Finndian | Reviews, Articles & Photography by Aleksi Lausti

1. Periods of Light, Periods...

As a child I grew up to appreciate natural light as a scarse commodity to be valued and cherished, since much of the time one had to be content with a dark playground and mere artificial light. When I opened my eyes in the morning to see...

Guest Post: A Day With Ruskin Bond

Posted by Aleksi Lausti on Jun 24th, 2011 in 6. Guest Posts

The world is, according to a saying, only the size of each man’s head. Deodar trees, misty hills, night trains, haunted spirits, leaping langurs, mountain air, unhappy women and lonely children...

Chennai – The Underestimated Metropolis

Posted by Aleksi Lausti on Apr 13th, 2011 in 3. Places

Walking down Marina Beach with the sea breeze bringing in uncannily familiar and soothing olfactory sensations, I cannot help thinking to myself how this city perched on the shore of the Bay of...

The Lichtwechsel Project

Posted by Aleksi Lausti on Mar 24th, 2011 in 5. Thoughts

Recently the article Periods of Light, Periods of Darkness that I wrote last year and first posted on this blog was published as part of the Lichtwechsel (Change of Light) art project. As a result...

CD Review: Miles From India / Miles Davis Tribute

Posted by Aleksi Lausti on Mar 15th, 2011 in Music Reviews

Disc 1: 1 Spanish Key 19:44 2 All Blues 9:21 3 Ife (Fast) 8:41 4 In a Silent Way 2:33 5 It’s About That Time 10:00 6 Jean Pierre 11:36 Disc 2: 1 So What 8:09 2 Miles Runs the Voodoo Down...

Writing tips from Jeffrey Archer in Chen...

As I strolled into the Odyssey bookstore I found it bustling with activity and anticipation. I asked one of the stackers and was told that a very famous writer was arriving soon. I had to press him a bit more...

Photography: Glimpses Of Old Madras

I reproduce here some vintage photography of Chennai or Madras as older generations still like to call the city. These photos have appeared elsewhere before and in my understanding the copyrights on them have...

CD Review: Ilaiyaraaja / The Music Messi...

இளையராஜா - The Music Messiah / Agi Music 2006 After listening to and reviewing Ilaiyaraaja’s magnum opus Thiruvasagam, I made my way to Spencer Plaza in Chennai and bought myself this...

CD Review: Avial

Avial – Debut Album / Phat Phish 2008 I’ve delayed far too long in writing about this folk-rock outfit. It is beginning to look like Kerala is a real breeding ground for original...

Guest Column: Interview With Ruskin Bond

By Atula Ahuja I visited him for the first time, in February 2007, and since then, the bond has slowly strengthened. We connect to him well and he too has grown fond of the lively spirit of the Reading Rainbow...

Review: Ruskin Bond / Scenes From A Writ...

I must confess I don’t have a clear idea on how popular or widely read Ruskin Bond is outside of India. Here in India he’s without a doubt a much loved figure who has painstakingly documented the...

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about me

I'm a writer, musician and volunteer worker who grew up mainly in Finland and England, yet have lived most of my adult life in India travelling, writing and meditating on the age-old existential questions that never seem to get definitively answered.

This blog was started in February 2010. To get finndian delivered by email free of charge click here.