what gets produced starts looking and feeling very similar, becoming generic, i.e. AI slop.

After all, what does AI generating art truly accomplish? And who does it actually benefit?

I am now done with my rant on this subject. If there’s anything I’ve missed or gotten wrong, please feel free to correct me in the comments below. And share your thoughts on the subject. Dialogue expands understanding :)

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I will see you soon with the next part of this newsletter.

Till then keep living, laughing and learning.

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. - Signing off with this really cool video of Everybody Dances To Techno composed, written and sung by Dot. with animation design and art direction by Rishikesh Waje, Arun Kishor, and Deepti Sharma.

If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who’s stayed, then welcome back!

It’s been one year since I revived the newsletter! So, Happy Birthday to The Moody Mail!!! I am overjoyed and proud of the fact that I’ve mostly been consistent with this and hopefully that will stay. It was definitely a bit frustrating in the beginning but I think I’ve sort of found my groove with this now. It also just feels really good to be able to write like this. Most importantly, thank you all for subscribing and reading my letters every month. It truly means a lot to me :)

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May has been slow which I am grateful for. I needed a bit of a breather and it’s just been nice to get back to some semblance of a routine. I have also been eating a lot of mangoes - Hapus / Alphonso, Kesar, Imam Pasand and Banganapalle – and mango goodies like mango milkshake, matcha and mango latte, mango ice-cream, Aam Panna (a raw mango drink), Aamras (a sweet dish made with mango pulp) and many others! We had a mango party at work where I tried Mambazha Sadam (mango rice) for the first time! I had no idea that was a dish but was so glad to be introduced to it.

I also made Mango Sago which seems to be making quite the appearance everywhere this season. Sadly, I did not take photos because half of it got polished off right after it set. Here’s the recipe I followed if you’d like to try it out yourself:

The Director written by Daniel Kehlmann in German, translated to English by Ross Benjamin and published by riverrun

This is a fictionalised version of Austrian director G.W. Pabst’s life. A celebrated director in Europe, he soon moves to the U.S. due to the Nazi regime. He is frustrated by how he gets treated in Hollywood and is almost set up to deliver a flop film. A telegram from his ‘ailing’ mother pressures him to visit her along with his wife Gertrude (or Trude) and son Jakob. Shortly after arrival, he is forced to stay back due to an unfortunate (and rather scary) accident. Pabst is soon visited by the regime and convinced to direct movies for them. Hesitant at first, Pabst finds himself enjoying the limited power and respect he starts receiving while seemingly turning a bling eye to his leftist views. Jakob figures his way around the status quo at school and we gradually see him turn into a brainwashed soldier. Trude is the only person who is against her family staying back and does not support Pabst’s newfound filmmaking career under the regime. She becomes fearful for her son and soon slips into depression. The culmination is Pabst working on a final film, the lengths to which he goes for it and the devastation he needs to face for his actions. This book starts a bit slow and I felt that the beginning could have been trimmed. It really picks up once the family returns to their home country. Additionally, I wished the book focused on more details on Pabst’s journey as an artist under the regime as some of it felt skin deep. Though, some of the chapters have been heavily edited and reworked for the English translation. Kehlmann does a great job at solidifying the characters in this book and you can really visualise what each of them are like. Some of them are truly disturbing and terrifying. The Director raises questions about art being political, what constitutes as ethical in its making, and if there is a distinction between the art and the artist. A relevant read for the times we live in.

Taiwan Travelogue written by Yang Shuang-Zi in Mandarin Chinese, translated to English by Lin King and published by Pan Macmillan

This book has been written in the form of a travelogue manuscript by a Japanese writer that’s been rediscovered and rewritten as a translation of a translation. Talk about high concept. Set in 1930’s Taiwan during Japanese rule, we meet Chizuko, a famous writer who has been invited by the government to visit the island. Though she is there to offer guest lectures and write about her travels, her true craving is to explore the island’s local cuisine and culture. She is then introduced to Chizuru her local interpreter and guide. Together, they travel the island one dish at a time while unravelling the history of Taiwan and its implications on society. Chizuko adores Chizuru and wants to get closer though she senses the latter’s want for distance. After all, can the coloniser and colonised truly be friends?

I love the amount of detailing and thought that’s gone into this book. Described by many as metafiction by way of being structured as translation of a translation, accompanied by numerous footnotes, and afterwords by multiple translators, this is a treat for people who really love to nerd it out. The way food is incorporated in the story is also commendable, either by way of description or means to propel the story. It was so interesting to read about jute soup, wintermelon tea, toasted sunflower seeds, a twelve course feast, and many other dishes and their relevance to culture and class. I was salivating at some of the descriptions as well! I also enjoyed how layered and nuanced the dynamics between Chizuko and Chizuro were based on politics and privilege. We also see the toll that takes on their relationship. But most of all, this story forces you to really think about language as a lens and how the truth can change based on who says it and how. Overall, I am not surprised that this book won this year’s International Booker Prize.

Note: The edition that won the prize was published by And Other Stories, which coincidentally also published last year’s winner Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq!

Women, Seated written in Chinese by Zhang Yueran, translated to English by Jeremy Tiang and published by Riverhead Books

I’ve been wanting to read this ever since I laid eyes on a copy at Veranda Books in September 2025! And I’m so glad that I finally got my hands on this. We meet Yu Ling, nanny to a seven year old boy Kuan Kuan from a high profile political family in Beijing. The opening chapter of the book shows her trying to kidnap him along with her lover, only for her to end up returning to her employer’s house with the boy. Kuan Kuan’s family has gotten embroiled in a scandal – his father is in jail and his mother is missing. Yu Ling can’t seem to leave the boy alone in this situation yet she yearns for a different future. Alternating between past and present, we discover Yu Ling’s big secret, her true feelings towards her employer and the steps she takes for survival accompanied with a special appearance by a goose.

I couldn’t put this book down because I really needed to know happened after each chapter. I thought this would be more of an examination on class and privilege in China - which it did in bits and pieces - but it was really more of a thriller with some sprinkling of black humour, which was not what I expected. Not complaining though. I also liked that the author chose to explore Yu Ling and Kuan Kuan’s dynamic in depth which really came through. Overall, an easy read which will keep you guessing.

If you enjoyed watching the Korean movie Parasite, then you’ll definitely enjoy reading this book.

The Man From Kashmir written by Muddasir Ramzan and published by Bloomsbury India

A debut novella of interconnected stories, which essentially follows different generations of a family affected by the conflict in Kashmir. Though written in the form of fiction, this book talks about very real incidents that people in the valley have been affected by. There are elements of magic realism and folklore weaved in to the book. Interestingly, the stories are set in a fictional town called Poshmarg.

We see a baby being born in the middle of a skirmish, men encountering forest witches, a woman who becomes a spiritual leader forced to confront her faith, lovers dealing with loss, and people stuck between choices of survival and staying rooted. The chapters that really stood out for me were The Widening Gyre, Unknown Gunmen, Nowhere Valley, Hope And Fear and The Man From Kashmir. I felt this book was trying to do too much by addressing many different subjects like politics, religion, love, parenthood, loss, separation, mental health, survival, economic struggles, identity, etc. which are relevant but felt like a checklist of things that should be mentioned. I also felt that there was a struggle to balance the political with the personal. And the following chapters just didn’t work for me, either due to their placement or the imbalance that I just mentioned - The Wildman, A Letter With No Address and Transience. However, I do appreciate the risks this book takes with the way it’s structured and the integration of fantastical elements. An intriguing and reflective read.

I recommend reading Rumours Of Spring by Farah Bashir and Munnu by Malik Sajad, two fantastic non-fiction books on how the Kashmir conflict has affected the people who live there.

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Drishyam 3 written and directed by Jeethu Joseph

After Drishyam and Drishyam 2, of course I had to watch the third one! For the uninitiated Drishyam follows the lives of two families who get tangled up in a messy way and the lengths to which each of them will go to for their loved ones. If you haven’t watched the first two movies then I highly recommend that you do. This review contains spoilers so proceed with caution.

Drishyam 3 picks up five years after the events of the second film. Georgekutty (Mohanlal) is now a successful producer after having released a movie loosely based on the case hi family was embroiled in. His wife Rani (Meena Sagar) and daughters Anju (Ansiba Hassan) and Anu (Esther Anil) have settled into a rhythm of normalcy but are still fearful of the case getting revived. Georgekutty pacifies them though he bears the same fear. The family starts looking for a prospective alliance for Anju and that’s when we see the forces working against them. A journalist, a spiteful cop from from their past and an unexpected adversary join hands to take down Georgekutty and his family. There are many twists and turns but the most unexpected one is what Georgekutty ends up pulling off towards the end. It is shocking and heartbreaking to see what this man is willing to do to protect his kin. There’s a scene where another character asks him “Why are you scared of them?” to which he responds “It’s not them. I’m sacred of what I’m capable of doing.” And this truly sums up what transpires in the climax. Drishyam 3 ends on a bittersweet note and a possibility for a fourth film.

This movie had me on the edge of my seat right from the beginning. Mohanlal is outstanding as Georgekutty as we see a different version of him in this film. He really brings out the psychological weight this character has to carry and that he is not infallible. Unlike the previous two movies, we see his character being reactive as opposed to being proactive. Credit has to be given to Siddique, Kalabhavan Shajohn and Asha Sharath for the unbelievable moments they create in this story. If you’ve watched the first two films then definitely be sure to catch this one!

Patriot written and directed by Mahesh Narayanan

Mammootty and Mohanlal on screen after more than a decade? Hell yes, I was going to watch this on the big screen!

Patriot has been described as a science-fiction action thriller but I think I’ll stick to it being a digital espionage movie. In the film, there’s a spyware software called Periscope which is sanctioned for national security use but now moves to be privatised, a threat to privacy and data protection for the common man. Dr Daniel James (Mammootty), a member of the Defence Research wing gets roped in to help expose this agenda but is forced to flee the country. He starts a YouTube channel called Vimathan (Dissident) where he talks about this and educates people about digital safety. Daniel gets an invite to speak at tech conference in Dubai that’s being sponsored by the company which has acquired Periscope headed by Shakti Sundaram (Fahadh Faasil). Shakti works in collusion with his father J.P. Sundaram (Rajiv Menon) who is the Defence Minister to target and monitor citizens through Periscope. Things go awry at the conference and Daniel finds himself in a sticky situation. The rest of the movie is a cat and mouse chase of Daniel trying to whistle-blow the entire operation and the authorities trying to shut him down. He is joined by multiple people in his endeavour to expose the truth like Colonel Rahim Naik (Mohanlal), Michael (Kuchacko Boban), Advocate Lathika (Nayanthara) and Ayisha (Zarin Shihab). Patriot has a great concept and it works for the most part. However, some bits did feel stretched out and could have been trimmed down. The ensemble cast felt more of a fan service than a plot device especially with characters like Lathika and Central Minister Nalini (Revathy). Mammootty and Mohanlal stole the show in their respective scenes and it was such a treat to watch both of them share screen space! Fahadh Faaasil’s role though electric, felt like a repetition of his characters from movies like Trance and Joji. However, his scenes with Rajiv Menon were crackling, hilarious and heartbreaking at different points. Rajiv Menon was the actual surprise packet of this film. He was really good as one of the main antagonists and really held his presence. On the whole, Patriot is engaging enough, though it does leave you slightly underwhelmed.

Jujutsu Kaisen written by Gege Akutami and produced by MAPPA

If you remember my postscript from last month, I mentioned that I had this song called Aizo Aizo on loop. Well, it’s the opening theme for Season 3 of Jujutsu Kaisen which is (yes) an anime series. If you’ve been following my newsletter before revival and hiatus then you know that I watch a fair bit. And after a rather long time of not watching it, this is the show that’s pulled me back at the moment.

Jujutsu Kaisen follows the story of Yuji Itadori, a high school boy who accidentally swallows the finger of Ryomen Sukuna (now a cursed object), one of the most powerful curses to ever exist. He ends up joining a secret organisation of Jujutsu sorcerers to find Sukuna’s remaining fingers and contain them in himself as he seems to be the only one who can handle their energy. We meet a myriad of characters through Yuji’s journey and discover more about the world of cursed energy and Jujutsu sorcery. Three seasons of the show are out. Season 1 is the best and has major rewatch value, followed by Season 3. Season 2 is a bit of a slow burn and let’s just say that most of the main characters suffer through this one. I also recommend Jujutsu 0 which is a movie that’s based on the origin story of another important character. There is a lot of action and a lot of tragedy in this show. It’s much darker than other shonen anime (shows targeted for young men) I’ve watched, (except for maybe Black Butler) but keeps you hooked! I love the character dynamics and comedy that’s weaved into the show. Not to forget the insane quality of animation and music choices. If you like high octane action and world building, then this is a show you should definitely watch. You’ll enjoy this if you like shows such as Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, GetBackers, Yu Yu Hakusho and InuYasha. You can catch the anime on Crunchyroll or you can get the manga if you want to read it.

And that brings us to the end of this edition. I’ll see you in your mailbox next month!

Till then keep living, laughing and learning.

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. – Signing off with the song Sanchari Nee from the movie Ustad Hotel. This isn’t a part of the official soundtrack but I was obsessed with it when I watched the film in 2012. So glad to have found it on SoundCloud and now on YouTube.

If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who’s stayed, then welcome back!

March and April have been a whirlwind! The world hasn’t exactly been the most stable place. With war breaking out between countries, LPG / fuel shortage and economic turmoil, the chaos really seeped into everyone’s lives in some capacity. So, if you remember February’s newsletter, Tulika was shortlisted for the Best Children’s Publishers Of The Year (Asia) Award by Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF). We got an invite to attend and I was all set to go, except, the war broke out and I was supposed to fly via the Middle East. Safe to say there was enough uncertainty and anxiety on whether I would attend or not. Fortunately, the organisers and I managed to find an alternate option about two weeks before the fair! So, yes I did end up going.

Oh! Also, a close friend of mine got married and I attended her wedding which was a lot of fun of course. I got to meet and catch up with friends who I hadn’t seen in a while. Interestingly, I had met some of them for the first time at this really cool creative festival my friend, i.e. the bride co-founded called Comaya. If you’re a creative person looking for an engaging community to be a part of then check their page out.

But yes, coming back to BCBF, it was an overwhelming experience! I was initially glad to just reach Bologna without any hiccups. I felt a lot of fomo throughout the fair because there was so much going on in every possible corner and I sadly didn’t (and still don’t) have the ability to be at multiple places at the same time. I also got to meet so many people! It was nice to finally put faces to some of the partners I collaborate with on behalf of Tulika and just revel in the spirit of storytelling and books. That feeling is what has stayed with me the most – community and passion for stories. Not to forget the immense pride I felt seeing so many Indians participating in different capacities.

This year BCBF had 1,500 exhibitors from over 90 countries. These were some of my key takeaways:

BCBF had a comics corner for the first time featuring publishers from different countries. There seems to be a strong push towards visual storytelling this year especially manga and comics. This is backed further by other book fairs like Frankfurt Buchmmese and London Book Fair increasing their focus in this space.

Audio publishing is growing. Again, evident from the fair’s programming around this which I believe has been the biggest yet!

The conversation on translations has been prevalent over the past few years and the same continues, especially on how to preserve indigenous languages through stories. And yes, there is also increasing discussion on AI usage in this regard.

Speaking of AI, there were multiple conversations around its usage in creation of books and the need for better legislation – something I definitely keep harping about.

BCBF also had a toy section for the first time this year which I think will only grow. This might see a lot of participants from the Nuremberg Toy Fair as well.

Bilingual books seem to be the trend that has begun bubbling. I suspect that this will see a significant rise in the next few years.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) books continue to be the usual suspects of interest in the non-fiction space. But I also sense a rise for books in SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) as well.

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Here are some films that I watched in March and April:

Dhurandhar: The Revenge written and directed by Aditya Dhar

After watching Dhurandhar, it was only evident that I watched the second part. You can read my thoughts on the first movie here. I went for this film in the second week of release. I’ve never seen this kind of frenzy for a Hindi movie in Chennai! Especially, across demographics. So sure enough, the expectations were equally high. Dhurandhar: The Revenge picks up from where the first movie ended - the reveal of Hamza’s real identity of being Jaskirat Singh Rangi (Ranveer Singh). We get a quick flashback of how Jaskirat became a spy. The film then cuts to Lyari after Rahman Dakait’s (Akshaye Khanna’s) death and the chaos that ensues. We see the infamous gang wars play out and how Hamza rises to the top of the food chain. Following, the suit of the first film, the sequel also uses real life events characters to propel the story - the 2014 elections in India, the Pathankot attacks, Demonetisation, and a withering Dawood Ibrahim among others.

Unlike the first film, this one lacked the same precision. Some portions felt rushed, while some of the action sequences were a bit too long especially the gang war section. And yes, this sequel has way more violence than the last film. Somehow, the music didn’t land the same way as the first movie either. There were some great song choices but it wasn’t as impactful as it’s predecessor. Somehow, I felt Dhurandhar should have been a trilogy instead of a duology. I would have loved to know more about Jaskirat’s past, his family, and his training period as a spy. And this would have made a solid second instalment. They could have then wrapped up everything with an ultimate faceoff in a third movie. I also really missed Rahman Dakait’s presence in this part. Though Ranveer Singh was stellar in this movie! That last scene literally broke me. I really enjoyed watching Gaurav Gera and Rakesh Bedi as well. Not to forget a certain new character, Pinda (Udaybir Sandhu) based on real life drug lord Harvinder Singh Sandhu a.k.a. Rinda. Overall, this movie made for a decent watch but made me wish that the world and character arcs were fleshed out some more.

Rental Family written by Hikari & Stephen Blahut and directed by Hikari

I managed to catch this movie on my return flight from Bologna and I’m so glad that I did! The movie follows struggling actor Philip (Brendan Fraser) who has been trying to make it in Japan since a successful toothpaste commercial from several years ago. He keeps doing small parts and keeps auditioning but to no avail. One day, he is approached to attend a funeral as an acquaintance of the deceased. He finds the whole thing absurd and that’s when he talks to the owner of ‘Rental Family’ - a company that provides actors to play stand-in family members and friends for strangers. Initially reluctant, Philip gradually finds himself taking on more jobs as he needs the money. Through him we meet Mia (Shannon Mahina), a young girl for whom he is hired to play her father so as to help her with admissions to a prestigious school. And, we meet Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto) a retired actor with dementia for whom Philip pretends to be a journalist so as to make him feel remembered. I really liked the way this movie talks about human connection, how far people will go to protect them and what constitutes as right or wrong in doing so. Credit to the entire cast for playing their parts so well and my childhood self was very happy to see Brendan Fraser in this story. This movie felt like a warm hug and I know that I’ll definitely keep going back to watch this. You can watch the movie on JioHotstar.

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Here are some of the books that I read these past two months:

Ghost-Eye written by Amitav Ghosh and published by 4th Estate

This was a book club pick for March. The first novel I’ve read by Amitav Ghosh and I realised that I have truly been missing out. The story alternates between two timelines – the 1970s and the COVID pandemic - and shifts between Kolkata and New York. The Guptas are distraught as their three-year-old daughter, Varsha suddenly demands to eat fish though they have always been strictly vegetarian. They turn to psychiatrist Dr. Shoma Bose for help. Shoma is convinced that Varsha comes under ‘the reincarnation type’ as she recalls memories and details from a completely different life and community. Varsha is also suspected to possess special powers. Cut to a lockdown imposed world, Shoma’s nephew Dinu is living somewhat peacefully in New York till he gets a call probing him about Shoma and her ‘special cases’ to save the Sunderbans from industrialisation. I found this book intriguing to say the least and I just couldn’t put it down! Amitav Ghosh has this wonderful ability to blend magic realism with real world subjects like environmental conservation and still deliver a strong story you want to invest in as a reader. I salivated at different points in the book as he described various seafood delicacies. This book technically has two endings – one which I completely bought and another one which seemed a bit forced. I think this story would have been perfect without the other conclusion but this is still a gripping read and I’d highly recommend picking it up.

Hooked written by Asako Yuzuki in Japanese, translated to English by Polly Barton and published by 4th Estate

Of course, I was going to read this one, especially after the sensation which was Butter by the same author. Hooked follows the lives of two women - Eriko and Shoko. Eriko has looks, talent, a good job in a seafood trading company and a seemingly perfect life except for one thing: friends. Shoko is a housewife and blogger who posts about being a couch potato, her loving husband and eating convenience store food. Eriko is a fan and is convinced that she and Shoko could be friends. A “chance” encounter leads to them having a connection but Eriko’s obsession begins to take over. Unlike Butter, food is more in the background rather than being a main character. Though this did make for a fun read after Ghost-Eye with all the fish analogy and information. More than anything, this story is an observational take on privilege, class, and how women try to make their place in Japanese society. Not to forget a searing commentary on female friendships - a rather cynical one if I might add. Plus, all the characters in this book are crazy in some capacity except for maybe one or two of them. I didn’t find this book as flavourful as Butter but I still couldn’t put it down. Deliciously absurd but could have used more seasoning.

Ram C/O Anandhi written by Akhil P. Dharmajan in Malayalam, translated to English by Haritha C.K. and published by HarperCollins India

The Malayalam edition of this book has been all the rage in Kerala! The author also won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2025 for this. I knew I had to pick up the English edition once it was available. Now, this story is very much commercial fiction. So, if you’re expecting literary prowess then this is not that book. Something the author makes sure to give a disclaimer about in the beginning. We meet Sriram a.k.a. Ram who comes to Chennai from Thrissur to pursue filmmaking and writing. He stays with his brother’s friend and flatmate. Ram enrolls in a film course at an institute where he meets Anandhi who works as a receptionist. Both of them get off to a bad start. Through Ram and Ananadhi we meet other characters who become a central part of their lives and story. Gradually, they warm up to each other and love seems to be in the air until, everyone realises Anandhi has been hiding something. This story starts as a sweet coming of age one about friendship and love but then suddenly shifts genres completely. The English edition is quite basic in terms of language as I previously mentioned but reads like a film script.

It’s at moments like these I wish I could read Malayalam so as to get a better essence of stories written in the language. But if there’s an audio version somewhere, I might check it out. You could probably even call this book a ‘Chennai Novel’ since different locations and aspects of the city are highlighted throughout. Overall, this is a good pick if you want an easy read with quirky characters and plot twists you don’t see coming.

Strange Buildings written by Uketsu in Japanese, translated to English by Jim Rion and published by Pushkin Vertigo

Yes, I read the third book. For the uninitiated, Strange Buildings is a part of a Japanese mystery series of books written by the phenomenon who is Uketsu. I have linked my reviews for Strange Pictures and Strange Houses, which you can read. Much like Strange Houses, this book also follows a series of mysterious deaths in eleven buildings with intricate floor plans, inviting readers to decode the ultimate mystery. As much as I enjoyed Strange Houses for the novelty and pacing, this one felt jaded. I couldn’t read this in one sitting like the other two books either. There was way too much going on in this one and I wonder if it would have helped if the story only consisted of five to seven buildings as opposed to eleven of them. The repetition of the format from Strange Houses didn’t help either as it felt like the writer was trying to recreate the same effect as the second book. If you haven’t read any of the books in the series, you might like this one. If you’re a fan of the Uketsu series, you might find this one a bit disappointing, or maybe it’s just me. Having said that, I am looking forward to Uketsu’s next which is Strange Maps and hopefully the change of format should help that story.

Brotherless Night written by V.V. Ganeshananthan and published by Penguin

We decided to explore the theme of war at book club in April. Of course, I had to muscle my way and insist this be a book we read! Brotherless Night follows the story of a family in Jaffna and their tryst with the Sri Lankan civil war covering the period from 1981 to 2009. It is told from the perspective of a sixteen-year-old girl, Shashi who dreams of becoming a doctor. She watches her brothers and friend fall prey to the war and separatist movements in different capacities and grapples to retain some semblance of normalcy and hope in her life. We are introduced to different phases of the conflict with government supported soldiers, separatists groups and peace-keeping forces. Now, this is a very heavy book! So, if you’re easily triggered then this isn’t for you. There are subjects of abuse, violence, and death. Ganeshananthan took 18 years to write this and it’s worth every word she has written. Her research and ability not to make this preachy or information heavy is commendable. I love that she places the personal before the political and humanises the entire book while also nudging you to look up facts yourself. Her writing ensures that you are invested in these characters and their lives. If there’s a book from recent times that is worth owning on your bookshelf, it is this one. Do yourself a favour and buy a copy.

And that brings us to the end of this edition. A rather long newsletter, I know! Thanks for being patient and I’ll see you in your mailbox next month.

Till then keep living, laughing and learning.

P.S. – It’s been a mix of music these past two months but some of the songs I’ve enjoyed have been from Dhurandhar: The Revenge namely, Aakhri Ishq and Main Aur Tu. I’ve also had the song, Aizo by the Japanese band King Gnu stuck in my head - if you know you know, and if you don’t, then you’ll find out in next month’s newsletter.

If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who’s stayed, the welcome back!

February has been a mixed bag of events and emotions and I’ll unpack some of it here. Work was super busy this month! Tulika celebrated 30 years! So, it was a month filled with celebrations in many locations with our many partners. Cherry on the cake we got shortlisted for Best Children’s Publishers Of The Year (Asia) Award by Bologna Children’s Book Fair! This is Tulika’s second time getting nominated and I have my fingers crossed that we win this year.

Coming back to birthday month, I got to participate in some really fun and insightful conversations as a part of our Book-Talk series. You can check them out here:

In conversation with Devika Cariappa and Ashwin Prabhu about Non-Fiction Writing for Children

In Conversation with Team Tulika on completing 30 years!

I read only one book in February which was this:

The Loneliness Of Sonia And Sunny written by Kiran Desai and published by Hamish Hamilton (Penguin)

I’ve been hearing a lot about this book and was curious to read it. Dedicated the whole month to reading it given its length – 688 pages! Set in the nineties across various locations, the story follows titular protagonists Sonia and Sunny. We are first introduced to Sonia who is studying in America and seems to be depressed from the loneliness of the American way of life. In a bid to solve this problem, her grandparents try to matchmake her with their neighbour’s grandson Sunny who is also in America at the time. Sunny’s family (especially his mother) is against this and even Sunny feigns disinterest since he has a girlfriend. However, his curiosity is piqued. The proposal falls through and life goes on. In the meanwhile, Sonia gets tangled up in a toxic love affair with an eccentric artist who is much older than her. After a series of humiliating events, Sonia leaves and goes back to India. We are introduced to her parents who are going through their own problems and now live separately. Parallelly, Sunny also struggles with figuring his life professionally and personally – a possessive mother, a patronising girlfriend, a clingy yet insecure childhood friend, and the pains to become an established writer. A domino of incidents on both sides bring Sonia and Sunny face to face back in India which starts their own story. (Mind you, they only meet after about 300 pages or so.) We see them struggle with their identities, ideologies, idiosyncrasies and those of the other, while trying to figure what they ultimately want to do with their relationship. I have mixed feelings about this book. Kiran Desai is a writer worth her ink, no doubt. Her sentences are beautiful and flow with such ease. It’s a pleasure to read her writing. I also liked certain sections where she talks about urban loneliness, families struggling with modernity and tradition as well as the changing aspirations of Indians at the time. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t get confused with so many characters and their story arcs. There’s a character chart in the first page of the book that aids with this but I never had to refer to it because of the way the characters were written. However, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the plot of this story which tried to be cinematic but seemed more filmy. On that note, I will not be surprised if this book gets adapted for the screen. Certain portions of her writing especially when she talks about Sonia and Sunny’s respective families reminded me a bit of Anita Desai who writes masterfully about Indian families. (Seriously, go read Clear Light Of Day and Fasting, Feasting.) I also felt that this book was indulgent and could have been trimmed down a bit. The pacing could have been better as it was a bit rushed towards the end while the beginning and certain mid portions felt stretched out. Overall, it’s a decent read if you have the patience for 688 pages.

Pride & Prejudice written by Jane Austen

Of course this was going to be on the list! For the uninitiated, this is a story set it early 19^th century in England. We meet the Bennett family and our female protagonist Elizabeth Bennet who is headstrong, candid, opinionated and rather tired of society’s rules. Her mother is out to make sure that her daughters’ are secured through marriage much to Elizabeth’s chagrin. In the middle of all this matchmaking, Elizabeth meets Mr Darcy - the quintessential handsome rich man with an attitude problem. Their first meeting does not go well and our heroine has decided that she doesn’t like him. The OG classic meet cute. What follows is an observational telling of society’s complex layers through the Bennet family and the other characters they interact with. What stayed with me the most in this story was the theme of pride itself and how often that line can blur with self-respect. Mr Darcy is too proud to admit his initial interest in Elizabeth while she has written him off because her pride got hurt. Each time either of them try to reach out to the other one of their egos inevitably get in the way until both of them learn to let go of it. How often do we let ego come in the way of our relationships? Romantic or not. I know I’ve been guilty of it. Still sometimes am. Though I’d like to believe I am more self-aware now. But this is a story that still holds a lot of relevance today as well with the way it approaches interpersonal relationships and social structures.

Howl’s Moving Castle written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, produced by Studio Ghibli

This is based on a book of the same name written by Diana Wynne Jones and published in 1986. I have not read the original story so I’m not sure how different Studio Ghibli’s version might be from the book. Though I’ve been told there are some major thematic differences. However, I loved the animated film once I discovered it a couple of years ago! The story follows Sophie, a young hat maker who is visiting her sister. She bumps into Howl who is a wizard and has a bit of an adventure. While returning home, she encounters the Witch of Waste who ends up turning her into a 90-year-old woman! One thing leads to another and she finds herself in Howl’s enchanted castle! She strikes a deal with a fire demon that if she helps him break free of Howl then he will help her break her curse. What follows is a series of adventures set in a fantasy kingdom that is caught in a war and how each character grows and finds their own fate. The romance between Sophie and Howl is a rather endearing one. They start as strangers, become friends and eventually fall in love through all the ordeals they face. In some ways, this story reminds me of a more complex version of Beauty & The Beast. Here, each character has a darker side to them and they all come to accept each other for who they are. There’s also a character who professes his love for Sophie in the end but respects her affections for Howl and leaves. I think what really stayed with me about Howl and Sophie was how comfortable and carefree they were with each other even when they took on different forms. There was no judgement. Just a natural acceptance of what each of them were. You can catch the movie on Netflix.

Aangan (The Women’s Courtyard) written by Khadija Mastoor

Originally written in Urdu by Khadija Mastoor, I read the English translation by Daisy Rockwell. I happened to first watched the TV adaptation of the book which is what drove me to pick it up. And I enjoyed the book more than the series but also spotted some differences in plot and character between the two. Aangan is about multiple generations of women – primarily 3 of them accompanied by supporting characters – and their views on relationships and love. This story is set in British India and is told through the perspective of Aliya. We see how the freedom movement and partition affect this family and multiple relationships. Aliya is ambitious and talented but is stifled by all the restrictions placed on women at the time. She fears romantic relationships as she sees the toll it takes on her elder sister Tehmina, her aunt Salma and her neighbour Kusum who is a Hindu widow. Due to circumstances, Aliya and her mother are forced to live in a relative’s house where she is constantly pursued by her cousin Jameel. Though Jameel and Aliya’s story form a fair chunk of this novel, it is all the other characters and sub-plots that really drive the narrative. And unlike usual love stories – yes, I’m going to give a spoiler – this couple doesn’t end up together. What drew me to Aangan was the complexity of each character’s view on love. Aliya in some ways reminded me of Jo from Little Women where she is torn between the fear of love as well as losing her agency and her desire for companionship. While Jo managed to find someone, Aliya is seemingly consumed by her own fear and stubbornness on this. I have to give a shoutout to the character Chammi though. In the book, she can come across as annoying but you’ll love the way she’s been portrayed in the TV series played smashingly by Sajal Aly. I’m not sure where you can watch this series now but here’s a fan video with the title song from the show.

Zindagi Gulzar Hair written by Umera Ahmad and directed by Sultana Siddiqui

This is an Urdu series based on a novel of the same name by Umera Ahmad who also wrote the screenplay for the show. It focuses on two primary characters – Kashaf and Zaroon who come from two different backgrounds. Kashaf comes from a lower middle class family. Her father has abandoned her mother along with her two younger sisters and herself. He marries again and has a son who he dotes on. It is no surprise then that Kashaf turns out to be bitter, stubborn, hyper-independent and distrusting of men. Zaroon on the other hand comes from an extremely privileged and liberal background. A little ‘too liberal’ for his liking. He has seen his mother treat his father poorly and disrespect him in the name of independence and equality. Zaroon is carefree, entitled and also stubborn. We follow these two characters over many years from their days in university to them actually getting married to each other and becoming parents. More than anything I liked the fact that there were backstories for these characters that gave context for their views on life, and the fact that these two are flawed. We see either Zaroon or Kashaf messing up at different points and how they keep finding their way back to each other. I also love the supporting characters in this story! You might be able to catch this on Netflix or Zee5.

Materialists written & directed by Celine Song

An English movie that follows a matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson) and what happens when she ends up meeting the ideal man Harry (Pedro Pascal) and her struggling ex-boyfriend John (Chris Evans). I love how this film talks about dating and relationships in modern times. I especially liked the way they portrayed female needs v/s wants in relationships through Lucy’s own predicaments as well as her clients. Also, the different prejudices women and men have to go through when looking for love. This movie got a lot of backlash since Lucy finally chooses to be with John and it made it seem like there was this glorification of ‘the broke guy’. But, I didn’t feel that at all. If anything, their union made the most sense to me. In the film Lucy keeps talking about the math in a relationship. Harry ticks all the boxes – though he has his own insecurities – and he’s a perfect ten while she isn’t. Whereas John doesn’t have much going for him and Lucy is significantly more secure in her life. Yet John and Lucy make sense if we’re looking at her analogy of math. How? There is similarity in their family backgrounds, what their dreams used to be and the fact that they were always friends. So there’s an implicit trust and understanding between them. In one scene Lucy says that her fights with John also reminded her of her parents and she hated that because she could see the same issues. But I think this is exactly why Lucy and John work. They understand each other’s worlds and are unfiltered with each other. Hence, the math adds up. I also like how Lucy and John genuinely think about how to make their relationship work in the end given their respective careers and how they might want to progress in life. Materialists is a practical movie about relationships with its heart in the right place. It raises questions about if you truly can live on love and fresh air. This one is currently streaming on Netflix.

That’s all from me for February. I’ll be combining March and April’s newsletter since a lot has been going on! So, you’ll mostly get it by mid-May.

Till then keep living, laughing and learning.

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. – I’ve been having this song Asma Asma from the movie Do Deewane Seher Mein on loop this month.

If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who’s stayed, then welcome back!

First of all, Happy New Year! Hope it was a good one. I was in bed by midnight and it was honestly pretty great. I flew into Kerala on the very first day of the year for a family function. Hence, the early night in. There’s something warm and wonderful about seeing faces you love spending time with. Even more so when it happens to be the 1^st of January! It was a short yet fun trip and I ended up doing some sightseeing with the fam.

We were in Thrissur, popularly known as The Temple Town and yes, we did visit a temple. But I want to talk about this one place we went to which was The Sakthan Thampuran Palace. It was originally constructed in the 15^th century by the Kings of Cochin. Thereafter, it fell into the hands of the Samoothri (Zamorin) in 1756. The palace returned to Cochin’s control in the 1760s. In 1795, the palace was majorly renovated and reconstructed in a Kerala-dutch style by Ramavarma Thampuran as well as Sakthan Thampura. Sakthan Thampuran is also credited with having started the famous Thrissur Pooram festival. The palace has now been converted to a museum and you’ll find many antiques and other things preserved here. You will also find remanants from important events like coins from Tipu Sultan’s time as he had visited this palace with his army. There is also a heritage garden in the palace grounds which is home to many kinds of indigenous flowers and herbs as well as the tomb of Sakthan Thampuran. There is also a Sarpa Kavu or Snake grove where an idol of Nagaraj and Nagayakshi – the king of snakes and his consort - are worshipped. It is like a shrine. A common feature in many of the bigger ancestral homes in Kerala.

I also got to attend the Chennai International Book Fair (CIBF) 2026 in January. I’ve been participating in this conference since its inception in 2023. This year saw the participation of 102 countries! I was even more happy to see so many children’s publishers this year. A truly wonderful opportunity to network and exchange conversations on subsidiary rights for books. It was two eventful days packed with meetings and many meaningful conversations.

Finally, I was in Bombay for the Republic Day weekend. I had initially gone on work where I attended a rather fascinating workshop on Dangerous Goods in Ocean Transport and ISO Tanks. But more on that some other time. I decided to extend my trip and spent time with family. It was a lot of fun and I ate so much good food! These were some of my top food spots from this trip:

Minka – This is a literal hole in wall place in Bandra - only 5 people can sit at a time - where they make some delicious dimsums, sushi and baos. Loved their butternut squash & truffle dimsum and mushroom truffle buns the most!

The Bombay Canteen – Located in Kamla Mills, this place has been around for a while and they do Indian fusion food. I believe they also keep changing the menu seasonally. But, the food was delicious! I highly recommend their butter garlic crab kulcha, Kohlapuri mutton claypot rice and their coffee rasgulla sundae.

Blanchette – A cloud kitchen that makes ice-creams and desserts. I’ve been seeing them on Instagram and have been curious to try their stuff. I got their chocolate ice-cream sandwich and it was yum! Curious to try their pastries as well. You’ll find them on Zomato and Swiggy.

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But January hasn’t been all rosy. I lost an Aunt this month. In fact I received the news when I was in Bombay. And though I knew at some point that it was inevitable, it hasn’t fully sunk in. She had been unwell for a while and though we all had hope, it unfortunately wasn’t meant to be. I was extremely fond of her and she also happened to be my local guardian when I was studying in the US. She was warm, kind and so accepting without any judgement. I could talk to her about books, politics, family, tv shows, sense and nonsense. A friend first then an aunt. She was a professor of communication and media and also the author of a book. One which I didn’t get the chance to read during her time but intend to do so very soon.

I am reminded of a line from the book The Human Origins Of Beatrice Porter & Other Essential Ghosts –

And now that the wait has ended, I seem to be having trouble with fully accepting it. I realise that I will miss her most in moments I carelessly assumed that she would be a part of. I will miss her every time I see a Tilapia fish (an inside joke of ours) and for every family gathering we have here on out. I know that she is in a better place and I hope we can all find a better place for our grief too.

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Some stories I consumed this month:

Dominic And The Ladies’ Purse written by Neeraj Rajan & Sooraj Rajan, and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon

I’ve been meaning to watch this movie for the longest time and I finally caught it on streaming! The story follows Dominic (Mammootty) a retired cop who now works as a private detective. We are introduced to his world and some of the people who inhabit it, his new assistant Vignesh (Gokul Suresh) and his landlady Madhuri (Viji Venkatesh). The mystery begins when Madhuri asks Dominic to find the owner of a missing purse she has in her possession. What seems like straightforward case gets more complicated with the discovery of two missing people who have possibly been murdered. Dominic encounters many characters on his search who have all been played incredibly well by the respective actors. The ending is not something you can easily predict and I was guessing till the big reveal! If you enjoy a good mystery story, I highly recommend this one.

Three Apples Fell From The Sky written in Russian by Narine Abgaryan, translated to English by Lisa C. Hayden and published by Oneworld Publications

Set in the fictional town of Maran in the Armenian hills, this book follows the lives of its residents. We meet Anatolia who is convinced that she is dying but receives a proposal from the blacksmith, Vasily. We meet Valinka who loses her husband and now waits for her grandson Tigran. Then there’s Yasaman, the town physician and her husband Ovanes who takes charge when needed. And, multiple other characters with back stories. There are elements of magical realism, folklore and a strong cultural presence. I love how atmospheric the writing is and the way the writer describes food, clothes, and other seemingly mundane things. This book reminded me of The Master And Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov in terms of having multiple characters and parallel plots. Though thematically, these are two very different books. Three Apples Fell From The Sky covers subjects like grief, loss and longing but also offers hope, second chances and finding light at the end of the tunnel. Though this book talks about heavy themes, it’s never treated “heavy”. Instead, there’s this dull ache which gets washed away by the warmth that comes from the story’s progression. Overall this is a warm, cosy and introspective read and I’m glad that this was the first book I read in the new year.

Strange Pictures written in Japanese by Uketsu, translated to English by Jim Rion and published by Pushkin Vertigo

You may remember my review of Strange Houses by Uketsu in October 2025. After reading that one, I knew I had to pick up more books by this writer. Strange Pictures is actually the first book in this series. The good thing is that you don’t need to read these books in order. Strange Pictures follows the mystery of missing people and suspicious deaths that arise from drawings that are spotted in a blog. We are introduced to many characters and much like Strange Houses, this book also invites readers to decipher the drawings to reveal the truth of what’s going on. I though this book was more dense and convoluted compared to Strange Houses but it still made for a quick read. And, I appreciate Uketsu’s attempt at trying to do something different in the murder mystery space. I would still recommend picking Strange Houses over this book though.

Travels With Charley: In Search Of America written by John Steinbeck and published by Penguin

I read this one as a part of a book club I’m in. This is also the first book I’ve read by Steinbeck! Travels With Charley is a travelogue covering Steinbeck’s road trip from Maine to Monterey Peninsula along with his French poodle, Charley. I found portions of this book slow with the amount of description that’s given about places or his drive to reach somewhere. What I did enjoy was his socio-political commentary via his observations about the places and people he interacts with. He talks about people’s ability to form opinions or lack thereof and how that affects politics, capitalism through excessive consumption and wastage, conservatism in certain areas, housing trends, absurd immigration laws and so much more. The writing is seasoned with a lot of dry humour as well. If you enjoy travelogues, history and political commentary then I’d definitely recommend picking this up.

The Tree, The Well And The Drag Queen written by Salini Vineet and published by Red River Press

I’m grateful to have received a copy of this book from the author herself! I happened to read this on my trip to Bombay. Co-incidentally enough, the main protagonist of this book is the titular Drag Queen who we first meet in Bombay! Tormented by dreams and a feeling of restlessness we follow them back to their hometown in Kerala and a sinister jackfruit tree that’s bound to their family. The story then proceeds to reveal the mysteries of the tree and how our protagonist breaks free from its shackles. I really enjoyed how this story combines folklore, magic realism and culture so seamlessly. Salini being a Malayali herself has effortlessly blended in cultural context through settings and dialogue without being stereotypical or caricaturist in any way. In fact, I wish this wasn’t a novella but a full-fledged novel! Salini spins a tale and a world that sucks you in and you want to know more about the characters and their history. What about the well? I’d recommend that you read the book to find out.

And that is all for January! I’ll see you next month with another newsletter. Feel free to write in about things you’ve been up to, stories you’ve been consuming or general feedback and thoughts. I’ve been hearing back from some of you and I really enjoy the exchange :)

Till then keep living, laughing and learning.

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. - I discovered this band called Advaita who seems to produce fusion music with Indian classical and electronic. Signing off with their song MoFunk.

If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who’s stayed, the welcome back!

Also, this newsletter crossed 100 subscribers! What?! I’m so grateful that all of you keep engaging with my ramblings and keep coming back to read what I have to put out. It truly means the world to me. Thank you for the love and support, always :)

I know December isn’t completely done yet but I wanted to send this out before the year ends. And also 2 newsletters in one month?! Joy to the world indeed! Speaking of joy, it’s been a slow and relaxing month for the most part. I’m anticipating a busy January but more on that in next month’s newsletter. In the meanwhile, I’m enjoying this lull of a transition from one year to the next. It’s funny I say that December has been relaxing because when I actually look back, quite a bit happened.

For starters, Spotify Wrapped 2025 dropped and the stats for my podcast The Closet Writer Chronicles blew my mind!

1. We’re in the top 5% of most shared podcasts on Spotify (again)!

2. We are also in the top 16% of most streamed shows and top 22% of most talked about shows!

3. We reached 22 countries!

Fun Fact: Including other platforms like Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, etc. the show has reached 58 countries!

I’m so grateful to the community of guests, listeners and well-wishers who make this show what it is. You can listen to episodes here.

December is art season and the beginning of Margazhi in Chennai. I attended a few art shows, some which were a part of Madras Art Weekend (MAW) and an independent show by Avtar Foundation For The Arts. This was MAW’s fourth year of running their program and I always discover some lovely artists and creations at these shows. Some of whom I really liked were Kapil Anant, Mainaz Bano, Ruchi Bakshi Sharma and Animesh Nandi. If you’re an art enthusiast, then definitely give their work a look.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to attend any music or dance shows except for one which was a Nritya Harikatha by Dushyant Sridhar along with a talented troupe of musicians and a Bharatanatyam dancer.

I was supposed to be in Nagaland this month for the Hornbill Festival 2025. I had to end up cancelling though. In hindsight, a fortunate thing because IndiGo’s flight fiasco took place and the plane wouldn’t have taken off if I had gone to the airport as per my original plan! As bummed as I was for missing the festival this year, I’m hoping to attend one of the future editions.

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However, I ended up on the jury for The Bound Publishing Capstone (TBPC) for the third year in a row!

TBPC is a program tailored for those aspiring to learn more about publishing in India and equipping them with foundational skills to be a part of the industry. They even have specilaisations like creative entrepreneurship, digital publishing and the like. As always, I had a lot of fun listening to all the project ideas and discussing the same.

I hosted a session for a book club that I’m a part of. We decided to explore the theme of restlessness through two books - Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri and Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. I also got to employ some of my Bibliotherapy know how. Bibliotherapy in simple terms is counselling / therapy by using books as a tool. Now, you can also combine reading the books with different exercises like journaling, letter writing, play therapy, etc. If you’re interested in learning more about this, you should check out Book Therapy by Bijal Shah.

Now, coming to stories I consumed this month:

Dhurandhar written and directed by Aditya Dhar

Dhurandhar is a Hindi movie which is largely a spy thriller and also a story in the realm of historical fiction. Now, I was initially sceptical when I watched the teaser and trailer. I thought I’d end up watching it on streaming given the kind of violence that was portrayed in what I watched. Within a few days, everyone was talking about this movie and this story was almost put in a death row situation. If you liked it, you were right wing. If you didn’t, you were left wing. And, all the negative reviews just seemed to further pique my interest as opposed to quelling it. I also kept listening to the music this movie kept dropping which I have been immensely enjoying. I just knew I had to watch this in a theatre. So, I dragged my mother on the third Friday of its release to a surprisingly packed cinema hall to watch this saga of 3 hours and 34 minutes. And mind you, this is just part 1. The second part is slated to release in March 2026.

The movie opens with the IC 814 Kandahar hijack that took place in 1999. We see the head of the Indian Intelligence Bureau, Ajay Sanyal (R.Madhavan) who is modelled after Ajit Doval entering the flight to negotiate with the hijackers, as he is welcomed with the gruesome sight of a bloodied passenger getting his throat slit. (Yes, I did close my eyes for this scene) Ajay agrees to the hijackers’ demand to release three captured terrorists in exchange for the lives of remaining passengers. The hijackers who are Pakistani taunt him by saying that India can put all their might to break them any time as they are neighbours after all. This sets the tone not just for the rage Ajay begins to feel but also plants that seed within audiences. What strokes that rage even more is the Parliament Attack that takes place in New Delhi in 2001. Ajay Sanyal sees the body of a lady officer who has been shot being carried away on a stretcher. Again, a character who seems to be based on Kamlesh Kumari Yadav, a lady constable (believed to be expecting at the time) who was shot 11 times in the actual attacks.

Enough is enough and the stage is set for Operation Dhurandhar - a program to deploy Indian spies to infiltrate terror units and break them from within. We are then introduced to Hamza Ali Mazari alias of Jaskirat Singh Ranghi (Ranveer Singh), who is tasked with infiltrating the powerful gangs in the neighbourhood of Lyari in Karachi. Hamza blends into the neighbourhood working at a juice shop and eventually works his way into the gang of Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna). Rehman is ruthless and this comes through in a scene where he smashes someone’s head to death. (I partially closed my eyes for this one since it was expected from the trailer) As Hamza gets more involved with the gang politics, we meet more characters through him. The most notable ones being Major Iqbal from the ISI (Arjun Rampal), politician Jameel Jamali (Rakesh Bedi), SP Aslam Chaudhary (Sanjay Dutt) and Yalina Jamali (Sara Arjun). The final straw for Hamza is when he witnesses the horrors of the 26/11 Mumbai Attacks that take place in 2008. Witnessing not just what’s happening in his homeland but also the celebration in the room that planned and executed this. What follows is the beginning of his rampage to take down each of them and avenge his country.

Credit given where due - the cinematography, set design, research, casting, and music are on point! I’ve had the soundtrack on loop for most of this month. I did feel that certain parts could have been trimmed but I didn’t really get bored. Instead, I got sucked into this story so much that I found myself reading up on the Lyari gang wars and watching various documentaries and interviews on the same. On that note, I highly recommend watching this five part video docu-series by The Vice on Karachi which was released in 2012. I do wonder if the movie would have still worked if certain dialogues that seemed jingoistic were removed but then again, we live in a democracy and the fact is Dhar has as much a right to say what he wants as does anyone else. Then there’s the infamous red screen scene in the film where we hear real audio clips from the Mumbai Attacks. You could cut the silence and grief in the theatre with a knife when this scene played. And the fact, that this had such an impact is testament to Aditya Dhar’s talent as a filmmaker. However, I think I would’ve enjoyed this more as a series simply because of the amount of details and sub-plots this movie has and there would have been scope to dive even deeper. For instance, I would have loved to know more about Rehman Dakait’s history and his equation with his wife Ulfat (played smashingly by Saumya Tandon) and kids. Not to mention, all the phenomenal supporting characters like Donga (Naveen Kaushik), Uzair Baloch (Danish Pandoor) and Alam (played incredibly by Gaurav Gera). Overall, I’d recommend watching this in a theatre.

As far as the debate on this movie goes, here are some reviews and opinion pieces which I think give a fair perspective:

Left vs Right Debate by Nona Prince

Movie Review & Analysis and a Spoiler Filled Analysis by Anmol Jamwal

An unedited opinion piece on Dhurandhar by Deepanjana Pal

Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors written by Aravind Jayan and published by Serpent’s Tail

What happens when a couple’s private moments get caught on camera and then spread on the internet? What happens when this takes place in a town like Trivandrum? Teen Couple Have Fun Outdoors explores the aftermath of a situation like this. Told from the perspective of an unnamed 20 something narrator, we follow the story of Sreenath and Anita – the victims of said video – and what happens when their respective families find out. I really like how fresh this story felt when I read it. As someone who has visited Trivandrum a lot and continues to do so, I knew I had to pick this up when I read that this would be the setting. Aravind Jayan really gives you a flavour of the city and what the inter-generational dynamics in a place like this are. And as extreme as some of the things seem to be in the book, they are quite close to reality. The writing is observational, quirky, and woven with dark humour. I especially liked the way he’s written each of the characters and found it fascinating that he chose to keep the narrator unnamed. Pick this up if you enjoy social commentary and black comedy.

Letters From Father Christmas written by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Baillie Tolkien and published by HarperCollins

This is a collection of letters that Tolkien wrote to his children when they were growing up from 1920 till 1943. Every December, he would send letters as Father Christmas from the North Pole in spidery handwriting and some sketches or paintings illustrating the letter’s contents. You’ll find characters like the clumsy Polar Bear, the proper elf and the reindeer. What’s interesting to note is that these letters were written during The Great Depression (1929-1939) and World War II (1939-1945). In some letters, Father Christmas (Tolkien) refers to what’s happening in the world and in some he consoles and apologises for not getting the children what they wanted. Overall, this is a heartwarming and fun read for the Christmas season.

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Finally, I want to sign off with a gratitude list. I took inspiration from The Alipore Post – another fabulous newsletter that you should follow – as they just released a list of 25 lessons they learned in 2025. So, I tweaked it a bit.

25 things I’m grateful for in 2025:

1. My family.

2. My health.

3. My parents’ health.

4. Having people to lean on for different things.

5. Friends who I’ve known since kindergarten and friends I’ve made as an adult and who have remained. As the saying goes, “It’s hard to make new friends but it’s harder to lose old ones.”

6. People I’ve met this year.

7. My cats. 12 of them now!

8. My work in publishing and exploring work with my family.

9. Office lunches and snack parties.

10. The conversations I’ve had on my podcast. Plug: Go listen to the episodes!

11. Going on a trip to the UK and Europe with one of my best friends and meeting more friends and family on the trip.

12. All the amazing food and dessert I ate this year!

13. Morning coffee at home made by my mother.

14. Spending my birthday at home with good food, great cake and the best company.

15. All the books I got to buy and got to read! (Still have to read a lot of what I bought)

16. Seeing my younger sister get married to the love of her life. It was a very fun wedding!

17. Getting back to writing and being more consistent with it.

18. Yoga. It’s really helped me loosen up (literally and figuratively).

19. Music class! I’m hoping to sing a lot more in 2026.

20. People who took a chance on me and gave me opportunities.

21. Clean bathrooms. Jet sprays are a bonus.

22. Good music - old and new.

23. Met one of my role models and told them how much I admire them. Bonus: got a picture with them.

24. Visiting my maternal family home and temple in Kerala.

25. Transportation. Catching all my flights and rides except for the ones I wasn’t meant to take.

And overall, just gratitude for the love, appreciation, recognition and support I’ve received personally and professionally from different places.

Here’s to a 2026 filled with abundance, warmth and joy.

See you next year!

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. – Signing off with the entire Dhurandhar soundtrack. Shashwat Sachdev who is the music composer on this movie really outdid himself.

If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who’s stayed, the welcome back!

You know those phases where life seems to be the same, almost resistant to change but when you look back, you realise there were some significant moments? November felt like that. It was routine enough with a few great things that came out of it. I’ll talk about two of them here.

First off, I got to teach a cohort of students about Children’s Publishing!

This was a part of the Bound Publishing Program. For the uninitiated, Bound is this really cool literary organisation that’s building India’s creative economy through stories and storytelling. I started my publishing career with Bound and I’m so grateful to still be associated with the them. Their Publishing Program is a unique course that’s looking to teach and groom India’s next generation of creators specifically in the literary space. As a part of this, I was invited to teach a module on Children’s Publishing specifically with context to India. I was a bit nervous but I had a lot of fun teaching this module. It was even more special that this happened in November which celebrates Children’s Day in India on the 14^th and World Children’s Day on the 19^th!

On that note, here’s a quick history lesson for you on how children’s publishing began and evolved in India:

India has had a longstanding tradition of storytelling in oral and performative formats like Hari Katha, Ramleela, Dastangoi, Kathakali, Patachitra, Kaavad, Shadow Puppetry and so on. Storytelling was not particularly distinguished for adults and children.

The British Raj is what strongly influenced the formation of children’s literature in India. During this period, School Book Societies were set up in different presidencies to create suitable literature of children to consume. There were stories with moral lessons, mythological tales, as well as books on science, geography and other academic subjects. Children’s editions of the Bible were created as a part of missionary efforts as well. What’s interesting to note is that these books were being published in a number of Indian languages along with English for better reach.

There was also a rise of children’s magazines in regional languages during this time like Chandamama. Then came the establishments of the National Book Trust (NBT) and Children’s Book Trust (CBT) in 1957. The non-profit model soon came in the eighties with Eklavya and Ektara, both of which also started with children’s magazines. This period also saw a flood of illustrated children’s books from China and Russia. Once liberalisation opened up the economy in the nineties, Scholastic entered the market. This was also when we saw the birth of independent publishing in children’s literature. Tara Books in 1994, followed by Tulika Publishers and Karadi Tales in 1996, and coincidentally all of them in Chennai! Pratham was another major player to enter the field in 2004 with the mission of “a book in every child’s hand”, accelerated further with their digital platform StoryWeaver in 2015.

Today, the landscape has changed dramatically with far more players getting into not just publishing but marketing and distribution as well. Not to mention, the advent of AI and technology. But, that’s all the gyaan on this for today.

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It’s been 3 years since I’ve worked in children’s publishing and the process of preparing for this session and teaching it made me realise how much I’ve actually learned! It was also a walk down memory lane just remembering how I got here. And this was amplified even more with a podcast I was fortunate to be featured on The Literature Lounge by Mohua Chinappa. I got to share a bit about how I got into publishing, some of my other creative projects, what I do as a Rights Manager and my views on technology and AI in publishing. You can listen to it on audio streaming platforms or you can watch it here:

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I watched one show this month which was Season 3 of The Diplomat.

The Diplomat created by Debora Cahn is a political thriller following a career diplomat Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) and her husband Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell). Kate is unexpectedly made a US ambassador in the UK. She’s being vetted for vice-presidency and the first two seasons pretty much follow this story line with many twists and turns. If you’ve not watched this show, then I’m going to drop a major spoiler here. So, turn back now if you want to. In Season 3, there’s an unexpected turn of events which leads to Hal Wyler becoming the vice-president. We see a personal and professional tussle between this volatile couple amongst conspiracy theories and diplomatic tension between countries. I love the characters on this show and how brilliant each of the characters are. The story is unpredictable in many ways and really keeps you on edge. If you’re a fan of House Of Cards, Homeland and The Good Wife, this show will be right up your alley.

I didn’t read as much as I did in October but still managed to maintain a decent pace. Here are some of the books I read this month:

The Emperor Of Gladness written by Ocean Voung and published by Penguin Press

The story follows Hai, a Vietnamese immigrant who lives in East Gladness, Conneticut who finds himself on a bridge about to jump and end his life. That’s when he’s stopped by Grazina, an elderly Lithuanian lady succumbing to dementia. Hai somehow listens to her and ends up becoming her caretaker. He soon lands a job at a fast-food joint to take care of his expenses. We meet a myriad of characters through Hai – his neurodivergent cousin Sony, the manager BJ who aspires to be a pro-wrestler, foul-mouthed cashier Maureen, a quiet Wayne, and a seemingly detached Russia (yes, that’s a character’s name). I believe Voung has woven in their own experiences from the service industry and elder care in this book and it really shines through. What I loved most was how Grazina was described and how she was portrayed as a deteriorating dementia patient, which I felt was quite realistic. This book is a heartbreaking read with glimmers of hope leaving you to introspect and feel gratitude for your own life. And for those wondering, Voung does not employ the same poetic style here as they did in On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. This is a much smoother read in comparison.

The Wedding People written by Alison Espach and published by Henry Holt & Co.

We meet our protagonist Pheobe who checks into a hotel with the goal to take her own life (I’m realising this has been a common theme in November’s books). But what she doesn’t expect is to bump into a wedding party and a bride(zilla) – Lila – who she admits her plan to. Lila coaxes her not to take her life not out of concern but more because she can’t have her wedding weekend ruined. To top it all off Pheobe has a chance meeting with a man in a hot tub and tells him that she would sleep with him. The next day, she finds out that he’s the groom! What follows is a weekend of wedding chaos and entangled connections. Though this book does follow some of the usual tropes of a rom-com read, it also keeps some elements rooted in reality and doesn’t make the obvious choices in some parts which I found rather refreshing. Not to mention, a certain maturity in the writing that is often missing in stories in this space. Overall, I thought this was warm and fun read.

The Honjin Murders written in Japanese by Seishi Yokomizo, translated to English by Louise Heal Kawai and published by Pushkin Vertigo

Set in 1937 Japan, this is the story of a mystery behind the deaths of a couple in a locked room on their wedding night. We are introduced to a slew of characters who are potential suspects and then we are introduced to detective extraordinaire Kosuke Kindaichi. A classic locked room murder mystery which really kept me guessing till the end. I love the way the setting of Japan in the thirties is created and how atmospheric the writing is. There’s also a character list given in the beginning of the book so you don’t get confused with all the names. But what fascinated me the most was that this story was originally written and published in 1946 but only got and English translation in 2019. There are 77 books in the Kosuke Kindaichi series and this is the first one in the franchise and is considered to be one of the greatest Japanese mystery novels. This book also went on to win the first Mystery Writers Of Japan Award in 1948. Seishi Yokozimo is touted as one of the OG mystery writers in Japan and rightfully so. I’m so curious to read the rest of his work in this series. Also, appreciation to Pushkin Vertigo who seem to really be churning out stories in the Japanese murder mystery space with books from writers like Uketsu, Seishi Yokomizo and Yukito Ayatsuji.

Meet The Savarnas: Indian Millenials Whose Mediocrity Broke Everything written by Ravikant Kisana and published by Penguin

This book is a fascinating anthropologic study on caste, specifically the privileged in India. Ravikant Kisana a.k.a. Buffalo Intellectual is a professor of Cultural Studies and his research looks at the intersections of caste with structures of privilege and pop-culture. He shares his observations and views on the middle and upper class strata, with a focus on those of higher caste in comparison to lower castes, specifically those who are still classified as untouchables. With cheeky chapter headings like Student Of The Year, Kuch Kuch Savarna Hai, The Glass Floor and the like, Kisana attempts to look at caste from different dimensions – education, career, love and migration to name a few. He is very self-aware about what he is writing about and also offers a humorous but statistically backed approach to a lot of what he’s saying. The first half of the book is very strong and he makes solid points about what caste is, education and career and how nuanced privilege can be. I wish his sections on love and marriage of inter-caste relationships were more research backed since it did feel like he was being generic and stating things most people already know. I had mixed feelings about his last two sections and I’m not sure if I completely agree with his predictions. But then again, I would classify as a Savarna myself. So, maybe I don’t know? I’d definitely recommend reading this book though.

And that’s all we have for November! December’s newsletter will hopefully reach you in the next few days. (Ambitious, I know.)

Till then keep living, laughing and learning.

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. - I discovered musician Cory Wong this month. Signing off with his song Starship Syncopation.

If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who stayed, the welcome back!

October was a good month. It was relaxed and I was happy to get back into a daily routine. I think my trip in September did wonders for me as people told me I was glowing after my break! A reminder that I should schedule time for joy when I can. October was also Diwali season. As a Malayali, it’s not a festival that my family really celebrates but I think we’ve just grown to like it and participate in festivities with those who do celebrate it. I may have eaten way too many sweets but I’m not complaining. And of course, it was Halloween. A friend of mine had a Halloween themed dinner and I went as a thief from the Louvre heist. Very low effort, I know. She’d gone all out with the décor and all in all, it was a fun evening.

Speaking of Halloween, I’ve always been intrigued and curious about the fact that a lot of similar events take place around the same time. For example, there’s Bhoot Chaturdashi which is celebrated in Bengal, a day before Diwali and you have Día de los Muertos (Day Of The Dead) in Mexico which is typically celebrated on the 1^st and 2^nd of November. Here are two articles about festivals associated with the supernatural:

8 Festivals Around The World That Celebrate The Dead

16 Macabre Cultural Festivals in History that Make Halloween Look Like Child’s Play

Here’s a quick walk down memory lane:

• 2021 - Season 1 is created as a part of Podcast Lab by IFP x Anchor (now Spotify for Creators). The show gets featured on Bound’s List of Best Podcasts of 2021.

• 2022 - I graduate from Podcast Lab and decide to make Season 2. The podcast is nominated for the first time for an award - The Hubhopper Podcast Awards - and is recognised as one of the top 3 podcasts by Anchor Spotlight. Cherry on the cake - We get a lot of love and end up being on the top 5% of globally shared podcasts on Spotify.

• 2023 - Season 3 is created in partnership with Zencastr. We get our first inquiry from a publishing house to feature authors. I am invited to conduct a workshop on podcasting for South Asian Heritage Month, UK.

• 2024 - The podcast gets nominated for HT Smartcast Podmasters Awards under the Arts & Entertainment category. We are invited to become a founding member of Indian Podcast List. We get more enquiries from publishers.

• 2025 - We create our first collaboration series with The Himalayan Writing Retreat and feature 10 emerging writers. The podcast gets nominated again for HT Smartcast Podmasters Awards under Arts & Entertainment. We’re featured by The Hindu for International Podcast Day

The purpose was always clear - spotlight voices and stories that don’t get heard enough. And hopefully create a platform that makes a difference in the process. It was never about the numbers, personal branding or monetary opportunities. I think those have been by-products of the purpose itself and I couldn’t be more grateful. You can listen to episodes here.

I also caught up on some Malayalam movies:

Odum Kuthira Chadum Kuthira is an absurdist black comedy written and directed by Althaf Salim. It follows the life of Aby who has a bizarre accident on his wedding day and goes into a comma. What follows is how he deals with his life after coming out of the comma. The movie deals with themes of depression, trauma and existentialism through humour and at no point does the film feel heavy. Even though the story deals with heavy subjects. I loved the music and background score and had Dupattawali on loop for a bit. Aby (Fahadh Faasil a.k.a. FaFa) and his partner Nidhi (Kalyani Priyadarshan) were fun characters but I absolutely loved Aby’s father, Mathew (Lal – go watch One Man Show and Thenkasipattanam) , Revathi (Revathi Pillai) a school teacher and later Aby’s friend, and Aby’s brother Sibi (Vinay Forrt – go watch Premam). Three of them really nailed the comedy in the movie. Watch this if you enjoy Wes Anderson and Taika Waititi films. You can watch it on Netflix.

Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is a superhero(ine) movie with a touch of folklore written and directed by Dominic Arun. It follows the life of a mysterious woman Chandra (Kalyani Priyadarshan) who moves into a neighbourhood and Bangalore. We experience her narrative through her neighbours Sunny (Naslen), Venu (Chandu Salim Kumar)and Naijil (Arun Kurian). News of an organ trafficking racket emerges in the city with a misogynistic police officer Inspector Nachiyappa Gowda (Sandy Master) behind Chandra’s tail. Through the chaos Sunny and his friends discover Chandra’s true identity – a yakshi (vampire) who has been roaming the planet for centuries. What unravels is a world of the supernatural while questioning who gets to be called good and evil. I’m so glad that I caught this in the theatre and I’m incredibly excited to see where this story goes. Lokah is supposed to have 5 films in its universe and the next one will be about Michael (Tovino Thomas) a chathan (goblin). Definitely watch this if you’re into superheroes, mythology and fantasy. You can catch it on JioHotstar.

Keeping with the theme of spook and mystery, here are some of the books I read:

On Earth As It Is Beneath originally written in Portuguese by Anna Paul Maia, translated to English by Padma Viswanathan and published by Charco Press.

This story is set on an island which is a prison where inmates are rehabilitated. Given the terrain and location there is no way for prisoners to escape. Decades later, the facility starts winding down it’s operations and an eccentric warden decides to play a game. Every full-moon, a few inmates are released and the hunt begins. I love how atmospheric the writing is in this book and the way it maintains this tone of eeriness. It is a short read but one that keeps you hooked because you want to know what happens in the end. I also love how the writer manages to give depth to key characters in the book despite the length. My favourite has to be the warden character and how sadistic he’s portrayed to be.

Cursed Bunny originally written in Korean by Bora Chung, translated to English by Anton Hur and published by Honford Star.

A collection of short stories that blends horror, fantasy and surrealism. Now, I’m not a fan of horror in general but I this book is brilliantly written. It’s not surprise that this was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022. In many ways the horrors in the stories stem more from real world elements as opposed to the supernatural. Chung makes certain socio-political statements through some of these stories from the lens of horror. This can be a very disturbing read. So, if you’re faint hearted then it might be best to avoid this one. But if you enjoy horror and are curious about the writing style, the definitely pick this up. My favourite stories from this anthology were:

The Embodiment – A woman becomes pregnant from a medical side-effect. She is told her baby will not survive unless she finds a father for it.

Cursed Bunny – A cursed bunny lamp extracting revenge in the most brutal ways.

The Frozen Finger – A lady trapped in a car guided by a mysterious voice to safety or impending doom?

Goodbye, My Love – When robots become more emotional than humans.

Home Sweet Home – A woman, her husband and little girl settle into a (not so) new building that’s rumoured to be haunted.

Strange Houses originally written in Japanese by Uketsu, translated to English by Jim Rion and published by Pushkin Vertigo.

I came across this at Daunt Books in London and I was intrigued! Strange Houses is the second book in this mystery series by Uketsu and luckily you don’t have to read them in order. Strange Houses is mystery surrounding (as you guessed) certain kinds of homes where the architecture seems odd. As the protagonist delves deeper into the oddity, he realises the gruesome reality behind these structures. A series of convoluted murder mysteries and the truth behind them. I love how experimental and engaging this book is. It’s written in an epistolary manner and has actual floor plans of the houses mentioned, encouraging readers to figure the mystery along the way. I read thins in under two hours because I just had to know the ending! It’s definitely encouraged me to pick up the rest of Uketsu’s books.

That’s all for this month’s newsletter! Hope you have a great November (yes I know half the month is done but you get the point) and I’ll see you next month :)

Till then keep living, laughing and learning.

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. – Signing off with this remix of the song Kiliye Kiliye with a song called Come Closer by artist Guts, mixed by DJ Sekhar (who has also acted in Malayalam movies like Da Thadiya and 100 Days Of Love ) which became popular after Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra. The original song was composed by Ilaiyaraaja for the Malayalam movie Aa Raathri released in 1983.

If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who’s stayed, the welcome back!

If you’re wondering what happened to August’s newsletter, I’ll tell you. I overestimated by ability to multi-task and get things done before I took a two week break in September. The result was a half-finished newsletter. One which I will complete and share because better late than never. But here’s September’s newsletter in the meanwhile.

As I mentioned, I took a two week break this month and I think it was much needed. I didn’t fully realise it till I came back from the trip! I feel much lighter and at ease. Hopefully, that’s a vibe I’ll carry through till the end of the year. I went on a trip with one of my best friends from school to London, Paris and Amsterdam. This was the first time we travelled together and it was a lot of fun. I got to meet more friends and family while travelling and it was great to catch up with familiar faces.

But fun (or not so fun) story: The reason we went was the Coldplay concert that was happening at Wembley. We booked the concert tickets about a year ago. Just a few days before our trip, we got the memo that the concert was being postponed to a later date due to a tube strike that same week. Unfortunately, we couldn’t attend the rescheduled concert but we managed to sell our tickets. I wasn’t as upset as I thought I might be. Maybe because (and don’t kill me for saying this) I’m not the biggest fan of Coldplay. Sure, I do enjoy their music and there’s a nostalgic value to it since I’ve been listening to them since school but I’m not obsessed. I think I would have been devastated if this had happened with an artist like Adele who I absolutely admire and adore. I think a Coldplay song that’s stuck with me for a while is Adventure Of A Lifetime and also Hymn For The Weekend.

However, speaking of strikes and the like, the protests really seemed to follow us on our trip. It started with the tube strike in London, then the ‘Block Everything’ protest when we were in Paris, a silent protest for Gaza in Amsterdam, protests for Charlie Kirk’s assassination and another protest for Gaza back in London. We are truly living in volatile times.

I also ate a lot on this trip! And that was rightly compensated with walking 25,000 steps every day. Here’s a list of my top food spots from my trip:

London

Angelina Osteria – This spot opened earlier this year and is in Spitalfields. They serve a fusion cuisine of Japanese & Italian! A bit on the pricier end but definitely worth checking out once.

Kiln – Located in Soho, this place serves some delicious Thai fare. Definitely try their glass noodles.

Slayer’s Pizza – Another new spot that opened about two months ago, they serve delicious New York style pizzas. They sell limited slices and those sell out quickly but you cab even dine in and get a full pizza pie. Highly recommend their pepperoni with stracciatella and hot honey.

Bao London – They have about seven branches in London. Be sure to visit for Taiwanese comfort food. It’s so wholesome and delicious!

Daisy Green – This is an Australian group of cafes and we visited the one in Seymour for breakfast. It’s got an Alice In Wonderland vibe and the food is so good! Definitely worth getting brunch / breakfast here.

I also recommend checking out Nina for Italian food, Knoops for hot chocolate, Disrepute for cocktails and Noodle Inn for some fire Chinese style noodles.

Paris

Localino – A quaint(ish) restaurant serving wholesome Italian fare.

Bistro De Livre – A literary inspired café serving yummy French food. I recommend their roast duck and French toast.

Maison Cluny – Another French restaurant. This one is a bit more gourmet and is also on the Michelin Guide. Absolutely loved their venison.

Amsterdam

Tujuh Maret – Visit this spot for incredible Indonesian food. If you go in a group you can order one of their platters which have mini servings of all dishes on their menu.

Lova – Another brunch spot which is Brazilian inspired! This place is super crowded so be sure to make a reservation beforehand.

Zero Zero – A viral sandwich shop. They have a limited menu but their sandwiches are packed with flavour. A struggle to finish them because they’re huge but so good!

The café scene is great in Amsterdam. Highly recommend Lera for matcha and their iced latte with black sesame foam. Also check out, Cloud for some great coffee and matcha too.

I also visited bookstores when I got the chance. Here are some of my recommendations:

London

Daunt Books – My friend and I visited the main store and we spent a little more than two hours there. I also ended up buying six books or so. I really liked that they had divided books by country. Their curation for British, European, Soviet and Balkan literature was great. They also had a good curation for South American, Korean, Chinese and Japanese books. I was a tad bit disappointed with their South Asian collection of books. But this is a great bookstore nonetheless.

Veranda Books – This is an independent bookstore in Seymour and is about a year old! We found this by chance and decided to take a look. Hands down one of the best curations in translated literature and emerging voices. They’re mindful about the books they showcase and have limited stock. If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary to read then this is the store to visit.

Waterstones – Of course, I had to visit this one. I visited the store in Covent Garden and also happened to visit a branch store in Amsterdam. The curation at both stores were quite different but I enjoyed browsing through both stores.

Paris

Shakespeare And Company – An iconic bookstore located on the banks of Siene, we had to queue up to visit this one. The building was originally a monastery before it got converted into a bookstore! Originally named Le Mistral in 1951, the founder – George Whitman – changed the name to Shakespeare And Company in 1964 on William Shakespeare’s 400^th birth anniversary in honour of Sylvia Bleach who founded the original Shakespeare And Company in 1919. Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Anaïs Nin, Richard Wright, William Styron, Julio Cortázar, Henry Miller, William Saroyan, Lawrence Durrell, James Jones, and James Baldwin have been known to visit the store. I absolutely loved how cosy this space was and how the staff was so enthusiastic and eager to offer recommendations. And yes, I picked up two books and got them validated.

Amsterdam

The English Bookshop – We discovered this one by chance as well. A well curated store and they had a blind book date shelf! All the books on this shelf are wrapped in brown paper. On the packaging they’ve listed themes that each covered book deals with. So, you pick whichever interests you, pay for it and then open it to find out what you got. An interesting way to expose readers to literature they probably wouldn’t pick up otherwise.

This book is set in London. So, quite an apt read given where I was travelling to. The story follows a black couple Ola & Michael who work in media and have just gotten engaged. One day, Michael’s name appears on a Twitter list of men accused of abuse. What follows is the couple’s struggle with this news and how their relationship progresses. Ola touts herself as a feminist advocate but is in absolute conflict as she tries to find the truth in this whole situation yet can’t seem to break away from her partner. Michael claims he’s innocent but is aware of who could have put his name on the list and can’t seem to come clean with Ola on this. The List is a fascinating read on social media activism, gender dynamics, and digital media journalism. I also love the way the writer has described London in the narrative as she incorporates different localities in the story. The book has good pace and you never get bored with it. However, I did find the ending a bit far-fetched and dramatic. Still a fun read nonetheless.

That’s all from me for this month. You can expect August’s newsletter as a bonus at some point since it is half-written.

Till then keep reading, living and laughing.

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. – Signing off with this really cool artist I discovered in October called Music From An Alternate Universe. They make Carnatic covers of songs and I absolutely love them! Sharing my most favourite one which is their cover of Blinding Lights since it is festive season. Enjoy!

If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who’s stayed, the welcome back!

July felt like a blur. This was possibly because I had a lot going on at work and was biting more than I could chew. Things seemed to simmer down by the end of the month. But because I was drowning in so much or possibly the illusion of a lot, I don’t think I really processed this month at all.

Funnily enough, I seemed to have gravitated to chess. I’m just as surprised. Now, I used to play this game when I was much younger and I even went for classes. I never particularly enjoyed playing though. Chess always gave me a lot of anxiety. I also felt uneasy about the whole ‘mind-game’ aspect of it and that you were essentially killing off pieces. I hadn’t touched the game in years. So, it was rather strange that I found myself going down a rabbit hole of chess content on YouTube one fine evening. It started with this one video of a breakfast event that was hosted at Vishwanathan Anand’s house.

And of course, the algorithm started churning out related videos to watch. It started with interviews, memes and random YouTube shorts. I gradually found myself watching professional games from the World Championship, Chess Olympiad, Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, Bughouse games, as well as Rapid and Blitz games. (I didn’t realise there were so many formats either). For the uninitiated, here’s a quick breakdown of some of the formats:

1. Classical: This is your good old unadulterated game of OG chess. Professional games have time limits of about 90 minutes for each player.

2. Rapid: This is the same as Classical except the time control can be from 10 – 60 minutes.

3. Blitz: Same rules as Classical except the time control is 3-10 minutes.

4. Bullet: The time control is under 3 minutes!

5. Freestyle: Also known as Chess960 or Fischer Random, this follows the same rules as Classical except for one key difference. The back row pieces (Rooks, Knights, Bishops, Queen and King) are shuffled in position while the front row of pawns remain as is. Time controls can vary on this format.

Apart from these, there are also variants of the game like Bughouse, Crazyhouse, and my favourite, Head and Hand chess. Most of these are 4 people games and honestly would be great fun to play at house parties or for board game nights.

After watching so much of chess, I got the itch to play. So, I opened an account on Chess.com and I’ve now been playing online chess for about a month. The funny thing is I’m not as scared or anxious as I used to be around this game. I’m actually having fun with it. I’m not sure if this classifies as character development or just getting old but I’m not complaining.

I was also really surprised at how popular chess has become with so many YouTube channels and content creators in this space. Not to mention, chess players themselves becoming social media personalities. And as much as I do enjoy the content, something that did surprise me was how the cameras are literally everywhere even when the players are not playing. Sure, you have your fun BTS videos and interviews, but there are videos and clips of players in rooms, at weddings, (trash) talk about other players and the like. And a lot of these players are used to being in the public eye right from childhood since many of them became International Masters or Grandmasters as kids. In many ways, it feels like watching unscripted reality tv. And somehow, that made me a bit uneasy. I’m sure all these videos are posted with consent but I also wonder where the boundary is drawn when it comes to filming and posting such raw material. Truly is the new soap opera I suppose. And if everyone’s ok with it then I guess it’s fine?

I’m going to list out some videos that I enjoyed watching at the end of the newsletter. So, you can go down a rabbit hole yourself.

I managed to read one book this month, which was Hot Water by Bhavika Govil, published by HarperCollins. There might be spoilers. So, proceed with caution.

Hot Water follows the lives of Leela and her children, Ashu and Mira. Leela or Ma as she’s referred to is a single mother with a complicated past and a secret, she chooses to keep that’s chewing on her bit by bit. Ashu, her older child who is about thirteen is one coming to terms with his identity and feelings for his best friend. And Mira, an eight-year-old is the most innocent yet profound voice in the story. She also finds herself keeping a secret after encountering a disturbing experience with Ma’s new partner. Hot Water takes place over a summer when Leela decides that her children must learn how to swim. The book shifts between POV’s of the three characters as the story unravels. Bhavika has a way with words (there are some beautifully written sections!) and the lines read like butter. She especially nails writing from different character POVs especially that of an eight-year-old child. Bhavika also manages to capture the dynamics and inter-personal relationships between different characters. Hot Water has all the elements of a perfect debut, and in many ways, it comes close to being one. What didn’t work for me were some of the reveals in the story, which felt forced for the sake of plot progression. It also felt a bit done with regard to the themes it was addressing. Of course, no idea is original and the only novelty is the voice that tells the story. But Bhavika is a fantastic writer no doubt, and I am excited to see what she comes up with in the future. I highly recommend her short stories though. She has an exceptional command over the short fiction format.

Hot Water is for readers who enjoy books like Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi, Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri, and Em And The Big Hoom by Jerry Pinto.

Speaking of podcasts, I’ve been working on a super special series with The Himalayan Writing Retreat. You can read more about it from last month’s newsletter. We released 3 episodes in July covering themes like politics in fiction, speculative fiction and horror & mythology. Tune in!

Now, coming to that list of chess videos:

1. Here’s a fun Freestyle match of Head and Hand chess played by Magnus Carlsen & Tania Sachdev against Fabiano Caruana & Maurice Ashley. This is Game 1 and this is Game 2.

2. Another really fun video of a Bughouse match with one team consisting of R. Praggnanandhaa & Wesley So against Gukesh Dommaraju & Anish Giri.

3. A video of different chess Grandmasters reacting to player cards that have been created for them!

4. This video of a rather intense yet comical discussion players and organisers had before the Las Vegas Freestyle Grand Slam games. You can directly jump to the time stamps people have indicated in the comments section. I highly recommend the watching the games from this tournament as well.

5. The epic tie-breaker games between Gukesh Dommaraju and R Praggnanandhaa for Tata Steel Chess 2025.

I can go on with more videos but I’ll leave you all with these for now.

August’s newsletter will reach you sooner since I’m already writing it.

See you soon with the next edition of the newsletter!

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

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If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who’s stayed, the welcome back!

If you’ve read previous editions of my newsletter, then you know that June is my favourite month of the year. If you’re curious then you can read about some of the reasons in the 2021-June newsletter.

This year, June felt overwhelming and a bit heavy. This was partly due to being a busy time at work but also the state of world affairs in general. The Air India plane crash, news of conflict in different regions, rising Covid cases… all this left me feeling a sense of discomfort. A feeling that I haven’t been able to fully define. The lingering thought has been how fragile life can truly be. As someone who likes certainty and stability, I’ve always struggled with losing control and with not knowing what comes next. I used to hate it when things never went according to plan. Though I think with age, I’ve managed to adapt, there are moments when I still find it difficult to accept a situation. Amma always tells me that there are three things in life that you will never be able to predict. Birth and death are two of those things. (I’ll discuss the third one in a separate newsletter perhaps) When your time is up, there’s really nothing you can do about it. Not just for you, but even for the people you love. I’ve started thinking more about how my parents are aging, how I never seem to be able to meet my friends as often as I’d like, how I could potentially fall seriously sick in the future among other desolate thoughts. I don’t mean to be morbid but I do feel that people don’t talk about these things enough. It’s strange that at one moment you’re reading news of missiles being launched somewhere and then see something about Labubus. It’s as though we’re being conditioned to be apathetic to grave issues, because if we can’t be apathetic, what can we really do about the situation anyway? Like I said, it’s been a month of strange feelings.

Adulting, I realise (increasingly) can really suck the joy out of you if you don’t make an effort to keep aside time for the glimmers in your life. An attempt at this was celebrating my birthday this year. It was low-key, comfy and fuss free. I had a few friends over for lunch and some of them ended up staying till after dinner. Here’s the only picture I took on my phone from that day:

It was also a month of slow reading. I only managed to read two books:

How to Forget: A Book of Short Steps and Long Walks

It’s been a while since I’ve read poetry and I truly relished this one. A memoir told in a combination of poetry and prose, I find myself going back to pieces from this book. How To Forget is Meera Ganapathi’s debut book published by HarperCollins. She is also the founder and editor of The Soup. I love it when writers can play with form, and experiment with what a book should look like. The book is about her perspective on various things through the act of walking. She covers places, people and paraphernalia through a lens of nostalgia. I found the pieces in this book relatable despite being oddly specific. But I think some of the best pieces of writing do that – they remind you of feelings despite the difference of experiences. You will also find pictures of cats, flowers and other tidbits interspersed in the book. Highly recommend if you enjoy books like Amitava Kumar’s The Blue Book and The Yellow Book, Maria Popova’s The Universe In Verse or Taran Khan’s Shadow City.

Close-Up: Memoirs of a Life on Stage & Screen

I have always been fascinated with the life of Zohra Sehgal. She was an artist who started her career as a dancer, travelled the world, became an actress on stage & screen and really embodied what it meant to be free spirited. Somehow, it felt right to read this during birthday month. There’s something about reading a person’s story in their words as opposed to someone else’s. And this book has Zohra Sehgal’s humour, charm and unique perspective on life. She talks about her childhood, her time in boarding school in Lahore, moving to Berlin to study dance, joining Uday Shankar’s troupe and touring the world, marrying Kameshwar Sehgal, her artistic tryst with Prithviraj Kapoor and finding her feet on screen. The highlight of the book for me was how she talks about travel especially her journey to Berlin by road with her uncle in the 1930’s! I also loved the way she’s described different places and associates them with memories. In a lot of ways, this book seemed more like a travelogue. Though I’m not complaining. This book is definitely a slow read and can be dense with detail in some parts. But it still made for a fascinating read on Zohra’s life. She’s also letters from Prithviraj Kapoor! This edition has been published by Women Unlimited. I’d recommend this book if you enjoy memoirs, travel and historical pieces.

Dept. Q

There was a lot of chatter around this show when it released. And, it’s a mystery. So, I knew I had to watch this. Carl Morck (played by Matthew Goode), a top-rated detective joins back duty after being badly wounded in a shooting. He’s been assigned to head a new department that solves cold cases. Though the police force isn’t particularly bothered by how (in)active this department could be, Morck finds himself in a bizarre case. He is joined by Akram Salim (played by Alexej Manvelov), a Syrian former policeman and constable Rose Dickinson (played by Leah Byrne). Together, they set out to solve the mystery behind an advocate who’s been missing for a few years. I particularly loved how atmospheric the show was and the way they’ve fleshed out characters. This show is a slow burn and can feel super stretched in some parts. And though it keeps you curious to see how the case unravels, I found the plot a bit far-fetched. Though, I probably would still watch a Season 2 if it comes out.

Sirens

I did not expect to enjoy this show as much as I did! Sirens follows three women over a chaotic weekend in an opulent beach house. Devon (played by Meghan Fahy) goes in search of her younger sister Simone (played by Milly Alcock) who she hasn’t heard from in months. She lands up at her workplace which is an estate in Port Haven and meets Simone and her boss - Michaela ‘Kiki’ Kell (played by Julianne Moore). Devon is convinced that Kiki is running a cult of some kind and her relationship with Simone is toxic. She decides to expose Kiki and save her sister only to realize that someone else might need saving instead. A dark comedy on gender, class and power, Sirens is a rather fun and twisted watch. I found myself giggling and gasping at different points and I did not see some of those twists coming. Though the women are the central characters, it’s the men in the story that draw out different elements from them and drive the narrative. Milly Alcock and Julianne Moore stole the show as Simone and Michaela / Kiki! Iconic dialogues and fashion. This one is definitely worth the binge. You’ll enjoy this one if stories such as A Simple Favour are up your alley.

Last but most importantly, I worked on a very special collaboration for The Closet Writer Chronicles with The Himalayan Writing Retreat!

Featuring 10 writers from their Emerging Writers Residency 2024 in 5 episodes. The Residency is free of cost and allows selected participants to work on their manuscripts for about 20 days in the Himalayas. The writers then have to pitch their manuscripts to publishers within about a year (8 months or so) of completing the residency. You can listen to the trailer here.

And don’t forget to tune in to episodes once they start streaming next week!

See you next month with another newsletter :)

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

Did you miss me?

Yes, it’s been a while. But somehow, I’ve been thinking of getting back to this newsletter for some time. And to do it now just felt right.

A lot has happened over the past few years - mostly good things and some not so good things – and I’ll get into each thing over the course of future newsletters (maybe).

In other news, I now work in a children’s publishing house! I’ve been at Tulika Publishers for about 3 years and it’s been such a satisfying experience thus far. I handle rights & business development which has been quite fun. What are book rights? They essentially deal with licensing, permissions, translations, adaptations, digital media, etc. I love that I get to combine my corporate experience with my creative interests.

But I have been freelancing as an editor when I get time.

I also started a podcast! It’s called The Closet Writer Chronicles where I interview writers, creators & storytellers from different walks of life. Four seasons are done and there’s a super special series in the works. More on that next month. In the meanwhile, you can listen to episodes here.

More than anything, I realised that I’ve been feeling distant from the one thing that brought me into these creative spaces. Writing. I haven’t been doing as much of it as I’d like. Reviving this newsletter is an attempt to get back to writing and to be more consistent with it. But, also to remind myself why I love this so much.

It’s easy to get distracted from why you actually started doing something. And though I love all aspects of my creative career, the intention was always to understand the world of words and storytelling. And somewhere, it feels like I might have lost sight of why I began – to be able to write more and to write better.

I don’t have any plans for how this newsletter will pan out except for having fun and going with the flow. And churning out one of these, every month.

I will be covering books, movies, articles, and other interesting curios that I come across. On that note, let’s get into the good stuff.

I’ve been reading a lot over the past few years! I’m glad it’s become a habit now. Recently, I’ve been reading the books from the International Booker Prize list 2025. These are some of the books I’ve read:

Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq and translated by Deepa Bhasthi

The winner of this year’s prize and a historic one at that! Heart Lamp is the first anthology of short stories as well as the first book translated from Kannada to win. Banu Mushtaq is the second Indian author to win (the first being Geetanjali Shree for Tomb Of Sand) and Deepa Bhasthi is the first Indian translator to win this prize. I had gooseflesh watching the winner announcement and it was such a moment of pride as an Indian.

Now coming to the book itself, Heart Lamp is a collection of 12 short stories written by Mushtaq over the course of 30 years. What’s interesting to note is that, Bhasthi translated and curated select stories from Mushtaq’s repertoire for the English edition published by And Other Stories. The stories deal with everyday lives and challenges faced by Muslim women in South India. What I love about this book is how Mushtaq captures issues around patriarchy, religion and caste in the most matter of fact manner. At no point does the writing ever tell you how to feel or think. It just gives you characters in different situations without glorifying or vilifying anything. Banu Mushtaq is also a lawyer and activist and her stories borrow from real life incidents.

Bhasthi’s translation is brilliant to say the least. The way she’s managed to convey Mushtaq’s tales in simple yet powerful prose is commendable. Her Translator’s Note in the book is a powerful message for South Asian translations and a lesson for translators. She makes no bones about using colloquial words and not italicizing them. And yet, at no point do you lose context or plot of what you’re reading when you come across terms like seragu, manchuri and janaza. Her usage of these terms is a mix of Dakhni, Urdu, Arabic and a dialect of Kannada spoken by specific communities in certain regions.

Fun Fact: Dakhni itself is a mix of Persian, Dehlavi, Marathi, Kanada and Telugu.

My only critique is that the writing and themes get repetitive after a point. The selected stories could have been curated better and more diverse.

Here are some of my favourite stories with a one-liner on each premise:

• Stone Slabs For Shaista Mahal – An observational yet humorous account of a couple who can’t seem to stop having children and the inevitable aftermath.

• Fire Rain – What happens when a community fights for a dead man’s proper send off.

• Decision Of The Heart – A man who sets out to get his widowed mother remarried to get even with his wife.

• High-Heeled Shoe – A man who thinks getting new shoes for his wife might equate them to his brother and sister-in-law

• Red Lungi – Boyhood, circumcision and a mother’s plight.

Red Lungi was coincidentally featured by The Paris Review a few months before the prize list was announced!

Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico and translated by Sophie Hughes

This is by far my favourite book from what I’ve read of the shortlist. Perfection was originally written in Italian by Vincenzo Latronico, translated into English by Sophie Hughes and published by the inimitable Fitzcarraldo Editions.

The book traces the lives of an expat couple Anna and Tom who are living the ‘dream’ in Berlin. They are digital marketeers and nomads who have crafted the perfect aesthetic of the social media life everyone seems to be running behind. The book is written in third person with no dialogues between the characters, truly giving the sense of peering into every aspect of this couple’s life. Much like looking at a social media profile. The book touches on multiple subjects through the protagonists: work-life balance, romance, intimacy, pop culture, immigration, and socio-political predicaments. But the constant theme that keeps popping up is the chase for something more. Anna and Tom are constantly chasing. Money, friends, popularity, their big break, travel, micro-trends, parties…the pursuit of a perfectly curated life. Only, to find themselves asking what is it that they really want and can’t seem to get their hands on?

There are sections about how they capture, curate and portray moments from their life for others to see. Photographs of scenic sunsets, a wine glass against an envious backdrop, and ceramic bowls of seasonally conscious food. There’s a part about how the couple want to be more socially responsible and liberal. However, they find themselves in a situation where they don’t seem to be of much help and if anything, their support though well intentioned comes across as almost performative. Another section talks about how they want to be more progressive about their relationships but are seemingly ashamed of the comfort they get from stability.

Touted as the Millennial book of the year, Perfection encapsulates everything that the urban millennial aspires for while craving for the comfort of simplicity. I especially loved the way this book ends, which I will not be giving away. Though this book seems to try and cover everything without much depth, I suspect this was intentional and somehow mirrors the millennial mindset.

Small Boat by Vincent Delcroix and translated by Helen Stevenson

An intriguing and introspective take on a real-life incident. This book was originally written in French by Vincent Delcroix, translated to English by Helen Stevenson and published by Small Axes.

Small Boat is based on an incident that took place in the Channel in 2021 where a dinghy carrying 29 migrants from France to the UK capsized, leaving only two survivors. The book addresses this through a fictional account of a female coastguard who is accused of wrongly informing the migrants that they were in British waters and needed to reach out to British authorities for assistance. What follows is a push and pull conversation between the coastguard and her interrogator. In one scene, the interrogator asks the coastguard if she felt any sympathy or human emotion for the migrants who were pleading for help, to which she nonchalantly responds that being a coastguard requires her to be detached and devoid of emotion to be able to make decisions. She says that she leaves her humaneness on the coat rack before entering the work space. At one point the coastguard says,

– a quote that captures the essence of what this book tries to address.

We also get a peek into the protagonist’s personal life and her relationships. But the focus remains on her failure to respond in time to save the migrants.

Divided into three parts, the first and third parts deal with the interrogation and what happens to the coast guard. Whereas the second part gives us the perspective of the migrants on the dinghy. The book raises questions on humanity, the limits and conditions that come with it and the way people are conditioned to be apathetic. A short read of 122 pages, you get most of what you need to from about 90 pages of the book. It tends to get repetitive after that.

The protagonist is cold and somehow convinced that she has done no wrong. I found myself being annoyed with her like the interrogator in the book. However, I couldn’t help but agree with the pragmatism she presented parts of her perspective with. It led me to think about how everyone is conditioned in different ways to look at humanity through the lens of race, religion, region and beyond. Small Boat asks the uncomfortable questions leaving you to think about the answers.

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Extras from an inquisitive hedgehog:

10 points to you if you get this reference.

• Banu Mushtaq is one of the few women writers of the Bandaya Sahitya movement - a socially conscious literary movement - that emerged in Karnataka during the 1970’s. Read more about it here.

• Here’s an interview Banu Mushtaq gave where she shares how her husband encouraged her to write. I found this rather sweet.

• Banu Mushtaq and Deepa Bhasthi’s speeches at the International Booker Prize 2025. I especially love how Mushtaq talks about how no story is ever too small to be shared.

• A report on the number of migrants crossing the English Channel as of June 2024. An article by the BBC on Channel crossings as of February 2025.

• Here’s a video and news clip on migrants crossing the Channel this year.

• Two articles I came across on social media and activism. Here’s the first one and the second one.

• A comfort watch that came to mind after reading Perfection was Dear Zindagi. It’s a film that I visit now and then.

Leave a comment

And that’s all from me for this month!

Write in if you have any thoughts or recommendations :)

See you in July!

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

Today I’m announcing a brand new addition to my Substack publication: The Moody Mail subscriber chat. Though I might just rename it. Ideas are welcome :)

This is a conversation space exclusively for subscribers—kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post questions and updates that come my way, and you can jump into the discussion.

And yes, newsletter out soon!

Join chat

How to get started

1. Get the Substack app by clicking this link or the button below. New chat threads won’t be sent sent via email, so turn on push notifications so you don’t miss conversation as it happens. You can also access chat on the web.

Get app

2. Open the app and tap the Chat icon. It looks like two bubbles in the bottom bar, and you’ll see a row for my chat inside.

3. That’s it! Jump into my thread to say hi, and if you have any issues, check out Substack’s FAQ.

It’s been a minute. 6 months really.

Did I ghost you? Definitely not.

Was I dying? Also, no. (Well, maybe metaphorically?)

Then what happened?

I’ll tell you…or I’ll attempt to anyway…

I think for the first time on this newsletter, I can’t be completely honest with you. And truth be told, that’s one of the reasons why you haven’t heard from me…Now, I’m not going to lie but I’m not going to be able to fully explain things either. Maybe, someday I will. Unfortunately, it’s not today.

And if it’s any consolation (or cause for concern), none of my friends have really heard from me for about the same time period as you. It’s not that I don’t have people to talk to, (if anything, I’m grateful to have a number of them!) but I realize that sometimes it’s just easier to keep things to yourself and make sense of it on your own, rather than burdening another with what you might be attempting to deal with. Again, this isn’t because people aren’t dependable but more because, you really can’t explain things at times. You don’t know how. And as well intentioned as a few folks might be, they’re not going to get it. And that’s ok too. And that’s what I chose to do - deal with things myself.

Did I manage to do it? I think to a certain degree I did. In fact, I can tell you that I’ve come out a much more lighter person. Also, a little tired, but mostly lighter.

 (Maybe, I’ll write a book about it. Who knows?)

But it’s not all been doom and gloom. There have been some wonderful things that happened as well. Some of which I’m sharing with you now.

*Drumroll*

Anthology Number 2!

That’s right. Your girl got her second publication! (Woot woot!) And a special one at that. in October 2020, I got the opportunity to attend a mentorship program for writers by Scholastic India & Quill-club Writers . What followed was 2 weeks of intense writing sprints, editorial pitches & feedback sessions with 11 amazing writers from different walks of life. And trust me when I say, you will find that diversity in this book. From attending Scholastic book fairs in school to now actually being a part of an anthology published by Scholastic, this has truly been a surreal experience. Setting Words Free is now available on Amazon and possibly a nearby Scholastic book fair.

Fun Fact: This is my first short story that’s been published!

I Pitched a Potential Script to Guneet Monga! What?!

In August 2021, I attended a Screenwriting workshop organized by Kommune India and taught by the one and only Satyanshu Singh! Now, I’ve never written a script / screenplay ever in my life. So, I thought this would be a cool new skill to learn. I just randomly decided to send in a pitch and then next thing I know, I’m presenting to Roshan Abbas (an Artist & Creative Entrepreneur I truly admire) and Divya Prakash Dubey (Author). And then got the chance to pitch to Guneet Monga (Film Producer & CEO of Sikhya Entertainment). She’s been associated with some iconic Indian films – Masaan, Gangs of Wasseypur, The Lunchbox, Soorarai Pottru and many more!

I was overwhelmed with the reception of my pitch (which has been officially registered with Screenwriters Association India) and got some really helpful feedback.

So, still writing that at the moment. No idea if it will ever see the light of day though. But I’m honestly having fun with it.

I have to admit that this whole experience definitely gave me a little bit of validation as a writer haha. But let’s see how things go. *fingers crossed*

I Started a Podcast!

That’s right. I joined the bandwagon of audio content. Haha.

The Closet Writer Chronicles (TCWC) is a project that’s close to my heart. I’d like to believe that creativity is for everyone and I don’t think we have enough stories of seemingly more ordinary and relatable people doing really cool things. Success stories are wonderful and important but I think it’s also important to hear from people who are genuinely trying to do something or get somewhere too. So, this show is my attempt at trying to create a platform that’s as inclusive and supportive as can be.

Season 1 is currently being created as a part of Podcast Lab by India Film Project X Anchor by Spotify. (There might be a Season 2 in the works.)

Fun Fact: TCWC got featured on Bound's list of "Best Podcasts of 2021" along with Marine Lines by Raghu Karnad, Voices for Local by Monisha Singh Katial, Raw and Organic by Kunal Rajput and more!

Episodes are available on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts & more!

So, that’s pretty much a recap of what happened from July to December 2021.

I closed the year with a trip to Bombay to see family, which was much needed and special <3

How’s life been going for you though? Write in. I always love to hear what you have to say :)

My next newsletter should reach you in March 2022.

Till then – take care and stay happy & healthy!

Love & Light,

Sangeetha

a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. - Signing off with Que Sera Sera by Doris Day. This phrase truly is a life motto.

If you’re new here - Hello to you!

And if you’re someone who decided to stay then – Welcome back!

Whichever the case, thank you for being here!

As promised, here’s the bonus newsletter! (Yes, I’m using a lot of exclamation marks.)

I found a lot of solace in content during April & May. Sadly, books weren’t a part of that list since I was going through a really bad reading slump.

I was reading for work but I just couldn’t get myself to read for recreation. Possibly because I did have a good amount of professional reading to do - but I think it was mainly because I wasn’t in the best headspace.

Here are a few ways I usually deal with reading slumps. Maybe, you might find something helpful from this:

Try simultaneous reading of books. Sometimes, I’m reading 2-3 different books at a time and they’re all different from each other. For instance, I could be reading a poetry chapbook, a collection of short stories and maybe non-fiction during the same period. It helps you mix things up and keep it interesting without the hassle of feeling stuck with just one book (which I know can get monotonous sometimes).

Take a break from books. Honestly, if you don’t feel like reading in your free time then don’t. Forcing yourself to do something can create an aversion as opposed to making things better. If you’re reading for recreation then it should be pleasurable as opposed to being stressful.

Try other mediums of storytelling. Sometimes, you just need a bit of change. Try audiobooks, podcasts, tv shows, movies, etc. The list is endless! It helps break the monotony of things and can help get back to reading with a fresh set of eyes.

This time I took a break from recreational reading and I also went back to certain kinds of content that generally give me comfort.

Movies

The Devil Wears Prada: This is my all time favourite comfort film! I can watch this anytime and never get bored. A coming of age story about a girl wanting to be a writer/journalist and ends up assisting a celebrity editor at a fashion magazine – this is a classic! Based on the book of the same name and written by Lauren Weisberger, I think this is possibly one of those movies, which is as good if not better than the book! This film is now 15 years old and still remains relevant as it tackles topics such as ambition, ethics and really just figuring yourself out in a light and entertaining manner. Also, look at the cast – Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker and Adrian Grenier – it doesn’t get better than this!

Bangalore Days: This is a Malayalam movie that’s been written and directed by the phenomenal Anjali Menon! The story is about three cousins who finally end up in their dream city of Bangalore at the same time and chronicles each of their lives along with their shared bonds. I love this film because it gives me a sense of nostalgia and because of how real and relatable the characters are. If you’re new to Malayalam movies then this should definitely be on your watch list! (Recommend watching Ustaad Hotel too! Again written by Anjali Menon.)

The Drishyam Movies: Drishyam and Drishyam 2 are possibly one of the best written Malayalam suspense-thriller franchises I’ve seen in a long time! Highly recommend watching these films if you love stories of this genre. Mohanlal shines through like the star that he is and so does the rest of the cast including (but not limited to) Meena, Asha Sarath, Murali Gopy, Ansiba Hassan and Esther Anil. This is the story of a family hiding a grave secret under the protective watch of the man of this household. Both films start out a bit slow but trust me - you’ll be glued to the screen till the very end.

(Might send out a list of Malayalam films to watch in a future newsletter.)

Queen: Though I’m a sucker for a good old Bollywood rom-com/drama, this film was so fresh and entertaining – I enjoyed watching it so much that I keep going back and watching it. The story of a girl who gets dumped by her fiancé and decides to on her honeymoon by herself – this is a heartwarming coming of age story. The reason I like this film is the characters and also the fact that the story doesn’t have a typical ‘Bollywood’ progression or ending. Highly recommend this if you want to watch something that’ll bring you some laughs, feels and leave you with a smile.

T.V. Shows

The Big Bang Theory: This show is kind of like white noise for me – in the sense that it’s fine even if I zone out a bit. A story about a group of scientists/nerds who navigate their way through life – this show has some really quirky characters which do get stretched a bit too much but still makes for an entertaining watch. Also, Sheldon Cooper OP!

Schitt’s Creek: I know I’m late to the party but I just about discovered this sitcom. I’m 3 seasons down and I have to say that I now understand why this show did well. This is the story about a family who goes from riches to rags and is forced to stay in a motel in a town called, Schitt’s Creek. Season 1 starts a bit slow but things start picking up towards the second half, while Seasons 2 & 3 are far more enjoyable to watch. Also, hats off to the Levy family for pulling off such an amazing series! There’s Eugene Levy & Dan Levy who’ve written the show and act as father and son and Sarah Levy who plays the supporting role of a naïve waitress. The highlights though are Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy who portray Moira Rose and Alexis Rose respectively – they’re iconic!

Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai: This show is a classic! It released in 2004 and still remains one of the best Hindi sitcoms. This show follows the lives of the Sarabhai’s – Maya, Indravadan, Sahil, Monisha and Rosesh and is set in Mumbai. I absolutely love the characters and the way they’ve been portrayed. From Maya’s need for sophistication and Monisha’s antics of prudence to Sahil being stuck between his mother and wife and Indravadan’s penchant for creating confusion – not to forget Rosesh’s attempts at poetry - this series is a laughter riot! Honestly, I’d say this is a masterpiece created by Deven Bhojani and Aatish Kapadia.

Anime

Now, I know what some of you are thinking – Cartoons? Really?!

And, I guess that’s a fair response but I think this reaction is also subjective to what you may or may not know about this medium. Anime specifically means animation produced in Japan and dates back to a little before the 1920’s. Though I do realize that the term is used rather loosely today.

If you’re familiar with Japanese writing like that of Haruki Murakami or Edogawa Ranpo then you know that their writing can be quite out of the ordinary, sometimes even bizarre yet fascinating. Anime is pretty much similar in that sense and is usually based on manga (Japanese comics). And like how every medium has average and great content – it’s the same here as well.

I discovered anime when I was about 14 years old and realized there were many genres just like movies, t.v. series or books. I gravitate more towards mystery, sci-fi, fantasy and slice of life shows in this space.

So, here’s a list of some of my all time favourite anime shows:

Death Note was originally a manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was later adapted into an animated series. The story follows the life of Light Yagami, a high school student who chances upon a cursed notebook, which holds the power to kill those whose names are written it. Light thinks he can use the notebook to cleanse humanity of all evil and thus have justice prevail in society. The original owner of the Death Note – a demon named Ryuk - joins him. All seems to be going according to Light’s plans until a detective (pseudo) named ‘L’ opposes him. What follows is an intense cat & mouse chase between these two and a clash of ideologies on what ‘justice’ truly means for humankind. This story has some amazing twists and turns and just such an incredible plot progression.

Fullmetal Alchemist (FMA) is another series based on a manga written & illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. Now, this manga was adapted into two series – Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood – the former takes a bit of a detour as it was made before the manga was completed whereas the latter was made once Arakawa concluded the original storyline. So, kind of like a Game Of Thrones situation except fans here got a remake that fully stuck to the original story in the end. Honestly, both shows make for an interesting watch but if you want to know which would be better – I’d recommend Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. This is one of the most incredible pieces of dark fantasy adventure I’ve watched. The story is about two brothers – Edward and Alphonse Elric who search for the Philosopher’s Stone hoping to restore their bodies, which were lost as they tried to resurrect their mother from the dead. Edward lost an arm and leg whereas Alphonse lost his whole body and now has his soul tethered to a suit of armour. Edward joins the state military in hopes of improving their search but quickly realizes that that there are more people out to get the stone and a shocking conspiracy to use the country for an alchemic experiment. Watch this show for plot, characters and the unbelievable world that Arakawa has created. Seriously, why has Netflix, Amazon, HBO or any other studio not adapted this to a proper live action series yet?!

Fruits Basket is written and illustrated by Natsuki Takaya. Much like FMA, this manga also got two adaptations in 2001 and 2019 respectively. The 2019 adaptation is more authentic to the original storyline. This story follows the life of Tohru Honda who is now orphaned and ends up living with the Soma family by chance. Tohru eventually learns that the Soma family carries a curse where some of the members turn into animals from the Chinese zodiac when someone of the opposite sex hugs them! She then decides to try helping them in lifting the curse. Though this show has elements of fantasy/mythology, it’s a really nice slice of life story. I love the progression of relationships between all the characters and the fact that all of them have fairly solid backstories. Even the antagonist of the show has their reasons for being the way they are. I must warn you that this show has tragic elements. So, be prepared to possibly cry a bit and just feel really bad for some of the characters. However, if you want to keep things super light, you can watch the 2001 version, which is more slapstick-comedy, oriented.

Movies by Studio Ghibli: For the uninitiated – Studio Ghibli is one of the oldest and one of the most prestigious Japanese animation film studios. They are best known for their animation feature films. Now, if you’re someone who’d prefer relatively shorter watches, I’d recommend Studio Ghibli films over an anime series. Spirited Away is possibly the most well know film to come out of Ghibli. And, though it’s a great watch, I’d also recommend the following Ghibli films: Howl’s Moving Castle, Whisper Of The Heart, From Up On Poppy Hill, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and Only Yesterday.

You can find most of the aforementioned anime shows and movies on Netflix.

(Let me know if you enjoyed this spiel on anime and I’ll give more recommendations in future newsletters.)

And with that, we have now come to the end of this bonus newsletter! I hope you enjoyed it and if you have any recommendations the do let me know! I’m always looking out for new content.

As previously mentioned, I’ll be combining July and August as one newsletter. (You’ll know why when it’s out.) So, you can expect to receive that shortly (hopefully).

Till then - stay healthy & happy and have a great month!

Love & Light,

Sangeetha

a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. - Here’s the link to a really fun interview I did in May with Anjali Rajgopal - she’s an Entrepreneur, E-commerce evangelist, TEDx Speaker, a Silverstein MBA Fellow at Wharton and an overall inspiring human being:

If you’re new here, then hello to you!

And if you’re someone who stayed on – welcome back!

Whichever the case, I’m grateful to have you here.

Now, I know what you’re wondering – June? What happened to Part 2 of April-May?!

I’ll tell you. If you remember Part 1, I had mentioned I’d be taking some time off for myself, since I was quite overwhelmed with everything that was going on in my life. Part 1 was also a fairly heavy newsletter in terms of certain topics I touched. So, I decided to release Part 2 after a break.

However, life is unpredictable.

June is a very special month for me in general. And when I sat down to write, I couldn’t help but want to share June’s newsletter first. But could I do that without sending Part 2 of the previous newsletter? Sure, I could.

Again, if you remember Part 1 – I mentioned that Part 2 would be a list of content that I had consumed and got solace from during those two months. So, keeping that in mind I thought – Why not share my life updates and other interesting tidbits from June, first? And then share Part 2 as a bonus later during the month?

So, that’s exactly what I’m doing!

(Told you I was moody.)

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier – June is a very special month for me. It’s my favourite month in the year really. Why? It’s the beginning of summer (even though it starts earlier in India), my parents wedding anniversary falls in June and most importantly – it’s birthday month!

Fun fact: It’s also the month I started my blog “The Moody Marshmallow” in 2017!

So, I’m going to share the significance of all these events I’ve mentioned in my life:

My Parents Anniversary

The month started with my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary! On this occasion, I had penned something down when I made the quintessential social media post wishing them.

Here’s what I wrote:

“If you’ve met my parents, then you know that they are as different as chalk and cheese. Plus they had the quintessential “arranged marriage” during their time. As a kid, I’d sometimes wonder why they were a couple? But hey, opposites attract? As I grew up and gained a little more life experience and a bit of wisdom, I realised something. Before anything else, my parents were friends first and they continue to be. They’ve grown to understand each other and there’s also a basic level of mutual respect that they share. I’ve seen them argue but I’ve also seen them talk things out and try to work around issues. It works because both of them want to make it work. It works because no matter how different they might be, they share the same core beliefs about family and relationships. They’re not the most publicly affectionate couple but one look at each other from across a room, and they possibly do know what the other is thinking. So, thank you to my parents for showing me that it’s ok if you have differences, that open communication doesn’t mean it’s the end of things, that a relationship/marriage is an important part of your life but it’s not your whole life and that love is honestly whatever you and your partner want it to be - roses or no roses. Happy 30th Anniversary!”

We had a small dinner (everyone was vaccinated) and it was a classic Menon household evening – good food, music, wine and a whole lot of laughter! And we had the most delicious milk chocolate salted caramel cake!

Summer’s Here!

Now, I know summer technically begins in May for most of India but I do love the whole hype of the summer solstice and the official ‘first day of summer’ excitement.

But the best part of summer is mangoes! So, that’s pretty much sliced mangoes every other day after lunch or dinner, aamras (mango extract), my mother’s mango milkshake and a whole lot of other delicious things you can make with this summer gold! I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen, and though I haven’t had a full-blown success yet, I think I might have a fun mango recipe to share with you next time. (Fingers crossed I get it right!)

Speaking of cooking, there’s this really cool cookbook I got a couple of months ago called Jikoni written by Ravinder Bhogal and published by Bloomsbury.

Bhogal is a food writer, chef and journalist. She started her own restaurant called ‘Jikoni’ in London in 2016. Jikoni means ‘Kitchen’ in Kiswahili. Bhogal was born in Kenya and later moved to London. Her immigrant life with her Indian roots is what gave way to this beautiful book that celebrates cooking without borders. She’s also woven in personal stories, which talk, about her relationship with food, belonging and identity. Coming to the recipes, you’ll find some really interesting dishes like kimchi parathas, smoked mackerel & potato dosa, truffle kichdi, espresso rasgullas, ovaltine kulfi and a lot more! Though some of the ingredients may seem tough to source in certain places, I recommend mixing it up and substituting them with ingredients that are available and have similar flavor profiles.

Summer also reminds me of holidays when I was in school. This would mean spending at least a month at my maternal grandparents’ home in Kerala along with my cousins and their family. There would be customary family visits, impromptu road trips, going out for Malayalam movies, visiting the city zoo, playing badminton and a whole lot of board games and most importantly stuffing our faces with my grandmother’s incredible food! She used to make the best biryani, cutlets and chocolate pudding! (She used to make a whole bunch of other things too!) I never really thought much of these vacations at the time but now that I look back, I really miss those days and I’m glad I got to live them.

Twenty-Eight

And finally, I turned a year older by the end of June. It was mostly a quiet birthday but I still had fun thanks to everyone who reached out and my friends who dropped by to spend time with me - some of them also planned this really sweet virtual dinner. Also, I got the best birthday cake ever!

If you know me well enough then you know that birthday cake is a big deal for me! I mean, is it really a birthday if you don’t eat some cake? But jokes apart, there is a story behind this:

Honestly, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with my birthday for the longest time. While growing up, the one thing I always wanted was to fit in and just be accepted. I was shy, socially awkward (still am) and definitely had an inferiority complex. Birthdays were a way for me to get attention and some importance (as sad as that sounds). And there was one year in school (maybe two) where no one really remembered my birthday inspite of having social media in one of those years. Did I feel bad? 110%. But I also thought I was being silly for feeling bad about something like this. So, I always repressed what I felt and never really spoke about it.

As school got done, I sort of became indifferent…possibly bitter towards my birthday and celebrating it. I mean, what was the point? In fact, my friends in college would find it a bit strange that I had this attitude. After all, how does one explain something, which seems frivolous but still affects you? I was very detached when people wished me or did something for my ‘special day’ at that time because I was just scared to keep that expectation and disappoint myself again.

However, as time went by, life happened and I grew up a bit; I realized I was trying to get happiness from external sources. And though that’s great when you get it sometimes, it doesn’t help fulfill you unless you love and celebrate yourself. I believe my 20th birthday was the start of that realization - a story I’ll share another time. (No fun telling you everything in one shot. Plus I need content for future newsletters.)

So now, there are years where I feel like celebrating and some years where I don’t really feel like doing anything. Whichever the case, I make it a point to get myself cake, blow that candle and cut it – a reminder that I got through another year in one piece, but also I didn’t do too bad - and whatever happens, whatever stays and whatever doesn’t, I’m still worth celebrating.

Now, moving on to one of my favourite parts – books I read!

So, I’ve been going through a pretty bad reading slump, which I’ll talk more about in the bonus newsletter. I’m just about managing to get out of it and back on track to finishing my reading goal for the year. In any case, here’s what I read:

The Loneliness of Hira Barua & Other Stories is written by Arupa Patangia Kalita and translated by Ranjita Biswas from Assamese to English and published by Macmillan (an imprint of Pan Macmillan). This book is a collection of 15 short stories, all taking place in different regions of Assam. I loved the sensory feel of the stories as the writing truly transported me to the interiors of Northeast India. Be it the fragrant malati flowers, the taste of pitha with black tea and the chronicling of cultural nuances and festivals; I felt like I was there. The stories offer humanistic views on the lives of people in Assam on themes like patriarchy, gender violence, caste and others. I specifically loved the six stories under the series heading of Her Stories in this book: The Call Girls at the Shelter Home, The Girl with Long Hair, The House of Nibha-bou, Ayengla of the Blue Hills, Suagmoni’s Mother-The Storyteller and Surabhi Barua and the Rhythm of Hooves. I also enjoyed the story A Warm Jacket for the Son. This book won the Sahitya Akademi award in 2014 and I can see why. Patangia brings her own experiences of life in Assam and really gives you that lived-in feeling with her writing here while giving some very powerful commentary on social issues. Patangia is also considered as one of the most prominent voices in contemporary Assamese literature. This book is a great read if you’re curious about Assamese writing or Assam or if you’re someone who enjoys reading short stories.

The Little Prince is written by Antoine De Saint-Exupery and translated by Irene Testot-Ferry from French to English and published by Wordsworth Editions. The edition I read also had illustrations by the author. The story is about a stranded pilot who discovers an alien, The Little Prince who narrates tales of his intergalactic travel. Though this seems like a children’s book on the surface, it’s pretty much an allegory of the human condition. Saint-Exupery talks about greed, conceit, sadness, purpose and more through the eyes of this outer space character. This is a book though simple, really makes you reflect and think about certain things in your own life. It certainly did that with me! This book has been translated into 300+ languages and dialects and has also been adapted to stage, audio, film, television, ballet and opera! You can find a movie adaptation of this story on Netflix.

Fun Fact: I share my birthday with Antoine De Saint-Exupery!

Nonsense Rhymes (better known as Abol Tabol) is written by Sukumar Ray and translated by his son, the equally phenomenal Satyajit Ray and published by Writers Workshop. This is a book of absurd and nonsensical poems accompanied by illustrations. Sukumar Ray says these poems are written in kheyal rasa or the imagination so to speak. Of course, this isn’t an official rasa. Though these poems are supposed to be surreal and imaginative, they have an eerie representation of reality. Based on my understanding of the writing, there seem to be poems that relate to stigma attached to depression, the freedom an abuser has to roam in society and even themes of patriarchy and societal image. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and must have finished it in less than hour. This book really brought me out of my reading slump and I’m so glad that it did! Highly recommend this if you enjoy poetry, want a light read and want to explore more of Sukumar Ray’s work.

Sukumar Ray was born on 30th October 1887 in Kolkata, West Bengal right in the middle of the Bengal Renaissance era. His father, Upendrakishore Ray (Chowdhury) was one of the luminaries of this period. Upendrakishore was a writer, artist, photographer, violinist, a pioneer of printing technology, entrepreneur and an avid learner of science. Creativity clearly ran in this family’s blood! Sukumar Ray wrote his first poem Nodi (River) at the age of eight, which even got published in a popular magazine at the time. He even wrote a translation of the famous nursery rhyme, ‘Hickory, Dickory, Dock’. which was called ‘Tick, Tick, Tong.’ He went on to graduate with double Honours in Physics & Chemistry from Presidency College. He took an interest in printing and studied the same at the London School of Photography and Engraving, went on to study at the Manchester School of Technology and became a member of The Royal Photographic Society. Some of Ray’s articles even got printed in The Penrose Annual! He later helped run his father’s printing press: M/s. U.Ray and Sons (along with his brother Subinay) and a children’s magazine called ‘Sandesh’. Sukumar Ray had a penchant for fantasy writing and is considered as the pioneer of the humorous ‘literary nonsense’ genre in Bengal and possibly even India as a whole. His work is said to be on par, if not better than Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland! In fact Ray even set up a ‘Nonsense Club’ while studying in college in Kolkata. Though on the outset his work seems to be catered to children, it’s truly satire and social commentary told through simple but powerful writing and a wild imagination! Some of Ray’s well known works are: Chalachittachanchari, Pagla Dashu, Ha Ja Ba Ra La, Khai-Khai and of course Abol Tabol. Sadly, Abol Tabol was released 9 days before Sukumar Ray passed away from black fever in 1923; leaving behind his wife and a two year old Satyajit Ray.

Fun fact: Rabindranath Tagore was one of the bigger influences on Sukumar Ray as he was a good friend of Sukumar’s father - Upendrakishore. Sukumar Ray also took part in a play with Tagore for the latter’s 50th birthday at Santiniketan!

And with that we are now at the end of this month’s newsletter! Here’s a heads up that I’ll be combining July & August’s newsletter, which you’ll mostly get during the first week of September. In the meanwhile, keep an eye out for the bonus newsletter (April-May Part 2)!

Till then - take care, stay healthy & happy and get vaccinated if you haven’t been already!

Love & Light,

Sangeetha

a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow

P.S.- Signing off with this song called ‘O Sangeeta’ by Daniel Hart because it’s birthday month and also because I can’t believe there’s actually a song with my name in it haha.

Welcome back to another issue of ‘The Moody Mail’! If you’re new here then - hello to you!

Whether you’re new or someone who stayed – Thank you for being here! I truly appreciate it.

Now, I know this newsletter is reaching you pretty late, which is why I’m combining April and May in this issue. (So, be prepared for a pretty long read!)

I’m also going to be talking about things that are a bit more on the serious side but are important to me and would love to see more conversation around.

So, brace yourself for a two-month download on everything that’s been going on!

APRIL

As you may remember, March was a great month for me. Work went really well and I got to work on two really cool projects as a part of my internship:

The Book People is a podcast and video series where Aishwarya Javalgekar (Head of Content at Bound) interviews people whose careers and lives revolve around books! You’ll find interviews with Sayantan Ghosh (Senior Commissioning Editor of Simon & Schuster India), Sidharth Jain (India’s No.1 book to screen agent), Meghna Pant (Author & Journalist) and a lot more! If you’re someone who enjoys listening to podcasts and wants to know more about publishing, then definitely give this a listen. You can even watch it on YouTube. This show has also been trending on Apple Podcasts in India and the U.K.!

(Bound also just released Season 3 of Books & Beyond, which is India’s top author podcast!)

Demystifying Indian Publishing: Bound’s Industry Insights is a research report on the publishing industry in India. You’ll find inputs from leading industry professionals like authors, editors and bookstore owners. This report also highlights trends in the past decade, as well as changes in publishing and readership that have happened during the pandemic and future predictions. If you’re a publisher, writer, reader or someone who’s just curious about publishing, then you can download the report for free!

I also got to work on things like manuscript evaluations, human resources, public relations, marketing and handling social media.

Speaking of social media, I’ve come to realize that it actually does overwhelm me at times; especially during a pandemic when I have to be on it and think about it constantly as a part of a job. If you’re someone who doesn’t think much of social media managers, let me tell you that this is pretty much a 24x7 job. I also used to have similar opinions but I have a lot more regard for individuals involved in this field, now that I’ve actually experienced some of it. So, if you’re someone who’s ever thinking about taking up social media marketing as a full blown profession, please be aware of what you’re signing up for. Make sure that you really enjoy digital marketing, you believe in what you’re campaigning for, and you know how to place appropriate boundaries with work.

Content creation is also a 24x7 job but I’ve found that I enjoy it a lot more and am far more productive when it’s work, which has impact, and I’m getting to learn something new from it.

On that note, I can finally talk about a project I’ve been working on for a while now! If I haven’t told you this yet – I conduct writing workshops for Yellow Club, which is an organization that advocates for Mental Health. They’ve been doing some incredible work and I’m so proud to be associated with them. I conducted a series of writing workshops on their behalf and as an outcome of that, we came out with a magazine!

Let me present ‘Agnosthesia’!

What does Agnosthesia mean? As per the Dictionary Of Obscure Sorrows – “ the state of not knowing how you really feel about something, which forces you to sift through clues hidden in your behavior, as if you were some other person—noticing a twist of acid in your voice, an obscene amount of effort put into something trifling, or an inexplicable weight on your shoulders that makes it difficult to get out of bed.”

This magazine is labour of love by all of us who’ve been associated with it. Most of the contributors here have been published for the first time. I’m so proud of them and cannot wait to see what they churn out in the future. Special mention to the designer - Megha Vasudevan for the visually stunning work that you see in this project.

Mental Health is a cause that’s extremely close to me and I’m so grateful that I got the opportunity to combine this with writing to create something meaningful and hopefully impactful too. Do give it a read and let me know your thoughts! I’d love to know what you have to say.

Now, that we’re on the subject of Mental Health, mine seemed to have taken a toll in the second half of April, which gradually seeped into May. And what better topic to talk about in May’s section? It’s Global Mental Health Awareness Month, after all.

MAY

The second wave of COVID-19 in India has been brutal. And, I don’t just mean the seemingly infinite stream of terrible news all around but also the effects it’s now having on everyone’s peace of mind as well. News of people you know suffering, political & social turmoil, strain on healthcare and so many other things!

I think I managed to cope fairly well in 2020; possibly because I had hope for 2021 and a lot more optimism. However, that seems to have faded a bit this year.

I’m sure most of you have read Adam Grant’s NY Times article on ‘Languishing’ by now.

I resonated with this feeling so much! There was also a general emotion of being stuck; like I was stagnating and my life wasn’t moving in any capacity. Though that wasn’t entirely true.

The more I introspected; I realized two things that were actually tampering with my peace of mind along with the general feeling of languishing:

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

I know what you might be thinking – “Oh! What’s new about this?” And if you’re someone who has been completely conditioned by the patriarchy, then you’re probably going to refer to all the stereotypes and jokes about women PMSing.

Here’s the thing - we know that PMS is real. We’ve managed to trivialize it, reduce it to a joke and even shame women for it. But how much do we actually understand the seriousness of this condition? How aware are we of the linkage between a woman’s menstrual cycle and her Mental Health?

I can talk about my own experience here. I didn’t realize till about 5 years ago what PMS actually was. I just thought it meant mood swings during your periods. There was a point in my life where I would break down and cry for absolutely no reason. I thought I was going crazy and wasn’t sure who to talk to. It was then that I heard someone talk about biological crying and how she’d cry before her period and then it hit me!

I started tracking my emotional well being with my menstrual cycle. I also started reading up more on this. After tracking a few cycles, I realized what was happening with me. PMS would hit me 10 – 12 days before my due date and sometimes extend to the initial 2 – 3 days of my cycle. My emotions would get heightened, which meant that I was way more sensitive to things during that time frame. I’d have disturbed sleep, would feel sluggish and have the most random food cravings. Then, there’d be moments where I’d feel extremely overwhelmed and break into tears (usually closer to my due date). And funnily enough, I’d feel much better after crying. Knowing more about this condition helped me make conscious changes to better take care of myself and even calm myself down whenever I’d experience symptoms.

I started talking about this more with women I know and quickly figured that most of them go through similar symptoms but no one really talks about it. Why? As a society we’ve been so strongly conditioned to believe that it is shameful to talk about menstruation even if women are suffering from it and need to reach out for help.  

I even had this conversation with my mother who was more aware of PMS but didn’t know that it was pretty bad for me. Again, why? Her cycle was different from mine and she didn’t realize that I could possibly be going through this.

That’s the other thing - every woman goes through this differently. Some will be completely fine whereas others will be in immense pain. You also have lots of women who are somewhere in the middle of this spectrum of discomfort.

And, it doesn’t end there. There are changes based on your age and stage of life too. Pregnant women go through different issues. So do women who go through menopause. Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) also deal with their own set of problems.

Now, imagine going through PMS when you’re already in a state of languish. All those emotions get amplified for a while and it can get extremely overwhelming!

If you’re a woman who’s reading this and if this is resonating with you then please know that you are not crazy and that this condition is actually pretty normal. However, if you feel that you aren’t able to cope with or handle what you’re going through, then reach out for medical help! More specifically, reach out to a gynaecologist.

If you’re a man and you’re wondering why you need to read this - don’t you think it’s important to be able to understand the women in your life better? The more aware you are, the easier it becomes for all of us to co-exist.

For anyone who has felt uncomfortable reading this – it’s 2021. This is the most natural and biological process women go through and yet we have managed to make this taboo. To start talking about any kind of solution, it’s important that we first acknowledge that there is an issue. It’s time we started normalizing these conversations.

I’m listing a few articles here. Do go through them to start understanding PMS better:

• Premenstrual Syndrome by OASH

• Is It Normal To Cry More During Your Period?

• Prevalence of PMS and its impact on quality of life among selected college students in Puducherry.

(Also, if you’re someone who wants to share your story on this, then do reach out.)

Now, that I’ve gotten this off my chest; here’s the second thing that was quietly affecting me.

Work-Life Balance

Seems like a no brainer, right? But is it really?

So, when the pandemic broke out last year and the world went into lockdown; I like a lot of other people had my plans put on the back burner. I knew I had a lot of free time and needed to keep myself busy. So, I got more involved with writing.

I joined writers groups, took up writing challenges, enrolled in different courses and even started teaching. But it didn’t stop there. I kept applying for internships and jobs and finally I ended up with 3 positions – a teaching stint at Yellow Club, a content writing internship at Bound and a reader position at Carve magazine.

Sounds great, right?

And it was; until I realized that I wasn’t getting enough ‘me’ time and I wasn’t able to work on things that I really wanted to work on. That’s when burnout slowly started to creep in. Not because I was doing so much; but rather I was unable to do things that genuinely fulfilled me. I started writing seriously in April 2020 and I had pretty much been going at it in full speed since November 2020 without really taking any breaks. I was working 24x7 (almost) and just couldn’t switch off.

Fortunately, my internship with Bound came to an end in May. Though I was sad to leave, I was also extremely relieved to be able to take some time off to just introspect and recalibrate my life.

The thing about this whole lockdown situation is that every day just feels the same. Weekdays and weekends just blur into the other. So, I understand if you feel like you’re stagnating but hey, give yourself a break now and then. You’re doing the best you can.

Last but most importantly – I got the first dose of the COVID vaccine! The side effects weren’t too great. I had a terrible migraine and fatigue. Nonetheless, I’m glad that I was able to take it. If you’re yet to get jabbed then do get it if you can. It’s one of our few means of staying safe and beating this virus.

We’re now at the end of life updates, but I have a special bonus!

Mental Health has become a synonymous crisis with COVID right now. As we know, our healthcare system is under major strain. But are we aware of what’s going on with India’s Mental Healthcare system? The following is an interview that I conducted with Vasundharaa Santhosh Nair, Mental Health clinician and Founder of The Wholesome Mastishq regarding this.

1.) Considering you’re a front line worker during these turbulent times, what have workdays been like for you during COVID?

 It's been a year since the pandemic. A year since we have been seeing the need for care increasing. Last year we started with calls in the morning; telephonic calls - both catering to distress as well as neuropsychiatric conditions. We had to be in PPE at all times, and trust me it's no fun, to be in it. You feel like it’s a mini sauna and many things get affected when you are in the PPE routine - your eating, your sleeping, your schedule, and most important your respiration. A year later today, we have the second wave, we have a system in place but the load remains higher.  Every day is a new challenge but I think the point remains to take one day at a time and that helps.

2A.) Recently, I read that Schizophrenia is the second leading risk factor of dying from COVID (the first one being age). Do you see any differences in the way COVID patients who suffer from Mental Health issues are treated from patients who don’t?

Individuals who have COVID and associated mental health concerns have been receiving more attention. The need is urgent. It is a crisis. There is a lot of fear, myths and there are many members who are involved - the person affected, their caregivers and associated members. The reactions vary from an anxiety attack, grief, depression, distress or a PTSD.

But the point to be noted is that there are many conditions, which have associated mental health concerns that often don't receive the attention they require because of the stigma, discrimination, labelling and the obvious lack of understanding. As much as I am glad that this population is getting care, I sincerely hope that this gets replicated across many other conditions like dementia, multiple sclerosis, brain infections, etc. other than the more well known Mental Health conditions.

2B.) Are these patients getting appropriate care?

This is a tough question to answer. The reasons being:

i) The requirement is humongous and the availability of trained personnel is very low.

ii) Only individuals who have the resources to come and avail help are the ones receiving it. The larger population - daily wage workers, migrants, domestic help, homemakers, etc. basically the people who are either dependent on someone else to make the decision for them or who can't afford to have mental health as their immediate priority as they need to run the house through daily wages do not come to receive care. And this remains a huge challenge.

iii) On the other hand, we have established telephonic, online methods of providing sessions other than the conventional face-to-face method. The good side is there are many who are coming forward to understand, voice out their concerns and receive care.  So we are making progress in that sense.

2C.) What are challenges with these patients like?

i) Meeting the patient: The biggest difficulty is that not every clinician can speak to the patients because of the numbers and not every patient is willing to meet a clinician.

ii) Fear of meeting the clinician: The families are always scared. They are scared when a clinician comes to them to speak, they’re scared when their phone rings, scared to respond to their family members of their condition, scared of the finances, scared to make the decision - basically scared for everything. 

iii) Lack of support in the community: On the community front - they go back when they have lost everything- money, jobs, at times some family members, strength, health and with that they have to deal with stigma. So, it's extremely difficult. 

iv) Not having all the answers: As a researcher and clinician, even we don't have answers to some of their questions because even we are learning about COVID. So we don't have complete information. I believe in being honest. Yes, we can break myths and misconceptions with the available information but when they ask long-term complications or issues, clinicians often have limited knowledge. 

v) Will they come back?:  I often feel that when caregivers speak to us or when a patient gets discharged, depending on the situation it could be happy or sad. We often feel that it maybe the last time they will come to us.  

3. What has your Mental Health been like during these times? How are you coping?

My mental health has been fluctuating to be honest. Some days are great, some days I have to pull myself to do the work, but there is always a hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. That keeps me going. Just like every other person, we as clinicians too have our established support systems - people we talk to, activities we can engage in and sometimes we take time off when we think we need it. I try to engage in writing, collaborating, catching up with friends or dancing. There were situations that had overwhelmed me so much that I started thinking that I was probably burning out. It’s at those times, I knew that I needed to find activities where I could meet people outside of my work, go back to dancing, making videos and it personally helped me a lot. Point being everyone is human, and when you think that your human side is going for a toss, take a pause and restart. It'll do you good!

4. Are there systems in place for Mental Healthcare workers to reach out for help when things get overwhelming?

Not always, to be honest. As I was telling you, the workforce is less and the need is more. Unfortunately, we also have many individuals who are not completely qualified but offer services, which at times complicates our work. What we do is reach out to each other and have a check on each other. It’s not easy and not always possible but we do try.

5. What do you think are some of the biggest challenges that the Mental Healthcare system in India is facing today? And what do you think can be done about it?

Mental illness makes about 15% of the total disease conditions around the world. As a result, India is labeled as the world’s ‘most depressed country’ (WHO, 2020).

The major difficulties or roadblocks that we have are:

• Awareness and sensitization issues.

• The big stigma around Mental Health.

• Vicious cycle of shame, suffering and isolation.

• Shortage of trained mental health professionals.

• Lack of necessary policy interventions.

• Poor resource allocations to Mental Healthcare.

It is important to spread awareness that people living with mental illness and their families deserve the right to life as it is guaranteed to every other citizen in the country. For making this work and to work across the roadblocks, we need a public-private partnership model such that responsibility is shared equally and we achieve the eventual goal of Mental Health for all.

6. What can we do as a community to reduce the strain on Mental Healthcare workers and be more supportive?

Small actions can help make changes:

i) Do not consider the job trivial because it involves a lot of training and learning.

ii) It is important to understand that our job involves a lot of listening. So we also draw boundaries for our own Mental Health. We also need to survive as well. Hence, we can’t always be expected to give free services.

iii) There is a stigma around Mental Health, but there is an even bigger stigma around clinicians who provide care for this. I have heard people who ask me questions like these:

“You are a fairly decent looking girl, why did you take up this profession?”

“Do people understand what you do?”

“I am fine only, I don't know why am I asked to come and meet you.”,

“Aren't your parents worried? How will you get married by being in this profession?”

It is sad that people still think like this. It’s high time we break this stigma.

iv) Lets normalize Mental Health consultations. Lets pop the pill openly and help others understand the situation better.

v) Lets increase the right workforce - our target population is huge and the professionals trained for it are miniscule. Encourage people to come ahead and join the workforce. They can also link with these members, try training the trainers in their own capacities and help build a workforce which is not spreading false information but are trained right to help right!

vi) Do your bit - I understand that sometimes many of you who are not in the frontline, ask yourself as to in what way can you contribute. The answer is - in any way you feel you can. We are the leaders of today. Any small contribution in any manner can go a long way. It could be in fact checking, linking resources, making platforms, contributions to places or just spreading the word around you on what are the do’s and don'ts. So go ahead and do your bit!

7. This is the first time in a while that the conversation around Mental Health has been so loud in India. What do you want people to remember from these times?

Absolutely! As much as I am glad that people are talking more and more about this and are coming up to seek care, I genuinely hope this continues. I want people to remember just one thing - nothing is certain, so we give ourselves priority and make this as a part of the new normal. If this thought comes in, I'm sure we will be on a greater progressive path for sure. 

And with that we have now come to the end of Part 1 of my longest newsletter yet!

I know that must have been an incredibly long read along with being rather heavy with some of the topics that I touched upon. But these past 2 months have even felt as heavy.

I apologise if any of the content triggered you. My intention was to shed light on a few things and hopefully leave you thinking about some of them.

Part 2 will be out next week and I promise it’ll be a lot more fun and light because I’m covering content I consumed in the past 2 months – stories, movies, TV shows, music and a fun interview I did!

Till then - take care, stay safe and stay hydrated!

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. - Here’s a pretty cool podcast I found regarding Mental Health: Let’s Talk About Mental Health With Jeremy Godwin

If you’re new here, then - Hello!

If you’re someone who decided to stay, then – Welcome back!

Whether you’ve just signed up or been a constant, I am happy and grateful to have you here.

(Be prepared to read these lines in every newsletter. I am a huge believer of extending gratitude.)

I know March’s newsletter comes a bit late, but hey! This is digital snail mail. Remember? (Yes, I still know that sounds a bit ironic.)

March was an exciting month for me, to say the least! It’s honestly the happiest and most fulfilling month I’ve had till now in 2021. (Hopefully, I’m not jinxing this again.)

Remember I told you about that internship I got? Well, good news: I’ve really been enjoying it! And I’m getting to learn a lot. I’m not sure if I can still say that this is my true calling but I do love the work that I do. And, that isn’t something I’ve really been able to say about any of the other jobs I’ve had. This doesn’t mean that I never enjoyed my previous work, but; I’ve never quite felt the satisfaction that I feel now, you know?

Though, I’m not exactly making too many plans anymore. And if you know me well enough, then you know that’s quite a feat for me.

In other news, I also got selected as a fiction reader for Carve magazine this month!

Image Courtesy: Carve

Carve is a U.S. based literary magazine that’s been around for two decades now. It’s been named after Raymond Carver, an American short story writer and poet who is also considered to be one of the greatest writers of his time from his country. The magazine features their signature Honest Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Interviews and more. Carve also runs two annual contests for writers all around the world:

• The Raymond Carver Short Story Contest, which runs from April to mid May every year. (That’s right. Applications are now open!) Winners get their work published in Carve’s fall issue along with cash prizes. Not to mention that winning pieces get a chance to be read by literary agents as well. This contest is specifically for literary fiction. This year their guest judge is Leesa Cross-Smith. She’s an award-winning writer who Roxanne Gay has called “a consummate storyteller”. You may know Cross-Smith from her most recent book: This Close To Okay, which has been getting some interesting reviews.

  

  Image Courtesy: Carve

• The Prose & Poetry Contest, which runs from October to mid November every year. Winners get their work published in Carve’s spring issue along with cash prizes. This contest seeks the best fiction, non-fiction and poetry and they have a guest judge for each category.

On that note, the 2021 spring issue is out! You can read the winning pieces from the 2020 Prose & Poetry Contest in the magazine as well as on Carve’s website.

I’ve also been able to catch up on some T.V. this month. I found this show called The Bold Type on Netflix and I absolutely loved it! This show traces the journey of three millennial women who work at a fictional global publication called Scarlet in New York City. Initially, I thought this would be pure popcorn television and it is that to a degree; but the show does a fairly good job at addressing issues like gender equality, toxic masculinity, LGBTQ+ issues, sexual assault, breast cancer and more. Don’t worry. It’s not a heavy show. It’s quite entertaining and great if you want to watch something to wind down after a long day’s work or if you just want to binge watch something. It’s also extremely refreshing to see female friendships portrayed in a positive light.

Fun fact: I believe this show is inspired from the life and career of Joanna Coles, former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine. She also happens to be an executive producer of the series.

Continuing on (somewhat) related lines, I read some really interesting books this month. When I sat down to write this part, I realized that they were all based on women. Then again, March was Women’s History Month. So, in hindsight, this seemed fairly ideal.

We Should All Be Feminists, is written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and published by HarperCollins. This book is a great introduction to what feminism is. If you’re someone who’s on the fence about feminism due to its negative connotations, I highly recommend this book. Based on Adichie’s 2012 TedXTalk, this book addresses the basics of feminism and how culture and society play a role in the same. It’s great if you want to attempt to understand what feminism means in present times.

Dear Ijeawale: A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions makes for an impactful follow up to We Should All Be Feminists. Again, written by Adichie and published by HarperCollins, this book is based on a letter Chimamanda wrote as reply to a friend who asked how she could raise a feminist daughter (though in my opinion – most, if not all the points she makes in this book can be integrated for raising sons as well). Adichie addresses topics such as identity, individuality, gender roles, beauty standards and sex education to name a few. She uses real life situations and anecdotes to explain all her points. Honestly, I think this is a book all parents should read. Especially, new age parents and partners looking to start a family. I for one definitely see myself going back to this book whenever I do choose to have children.

Girl in White Cotton, better known as Burnt Sugar has been written by Avni Doshi and originally published by 4th Estate. This book talks about the volatile relationship of a mother-daughter duo and the implications of generational trauma. The story is told from the perspective of Antara who now has to take care of her mother Tara who’s forgetting everything. Though Tara seems to be suffering from Alzheimer’s; Antara can’t seem to stop suspecting if her mother’s condition is real or if she’s just playing a charade. No one is really a ‘protagonist’ in this story. In fact, our main characters seem to have lived complicated lives and have antagonistic qualities. Antara blames her mother for her torturous childhood; be it when Tara chooses to leave her husband (whom she was never really interested in marrying) and live at an ashram as Baba’s ‘consort’, begging outside a posh club in Pune or having Antara sent to a seemingly dystopian boarding school. But Antara also has her fair share of rebellion - leaving Pune against her mother’s wishes; she heads to Bombay for art school only to reject the admission and roam around the city as an urban nomad. From a scandalous love affair to thoughts of leaving her own husband and child or intentionally worsening Tara’s condition on the pretext of saving her now ‘normal’ life; Antara doesn’t seem very different from her mother.

Even the secondary characters have their fair share of quirks. Anatara’s husband Dilip seems to be the most optimistic person in the story but also seems to have chauvinistic undertones; and her friend Purvi who seems to have the ‘perfect’ marriage but might really just be living in a closet. However, my favourite character is Anatara’s Nani (maternal grandmother). There’s a scene in the book where Antara tries to communicate Tara’s condition to Nani; after which Nani touches her daughter’s cheek and says – “She’s become so fat, your mother. Her knuckles are swollen to double of what they were. How will we pry the jewellery off her hands when she dies?”

I love the way Avni Doshi’s written this book! As a writer, I couldn’t stop admiring some of her passages and one-liners that were so impactful. It’s not a surprise that this book was shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize and now longlisted for the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction.

Fun fact: Avni won the Tibor Jones Prize in 2013 for this story but rewrote it 8 times over 7 years till she finally published it.

Singarevva And The Palace is a Kannada fiction book written by Chandrashekhara Kambara. The edition I read has been translated into English by Lakshmi Chandrashekhar (who is a renowned actress in Kannada theatre and media), and published by Katha. Described as a Gothic novel, this story traces the journey of Singarevva through the voice of her faithful companion Sheeningava. The book actually switches between two voices: One, of a man looking to write the story of the palace that Singarevva lived in and the other of Sheeningava who narrates this history to this man. Singarevva who is born into a wealthy Gowda family seems to face despair from the beginning. Her shrewd father leaves no opportunity to use his daughter as a pawn to increase his wealth: be it from initially marrying her off to a corpse, to then getting her married to an impotent prince. Singarevva bears the brunt of all the deeds of the men around her. If her father and husband(s) weren’t enough, she also has a ‘righteous’ stalker and a lecherous saint vying for her attention. Yet, Singarevva manages to get some relief (or seemingly so) at a few points in the story. I believe Kambara’s original really tortures our protagonist without giving her much of a voice, whereas the translator for this edition has managed to make it a bit feminist by giving Singarevva some agency. Interestingly, Lakshmi Chandrashekar adapted this story as play first, which she has performed. It was only after that the story got a translated book version. I got to listen to the translator in a book club meeting where she spoke about how the translation that got published was actually reworked by the editors and publishers. Hence, it can’t completely be called her translation. She’s also translated Singarevva And The Palace for another publisher, which she says is closer to what she had originally written. The edition I read has a lot of ethnification of text, which isn’t bad if you understand the context. But it probably would be a difficult read for someone who has little to no understanding of Indian (specifically Kannada) culture.

Chandrashekhara Kambara is a prominent Indian poet, playwright, folklorist and filmmaker in the Kannada language. He has published around 25 plays, 11 collections of poems, 5 novels and 16 research books on folklore, theatre, literature and education. He has also directed a number of films based on his own scripted plays and contributed to creating documentaries for the Government of Karnataka and the Government of India. Kambara is considered to be a genius and living legend in Indian literature and has won numerous awards (including the Padma Shri in 2001.) Born in 1937 in Belgaum, Karnataka; he did his schooling in Gokak and went on to get a M.A. and then PhD from Karnataka University, Dharwad. His doctoral thesis was on “The Folk Theatre Of North Karnataka”. Kambara also served as Founder and Vice-chancellor of Kannada University, Hampi and also as President of the Sahitya Akademi, India’s premier literary institution. He has presented papers on Indian Folklore and Theatre in the University of Chicago, American Oriental Centre (New York), International Theatre Institute (Berlin & Moscow), Jade: Akita Japan and many more universities and organisations. Many of his works have been translated into English and several Indian languages. Some of his famous works are as follows:

• Plays - Jokumaraswamy, Jayasidnayaka, Kadu Kudure, Nayi Kathe, Mahamayi, Harakeya Kuri and Sirisampige (won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1991)

• Novels – Karimaayi, G.K.Maastarara Pranaya Prasanga and Shikhara Soorya.

• Research – Sangya Balya, Kannada Folklore Dictionary (2 volumes), Bedara Huduga Mattu Gilli (won the State Academy of Literature Award in 1989), An Anthology of Modern Indian Plays for the National School of Drama and Desheeya Chintana (collection of articles on culture and literature)

Fun fact: His film “Sangeeta” won the Best Feature Film State Award in the year 1981.

I’ll admit that I wasn’t familiar with Kambara and his work till I read Singarevva And The Palace. I’m now curious to read more of his work and I think I’ll be picking up Shikhara Soorya next from his collection. If any of you are familiar with the author’s work, then I’d love to hear if you have any thoughts and recommendations about his writing :)

And, with that, we have now come towards the end of this month’s newsletter!

I really hope you enjoyed reading it. As you know, I’m always open to feedback and constructive criticism.

Meanwhile, how did March go for you? You can write back or let me know in the comments section.

Till next time!

Love & Light,

Sangeetha

a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. – This month I’m signing off with songs from Strings, a famous Pakistani band that disbanded towards the end of March after a 22-year ride (though media reports 33 years, but that’s a different story altogether in my opinion). I was indeed heartbroken. Here are my recommendations: Duur, Sajni, Dhaani and Pyaar Ka Rog.

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Ideally, I should be sending you my newsletter for 2021 - March, but we have a special announcement this month.

You’re getting a bonus newsletter!

I’ve been fortunate enough to be featured on The Alipore Post this week by doing their newsletter takeover.

For the uninitiated, The Alipore Post was started in 2015 by Rohini Kejriwal, Writer & Illustrator. What started out as curated emails of poetry, art, music and curios from the internet, has today become one of India’s largest creative communities.

I really want to take this moment to thank her for this opportunity. I also urge you to check out her newsletter for some fascinating and heartwarming content.

You can find my feature here - This Is My Newsletter #35: Sangeetha Menon | The Moody Marshmallow

In it, I talk about the things that gave me comfort during the lockdown in 2020 : writing, cooking and music.

I really hope you enjoy reading it and find the resources useful.

For now, I am happy and going to let this sink in a bit.

Till next time.

Love & Light,

Sangeetha

a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow

P.S.: The 2021-March newsletter will be out soon :)

If you’re new here then - Hello! If you decided to stick around after reading my last newsletter then – Welcome back! Whichever category you belong to, thank you for being here.

I am equally flattered and frightened now, that I’ve set up some kind of expectation (here’s a poem by yours truly on that – Expectation). Though I am also excited to see where this journey leads us.

Now, coming to February- remember how I said that I was entering this month with hope & positivity? Yeah, that sentiment didn’t last very long. I experienced delays on some of my projects, and applications for various things didn’t seem to be going anywhere either. I was pretty much stuck in limbo for a bit and also felt slightly under the weather. (Thankfully, it was not the virus that must not be named.)

Funnily enough, I gave an interview for something where I was told that I was “overqualified”. Almost reminded me of when you have a crush on someone; you shoot your shot and they say – “It’s not you. It’s me.” (Though I am guilty of having said this too.)

But, fate seemed to have smiled on me by the end of the month. My projects are now back on track; some of which I hope to share with you next time.

And….

*Drumroll*

I got an internship!

Why is this a big deal? It’s a content writing stint. So, obviously I’m excited! I think I’m also giving myself some credit for this; considering I don’t come from a creative background nor have I formally studied anything creative. Overall, I think I’m quite chuffed.

February was also fairly eventful. I attended two creative community festivals (virtually of course) and quite enjoyed them –

AF Weekender by Art Fervour: A weekend of webinars on art law, street art, auctioning and workshops; this was a pretty interesting festival. As someone who has a love for the arts, I found these sessions educational and interesting. The session that fascinated me the most was Data & Technology – The Future of Art by Harshit Agarwal, an artist who uses AI tools to create artwork. He spoke about some of his pieces, the increasing use of AI by artists and the onset of blockchain for art sales. You can find the entire festival schedule on Art Fervour’s YouTube channel.

Jaipur Literature Festival 2021: Commencing in 2009, this annual lit fest is touted as ‘the greatest literary show on earth’. And honestly, I don’t think I can completely disagree. To be clear though, I’m a complete newbie and this was the first literature festival I’ve attended. Though it was virtual, the execution of the entire event was smooth and on point. From website design, curation of speakers and content to featuring different books and panels on topics outside of literature; I was pretty blown away. I discovered so many new books, different forms of content, writers, stories and learnt so much about creative processes and the industry. The festival ran for 10 days and also had the Jaipur BookMark run parallel to the main festival. JBM focuses on the ‘business of books’ and what publishing looks like in India and globally today. I attended about 7 out of the 10 days of JLF & JBM, covered it on my social media and also did a Twitter takeover for Bound! I can go on and on about this but I believe all sessions from the festivals will be uploaded on their YouTube channel. If so, I highly recommend checking it out whether you’re a reader, writer, publisher or just someone who’s curious.

Speaking of books, here are some of the things I read this month -

Piranesi is written by Susanna Clarke and published by Bloomsbury Publications. Clarke is best known for her novel Johnathan Strange & Mr Norrell, an international bestseller and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Piranesi follows the story of a man named so, who lives in a house that emulates another dimension. From crustaceans on the lower levels and cloudy upper halls, to a nesting albatross, statues of Minotaurs and occasional flooding in the stony hallways, Clarke creates an unusually eerie yet comforting atmosphere. Piranesi pretty much lives on his own, aside from some skeletons that he treats as companions. There is one more person like Piranesi, called - ‘The Other’, an older and seemingly wiser man. What starts out as a chronicle of Piranesi’s days in ‘The House’ turns into a mystery when a new person storms into his world (quite literally). But what fascinated me the most was the writing style Clarke employed in this book. She’s written the whole story as a series of journal entries. So when you read the book, it feels like a diary. I knew I wanted to read this from the moment I heard about it! And I won’t say I was fully satisfied as a reader but the writer in me was most definitely intrigued! A good read if you like fantasy. (Not sure if dystopian or sci-fi can be used to describe this but it has those undertones.)

The Enlightenment of The Greengage Tree, written by Shokoofeh Azar and published by Europa Editions was February’s book club pick. This book was shortlisted for the 2020 International Booker Prize. The story of a family fleeing from Tehran following the 1979 Islamic Revolution and narrated by Bahar, the ghost of a thirteen-year-old girl; this book paints a picture of the socio-political conditions in Iran at the time through fiction and magic realism. The book was originally published in Persian and later translated to English. The translator chose to remain anonymous due to security reasons, which in itself speaks volumes. Azar faced a lot of backlash for this story and was forced to flee Iran; now seeking asylum in Australia. She herself went through harsh conditions such as solitary confinement and the like; elements, which she has vividly spoken about in her story, through the characters. To be honest, this was a tough book to read. Not just because of the discomfort of scenes of torture, harassment and helplessness; but also the erratic storyline which brings in ghosts, mermaids and myriads of characters & sub-plots. Yet, it all makes sense when you finish reading it.

Twenty Love Poems & A Song Of Despair - I mean, can this newsletter be about the month of love without talking about poetry? This book is written by the one and only Pablo Neruda, translated by American poet, W. S. Merwin and published by Penguin Classics. Originally published in Spanish in 1924 as Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada, this collection put Neruda on the global map of poetry and the explosion of surrealism. It was also heavily scrutinized for being too vivid and sensual in nature at the time. After all, it was a dedication to the poet’s one (or two?) of many lovers. Interestingly, Neruda’s 16th poem in the book – In My Sky at Twilight is said to be a paraphrase of Rabindranath Tagore’s 30th poem in The Gardener, which was published in 1913. Of course, there’s been conjecture of plagiarism but it’s been stated as a paraphrased version. Personally, I found Neruda’s writing style bold, intuitive and unapologetically honest. (Not to mention his beautiful use of imagery and metaphors)  My favourite pieces – VI: I Remember You As You Were, VII: Leaning into the Afternoons, XI: Almost out of the Sky, XV: I Like for You to Be Still, XVII: Thinking, Tangling Shadows, XIX: Girl Lithe and Tawny.

Coming to Neruda himself, the man led a rather fascinating life. Originally born as Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto, he took up the pseudonym of Pablo Neruda when he started writing (partly to avoid his father’s disapproval) but only legally adopted the name in 1946. He left southern Chile in 1921 to go study French literature. He published his first collection Crepusculario in 1923 followed by Veinte poemas in 1924, which was towards the end of World War I (He was just about 20 years old!). Neruda was later appointed as a Chilean diplomat and served in Rangoon/Yangon, Colombo, Batavia/Jakarta, Singapore, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and Mexico City. He wasn’t qualified for the position as such, but it was common practice for Chile to appoint well-recognized individuals as ambassadors. He also battled with depression at the time, since his only reason for serving as consul, was the steady income. After World War II, he joined Chile’s Communist Party but went on to be prosecuted for subversion (He published an open letter criticizing Gabriel González Videla, President of Chile at the time). He fled Chile to escape arrest and returned in 1952 once the political climate had cooled down. In the midst of all these life events, Neruda continued writing and publishing collections such as Residencia en la tierra (Residence on Earth), Canto General (General Song) and many others. This led him to winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971 after which he was bedridden and terminally ill. Thus, passing away in 1973.

Neruda is considered to be one of the stalwarts of romance poetry. Fun fact – he married thrice and had a number of love affairs. I’m not entirely sure if that’s ironic or if it made him understand love any better. Whichever the case, his writing still stands the test of time.

And with that, we now come to the end of this month’s newsletter. I hope you enjoyed reading it. As always, I am open to feedback and constructive criticism.

March begins now, and I am excited and nervous for things to come. And I truly hope to be finally able to share some news on my projects next time.

Till then, take care, stay healthy and have a wonderful March!

Love & Light,

Sangeetha

a.k.a. The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. – Signing off with music by Dot. this month: Everybody Dances to Techno and Asymmetrical.

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