Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
Profile of art historian Dr. BN Goswamy for Mint Lounge
My profile of Professor B. N. Goswamy in Mint Lounge this week. Here and pasted below. Look at art intently, and with patience As someone who loves abstract and contemporary art, I am a little rattled by Prof. Goswamy’s obvious love for ancient Indian art Prof. Brijendra Nath Goswamy is in Bangalore to deliver Tasveer Foundation’s inaugural lecture. I have been allowed to take him out for an hour. Where does one take a man who is arguably India’s foremost art historian? I consider a ride in our new Metro to Angadi Silks or Vimor to buy a sari for [...]
Why I’m raging against Kolaveri for Mint Lounge
Why I’m raging over ‘Kolaveri’ In the end, it is only a song, not world peace The Good Life | Shoba Narayan Why don’t I like the Kolaveri Di song? That’s the question that’s been bothering me all last week. Am I not Tamilian enough to like it? Am I too Tamilian? It has morphed into a full-blown identity crisis. Everyone around me— family, friends—is raving about it. Interestingly, though, the other Tamilians who populate my life (milk lady, flower man, ironing man, vegetable vendor, help) don’t mention the song during our daily conversations about news and views. Out of sync: The [...]
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 Narayan on social networking Shoba Narayan Dec 7, 2011 As a memoir writer and columnist, I am comfortable with the first-person narrative. I write about the events and people in my life. I disclose what some would view as intimate details about my spouse, my marriage, my children, my pets and my parents. I am not a private person. Yet I find I have a deep disquiet about posting on Facebook. It doesn't make sense; it [...]
Sabyasachi Mukherjee profile for The National Abu Dhabi
I spent two days hanging around Sabysachi. He's an interesting man. Here is a story about him that appeared in The National. Also pasted below. The sari warrior Shoba Narayan Nov 26, 2011 The fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee is sitting on the floor of his sprawling workshop in Kolkata, surrounded by 10 people. All around are piles of fabric. There are rich brocades in pink and purple, hardy indigo-dyed cloth, swatches of airy beige voile, rich Benares silks and nubby cotton. Two men sit on a desk, drawing floral designs that will end up as borders on his saris and [...]
In the Mood for Love
Lust and danger in particular make for a compelling combination. In my view however, the directors who truly understand the nuances of lust and danger are Wong Kar-wai and Ang Lee, two Asian directors who operate in a global milieu.
Bengali Films for Mint Lounge
In the midst of a Kolkata Ferment Cultural ‘adda’: Generations have grown up watching movies at Kolkata’s Priya Cinema. 5 min read . Shoba Narayan I feel like I am in a Bengali movie. Wait, that’s too easy. I am in Kolkata, after all, at the top floor of Priya Cinema, which, according to some, is the hub of Bengali cinema. I want a better [...]
Some Feedback.
A friend sent me these links. Thanks, Raj. I thought I'd put them up. Writer and journalist Shoba Narayan puts a question mark over the link if any, between art and articulation and whether they go together. 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 how we choose our friends (or how we don't choose friends) depends how you look at the dimension. I can't but agree 100% [...]
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 for the last four months. Finally worked up the nerve to send it and have it published. Not going to show it to my kids. Don't know if they can handle it. Luckily, one is on a school trip and the other doesn't read my column. Here is the link to Mint's page. Pasted below is my longer version, which needed to be cut for space. The night before my dog, Inji, died, she and I lay [...]
Food and its connection with place for The National Abu Dhabi
My column for The National's M magazine, edited by the divine Rick Arthur and Helena Powell. Click here for the latest one. Also pasted below. Great meals forge a connection to their place and time Shoba Narayan Nov 16, 2011 Foods have a connection to place but not an obvious one. To explain, I must make the distinction between good food and memorable meals. Good food is best found where it originates. You expect to have spicy samosas in India, terrific borscht in Russia, rich raclette in Switzerland and fresh sushi in Japan. What makes a meal memorable is an [...]
Indian Textiles for The National
I am in love with Indian fabrics, particularly cotton. Here is a piece on them Traditional Indian textiles get a turn on the fashion stage Shoba Narayan Nov 13, 2011 A group of Japanese tourists descend on Weaver's Studio, a textile boutique in Kolkata, specialising in handcrafted, handwoven clothes. They walk through the three rooms, admiring the hanging silk saris in jewel colours of magenta, turquoise, aquamarine, emerald and purple. In another room are block-printed fabrics with swirling green vines and orange flowers. The Japanese women utter little exclamations of delight as they sort through silk stoles and organic [...]