Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
Sorry, it’s a boy
Great headline! Sat, May 18 2013. 12 13 AM IST The cow chronicles: sorry, it’s a boy The economics of dairy farming is skewed in favour of the milking cows Shoba Narayan Sarala with Ananda Lakshmi’s newborn calf. Photo: Aniruddha Chowdhury/Mint There is no room for Alfie, the newborn male calf in my milk-lady Sarala’s cowshed. One of the other cows has also given birth—to a female calf, thankfully, which they plan to keep. They cannot handle two calves. A third cow will deliver in a few weeks. “Where is the space, ma?” asks Sarala, pointing around. The urban cowshed [...]
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: why mother matters Pregnant women are feted and fussed over; made to feel good. Feeding a pregnant woman is good karma Sarala feeds Ananda Lakshmi bananas. Photo: Aniruddha Chowdhury/Mint My cow is pregnant. Sarala announces this one November morning in the matter-of-fact tone that she uses to ask if I want extra milk. I am delighted. Maybe this will resolve all her health issues; regulate her uterus; make her feel better. Over the next few months, [...]
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 Toni Morrison. What book do you wish you’d written? It’s a part of a book. The closing line of Toni Morrison’s Sula: “It was a fine cry – loud and long – but it had no bottom and it had no top, just circles and circles of sorrow.” I’d give my right arm to have written that.
How to define a nation’s aesthetic: for Eat Stay Love
This is one of my favorite pieces and it took a while to write. It appears in a magazine called Eat Stay Love that is the in house magazine of Aman, Four Seasons, and other luxury hotels in India. Some time ago, a lady from a custom publishing group contacted me. They do the magazines for the Oberoi and Taj group. This was for the foreign brands, she said. Would I write a column for them? This article is the result. I am happy with it for several reasons. Defining the Indian aesthetic has become a pastime/obsession for me (and [...]
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 out all identifying characters. He first sent a handwritten note on the computer, complimenting the piece. To which I replied. Thanks. Love, love, love (and am quite jealous of) your handwritten note. Why can't the iPhone have a stylus? My Chennai friend's response: Alas. Steve Jobs eternal dislike of all things Scully...hence everything that Newton had had to be dropp-ed.....maybe something will get Cook-ed soon? Made my day!! My husband is a great punster, something which [...]
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 speaking for obesity? Is it because it is a non-controversial cause and the solution is there to see? Then the question arises: can I say something new (and light/funny) about this topic. Ergo, here you go Three lessons from India on shrinking your stomach Shoba Narayan Apr 26, 2013 Save this article Hunger and appetite are huge, resonant words. They have much more of an emotional pull, compared to other words that describe sensations: smell, touch, [...]
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 called "Connecting the Dots," which takes current news items and puts a unique spin on it. I tried telling Mint to let me do podcasts but that hasn't gone anywhere. So here is a rudimentary version, sans technology or help from sound/garageband. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/89172808" params="color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
For Vogue India on War Tourism
"Make Peace not War," raps Skepta. What is war tourism then? And can it mix with Louboutins and Chanel?
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 musical era with her. Annapurna Devi & Ravi Shankar: The tragedy of a relationship December 12, 2012 In August 2000, Ravi Shankar’s first wife, the reclusive surbahar virtuoso Annapurna Devi, gave Man’s World a rare interview in which she spoke about her torturous marriage and the tragic life of their son Shubho. The interview was a bit bizarre. She invited the writer Aalif Surti to her house, allowed him to wander around, but refused to meet [...]
Chennai’s Love for Gold for Mint Lounge
Sat, Apr 13 2013. 12 08 AM IST Chennai’s love for cheesy ‘compliments’ From the Great Chennai Paradox to the American ‘throw ins’—why this love for useless freebies? Chennai shoppers buy a lot of gold, but a freebie makes them smile. Photo: McKay Savage/Wikimedia Commons The lady wants a “compliment”. Nay, she insists on it. She has, after all, spent a few million rupees buying gold jewels at Malabar Gold. “Why no compliment?” she asks. The salesman pulls out a logo-ed plastic bag. “Of course, I will give you a compliment, Mother,” he says. “If not for you, who [...]