Namma Bangalore2026-01-24T08:21:57+05:30

Reviews and Articles

If only Iyengar Bakeries skipped adding so much coconut

So which is the true Iyengar bakery, began the thread. The answers came fast and hilarious. That’s like asking, which is the original Balaji Wines, or Durga Medicals, Ganesh Fruit Juice, Parameshwari Traders, Akbar Travels, Bangarapet Chaats, Basveshwara Khanavali, SLV Tiffin Room, Udupi Lunch Home, Vasavi Condiments, or cab drivers called Manjunath, and bus drivers called Basavaraju. Before we had franchises that sanitized and equalized everything we eat and drink, ranging from coffee to croissants, there were unique and distinct stores started and run by families. You could argue that Iyengar bakeries were the first franchise. Perhaps it started with different family members before branching out to become a brand name.

Poem: From the mustache, a moon cloud: in The Seraphic Review

from the mustache a moon cloud, was published in The Seraphic Review, Issue 3. February 2024. I honestly cannot tell where this poem came from. I write in the morning in my notebook and sometimes remnants from the night's dreams will come on the page. I think this came out of that free writing exercise.

WisdomCircle: Mental Models

No matter what the field, there are three things that all of us need for success. The first and the foundational factor is content, by which I mean talent, knowledge, expertise, rigour, all of these that each of us have learned and cultivated since childhood in our chosen field. The second is attitude, which is the set of character traits that each of us have, either through genetics, through how we were parented, or because of the circumstances of our particular life. The third factor is projection, which has become increasingly important in this digital age. It refers to how comfortable we are with being well-known, either in our chosen field or adjacent ones.

Hindustan Times: Show your love

An uncle passed away. At his funeral and subsequent days, I witnessed an outpouring of love and from his family, relatives, people he mentored and neighbours. All of which led me to wonder about the age-old question: what will your obituary say? What will people say about you after you are gone? What will they speak about at your memorial service? Which is another way of asking: who are you and what do you project to the world?

WisdomCircle: Love

Forget love. The glue that makes a relationship stick is how you fight and forgive. Do you sulk when wounded? Do you go silent? Or do you shout and scream? My father did not shout. His response to my mother’s anger, usually hurled as questions from the kitchen, was to leave the space and bang the doors and windows, all the while, muttering to himself.

When the comments are better than the article

My previous column on idli and dose (Karnataka) or dosai ITamilnadu) or dosha (Kerala) or dosa (North India) brought forth so many comments.  My head is spinning.  Please read.  Many call me out on my biases, which is great.  Many offer critiques of this "stupid" article.  Some link it to history, mean sea level, Dravidian roots, fermentation methods and ingredients. scroll all the way down below "Recent articles" for the comments section.  Enjoy.

How to game ageing

One of the pleasures of my life is getting to know kids of my friends– kids we have seen grow up and spent time with over separate lunches and dinners (sans parents). And now they call us when they are in town, and come over to see us. Even though my kids may not agree, I like to think I am a "cool" aunty to the kids of my friends. This "coolness" list is equally for me to remember and follow.

Make Mozart and Beethoven rock for you

To become a connoisseur—of the arts, ideas, food, wine, languages, movies, sports, economics or history—is ultimately a selfish exercise. You begin because you cannot help yourself; because of an abiding interest, one that will not let you go. Digging deeper becomes self-perpetuating after a while: The more you know, the more you want to know. At some point, you reach a crest and flip over. Once you pass that stage, beautiful things happen. You will hear a snatch of a Bollywood song and be reminded of a symphony. You will make uncommon connections that are ultimately the gift and pleasure of learning something new. A butterfly’s flight will look like an adagio, which refers to slow tempo in music.

Interview with Chef Dominique Crenn

An interview with a chef I admire, Dominique Crenn. For Fine Dining Lovers-- based in Italy. There is also an India connection. The founder of Upside Foods, based in CA is an Indian doctor, Dr. Uma Valeti. I didn't interview him though. Maybe for another piece. Lab cultured meat is a new thing but the fact that a chef of the caliber of Crenn is endorsing it means something.

Why are hospital billing systems so bad?

Is it just Bengaluru or are hospital billing systems bad all over India? My aunt suffered a fall and had to be hospitalised. In a city that prides itself on using technology to ease business, why are hospital billing systems so archaic and the opposite of user-friendly? Hospitals use phrases like “patient care” as a marketing tool. Yet, when the time comes, they fail us. Automating hospital billing systems is the only way to improve the patient experience. It isn’t rocket science. Why aren’t hospitals doing it? I talk about a recent experience.

Food and Faith in Four Ingredients: Rakesh Raghunathan and I at the BIC

May 4, 2022. From 6:30 to 8 PM. Rakesh Raghunathan and I do a jugalbandhi at the Bangalore International Centre. Come watch us talk about sacred food. We will tell stories, Rakesh will sing songs, and do a cooking demonstration of one of my favourite dishes. I will of course talk about "Food and Faith." Free and open to the public. This is an in-person event.

Artistes are learning to pivot during pandemic

I have a problem with consuming culture virtually. I especially dislike how technology has converted live performances into flat-screen replicas. All mediums change the form. Technology for the most part diminishes the performing arts. Here is my column for HT about the performing arts. Linked to some upcoming events.

Has fine wine reached a tipping point?

How can fine wine stay relevant? In this age of climate change, are wine drinkers going to be looking at other parameters when they buy wines– sustainability for instance. Unlike dark chocolate, which grew from its niche obscurity to its current keto-diet popularity, wine is taking the opposite route. Fine wine—the term is used so often and in so many situations that it has almost become meaningless—has now reached the tipping point in terms of affordability, access and most importantly, status.

What to eat if you go half-way vegan?

It is depressing. Here I remain, perched on the higher end of the weighing scale, basically hating myself for over-eating, over-boozing and falling off my exercise routine.  How to detox now? How now to stop the steady upward march of my Body Mass Index? How to stem the not-so-steady ballooning out of various body parts?  The answer, I say, is tambli. Tambli is a cross between a chutney, raita and a lassi.  It is served in coastal Karnataka-- Mangalore and upwards, usually before the rasam course.  Which brings us to the key question for this column: is there any other culture that is as obsessed with the yogurt-coconut combo as we South Indians are? 

Bangalore’s trendy restaurants: don’t believe Zomato

Let’s face it. A lot of what is considered best is subjective. Even if you go through crowd-polled websites, it is hit or miss. So what’s the takeaway? Mine is not to trust Zomato ratings because while they are crowd-polled, they aren’t customized, as in geared to your taste. My technique is to ask trusted friends and then account for their biases. When a Kashmiri friend says the food is too spicy, I automatically think it is probably perfect for spice-loving me. So what’s new, what’s hip in Bangalore? Read on.

Best Bangalore restaurants for Karnataka food

Good restaurants are not just in the business of selling food. They are in the business of selling memories. For some of these restaurants that I’ve mentioned here, memories are a function of their longevity– we are able to go back to these places time and time again. But that isn’t enough. The food had better be good, else none of the nostalgia will matter. All the places listed here fit that particular bill. Read on to find Bangalore's best Karnataka food restaurants

Why isn’t Ahmedabad the seat of design?

I am visiting this 600-year-old city that Sultan Ahmed Shah founded, for the first time, and I love it. I didn’t expect to. Indians are funny that way. Each of us is intensely proud of the region we call home, and, truth be told, there is enough in each place to be proud of. Talk to a Goan and they will act as if the good life or Sussegado originated in Goa. Talk some more and it becomes hard to argue otherwise. Talk to a Tamilian and they will act as if culture begins and ends in Chennai. Visit Chennai in December and you will become convinced. Talk to a Bengali and they will make your head spin with their literary and intellectual allusions. All Bengalis think Kolkata is the center of the universe and once you get into the ‘adda’ mindset, you will feel the same way too. And now, Gujarat. Deep breath.

Your city determines how grumpy you are

Recently, I read a book called “The Geography of Bliss,” by Eric Weiner. In it, Weiner, a radio correspondent who calls himself a world-class “grump,” visits about a dozen cities around the world to answer what, to him, is a fundamental question: why are some places happier than others? Why, for example, do countries like Puerto Rico, Switzerland and Denmark score higher on the “happiness scale” than African countries like Burundi, Sierra Leone and Togo? Compiled by Dutch sociologist Ruut Veenhoven, India scores a respectable 5.5 in this World Database of Happiness. So do Hungary, Russia, Lithuania and Kyrgyzstan. We score higher than the African countries with a score of 2.5, but much lower than the “happiest” countries of the world that score at least 8.0.

Reflecting on the Republic Day and the March Past

Now that the pomp and pageantry of Republic Day is over, perhaps we should all look inwards and reflect on the thing that epitomizes this national holiday. I speak of course of the humble “march past.” Think about it. If there is one thing that unifies the Indian childhood-- beyond mother’s milk and the monsoon, it would be the march past. Here is a light piece on memories of the march past and what it takes to be a good marcher.

Book review of Where the Gods Dwell

When Rosella Stephens, the gracious editor of The Hindu Weekend, asks you to write a piece, it is hard to refuse. But this was a tough piece to write. To compress a chapter into a line is both a service and a disservice to the author and topic, but that is exactly what I did here. Read on if you are interested in religions and sthala-puranas or stories of a sacred place.

What’s your Covid takeaway?

Bangaloreans are looking back-- and forward. We are asking ourselves and others about resolutions and Covid-takeaways. What changed in our lives? What remained constant? Silk List, an online mailing list, founded in Bangalore had a discussion on this topic. As did many alumni reunions that I attended in person and virtually. I compiled the answers into categories-- and directives. Which one resonates with you?

Episode 30: Birding in Uganda with Judith Mirembe

One of the most satisfying things I do is the Bird Podcast. It releases once a fortnight. This episode is special because it is my first interview with a birder from Africa. The differentiator that we try to maintain is that our podcast has 50% women guests. The other differentiator is that, much like birds, our podcast has no borders. We roam the globe with our guests. We have recently started doing audio and video podcasts so you'll find us on Youtube as well as all podcast platforms.

What do Bangaloreans do for New Years?

Here they come again, the questions: what are you doing for New Year’s? Any plans? Here are some suggestions from interesting Bangaloreans about celebrations. Walks, restaurants, shopping, service, coming home, food, here is a bunch. To celebrate may seem unseemly given the turmoil and crises that many of our family and friends have gone through. But it is also a way to leave behind our guilt and pave the way forward. It is a life-giving affirmation.

Women, work and the pandemic

In the throes of the lockdown, a strange event happened in our privileged apartment community in Bangalore. What was strange was how normal we thought it to be at that time. A young man wrote to the building committee asking if his cook could be allowed inside the building. He was a single working man, he said and needed food. This was discussed. “Tenant in Apartment 845 wants his cook to come-- on alternate days at least-- to cook for him,” was the gist of the discussion on the committee Whatsapp group. What was interesting was that most people in the ten-person committee, including the women, thought this to be a normal request.

Is wealth a good measure of a man? Or Woman?

Every professional I meet at Bengaluru’s great companies, be it Titan, Infosys, Wipro, Biocon or Flipkart, have their “origin tales” of how they struggled and succeeded. Equally, all of us, now lead lives, where we do everything we can so that our kids don’t struggle. This piece is about money and what it means. Many middle-aged Indians who are successful professionals today have our “unreserved compartment” stories.  You know what I mean? Or maybe you don’t.  It is the moment when you travel by Indian trains.  There you are, after an ungainly undignified scramble, sitting on the upper-berth of the unreserved compartment, surrounded by sweaty bodies.  In a scene worthy of a Kannada movie, you swear that you will never put yourself through this again.  

Amur Falcons: the largest raptor migration in the world

Bird Podcast, which I anchor, has started doing audio and video. We have a Youtube channel called Bird Podcast. Link in the post. In this episode, I made a film about Amur Falcons. A group of us from Bangalore went to Nagaland in November 2021 to see the largest migration of these small raptors. Renowned filmmaker Sandesh Kadur was part of the group. He quietly nudged me into filming while on location. I used an iPhone and used iMovie for editing. Not happy with the end result but it is a beginning.

Nuance in a polarized world for Nieman Storyboard

As a columnist and a memoir writer, a fundamental question I confront when I begin a piece is this: Do I view and portray this topic as black-and-white, or do I allow for 50 shades of gray? The fact that I need to ask myself this question reflects three things: the polarized times we live in, who I am as a writer, and how journalism uses data to predict audience. Much of today’s journalism draws on data to define the elements of quality that writers have long held sacred. Editors can predict which stories will draw the most “clicks,” the deep scrolls, and the most time on site. Except for a few literary magazines, most mass-market publications now use data to decide the type, tone and length of columns to publish and promote.

Raising middle class kids

In this essay, I address a thorny concept of middle-class values-- what are they and how can you pass them on-- if you can pass them on-- are they useful and do they have an expiry date? Can I pass my middle-class values to my children without them, you know, actually living middle-class lives? Many high-achieving immigrant parents grapple with similar concerns, I learned. We want our children to share our ambition and resourcefulness and frugality, but these traits are often rooted in the defining experience of having been hungry, young, and broke — a way of living our children haven’t known.

Puneeth Rajkumar and the limits of fitness for Hindustan Times

This Deepavali is a quiet and sombre one in Bangalore, not only because of Covid-- it’s long shadow is finally fading-- but because of the sad and untimely death of Kannada superstar, Puneeth Rajkumar at age 46. “Look at these crowds,” said a hardened news reporter, filming the hundreds of thousands of weeping fans who had gathered.  “To touch so many lives so deeply is something amazing.” The death of a Bollywood actor does this-- we know.  But Puneeth Rajkumar seemed to wear his fame lighter than most.  Perhaps it was being born as the son of Rajkumar, a legend and icon in Karnataka.  Perhaps it was being the youngest son in a joint family of 30 people.  Whatever the reason, the word that most people used to describe the “power star” is “humble.” 

What luxury means in 2021

If you ask your mother or grandmother what their idea of luxury is, you will probably get an answer that’s a variation of one of these: “A double ikat Patan patola.” “A diamond addigai (necklace).” “A Kashmiri silk carpet or a shahtoosh.” “A Mughal miniature painting. Or a Srinathji pichwai.” “Listening to Sawai Gandharva on a full-moon night on the banks of the Ganga.” Indians of earlier generations know luxury in a visceral, sensual way. Every product I have mentioned above is hyper-localised, linked to region, personal history and provenance. Often, each of these luxury objects is made by an artist or craftsperson who has worked with the family to custom specifications. It is purchased for a high price by an aesthete who has been following the sector for generations. If that isn’t luxury shopping, what is?

Growing up Karanth: book review: for Hindustan Times

Why do we read a biography? Often, because we want to get to know greatness. We are drawn to charismatic compelling figures and we want to know the ‘real person’ behind the public persona. By this measure, Growing up Karanth delivers in full measure. It takes us inside the life and mind of the Karanth family. It shows us how they lived, the kinds of food they ate, the animals they kept, and the connections they fostered.

Tabasco’s Temptation/Fresh magazine

I wrote about the allure of Tabasco for Fresh magazine. It is a personal essay with a long narrative arc. When all else fails, I reach for Tabasco. It’s my go-to condiment, as comforting to me as a child’s blanket, as dependable as New England’s four seasons, as fierce as the women in my family—my mother, my grandmother, and my many aunts—whose cooking I longed for when I arrived at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, from India as a young undergraduate in the late ’80s.At school and out of my element, I missed the stews my mother would cook on her outdoor stove under the moonlight, the dishes that teemed with the rich scents and spicy flavors of my native South India. In comparison, the cafeteria food was bland and arrived like clockwork: Pasta on Mondays, ratatouille on Tuesdays, burgers on Wednesdays, pizza on Fridays, and so on. I yearned for the fiery green chilies that flavored the curries back home. I needed some fire and spice—and that bottle of cafeteria mustard was no substitute.

Using Twitter/ Nieman Storyboard

For a writer, being successful on Twitter, accumulating followers, is a particular skill that has more to do with showmanship than writing.  Provocative, controversial and funny content attracts followers.  Can you do that? Writing click-bait type tweets that offer headline-like copy helps.  Can you do that? Keeping a steady cadence of content is key.  You have to keep putting stuff out there.  Some folks tweet four times a day. Can you do that?  It involves being comfortable with what skeptics call “oversharing,” and stopping the censor in your head that says “nobody cares about your every inane thought.” Can you stop that censor? Read my take on how journalists use Twitter.

Indian fermented pickles

How many times have you shelled out Rs. 300 for a bottle of kombucha and wondered why there was no Indian equivalent? Where were all the gut-friendly, probiotic fermented drinks (and foods) in Indian cuisine? Of course, there are.  As with anything in India, every state has its own variations.  In this piece, I write about Rajasthani Kanji and Karnataka's Karindi.

Foreign languages/Harvard’s Nieman Storyboard

Do you think in English or your native tongue? I wrote this complex essay about mother tongues, foreign languages, and how they influenced-- and continue to influence-- my writing. Also whether you can use them to improve yours. For this, I listened to stories and poetry in my mother tongue, Tamil. I also listened to Pablo Neruda in Spanish and Russian poets in Russian. I don't understand these languages but they helped my writing. Read the post to know how :)

Raj Parr profile/Mint Lounge

Some time ago, I drove three hours from San Francisco down the coast of California to a picturesque town of Cambria-- to meet iconic winemaker, Raj Parr. As you will read my profile of him here, Raj Parr can identify wine varietal, vintage and producer by simply smelling the wine. Which to me is the thrill of tasting wine. The nose is an under-used organ and wine-tasters have figured out how to make it work for them. Read about how Raj Parr does it.

Dance Conference- Maya Rao

When the multi-talented Madhu Natraj asked if I would chair a dance conference in her mother's name, I was honored and touched. I am a failed bharatanatyam dancer.  But I love dance and the world of dance.  So I happily accepted.  For the last several weeks, we have been planning.  And here it is-- happening on Saturday, September 18th from 10 to 3 at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC).  You have to register for the event to be there in person at the BIC.  Details in the post and on the BIC website.

Passage to India: Cooking With Shoba Narayan

‘In a proper Indian meal you have to balance six tastes," explains food writer Shoba Narayan, a native of Madras. "Salt, sweetness, tartness, bitterness, sour, astringent. So every family strives to have these six tastes in every meal." She flashes a mischievous grin."Of course, no one ever really does. Or at least not in our family. Balance is a goal."

The Dalai Lama Part 1

Can a monk teach me, a social media junkie, about happiness? Our two worlds after all, are poles apart. The monk in question is His Holiness The Dalai Lama, arguably one of the most beloved leaders of our time. For a man who has cast away worldly life, his worldly accomplishments are mind-boggling: Nobel Laureate and global statesman to name two from a long list.

The Dalai Lama Part 2

When the Dalai Lama greeted me, I sensed in that most primitive, reptilian part of my brain that I was in the presence of – not the “greatness” that hits you like a ton of bricks, but a softer gentler guiding spirit, a guru. Stand near His Holiness and you will feel yourself relaxing, less careworn. You become calm, mirroring the stillness that surrounds him like a cloak. Answers arise from the subconscious – all without a word being said. You see what you seek. Clarity is gained, peace regained.

The Dalai Lama Part 3

What do you do when you are angry? I ask His Holiness. I expect a discourse. Instead, he says, “Hit yourself,” with his typical cackle of laughter. “When strong anger comes, go like this.” He hits himself in the side of his head and laughs. Mixing the playful with the profound is His Holiness’s signature. The Nalanda tradition that the Dalai Lama follows has very specific practices to equalise emotions. Veer Singh, the founder of Vana, told me that His Holiness wakes up at 3.30am and meditates for several hours. A lot of his practice involves visualisation: sending love to all directions.

Profile of a dancer: Malavika Sarukkai at the top of her game

Dance is a beautiful and holistic way to access Indian culture. Here is a profile of a dancer at the top of her art. Twenty minutes before the world premiere of her latest production, The Battle Within, Malavika Sarukkai, ‘India’s greatest living dancer’ according to pre-eminent art critic B N Goswamy, stands alone in her green room, warming up.

Jamdani

Why did the jamdani weave thrive in Bengal? Of all places? How to tell an authentic jamdani? Why is the jamdani so special? What does the name mean? I talk about this and other topics tomorrow

How to uphold family values?

A month ago, I sat my husband down and announced that I wanted us to have a discussion on family values with our children. “I don’t want them to grow up like us,” I said accusingly. “

Thank you, Vanity Fair….

And then there are the stories by writers-first-cooks-second that are just particularly well-illustrated through food. Shoba Narayan’s 2003 Monsoon Diary describes growing up in Madras, India and summering in Kerala on the South Indian coast before making her way to Mount Holyoke—she fell in love with such new delicacies as blue corn nachos and salsa, but stayed devoted to the food she grew up with, like yoghurt rice, her preferred late night dorm snack. 

Are Robert Parker’s 100-point wines worth it? for Mint Lounge

An amateur tasting notes from a 100-Point dinner in Bengaluru, which featured wines that were awarded 100 points by Robert M. Parker Jr, arguably the most influential—and reviled—wine critic of our time. 16 people around a table at the Shangri-La-- to sample some exquisite wines: a 2010 M. Chapoutier Ermitage de l’Oree Blanc; a Chateau Larcis Ducasse, Saint-Émilion 2005; Sine Qua Non ‘Shakti’ Grenache 2014; Clarendon Hills Astralis Shiraz, McLaren Vale 2010; Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port 1992

Profile of Puneet Chhatwal: CEO of The Taj hotels

The new Taj CEO's first media interview -- with me. Can a hotel brand be both iconic and hugely profitable, I ask Puneet Chhatwal. “Why not?” he asks back. “We are already iconic. Now we just need to be profitable.” The 54-year-old took charge as the CEO and managing director of Indian Hotels Co. Ltd (IHCL), which runs the Taj chain of hotels, in November and is charting the next phase of growth for one of India’s oldest hospitality brands.

Summer pleasures: the intoxicating taste of padaneer

Come summer and I think of the time my grandmother and I got drunk together. Our libation was the sap of the palmyra tree and it appeared like clockwork this time of year. Called padaneer in Tamil and neera up North, this sap of the Borassus flabellifer tree tasted of jaggery, coconut, and water. The men who sold it to us insisted that it had “no kick,” but was full of “strength and vitamins.”

Role reversal: you become an adult when your parents becomes the child

When do you become an adult? People have different answers for this. Some say that they become adults when they leave home for college, when they make decisions on their own. Others link it to their first kiss, or more prosaically, their first paycheck. One friend said that she became an adult when her parents died. My parents’ relationship is beyond the realm of words or date nights or flowers on anniversaries. Their bond is primal.

Bellroy Wallet

Bellroy wallets come in an eco-friendly paper package with simple instructions. Each wallet, which comes in a rainbow of colours, typically holds four to 11 cards.

Thank you for the review, Times of India.

Narayan’s narrative skills are supreme. From a reluctant believer in the virtues of udder milk compared with packet milk to consecrating her new flat with freshly laid cow dung to buying a cow as a spiritual and religious act, and then donating it, Narayan walks the whole hog with the cow—although not with the desi cow, but a Holstein-Friesian version.

My father’s take on wine and the poetry of Omar Khayyam

A wine nerd weaves the realms of high poetry, family banter, and memorable evenings spent in the company of a fine grape. A glass of wine, a loaf of bread, and thou. I recite this verse to my father. We are sitting together drinking, as it happens, a glass of chilled white wine. My dad is 87 and the only things that interest him these days are words and poetry. He quotes entire verses from memory and can connect words to legend and history effortlessly.

The Mercedes Benz Among Cows

Home » Leisure The Mercedes Benz Among Cows Owning a cow in India must sound like the easiest thing, until you read this hilarious new book [...]

Mogra & Merlot: the Indian style of entertaining

On a recent night, under the lingering fragrance of a champaka tree, two taste-makers sat down to converse about tradition, aesthetics, saris, and, interestingly, entertaining. From Kerala ‘kasavu’ saris as tablecloths to ‘mogras’ in banana- leaf cones as centrepieces—is there an Indian way of entertaining? Entertaining is an act of love, a way to break the monotony of life. In today’s efficient, time-constrained world, we all have taken to “sourcing” the best products. But going that extra mile to root your parties in the Indian “context”, makes them memorable and feeds your soul and spirit.

This Indian Life: new column for HT Brunch

Every generation thinks of itself as the sandwich generation: caught between parents and children.  This generation however is different, I believe.  Because of advances in medical science, our parents are living longer.  These are some of the things I write about in this new column. What unites today’s India besides a love of spicy food, film songs, cricket and big fat weddings? I would say that many of us are parenting our parents – and an assortment of uncles, aunts, and random elders whose children live beyond our shores. It is equal parts frustration and comedy livened with moments of tenderness that borders on the sublime.

Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy

Thank you Thommen Olapally, for introducing me to Shoba Abraham who introduced me to Mirai Rao.  Delighted to discover that her husband owns Airlines [...]

BauBax Jacket

When a piece of clothing can double up as a backpack replacement

The Oak Bottle

Turn your cheap wines into not-so-cheap wines using this speed-ageing device

A bra that fits?

Can modern brands really match the customization once offered by local tailors?

Destination Bharatpur

The Keoladeo Ghana National Park is arguably India’s most famous national park for birds.  This episode offers you a bird’s eye view of the park

Vibram Furoshiki shoes

Wearing Vibram’s Furoshiki shoes is like wrapping a kimono or a Kanjivaram silk sari around your feet

Headphones: Vain Sthlm versus Bose

If you’re on a budget and like design, pick the Van Sthlm Commute. If you want a recognized name and are rich, go for the Bose Quiet Comfort 35.

Diwali gifts that do good and feel good

Diwali Special: Thoughtful gift options for the evolved consumer—help a cause, spread the wealth. A recent happy trend, though, is choosing gifts from organizations that work with and help less-privileged sections of society. Call it conscious consumption. Or being an evolved consumer. It is a way of spreading festive cheer that goes beyond individual needs or greed. To help you with this process, here is a list of such organizations. These products are handmade so if you want the consistency of a factory-produced object, look elsewhere.

Silence and Sound Part 3

MINT ON SUNDAY Home » Mint on Sunday » Silence and Sound Last Modified: Sat, Jul 02 2016. 11 35 PM IST My experiments with silence Keeping quiet improves [...]

Profile of a Samaritan and a Scion: for Mint

The word that most people use to describe Vandana is “selfless”. The word that most people use to describe Arathi is “balanced”. Vandana doesn’t think she is altruistic or selfless. Mental health is very personal to her. “I have bipolar disorder,” she says. “I am on meds. I used to cut myself as a teenager. Work gives me sanity.”

Love ain’t what it used to be

I am moderating a panel discussion at the Bangalore International Center on Feb 8, 2016.  Invitation attached.  Please come.

JW Marriott, India: hotel review: The Telegraph UK

With its running trails, tennis courts, birding and photography groups that convene on weekends, Cubbon Park is an oasis amid the bustle of Bangalore, and right across the street from JW Marriott. As well as great access for the town centre, there are the pubs, restaurants, boutiques, and art galleries that are nearby on Lavelle Road - a two-minute walk from the hotel.

Connecting to readers is a columnist’s particular pleasure: last Mint Lounge column

This will be my last column. My first coincided with the first issue of Mint Lounge and so it continued for nine years, weekly for the most part. I have grown and changed with this paper, participating in and bearing witness to its multifaceted issues. To be one of its voices has been a privilege I have never taken for granted. I was going to write a philosophical piece about time. About how this wasn’t really an ending but a new beginning. About how the ancients viewed time as cyclical. I researched the Pirahã tribes of Brazil who know no past or future but live, like Buddhist monks, in the present always.

You don’t go to Rajnikanth movies for the plot, you go for the comfort

To understand the hold that Rajinikanth has on his fans, you have to meet my ex-driver, Robert. An archetypal Rajini fan, Robert dresses, walks and talks like Rajini. Conversations with him are a triumphant reminder that while English is the language of logic and analysis for us Indians, our mother tongue is the language of the heart. It is Tamil that I turn to when I want to plead or persuade. And like many of our great vernacular tongues, Tamil lends itself to exquisite hyberbole. What passes of as conversation in Tamil would sound like a film dialogue when restated in English.

Negotiating with a spouse about marrying a cellphone

“I am thinking of marrying my cellphone,” I tell my husband. We are sitting beside each other, tapping on our colour-coded iPads—his, black, and mine Hermes orange—the colour, not the brand. “Oh really,” he says in that overly enthusiastic voice he affects when he hasn’t heard a word I have said. Our gadgets punctuate our lives and burrow deep into our souls. There is an app for every emotion. Getting hitched to your phone is the next logical step.

Talk at ABB

So I have been giving a lot of talks these days.  As any parent knows, having a group of people listen without interruption is [...]

Ode to an old-fashioned radio: how our parents listened to the news

How did you lose your Malayalam accent, I asked my father, especially since it has smeared itself like coconut oil on every other relative from Kerala. Radio, replied my father. My paternal grandfather was a lawyer in Kottayam, the kind of man who made fallen dominoes out of hardened criminals. At 9pm sharp, he would order his vast clan of sons, daughters and nephews to collect at his feet. Together they would turn on the radio and listen to the familiar voice that said, “This is London calling.”

The fantastic range of jewellery in India: inventive and imaginative

The range of jewellery available in India in terms of materials used, designs and techniques of craftsmanship is unparalleled,” says author and jewellery expert Usha Balakrishnan. She gives examples. The Nagas make jewellery using beetle wings, feathers and bones; Bengalis use conch shells for their bangles; Keralites include tiger claws and elephant hair in their jewellery; Maharashtrians use black beads; many states, including Tamil Nadu, use terracotta. The language of Indian ornamentation is vast. There is no such thing as pan-Indian jewellery.

Napa Valley wines Part 2 for Mint Lounge

Beyond the blue yonder where chocolate-coloured grapevines stretch as far as the eye can see, a plant is making choices about its future. It is gnarly and old. Its snaking brown roots sink deep into the land that has been its sole and only home; a land that made its name through Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Napa, they call this place. It used to be farmland until the 1970s. A young Stanford graduate, Robert Mondavi, moved there to start a winery in 1966. That changed everything.

Napa Valley wines Part 1 for Mint Lounge

Nicholson Ranch was the last stop on Day 1. By then, Platypus Wine Tours had taken a group of us wine tourists to three Napa Valley wineries in California. Buena Vista, because it was the oldest; Robledo, because it was the first to be owned by a migrant Mexican worker; and Peter Cellars, because it was a one-man show by a transplanted Brit. They say Pinot Noirs are the hardest to grow, but really, it could apply to any varietal. Blame it on Sideways.

The art of collaboration between dancers, artists and social scientists

Rehearsals are a vicarious pleasure; a way of accessing the genius of performers without the pressure of a performance. A few arts institutions—the Lincoln Center in New York, for instance—accord the privilege of watching a rehearsal for a price. I am at Kamani at the behest of Minaakshi Dass, whose venture, India Heritage Desk, aims to discover the next Aditi Mangaldas or Malavika Sarukkai. Gauri Diwakar may be one candidate.

Rajasthan Tourism’s new campaign

  How Ogilvy Turned Rajasthan Into Rohansthan, Nehasthan, Meerasthan, Jennysthan... By Snehojit Khan , afaqs!, Mumbai | In Advertising | January 20, 2016 Ogilvy [...]

Thanks for the plug, Ashville

"And, while there was precedent for a memoir with recipes (Elizabeth Bard’s Picnic in Provence, Shoba Narayan’s Monsoon Diary and an entire Goodreads list dedicated to “books shelved as cookbook-memoir”), “the cooking lessons with Jonah linked me to the way food was central to both of our stories,” Smith says."

Heavenly breakfast in Varanasi: Mint Lounge

South Indians, or should I say Tamilians, can be cantankerous purists. No mixing tastes. No adding sugar to dal like the Gujaratis do; or adding jaggery to rasam like the Kannadigas do. Only one vegetable per sambhar; be it okra, brinjal or small onions. If you mix multiple vegetables, you are a caterer who is trying to palm off all the cheap vegetables available into one pot. These Tamilians ought to taste the pleasures of breakfast in Varanasi. It might change their minds.

Poetry Feedback

Funny how poetry evinces so much passion.  Did not realize. Hi Shoba, As a poetry junkie, loved your last column.  Would love to meet [...]

How to talk to elders: game their wisdom and learn from it

What is your strategy when you meet elders; those uncles you encounter at weddings? You sit with them, chat desultorily about their prostate, how hot Mumbai has become, and maybe reminisce about the ancestral home or village. The conversation ends abruptly after 5 minutes; and then both parties, with relief, turn to their devices.

How to give (or how to clear out your closet)

This then is the long view of life. I view interactions as transactions. My parents view interactions as relationships. Post office personnel get invited home for festivals; and the man at the transport office gets new nightwear because he complained that his joints were aching in Bengaluru’s cold weather. As for me, I have a lot of spare room in my storage closet these days.

Can you smell and taste through cyberspace?

The killer app, at least in the fields of wine, perfume, cheese, or anything that relies on olfactory and gustatory sensations, will have nothing to do with curing male baldness. The killer app for wine and perfume will be the ability to transport scent and taste through cyberspace. If you could click on a wine bottle that is displayed on your computer and smell the aroma of the wine it contains, all the wine descriptions that we struggle to come up with will be rendered useless in an instant.

Can wine be described well? for Mint Lounge

KRSMA Estates has invited me to a tasting of their wines next week, and frankly, I am a little nonplussed. Robert M. Parker, the influential American wine critic, once described a Haut-Brion as having “a sweet nose of creosote, asphalt…” and an array of berries. Having never tasted asphalt, and having no idea what a creosote is, this description is absolutely useless to me.

Are you listening to the Kodaikanal rap?

The old woman in Palani—down the hill from Kodaikanal-- was trying to recruit me to be a movie extra.  Muniamma looked like a rock star.  She was about 80, with weathered skin about the colour of a coffee bean.  She was clad in a soft white cotton sari sans blouse in the fashion of village women in Tamilnadu. Muniamma’s recruitment strategy was fool proof.

Radio New Zealand and Abdul Kalam

So they call from Christ Church on Skype on a rotating schedule of global correspondents. I shoot the breeze with the breezy anchor, Bryan [...]

Buy my book

Just got my ten author copies of Katha yesterday.  They are beautifully packaged.  Small enough to fit in a purse.  It releases August 28th [...]

Katha Review

Thank you Vijaya Pushkarna, for the generous review.  I am supposed to have a Twitter conversation with you or The Week tomorrow, August 5th [...]

Flora and Fauna in Sanskrit literature

For any nature-lover, this video interview with Naresh Keerthi, who is a doctoral student at NIAS (National Institute of Advanced Studies), Bangalore is a [...]

Memories are made of buttermilk for Mint Lounge

My first memory of buttermilk is warmth and darkness.  I must have been five or six years old.  Still confused by the mists of sleep, I walked into my grandmother’s kitchen, drawn by a comforting swishing sound.  My grandmother was sitting on the floor, her legs spread-eagled and resting on the wall.  Soft light filtered through the window in front of her. In between her legs was a heavy mud pot that was held firmly in place by a coiled towel.

Birds in culture– the last of the four part series that I hugely enjoyed writing.

Everyone says that bird-watching requires patience. I don’t think so. I think that the pleasure of bird watching comes from the questions you ask. You can watch a crow and try to figure out why it is cawing at that moment. You can listen to the variety of calls that a common mynah makes and try to see if there is a pattern. I watch the birds come and go in the trees in front of my home and see if there is a reason or pattern that they follow when they sit down and take off.

Birding: seeing versus hearing

In the beginning, with pig-headed ambition, I decided that I would memorize the Latin names for all the bird species that I saw. I have given up that endeavour now. It is complicated enough to keep track of the markings and learn the common names. This then is the other learning that will occur: spotting minor differences between birds that belong to the same species: White-cheeked Barbet, Grey-headed Barbet, Coppersmith barbet, Blue-throated Barbet, you get the picture. They all belong to the Megalaima species.

Trees and birds

The best thing that is happened to me as a result of this year-long journey is the cliché: I feel connected with the universe. Let me be clear. I don't think you wake up one morning and suddenly feel at one with the cosmos. It is a gradual process of shedding layers of armor that you have built around yourself. The way it happened for me, and I am by no means there yet, has to do with connecting multiple species and seeing a greater whole.

How to bird-watch. How to watch birds

It begins with a pair of binoculars; and a balcony, if you have one. If there is some greenery visible from your balcony, even better. But you need binoculars to begin this voyage. Mine are Bushnell binoculars from Amazon for about $35. They have a magnification of 10X50, which didn’t mean anything to me except that it seemed better than the 8X40 advertised by other brands. I use them every day, except during travel, and even that, I want to change.

Radio New Zealand

I did my correspondent duty for Radio New Zealand last week here and embedded below http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/remote-player?id=201753346

Eudaemonia, Rahul and Kejriwal

Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal and eudaemonia Rahul Gandhi could take a lesson from St Augustine of Hippo. Wait, before you roll your eyes, let me [...]

Creation hymns

Hari Ravikumar, author and musician talks to me about creation hymns here.  In the below video, you have to scroll to the 9th and [...]

Would you wear a garment without a blouse? for Mint Lounge

Scurrilous as it sounds, it was the breasts that stupefied me—and I might as well warn you now—this is a word you are going to read a lot in this column—and if it makes you uncomfortable—well, that’s the point. I had entered Tasveer art gallery in Bengaluru to cultivate the sagacity that comes with viewing art—or so we hope. Instead, my thoughts were salacious.

Why balance wins over early retirement

Patrick Pichette is probably a nice guy but.... A retirement letter masquerading as a wise sermon should hardly make news, let alone cause effusive gushing. Pichette comes across as a nice man. He has a lyrical turn of phrase. That, along with the fact that he holds a top job in a revered Silicon Valley company, may be why his resignation letter has the drama it does. Man rockets to the top; then drops off the cliff. That’s the story.

The Music Show goes to Chennai!!

We are performing back to back. April 11th evening at YG Mahedra's Bharat Kalachar. April 12th morning at Vani Mahal.  This event requires RSVPs. [...]

How women speak: Which Verbal Personality type are you? for Mint Lounge

Society lays the onus on women. Lean In, says Sheryl Sandberg. Break the glass ceiling. Speak up. Dance like a man. That is one way. If you are the boss, sure, you can tell your quiet colleagues to speak up. Or you can simply hire more women. As has been reported in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Inc. and The Atlantic, teams with more women outperformed teams with more men on a consistent basis. “The secret to smart groups: it’s women,” as a headline in The Atlantic said.

Monsoon Diary on social media

"HOW had I been cooking/eating/reading this long and not devoured Monsoon Diary, by Shoba Narayan? It seems unthinkable now that I have read it cover to cover in about a day (the 20 inches of snow outside helped me a little).

Festival of Sacred Music

My friend, Ranvir Shah and his Prakruti Foundation does The Festival of Sacred Music in Thiruvaiyaru every year. Details here This year, the festival [...]

HOW TWO WOMEN ARE CONNECTING POPULAR AND INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC THROUGH RAGAS Tanvi Dubey 894 Stories Friday January 16, 2015, 2 min Read [...]

A concert

My friend, Chitra Srikrishna and I doing a music gig called "Hum Raag." It is a fun project where we link film songs to [...]

Somatic Exercises

These really work. And they are terrifically relaxing. How exercising your body can help reset your brain Shoba Narayan December 31, 2014 Updated: December [...]

K. Balachander

As someone who has watched and tracked Tamil movies all her life, one of the things I notice is the fall of the heroine. There are exceptions, but by and large, Tamil films these days are hero oriented, action films with a thin storyline. Women play the love interest, or dance an item number, with Rajnikanth’s Linga being the latest example. What Tamil films need are strong directors who are fascinated with women like those directors in the 70s and 80s.

Vimala Rangachar

Welcome to the Sanskrit Podcast where the ideas of ancient India meet the modern world. Vimala Rangachar has been associated with fine arts and [...]

The best gifting ideas from 2014: for Mint Lounge

It is just before Christmas. You are probably in the throes of figuring out what to buy for family, friends and co-workers. Here is a list of objects that you could consider buying for your near and dear. The logic of choosing these objects was simply this: I saw them during the course of this past year and they stuck in my head—because they are unique, innovatively designed, and beautiful. Shoba Narayan plans to buy a lovely teapot this Christmas season.

Kalidasa for 21st century

Fantastic exposition of why Kalidasa is huge in ancient Indian literature. Thank you, Mani Rao, for sharing this with us. Watch the episode here

Carnatic Instrumentalism

The future of Carnatic instrumental music requires both a stroke of genius and a paradigm shift. How do you end the supremacy of lyrics in what is being performed today? As a listener, even I know and love the lyrics. Why then would l listen to only instruments? For that, several things need to happen. A genius composer needs to write for instruments—either a concerto format with multiple instruments or a song with a long instrumental riff like in Hotel California, where the guitar becomes the melody at the end.

Why your girl should go to a women’s college: for Mint Lounge

My view—from personal experience and from watching other adolescent girls—is that women have many voices in their heads that tell them how to behave. They have a mortal fear of being judged. They hate confrontation. A good teacher can drown these voices. A good college can alleviate the desire for approval that women have; the self-correction that they engage in all the time. Through role play and encouragement, faculty and staff teach young women to be assertive, to speak up; to stop second-guessing their thoughts and opinions.

Raga Connection show

I will be doing a workshop "The Raga Connection" along with a friend and fabulous singer, Chitra Srikrishna, at the Times of India literary [...]

Year in Review

It is the time for "Year in Review." Spoke to Bryan Crump at Radio New Zealand here.

In search of the perfect wine glass

Anyone who has stayed in a hostel has a resource-constrained mindset towards food. I don’t care which college you went to. Standing in line and waiting for a finite amount of food does something to your psyche. It makes you think of food, not as a pleasure to be had, but as a resource to be grabbed. It has taken me several decades to get out of this mindset.

Heritage Conservation

What Mumbai has that Bengaluru doesn’t There is an anecdote that is the stuff of legend. When queen Victoria took over the administration of [...]

Bangalore Club

A simple email I got some time ago. On Oct 13, 2014, at 10:22 PM, Vikram Rajaram wrote: Dear Shobha, We have, in the [...]

Culture and Globalization

The Question of our Time. How can we stay rooted in our own culture in a globalised world? In a globalised world, it's hard [...]

Spirits of India

Korea has soju; Japan has sake; America has bourbon; Mexico has tequila and mezcal; Germany has schnapps; Scandinavia has aquavit; France has wine; Greece has ouzo; Britain has beer; Portugal has port; Spain has sherry; Turkey has raki; Brazil has cachaça; Peru has pisco; Scotland has Scotch; and India has…what? Chai? Horlicks? At a time when national spirit is high, shouldn’t we consider a signature spirit as well?

Gita and management

Dharma is a very complicated Hindu concept. In this episode, I discuss this idea with Professor B.Mahadevan Professor B. Mahadevan has taught at the [...]

Reduce transactions

I am speaking at The Bangalore Club on November 20th. The title, which I suggested is "Returned to India: now what?" I am sorta [...]

Birds:  A tryst with cacophony and camouflage

Bird watching fits this paradigm, because no matter where you travel, you will always find birds. If you educate yourself on birds, you can travel the world and remain engaged in your interest. When you get too old or feeble to travel, you can stand in your balcony and look through binoculars. As I have been doing. The freedom that birds seem to experience is uplifting and you wish you could lift yourself up.

Feasting and fasting

I am writing this as I face laddus, barfis, badam chocolates, and mixture. Oh, the irony. Denial is good in principle, but is it [...]

Suhas Mahesh

Suhas Mahesh talks about the pleasures of Sanskrit and physics. Thank you Suhas! When I contacted Suhas Mahesh, he wanted to talk about three [...]

Old age

What’s the best way to navigate your way through old age? Shoba Narayan October 15, 2014 Updated: October 15, 2014 06:31 PM My mind [...]

HumRaag

Chitra Srikrishna is a classical carnatic singer. She spent many years in the Bay area, which is why you haven't heard of her. She [...]

Procrastination

I have learnt how to procrastinate with furious efficiency Shoba Narayan October 7, 2014 Updated: October 7, 2014 05:40 PM It began innocently enough [...]

What is Chitra Kavya?

I don't know about you, but I know precious little about Indian poetry. I have heard of Kalidasa but that's pretty much it. As [...]

Train Diary 4

The last of my beloved train diaries. For now. Train diary No.4: strangers and friends There are two types of people who travel on [...]

Train Diary 3 for Mint Lounge

Why do so few people talk to their fellow travellers on planes and why do some many talk to their neighbours on trains? I think it is because we view planes as mobile offices while train travel is time away from work; more like a vacation; a time to exhale and take stock; a time for diffused thought rather than focus; a time to relax.  Planes produce the opposite effect.  With no interruptions from colleagues or relatives, we pull out our computers and phones and get work done. 

Hum Raag in Hyderabad

HumRaag (Chitra and I) will be performing at ISB auditorium on Saturday, September 27th.

Train diary No.1: we’re all in it together for Mint Lounge

Nothing matches the high drama of a train departure.  Where else can you run beside the train, holding on to hand, finger, then little finger, then scarf, before letting go and waving till the train disappears.  You certainly cannot run after an airline; and you’d bump into the passing cow if you tried this stunt in inter-city buses.  Trains are designed for our sort of goodbye. Everyone is running, sobbing, yelling out instructions, and then frantically waving goodbyes and asking the traveller to call the moment the train reaches destination.

Serendipity

In shrinking urban spaces, there are a few locations that bring together intellectuals and ideas on a daily basis. In Bangalore, Koshy’s, the much loved coffee shop, is one such location. Cobalt Blue, a new shared-office space, aspires to be another. Part of the reason you visit these spaces is because you don’t know whom you will meet or what you will encounter. Of course, some of these encounters can be unnerving—the classic one being when you run into your ex at a location that was special to you.

Robin Williams

Even though he was over the top and occasionally overwrought in his movies, we each have our Robin Williams favorites. Whether it was the charismatic professor of Dead Poet’s Society; or the husband who dressed up as a housekeeper in Mrs. Doubtfire; or the suburban Dad leading his family on an RV vacation; Williams outplayed his costars and sucked up oxygen on screen.

Perfectionist children

Of course, the below can be seen as a long-winded excuse from a non-perfectionist. :)   Failure is an important stopover on the road [...]

Musicians and Nakhras

My kind of artiste is a little more emotional; a little more frail and temperamental; full of insecurities and ideologies about what music can and should do. My kind of artiste is not a perfectly “cracked vessel”, like the Korean celadon glazes. Today’s artistes and musicians are this way: just cracked enough to be interesting; with just enough ego to be taken seriously; and professional enough to schedule multiple performances in multiple continents with discipline and rigour.

From thin to fat

Both my brother and I were painfully thin while growing up, which in Chennai was a bad thing. My Mom gave us strange concoctions [...]

Short working hours

I honestly don't think shorter working hours are going to work. People want to work more because they like it. All work and no [...]

You made the cover!

First time since I have written for The National. Begin forwarded message: From: Brett Debritz Subject: you made the cover Date: August 5, 2014 [...]

College Bound

Thanks to all the advice-givers of this piece. University is a time for discovery, exploration ... and even purple hair Shoba Narayan August 4, [...]

College Bound

Thanks to all the advice-givers of this piece. University is a time for discovery, exploration ... and even purple hair Shoba Narayan August 4, [...]

Arranging everyday objects into art: for Mint Lounge

The other day, my husband came to the dining table and said, “Where are the serving spoons?” “In between the frangipani flowers, dearest,” I said. A bunch of children from the building ran in, exclaiming that they were ravenously hungry. Saturday night is Maggi night in my house and as a result, we become the most popular family in my building. Shelfies are all the rage in the virtual universe of photographs. These are artful arrangements of objects that people photograph and upload on photo-sharing sites like Instagram.

Kathak Maya Rao

Certain art forms are more connected with a country’s culture than others. To understand Russia, you have to know chess and ballet—the Mariinsky and Bolshoi styles, and names such as Vaslav Nijinsky, Svetlana Zakharova and, of course, Rudolf Nureyev. To appreciate England, you really need to know theatre—Shakespeare of course, but also West End. Fashion is a prism through which you can understand the French; rhythm the in-road into Africa. If you know and understand the tea ceremony and raku ceramics, you will understand the Japanese sensibility.

Indian Railways

To understand India, you need to have ridden on a train. One more plug for this fab book. Okay, so I have a piece [...]

Clubs and dress code

It is a tough call to balance the gentility of wearing appropriate attire and tradition with moving with the times. I have been thrown [...]

Living Will

This is a horrendously complicated topic. To get an idea, just imagine writing a living will yourself: when would you pull the plug on [...]

Day 4: July 18 2014

I am so mad. I woke up at 3 AM and surfed the Internet for two hours, looking at Hermes and Louis Vuitton bags. [...]

The Meditation Project

My inability to meditate properly is really stressing me out Shoba Narayan July 14, 2014 Updated: July 14, 2014 05:26 PM In his [...]

Mindfulness

To be obsessed with meditation seems like defeating the purpose. My problem is that I still haven't conquered this. How to sit "simply" and [...]

Takshashila and Deepak Nayyar

This promises to be a great event. Ummm....my husband is moderating and an organization that I am part of is organizing.

Arshia Sattar/Storytelling

What a treat it was to discuss Sanskrit, storytelling, and cultures with Arshia Sattar. [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/157268039" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]

Martial Arts

I have been listening to a fascinating podcast called "the military history podcast." I am not a military buff but this one is interesting [...]

Yoga and Willpower

I restarted yoga lessons. My teacher is very good, but very very busy!!! Hope his timings and mine can work out long term. Inspired [...]

The Confidence Conundrum

still love the line: "confidence is turning thoughts into action." The confidence conundrum and what we can do about it Shoba Narayan June 17, [...]

Temperament versus efficiency

After a nice few weeks of vacation, back to writing the column. The tug-of-war between ‘nice’ and ‘competent’ My grandparents had four sons and [...]

Chairs, Sugar, Phone

Thank you, Manish, for this idea. Modern addictions are holding us all back, but can we live without them? Shoba Narayan June 11, 2014 [...]

Khadi

I am speaking at this event organized by the Crafts Council. About the future of khadi. Going to call all my designer friends and [...]

My work in Hindi

Some time ago, a well-run and respected newspaper based in Rajasthan got in touch. Their name is Patrika. They wanted me to write for [...]

Dragon Dictate

I have been using Dragon Dictate for some time and I love it. I am in fact speaking to my computer now. If your [...]

Storytelling

I was asked to give a lecture for an hour to the "Mascots" of SAP Labs. These were the top 30 performers, the crème [...]

Sound of Indian Music

Wrote this for "Eat Stay Love" that is the in-house magazine for the Four Seasons Hotels among others. LOVE - 120-121 - Column - [...]

Gratitude

An attempt at being funny. I had the hardest thing trying to come up with a quote. I know that someone made a quote, [...]

Nagging

The best way to make advice stick? Nag incessantly Shoba Narayan April 22, 2014 Updated: April 22, 2014 18:18:00 One of the perks of [...]

Cricket Widow

Opinion The only option for a cricket widow is to play the game Shoba Narayan April 13, 2014 Updated: April 13, 2014 16:57:00 I [...]

About Indian Wine for Mint Lounge

Wine clubs are proliferating all over India. The time is ripe for local producers to capture and grow this interest. An informal club I belong to served some nice white wines recently: an aromatic white from Château de Fontenille and a 2008 Aussières Blanc Chardonnay from Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). The members of this club travel frequently and bring back wines. They do give Indian wines a try but prefer to pay two-three times more for wines of guaranteed quality. They are the market.

Maternal Mortality Rates

Maternal mortality interests me because it seems preventable and is a problem that is at a confluence of medicine, society and culture. I recommend [...]

Reinventing Carnatic Music

How do you make classical music relevant to a global audience? Should you even try? Today’s audience for Carnatic music ranges from Cleveland in the US to Chennai, and these are the hard-core ones. How can you expand its reach? Is it by removing the bhakti-rasa or devotional tone that some believe to be its core? Is it by changing the concert format, as some are doing? Or is it by developing a smartphone app?

VSCO

My latest app download. I love it Check out the photos here.

Evolution of Music 3

Western classical music traces its roots to Egyptian and Greek music. The medieval period lasted the longest, from about 500-1400. This was also the time when Indian music was being formalized. The Sangita Ratnakara, a musical text that influenced both Hindustani and Carnatic music, was written by Sarangadeva in the 13th century. The Islamic influence that caused Hindustani music to diverge from Carnatic music was just about to happen.

Evolution of music 2

All music originated in the sacred, no matter what religion. Listen to Gregorian or Mozarabic chants with your eyes closed and they will remind you of the feeling you get in the early morning hours at a temple in Haridwar. Listen to Baroque Jewish music from a Portuguese synagogue, available on Youtube, and it will take you back to a church in Goa. Listen to Islamic Anasheeds or Sufi music and you will not just feel the pull of a mosque but also that of a Buddhist monastery.

Evolution of Music

Chennai, the city I grew up in and still call home is in the throes of a creative ferment, at least with respect to Carnatic music. This has caused some apoplexy and bile among many keen ‘rasikas’ or lovers of music, who live in homes where even the pillars sing, as an ancient Tamil poem said about the author of the Tamil Ramayan, poet Kamban’s home. These are homes in the bylanes of T. Nagar and Mylapore where the home-ground Narasu’s coffee (my father drinks it) is piping hot and frothy.

For The National Abu Dhabi on Japan

I just got slammed for generalizing but here I go again. This was written before the feedback though. As an amateur cultural anthropologist, I find the differences and similarities between cultures fascinating. Japan is one of my favorites.

Thanks but no thanks

Most old cultures: Israelis, Russians, Chinese, and certainly Indians are this way. Don't know enough about Europe's old cultures to check if they are [...]

Music– classical and film.

I am very excited about this program. My friend, Chitra and I are doing this together. I met Chitra because of my columns in [...]

My books on iTunes

I am absolutely thrilled to report that my books are now on the iBookstore and iTunes. They are here And they are gorgeous when [...]

Page 3

In the TOI about the reading. From: elisabeth Subject: Tr : Page 3 Date: February 25, 2014 at 8:21:56 AM GMT+5:30 To: Shoba Narayan [...]

Moevenpick

Yesterday, the chef at my reading at Moevenpick Hotel and Spa in Bangalore had done such a nice job with recipes from Monsoon Diary. [...]

Book Reading

My friend, Meena runs a book club that is affiliated with the Moevenpick Hotel and Spa in Bangalore. Meena invited me to do a [...]

Parsi gara

The sari I liked cost about 100,000 Rupees so I didn't buy any from this line. The grace and movement of ‘gara’ Our handcrafted [...]

The world’s got ‘talent’

Opinion Comment If the world’s got talent, how come all of us aren’t famous? Shoba Narayan February 4, 2014 Updated: February 4, 2014 18:51:00 [...]

Emotional ecstasy: painter V. Ramesh

The painter, V. Ramesh, is sitting cross-legged on the floor of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Bangalore, talking about four female poets and their experience of mysticism. All around us are Ramesh’s large canvases, depicting these four women poets who have been a source of inspiration for his recent work. Ramesh discovered them in the library of the Ramana ashram in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu.

Singing Carnatic Music

Even if practice doesn’t make perfect, I will keep singing Music and dance are the keys to success, writes Shoba Narayan. Shoba Narayan [...]

Drama Therapy

FIRST PUBLISHED: SAT, JAN 25 2014. 12 57 AM ISTHOME» LEISURE» THE GOOD LIFE Experiencing the power of theatre as therapy A drama therapy [...]

Carnatic Music vs. Harry Potter

Like jazz, Carnatic music allows for a lot of improvisation. Most concerts begin with improvisation. We call it alapana. And like jazz riffs, you can traverse the musical universe with your imaginative singing and then return to the base, in time with the beat, of course. It is this bit that I cannot do. I can learn and render countless straightforward compositions, but I don’t have the imagination and confidence for improvisation.

For The National Abu Dhabi on Bangalore

So many new restaurants in Bangalore. Even since this writing. My Kind of Place: Bangalore bustling with activities Shoba Narayan January 2, 2014 Updated: [...]

Habit Formation

Whatever you wish for this year, try to make it a habit Shoba Narayan December 31, 2013 Updated: December 31, 2013 19:12:00 In his [...]

25 things to feel happy about

What's your list? Thank you, Manish Sabharwal, Nitin Pai, Narayan Ramachandran, and Nikhil Mehra for the suggestions/contributions Sat, Dec 28 2013. 12 34 AM [...]

Devyani Khobragade

Or how Preet Bharara jeopardised Indo-US relationships by showing off. Only the US has the power to calm its dispute with India Shoba Narayan [...]

Cultural Immersion

A while ago, Ravi Bapna, a professor at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, asked me to do "cultural immersion" [...]

Poetry reading.

If any of you are in Bangalore tomorrow, I am moderating a poetry reading by Athena Kashyap. Please come. I am fascinated by poetry: [...]

Storytelling

Telling stories allows us to connect with the wider world Shoba Narayan November 26, 2013 Updated: November 26, 2013 17:32:00 We live to tell [...]

Failure and success

I talk about the sandbox, but harder still is to watch your kid shut you out of her college application process and not go [...]

In the spirit of global philanthropy

In the spirit of global philanthropy The Good Life | Shoba Narayan Well-endowed: Wealthy Indians often donate to alma mater overseas, such as Harvard [...]

Indian Philanthropy

Thanks, Vidya, for pointing out that this wasn't there in my website. The big idea: Indian philanthropy Shoba Narayan Comment E-mail Print First Published: [...]

Diwali Generosity Challenge

An acquaintance pointed out that this wasn't in my website. Given it is the Giving Season, putting it back here. The diwali generosity challenge [...]

And one more post on social media

Is social media taking over your life? There’s an app for that Shoba Narayan November 5, 2013 Updated: November 5, 2013 18:30:00 How much [...]

Self Control

I have been using this great app called "Self Control." It lets you put sites that distract on a "black list." So every morning, [...]

Overlearning

Came upon this concept in an interesting way. Thank you, Ms. Anjana (kathak teacher) for the idea. Practice makes perfect in classical Indian dance [...]

Regional aesthetics

I am wrestling with the whole notion of culture, identity, tradition, aesthetics, and how to infuse them into my life. How to embody these [...]

Bangalore Literature Festival

Is this weekend. Please attend if you are in Bangalore. I am in a panel on Sunday afternoon (the 29th) from 1 to 2 [...]

In support of arguing

My friend said something about fighting couples ages ago that served as the seed for this article. We were talking about elderly couples who [...]

Smartphone addiction

The seed of this piece came from Nilesh, a friend in Bombay, who posted a photo of Sony's phone-camera clip on his FB timeline. [...]

Storytelling course

I am doing a "webinar" on Storytelling with Takshashila Foundation, a non-profit public policy think-tank co-founded and run by my friend, Nitin Pai. The [...]

Prema Srinivasan’s new book

My daughter wants to be a pastry chef. Study at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. She is 12 and has been saying this for the [...]

Elders fighting

My friends Anuja Master Bose and Sujata Kelkar gave me ideas for this piece. Thank you both. Why do elderly couples argue so much? [...]

Spam

Why am I suddenly getting so much spam comments?

Tagore and Return to India

A Tagore quote prompted this piece. The quote is included in the piece published in The National here and pasted below. The National Conversation [...]

Gita Govindam

Amazing love-poem by Jayadeva. One of the finest Sanskrit works. I am studying this. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/104687562" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

Memory Improvement

Memory improvement is an obsession of mine. Here is my latest exercise/attempt to improve it. The National Conversation When I turned to the internet [...]

Goyard, Rimowa and Tumi

I finally got it right: connecting the global with the local. One of the few pieces I am happy with even after publication. Usually [...]

Booksoarus

Thank you, Lavanya Shanbogue, for the plug. Interview here.

Adam Grant

I read Adam Grant's essay in the New York Times last week. I had this knee-jerk reaction that was largely negative. I knew that [...]

The Gita Sung

I heard this song first in NYC at my daughter's school, Abraham Lincoln, opposite Mayor Bloomberg's house. I explain it at the end of [...]

Femina

A piece that came out in Femina a while ago about Return to India. Did I post it before. I did a search on [...]

NPR/ The Takeaway Show

Love NPR. Still listen to it. They called from Boston to interview me about this. As always, I won't listen to it (prefer to [...]

New York Times: School Poisoning Deaths

As a columnist, I don't get the high of newsrooms very often. But this was one instance where it worked. My editor at the New York Times and I were wrapping up an essay that I had written for their mother load blog. It was about 9 PM last night and we had deemed the piece ready. Then she suddenly sends an email telling me about the Bihar midday meals scheme tragedy and asked if I could write a piece on it within an hour. I did, and then went to watch Scandal! Here it is below.

Solar Energy

An article inspired by the zero carbon house of my friend, the mathematician, Sujatha Ramadorai. The National Conversation How solar energy is shining new [...]

Fibs and love

If I had read this, I would have called it a 'cute' piece and that really is what I was attempting. Inspired by the [...]

Kerala Men

As a nominal Keralite, I feel that I can comment on Kerala with impunity. This piece was written after a visit to Trivandrum. I [...]

Spelling Bee

I wrote this right after the Spelling Bee. It came out in The National How do you spell English expert? With I, N, D, [...]

Grief

Writing a column a week is proving to be tough. I told Seema, my editor, that I had no ideas. I was desperate. This [...]

Wimbledon

On Kids Day No kidding, this is Wimbledon The club should ease up and celebrate its youngest patrons like the other Opens Shoba Narayan [...]

Father’s Day

I am in large part-- my father. As a child, they say I looked like him. I have his metabolism and constitution. He belongs [...]

Radio New Zealand

Every once in a while, Radio New Zealand calls me for Bryan Crump's show, "Nights on Radio New Zealand." It is a surreal experience, [...]

Cow Chronicles

Bovines can cry. Great headline. This second edition of Cow Chronicles has been an interesting journey. On the one hand, I get very touching [...]

Cow Chronicles

Bovines can cry. Great headline. This second edition of Cow Chronicles has been an interesting journey. On the one hand, I get very touching [...]

Losing the Calf

Just one more next week. I am about ready to write something else. The cow chronicles: losing the calf There is a reason that [...]

Cow Chronicles: headed to hostel

Nice that Mint has added a separate Cow Chronicles link. Go to the end of this article and click. I usually write between 800-900 [...]

Tone

The reason for misunderstanding-- many times. The National Conversation Comment It's not just what you say that matters, it's how you say it Shoba [...]

Puns. ‘Nuff said.

Thanks to a FB group called The Punnery, I can now make really bad puns even in my sleep. Here's how I became a convert.

Pregnant Cow

At this rate, Cow Chronicles will become a book. Here is the latest Sat, May 11 2013. 12 48 PM IST The cow chronicles: [...]

FT Writer’s interviews

What a great line in FT's writer interviews The person interviewed was Patrick Ness, children's book writer. Now I have to read Sula by [...]

Chennai’s Punjabi Envy and Puns

The best part of this piece was the punny-funny response I got from a friend in Chennai, which I have appended below after taking [...]

Hunger and Obesity

Okay, this is tongue-in-cheek and I know that small, frequent meals are the best. This began with the question: why are so many people [...]

Connecting the Dots

My friends have been goading me to do something that I keep talking about doing. A podcast. I'd like to do a weekly one [...]

Sitar Music

This piece touched me. What a life! What culture! What folly! Wish I had met Annapurna Devi-- she carries the perfumes of an entire [...]

Women Talking

I had wondered and worried about how this would turn out. It actually turned out to be quite wonderful. Five women talking here

Comments

Since the comments have been the most interesting part of this blog, I have added a widget on the side in the front page. [...]

Swedish House Mafia

Need to write a piece about Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta and such.  All the young teenagers I know listen to this stuff and [...]

Space of her Own

I am reading an interesting book called, "A Space of her own: personal narratives of twelve women." Link here It is edited by a [...]

NDTV

Some time ago, when my book was published, I sent the following email to NDTV. From: Shoba Narayan Subject: Immigrant angst, NRIs, diaspora Date: [...]

Male Feminist

Feminism is important to me, but my stance as a feminist is quite confusing, even to me. I was raised to compromise and many [...]

The Art of Throwing

Do scientists do research on throwing and running? I didn't know this before I interviewed this man. It was heartening to hear his views [...]

Healing music

Today, a Hindustani musician came home and sang for us from 5 to 7. He is a student of the late great Bhimsen Joshi, [...]

Review of book

Thank you Kari O' Driscoll for the kind review here Author: Shoba Narayan ISBN: 978-0988415799 Shoba Narayan’s memoir is as much the story of [...]

Illness

Jackie Colaco sent me this rather useful reply to the below article. Living will is something that I have only recently gotten to know. [...]

M.S. Subbulakshmi

Listening to M.S.'s Bhaja Govindam as you read this will improve the sensory experience. That-- or Bhavayami Gopala Baalam. Also, Mint has chosen a [...]

Wobble Board

I love my Thera-band.  I wobble and work.  And I admire how Aishwarya Rai has charted her life. When the mind begins to wobble, [...]

How Bangalore has created Power Partnerships

This weeks Mint Lounge is a quirky take on Power Couples.  It includes parent-child partnerships along with the usual spouses one.  When my editors told me to write on "Power Couples," I wrote a sneering, snarky one that was (again) at attempt at humor.  Thankfully, this meeting happened and I attended.  So I asked if I could refile and substitute that one for this.  Here is the piece on Mint's website and below.  I hope BPAC flourishes.

Valentine’s Day

What are you doing this Valentine's Day? In which the author tackles this question for The National here They've given me a column and [...]

Profile in Khabar

  Longing to Belong By Deepa Padmanaban February 2013 Shoba Narayan is living in India and loving it. Why did Narayan, a successful author [...]

r2iclubforums

I have been following r2iclubforums for years and years.  I have written about this forum in my book, Return to India. When I posted [...]

Board Games

The board game theory of life India is the birthplace of many modern board games Shoba Narayan      First Published: Fri, Jan 25 2013. 06 [...]

Selling on Gumroad

A friend told me about this website that allows writers to sell directly without middlemen.  What this means is that if you buy my [...]

Gifting

A long time ago, my mother brought me some rasam.  The scenario described below was acted out, except that I was the one talking [...]

RIP dear Light of our current lives

Very busy Sunday-- writing and rewriting this piece in between hospital visits-- don't ask. At first, I included her name in the article.  As my [...]

New Year Resolutions

January 3, 2013 New Year Resolutions: 1. To write a bit everyday on this page. 2. To develop self-control, particularly when it comes to [...]

Wearing a burqa

Stereotypes interests me.  Perception too.  What image do you have when you hear a person's voice? Or read their work? How does this match [...]

Blogadda

Blogadda is a wonderful site.  I dip into it to get a pulse on who's reading what.  I have discovered some new writers through [...]

Teaching moments– parenting

This one is for Cheeni and Rooney and all the new puppies who elevate our lives   Be your own person - as long [...]

Singapore coverage

I am competing with svelte models but Singapore's Pardesi Pulse has a piece on the book here.  

How the French do it: for Mint Lounge

To French wine, cheese, bread, but sadly, for a vegetarian-- not French food.  Thank you, dear Elisabeth-- our lunches together give me a taste [...]

Long-term marriages

I loved writing this column because it reflects my life these days. Are we destined to be curmudgeons? Only if we're lucky Shoba Narayan [...]

Reviews of Return to India

Thank you, bloggers Book Reviews by DDS So it is safe to say that, no matter who you are and what is your life [...]

Words

Thank you, Sriram, for the phrases.  I wonder who the people in the photo are. My heart beats ‘pada-pada’ Around India, you find duplication [...]

What’s your writing routine

I love Brainpickings.  Friends frequently forward stuff to me and many times, it is essays from that site.  Today, my friend, Sriram, sent me [...]

Social media for The National

How did you spend your Sunday? How much time were you on your computer? Like I am now.  Did you talk to people? Or [...]

When the Lotus blooms

Just read "When the Lotus Blooms" by Kanchana Krishnan Ayyar.  Loved it.  If you want a glimpse of the TamBrahm ethos of yesteryear, read [...]

How to write

I get so much mail asking for tips on how to write that I decided to make a post of it.  Usually, each email [...]

Deepavali feasting (or fasting)

Pulchritudinous? Seriously? Is that a compliment-worthy word? Read on In The National Before a feast goes to your hips, reach for the thesaurus Shoba [...]

Speaking English

I don't like my column in this week's Mint.  To do it right, I should have delved deeper into the "personality" of languages; and [...]

Mothers and Daughters

I love writing for The National.  It is hard for my family to access-- certainly for my kids-- so it is easy to be [...]

Business World review

And a good one here. Business World book review   Title:     Return to India                                      Author:   Shoba  Narayan Publisher:  Rupa Publications                      Price      : Rs. 395 [...]

The Hindu review

The Hindu review of Return to India here The human mind when faced with criticism reacts in a formulaic way-- which as a lifelong [...]

Bald Men

Inside the brave new world of the bald Why going bald is an epidemic Shoba Narayan First Published: Thu, Oct 25 2012. 06 45 [...]

About aging

Some articles I agonize over. Some are a gift from the muse. This one was the latter. I dashed it off in half hour [...]

Indian Express Bangalore

Here is the Bangalore version Lack of good samosas can cause angst: Shoba Author: Prajwala Hegde | ENS Published Date: Sep 25, 2012 9:03 AM [...]

Indian Express Chennai

My childhood friend called and said that this appeared today.   A love song to a country Author: Prashanti Ganesh Published Date: Oct 15, 2012 [...]

Indian Express Delhi

Thank you, Shekhar Gupta-- and Indian Express for your support.  Coverage appeared in the Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai editions. Print  Close Window The Return of [...]

Chinese martial arts

Mint has revamped its website, which is great, but it has really messed up the URLs of my columns.  Now all my previous columns [...]

Vegetarian McDonalds

  In land of the holy cow, not even the fast food is sacred Shoba Narayan Sep 24, 2012 McDonalds, the fast-food chain, is [...]

Stanley Pinto

In Journalism-school, one of the things they drill into you is the difference between a private person and public figure.  A private person is [...]

Cartoons

The problem with Aseem Trivedi’s cartoons The problem with today’s cartoons and Trivedi’s in particular is that cartoons have lost their sense of humour [...]

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto

I like music I can hum to.  I first heard this piece in Boston and have been humming it ever since.  It is Mendelssohn's [...]

Are Foundations neccessary?

  Mastering the art of giving The hundi model - or writing significant cheques in an ad hoc and anonymous fashion - is the [...]

Mom and Dad on Facebook

For The National Surrounded by teenagers as my parents take to Facebook Shoba Narayan Sep 5, 2012 A  week ago, my 80-year old father joined [...]

Epic marriage proposal

It's never too late for an insincere declaration of love Shoba Narayan Aug 26, 2012 Two weeks ago, David Pogue, the technology columnist for [...]

Meeting Mr. Murthy

Some things you remember because they are dramatic.  Some things you remember because of circumstance.  I remember Mr. N.R. Narayana Murthy phoning me up [...]

Marketing a book

Rupa told me today that my book has reached the Bangalore office and was being shipped to bookstores.  We are planning a launch and [...]

Transgenders

Enjoyed writing this piece.  Thanks to the Mad Men of Chennai who helped me with this: Venkat, Sunil, Ranvir.  Mucho Gracias! A space for [...]

On Wisdom

This one is for you, Ma.  And thanks, Sujata, for sending out the study. Intelligence versus wisdom, and humility comes out on top Shoba [...]

Cow Chronicles Final Post

  Cow chronicles: a civil ceremony Mercenary dairy farmers have an inherent aversion to ill-treating these animals because they have been raised to think [...]

Radio New Zealand

Two months ago, I did the second show of Radio New Zealand.  But forgot to put it here on the website. Tomorrow, we are [...]

Olympics and Art

London's soaring Orbit is impressive - but is it really art? Shoba Narayan Aug 9, 2012 Save this article Depending on who you ask, [...]

Mayer’s Miscalculation

As a feminist, I was troubled by the brouhaha that erupted when Mayer announced her pregnancy.  This piece for Mint is a reaction. Columns [...]

Return to India

It has been a month of weddings.  Glorious food, beautiful sarees, fragrant mogra and jasmine-- can there be anything more sensual than an Indian [...]

The Cow Chronicles: Part 1

Although this happened in December, I only wrote it now mostly because I wanted to do it right-- for my heroine, as well.  The [...]

Marriage Songs

While practicing songs for my friend's wedding, I came across this rendition of the famous "Seetha Kalyana" by my guru, Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna here. [...]

About cool ideas and backflips

Lounge Posted: Fri, Jun 1 2012. 9:30 PM IST The real lasting power of two True Einsteinian, Jobs-like innovation comes from your solar plexus; [...]

India– Cultural Immersion

Professor Ravi Bapna's class from the Carlson School of Management's Executive MBA program visited India.  I spent one morning-- three hours from 9-12-- doing [...]

Cultural Immersion

I am doing a class/presentation/module on cultural immersion for a visiting Executive MBA class from the U.S.  Basically, I am trying to un-package India [...]

New Book: Return to India

I am working on Book Number 2, which will hopefully be out later this summer.  It is a memoir called, "Return to India."  It [...]

Research and Reality

Posted: Fri, Apr 13 2012. 7:51 PM IST Where research ends and reality begins Detachment is an interesting idea. How do you stop yourself [...]

Radio New Zealand

Radio New Zealand and I had fixed up a time for a live-show a few weeks ago.  On the appointed day, I miscalculated the [...]

Other mentions

  Art Expo India: where art meets business In an insightful column published a few months ago, The Mint writer Shoba Narayan mentioned of [...]

Adam Bly

I met Adam Bly in Bangalore, thanks to my friend, Sriram.  We had a few meals together and I interviewed him at Inklude Labs' [...]

Idealism and Love

My latest My Life column for The National's M magazine Shoba Narayan on idealising your spouse Shoba Narayan Mar 29, 2012  After 20 years [...]

Radio New Zealand

I don't know how they found me but I am now an overseas correspondent for a Radio show in New Zealand.  Below is the [...]

About Ashwin Mahesh

Columnist Posted: Thu, Mar 15 2012. 7:12 PM IST Does Bangalore’s Good Man stand a chance? Being a good citizen is something that we [...]

Indian design objects

Columns Posted: Fri, Mar 9 2012. 9:42 PM IST Design begins in your kitchen and your closet The decorative traditions of India took pleasure [...]

My Life: Writing

My life: Shoba Narayan on being born to write Shoba Narayan Feb 29, 2012 My mother doesn't read my articles but she thinks I [...]

Feedback

I welcome your feedback.  What can I do to improve the class? Please post your thoughts below if you wish. Thanks very much and [...]

Parenting dilemmas

This piece is heartfelt.  The problem is that I don't see any solution to this.  Sometimes, parenting seems like a crapshoot-- you make certain [...]

About Starbucks

Starbucks has to wake up and smell the coffee in India Shoba Narayan Café Coffee Day, an Indian coffee chain, will offer serious competition [...]

Final Presentations

I request all of you who are doing your presentations next Monday and Tuesday to keep it under 10 minutes. Because there are so many [...]

Role Playing

I enjoyed our session today! Thanks to all who had the courage to come up today.  I realize that the later candidates will have [...]

Party Animal?

My Life: negotiating new roles as we age Shoba Narayan Jan 4, 2012   I've noticed a curious phenomenon: men get more introverted as [...]

Party Animal?

My Life: negotiating new roles as we age Shoba Narayan Jan 4, 2012   I've noticed a curious phenomenon: men get more introverted as [...]

About Christmas and Inspiration

Christmas inspiration takes a note from many cultures Shoba Narayan Dec 25, 2011 Our largely Hindu community in Bangalore, India, is practising Christmas carols [...]

Read this and Weep

Read this piece and weep. Pearls Before Breakfast I loved this piece so much on so many levels.  It combines art, philosophy, music, behavioral [...]

Hotel Business

In the hotel business, bigger isn't always better Shoba Narayan (Writer) Jan 27, 2010   Mohammed is afraid of losing his job. I met the middle-aged [...]

Losing weight without exercise

Want to lose weight without the pain? Try a little instability Shoba Narayan (Writer) Mar 3, 2010 It is a truth universally acknowledged that every [...]

Secular India

A tolerant and secular India is a myth to make real Shoba Narayan (Writer) Mar 29, 2010   While the roots of Hindu-Muslim enmity in [...]

Secular India

A tolerant and secular India is a myth to make real Shoba Narayan (Writer) Mar 29, 2010   While the roots of Hindu-Muslim enmity in [...]

Microfinance

Microfinance has become a big deal for India's poorest Shoba Narayan (Writer) Aug 7, 2010   For all the controversy surrounding SKS Microfinance's initial public [...]

Money Buys Happiness

Money makes the world go round and can buy happiness Shoba Narayan (Writer) Aug 28, 2010 Experiences bring more happiness than objects.   Last week, [...]

Indian Pharma

A dose of Indian state support will keep drug firms healthy Shoba Narayan Oct 3, 2010   Indians are not pill poppers. Or so [...]

Indian Pharma

A dose of Indian state support will keep drug firms healthy Shoba Narayan Oct 3, 2010   Indians are not pill poppers. Or so [...]

Oberoi Hotels

White knight to old man's rescue when black-tie party's over Shoba Narayan (Writer) Sep 4, 2010 next previous   Hotel insiders in India have been [...]

Indian Exuberance is misplaced

Indian exuberance is misplaced Shoba Narayan Oct 10, 2010   The odious comparison comes up all the time, especially during the recent run up [...]

Indian Exuberance is misplaced

Indian exuberance is misplaced Shoba Narayan Oct 10, 2010   The odious comparison comes up all the time, especially during the recent run up [...]

US China relations

US and China must forge mutual trust to end currency war Shoba Narayan Oct 24, 2010   It was at the Expo 2010 Shanghai [...]

Tourist Traps

I'll buy my share of tourist tat, but skip the hard sell Shoba Narayan Nov 14, 2010 next previous   The first time it [...]

Master Bazaar Economics

Master bazaar economics and drive a hard bargain Shoba Narayan Oct 31, 2010 next previous   I am driving my Scorpio van with two [...]

Obama and Singh

Obama and Singh meet at crossroads Shoba Narayan Nov 7, 2010   Pity Barack Obama. The President of the US is in India for [...]

Maids, Mothers in law, Chores

Maids, mother-in-laws and the Zen of housework Shoba Narayan Nov 1, 2010   It happens to me everywhere - from Dubai to Delhi, from [...]

Middle Class Car Buying

India's middle class is entitled to cars its new money can buy Shoba Narayan Nov 21, 2010 Car sales are booming all over India. [...]

Spices Pepper McCormic

McCormick must work hard to spice up Indian market Shoba Narayan Nov 28, 2010 next previous   Here is how we make garam masala [...]

Ratan Tata

The quiet man of Indian big business finds his voice Shoba Narayan Dec 5, 2010 next previous   It was a cool day in [...]

Holistic Health Care

Between nature and the laboratory, a cure for all our ills Shoba Narayan Dec 12, 2010   As healthcare debates rage on throughout the [...]

Energy, Onions, India

All focus on energy for India but no heat to cook curry Shoba Narayan Dec 26, 2010 next previous   Horamavu village seems like [...]

Tourism Bedside Manners

Tourists appreciate bedside manners and smart service Shoba Narayan Jan 2, 2011 next previous So where did you go for New Year's? For much [...]

Collaborative Consumption

The wisdom of collaborative consumption Shoba Narayan Jan 9, 2011 European cities such as London have come up with bike-sharing programmes subsidised by advertisements. [...]

Mother in law

The problem with the mother-in-law Shoba Narayan Jan 8, 2011   Two women who love the same man is hardly the recipe for a [...]

Starbucks Compromise

Compromise may prove to be key for Starbucks in India Shoba Narayan Jan 23, 2011 next previous I have to admit that when I [...]

Matchmaking Tiffin

My Life: Indian matchmaking takes a tiffin or two Shoba Narayan Jan 29, 2011   My husband, Ram, and I met over tiffin and [...]

Succession Wipro

When succession becomes a major family concern Shoba Narayan Jan 30, 2011 "Save for the public sector and multinationals, India is full of family [...]

Growth and Green

Striking a balance in India between growth and green Shoba Narayan Feb 6, 2011 next previous   After 20 years in the US, my [...]

Urgent need to preserve baby girls

An urgent need to preserve and value baby girls in India Shoba Narayan (Writer) Apr 16, 2011   "Would you kill a child? Would you [...]

How not to forget

Is my problem genetics or just modern life? I forget Shoba Narayan Dec 7, 2010 Tom Cruise has been in and out of [...]

Conflict about Facebook

Does this essay which appeared in M magazine explain my conflict about Facebook? Here in the M website and pasted below. My life: Shoba [...]

About A Pet. Inji darling. RIP.

A very very hard piece to write.  I wrote reams of prose and then rewrote it countless times.  This has been in the works [...]

Global Village for The National

My life: the global village Shoba Narayan Oct 12, 2011   Ten years ago, I sat at the window of my Manhattan high-rise, watching [...]

Song List

I visit Music India online a lot.  It is a great site and allows you to filter music according to likes.  Here's what's on [...]

Religion for The National

This piece came out in the My Life column I write for M magazine. My Life: Shoba Narayan Shoba Narayan Sep 14, 2011   [...]

Nagging is Easier

Subtle persuasion? Sometimes nagging is just easier Shoba Narayan Aug 25, 2011 I am studying Russian-style arm-twisting with a group of Bangaloreans who want to [...]

When Housewives March for Mint

For a while now, I have been focusing on what writers call the "telling detail," where you observe something but pick out the detail [...]

Family Life for The National

A column I write for M magazine, the weekend supplement of The National, Abu Dhabi. My life: Riding the waves of family life Shoba [...]

Delhi Airport

Delhi airport's new terminal has nice bathroom entrances. I always wonder how to make iconic signs both accessible and yet creative. Here in the [...]

Tai Chi in Shanghai & Beijing | Condenast Traveler US |

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?

Rajat Gupta

Courtesy Mehul Srivatsava who cold-called me after reading the Mint piece I wrote about Rajat Gupta, for which I got so many brutal comments. [...]

Marriages for The National

My Life: Shoba Narayan on her long-lasting marriage Shoba Narayan Last Updated: Apr 19, 2011 For The National M magazine Unlike Kate and Prince [...]

Why are they even together?

About good relationships and bad ones? Kate and Will are getting married. Do you have a good marriage? Find out. Here is the page [...]

Indian Aviation for The National

Indian aviation must be a viable business to really take off Shoba Narayan Last Updated: Apr 2, 2011 Which is the best airport in [...]

Friendship podcast

This week's podcast about Friendship. Here at the Indicast site. Also below. This week's lesson from life is inspired by Dr. Manmohan Singh's invitation [...]

Flying Coach for The National

I know about Qatar because a lot of my friends from the US fly the airline to get a connection straight into Kerala. This [...]

A night out with girlfriends

This essay appeared in M magazine of The National. Click here for the link. A night out with girlfriends is simply good therapy Shoba [...]

Tone of voice for Mint Lounge

This week's column for Mint Lounge about how you say what you say. Click here for Mint's website Pasted below Posted: Thu, Mar 17 [...]

Sam Gosling Interview

Here is a podcast I uploaded in which I interviewed Professor Sam Gosling via Skype. The archive.org page is here. You have to click [...]

Full Stop India

Thank you, Chris Chopp, for your kind words in Full Stop India

Introductory Podcast

It took me ten days to record this one because I wasn't really sure what it was about. Finally, I decided to stop fussing [...]

Monsoon Diary in Florida

Author Shoba Narayan stands as a shining example of the writers’ axiom: Write what you know. Her just-published first book, “Monsoon Diary: A Memoir With Recipes” (Villard, $22.95), recalls the Indian-born writer’s childhood, her struggle to convince her parents to send her to a U.S. college and her arranged marriage. Narayan will make two appearances in Fort Myers on Saturday to read from, and autograph copies of, her book.

My First Podcast

Charlotte visited from Boston and inspired me to do something that I have long been wanting to do. Aditya Mhatre of Indicast told me [...]

Labour Reform for The National

In this week's column, I interviewed labour reform expert, Manish Sabharwal about the future of employment in India. You can see the piece by [...]

Feedback Section

Dear Class: A word about my blog. I have included my teaching stint at IIM because I am proud of the caliber of the [...]

Project Details

Dear Class: The final project submission is on April 28th from 9 to 2. Sandeep is organizing the line-up. Each of you will get [...]

About the Course

This is how the course was presented to the Executive Post Graduate Program (EPGP) at IIM-Bangalore. Companies spend enormous amounts of money each year [...]

EdelGive Social Innovation Honours

Last week, I attended an event that was very inspiring. I was part of a jury that judged about a dozen humanitarian organizations to [...]

Podcasts you should listen to

My latest Mint column It started with children’s audiobooks—abundantly available on the Web. Storynory.com offers free pod casts, in which a chirpy woman named [...]

India Inflation

India must reduce inflation or it risks stunting its growth Shoba Narayan Last Updated: Feb 13, 2011 Some economists predict India's growth rate is [...]

Washington Post review.

"Monsoon Diary" is the first book she has written, but doubtless not the last. It is notable, by the way, not just for its own quite irresistible charm but also as the perfect companion piece to Mira Nair's exquisite movie "Monsoon Wedding."

New Yorker Book Currents section review of Monsoon Diary

In South India, as Shoba Narayan relates in her memoir Monsoon Diary (Villard), food is enriched by ritual importance, from the choru-unnal (the first meal of an infant) to the elaborate feast that commemorates a marriage. When she left Madras to attend school in the United States, Narayan craved bowls of yogurt and rice to ease her homesickness: “While the foreign flavors teased my palate, I needed Indian food to ground me.”

Book Stuff

Articles about Shoba Shoba beats Jhumpa in Writing Sweepstakes Shoba beats Jhumpa in Writing Sweepstakes by Aseem Chhabra When the editors of Gourmet assigned [...]

Book stuff

Books General - Monsoon Diary Apart from the rest of her literary works Shoba has also been involved in writing books. Shoba's first book, [...]

NPR Commentaries

Years ago, when I lived in New York, I did a series of commentaries for NPR. You can find the NPR Link Here. My [...]

Architecture

Here are some links you should all look at BV Doshi talks about his design for IIM Bangalore Laurie Baker Charles Correa New Yorker [...]

Post Design Class Update

Today was a very satisfying class for me.  I felt like I was getting to know many of you better.  It is gratifying to [...]

Networking

Do you agree with this Guy? Do you agree with this guy?  

IIM-Art

Homework Assignment Research one artist of your choice and prepare an 5 sentence description of the artist that you will present to us next [...]

Self introductions

Today, we talked about how to introduce ourselves.  About half of the class got up on stage and introduced yourselves.  We all gave feedback [...]

IIM Bangalore.

I taught a course for two years for the EPGP program (Executive Post Graduate Program) called "The Good Life course."  It had modules that [...]

The Good Life

I write a weekly column called "The Good Life," for Mint. It's the first time I have done a column and it has been [...]

Little India Review

Hot Stuff Review of Monsoon Diary. By Hema Nair | November 5, 2003 Monsoon Diary A Memoir With Recipes by Shobha Narayan Villard Books, New York, N. [...]

One Family’s Journey back home.

Knowledge @ Wharton has been one of my most satisfying journalistic experiences. My editor, Mukul Pandya, sits in Philadelphia at the Wharton School. He [...]

Sleepless in Singapore | Condenast Traveler US |

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.

The India Option for Knowledge at Wharton

The 'India Option': Instead of Looking Abroad, Today's Indian Management Graduates See a Future at Home Published: July 24, 2008 in India Knowledge@Wharton In [...]

Affordable Housing for Knowledge at Wharton

Affordable Housing: An Idea Whose Time Has Come Published: August 27, 2009 in India Knowledge@Wharton Affordable housing is the Indian government's new mantra. President [...]

Scuba Diving Lakshadweep | Condenast Traveler US |

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.

Return to India: For Knowledge@Wharton

Return to India: One Family's Journey to America and Back Published: November 01, 2007 in India Knowledge@Wharton For decades, it was widely assumed that [...]

Waterworld, Time magazine

Iguazu Falls, as Eleanor Roosevelt famously observed, "make the Niagara look like a kitchen faucet." This may be an exaggeration but not by much�after [...]

Natasha and Jeeth Iype

Bangalore may be India's high-tech heart, but in one part of its leafy suburbs, there's a group of environmentalists trying to get back to [...]

How to bargain | Condenast Traveler US |

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.

Mekong, Cambodia & Laos | Condenast Traveler US |

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.

Bangalore and Beyond | Condenast Traveler US |

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.

Instagram Posts about Namma Bangalore

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