Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
Foreign languages/Harvard’s Nieman Storyboard
Do you think in English or your native tongue? I wrote this complex essay about mother tongues, foreign languages, and how they influenced-- and continue to influence-- my writing. Also whether you can use them to improve yours. For this, I listened to stories and poetry in my mother tongue, Tamil. I also listened to Pablo Neruda in Spanish and Russian poets in Russian. I don't understand these languages but they helped my writing. Read the post to know how :)
Raj Parr profile/Mint Lounge
Some time ago, I drove three hours from San Francisco down the coast of California to a picturesque town of Cambria-- to meet iconic winemaker, Raj Parr. As you will read my profile of him here, Raj Parr can identify wine varietal, vintage and producer by simply smelling the wine. Which to me is the thrill of tasting wine. The nose is an under-used organ and wine-tasters have figured out how to make it work for them. Read about how Raj Parr does it.
Dance Conference- Maya Rao
When the multi-talented Madhu Natraj asked if I would chair a dance conference in her mother's name, I was honored and touched. I am a failed bharatanatyam dancer. But I love dance and the world of dance. So I happily accepted. For the last several weeks, we have been planning. And here it is-- happening on Saturday, September 18th from 10 to 3 at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC). You have to register for the event to be there in person at the BIC. Details in the post and on the BIC website.
Personal essay/Harvard’s Nieman Storyboard
Harvard University's Nieman Foundation has a wonderful website called Nieman Storyboard, which is a terrific resource for anyone who wants to learn how to write. I wrote an essay about using a global event as a hook for hanging a personal essay or memoir.
The Bengalurean snack that nobody has heard of
About the wonders of the Kodubale and the Maddur Vada There are some snacks that have a pan regional jurisdiction, while there are those that are authentically linked to one particular state. Mention chivda and quite a few North Indians from different states will perk up. Mention chakli and the same will happen to South Indians. But if I say “Kodubale, anyone?” all I get is a “Huh?” or a “Kodu-what?” Which is a shame because this snack, much like Congress peanuts, or avarekalu mixture is beloved in Bangalore and all over Karnataka. Kodu refers to an elongated shape. [...]
Bangalore Talkies: Uniquely Bangalore: the nipattu
About the much-loved crunchy snack that Bangaloreans reach for When the monsoon makes its appearance in Bangalore, as it has done now, the oil starts sizzling. South Indian kitchens keep their tryst with their gastronomic destiny, not wholly or in full measure (given the number of people who are on intermittent fasting diets these days) but very substantially. When it rains, South Indian kitchens start taking out their deep-frying kadhais. This moment comes, not rarely because every South Indian Mami (Aunty) worth her salt will deep-fry papad or ‘happala’ pretty much everyday. It is a neat trick, performed in most [...]
Let’s talk about South Asian mental health
Just because mental health issues are not visible doesn’t mean they don’t exert a pull on your psyche. For a culture that is supposedly warm and family-oriented, many families here in India are adept at dismissing individual feelings and emotions, all in the name of being practical and rational.
Food as a gateway to heaven
interview Shoba Narayan’s new book shows food as the gateway to heaven By Dipti D August 6, 2021 ‘Food and Faith, a pilgrim’s journey through India,’ as its author Shoba Narayan says, is “largely about Hinduism written by a (skeptical) Hindu who seeks to answer larger questions about faith”. And she finds food to be the least contentious medium to discuss the role of religion in one’s life today. Being an atheist as a teenager and agnostic as a young adult, Shoba says she turned to religion late in life. [...]
Bangalore Talkies: What does Karnataka’s new CM like to dine on?
BENGALURU NEWS Bangalore Talkies: What does Karnataka’s new CM like to dine on? By Shoba Narayan PUBLISHED ON JUL 30, 2021 04:05 PM IST Through a variety of channels, the answer was the same. He likes Uttara Karnataka’s banana leaf lunches. The ingredients are well-known: jolada-rotti (jowar rotis), badanekayi palya (brinjal sabzi), kadalekai chutney (groundnut chutney) and curd What does Karnataka’s new Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai like to dine on, I asked my journalist friends in Bangalore. Through a variety of channels, the answer was the same. He likes Uttara Karnataka’s banana leaf lunches. The ingredients are well known: jolada-rotti [...]