Untouchable

This poem won "3rd Place Summer Poetry Winner: Untouchable - Shoba Narayan." Link below. It is a combination of many of my preoccupations. I am fascinated by the fact that Irula tribesmen from the Nilgiris have been hired to catch invasive pythons in the Florida swamplands. The second part is a tale that my grandmother used to tell me about how in her village in Palakkad, certain castes had to ring a bell to announce their coming so that orthodox Brahmins could look away. They were called "Pariahs," and this led to bird-watching and how the ubiquitous black kites used to be called Pariah Kites. The last bit about nutcrackers was quite literally a dream that I wrote down.

Hindustan Times: Water and Food pop-ups

Bangalore has always been a city where citizens want to participate in the city’s improvement only to be rebuffed by the government. Several organisations like Janaagraha, Bangalore Political Action Committee, Oorvani, Cubbon Park Canines, and Sensing Local have worked for years to improve the city’s governance. Other organisations like Atta Galatta, Bangalore International Centre and Sabha do their bit to enhance their neighbourhood.

Refugee

Refugee was published in The Mantelpiece Magazine, published in Iceland, in the May 2024 issue. Bangalore is full of construction. If you stand in any street corner, you will see rats and rodents come out of drains deep under. One day, I was idling on the street, saw this rat and predictably had the "eww" reaction of distaste. Then I thought of displacement and what it means to have your home razed down...and so this poem.

Hindustan Times: Ambition & Adaptation

Politician Tejaswi Surya married Carnatic singer Sivasri Skandaprasad earlier this month with great fanfare and predictably some controversy. All of which led me to wonder about ambition and adaptation. Ambition requires nimbleness and adaptation.

The blindfolded bear

The blindfolded bear dandelions burst wiggled in the wind settled on the eyes of a black bear blindfolded by stardust he stood up surprised sniffed at the future goosebumps settled as [...]

Brahms Lullaby

Brahms Lullaby Nobody knows how animal paws came into my handbag Nobody knows how the Brahms lullaby escaped Novak’s tennis racquet Nobody knows how waves throw salt and sand at golden [...]

The wounded drummer boy

The wounded drummer boy hiding behind the cosmic sky and his father’s fly tells his friend that he needs to go to Persepolis to get an injection or he will die [...]

Silence

Silence Once a week, mother went mute.  Mounam, she called it, the vow, imbuing it with sanctity, different from the stentorian call for Silence from our middle-school class-teacher who ordered us [...]

Indestructible

Indestructible When I was 12, I stole rainbow marbles from a rich neighbor. I remember the hot satisfaction of it — like she deserved her loss — for walking by in [...]

Destinasian Magazine: Indian craft chocolate

For Going.com on Kerala

The National Abu Dhabi: on Bhutan

For Mint Lounge India on Bhutan

For Moneycontrol India on Bhutan

Condenast Traveler US: Costa Rica

For Mint Lounge on the Taj Wayanad

For Khaleej Times Dubai on Australian Restaurants

For Mint Lounge India on Australia

Condenast Traveler US: Costa Rica

We were in Monteverde, the second leg of my family's eight-day-trip through Costa Rica. Our itinerary was tight. We would fly into San José, the capital, rent a car, and drive the La Fortuna region where the dormant Arenal volcano loomed over the landscape like a benevolent pyramid. From there it would be onward to Monteverde, one of the last remaining cloud forests in the world. Finally we'd head to Jaco beach, beloved to surfers, before flying ‘home’ to San Francisco.

For Condenast Traveler US on China

I have come to China from my home in Bangalore, India, to find a tai chi teacher. My pursuit of tai chi has been punctuated by such cultural challenges. When I informed my conservative Indian family that I was interested in tai chi, they were appalled. Why was their Indian child, heir to an ancient and proud tradition of yoga leaning toward an alien discipline?

Singapore fling

Staid, chaste, strict, small—Singapore has heard it all. But this island-nation of 4.2 million people has one thing going for it (many things, actually, but we'll get to that later): Singapore is a sure fling. Having lived in Singapore for two years, I have returned wanting to revel in it as a tourist—to see it all and do it all within forty-eight hours.

For Condenast Traveler US on Japan

I have come to Japan to learn about allure. I’ve been married for seventeen years, and while my marriage isn’t falling apart, it is fraying at the edges. So I have come to Japan to learn about feminine allure from its acknowledged masters: the geisha. Geisha were created to pamper men—but they were also the freest women in old Japan.

For Condenast Traveler US on Mumbai

I am going to Bombay to become a movie star. Why not? Every country in the world, if it is lucky, has a city that allows people to create such gauzy fantasies unfettered by the grim shackles of reality. They thrive and inspire, catalyze personal transformations and fuel creativity, not through wide-open spaces but through vibrant congestion.

For Condenast Traveler US on Goa

Once a hippie haven where even India's tightly chaperoned teens could turn on, tune in, and drop out, Goa has lately gone upscale. Living in a trading port for the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Europeans meant that Goans were forced to interact with the outside world far earlier than the average Indian. This has made them friendly but not overly curious about foreigners.

For Condenast Traveler US on Scuba Diving

I don't want to write about this place. Few people know of it; fewer still visit. Perhaps that's the way it should be. In this rapidly shrinking world, there ought to be somewhere that remains remote, even obscure; set apart in space and time; offering the promise of mystery, the romance of discovery. Lakshadweep—the name comes out in a sigh.

For Condenast Traveler US on bargaining

The thought occurred as I eyed a stunning Persian carpet in a downtown Manhattan shop. The Mogul-inspired piece looked terrific but cost thousands more than I wanted to pay. The smile on the manager's face suggested that he was willing to bargain. But where to begin? Middle age brings with it the sobering realization that you can actually learn something from your mother.

For Condenast Traveler US on Cambodia and Laos

Cambodia is like a lotus bud concealing an onion—serene on the surface but eliciting tears as you peel back the layers. The scale of the Angkor temples contrast with the photos of skulls in the Genocide Museum. The peace of a Buddhist monastery gives way to the raucous din of tuk–tuks. I am in Cambodia to meet a monk and to travel the Mekong.