Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Abhijeet

Gautam Bhatia @gautambhatia88.bsky.social · 1h

Had a few hours to process this, and wanted to say thank you to the jurors and voters of the @theignyteawards.bsky.social for seeing - and honouring - this little anarchist-inflected SF novel, from the list of a fiercely progressive & independent Indian publisher ( @westlandbooks.bsky.social). (1/2)

The Ignyte Awards @theignyteawards.bsky.social · 20h

The winner of the #2025IgnyteAwards for Outstanding Novel-Adult is THE SENTENCE by @gautambhatia88.bsky.social

2025 Winner Outstanding Novel - Adult: The Sentence by Gautam Bhatia

3 8 35

Reposted by Abhijeet

Puttaalu |പുട്ടാലു | Secretary of the Exceptionally Unmotivated club @aashiks.bsky.social · 1d

I think people with an Indian identity should read "Meet the savarnas". There's lots to critique and disagree - but it is still really worth reading. The exposition of privilege is so raw, and eye opening in some places.

1 1 5

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 1d

We all have our own outlets

A line art cartoon of a smoking woman with a beehive haircut drawn over a photo of an outlet

2 9 85

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 4d

- One added two syrups to my tab
- One comped me the foam (fave)
- Today's added a different drink and mathed their way into the price of the foam add on

Normally I'd die before wasting so much of other people's time but this concoction is so good 😭

2

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 4d

The local coffee joint can do this, but they don't have a in-UI option to add cold foam to a plain espresso. Every barista so far has dealt differently with my annoying order so far

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 9d

Did you know you can just get an iced espresso with cold foam? None of that milk bs in the way

1 1

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 5d

Katyar Kaljat Ghusli, Connecticut edition

Pookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 5d

Fun fact: in Connecticut it's legal to commit murder *but* only if you use a specific dagger they keep locked up in Hartford.

In order to legally commit murder you would first have to heist the ritual dagger, which *is* a crime.

The dagger has been heisted only twice in the past 360 years.

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 6d

Well, it wasn't frigid. Finally finished Service Model. The end is surprisingly well-trodden ground, but it still works because of the characters. My only gripe through the book was the amount of words spent clarifying that the robots can't feel or think, but the payoff is worth it. Excellent read.

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 14d

Next section is called D4NT-A. I wonder if the two main characters are about to embark on a journey of several stages descending towards a frigid core?

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 15d

Slow going (personal reasons, not book) but this does not let up. In a part about a library. It's called 80HR-S

Reposted by Abhijeet

Victor Manibo @victormanibo.com · 6d

October is #FAHM. There’s tons to say about being Filipino, America, and the countries’ shared history than could fit here, so I wrote about it for my newsletter dropping later this week

Sign up now if you haven’t yet. And till 10/13, new subscribers get a chance to win THE VILLA, ONCE BELOVED 🔗⬇️

2 11 17

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 7d

The Muse x Swift collab nobody asked for

Reposted by Abhijeet

Translunar Travelers Lounge @translunartl.bsky.social · 8d

Our readers continue to work through the submissions we've received, and we still want more! Read the submission guidelines for details and a link to the portal. translunartravelerslounge.com/submissions/

Submissions

Broadly defined, the type of fiction we are looking for is “fun”. [Go to Submissions]

translunartravelerslounge.com

1 18 28

Reposted by Abhijeet

Rakesh Khanna @blaftrakesh.bsky.social · 8d

When I was researching my book Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India, I learned of a 1000-year-old myth about Roman tech being used to build killer robots to guard the Buddha's remains in Pataliputra, and a Hungarian folklorist read my book & got excited about it, & she managed to dig up a🧵(1/3)

Romanised Pali manuscript of the Lokapannati

Ghosts, Monsters, and Demons of India
p. 60
Bhoota Vahana Yanta
Bhoota Vahana Yanta means “spirit movement machine.” The term is used
for several varieties of robot drone assassins and sword-wielding machine-
men mentioned in the Lokapannati, a Pali-language text written between
1000 and 1200 CE by Saddhammaghosa of Thaton, but concerning
events that took place much earlier, around 500 to 200 BCE.
According to the story, robots were first invented by engineers of the
early Roman Republic. These robots were used for commerce, in agriculture,
as a police force, and as executioners. The secret of how to build these
spirit-engines was fiercely protected. If any engineer dared to take the designs
out of the city, one of his own executioner robots would come after
him and kill him.
At that time, in Pataliputra (then in the kingdom of Magadha, now
Patna in the state of Bihar), there lived a young man who had heard of the
Romans’ magical androids. He became so determined to learn the secrets
of their manufacture and share them with the people of Magadha that he
arranged his own death. Then, on his deathbed, he vowed to be reincarnated
as a Roman.
This indeed took place. In his new life, the man grew up to join the
Roman guild of engineers. He even married the daughter of the Master
Robot-Maker, and had a son by her.
Once he learned the secrets of the Bhoota Vahana Yanta, the man resolved
to transfer the information back to Pataliputra. But he was well
aware that now, since he was a member of the guild, he would be killed as
soon as he left. So he cut a gash in his thigh, inserted the plans in his flesh,
and sewed the wound back up.

11 110 390

Reposted by Abhijeet

deeg 🤍 @deegoo.bsky.social · 9d

Pyaari is so decent 🥺

Two drawings and two small photos of the cat, Pyaari. The drawing on the left is wearing a blue dupatta. The drawing on the right is in a gold sari with a dupatta on the head.

140 4.7K 14K

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 9d

Did you know you can just get an iced espresso with cold foam? None of that milk bs in the way

Reposted by Abhijeet

If you know you know @privatechand.bsky.social · 10d

lol I have been shouting about how Nicholas Dirks work on caste is the go-to reference of Hindutvadis for years now. Po-co is absolutely not grounded in the left and never has been. There’s a reason why the first chapter of Bhabha’s Location of Culture feels completely tacked on.

Sumita Pahwa @sumitapahwa.bsky.social · 10d

This touches on a dynamic I have thought about for a long time.

Where the postcolonial Left meets the Hindu Right

Postcolonial theory, along with its younger cousin, decolonial theory, is providing fresh ammunition and pathways for the Hindu Right to seize on scholarly respectability for its views.

caravanmagazine.in

3 14 59

Reposted by Abhijeet

Victor Manibo @victormanibo.com · 10d

My next novel is about onlyfans—make that a scented book i dare ya

2 3 25

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 11d

I have a pointless allergy to decimals

1

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 12d

0F is 0% hot and 100F is 100% hot. It just sounds right. Don't ask me what a 110% hot means bro please bro it just sounds right bro.

1 4

Reposted by Abhijeet

The Doctor of Spooktober Past @lucidillusions.in · 12d

Let's start with a photo which combines both #BirdOfTheDay theme - #Silhouette of a bird showing some #Attitude in its pose.

(do check the alt for a poem inspired by this photo)

🪶 🌿🖌️
#Photography #Nature #Wildlife #EastCoastKin

silhouette of an Heron sitting on a branch (without any leaves) the background is a shade of golden brown.

This photo had inspired me to write this poem.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

Against the fading, evening sky,
A heron's form, so stark and high.
A slender neck, a pointed beak,
Silently gazing at the creek.

1 9 35

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 13d

I think solarpunk novels will likely fall into the "reduced dependency on tech" niche without going into outright magic e.g. the tech in A Psalm for the Wildbuilt feels very distinct from finger-splodin' rings.

2 1 3

Reposted by Abhijeet

The Doctor of Spooktober Past @lucidillusions.in · 13d

Post a banger that's not in English

#MusicSky

(I would have posted chaiyya chaiyya myself)

2 4 16

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 14d

Next section is called D4NT-A. I wonder if the two main characters are about to embark on a journey of several stages descending towards a frigid core?

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 15d

Slow going (personal reasons, not book) but this does not let up. In a part about a library. It's called 80HR-S

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 29d

Reading Service Model (2024) and got a good laugh out of Part IV's name (K4F-R.) Internetspeak puns? In my science fiction? At this time of year? In this economy?!

2

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 15d

Slow going (personal reasons, not book) but this does not let up. In a part about a library. It's called 80HR-S

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 29d

Reading Service Model (2024) and got a good laugh out of Part IV's name (K4F-R.) Internetspeak puns? In my science fiction? At this time of year? In this economy?!

2

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 16d

THANK YOU! I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO THE ENTIRE RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE CATALOG ALL MORNING!

1

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 17d

What rage against the machine song is this?! Please! It's driving me crazy!

1

Abhijeet @bingingout.bsky.social · 17d

Sundaes are the Chipotle of dessert

3