I attended a Kathakali appreciation course that whetted my appetite to see it all-the colourful stories of Gods and Goddesses and Kings and Queens so expressively told. But the character that I fell in love with was a lesser one-the fisherman ordinary. The silvery fish tossing in the water mesmerizes him so he casts his net into the river. He pulls in his net. Nothing. So he casts his net again. Nets nothing. Then it dawns on him that it is not the fish but it is the reflection of the eyes of the women bathers that had beguiled him. The wonder and the amusement...... Book Review Mistress The strand of gold that embellishes the narrative of Anita Nair’s latest offering “Mistress” is the tale of Koman, the Kathakali artist, while the darker skeins pattern the drudgery of his niece Radha’s marriage and her sexual escapades. The story unfolds on the banks of the River Nila, where Shyam runs a resort catering to tourists while his indifferent wife Radha begins an affair with an American tra...