Locana -- The Eye

Yesterday marked the second anniversary of Deesha -- Atanu Dey's blog. Best wishes to Atanu. Lots of blogiversaries recently -- Dilip, Charu, Ramnath, and Kaps. I started counting from mine. (An August bunch as Abi puts it!)

A few months ago, I had a post about Dilip D'Souza's Branded by Law, a thoroughly researched and touching work about India's Denotified and Nomadic Tribes (DNT's). Some recent incidents in Mumbai prompt another compassionate article from Dilip. Check out his column: Those Fellows Again!. Says, Dilip:

There are times when you feel, I've written like this before. And with what I want to write about here, so I have. And yet, it bears repeating. It bears repeating.

Myth of the Melting Pot -- a great article by Sonia Faleiro in Tehelka which questions the dominant stereotypes of immigrant communities in India. Sonia's insightful piece ends thus:

The migrant merry go round continues. Ruthless and unaccepting of some, seamlessly embracing of others. Time will tell whether this two-way association fosters a truly multi-cultural, cosmopolitan society in India. The State must create laws that address the needs of these communities; the host society must question its notion of the ‘other’; and the newly arrived immigrants must twist and turn to align their new physical environment with their cultural personality. Only then will India be a true melting pot.

Another great post from Uma on why she blogs and why one shouldn't take (her) blogging too seriously. My thoughts are very much like Uma's, only that my words wouldn't put the thoughts so charmingly on your screen! Also check out her post on Katrina. (This post also has links to many great pieces written on that topic, including those on Maitri's Vatulblog and Amardeep's post about race and inequities.)

A brilliant post by one of my favourite bloggers:

On the outer fringes of the Great Indian Literary Circuit, very close to the borders of fruity insanity, are gathered the motley hordes of editors, critics, reviewers, book-page journalists, utterly confused TV crews and casteless writers such as myself (No UK publisher? Shame! Genre fiction? You call yourself human?) You shall know us by our glazed expressions and by the vegetarian delicacies we hold suspended on toothpicks near our mouths as we watch, amazed and enthralled, the vicissitudes of the intellectual giants of the literary A-list.

... ... Samit Basu on IWE spats.

And do check out the excellent blog mela hosted by Sunil @ Balancing Life.

Finally: Children..they are beautiful and therefore this blog too..