In this issue

In this issue, Jerry Pinto ponders over familial bonds and what lies at the heart of the family, while
Jai Arjun Singh, in a deeply personal essay, writes about caring and communicating with an ill mother
he is exceptionally close to. Paro Anand examines the changing nature of the family in the books she
has written for children. Akshai Jain looks at the increasing number of genetics companies in India
and questions the worth of the diagnoses being offered. Mandakini Dubey reflects on the nature of
family ties, particularly hers with her grandmother and children. In her graphic story, Priya Kuriyan
prises open the family closet to let the skeletons tumble out.
Elsewhere, Wendy Doniger revisits the Shakuntala story and scrutinises the role of the lost ring in
myths. In his stark photo essay, Harsha Vadlamani captures the lives of actors waiting for a break in the
Telugu film industry. Anita Roy visits the Lancelot Ribeiro retrospective in London and concludes that
the painter found his distinct voice after casting off the shadow of his celebrated brother FN Souza. In
our Translations section, we have both the old and the new, including poems by 13th-century Marathi
women saint-poets.

the fortune teller

much before iphones and youtube, a gaudy machine on our railway platforms provided entertainment and information. it’s all but gone, but a fortuitous meeting makes pallavi aiyar’s childhood spring to life.

8 mins

Family Lore

We tell stories to make sense of ourselves, writes Jerry Pinto. But our origins, the people closest to us, are mysteries that resist explanation.

10+ mins

Through the Looking-Glass

And what children find there. Paro Anand reflects on the ugly families of children’s fiction and why it’s important that they be portrayed.

8 mins

The Unfinished Book of Family

Every family is a novel in the making: a ready cast of characters, tales of heroism and farce, an easy organic structure. But though in the beginning there may have been the Word, the end will always be elusive.

8 mins

Read all stories from The Indian Quarterly

The Indian Quarterly Magazine Description:

The Indian Quarterly (IQ) is a national and international magazine. We hope that just as The New Yorker exhibits a distinctly Manhattan sensibility and always contains articles about New York City, IQ will manifest the fact that it is edited and published in Mumbai through its cosmopolitan and open-minded perspective on the world and on India.

In fact, we hope to provide a unique way of interpreting our ever changing culture, and to define our own experiences through the strength of thought, ideas and imagery, be it in the form of fact, fiction, poetry, illustration or photography. IQ is therefore a paean to the polyphonic nature of reflection and the creativity that is its outcome.