Review Fluid dynamics: A prediction for the 24th century These are warning signs, the end of the world is nigh.
– Kavita Pai, Turbulence
Sarai Reader 06:Turbulence
edited by Monica Narula, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, Ravi Sundaram, Jeebesh Bagchi Awadhendra Sharan and Geert Lovink
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, 2006
In a clue so cryptic as to discourage even the doughtiest crossword zealot, Turbulence, the latest Reader from the New Delhi-based new-media initiative Sarai, gestures towards a fast-forward future – one that has already arrived, and is very chaotic. Dubbed "a practice for and of a time that has no name" by an editorial collective based in Delhi and Amsterdam, Turbulence is the sleekest, edgiest and grittiest avatar yet of the Sarai Reader Series.
Now in its sixth year, the Reader has acquired a reputation of being the wild child of the publishing calendar. It has become known for collections so ambitious and diverse that each preface over the years has included a defence of 'eclecticism' – and every review has chosen to comment on it. While proving that it is possible to be both eclectic and consistent, Turbulence seeks to push the boundaries beyond a mere celebration of communicative diversity, by setting out to map terrain that is, at times, unnerving.