Apu of A Wind-up Bird Chronicle reflects on early feminist writing from the subcontinent. In the fiftieth year of Nabokov's Lolita, here's Hurree Babu of Kitabkhana imagining an aging Humbert and an aging Lolita. Mumbai's J.Alfred Prufrock (yes, we have not one but TWO Prufrocks in India) of Prufrock's Page finds the spirit of T. S.Eliot entering Salman Rushdie in Shalimar the Clown:

Well, if Shalimar won't leave you alone, there it is, I said.
What you get reviewed for if you don't want to be profiled?
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME FOR THE SHORTLIST
Well, that Sunday Boonyi Kaul was on the hill, she had a hot lunch,
And she asked me to write it down, to get the beauty of it hot–
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME FOR THE SHORTLIST
HURRY UP PLEASE IT'S TIME FOR THE SHORTLIST
Goonight Julian. Goonight Zadie. Goonight Kazuo. Goonight.
Ta ta. Goonight. Goonight.
Good night, awards jury, good night, sweet jury, good night, good night.

Please read the whole thing, it's delicious.

Jai of Jabberwock watches Herzog's The White Diamond in Delhi's plush PVR. Neha of Within / Without watches Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and remembers her college days, days of a thousand desires and one fist-sized heart. George Thomas of Beware of the Blog listens to an interview with Tanushree Dutta. He discovers tired questions and interesting replies. Megha of A Walk in the Clouds listens to R.D.Burman songs in Samadhi, shuddering at the sound of Lata's giggle and the sight of Asha Parekh being coy. Writer Jaideep Varma of Jebbit has a new music blog in which he brings together his earlier print columns.

Sunil Laxman of Balancing Life posts about memories of South India, with its sweet waters, cascading rivers and delicious godumai halwa. Ludwig of Ships, Shoes, Sealing Wax has a few interesting questions for the economists. Anand of Locana remembers mathematician Serge Lang. Roshan at Organised Nomad asks whether, in an ideal world, teachers shouldn't be paid more than investment bankers. Kaps of Sambhar Mafia is not happy with the Tamizh Murasu newspaper. Emma of Der Sturm in Meinem Kopf watches Ganesh immersions. Writer/columnist Dilip D'Souza of Death Ends Fun is still on the road, looking at road signs, and finds that

Thalassery is home to the “Regional College Spoken English”, where you can “Speak The Western Way.”

Leela of Absolutelee goes to Dubai Rain 2005 and thinks of home:

Memories of enjoyable rainy days flooded the mind. Hair got plastered, water dripped down one's chin, clothes got heavy, home felt a little closer.

Sonia Faleiro of Colour of Water writes about bargirl suicides. Vikrum Sequeira of Vislumbres wonders about the gender apartheid he sees at a waterfall in South India. Jasmeen Patheja of Blank Noise Project has a post on street sexual harassment: What would you do if you were assaulted on the street?

Oh, and finally, Amit Varma of India Uncut hosts a great blogmela!