Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
Madame Gadgetry Reviews
List of Madame Gadgetry articles
For Qantas magazine on Mumbai Cricket
About stadiums, fans and ethos of cricket in Mumbai.
Madame Gadgetry
So I have been writing a column called Madame Gadgetry for Mint on Sunday, edited by the irrepressible Sidin Vadukut. In it, I write about quirky gadgets and classes that interest me. Below are the links to the pieces. Master page with clips of all of the below found here. Booty Patooti Bootcut pants Pizzeria Pronto Tristar Travel Bag Vain Sthlm versus Bose headphones Mike Mandel and Graphology Vibram Furoshiki Shoes Ztylus Revolver 4-in-1 iPhone lens Carson Binocular Hookupz Olloclip 4-in-1 smartphone camera lens Eagle Creek Doubleback and Convertabrief A bra that fits Orchard Corset Shelfpack Second City Comedy Classes [...]
Condenast Traveller India Jury Awards
Simplest way to explain this is to post the below. Jury list here. It is arranged alphabetically by first name and S(hoba) comes way down. But it is a great list of a disparate group of people. [wpvideo zhyia86d] Dear Shoba, How are you? Thank you so much for being part of our jury for the first India’s Top Restaurant Awards! The 50 restaurants that have made the list will be informed by me personally later today, but their rankings will not be revealed (to anyone!) until the actual ceremony on Tuesday, December 19, at The Lodhi, New Delhi, at 8pm. An [...]
New episode in Bird Podcast
Check it out here.A few years ago, I cold-emailed Jairam Ramesh, then minister of rural development, with one question: how could urban individuals contribute to rural India? He called me from Gumla, Jharkand. “Do you know where Gumla is?” he asked. Sheepishly, I said No. After some small talk—his mother lives in Bangalore— I asked how the average urban citizen could help rural India, should they desire to. What were his top five priorities? Ramesh laughed and said that his top priorities such as land reform, rural infrastructure and employment were not things the average citizen could contribute to. “Those [...]
28 Kothi: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This boutique guest house with just five individually-styled rooms makes a virtue out of its quirky minimalism. The Instagrammable interiors are dotted with thoughtful design touches. Dinner, which is prepared on request, is superb and served in the candlelit garden.
Shahpura House: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This meticulously maintained 64-room heritage hotel, in a quiet residential area of Jaipur, is owned and run by an aristocratic family. They live on the top floor and take pleasure in sharing their traditions and festivals in a way that is both authentic and ebullient.
Samode Palace: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This 16th-century palace nestled in the ancient Aravalli hills has striking wall murals, atmospheric rooms, an infinity pool, and a great wine cellar. It's an hour outside Jaipur, and run by the same family that lorded over 45 surrounding villages in princely times.
Hilton Embassy Golflinks: Hotel Review: The Telegraph UK
This hidden pearl in the heart of Bangalore affords quiet, spacious studio-style rooms with kitchenettes for long-stay guests. Facilities include a spa, swimming pool, badminton court and restaurants.
Diwali gifts that do good and feel good
Diwali Special: Thoughtful gift options for the evolved consumer—help a cause, spread the wealth. A recent happy trend, though, is choosing gifts from organizations that work with and help less-privileged sections of society. Call it conscious consumption. Or being an evolved consumer. It is a way of spreading festive cheer that goes beyond individual needs or greed. To help you with this process, here is a list of such organizations. These products are handmade so if you want the consistency of a factory-produced object, look elsewhere.