Latest Articles
Mint Lounge: Conservation story
Recently, conservationists in Bengaluru had a huge win. The State Board of Wildlife, headed by the Karnataka chief minister, approved a proposal to deem 5,010 acre of grasslands, about 25km outside the city, as the Greater Hesaraghatta Conservation Reserve (GHCR). This was after successive chief ministers over a decade had rejected the proposal. Conservationists quietly rejoiced and waited for the official order.A week after the news broke on 7 October, filmmaker Amoghavarsha J.S. posted an Instagram reel about his role in saving the Hesaraghatta grasslands. As a storyteller with over one lakh followers, Amoghavarsha said he was simply “sharing his happiness” at the news. There was one problem: Many felt the filmmaker, whose role had been minimal, was hijacking a conservation story that had involved an entire community and they hadn’t been credited or tagged. It brings up the question: Who owns the conservation narrative?
Hindustan Times: Breakfast in Bangalore
India has a masala dosa problem. This folded potato-filled fermented-rice flat circular piece of deliciousness has overtaken the world. The problem is that equally good variations of this form get lost in the focus on this one type of dosa.
Sommelier India: New York City wine
Say you are visiting a new city in the US and you want to taste and buy wine. What do you do? I experienced this recently when I visited New York. I lived in the Big Apple for years in the late nineties. It is a familiar city and yet, when I visited it recently, some 20 years later, it had changed substantially.
Mint Lounge: Soneva Maldives
Just outside my cottage at the Soneva Fushi resort was a coral reef. Several times a day, I walked out into the sea and start swimming with my flippers. A few feet away was a deep drop. This edge between shallow water and a deep trench is the sweet spot for snorkelling.
Hindustan Times: Visiting Chefs
To be a good chef, you have to have knowledge, opinion and confidence. Few professions are as unforgiving as a chef’s chosen job. You get feedback instantly. If the dish isn’t good, it gets sent back to the kitchen.
For WisdomCircle: Intersecitionality
If you are reading this, you are likely a high-functioning super-bright person, which means, at least according to your kids, that you are also “judgey” or judgemental. Pity those of us with grown children in their 20s or teenage grandchildren. No matter what we say or do, it seems, we are wrong. We are either “privileged” or “patriarchal” or “regressive” or not “intersectional enough.” It was that last phrase that prompted this column.
Hindustan Times: Dance in Bangalore
Bangalore is blessed with a multitude of classical dance forms relative to say, nearby Chennai where Bharatanatyam reigns supreme, or Hyderabad where Kuchipudi takes pride of place. In Bangalore, you can find Kathak, Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and other dance forms, all of which mesh together in this melting pot of a city. Why is not dance more popular than music?
Hindustan Times: Ganesha festival
Of course Mumbai is the city that is associated with Vinayaka, Ganesha, Ganapathy, call him what you will. But you may be surprised to find that Bangalore can provide spirited competition in the spectacle area.
WisdomCircle: Soul and Spirit
This column is about a simple fact: as you age, the ego becomes both stronger and more fragile. This plays out in ways that can both strengthen and sabotage because you are both secure and insecure.
Hindustan Times: Gay Bangalore
Recently, I was at the 14th edition of the Bengaluru Queer Film Festival (BQFF), a three-day community-funded event where 50 films were screened.
Hindustan Times: India Independence Day
It is that time of year again when all of us engage in a healthy dose of nostalgia, amnesia and hope about how India has changed since independence. Lists will come aplenty about things to be proud of and things to worry about.