18 01, 2025

The Water of Life: Bill Nighy, Victor Glynn and I

By |January 18th, 2025|Categories: Ashoka, Buddhism, Events, India, Kennington, Kenya, Lost History, Mixed relationships, Nalanda, Novels and short stories, Oxford, Oxford Castaways, The Bodleian library, The Stars ArtMovement|0 Comments

The Water of Life: Bill Nighy, Victor Glynn and I   Do you find that life is like water –rivers flowing alongside crossing, meeting and blending? Thursday was like that for me. The film producer Victor Glynn suggested I be

27 12, 2024

What have Michael Rosen, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Professor Irene Tracey, Korky Paul, Paterson Joseph and me in common?

By |December 27th, 2024|Categories: Ashoka, Buddhism, Events, India, Kennington, Kenya, Mixed relationships, Nalanda, Novels and short stories, Oxford, Oxford Castaways, The Bodleian library, The Oxford Times, The Stars ArtMovement|0 Comments

I love the Today programme during the Christmas period, when it has guest editors. Their choice of in depth subject matter is inspirational. First off was author and screenwriter, Frank Cottrell Boyce, on a subject dear to my heart -

18 06, 2024

Speaking Truth to Power is still Perilous.

By |June 18th, 2024|Categories: Biography, China, Art & History, History, India, Kenya, Madras Courier, Novels and short stories|0 Comments

https://madrascourier.com/opinion/writing-the-womans-life The online Indian newspaper, The Madras Courier has published an essay by Lupamudra Banerjee. It is a powerful and deeply personal invocation of women writers who wanted to break the chains. The timing of this feature is inspired by

28 02, 2023

I have been given a new label. It seems that I am a ‘Roundhead’ according to (Lord) Jonathan Sumption.

By |February 28th, 2023|Categories: Ashoka, China, Art & History, India, Kenya, Lost History, Oxford|0 Comments

Yesterday I attended the Pharos lecture at the Sheldonian theatre.  (Lord) Jonathan Sumption talked on the subject ‘The New Roundheads: Politics and the Misuse of History.’ At the end of his eloquent address, I knew that the label ‘roundhead’ applies

4 05, 2022

No to culture wars, anti -woke and cancel culture. Yes to telling  the WHOLE story. That way lies understanding and  a sense of belonging.

By |May 4th, 2022|Categories: China, Art & History, History, India, Kenya, Lost History, Mixed relationships|0 Comments

Shakespeare and Donne created thousands of words between them - its a British trait that we can be proud of. Let's find new words for our time . This government’s war on woke includes opposing the ‘decolonisation’ of museums, history