The Good Life2020-09-12T08:40:35+05:30

Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge

1401, 2023

Mint Lounge: Taj Wayanad and Environs

January 14th, 2023|HT Media, Mint Lounge, Travel, Travel Favourites|

Wayanad symbolises all that is romantic about Kerala. The region’s fragrant musk turmeric or kasthuri manjal is supposed to restore skin but finding it isn’t that easy. I go on a trip with my mother to find out if we can snag this wonder root.

1805, 2022

Make Mozart and Beethoven rock for you

May 18th, 2022|Arts, HT Media, Mint Lounge|

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.

2802, 2022

Does your wardrobe make others pity you?

February 28th, 2022|Columns, HT Media, Luxury, Mint Lounge|

Does your wardrobe make others pity you? When I took my teenage daughter for her first trip to Mumbai, I was pretty expansive. Wherever you want to go; whatever you want to do, I offered. She had one word for me: Zara. Which was how I found myself at the Palladium Mall on two consecutive days, shopping and people-watching. Ever since I saw the movie, ‘Pretty Woman,’ luxury stores intimidate me. Remember that scene where Julia Roberts walks into a posh store on Rodeo Drive and the snooty saleswoman basically shooes her [...]

2202, 2022

There is more to a name than you know

February 22nd, 2022|Columns, HT Media, Mint Lounge|

Today, I read in the paper about a chess prodigy whose name is 100% a result of numerology. I find this weird spelling names especially in Mumbai folks. Film stars....Ajay Devgn for instance. Another tangential remark is that I found a bunch of Mint columns that are not on this website. For comprehensiveness, I am slowly uploading them. Reading them.

1102, 2022

Why isn’t Ahmedabad the seat of design?

February 11th, 2022|Columns, HT Media, Mint Lounge|

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.

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