Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
About tennis and Bjorn Borg
What makes a professional scorecard? 5 min read A professional scorecard can mean different things and often, different timelines. A fund manager is measured every day, in fractions—the number of basis points his fund is up or down when the market closes. For the CEO, it is in quarterly earnings reports and annual revenues. For the politician, timelines are even longer—the stealth reforms that Manmohan Singh made when he was finance minister, along with the nuclear deal he orchestrated, might well be his most lasting legacies. For the scientist or inventor, timelines don’t matter. They can work for years to [...]
Mathematics– beautiful?
About Sujatha Ramadorai and the delights of pure math 4 min read . I have become obsessed with mathematicians. I see them as rare creatures—all the more inspiring because they toil in a field that is completely above my comprehension. Actually, ‘toil’ is the wrong word. As J.H. Poincare of the famous Poincare’s conjecture said, “The mathematician does not study pure mathematics because it is useful; he studies it because he delights in it and he delights in it because it is beautiful." Consider Ramdorai Sujatha. Winner of the 2006 Ramanujan Prize given to young mathematicians in developing countries, Sujatha, 44, [...]
Do spouses compete or coexist?
Mr vs Mrs, or how to compete and co-exist 4 min read . Hillary Clinton was in town and brought to the fore a question that I have oft pondered: Do women compete with their husbands? The short answer is either “yes", or “depends on what you mean by compete", depending on who you are or who your spouse is. It also has to do with life-stage. Clinton certainly competed with her husband when he was in power. He, on the other hand, withdrew when she came to prominence. He’s had his turn and now, it is hers. Both are older. [...]
The sari worth all your lust
About the Kodali Karuppur Saree 5 min read . The first time I saw a Kodali Karuppur sari was on Geetha Rao, a textile expert. I met Geetha at the Bangalore Black Tie, where a group of foodies pay to have a structured tasting with paired wines at some of the city’s best restaurants. Geetha’s husband, S.L. Rao, is a renowned economist, but I usually gravitate towards her, mostly because of her lovely saris. There are women like this everywhere in India. You see them at weddings and events, looking [...]
La Laitiere de Bangalore
The post consists of me talking about the book. Video can also be seen if you scroll down.
The Indian art market
Indian art market a rosy picture Shoba Narayan Jan 23, 2012 INDIA DISPATCH The Indian art market is bucking a global trend of declining sales and hopes are high some expensive pieces will change hands at the India Art Fair in New Delhi this week. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the event, due to be held from Wednesday to Sunday. Exhibiting galleries are hoping for robust sales and continued interest from wealthy domestic buyers, thereby fuelling the country's art market, estimated to be worth as much as 20 billion rupees (Dh1.46bn). Although globally art sales are [...]
French translation
This is my first post in my redesigned website. It is really cool to see what is possible in web design these days and the tools keep changing and growing. Shoba Narayan La laitière de Bangalore [The Milk Lady of Bangalore] Traduction (Anglais) : Johanna Blayac Après plus de vingt ans passés aux États-Unis, Shoba rentre en Inde avec sa famille. Dans les rues de Bangalore, hommes d’affaires côtoient vendeurs à la sauvette, mendiants, travestis et… vaches! Shoba se lie bientôt d’amitié avec [...]
The ‘India Option’
The future back home Instead of Looking Abroad, Today's Indian Management Graduates See a Future at Home Published: July 24, 2008 in India Knowledge@Wharton In the past, India’s best and brightest routinely looked to the U.S. and other Western countries for jobs following graduation. Today, however, the “brain drain” seems to be reversing: According to placement figures at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Bangalore, 75% of this year’s graduating class opted for jobs in India. In this opinion piece, Bangalore-based writer Shoba Narayan offers her understanding of this trend following interviews with graduating students and IIM faculty. Previously [...]
Role of Women in Indian Politics?
India should work towards empowering women economically — through microfinance programs — and also encourage greater participation of women leaders in panchayats, or village councils, writes author Shoba Narayan in this opinion piece.
Affordable Housing
Affordable housing is an idea whose time has come, writes Bangalore-based writer Shoba Narayan in this opinion piece.