David Killick

2 months ago | frontline.thehindu.com | Vaishna Roy |Tanuj Solanki |David Killick |R.K. Radhakrishnan

The MadhouseGyan Chaturvedi, translated by Punarvasu JoshiThornbird BooksRs.595The liberalisation of the economy in the 1990s gives context to this allegorical novel where “The Citizen” finds himself trapped in a madhouse, under the unblinking eyes of “The Bazaar”. ___Night in DelhiRanbir SidhuContextRs. 399Mumbai is often presented as a ruthless city ruled by mafias. Delhi, in Ranbir Sidhu’s portrayal, is as dark and cut-throat, with characters floating in a grey, amoral world.

2 months ago | frontline.thehindu.com | Vaishna Roy |Tanuj Solanki |David Killick |R.K. Radhakrishnan

Over the past two decades, the southern tip of the subcontinent has seen some spectacular archaeological breakthroughs. From 2004 on, excavations by the Kerala State Archaeology Department along the coast of central Kerala, in small towns like Pattanam, Paravoor, and Kodungallur—collectively known as the Muziris project—established a flourishing trade link with ancient Rome in the 1st century BCE.

2 months ago | frontline.thehindu.com | David Killick |Vaishna Roy

In late January 2025, I was sent a digital copy of the  monograph Antiquity of Iron: Recent Radiometric Dates from Tamil Nadu by Dr Sharada Srinivasan, and asked to review the claims made therein about the use of iron in Tamil Nadu by 3000 BCE.

2 months ago | frontline.thehindu.com | Surendra Mohanty |Sharada Srinivasan |David Killick |R.K. Radhakrishnan

The gathering darkness of approaching clouds had gripped the sky like some prehistoric monster. Even the usual swarm of stray dogs was missing on the road to the station. Vivid flashes of lightning streaked across the sky like gigantic serpent tongues. Narendra narrowly escaped banging his head against the telegraph pole, having strayed off the road in the dark. “Ohh! Half the distance still to be covered. The rain again, in drops as large as plums,” Narendra thought. His watch showed 12:45.

2 months ago | frontline.thehindu.com | Nirmala Lakshman |Vaishna Roy |Tanuj Solanki |David Killick

Every year, from mid-December to mid-January, the invisible call of “The Season” fills the air around Chennai, inviting multitudes from distant lands. There is an almost imperceptible hum of the Tamil heartbeat written on the wind and in the sand, in poems and on stone walls that speak of a fabled past that finds expression in music and dance at different venues across the city.