The very fact that no BJP leader, including the Spinner of Lies himself, remember that today is the anniversary of demonetisation, shows you what a disaster it actually was…otherwise you know who would have been tom tomming it!

Not a single green zone in whole of India (some north east pockets if you zoom in). I checked the breakdown, most places it is PM2.5 and not any harmful gasses (N2O, SO2) that's increasing the total score. Needs some tight national level dust control enforcement on

SCAMLANDS is now available in major Indian bookshops and on Amazon. Loving the photos of the book reaching homes, finding a place on bookshelves, lounging on dining tables. Keep them coming!

____ भोज्यम्

Journalist: You've said that Russia should repay for reconstruction of Ukraine. Do you believe Israel should repay for reconstruction of Gaza? EU chief spox: It’s an interesting question, on which I have no comment at this stage.

‘The Many Lives of SyedaX’ shortlisted for 2025 Moore Prize for books dedicated to human rights. CG Moore Foundation

It feels like a punishment to live in Delhi NCR, with the government normalizing hazardous air, as if everything is ‘changa si’. It pains to see the Supreme Court of India not realizing the urgency of the matter, and postponing the hearing under some pretext or the other. We are

Recently heard first-book writers talk of publishers ghosting them. Saying yes and not sending the contract. Overshooting deadlines by weeks w/o communication. Please don’t do this. This sort of thing is soul-crushing. You’re jaded, I know; but you’re EVERYTHING for the writer.

All.

I need to know how “putting in one’s papers” came to mean resigning from a job? The first time I heard “Usne paper daal diye” at my workplace in Express Towers, Mumbai, my response was “Kahan?” and I think it was a legit response.

‘Listening to them gave me a new understanding of their works and of fiction in general. Or of fiction in India. Or of the art of fiction in 2020. Well, something like that. The word appropriation began to ring in my head.’ Fiction by Tanuj Solanki. granta.com/appropriation/

Brilliant story! Congratulations, Tanuj Solanki Do give it a read, folks. granta.com/appropriation/

Imaginatively conceptualized, Tanuj. The swerves of pov are immersive. Enjoyed reading.

Outstanding writing!

Citizen Under Siege: Essays (2014-2025) - by GN Devy A little jealous of Westland Books for the commission/acquisition. An essential read:

My friends and relatives in UP don’t use air purifiers because they don’t have headlines telling them the AQI. There are perhaps more air pollution monitors in Delhi than in all of UP, a state with 10-12 times the population.

Really scary rupee fall (against dollar) yesterday coincided with my IG feed repeatedly showing me Naresh Saxena reading his poem गिरना (Falling).

‘Weren’t Jyoti’s long run-on sentences also a way to show off, an exercise in breathlessness and nothing else?’ Fiction by Tanuj Solanki. granta.com/appropriation/