If you haven’t read Shoba, I suggest you do.
Her grace comes from being fallible, being one amongst us. She writes with insight and blends personal vignettes into almost all her work. She writes with humor and love on most topics and never puts herself above the character or situation. It is this empathy combined with her inherent humanism that shines through in her writing.
Shoba sees the universe in a grain of rice and is able to shed light on macro issues through a micro lens. She tackles big subjects through amusing everyday anecdotes. Her strength lies in focusing her laser-like attention on commonplace events, incidents and situations and then parting the veil so that we walk through to the other side.
It is this ability to enjoy complex people with all their frailties and contradictions– and letting us see this, all with a light touch– that make her writing so enjoyable. Her descriptions along with her understanding and empathy make the reader fall in love with her subjects, no matter what they are. Like I said, if you haven’t read Shoba, I suggest you do.
Quote from a reader
FOOD & FAITH:
a pilgrim’s journey through India
What is the role of spirituality in your life? Do you pray? Is religion part of your identity or does it make you uncomfortable?
To answer these and other questions, Shoba Narayan approaches faith through perhaps its most primal and nourishing aspect: food. She partakes of sacred food in shrines across India– Puri’s bhog, Amritsar’s langar, Palani’s panchamritam, Mathura’s pedas, Ambalapuzha’s paal-payasam, Kashi’s sweets, Jaipur’s rabdi, Ajmer’s kesaria bhat, Madurai’s dosai, Jewish halva in Mumbai, and communal feasts in Udupi, Goa and the Kumbh Mela.
Sacred food is linked to the history, myth, and identity of specific shrines all over India. They are served to devotees who view it as a divine blessing. Food & Faith explores this powerful yet intimate connection.
Favourite Prasadam
Tough Choice. Click hereAmbalapuzha Paal-payasam
But then I grew up with this
Cows, food, faith, and people....
Her descriptions along with her understanding and humanity make the reader fall in love with her subjects, no matter what they are.
An absolute joy to read!
Through her close encounters with the bovine kind, Narayan shows how Indian traditions are incorporated into her contemporary way of life.”
A delight
“Anyone with the slightest interest in India or cows will find Narayan’s memoir, with its myriad insights, a delight.”
A Unique View
When a personal memoir like this one comes along, and it eschews high drama for gentle humor, dives deep into socio-cultural history, and presents slices of contemporary life as constant sources of everyday wonder, it’s a refreshing welcome . . . Narayan’s integrity of intention shines through so clearly and beautifully that it’s all too easy to take this journey with her.”
The Milk Lady of Bangalore immerses us in the culture, customs, myths, religion, sights, and sounds of a city in which the twenty-first century and the ancient past coexist like nowhere else in the world. It’s a true story of bridging divides, of understanding other ways of looking at the world, and of human connections and animal connections.
It’s an irresistible adventure of two strong women and the animals they love.
Elisabeth Guez says:
Ms Kumar says:
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Soumya Ravi says:
Shoba Narayan says:
Swati Biswas says: