Book Review : These Circuses that Sweep Through the Landscape: Stories by Tejaswini Apte-Rahm

Introduction

ISBN: 978-9384067564
Genre: Fiction / Anthology
Publishers: Aleph
Price: Rs.299/- ( I got the book for review from the publisher)

A fanatical collector of beetles finds out too late where his passion has led him. A woman out on a shopping spree in a glitzy mall finds she can’t go home again. A servant girl experiences a cruel loss of innocence when she eats something that wasn’t meant for her. In the sweltering heat of Bombay, a schoolgirl finds the ground slipping beneath her feet except when she’s watching Star Trek. Four friends meet for drinks one evening, only to find that their friendship is not what it seems. And, in the extraordinary title story, a student who has worshiped his teacher for decades comes to a terrible realization about him. Meanwhile, his old mentor is planning a cunning legacy of his own.

Behind the Book

Source: Goodreads.com

About the Author

Tejaswini Apte-Rahm is a writer from Mumbai who has lived in Serbia, Israel, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Bangladesh. She studied in Singapore and the UK and worked as an environmental researcher for ten years. Tejaswini was a journalist in Mumbai and has written for Screen, Hindustan Times, the Times of India and Asian Age. She currently lives in London and is a full-time writer.

Me thinks

I could not have asked for a better way to end the year than this book! The cover and blurb are such a sight that they instantly make you want to read it. The book's interiors start with red pages before the main content and it kind of gives it an alluring look. As if they are red curtains which are now opening up towards one of the most spectacular story telling you will see.

Each and every story in this collection is unique. Though there are many who believe anthologies are cliche and done to death , I personally feel they still have not been explored to their full capacity. Such short story collections reinstate my faith in anthologies and the power of immaculate story telling. The author has a knack of taking the mundane and painting it vividly with her imagination making it a story that leaves you spell bound. Tragedy, romance, action, revenge, comedy and social cause are some of the themes that can be found in this book. And each of them is captivating, compelling and moving. I like the way these stories make you reflect on a lot of things, look at life in a different perspective and think of "what if" to a lot of things.

If there is one collection I can associate the word "hand picked" this book has to be it. The stories are very carefully chosen, each diverse and refreshingly different making it a perfect read. The narration is fluid because of which this becomes an entertaining read that promises to engage you for hours together. It is a complete package in every sense - good writing, superb stories, deft narrative and catchy packaging!

Highly recommended purely for its story telling more than anything else.

Foodie Verdict

This book is like Dragon fruit smoothie - unique, tasty and satisfying!

Source: Food

Movie Review: If by Tathagata Ghosh – A Tender Portrait of Love, Loss, and Possibility

If , a 26-minute short film by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Tathagata Ghosh, is a sensitive, evocative piece of storytelling that lingers long after the credits roll. Set against the everyday rhythm of life in Kolkata, the film delicately unpacks the story of a lesbian couple torn apart by the weight of societal expectations and dares to imagine a different future, one where a mother's love might just change everything. What struck me first was the film’s raw, grounded realism. The characters feel like people we know, middle-class families navigating a complex world with quiet resilience. The world of If is filled with silences, glances, and stills, rather than heavy dialogue. Ghosh masterfully uses these moments to speak volumes, allowing viewers to sit with discomfort, interpret the unspoken, and feel deeply.

Book Review: The Story of Eve: Selected Poems by Zehra Nigah

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The Urban Gaze : Reimagining the Village in Contemporary Indian Cinema

Indian cinema has long been fascinated with the village. From the earthy, socialist realism of Do Bigha Zamin (1953) to the melodramatic lament of Mother India (1957), the village once stood as both heartland and hinterland — a space of moral clarity, rustic struggle, and often unyielding fate. But as the urban middle class began to dominate cinematic production and consumption, the depiction of the village increasingly came to reflect an urban gaze, that is, a perspective shaped by distance, nostalgia, condescension, or even outright fantasy. In recent years, this urban gaze has taken on new shades, evident in the way mainstream and indie filmmakers alike have re-engaged with rural India. While some have tried to explore the village as a site of resistance, authenticity, or even horror, others continue to reproduce sanitized or exaggerated versions of village life that serve urban sensibilities more than rural realities.

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