2026: March-April

Travel During War, A Book Fair, Birthday, Books & Movies

Dear Reader,

If you’re someone new, then thank you for reading! And if you’re someone who’s stayed, then welcome back!

March and April have been a whirlwind! The world hasn’t exactly been the most stable place. With war breaking out between countries, LPG / fuel shortage and economic turmoil, the chaos really seeped into everyone’s lives in some capacity. So, if you remember February’s newsletter, Tulika was shortlisted for the Best Children’s Publishers Of The Year (Asia) Award by Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF). We got an invite to attend and I was all set to go, except, the war broke out and I was supposed to fly via the Middle East. Safe to say there was enough uncertainty and anxiety on whether I would attend or not. Fortunately, the organisers and I managed to find an alternate option about two weeks before the fair! So, yes I did end up going.

Oh! Also, a close friend of mine got married and I attended her wedding which was a lot of fun of course. I got to meet and catch up with friends who I hadn’t seen in a while. Interestingly, I had met some of them for the first time at this really cool creative festival my friend, i.e. the bride co-founded called Comaya. If you’re a creative person looking for an engaging community to be a part of then check their page out.

Fun Fact: I interviewed her on my podcast! You can listen to the episode here.

But yes, coming back to BCBF, it was an overwhelming experience! I was initially glad to just reach Bologna without any hiccups. I felt a lot of fomo throughout the fair because there was so much going on in every possible corner and I sadly didn’t (and still don’t) have the ability to be at multiple places at the same time. I also got to meet so many people! It was nice to finally put faces to some of the partners I collaborate with on behalf of Tulika and just revel in the spirit of storytelling and books. That feeling is what has stayed with me the most – community and passion for stories. Not to forget the immense pride I felt seeing so many Indians participating in different capacities.

This year BCBF had 1,500 exhibitors from over 90 countries. These were some of my key takeaways:

Bologna had a comics corner for the first time featuring publishers from different countries. There seems to be a strong push towards visual storytelling this year especially manga and comics. This is backed further by other book fairs like Frankfurt Buchmmese and London Book Fair increasing their focus in this space.

Audio publishing is growing. Again, evident from the fair’s programming around this which I believe has been the biggest yet!

The conversation on translations has been prevalent over the past few years and the same continues, especially on how to preserve indigenous languages through stories. And yes, there is also increasing discussion on AI usage in this regard.

Speaking of AI, there were multiple conversations around its usage in creation of books and the need for better legislation – something I definitely keep harping about.

Bologna also had a toy section for the first time this year which I think will only grow. This might see a lot of participants from the Nuremberg Toy Fair as well.

Bilingual books seem to be the trend that has begun bubbling. I suspect that this will see a significant rise in the next few years.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) books continue to be the usual suspects of interest in the non-fiction space. But I also sense a rise for books in SHAPE (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) as well.

I also made a quick trip to Trivandrum which was hectic but also fun, given that I used to spend every summer as a child there with my grandparents. Surprisingly (or not) it was much hotter than Chennai! Though Agninakshatram (peak summer period) is around the corner. Got to meet some family and celebrated an uncle’s 90^th birthday! The most surprising that happened was I got to see K.R. Meera in the flesh! For the uninitiated, K.R. Meera is a celebrated writer in Malayalam who has been widely translated. I’ve only read her book Qabar, though I am very keen to pick up Hangwoman. Now, I sadly didn’t get to speak to her but it was still pretty cool to see her in person.

Here are some films that I watched in March and April:

Dhurandhar: The Revenge written and directed by Aditya Dhar

After watching Dhurandhar, it was only evident that I watched the second part. You can read my thoughts on the first movie here. I went for this film in the second week of release. I’ve never seen this kind of frenzy for a Hindi movie in Chennai! Especially, across demographics. So sure enough, the expectations were equally high. Dhurandhar: The Revenge picks up from where the first movie ended - the reveal of Hamza’s real identity of being Jaskirat Singh Rangi (Ranveer Singh). We get a quick flashback of how Jaskirat became a spy. The film then cuts to Lyari after Rahman Dakait’s (Akshaye Khanna’s) death and the chaos that ensues. We see the infamous gang wars play out and how Hamza rises to the top of the food chain. Following, the suit of the first film, the sequel also uses real life events characters to propel the story - the 2014 elections in India, the Pathankot attacks, Demonetisation, and a withering Dawood Ibrahim among others.

Unlike the first film, this one lacked the same precision. Some portions felt rushed, while some of the action sequences were a bit too long especially the gang war section. And yes, this sequel has way more violence than the last film. Somehow, the music didn’t land the same way as the first movie either. There were some great song choices but it wasn’t as impactful as it’s predecessor. Somehow, I felt Dhurandhar should have been a trilogy instead of a duology. I would have loved to know more about Jaskirat’s past, his family, and his training period as a spy. And this would have made a solid second instalment. They could have then wrapped up everything with an ultimate faceoff in a third movie. I also really missed Rahman Dakait’s presence in this part. Though Ranveer Singh was stellar in this movie! That last scene literally broke me. I really enjoyed watching Gaurav Gera and Rakesh Bedi as well. Not to forget a certain new character, Pinda (Udaybir Sandhu) based on real life drug lord Harvinder Singh Sandhu a.k.a. Rinda. Overall, this movie made for a decent watch but made me wish that the world and character arcs were fleshed out some more.

Rental Family written by Hikari & Stephen Blahut and directed by Hikari

I managed to catch this movie on my return flight from Bologna and I’m so glad that I did! The movie follows struggling actor Philip (Brendan Fraser) who has been trying to make it in Japan since a successful toothpaste commercial from several years ago. He keeps doing small parts and keeps auditioning but to no avail. One day, he is approached to attend a funeral as an acquaintance of the deceased. He finds the whole thing absurd and that’s when he talks to the owner of ‘Rental Family’ - a company that provides actors to play stand-in family members and friends for strangers. Initially reluctant, Philip gradually finds himself taking on more jobs as he needs the money. Through him we meet Mia (Shannon Mahina), a young girl for whom he is hired to play her father so as to help her with admissions to a prestigious school. And, we meet Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto) a retired actor with dementia for whom Philip pretends to be a journalist so as to make him feel remembered. I really liked the way this movie talks about human connection, how far people will go to protect them and what constitutes as right or wrong in doing so. Credit to the entire cast for playing their parts so well and my childhood self was very happy to see Brendan Fraser in this story. This movie felt like a warm hug and I know that I’ll definitely keep going back to watch this. You can watch the movie on JioHotstar.

Here are some of the books that I read these past two months:

Ghost-Eye written by Amitav Ghosh and published by 4th Estate

This was a book club pick for March. The first novel I’ve read by Amitav Ghosh and I realised that I have truly been missing out. The story alternates between two timelines – the 1970s and the COVID pandemic - and shifts between Kolkata and New York. The Guptas are distraught as their three-year-old daughter, Varsha suddenly demands to eat fish though they have always been strictly vegetarian. They turn to psychiatrist Dr. Shoma Bose for help. Shoma is convinced that Varsha comes under ‘the reincarnation type’ as she recalls memories and details from a completely different life and community. Varsha is also suspected to possess special powers. Cut to a lockdown imposed world, Shoma’s nephew Dinu is living somewhat peacefully in New York till he gets a call probing him about Shoma and her ‘special cases’ to save the Sunderbans from industrialisation. I found this book intriguing to say the least and I just couldn’t put it down! Amitav Ghosh has this wonderful ability to blend magic realism with real world subjects like environmental conservation and still deliver a strong story you want to invest in as a reader. I salivated at different points in the book as he described various seafood delicacies. This book technically has two endings – one which I completely bought and another one which seemed a bit forced. I think this story would have been perfect without the other conclusion but this is still a gripping read and I’d highly recommend picking it up.

Hooked written by Asako Yuzuki in Japanese, translated to English by Polly Barton and published by 4th Estate

Of course, I was going to read this one, especially after the sensation which was Butter by the same author. Hooked follows the lives of two women - Eriko and Shoko. Eriko has looks, talent, a good job in a seafood trading company and a seemingly perfect life except for one thing: friends. Shoko is a housewife and blogger who posts about being couch potato, her loving husband and eating convenience store food. Eriko is a fan and is convinced that she and Shoko could be friends. A “chance” encounter leads to them having a connection but Eriko’s obsession begins to take over. Unlike Butter, food is more in the background rather than being a main character. Though this did make for a fun read after Ghost-Eye with all the fish analogy and information. More than anything, this story is an observational take on privilege, class, and how women try to make their place in Japanese society. Not to forget a searing commentary on female friendships - a rather cynical one if I might add. Plus, all the characters in this book are crazy in some capacity except for maybe one or two of them. I didn’t find this book as flavourful as Butter but I still couldn’t put it down. Deliciously absurd but could have used more seasoning.

Ram C/O Anandhi written by Akhil P. Dharmajan in Malayalam, translated to English by Haritha C.K. and published by HarperCollins India

The Malayalam edition of this book has been all the rage in Kerala! The author also won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2025 for this. I knew I had to pick up the English edition once it was available. Now, this story is very much commercial fiction. So, if you’re expecting literary prowess then this is not that book. Something the author makes sure to give a disclaimer about in the beginning. We meet Sriram a.k.a. Ram who comes to Chennai from Thrissur to pursue filmmaking and writing. He stays with his brother’s friend and flatmate. Ram enrolls in a film course at an institute where he meets Anandhi who works as a receptionist. Both of them get off to a bad start. Through Ram and Ananadhi we meet other characters who become a central part of their lives and story. Gradually, they warm up to each other and love seems to be in the air until, everyone realises Anandhi has been hiding something. This story starts as a sweet coming of age one about friendship and love but then suddenly shifts genres completely. The English edition is quite basic in terms of language as I previously mentioned but reads like a film script.

Fun Fact: Akhil P. Dharmajan does work in Malayalam movies! He worked on the film 2018 as a script writer along with the director Jude Anthony Joseph. Not surprisingly, he plans to adapt this book for screen and as per media reports, he’s planning to cast Pranav Mohanlal and Sai Pallavi as Ram and Anandhi respectively.

It’s at moments like these I wish I could read Malayalam so as to get a better essence of stories written in the language. But if there’s an audio version somewhere, I might check it out. You could probably even call this book a ‘Chennai Novel’ since different locations and aspects of the city are highlighted throughout. Overall, this is a good pick if you want an easy read with quirky characters and plot twists you don’t see coming.

Strange Buildings written by Uketsu in Japanese, translated to English by Jim Rion and published by Pushkin Vertigo

Yes, I read the third book. For the uninitiated, Strange Buildings is a part of a Japanese mystery series of books written by the phenomenon who is Uketsu. I have linked my reviews for Strange Pictures and Strange Houses, which you can read. Much like Strange Houses, this book also follows a series of mysterious deaths in eleven buildings with intricate floor plans, inviting readers to decode the ultimate mystery. As much as I enjoyed Strange Houses for the novelty and pacing, this one felt jaded. I couldn’t read this in one sitting like the other two books either. There was way too much going on in this one and I wonder if it would have helped if the story only consisted of five to seven buildings as opposed to eleven of them. The repetition of the format from Strange Houses didn’t help either as it felt like the writer was trying to recreate the same effect as the second book. If you haven’t read any of the books in the series, you might like this one. If you’re a fan of the Uketsu series, you might find this one a bit disappointing, or maybe it’s just me. Having said that, I am looking forward to Uketsu’s next which is Strange Maps and hopefully the change of format should help that story.

Brotherless Night written by V.V. Ganeshananthan and published by Penguin

We decided to explore the theme of war at book club in April. Of course, I had to muscle my way and insist this be a book we read! Brotherless Night follows the story of a family in Jaffna and their tryst with the Sri Lankan civil war covering the period from 1981 to 2009. It is told from the perspective of a sixteen-year-old girl, Shashi who dreams of becoming a doctor. She watches her brothers and friend fall prey to the war and separatist movements in different capacities and grapples to retain some semblance of normalcy and hope in her life. We are introduced to different phases of the conflict with government supported soldiers, separatists groups and peace-keeping forces. Now, this is a very heavy book! So, if you’re easily triggered then this isn’t for you. There are subjects of abuse, violence, and death. Ganeshananthan took 18 years to write this and it’s worth every word she has written. Her research and ability not to make this preachy or information heavy is commendable. I love that she places the personal before the political and humanises the entire book while also nudging you to look up facts yourself. Her writing ensures that you are invested in these characters and their lives. If there’s a book from recent times that is worth owning on your bookshelf, it is this one. Do yourself a favour and buy a copy.

Fun Fact: Brotherless Night won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2024!

And that brings us to the end of this edition. A rather long newsletter, I know! Thanks for being patient and I’ll see you in your mailbox next month.

Till then keep living, laughing and learning.

Love & Light,

Sangeetha a.k.a.

The Moody Marshmallow

P.S. – It’s been a mix of music these past two months but some of the songs I’ve enjoyed have been from Dhurandhar: The Revenge namely, Aakhri Ishq and Main Aur Tu. I’ve also had the song, Aizo by the Japanese band King Gnu stuck in my head - if you know you know, and if you don’t, then you’ll find out in next month’s newsletter.