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!

In Delhi, Samit Basu, writer, columnist and favourite blogger of the Indian blogworld, writes about IWE (Indian Writing in English) spats and how they tend to come up for discussion every now and then. And how, when the dust has settled, it might be better to get back to writing some good books. Meanwhile, at Sepia Mutiny, Manish prepares us for a different match - the Sania Mirza -Maria Sharapova face-off. For spunky Mirza, it was one of the biggest matches of her career. As Manish points out, she lost 6-2, 6-1, in 59 minutes, but we love Sania for trying, and getting so far - and we know she's going places!

Blogging from the road, Dilip D'Souza remembers New Orleans, Mardi Gras, and Preservation Hall and that mood, all its own. Zigzackly writes on being really poor. Locana points to all the blog anniversaries that Indian bloggers are marking this month. These include two years of Deeshaa and one year of Jabberwock. Amit Varma remarks that children are naturally more likely to be nervous about exams, which they see every few months, than about natural disasters. Speaking of children, Nancy Gandhi remembers sweet cigarettes and brings back a whole wave of nostalgia for me. Pets are part of family, too, and at Animal Rights India, Hurree blogs about animals and other family.

In Dhaka, Rezwan reflects on Katrina and Bangladesh. In Sri Lanka, Morquendi of Nittewa muses on the journey from Buddhaputra to Bhoomiputra, and critiques what he calls Sri Lankan Buddhism. In Nepal, Samudaya introduces Creative Dissent Nepal, towards supporting democratic ideals through non-violent activism. And finally, MsWorld, Diva Chinita, is on her way to someplace near us. Look at the places she has travelled to in one month: Osaka, Japan; Hong Kong; Bangkok, Thailand; Ventiane, Laos; Luang Prabang, Laos; Chiang Khong, Thailand; Chiang Mai, Thailand; Poipet, Cambodia; Phnon Penh, Cambodia. By plane and bus and slow boat. Where will the headliner on the Black Girls Rule World Tour hit next? Well, I've invited her to Mumbai, and she's promised to come here!