1. He’s ALIVE! Yes, we knew Jon Snow was too important a character to be killed by worthless little things like Olly, and with so much of his storyline still under layers of mystery. And we were right. The red priestess managed to bring the curly haired Lord Commander Snow back from the dead, after insisting for almost an hour that she couldn’t do it. Rather like that student who says they haven’t studied at all… and then ends up scoring an A! Well played, Red, well played.

2. Sansa escapes to freedom. Having leaped to freedom over the Winterfell battlements with Theon/Reek (Alfie Allen, still doing the best disembodied stare on television) she finally recognised her error in not going with Brienne earlier (and choosing to stick with the icky Lord Petyr Baelish. When the fugitive pair were rescued by Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) and Podrick, Sansa immediately agreed to take Lady Tarth on as personal protector. Clever that, given Ramsay – a raving nutter in the kindest of circumstances – was epically ticked off at her escape.

3. Dany was reunited with the Dothraki (not such a thrilling situation for her, but totally awesome because now at least she’ll be interesting!). As widow of the great Khal Drogo, Daenerys (Emilia Clark) had leaped to the entirely reasonable assumption that the Dothraki would be respectful towards her. Unfortunately, tradition decreed that, upon the death of their husbands, bereaved Khaleesi were required to live out their days in pious servitude in the horse barbarian capital Vaes Dothrak. It was an interesting tit-bit Drogo had neglected to mention back when he was suffering an excruciating death in series one.

4. Ramsay congratulated his father on becoming a dad by knifing him to death. Just as we’d begun to suspect Game of Thrones had calmed down and given up trying to trump its greatest hits came this: Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) calmly knifing dad/political rival Roose (Michael McElhatton) was a genuine shock considering GoT typically waits until the latter half of a season before killing off major characters. But let’s admit it, none of us were sad to see Roose Bolton kick the bucket. What followed, however, teetered on unwatchable as Ramsay cradled the mewling half-brother whose birth had driven him to patricide and then literally unleashed the hounds upon infant and mother. “I prefer being an only child,” said Ramsay, as the dogs did their dirty work and his position at the head of House Bolton was bloodily secured.

5. Hodor is not just a sweet Westerosi Groot with no storyline! Hurrah for Bran’s trade-mark waking dreams, which helped get his story on track once more and will have reminded viewers why he is such a vital part of the grand tapestry. In this swords and sorcery tale, most of the “sorcery” has flowed from the Stark prince. A frisson of the otherworldly is restored now he’s in the frame again.  The latest visitation flash-backed to Winterfell and the boyhood of Bran’s father, Ned. It was sweet and surprising to peel the decades away and witness Ned and Benjen Stark banter with their sister Lyanna, who, in adulthood, would single-handedly change the fate of the Seven Kingdoms. But most shocking was the appearance of a young Hodor : his real name, we learned, was Willis and he could speak and wield a sword. What had happened to him? Just when you imagined Game of Thrones had run out of mysteries to weave, here was a new one.

6. Tyrion made new fire-breathing friends. What fun it was seeing Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) up against foes he couldn’t seduce with gilded small talk. Instead, the two dragons rotting in the Meereen dungeons were won over by his gentleness as he unshackled their chains. In an utterly riveting scene, Tyrion comes within barbecue distance of Dany’s babies – creatures he’s long been fascinated with. We are so sure this is important to his eventual storyline.

7. Gregore Clegane is back to crushing skulls. He has been resurrected as Ser Robert Strong and is proving just the help around the house Cersei (Lena Headey) could have done with circa her Shamewalk. He is steadfastly loyal, inhumanly strong and would probably laugh at her jokes if a) he possessed a functioning voice box and b) Cersei possessed a functioning sense of humour. He demonstrated his murderous devotion by tracking down the public exhibitionist who had waggled his man-bits at Cersei during her penitential ambling through King’s Landing, mulching the oik’s head against a wall. Ser Killbot is surely just getting started.

8. We’re finally at the Tower of Joy! Peeking over the shoulder of Timelord Bran, we whooshed back to young Ned Stark and the Tower of Joy. This location gets a lot of flashback attention in the books, but it hasn’t really been mentioned in the TV show until now. It’s a tower in Dorne, the sandy homeland of the Martel family and the weapon-wielding Sandsnakes. In a similar flashback in the books, the captive within was revealed to be Ned’s sister Lyanna. George RR Martin describes events that occurred long before series one of the TV series begins, in which Lyanna had been captured by Rhaegar Targaryen, elder brother of Daenerys and son of the Mad King Aerys. This was the catalyst for Robert Baratheon’s rebellion, as he was betrothed to Lyanna. Many avid GoT followers believed the Tower of Joy would solve the mystery of Jon Snow’s parentage. There is a common theory (known to show nerds as R+L=J) which holds that when Rhaegar kidnapped the beautiful Lyanna, he also raped her, and Jon Snow was the product of that union. In order to protect his nephew, Ned Stark supposedly claimed Jon as his own bastard son. This theory is yet to be proved or disproved.

9. Rickon is back. The missing-presumed-forgotten Stark princeling made a shock return. Alas, he can’t have been very pleased to be in the frame again as he was gifted to the Boltons (well, Ramsay and his dogs) as a gesture of fealty by oikish House Umber. Ignored for three seasons, now a humiliated bargaining chip. Even in obscurity, the Starks can’t catch a break. Or can they? A lot of fans reckon that Rickon, Osha (his trusty wildling companion) and House Umber are all in cahoots. While Smalljon Umber claims his father has died, it is possible that fierce warrior Greatjon Umber –  a loyal vassal of Robb Stark’s – is still kicking about. If so, maybe he’s readying a Northern army to storm Winterfell, and Rickon is just a distraction to lull Ramsay into a false sense of security. Bran trusted Greatjon enough to send Rickon there for safe keeping once he went north of the Wall, and we’d like to think Bran put his trust in the right place.

10. The Lannister twins-with-benefits are finally ready to met out red hot revenge. They have teamed up with the Tyrells in order to take back King’s Landing from the grimy clutches of the High Sparrow and his annoying Faith Militant.

11. Sansa and Jon reunite! Stark siblings ever crossing paths with each other seemed the least likely thing to happen on Game of Thrones. But it did happen, and it was perfect!This story has sprawled so prodigiously, there is a visceral thrill that comes from seeing disparate pieces connect, especially pieces of the tortured family that represents whatever good is left in the world. Sansa and Jon, who grew up together even though they were never close as brother and sister but have been through A LOT since, just look at each other for a whole minute, not daring to believe it’s really the other. The hug between them brought us close to tears, in fact, making us wish for more Starks to start turning up. Jon is given an apology followed by pep talk by Sansa, about how they need to take back Winterfell from Ramsay. For the rest of the series, they need to stick together.

12.  Danaerys barbecued khals. The Dothraki hut went up like a haystack soaked in kerosene, taking the potty-mouthed khals with it and allowing the unburnt dragon mother to emerge from the flames. As Dothraki-cowing parlor tricks go, it’s a good one, which we already know because we saw her do roughly the same thing with Khal Drogo’s funeral pyre in Season 1. She has conquered cities. She has made mistakes. She has been underestimated and has learned the value of allowing herself to be underestimated. She has acquired the support of the Unsullied and of the oppressed of Slavers Bay, even if Tyrion threatens to undo much of that support. And not for nothing, but the baby dragons who emerged from that pyre are now, you know, actual giant fire-breathing dragons. Then there was the symbolism of the thing. The khals collectively represent a distilled, pure-grade dose of the savage aggression that has torn this world apart — they promised an almost cartoonish level of rape and cruelty and ended up as ash, showing in the process the ultimate fecklessness of bluster, dumb strength and braggadocio in the face of true transcendent power. The kind Dany represented in the early days of this story but is only now beginning to embody. Something tells us things are going to go better for her this time.

Have we missed out on something? Let us know in the comments section below!

1. The White House, Washington DC, USA – Perhaps the world’s most famous residence, the home and office of the President of the United States, since 1800, when John Adams first moved into the house. With the vast amount of history and historical figures that have graced its rooms, it’s very little wonder that the White House has more than a tale or two of hauntings. In fact, it’s considered to be one of the most haunted houses in the whole of the United States.

Past presidents, their families, and foreign dignitaries have all attested to the paranormal goings on at the White House. On one particular visit, the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, was staying in the Lincoln Bedroom. He had just finished bathing and walked back into the suite where he saw Lincoln standing by the fireplace. He refused to sleep in that room again after that. Other people that have said they have seen the ghost of Abraham Lincoln include presidents Teddy Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, and Dwight Eisenhower; First Ladies Jackie Kennedy and Ladybird Johnson; and presidential children Susan Ford and Maureen Reagan. Maureen and her husband both witnessed Lincoln standing by the same fireplace where Churchill had once seen him.

Various other spectres have also been seen, including past employees, Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Tyler; First Lady Dolley Madison; a British soldier; and Anne Surratt. Sudden cold spots, disembodied footsteps, voices, knocks, and screams have also been reported at the seemingly very haunted 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

2. The Old Changi Hospital, Singapore – Old Changi Hospital is a former hospital in Changi, Singapore. It was built back in 1935 as part of the old Changi military base. During the occupation of the Japanese the compound was used by the notorious Kempeitai (the Japenese Secret Police) as a prison and torture camp. After the end of World War II, the building was again a hospital, and remained so until 1997, when it was replaced by the Changi General Hospital. It has stood derelict and decaying ever since.

The building is now haunted by its past, with Japanese soldiers, people that were executed, and the patients that died here. Apparitions of an old man has been seen walking down the corridors, and a woman has been seen walking through the rooms. The spirits of children are known to haunt the old children’s ward, and the ghosts of bloodied Japanese soldiers have been seen also. Loud bangs and unexplained screams are also a common occurrence.

3. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland – The site on which Edinburgh Castle sits has history dating back to the Iron Age. Situated overlooking what many people believe to be the most haunted city on Earth, Edinburgh Castle has been the site of torture and many bloody battles during its time. It was also where majority of Harry Potter was shot.

Visitors and staff of this now tourist destination, have experienced many things over the years. The most common is the feeling of being touched and pulled, as well as the sighting of apparitions. Spirits that have been witnessed include an old man wearing an apron, a headless drummer boy, and a piper who mysteriously lost his life after getting lost in the tunnels below the castle.

Other experiences include shadowy figures, strange lights, sudden drops in temperature, unexplained mists, strange sounds, the feeling of being watched, and sudden intense feelings of dread, sadness, and despair.

Or maybe it’s just the presence of Dementors left behind by the Warner Bros. crew!

4. Island of the Dolls, Xochimilco, Mexico – Located on Lake Teshuilo in Xochimilco near Mexico City, the island La Isla de la Munecas (The Island of the Dolls) is certainly one of the strangest haunted locations in our list. In the 1950’s, a man named Julian Santan Barrera moved to the island.

Julian was unaware of the dark history of the area when he moved there to become a recluse. Legend says that three young girls were playing near the water in the 1920’s, when one of the girls fell in and drowned in the murky waters. Locals believed that ever since her death, the young girl’s spirit has been unable to leave the island. It soon grew quite a reputation as a haunted place, and locals wouldn’t go near it at night for fear of what they might see.

Julian claimed that as soon as he moved to the island, a little girl began speaking to him. The girl told Julian how she had died, and that she was trapped on the island. He began to get dolls for this little girl, often selling off fruit and vegetables that he had grown on the island, so that he could buy dolls for her to play with.

Julian later told his nephew that it was becoming more difficult to appease the girl’s thirst for these dolls, with him seemingly worried that she wanted him to join her in her watery grave. The same day he had this discussion, the nephew found his uncle face down in the canal. His body was in the same spot where the little girl had apparently drowned seventy years before.

Today, tourists to the island often speak of the doll’s eyes following them. Others have also reported that the mutilated dolls whisper to them, especially at night. Julian’s ghost is also said to remain on the island, as well as the young girl.

5. Poveglia Island, Italy – In the Venice Lagoon between Venice and Lido, sits the small island of Poveglia. Inhabited since 421, when mainlanders fled to seek refuge from the invaders, Poveglia’s population began to dwindle centuries later, and by the 14th century the island was completely abandoned. As with many small islands in Europe during the Bubonic Plague outbreak in the 14th century, the island became a quarantine colony. Many Venetians were sent here to die, their dead infected bodies being burned on giant pyres. This was also the case in 1630, when the Black Death swept through Venice.

The site was apparently used to as a mental asylum during the 1800’s, however many sources state that this simply is not the case. Stories persist though of ill treatment, and experimental procedures being carried out in building. During 1930 a doctor is believed to have committed suicide, jumping to his death from the bell tower.  From the mid-20th century up until 1975 when it was closed, Poveglia hospital was used as geriatric centre.

Today the whole island is abandoned, and it’s believed that many locals dare not step foot on the island for fear of being cursed. Fisherman also refuse to fish in the area for fear of dragging up human remains.

6. The Queen Mary Hotel, California, US – Once a transatlantic ocean liner and now a permanently moored hotel in California, the Queen Mary has been touted as one of the country’s most haunted hotels, and taking into account its bevy of ghosts, it’s not hard to see why.  Two different women drowned in the ship’s first class pool, and now their ghosts are often seen there.  Various apparitions have been seen throughout the bar and lounge areas, most in period dress.  One particular room, B340, displayed a great deal of activity, but is now no longer available.  Coincidence? We think not.

7. Château de Brissac, Maine-et-Loire, France – Originally built in the 11th century as a castle by the Counts of Anjou, Château de Brissac was rebuilt in 1502, by Charles II, Duke of Brissac, who gave it its name. This noble castle is the tallest in France, and it exudes old world charm, but one of its past residents has shocked more than one visitor.

A double murder that occurred sometime in the 15th century within the walls of the castle, has resulted in one of the more popular ghosts of the Château de Brissac, that of the la Dame Verte, or “Green Lady”. The current residents (the current Duke of Brissac and his family) have become accustomed to her roaming the rooms, but she has scared many a guest. She is often seen in the tower room of the chapel, wearing her green dress. What’s most terrifying however, is her face. If she looks at you, you’ll see that her face has gaping holes were her eyes and nose should be, resembling what a corpse would look like. As well as her sighting, her moans are also often heard throughout the castle in the early hours.

8. Ancient Ram Inn, Gloucestershire, England – Built in 1145, the Ancient Ram Inn is believed to be the most haunted house in the entire British Isles, and perhaps the most haunted house in the world. The tales of child sacrifices, devil worship, and evil spirits are believed to be behind the terrifying happenings in this building. The Inn was built on the intersection of 2 ley lines, what many people believe is a conductor for spiritual activity. In addition, an ancient Pagan burial ground is said to have resided in the property over 5,000 years ago.

During its time as a bed and breakfast, people would often flee in the middle of the night, often seeing full bodied apparitions in their rooms, the feeling of being touched/pulled, disembodied voices, and the just the general feeling of evil.

John, the current owner and resident of the Ram Inn, has reported that on his first night in the house in 1968, he felt a presence grab his arm, before being dragged out of bed and across the room! John has since found evidence of devil worship and ritual sacrifice. He found two child skeletons underneath the staircase, as well as broken daggers. He continues to experience the hauntings and the attacks to this day.

9. Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania, US – Built in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary is a former prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s known for being the very first prison of its kind to introduce solitary confinement, or what they used to call, the Pennsylvania System. Prisoners were sent to solitary during this time as a form of rehabilitation. They would be completely isolated, living alone, eating alone, and even exercising alone in their own individual yards. Whenever an inmate left his cell, a black hood would be placed over his head to assure he remained in confinement.

Due to Eastern States’ harsh approach, many prisoners were drove to insanity, and as a result the Pennsylvania System was scrapped in 1913. From then until 1970 it was used as a regular prison, and held the likes of Al Capone and the bank robber, Willie Sutton.

Reports of the paranormal have been going on since the 1940’s, but ever since the stone prison was abandoned in 1971, paranormal experiences have seemingly increased.

10. Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan, India – Built in the early 1600s by King Sawai Madho Singh, this fort protected a small city of roughly 10,000 people and included a royal palace.  According to legend, a sorcerer fell in love with the King’s daughter and in the process of trying to seduce her, he died, cursing the town to be destroyed.  Shortly thereafter, an invading army destroyed the fort and killed virtually everyone who lived there.  Locals refuse to live anywhere near the ruins, and have ensured that it’s closed after dark due to the presence of various ghosts that have been reported roaming through the complex.  There have been cases where people have been at the fort at night, only to turn up dead in the morning.

11. Paris Catacombs, France – Containing the bones of thousands of people, these catacombs were never really meant to house human remains.  Due to overcrowded cemetery conditions in the 18^th century, many remains were relocated to the spider-webbing tunnels beneath the city.  While the bones are laid out in artful arrangements, stories of discontented spirits abound.  Many people have reported seeing apparitions as well as being touched or shoved, and that some people have disappeared within the catacombs altogether.

Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below!

With a lackluster Golden Globes and a scandal-ridden Oscars, perhaps the one thing that tied the string of seemingly never-ending awards ceremonies for TV, music and movies was the red carpet fashion.

Between the glitzy Golden Globes, toned-down Critics’ Choice and SAG Awards, wild Grammys and glamorous Oscars, both lust-worthy styles and bizarre looks kept the fashion police busy. Read on to find out which celebs dazzled at the Oscars Red Carpet this year!

Cate Blanchett in Armani. Scientists have proven it is impossible to look at this dress and not gasp and then remain speechless for at least 10 seconds. We were pretty stumped for words while we soaked in the utter beauty of it.

Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell. For Gaga, this is a positively demure look. We think of this, in a way, like a Gaga-fied version of the Gwyneth Paltrow Tom Ford cape look from Oscars 2012 (which is a high compliment, of course).

Saoirse Ronan in Calvin Klein. Too glamorous for words.

Alicia Vikander in Louis Vuitton. Alicia Vikander — who has been the style icon of the season — surprised slightly with this yellow Louis Vuitton look. We’re not sure what exactly those — we’ll call them “sparkly caterpillars” — are on her dress, but she can do no wrong in our book. (We are slightly disappointed though she didn’t use the occasion to walk down the red carpet with boyfriend and fellow nominee Michael Fassbender.)

Charlize Theron in Dior. The Mad Max star was truly statuesque in a plunging red Christian Dior gown accessorized with a perfectly-placed diamond pendant.

Margot Robbie in Tom Ford. In a quite literal interpretation of Oscar, the blonde bombshell was a total knockout in plunging Tom Ford and Forevermark Diamonds.

Jennifer Lawrence in Dior. Lingerie-inspired Christian Dior had the Joy star winning for sultriest look of the night (and best blonde bob).

Olivia Munn in Stella McCartney. When flattery and form merge, a red carpet look lasts. Such is this apple red, one-shouldered Stella McCartney dress worn on the beautiful Olivia Munn, paired with Forevermark Diamonds. Minimalistic dressing at its absolute best.

Brie Larson in Gucci. The Best Actress nominee stepped onto the most important red carpet of her career thus far in a bold lapis blue custom Gucci by Alessandro Michele dress and waist-defining statement belt. Fashion star in the making, indeed.

Rooney Mara in Givenchy. Excuse us, we will be devoting the rest of our life to starting a religion around the cut-out in Rooney Mara’s dress.

Whose red carpet style took your breath away? Tell us in the comments below!

1. The Lazarus Project by Aleksander Hemon – On March 2, 1908, nineteen-year-old Lazarus Averbuch, an Eastern European Jewish immigrant, was shot to death on the doorstep of the Chicago chief of police and cast as a would-be anarchist assassin.
A century later, a young Eastern European writer in Chicago named Brik becomes obsessed with Lazarus’s story. Brik enlists his friend Rora — a war photographer from Sarajevo — to join him in retracing Averbuch’s path.
Through a history of pogroms and poverty, and a prism of a present-day landscape of cheap mafiosi and even cheaper prostitutes, the stories of Averbuch and Brik become inextricably intertwined, creating a truly original, provocative, and entertaining novel that confirms Aleksandar Hemon as one of the most dynamic and essential literary voices of our time.

2. Corduroy Mansions series by Alexander McCall Smith – Corduroy Mansions is the affectionate nickname given to a genteel, crumbling mansion block in London’s vibrant Pimlico neighborhood and the home turf of a captivating collection of quirky and altogether McCall-Smithian characters. There’s the middle-aged wine merchant William, who is trying to convince his reluctant twenty-four-year-old son, Eddie, to leave the nest; and Marcia, the boutique caterer who has her sights set on William. There’s also the (justifiably) much-loathed Member of Parliament Oedipus Snark; his mother, Berthea, who’s writing his biography and hating every minute of it; and his long-suffering girlfriend, Barbara, a literary agent who would like to be his wife (but, then, she’d like to be almost anyone’s wife). There’s the vitamin evangelist, the psychoanalyst, the art student with a puzzling boyfriend and Freddie de la Hay, the Pimlico terrier who insists on wearing a seat belt and is almost certainly the only avowed vegetarian canine in London. Filled with the ins and outs of neighborliness in all its unexpected variations, Corduroy Mansions showcases the life, laughter and humanity that have become the hallmarks of Alexander McCall Smith’s work.

3.  Me Laxmi, Me Hijra – Flamboyant transgender rights activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi is proud of her sexuality and claims to be “a woman who can put all other women to shame.” “Me Hijra Me Laxmi,” the new English translation of her autobiography, written by R. Raj Rao, launched at the New Delhi World Book Fair was one book she says she never imagined writing. The book is already in publication in Marathi and Gujarati. She was the first transgender person to represent Asia Pacific at the United Nations and has represented her community and India on several international platforms including the World AIDS conference in Toronto. She currently runs Astitva, an organisation for the support and development of sexual minorities. The autobiography is a narrative of her ordeal of becoming a hijra by choice, and her subsequent journey of fighting against tremendous odds for the recognition of her community.

4. The Sialkot Saga by Ashwin Sanghi – This book is the labour of my love,’ Sanghi explained as he unveiled the novel’s cover for the first time, on Day 3 of JLF. The story is a depiction of the bond between two men of different religious beliefs, set against the backdrop of the India-Pakistan partition in 1947: ‘Some will read it as a story about a feud while others as that about great friendship,’ Sanghi said. He then treated the rapt audience to a teaser extract, which hinted of an intriguing tale about a powerful secret going all the way back to the time of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka. Sanghi’s shared his insight into what makes a great thriller novel: ‘Three things make for a compelling story: the first paragraph of the book should suck you in, the last paragraph of each chapter must force you to read the next, and the last paragraph of the book should make you want to wait for the writer’s next work.’ A great novel, Sanghi added, is not one where the reader turns the pages, but where the pages turn themselves.

5. Tales of The City by Armistead Maupin – For more than three decades, Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City has blazed its own trail through popular culture—from a groundbreaking newspaper serial to a classic novel, to a television event that entranced millions around the world. The first of six novels about the denizens of the mythic apartment house at 28 Barbary Lane, Tales is both a sparkling comedy of manners and an indelible portrait of an era that changed forever the way we live. The series opens with the arrival of Mary Ann Singleton, a naive young woman from Cleveland, Ohio, who is visiting San Francisco on vacation when she impulsively decides to stay. She finds an apartment at 28 Barbary Lane, the domain of the eccentric, marijuana-growing landlady Anna Madrigal. Mary Ann becomes friends with other tenants of the building: the hippyish bisexual Mona Ramsey; heterosexual lothario Brian Hawkins; the sinister and cagey roof tenant Norman Neal Williams; and Michael Tolliver, a sweet and personable gay man known to friends as Mouse (as in Mickey Mouse).

6. Chanakya’s Chant by Ashwin Sanghi – The year is 340 BC. A hunted, haunted Brahmin youth vows revenge for the gruesome murder of his beloved father. Cold, calculating, cruel and armed with a complete absence of accepted morals, he becomes the most powerful political strategist in Bharat and succeeds in uniting a ragged country against the invasion of the army of that demigod, Alexander the Great. Pitting the weak edges of both forces against each other, he pulls off a wicked and astonishing victory and succeeds in installing Chandragupta on the throne of the mighty Mauryan empire.
History knows him as the brilliant strategist Chanakya. Satisfied—and a little bored—by his success as a kingmaker, through the simple summoning of his gifted mind, he recedes into the shadows to write his Arthashastra, the ‘science of wealth’. But history, which exults in repeating itself, revives Chanakya two and a half millennia later, in the avatar of Gangasagar Mishra, a Brahmin teacher in smalltown India who becomes puppeteer to a host of ambitious individuals—including a certain slumchild who grows up into a beautiful and powerful woman.
Modern India happens to be just as riven as ancient Bharat by class hatred, corruption and divisive politics and this landscape is Gangasagar’s feasting ground. Can this wily pandit—who preys on greed, venality and sexual deviance—bring about another miracle of a united India?

7. Swimmer Among The Stars by Kanishk Tharoor – Elephant at Sea opens this debut collection of dozen deftly wrought short stories, titled Swimmer Among the Stars, by a refreshingly profound and gifted 31-year-old writer. It starts on a humorous note when the Indian official at the embassy receives a perplexing telegram intimating him that an elephant is enroute. He even mulls the possibility of it being a code. Then it slowly suffuses a tragic and complex hue as the elephant, accompanied by its mahout, land on the unfamiliar shore. As they embark on the lonely voyage to the capital, the man and animal, two strangers in a strange land, their delicate fate distend. In the short story lending the title to the collection, Swimmer Among the Stars, “the last speaker of a language” is being interviewed by a group of ethnographers. The woman finds it strange to listen to the sounds of her mouth. “You must understand she says, my memory is preserved better than a lemon, it is difficult to remember which words are my own and which words are not.” In The Fall of an Eyelash, Forlough’s family help smuggle her out of the country, a desert, to a place which is “green and made from clean lines for safety”. She’s homesick. In this strange land, the new people admire her courage and keep asking her to repeat her story, not realising “that while an exile can escape her country, she can never escape her exile.” Slowly she learns the new customs. She discovers how wishes can come true from fallen eyelashes. The story, Kanishk says, is loosely inspired by the life of a family friend. Although it was written long before the Syrian refugee crisis, it finds a particular resonance in the present context. One of the haunting allures of Swimmer Among the Stars is that the stories are not only intricately knit, but in them the grazed walls of literary conventions fold and merge. Death and destruction recur as grim reminders that the world is always ending for someone, somewhere.

8. An Unsuitable Boy (Karan Jaohar’s biography by Poonam Saxena) – An Unsuitable Boy, co-authored by Johar and Poonam Saxena, is a frank and riveting account of the Johar’s life, including his relationship with his famous father, the film-maker Yash Johar. Johar described harrowing experiences of being bullied for his mannerisms by friends at school and in the “snooty” South Bombay colony where he lived. Having worked for over twenty years in the film industry and made many successful movies like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Kal Ho Na Ho, My Name is Khan and Student of the Year as well as taking home-production house Dharma Productions to new heights, Johar observed that the film industry has changed a lot: ‘It’s more detached… corporatized now, led by big ambitions. Earlier, films were a product of inter-relationships of film-makers, actors, musicians and other stake holders. Now, we are made to produce cut-throat cinema, which has no space for personal bonding.’ Johar’s first appearance at the ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival was a thrilling insight into the film-maker’s world. The star, who rarely gives interviews, spoke with riveting candour about his journey from a bullied young boy to one of the most successful directors in India today. We are looking forward to reading his book!

Leave us your thoughts in the comments section below!

The next 12 months look great for Sci-Fi and Fantasy geeks. It’s a big year for superhero smackdowns as Marvel’s Captain America and Iron Man get into it, while DC’s Batman and Superman go head-to-head too. The X-Men take on Apocalypse, and the Suicide Squad takes down the Joker, while Deadpool, Doctor Strange and Gambit all have their own adventures. That comic book bubble ain’t bursting in the next 12 months, it seems. Meanwhile, Star Trek and Star Wars are blasting out of hyperspace with “Star Trek Beyond,” co-written by Simon Pegg, and the first Star Wars spin-off, “Rogue One.”

And it’s time to return to more beloved titles of the past too. There’s a new, rebooted “Ghostbusters,” not to mention belated sequels to “Independence Day” and “Finding Nemo.” Jason Bourne is back in action, as are the teen heroes of “Divergent.” JK Rowling takes us back to Harry Potter’s wizarding world in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” while classic novels “The BFG” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass” get the big-screen treatment. So does the Jane Austen classic “Pride and Prejudice” — with the addition of a few zombies, of course.Gaming fans can console themselves with movies based on “Assassin’s Creed,” “World of Warcraft” and, er, “Angry Birds.”

1. Superman VS. Batman: Dawn of Justice – In another superhero scrap, DC’s man of steel, Henry Cavill, faces off against dark knight Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder’s in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Also along for the ride are Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons as Alfred the butler and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.

2. Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them – Expecto a new adventure in the magical world of “Harry Potter,” based on the story by JK Rowling. Eddie Redmayne is Newt Scamander, a wizard hunting magical creatures in 1920s New York.

3. Star Trek Beyond – Simon Pegg is on co-writing duties, and “Fast and Furious” director Justin Lin directs the action at warp speed for the third in the rebooted Trek series. Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana are joined on their continuing mission to explore strange new worlds by Idris Elba and “Kingsman” star Sofia Boutella.

4. Pride + Prejudice + Zombies – Former “Doctor Who” star Matt Smith mashes up Jane Austen and the undead.

5. Deadpool – Hotly anticipated comic book action with Ryan Reynolds as the fast-talking “merc with a mouth,” Wade Wilson. Oscar-winning animator Tim Miller, the man behind the stylish opening sequences of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Thor: The Dark World,” makes his directorial debut. Very adult carnage ensues.

6. X-Men: Apocalypse – The ninth X-Men movie sees Marvel’s heroes face off against Apocalypse, the first and most powerful mutant, played by “Star Wars” star Oscar Isaac (pictured above with blue on his face). James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence lead the cast of multiple mutants.

7. Doctor Strange – People are strange as Benedict Cumberbatch takes on the role of Marvel’s mystical medic, joined by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Mads Mikkelsen and Tilda Swinton.

8. Bourne 5 – Matt Damon is Bourne again, with Paul Greengrass back in the director’s chair for more amnesiac action adventure. Tommy Lee Jones joins “Ex Machina” star Alicia Vikander.

9. The Jungle Book – Disney continues its run of live action-ifying its library of animated classics. Jon Favreau directs with Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson and Christopher Walken lending their voices.

10. Alice Through The Looking Glass – This one’s a sequel to Tim Burton’s movie “Alice in Wonderland” based on the Lewis Carroll classic, starring Mia Wasikowska, with Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. Stephen Fry, Alan Rickman, Michael Sheen and Barbara Windsor lend their voices.

11. Finding Dory – Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Ellen DeGeneres is back as absent-minded Dory with Albert Brooks in the animated sequel to “Finding Nemo.”

12. The Angry Birds Movie – Remember Angry Birds? “Game of Thrones” star Peter Dinklage is joined by “Saturday Night Live” stars Jason Sudeikis, Maya Rudolph and Bill Hader as they lend their voices to the big-screen animated versions of the furious fowl from 2009’s most vexed mobile game.

13. The Finest Hours – Chris Pine and Casey Affleck face disaster on the high seas in this 3D recounting of the true-life Pendleton rescue of 1952, when US Coast Guard crewmen heroically battled to save the crews of two stricken oil tankers.

14. Snowden – Firebrand director Oliver Stone directs Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the true-life story of Edward Snowden, the former CIA employee who leaked classified information about government surveillance to the media. Zachary Quinto and Nicolas Cage co-star.

15. Captain America: Civil War – If there’s any film that could beat the long awaited Captain America: Civil War, then you’re welcome to point it out to us. Between the clash of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers’ opposing ideologies, and the fact that this is shaping up to be theAvengers flick we wished we got last year, The Russo Brothers have a money printer on their hands. Not only is the box office pre-loaded for this flick, but it’s also got the potential to be the highest grossing Captain America film ever. And that sits with us just fine.

16. Fan – Fan is one of the most anticipated movies of 2016 starring King of romance Shahrukh Khan and produced under the banner of Yash Raj Films.

17. Raees – Raees is one of the most anticipated movies of 2016 under the banners of Excel Entertainment, Red Chillies Entertainment. Mahira Khan plays the lead female role. This will mark the debut of the Pakistani actress in Bollywood. The movie tells the story of a cruel and clever bootlegger whose business is thwarted by a tough policeman.

18. Airlift – Airlift is an upcoming Indian action thriller movie. The film is based on biggest evacuation of Indians based in Kuwait during the Iraq-Kuwait War.

19. Jagga Jasoos – Jagga Jasoos is an upcoming Indian comedy drama movie. The movie tells the story of a teenage detective in search of his missing father.

20. Sultan – Sultan is one of the much awaited movies of 2016 starring Salman Khan as a wrestler.

Other Bollywood movies that we await with bated breath are Aamir Khan’s Dangal (Christmas 2016), Ashutosh Gowarikar’s epic romance Mohenjo Daro and Karan Johar’s Shuddhi.

What will you be watching in 2016? Tell us in the comments below!

45 Years – The history of film contains many great ruminations on marriage, and yet every new year seems to bring another must-see on the topic. Haigh, whose terrific gay romance Weekend led to the equally great TV series Looking, turns his eye to a love story nearing its end in 45 Years, following a couple in the week leading up to their 45th anniversary party. Shortly before the celebration, the body of the husband’s long-lost girlfriend is found, perfectly preserved, in a mountain crevasse, and all of the little cracks and fissures in the marriage begin to open up. Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay are tremendous in the lead roles, with Rampling, in particular, conveying oceans of feeling in a mere glance.

Carol – Carol is a love story between two women in which the word “lesbian” is never once spoken. Both halves of that equation are important. Yes, it’s about two women who dare to fall in love in 1950s New York, and then dare to live out that love. But it’s also about how hard it can be to discuss these things when you don’t possess the words you might need to describe what you’re feeling. Long sections of this movie focus more on the powers of self-definition than anything else, as a young woman named Therese (Rooney Mara), who’s newly enraptured by the older Carol (Cate Blanchett) comes to realize just who she is. There’s something magical about that.

Clouds of Sils Maria – Here’s the movie Birdman thought it was — a thoughtful consideration of aging, Hollywood, and what it means to see a younger generation nipping at your heels, ready to replace you before you’re ready to go. Set mostly in a remote mountain home, Clouds of Sils Maria follows an aging actress (Juliette Binoche) and her harried assistant (Kristen Stewart) as they prepare for the actress to play the older woman in a revival of the play that made her famous as a young woman (when she played the younger role). This is a rich movie, about a great many things, but most of all, it’s about realizing you’re not invincible, that you, too, will someday become older but not quite wiser.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl – The best thing about The Diary of a Teenage Girl is how emotionally complicated it is. On the one hand, it’s the story of a young woman who is exploited and taken advantage of by her mother’s boyfriend. On the other hand, it’s a story about how she figured things out about herself because of the experience. The movie doesn’t make excuses for her statutory rapist, but it does attempt to understand his state of mind. And above all else, it digs deeply into the point of view of a girl in the full throes of adolescence, charting her every mood, emotion, and thought.

The Duke of Burgundy – Movies often shy away from sex, but they especially shy away from non-vanilla sex, usually depicting it as, at best, part of some weirdo underground fetish community that may or may not be into murdering people as well. The Duke of Burgundy, about two women in a dom/sub relationship who love to engage in power games for sexual pleasure, breaks that unfortunate tendency and sets about exploring the limits of the aging human body, the boundaries of love, and a whole bunch of other things. As the two women, Sidse Babett Knudsen (whom some will know from the lead role of the terrific Danish TV series Borgen) and Chiara D’Anna just might be the couple of the year.

Inside Out – If any movie on this list seems destined to inspire like-minded smiles and nods of agreement, it’s Pixar’s latest confection, a wonderful journey inside the brain of an 11-year-old girl that manages to juggle three protagonists (on two planes of existence, no less), while telling completely involving emotional stories about all of them. By now you’re surely familiar with the film’s central motif of the five major emotions that run a console inside the girl’s brain. However, if you haven’t seen it, you might be surprised by how much deeper its premise goes, both in terms of fun visual gags — the dream studio is the best — and in terms of understanding of more complex, adult feelings.

Mad Max: Fury Road – It still seems crazy that one of the biggest critical sensations of the year essentially boils down to one gigantic car chase. Fury Road is a massive undertaking, one that director Miller seemingly assembled entirely from a humongous plan he was keeping in his head, but it’s also a riveting character drama, focused on the taciturn Max (Tom Hardy) and the Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), the warrior woman he happens upon who’s trying to help several young concubines escape their imprisonment. Riveting, incendiary, and so much fun, this is the only movie of the year to feature an electric guitar that belches flame.

Tangerine – Nothing is as moving to us as simple acts of kindness, and some of 2015’s most touching onscreen moments appeared in this slice-of-life dramedy about two trans woman prostitutes who spend one Christmas Eve trying to track down the cisgender woman whom one of their boyfriends slept with. Along the way, Baker also wraps in the story of a cab driver and several other characters, until this tiny little movie feels like it features nearly all of its Los Angeles in its ensemble cast. Shot entirely on an iPhone, Tangerine could have easily become a message-driven but is, instead, about how hard it can be to just live life when everything else gets in the way.

Dum Laga Ke Haisha – A girl with weight issues. A ‘boy’ taking surly steps towards manhood. Director Sharat Katariya nails it. And both Ayushmann Khurrana as the reluctant groom, and Bhumi Pednekar as the ‘fat’ girl’, make this thing sing.

Drishyam – In times when Hindi cinema is embracing realism like never before, Nishikant Kamat’s version looks staged, reeks of unwarranted manipulation.On paper it belongs to Ajay but on screen it is Tabu who walks away with it.

Margarita With A Sraw – That people with disabilities are also people—with needs and wants—just like the rest of us, is a fact that stays shamefully unacknowledged. Under Shonali Bose’s astute baton, Kalki Koechlin does a great job of her wheel-chair bound protagonist who wants everything—bed bits and all– and leaves us smiling.

Bahubali – SS Rajamouli is a director who thinks not just big, but humungous. ‘Bahubali’ is an epic adventure, of the sort of scale and ambition Indian cinema has never witnessed. Can’t wait for part 2!

Masaan – Banaras is a pulsating character in Neeraj Ghaywan’s debut feature, which touches upon such weighty matters as life and death, society and repression, caste and class, grieving and healing. Deftly directed, from a sharp, mapping-the-terrain script by Varun Grover. And Vicky Kaushal is a great find.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan – Kabir Khan cobbles together an adorable little girl, Salman Khan as Being Hanuman, Nawazuddin as a bumbling TV reporter across the border, and rousing Indo-Pak bhaichara, and the subversive frisson created by a Muslim superstar playing a Ram bhakt in our time of ‘intolerance’. Mainstream cinema with definite smarts.

Piku – Shoojit Sircar presents a completely new situation in Hindi cinema—an irascible old man, played by Amitabh Bachchan, with twin obsessions: his bowel movements, and his unmarried daughter. Time for ‘filmi romance’ (between the lissome Deepika Padukone and Irrfan) to turn unconventional. And feel right!

Tell us about your favorite movie of 2015 in the comments section below!

Scroll to enjoy an appetite arousing take on Christmas trees, that combine sweetness and creativity at highest level.

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Q: What would you have been if not an actress?

I would love to be a social worker and make this country a better place for all underprivileged individuals. Building schools, hospitals, homes for free is something I would want to invest my time and energy in. My father has always been socially active and involved so I guess I got it from him.

Q: What is the weekly fitness routine that you follow?

I do yoga and eat healthy. Fruits and vegetables are my main diet. All it takes is some self love and healthy eating, rather than an aggressive gym schedule.

Q: If you could invite any 3 actors from the past to dinner, who would they be?

I am fan of the Kapoor family so it will be Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor and (even though he is still a present force in Bollywood!) Rishi Kapoor.

Q: Any Bollywood actor/actress that you really admire?

There are marvellous actors in India but my favorites are the evergreen Rekha ji and Kajol. I truly admire Kajol’s talent. She is one of the most remarkable actresses in Bollywood and i’ve religiously seen her every movie. And it goes without saying, one day I’d really love to be as gracefully charming and talented as Rekha ji.

Q: If you could rewind time and be the lead in any existing movie, which movie character would you pick?

I’d want to be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The story and dialogues were very intense. I prefer roles that show the woman as a strong, dominating female. It was a beautiful and dramatic love story and I would love to play the lead in it.

Q: How do you manage your hectic work life with 2 kids at home?

First of all I don’t take my responsibilities as a burden on me because these kids, my husband and my work are the blessing of my Allah to me. 

So I do it very happily and positively and really, its not that difficult to manage both your work and family if you are fully dedicated to both. All you need is the love and support of your family, which I thankfully, have in abundance!

Well, Team Style Aria sincerely wishes you all the luck and good fortune for your future endeavours, Hira, and we hope that someday soon you might even make a Bollywood debut!

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What we all need to realise is that there are several other less-harmful, more dog-and-bird-friendly ways that can make our festival of lights so much fun! Here are 3 of them, as a sort of substitute for the act of blowing crackers (that are literally doing no one any kind of good)!

1. Dance Parties – If you just have to be loud, you can be loud in a good way. Dance the night away with family and friends and trust us, it’ll be just as fun. Might be more too! So instead of crackers, get a nice set of speakers, make a party playlist and invite all your peeps for a night of music and dancing. For decor, you already have the fairy lights and candles and you can just turn those on for extra effect!

2. Family Antakshari – Another great way of being loud and having oh-so-much fun is playing Antakshari with the entire extended family, cousins and all. Put all your guests into teams and all that is left is to start the game, le ke prabhu ka naam (with God’s grace)!

3. Card Games – We know that card games are already a part of Diwali tradition in many of the Indian households. Celebrate the festivities with a spirited game of cards or even carrom (with or without the involvement of money!) and your’s will be the much talked about Diwali bash of the season!

Make Diwali all about cheerful lights, pretty candles, exquisite rangolis, good food and quality family time! After all, in this extremely fast paced world, a festival is more an excuse for slowing down and gathering all your loved ones together rather than anything else.

Tell us how you are celebrating your Diwali this year, in the comments section below. Team Style Aria wishes everyone a safe and prosperous Diwali!

1. Halloweentown is a Disney Channel Halloween classic in which three siblings who aren’t allowed to celebrate Halloween run away with their Halloween-loving grandmother and discover that she’s a witch from a town called Halloweentown! Have a Halloweentown marathon this year—it has three sequels!

2. The Sceam franchise is now up to four movies, but the originalScream movie is a Halloween classic. The Ghostface killer that reappears in the subsequent movies makes its first apperance in this movie, killing teenagers living in a small town. A girl and her friends set out to find him, but not everyone survives!

3. In Hocus Pocus, three witch sisters are resurrected in Salem after three centuries, Massachusetts on Halloween night, and it is up to two teenagers, a young girl and an immortal cat to put an end to the witches’ reign of terror once and for all. Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker as scary witches is something we just can’t get enough of.

4. Chloe Grace Moretz’s new movie Carrie looks so creepy, and so good. Chloe plays an outcast named Carrie who is confronted with the meanest of mean girls. But she gets her revenge using telepathic powers.

5. In The Craft, a newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft, and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who even slightly anger them. It’s like a more creepy version of Mean Girls.

6. In oldtimer Beetle Juice, Tim Burton beautifully creates an amalgamation of comedy and horror.After Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die in a car accident, they find themselves stuck haunting their country residence, unable to leave the house. When the unbearable Deetzes (Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Jones) and teen daughter Lydia (Winona Ryder) buy the home, the Maitlands attempt to scare them away without success. Their efforts attract Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), a rambunctious spirit whose “help” quickly becomes dangerous for the Maitlands and innocent Lydia.

7. You might want to keep the lights on when watching Halloween—it’s seriously scary! It’s about a murder who killed his brother and sister when he was little, so he was institutionalized. But then he escapes and starts stalking someone. Told ya it was scary!

8. The Addams Family is a much loved classic and it’s no surprise that it features on our list. They’re creepy and kooky and all together ookie. So they’re perfect for Halloween! Gomez Addams, head of the family, tells his lawyer Tully, that he has not spoken to his brother Fester, for many years. When a loan shark demands that Tully pay her, her son poses as Fester in an attempt to break into the Addams family’s vault. However, it’s difficult for the imposter to fit in, what with all the dark magic going on there. And the family finds it equally hard to adjust to normal world after they are forced out of their house. If Wednesday (their disturbed daughter) doesn’t creep you out, then Thing (it’s just a hand) definitely will.

9. In 2012 movie Fun Size, Victoria Justice stars as Wren, who is basically having the worst Halloween ever. Her crush is throwing a Halloween party and she’s all pumped to go, but then she has to babysit her little brother. Things take a turn for the worst when he goes missing! Will she lose her brother and her crush for good? You’ll have to watch to find out!

10. Ghostbusters remains a Halloween favorite! Who you gonna call? How about three parapsychologists (ghost scientists) who started a New York ghost-busting business to rid Manhattan of all its spooks? Ego, Ray, and Peter lose their research grants at their university and open Ghostbusters, and they soon find themselves investigating the possession and abduction of a woman who Peter was planning on going on a date with. It turns out, ghosts aren’t as rare in New York as people think.

11. Warm Bodies is the perfect Halloween movie for hopeless romantics! In it, JLaw’s ex, Nicholas Hoult, plays an unusual zombie who saves a living girl instead of eating her and their budding relationship might just be what it takes to bring some life back into their post-apocalyptic world! Did we mention Dave Franco also stars? #SWOON

12. In an absolutely beautiful movie, The Corpse Bride, somehow, the young (and alive!) Victor Van Dort (the voice of Johnny Depp) ends up marrying not his intended bride-to-be, but the Corpse Bride, a skeletal woman who also happens to be dead. Now Victor has to make a choice between his new Corpse Bride and his once-fiancé, Victoria. Oh, the drama!

13. If you’ve ever thought your teachers might be from another planet, you’ll totally get into The Faculty. The students in this movie suspect their teachers are aliens—literally! It leads to some hilarious—and disturbing—situations!

14. Monsters Inc. is something every family should watch together – it’s fun and emotional, and it has a great sequel – Monsters University! At Monsters Inc., the most important thing is scaring because the screams of human kids power their city. Mike and Sully are the top scaring team and they scare because they care (just means they take their jobs seriously). But things go terribly hay-wire when a little (and possibly toxic) human girl somehow gets stranded in the monster world. It’s up to Mike and Sully to get her back to her own home, safe and sound. Between keeping a lid on the mayhem and battling bad guys, they find out that maybe human kids are not so dangerous after all, and that there might be a better power source out there. Make it a Monsters marathon and watch both movies back to back!

15.  From Linus’ unflagging belief in the Great Pumpkin to Charlie Brown’s disappointing rock-filled trick-or-treat bag, the heartfelt animated classic It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is full of good friends, faith, and fun. You loved the Peanuts gang as kids, and you’ll love it now!

Do you have a favorite Halloween flick? Tell us in the comments below!

Here goes!

1. THE FIRST MEETING BETWEEN THE POTTERS AND THE DURSLEYS WAS A DISASTER.

Petunia had long hated being overshadowed by her witch sister, and her fiance and future husband, Vernon Dursley, hated all things that weren’t perfectly normal—so they were pretty much predisposed to hating all things magical. But it was the first meeting between the couple and Lily and James that really cemented that attitude:

James was amused by Vernon, and made the mistake of showing it. Vernon tried to patronize James, asking what car he drove. James described his racing broom. Vernon supposed out loud that wizards had to live on unemployment benefit. James explained about Gringotts, and the fortune his parents had saved there, in solid gold. Vernon could not tell whether he was being made fun of or not, and grew angry. The evening ended with Vernon and Petunia storming out of the restaurant, while Lily burst into tears and James (a little ashamed of himself) promised to make things up with Vernon at the earliest opportunity.

Of course, no amends were ever made. Petunia didn’t ask Lily to be a bridesmaid in her wedding, and, Rowling writes, “Vernon refused to speak to James at the reception, but described him, within James’ earshot, as ‘some kind of amateur magician.’” The couple didn’t attend James and Lily’s wedding, and the last letter Petunia received from the magical pair—Harry’s birth announcement—went in the trash.

2. THE IDENTITIES OF ALL THE MINISTERS FOR MAGIC.

The Ministry of Magic was established in 1707 (it took over for the Wizard Council as the governing body of the wizarding community). Rowling has listed out all of the Ministers for Magic since then, along with short descriptions of their time in office. A few of our favorites include Basil Flack (1752), “Shortest serving minister. Lasted two months; resigned after the goblins joined forces with werewolves”; Evangeline Orpington (1849-55), “A good friend of Queen Victoria’s, who never realised she was a witch, let alone Minister for Magic”; and Wilhemina Tuft (1948-59), a “Cheery witch who presided over a period of welcome peace and prosperity. Died in office after discovering, too late, her allergy to Alihotsy-flavoured fudge.”

Also, fans universally whooped with joy when Rowling revealed that Kingsley Shacklebolt is still Minister for Magic and will probably win the next election too.

3. CORNELIUS FUDGE GAVE HIMSELF AN ORDER OF MERLIN FIRST CLASS.

The Order of Merlin First Class is awarded for “‘acts of outstanding bravery or distinction’ in magic.” Dumbledore received the award—a gold medal on a green ribbon—for defeating the Dark Wizard Grindlewald, a decision everyone agreed with. But when Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, awarded it to himself for “a career that many considered less than distinguished,” there was “a good deal of muttering in the wizarding community.” But we totally feel Fudge… after all, what use is a Minister’s position if one can’t award oneself the highest honor in wzarding community!

4. UMBRIDGE HAD A SQUIB BROTHER—AND A MUGGLE MOM!

You’d never guess from the books that the Mud Blood hating, all-around toad Dolores Umbridge was anything but a pure blood. But Umbridge was a half-blood, the eldest child and only daughter of wizard Orford Umbridge and muggle Ellen Cracknell. Her brother was a Squib. Her parents weren’t happy, and, Rowling writes, “Dolores secretly despised both of them”:

Orford for his lack of ambition (he had never been promoted, and worked in the Department of Magical Maintenance at the Ministry of Magic), and her mother, Ellen, for her flightiness, untidiness, and Muggle lineage. Both Orford and his daughter blamed Ellen for Dolores’s brother’s lack of magical ability, with the result that when Dolores was fifteen, the family split down the middle, Orford and Dolores remaining together, and Ellen vanishing back into the Muggle world with her son. Dolores never saw her mother or brother again, never spoke of either of them, and henceforth pretended to all she met that she was a pure-blood.

The essay explains Umbridge’s rocket ascent through the Ministry of Magic, covers her failure to find a husband, and explains how she came to be on Voldemort’s side during his takeover. Reading it would only deepen your utter hatred of the toad, we’re sure!

5. MINERVA MCGONAGALL HAD A SAD CHILDHOOD.

Minerva McGonagall, future Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher and headmistress, was the first child of Reverend Robert McGonagall, a Muggle, and Isobel Ross, a witch. There was just one problem: Isobel didn’t tell Robert that she was a witch until after Minerva was born, a choice that broke the trust between the young witch’s parents. “Minerva, a clever and observant child, saw this with sadness,” Rowling writes:

Minerva was very close to her Muggle father, whom in temperament she resembled more than her mother. She saw with pain how much he struggled with the family’s strange situation. She sensed too, how much of a strain it was on her mother to fit in with the all-Muggle village, and how much she missed the freedom of being with her own kind, and of not exercising her considerable talents. Minerva never forgot how much her mother cried, when the letter of admittance into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry arrived on Minerva’s eleventh birthday; she knew that Isobel was sobbing, not only out of pride, but also of envy.

This knowledge directly affected McGonagall’s life after Hogwarts, when she met a Muggle named Dougal McGregor, “the handsome, clever and funny son of a local farmer.” They fell in love, and when he proposed, McGonagall accepted. But that very night, she realized their love could never be, because “Dougal did not know what she, Minerva, truly was … Minerva had witnessed at close quarters the kind of marriage she might have if she wed Dougal. It would be the end of all her ambitions; it would mean a wand locked away, and children taught to lie, perhaps even to their own father. She did not fool herself that Dougal McGregor would accompany her to London, while she went to work every day at the Ministry. He was looking forward to inheriting his father’s farm.”

She broke off their engagement without telling him why—if she violated the International Statute of Secrecy, she would have lost her job at the Ministry, “for which she was giving him up,” Rowling writes. “She left him devastated, and set out for London three days later.”

6. ICE CREAM PARLOR OWNER FLOREAN FORTESCUE WAS KIDNAPPED AS PART OF A PLOT ROWLING DECIDED NOT TO USE.

Many a book reader has been puzzled by the Death Eaters’ abduction and killing of Florean Fortescue, the wizard, magical history buff, and ice cream parlor owner Harry meets inPrisoner of Azkaban. In one Pottermore extra, Rowling revealed that she had “originally planned Florean to be the conduit for clues that I needed to give Harry during his quest for the Hallows, which is why I established an acquaintance fairly early on … I imagined the historically-minded Florean might have a smattering of information on matters as diverse as the Elder Wand and the diadem of Ravenclaw, the information having been passed down in the Fortescue family from their august ancestor,” former Hogwarts Headmaster Dexter Florean:

As I worked my way nearer to the point where such information would become necessary, I caused Florean to be kidnapped, intending him to be found or rescued by Harry and his friends.

The problem was that when I came to write the key parts of Deathly Hallows I decided that Phineas Nigellus Black was a much more satisfactory means of conveying clues. Florean’s information on the diadem also felt redundant, as I could give the reader everything he or she needed by interviewing the Grey Lady.

So, unfortunately, Rowling had the character meet his untimely end for no real reason at all. “He is not the first wizard whom Voldemort murdered because he knew too much (or too little),” Rowling writes, “but he is the only one I feel guilty about, because it was all my fault.”

7. DRACO MALFOY WAS RAISED TO BELIEVE HARRY WAS A GREAT DARK WIZARD.

One of many theories that went around after Harry survived Voldemort’s curse was that The Boy Who Lived was actually a great Dark wizard—and it was this theory that Lucius Malfoy, Draco’s father, clung to. “It was comforting to think that he, Lucius, might be in for a second chance of world domination, should this Potter boy prove to be another, and greater, pure-blood champion,” Rowling writes. Which is why Draco went out of his way to befriend Harry on the Hogwarts Express:

Harry’s refusal of Draco’s friendly overtures, and the fact that he had already formed allegiance to Ron Weasley, whose family is anathema to the Malfoys, turns Malfoy against him at once. Draco realised, correctly, that the wild hopes of the ex-Death Eaters – that Harry Potter was another, and better, Voldemort – are completely unfounded, and their mutual enmity is assured from that point.

Rowling also reveals that Draco could have had a very different last name; Smart, Spinks, or Spungen were all options. Well, we’re just glad that the author settled on Draco!

8. THE MALFOYS WEREN’T ALWAYS SO HATEFUL OF MUGGLES.

Rowling reveals in the Malfoy family history that, at one point, they were quite close to Muggles they deemed worthy. “In spite of their espousal of pure-blood values and their undoubtedly genuine belief in wizards’ superiority over Muggles, the Malfoys have never been above ingratiating themselves with the non-magical community when it suits them,” Rowling writes. This includes—according to rumor, anyway—trading in Muggle money and assets, annexing Muggle land, and procuring Muggle art and other treasures for the family collection.

They often hung out in Muggle social circles as well—but only wealthy Muggles, of course. “Historically, the Malfoys drew a sharp distinction between poor Muggles and those with wealth and authority,” Rowling writes. “Until the imposition of the Statute of Secrecy in 1692, the Malfoy family was active within high-born Muggle circles, and it is said that their fervent opposition to the imposition of the Statute was due, in part, to the fact that they would have to withdraw from this enjoyable sphere of social life.”

Once the Ministry of Magic—“the new heart of power”—was founded, the Malfoys “performed an abrupt volte-face, and became as vocally supportive of the Statute as any of those who had championed it from the beginning, hastening to deny that they had ever been on speaking (or marrying) terms with Muggles.”

9. FENRIR GREYBACK ATTACKED REMUS LUPIN BECAUSE OF SOMETHING LUPIN’S FATHER SAID.

During Voldemort’s initial rise to power, Lyall Lupin, Remus’s father, joined the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where he encountered Fenrir Greyback, “who had been brought in for questioning about the death of two Muggle children.” Because the Werewolf Registry was poorly maintained, and Lupin’s colleagues didn’t see the signs, they believed Greyback’s claim that he was a Muggle tramp. “Lyall Lupin was not so easily fooled,” Rowling wrote. “He … told the committee that Greyback ought to be kept in detention until the next full moon, a mere twenty-four hours later.” When his colleagues laughed at him, Lupin grew angry, calling werewolves “soulless, evil, deserving nothing but death.” After Greyback was released, he told his fellow werewolves how Lupin had described them, and vowed to get his revenge—which he did, shortly before Remus turned 5:

As [Remus Lupin] slept peacefully in his bed, Fenrir Greyback forced open the boy’s window and attacked him. Lyall reached the bedroom in time to save his son’s life, driving Greyback out of the house with a number of powerful curses. However, henceforth, Remus would be a full-fledged werewolf.

Lyall Lupin never forgave himself for the words he had spoken in front of Greyback at the inquiry … He had parroted what was the common view of werewolves in his community, but his son was what he had always been—loveable and clever—except for that terrible period at the full moon when he suffered an excruciating transformation and became a danger to everyone around him. For many years, Lyall kept the truth about the attack, including the identity of the attacker, from his son, fearing Remus’s recriminations.

10. AZKABAN HAS A REALLY DARK HISTORY.

Rowling writes that the North Sea island on which the prison is built has never appeared on any map, wizard or muggle. An early resident, a sorcerer named Ekrizdis who practiced the worst kinds of dark magic, lured Muggle sailors there and tortured and killed them. When he died, the concealment charms faded, and the Ministry became aware of the island’s existence. “Those who entered to investigate refused afterwards to talk of what they had found inside,” Rowling writes, “but the least frightening part of it was that the place was infested with dementors.”

The two part play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will focus on Harry as an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic and his son Albus Severus who finds himself burdened with family legacy. It opens in London next year. 2016 couldn’t arrive sooner!

Here are 7 easy (not to mention awesome!) ways to make your breakfast eggs.

1. Sunny Side Up in Capsicum – This is a fun variation to your standard half fried eggs. Just put a neatly cut ring of capsicum (with the seeds cleaned out) onto the pan and break the egg over it, so that it remains and cooks inside the capsicum ring. Add salt, pepper and other herbs that you might fancy, to taste!

2. Boiled Eggs Salad – Boil a couple of eggs your preferred way – soft or hard. Simply toss the boiled eggs with leafy greens (spinach, kale and lettuce), corn, tomatoes, bell peppers, cottage cheese (paneer) or shredded chicken. Add seasonings and salad dressing of your own choice and you have a perfect egg salad ready for breakfast! It’s filling and healthy.

3. Broccoli and Mushroom Omelette – Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook broccoli and mushroom slices covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and some pepper. Transfer to a plate. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until melted and golden, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add egg and egg whites. Keeping egg yolk intact, drag a spatula through the whites to spread them evenly in the pan. Cook, covered, until whites are set and yolk is still runny, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Top with broccoli-mushroom mixture, and fold omelet over. Sprinkle with a pinch of red-pepper flakes.

4. Egg-in-a-hole – These can be either fried or baked. Go for baked Bull’s Eye Eggs if you are intending to serve a lot of people together. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a nonstick rimmed baking sheet. Butter bread on both sides. With a cookie cutter or drinking glass, cut a 2 1/2-inch round from center of each bread slice. Place slices and rounds on sheet and bake until golden, 6 minutes. Remove from oven and flip bread. Carefully crack 1 egg into center of each slice. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny, 8 to 9 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through (sprinkle with cheese, if using, during last 30 seconds of baking). Serve with desired toppings.

5. Scrambled Eggs with Greens and Greek Yogurt – It’s amazing what a few flavorful ingredients can do when it comes to getting out of a breakfast rut. Greek yogurt, garlic, and greens come together to give these scrambled eggs a tasty (and healthy) makeover! Whip up some softly scrambled eggs, but in place of the usual butter and cream, spike them with tangy Greek yogurt. A handful of kale adds just enough crunch and color, while garlic and red pepper flakes spice it up.

6. Kale, Bacon and Egg Sandwich – Toast the bun and set it on a plate. Spread with mayonnaise or butter, if desired. In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off the bacon grease, leaving just a thin film on the pan. Add the garlic and kale to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, tossing frequently and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Taste and add salt if needed. Cook until kale is tender, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of water if needed to keep kale moist as it cooks. Sprinkle with vinegar, then remove from pan and set aside. Wipe skillet clean and add vegetable oil (or 1 tablespoon of reserved bacon grease, if you’re feeling frisky). Over medium heat, fry the egg. While it cooks, assemble the rest of the sandwich: place the kale on the bottom half of the bun. Cut the bacon in half crosswise and place on top of the kale. Top the kale and bacon with the fried egg and the top bun. Serve immediately, cutting in half just before eating.

7. Baked Egg – Bake your breakfast eggs in either bell peppers (insides cleaned out and top cut off), or halved avocados. Basically, you remove the pit from a halved avocado or bell pepper, hollow out a little more space if needed, and crack an egg into the hollow. The avocado/bell pepper becomes an edible ramekin, holding the egg as it bakes. Additions like cheese or herbs can be sprinkled over the top before baking.

As Fall sets in, we are banking on these amazing and yummy recipes to lead us to breakfast heaven, if there’s such a place. We suggest you try these out as well, and tell us about your experience in the comments section below!

BiryaniByAir in Pali Hill, Bandra – BiryaniByAir is perhaps the best option you’ll get if you are a lover of authentic Hyderabadi Biryani because as the name suggests, they actually fly Biryani in from Hyderabad! Now there couldn’t be anything more authentic than a piping hot plate of hyderabadi biryani served to you in Mumbai straight from Hyderabad, can it? You can choose from the famous Paradise’s Biryani or even Shah Ghouse’s famous Mutton biryani of Hyderabad. From what one recently heard, Shadab’s Biryani and Café Bahar too are soon to be added to their list too. For now BiryaniByAir get the Biryanis only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and deliver only from Bandra to Malad, though Powai soon will be added to their list.

Just Biryani in Andheri West – Although Just Biryani is now a delivery only place operating out of the kitchen of Oh Calcutta, their Hyderabadi dum biryani is absolutely marvellous. Their biryanis are flavorful without being too spicy with perfectly cooked meat that are tender and juicy that will pamper your taste buds and keep bringing you back for more. The other dishes on the menu that they offer are equally outstanding. You can also call for biryani by kilos from here.

Star Biryani in Vashi – Star Biryani in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, is undoubtedly one of the best places to get scintillating Hyderabadi Biryani at a highly affordable price. Although the eatery doesn’t boast a very elaborate sitting arrangement the food here is a treat to the senses. Their Biryani though a tad heavy on oil, is an absolute delight to have. Their kebabs and raita are a must try as well.

The Golconda Bowl in Juhu – Juhu’s Golconda Bowl’s Hyderabadi Biryani is as close as you can get to an authentic hyderabadi Biryani. The place has an ethnic ambiance that has a very soothing effect. The staff here is extremely warm, courteous and helpful and they guide you through the entire process of choosing your biryani. Happy hours at this place are from 3:30 pm to 9:30 pm. The Biryani is incredible and is an absolute delight to the senses. Food here is reasonably prized and is worth every penny. Home delivery is also available.

Nizam’s Heritage in Byculla – Hidden inside Byculla’s Hotel Heritage is this Hyderabadi restaurant. On the onset, Nizam Asaf Jah’s photo welcomes it’s patrons inside. The restaurant is chic and opulently decorated with sparkling chandeliers and a glass fronted kitchen with skewers of kebabs ready for the barbecue. This is one place in Mumbai that serves Hyderabadi biryani that comes pretty close to the authenticity of Hyderabad. Though a tad heavy on the wallet, this place serves delicious and satisfying food. The staff is also extremely hospitable and friendly. Apart from Hyderabadi Biryani you can also try Haleem, Murgh Nagina, Mirchi ka Salan.

Biryani King in Navi Mumbai – If you are looking for Hyderabadi Biryani in Navi Mumbai then Biryani King is a good option for you. They serve Hyderabadi, Lucknowi, Kolkata and Mumbai style biryanis. Biryani here is delightful and irresistible that is not too greasy or spicy. They only use long grained rice and succulent meat cooked over dum for a long time resulting in perfect Biryanis that are absolutely to die for! The standard of food here has remained consistent for years. Though the eatery has a tiny outlet with not much sitting space the food here is absolutely marvelous! It is also quite affordably priced.

Cafe Noorani at Haji Ali – Situated right at the junction of Heera Panna shopping complex and Haji Ali is Café Noorani. It’s extremely clean and hygienic and the quality of food is excellent. The Hyderabadi Biryani here is simply delicious and is served both in full and half plates. The flavours are kept simple yet filling at Noorani. With an ambiance that is extremely friendly and inviting the restaurant has both AC and Non-AC sitting places. There is a huge variety in veg and non-veg dishes and also a huge array of deserts for the desert lovers. The food here is reasonably priced and the quantity is good for its worth. The staff here is quite efficient, courteous and friendly.

Well, what are you biryani-enthusiasts waiting for? Go out and try all these places, but don’t forget to come back and tell us about your experience in the comments below!

Episode 1 of Quantico is about setting up the premise that we are all now familiar with, thanks to the show’s aggressive publicity. Newly trained FBI agent Alex Parrish is the prime suspect in a terrorist attack. The story alternates between two timelines: From Alex training at the academy with a bunch of new recruits, to Alex on the run to find the real culprits and clear her name.

The show wears its myriad influences on its sleeve. This can often come off as jarring, giving its tone a lack of uniformity. In trying to juxtapose the emotional drama of Grey’s Anatomy with the grit and intensity of Homeland, the show often veers toward being over the top. The next few episodes will tell if Quantico will manage to find its individual voice within this chaos of references.

One of the unlikeliest, and perhaps unintentional, influences of the show is Bollywood. No, there is no song and dance. Priyanka Chopra has simply managed to tone down and adapt Bollywood’s school of acting and transpose it to suit the American show. You’ll see it in her come-hither looks to Ryan Booth (Jake McLaughlin), her shock when arrested by the FBI for the attack and her logic-defying escape from FBI. You’ve seen every expression before, just not in these contexts. This moment of recognition is amusing, heartening and disconcerting at the same time and when you allow yourself to look at it through this lens, it’s easier to buy into the world of this show. Successful as it may be, no one said this transition would be seamless and why should it be?

One of the best things about the show is getting to watch Chopra do things that female protagonists still don’t in our mainstream films. As Alex Parrish, she gets to be the person the entire story revolves around. She gets to be unapologetically in control of her life and do whatever the hell she wants. (Cue sex in the car with a stranger who later turns out to be a fellow recruit). She gets to be strong, messy and vulnerable at the same time. In short, she gets to be the kick ass action heroine Bollywood never gave us.

With that, let’s get down to answering the all-important question- Will Chopra fulfil our expectations to successfully represent a billion Indians on American TV and should she?

Priyanka’s successful transition from Bollywood to an American TV star is as much her achievement as her undoing. We, the Indian audience and media, are bent on scrutinising her, waiting to pounce when she falters as seen in our intense obsession with her accent. For every episode of Grey’s Anatomy you were willing to watch that hospital survive through apocalyptic disasters (there are at least two every season), for every time you were willing to go beyond what meets the eye and say ‘Yes, Jon Snow is alive!’, for every idiosyncrasy you put with on Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory or the times you sat through films where Salman Khan or Rajinikanth sent men flying through the sky, it is possible to use an ounce of that same willingness, to believe Priyanka Chopra/Alex Parrish has a mixed accent because of her mixed cultural influences. (She’s half American on the show, for crying out loud!)

We will say this though. Alex’s escape from the FBI after she’s accused of orchestrating the attack only works if the bureau is so stunningly incompetent that it literally can’t catch a woman a block away from where she was arrested. Similar narrative conveniences–such as characters stumbling upon important clues just lying around waiting to be discovered–litter this first episode, which wouldn’t be so egregious if these agents and recruits weren’t supposed to be the best of the best.

An actress, singer and former Miss World, Chopra has a poise and sexual spark as Alex that suggests a formidable potential FBI agent whose mind and beauty are equally stunning. But Quantico doesn’t give her much opportunity to show off her brains. Like her attractive costars, Chopra captivates on a superficial level, alongside the showy plot machinations and skin-deep intrigue as Alex goes into hiding to clear her name. The chase is on in Quantico, but at this early stage, smarts are trailing far, far behind. We hope they catch up soon!