Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
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. If you scroll down you will see it. Any comment that I find interesting will be used for future pieces-- with proper attribution of course. Fair warning.
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 dance the night away. Energy is a room full of teenagers jiving to "Don't you worry, child," by SHM. Loud, pumping music. Darkness. Youth. Dance. Ahhhh!! Bliss.
Memoir vs. autobiography
Lovely explanation by Dani Shapiro here.
About cognac for Mint Lounge
Sat, Apr 06 2013. 12 12 AM IST A very nosy memory Blending great cognac is all about olfactory memory Shoba Narayan Pierrette Trichet, the cellar master of Rémy Martin. Photo: Courtesy Rémy Martin. What did you drink this morning—coffee or tea? What did your tea smell like? What did your coffee taste like? If you are stymied for words, you are not alone. Humans are very good at remembering and describing what they see but ask them to describe smells and taste and they become quiet. Wine writers and perfume “noses” (professionals who mix and create scents) are [...]
For Destinasian magazine on Chennai
About my hometown for Destinasian magazine's April issue. PDF below Chennai
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 friend, Leela Gulati (who by the way, was the one who brought the music ustad to sing for us). I am enjoying Zarina Bhatty's descriptions of growing up in Lucknow and the whole Urdu tehzeeb.
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: October 7, 2012 11:13:23 AM GMT+05:30 To: [email protected] Dear NDTV newsdesk: I am sure you get a lot of requests from people wanting coverage on issues. Let me add one more. In case any segment producer is doing a story on immigrants or NRIs, or the Indian diaspora, I would like to submit my second book, "Return to India: a memoir," as a good fit. I'd be delighted to send a copy of the book in [...]
Wealth is important, but it doesn’t build a child’s character
Wealth is important, but it doesn't build a child's character Shoba Narayan Mar 24, 2013 Save this article The number of "super rich" people in the UAE will increase by 53 per cent over the next decade, The National reported last week. This news produced in me a deep strain of geography-envy. People who live in the Gulf states can take comfort in the fact that they are in the right place in the right decade. You may not all end up multimillionaires; then again, you might. Here, then, is an uncomfortable question that comes from a transparent desire to [...]
Champaca and the global perfume market: Mint Lounge
I'm crazy about perfume. In one of my favorite books of all time- Gerald Durrell's My family and other animals, the mother goes around looking for suitable burial sites for her when she dies. I know it sounds morbid, but I occasionally want to tell my family to bury me with mounds of fragrant flowers when I die. The Indian concept of perfume is more encompassing. Flowers in hair and scent all over, including in the home with incense. This appeared this week in Mint Lounge's luxury issue. Read Rajeev Sethi's piece on luxury as 'pehchaan.' Loved it. The man [...]