Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
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 time difference. So here I am, in Commercial Street, Bangalore, showing around friends who have just arrived from Singapore. I haven't seen them for years and there is a lot of hugging and "Oh, how much you have grown!" My mobile phone rings and it is Robyn from New Zealand saying, "We are at Skype and you were supposed to. Where are you?" So I sputter that I cannot be at Skype in two minutes and [...]
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 various fabulous facets that make the process of creating and collecting such an exciting process. Here are some of the interesting points that she made in her essay. Amor Y Sabor Hey DJ: Spin that Wheel If you haven't read Shoba, I suggest you do. Her grace comes from being falliable, being one amongst us. She writes with insight and blends personal vignettes into almost all her pieces. I have reproduced an article by her, about [...]
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' offices. Here is a video recording of the interview. We were laughing a lot because I had to repeat lines.
Design inspired by India: Mint Lounge Luxury issue
I was at the Mint Luxury conference in Mumbai. The Lounge Luxury issue was timed for that. There are some terrific essays by Radha Chadha and Sunil Khilnani. I liked Radha's "More is More" theory of Indian luxury-- it is spot on. Here is the link to my piece. Columns Posted: Fri, Mar 23 2012. 8:45 PM IST The balancing act Buying well-designed but functionally poor objects is not sustainable long-term because there is only so much “stuff” that your home can accommodate The Good Life | Shoba Narayan Even for design junkies such as myself, the world of product [...]
Sudarshan Shetty Profile for The National Abu Dhabi
About Sudarshan Shetty for The National. Mumbai-based artist Sudarshan Shetty demonstrates his sense of play Shoba Narayan Mar 27, 2012 Standing outside the gleaming tower of the Maker Maxity building in suburban Mumbai is a fire-engine-red double-decker bus of the sort that used to ply the roads of Mumbai in the 1970s. This bus, however, sprouts two stainless steel wings and has its front wheel raised slightly off the ground as if it were about to take off into the sky. Beside it reads a plaque: "Sometimes when we travel, we forget who we are." A whimsical creation by Mumbai-based [...]
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 of marriage, I am no longer the dewy-eyed newlywed who believes her husband can do no wrong. Now I view my husband's shortcomings with stoic realism. Knowing his flaws, I believe, takes our relationship to a deeper place. Related ■ My Life: Shoba Narayan on her long-lasting marriage ■ My life: Shoba Narayan on being born to write Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the eminent positive psychologist Martin Seligman believes that the more illusions you have [...]
About Moynat for Financial Times weekend
I love niche products that nobody has heard of. Moynat fits the bill. It retails only in Paris for now, and very few people have heard of this brand. Below is a piece I wrote about Moynat for Financial Times which ran during Paris Fashion Week. Moynat for FT: this is the edited version on the site. Scroll down to the Leather Goods section.
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 date of live broadcasts. If anyone is in New Zealand, check them out. From: Nights Subject: RNZ NIGHTS - 2012 OVERSEAS CORRESPONDENTS roster... Tuesday 8:40pm [NZT] Kia Ora koutou Neil, Terri, Liat, Daniel, Rebecca, Kerri, Susana and Motoko and welcome to the NIGHTS team, Tamara, Ewan, Brendan, Shoba and Nida'. First, thanks again for being our overseas correspondents. Bryan and I are thrilled to again be a part of an enthralling year of discussions and insights [...]
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 urban elite think about and struggle with. How do you become a good citizen? What are your rights and responsibilities? The Good Life | Shoba Narayan How does a bystander become a stakeholder? That’s what this column is about. Some time ago, I got an email from a woman who lives in my building. Tara was supporting a Lok Satta party candidate, who is contesting the Bangalore Graduates Constituency in the Karnataka legislative council (MLC) elections [...]
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 in crafting objects for everyday use that were quite beautiful The Good Life | Shoba Narayan When people talk about India’s design aesthetic, they most often reach for the past. The decorative traditions of India took pleasure in crafting objects for everyday use that were quite beautiful. Is there an Indian design aesthetic? What are some objects of everyday use that exemplify this aesthetic? Here is my incomplete list of things I believe are beautiful and [...]