deepanjana
deepanjana
author & journalist
 
 

Hello hello!

this the online home of author and journalist
Deepanjana Pal

 
 
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Blog
Cutty Sark: #MeToo in India
Cutty Sark: #MeToo in India

Turns out, this column is as relevant now as it was when I wrote it, almost two weeks ago.

Cold Press
Cold Press

Gone are the days when newspaper vendors gave you newspapers hot off the press.

Cutty Snark: #BelieveWomen
Cutty Snark: #BelieveWomen

It took two women corroborating Tanushree Dutta’s allegations for everyone to believe her. Until that happened, Dutta was on her own.

Of Nagas and Nagini
Of Nagas and Nagini

Since JK Rowling has got all of us talking about snake-people…

Cutty Snark: Manto and other ramblings
Cutty Snark: Manto and other ramblings

He died 63 years ago, but Saadat Hasan Manto’s words can still give you goosebumps

Cutty Snark: Manmarziyan and Amrita Pritam
Cutty Snark: Manmarziyan and Amrita Pritam

On Manmarziyan, Amrita Pritam and Amrita Pritam.

Beware of Word Salad
Beware of Word Salad

Nothing good ever came of salad, even word salad. Caution: a feminist was harmed in the reading of this.

Say a prayer
Say a prayer

Members of an NGO named Save the Indian Family performed last rites for “marital relations” and feminism. Aum swaha

VS Naipaul: August 17, 1932 - August 12, 2018
VS Naipaul: August 17, 1932 - August 12, 2018

Usually, RIP trips off the tongue when someone passes away, but I don’t want Sir Vidia to rest in peace.

Verbal Privilege
Verbal Privilege

“Poet, sister: words —
whether we like it or not —
stand in a time of their own.”

 

snapshots

Last night.
My last shot of the Sind. #MissingKashmir #Sonamarg
On our last night at Villa Himalaya, there was a bonfire. Next morning, woke up to find the peaks outside the window dusted with fresh snow, and clouds that looked like the evergreens had breathed out puffs of cold air. #MissingKashmir #LadiesSpecialinKashmir
And yes, we did sing songs from The Sound of Music. Loudly. #SorryNotSorry #Thajiwas #MissingKashmir #LadiesSpecialinKashmir
Of course I was the one lagging miles behind my companions, but that’s not only because I’m #allfatnomuscle. I kept stopping to stare and stare at these mighty mountains. You stand there, surrounded by these immense majesties, and all the soldiers/ police and army/CRPF machinery that you’ve left behind at lower levels feel irrelevant. Those humans did nothing to make me feel safe, but these mountains... When they’re all around you — craggy, powerful, glorious — you feel so intensely protected and safe. #Thajiwas #Himalayas #MissingKashmir #LadiesSpecialinKashmir
Taxis used to be allowed till a certain point, but the court has banned them to reduce pollution. This means you can either take a horse (really not necessary) or you can walk to the foot of the mountain. It’s a very well-laid out path that feels mostly flat and especially if you’re an urban animal like me, there’s something really powerful about feeling the terrain under each step. Plus, it really makes you feel like you’ve earned that Maggi (because who doesn’t want Maggi with Kashmiri mirch at approx 9,000 ft above sea level?). #Thajiwas #Maggi #MissingKashmir #LadiesSpecialinKashmir
Our epic walk to the non-glacier part of Thajiwas Glacier. Still not entirely sure how this managed to be so much fun for a small unfit blob like myself, but it was one of the best days of our Kashmir trip. #MissingKashmir #Thajiwas #LadiesSpecialinKashmir
Nunchai! And tsot. So much deliciousness. Each morning, raised my cup to the lovely @imsabbah whose nunchai pictures have long made me crave this pink tea that is basically a warm hug in a teacup. #MissingKashmir #LadiesSpecialinKashmir
 

short stories

"The satiny material of her burkha shone where it caught the sunlight. It stretched, dipped, billowed and moulded against her body because of the wind. The magnifying glass inched down her form, past the arc of her covered head, along the fluid lines of wind-puffed material. Hadpude didn’t blink. He just looked. His eyes travelled from head to toe, from photo to photo."

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