Mainstream Weekly

Reading Arundhati Roy Against My Will | Disha

Disha — 2026-05-22T04:26:10Z

For most of my life I have read political writing with a sense of duty rather than desire. I read to stay informed, not to feel changed. The books I encountered often seemed to assume a reader who could absorb weight without needing warmth, and I finished them more knowledgeable, but no more connected to the world they described.
When I picked up the memoir Mother Mary Comes To Me, I expected the same. I did not expect the book to reach the private interior of my reluctance or alter the (…)

- 2026 / Book Review

Why Easier Payments Don

Disha — 2026-04-22T08:52:52Z

We live in an age of manufactured magic. With a simple tap, a soft tone, and a silent transaction, we can summon food, fashion, and furniture to our doorsteps. The world of digital finance has dismantled every barrier, every pause for thought, that once stood between our desires and their fulfillment. Paying for things has become a frictionless, fluid, and frankly forgettable experience. But in this paradise of painless payments, a peril lurks just beneath the surface. This seamless (…)

- 2026

Finding My Father in Tuesdays with Morrie | Disha

Disha — 2026-01-10T02:10:17Z

I used to read before going to sleep. Half an hour every night, at least. My Kindle would glow softly beside me. It was a rhythm I didn

- 2026

Delhi

Disha — 2025-12-21T05:44:45Z

I recently went for lunch at India International Centre. This time I was not there for a talk or a panel or a seminar. My supervisor invited me and a few friends for a meal, and since she has a membership, we were allowed into the dining space. I have admired this place many times while attending academic events. The lawns, the old trees, the calm corridors, the sense of scholarship in the air. But a quiet event room is different from a dining room where rules breathe in every corner.
I (…)

- 2025

Reading The Housekeeper and the Professor in a Distracted Century | Disha

Disha — 2025-09-27T09:33:58Z

In my quest to find some calm in this fast-paced world, and in my dwindling habit of reading, I picked up another short book, one I managed to finish in just two hours. It was Yoko Ogawa

- 2025 / Book Review

Why Haruki Murakami

Disha — 2025-09-13T05:03:37Z

[fond noir][blanc]BOOK REVIEW[/blanc][/fond noir]
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Strange Library
by Haruki Murakami
Harvill Secker
January 1, 2014, ? 88 pages
ISBN-10: 1846559219
ISBN-13: 978-1846559211
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Haruki Murakami

- 2025 / Book Review

Ghachar Ghochar Waited for Me to Grow Up

Disha — 2025-08-17T00:23:41Z

[fond noir][blanc]BOOK REVIEW[/blanc][/fond noir]
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Ghachar Ghochar
by Vivek Shanbhag
HarperCollins Publishers India
2015
124 pages
ISBN-10: ? 9789351776178
ISBN-13: ? 978-9351776178
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Sometimes a story does not unfold for the sake of entertainment or instruction but simply sits in a room, quietly existing, until you are ready to meet it on its own terms. Ghachar Ghochar is not a loud novel, nor is it in a rush to deliver a climax or resolution. It simply waits, almost (…)

- 2025 / Book Review

The Quiet We Do Not See | Disha

Disha — 2025-07-19T10:02:26Z

Every June, the world begins to shimmer with colour. Cities light up in rainbows, brands change their logos, and social media becomes a canvas for queer joy, resistance, and remembrance. Pride Month has arrived, and with it come the parades, the performances, the slogans, and the stories. These expressions are necessary. They have been born from pain, built through protest, and carried forward with courage.
And yet, amid all this visibility, a quieter thought lingers in the back of my (…)

- 2025

The "Ram"ification of Identity Assertion | Disha

Disha — 2025-06-21T16:35:44Z

Abstract
On the roads of India, something quietly profound is unfolding. The rear windows of vehicles

- 2025

What

Disha — 2025-03-22T05:00:53Z

Abstract
This article explores the challenges of living without a surname in a world that expects one. The author, Disha, shares personal experiences of struggling with official documents, online platforms, and academic recognition due to the absence of a last name. While her parents made a conscious decision to avoid caste and religious associations, modern systems remain rigid, demanding both first and last names.
The article also examines the significance of surnames in academia and (…)

- 2025