Latest Articles
What is distinctive about the Bangalore art scene?
The word that is most often used to describe the Bangalore art scene is ‘non-commercial,’ given that it is not as market-driven as India’s other metros. Relative to Delhi and Mumbai, rents are reasonable. The city does not have too much of a celebrity culture. Discussions in the art world don’t centre around ‘who came and bought what,’ as an ex-country head of Sotheby’s India said. Bangalore in that sense, evokes an art community that existed in other Indian metros but has since been forgotten or left behind.
South First on Namma Bangalore
The Bookworm on Church Street launched Namma Bangalore. Social change communicator, Sahana Jose was in conversation with me. Friends in the audience read from the book and released the book. There was chai and samosas. Rain outside. Books all around us. What could be better?
What if your will could be your voice?
Let’s talk about wills. Have you made yours? And why are Indians congenitally reluctant to make them?
A Guide To Luxury Culture In San Francisco
Someone precious to me lives in San Francisco. Imagine my surprise when I saw how many cultural offerings were available in this Sanctuary City
Independence Day for Students
Right about now, hundreds of thousands of students all over India will be leaving home for college in Indian and all over the world. For parents, this means confronting the “university list” of things that you should pack for your offspring. The best list that I have seen so far is from the Dhirubhai Ambani school in Mumbai.
Can attitude and mindset change everything—including your body?
As we get older, there are two things that we give away: agency and power. Our children get older and start making decisions for us. When we go to the bank with younger nieces or nephews, we let them speak for us because we assume they are more “with it.”
How to get things done in Bangalore
When you move to a new city, the most common dilemma is how to get things done. How easy or difficult is it to do this in Bangalore? And do you need to grease the wheels as it were? The answer to both is yes, but it is not in the way that you might imagine.
Walking the talk about Inclusion
Called “Shefs of the Leela,” it showcased some high-quality women chefs over a sit-down dinner and a bespoke performance by Natya Stem Dance Kampni
The Senda: Hotel Review: Luxury Lifestyle Magazine
It was raining when we drove into The Senda Monteverde, but then again, Monteverde is a stunning cloud forest, so rain is part of the package.
The tango between Khara-bhaath and Kesari-bhaath
For the average Bangalorean or Kannadiga, there is a two-dish tango that evokes a symphony in their minds. These two dishes are the khara-bhaath & kesari-bhaath.
Old favourites that I wrote for Condenast Traveler (US edition)
Finding a tai chi teacher
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.
My Life as a Geisha
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.
Mumbai Meri Jaan
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.
Goa Grows Up
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.
Scuba diving Lakshadweep
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.
Lessons from my mother
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.
Chasing the Mekong River
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.
Wild at Heart
Bangalore is home. I didn't always live here—until two years ago I lived in New York. But now this is the city where my kids go to school, where I hail auto rickshaws for bone-rattling yet perversely exciting rides to work and meetings, where I prowl pubs and malls in search of stories and sales, and where I go to Namdharis Fresh supermarket to buy organic grapes, too-hard bagels, and much-too-soft cream cheese in an attempt to replicate the Sunday morning brunches at my Upper West Side apartment.
