Latest Articles
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. Reviews appear on platforms and word-of-mouth criticism spreads like wildlife. No wonder most chefs develop an armour to shield and protect them. Recently, a number of star-chefs have been visiting Bengaluru. Here then, is my take on the ones that I have dined at.
Fearless after 50: for WisdomCircle
What is it about women over 50 that makes them particularly suited for entering or re-entering the workforce? Perhaps the largest impetus is the mind-space that older women gain once their children are grown and gone. The second reason could have to do with hormones. But one advantage that age gives women is a certain confidence that comes from not having to prove anything to anybody.
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.
Destinasian Magazine: Indian craft chocolate
This post is about the flowering of Indian craft chocolate using local ingredients. Really lovely to see an idli-grinder as part of the chocolate making process. The article began after a trip to West Godavari district to see how Manam chocolate works with farmers to harvest and make artisanal chocolate.
WisdomCircle: how much money
When I was at the Columbia Journalism program in 1995, two professors invited a bunch of us students to their apartment for dinner. After a few drinks, one students asked— what’s the number? How much do you need to live like this?
Hindustan Times: Theatre in Bengaluru
Karnataka, like every other Indian state also has a robust night life beyond the pubs nightclubs which includes theatre, music performances, and processions, all of which are linked to religious institutions.