India

Book Review | Moi, but it’s you by Poorva Kaushik

Published

2 weeks ago

September 28, 2026

Book Review | Moi, but it’s you by Poorva Kaushik

Poorva’s Moi turns school, friendship, family and examinations into an intimate portrait of adolescence—and finds meaning in the ordinary.

There is something disarmingly familiar about Moi, but it’s you, Poorva Kaushik’s debut novel. First published in August 2026, the book follows Mishika, a school-going teenager negotiating friendship, family, academic pressure, self-doubt and the bewildering process of growing up. Rather than constructing adolescence around extraordinary events, Poorva finds her story in the small, recognisable moments that often leave the deepest impressions.

Mishika is an engaging protagonist precisely because she is imperfect. She procrastinates, overthinks, dislikes certain subjects, worries about examinations and frequently finds herself irritated by her twin sister Siya. Their relationship is one of the novel’s most appealing elements: they quarrel, tease and annoy each other, yet their affection remains unmistakable. The book captures the peculiar intimacy of siblings who may fight among themselves but instinctively close ranks when an outsider interferes.

Friendship, however, forms the emotional spine of Moi. Mishika’s experience with Aditi—her childhood friend whose absence leaves behind a complicated mixture of hurt, anger and nostalgia—allows the novel to explore how difficult it can be to forgive without forgetting. Elsewhere, new friendships provide Mishika with companionship during school projects, examinations and everyday crises. A particularly charming early episode sees her agree to a “temporary” best friendship for a week, capturing both the innocence and seriousness with which children approach relationships.

The novel is equally interested in the pressures of teenage life. Exams loom repeatedly over Mishika’s world, but Poorva avoids turning academic anxiety into a conventional motivational lesson. Instead, she shows the messy reality of preparation: distracted studying, exhaustion, panic, humour and the reassuring presence of friends and family. Gradually, Mishika learns that courage does not mean eliminating fear; it means continuing despite it.

A family holiday to Bali provides another important turning point. Away from familiar routines, Mishika begins to reconsider the anxieties that have consumed her. On returning home, she recognises that the journey has changed something within her: the world is still imperfect, but it feels easier to breathe in it.

Poorva’s prose is conversational, youthful and often humorous. Its informal voice, references to contemporary teenage life and frequent self-deprecating observations make Mishika feel less like a constructed literary character and more like someone speaking directly to the reader.

Moi ultimately succeeds because it understands that growing up rarely happens through one dramatic revelation. It happens gradually—in friendships that change, examinations that frighten us, family conversations, mistakes, laughter and quiet moments of self-recognition.

For young readers, Moi offers recognition; for older readers, it offers remembrance. Its greatest achievement is reminding us that the seemingly ordinary days of adolescence are often the ones that become our most enduring stories.

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Explained: What is a special intensive revision of electoral rolls, and why is it in court?

Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and other opposition leaders filed a petition in the Supreme Court on October 12 challenging the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and seeking an audit of voter deletions, after police stopped their march.

Published

3 hours ago

October 12, 2026

Ankita

A special intensive revision is a house-to-house verification and update of electoral rolls by the Election Commission.

Opposition leaders filed a petition in the Supreme Court on October 12 challenging the exercise.

They allege large-scale deletions of voters, which are their allegations.

They want an audit by a committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge.

They also want the revision suspended until the court decides.

It asks for an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to audit deletions and modifications in the electoral roll databases, according to the same reports.

It also seeks an interim suspension of the ongoing SIR until the matter is decided, and seeks action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, according to the reports.

The reports published on Monday did not describe the Election Commission’s response to the petition.

India TV reported that the court could take up the petition on Tuesday, October 13, but the reports did not confirm that the case had been listed.

The petition was filed after the leaders marched from Connaught Place towards the Supreme Court, according to The Tribune’s live blog.

Police stopped the march at a barricade on Bhagwan Dass Marg, more than a kilometre from the court, according to PTI reports quoted in the same live blog.

Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav climbed on a vehicle to address the crowd, according to the live blog. The march did not reach the Supreme Court.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Tejashwi Yadav, D Raja, Supriya Sule, Sanjay Raut and Dipankar Bhattacharya were among the leaders present, according to the Tribune live blog.

Police said more than 30,000 personnel were deployed in the capital, according to the same live blog.

The Delhi Metro shut entry and exit at six central stations, Patel Chowk, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat and Barakhamba Road, from 6 am to 4 pm.

Supreme Court of India (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

India

Explained: What is a flight diversion, and why did IndiGo divert to Hyderabad?

IndiGo flight 6E6115 from Delhi to Chennai was diverted to Hyderabad on October 11 after a passenger’s power bank caught fire; the crew put out the flames and all passengers were reported safe.

Published

13 hours ago

October 12, 2026

Shubham

A diversion means landing at an airport other than the planned destination, usually for safety, weather or technical reasons.

IndiGo flight 6E6115 was diverted to Hyderabad after a passenger’s power bank caught fire.

Hyderabad is roughly midway between Delhi and Chennai.

The crew put out the fire and the aircraft landed safely.

All passengers were reported safe.

The aircraft landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.

All passengers were reported safe, and the reports mention no injuries.

TBS News reported that the aircraft carried 191 people, while The South First gave no passenger count, so the number is from one outlet.

IndiGo said the safety of customers and crew remains its top priority, and that the cabin crew acted promptly to control the situation before landing.

The airline apologised for the inconvenience and said it was offering refreshments and updates to passengers.

IndiGo said an alternate flight was being arranged to take passengers from Hyderabad to Chennai.

Zee News described the diversion as an emergency landing, but an airport official said no emergency or priority landing needed to be declared as the fire had already been put out.

Reports differ on the timing of the onward departure from Hyderabad, with one giving about 5:45 pm.

Power banks are lithium-ion batteries, and damaged or faulty cells can overheat and catch fire.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has advised airlines that passengers should carry power banks in hand baggage and not use or charge them during flights.

The cause of the fire has not been reported, and no investigation findings were available in the reports.

Passengers who see smoke or heat from a device should alert the cabin crew immediately.

A diversion is a decision to land at an airport other than the planned destination, usually for safety, weather or technical reasons.

IndiGo Airbus A321neo (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

India

Explained: What is Section 163 of the BNSS, imposed in Manipur’s Kamjong?

Nine people have been killed in fresh clashes between Naga and Kuki groups in Manipur’s Kamjong, Ukhrul and Kangpokpi districts, officials said, and the Chief Minister has appealed for peace.

Published

13 hours ago

October 12, 2026

Shivam

Section 163 of the BNSS lets a district magistrate restrict gatherings and movement to prevent disturbance.

The Kamjong district magistrate imposed it after fresh clashes between Naga and Kuki groups.

It bans gatherings of five or more people and carrying firearms or other dangerous objects in the restricted area.

Nine people have been killed in clashes in three Manipur districts, according to officials.

No fresh incidents were reported on Sunday, October 11.

Chassad is a Kuki-majority village in a predominantly Naga district, according to the same report.

That killing set off an exchange of fire between Kuki and Naga armed groups that continued on Saturday and left a man dead and about 10 houses burned, according to the reports.

On Saturday, suspected militants killed people in Kangpokpi district’s Tapon and Makui villages, and in Kamjong district’s Ningchou village near the Myanmar border, according to Daijiworld.

A man was also shot dead in a vehicle in Ukhrul district, according to the same report.

Accounts of the victims differ between outlets: one report lists six Nagas, two Kukis and a Gorkha farmer, while another says the dead were from the same family, so the breakdown is not verified.

Kuki-Zo organisations held security forces and a Naga armed group responsible for the death of the woman in Chassad, according to Daijiworld.

A Naga civil society body, the Working Committee JTC Manipur, blamed militants for another killing, according to the same report. These are claims by the groups and have not been independently verified.

Officials attributed other attacks to suspected militants and did not name a group, according to Daijiworld.

No fresh incidents were reported in the three districts on Sunday, October 11, according to the reports.

Central armed police forces and Manipur Police have intensified patrols and search operations, and additional forces were sent to Kangpokpi and Kamjong.

Manipur hills (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0