Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
Would you wear a garment without a blouse? for Mint Lounge
Scurrilous as it sounds, it was the breasts that stupefied me—and I might as well warn you now—this is a word you are going to read a lot in this column—and if it makes you uncomfortable—well, that’s the point. I had entered Tasveer art gallery in Bengaluru to cultivate the sagacity that comes with viewing art—or so we hope. Instead, my thoughts were salacious.
Why balance wins over early retirement
Patrick Pichette is probably a nice guy but.... A retirement letter masquerading as a wise sermon should hardly make news, let alone cause effusive gushing. Pichette comes across as a nice man. He has a lyrical turn of phrase. That, along with the fact that he holds a top job in a revered Silicon Valley company, may be why his resignation letter has the drama it does. Man rockets to the top; then drops off the cliff. That’s the story.
How women speak: Which Verbal Personality type are you? for Mint Lounge
Society lays the onus on women. Lean In, says Sheryl Sandberg. Break the glass ceiling. Speak up. Dance like a man. That is one way. If you are the boss, sure, you can tell your quiet colleagues to speak up. Or you can simply hire more women. As has been reported in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Inc. and The Atlantic, teams with more women outperformed teams with more men on a consistent basis. “The secret to smart groups: it’s women,” as a headline in The Atlantic said.
Are you a spouse whisperer?
Are you a spouse whisperer? 5 min read . Updated: 14 Feb 2015, 12:56 AM IST Shoba Narayan You need to be one if he or she has stopped listening to you, says Shoba Narayan What you need this Valentine’s Day is not flowers or candles, but a spouse whisperer. What, you ask, is a spouse whisperer? Remember The Horse Whisperer, the movie in which Robert Redford made a horse do things it didn’t want to do? Spouse whisperers do the same thing to spouses. There comes a time in every relationship [...]
For Mint Lounge on Indian tigers
Tiger Truths Indian forests are wonderful ecosystems. Teak and sal trees shed dew tears in the misty mornings. Babblers bable; Serpentine eagles soar; Rufus treepies shriek; and humans shiver in the morning cold. Jackals come out of the grasslands. Herds of deer graze under trees. Langurs swing from trees, which themselves whisper and sway towards each other. There is Indian gum, gooseberry, Arjuna, pipal, banyan, frankincense and countless other species. Picturesque as they are, these species are no match for that apex predator in terms of viewing pleasure: Panthera tigris Tiger numbers are up. That is the good news. The [...]
The psychology of a Matunga Tamilian: Mint Lounge
I was conflicted about writing this, because I don't think people should define themselves so narrowly. In terms of the "land they sprung from." But I cannot deny the fact that such an identity exists. So I wrote it. Tried to keep it light. The psychology of a Matunga Tamilian I grew up in Bombay,” says Gayatri, one half of the Carnatic singing sister duo of Ranjani-Gayatri. “Actually, you should say that I grew up in Matunga, which in many ways is like growing up in an agraharam (an enclave beside a temple, usually occupied by Brahmin priests and their [...]
Indian dance
Of all arts, dance is the one that encapsulates a country's culture. I was thrilled to discover this link about Kamala here. My other dance connection is that I went to Women's Christian College and Urmila Satyanarayana was my classmate. She is here. A dance questionnaire for dancers and critics The most important thing in dance appreciation is to have the courage to respond to it Shoba Narayan I am a failed dancer. As a child in Chennai, some of my most memorable visits were to my aunt’s house. Her name was Kamala and she was known in dance circles [...]
K. Balachander
As someone who has watched and tracked Tamil movies all her life, one of the things I notice is the fall of the heroine. There are exceptions, but by and large, Tamil films these days are hero oriented, action films with a thin storyline. Women play the love interest, or dance an item number, with Rajnikanth’s Linga being the latest example. What Tamil films need are strong directors who are fascinated with women like those directors in the 70s and 80s.
The best gifting ideas from 2014: for Mint Lounge
It is just before Christmas. You are probably in the throes of figuring out what to buy for family, friends and co-workers. Here is a list of objects that you could consider buying for your near and dear. The logic of choosing these objects was simply this: I saw them during the course of this past year and they stuck in my head—because they are unique, innovatively designed, and beautiful. Shoba Narayan plans to buy a lovely teapot this Christmas season.
Carnatic Instrumentalism
The future of Carnatic instrumental music requires both a stroke of genius and a paradigm shift. How do you end the supremacy of lyrics in what is being performed today? As a listener, even I know and love the lyrics. Why then would l listen to only instruments? For that, several things need to happen. A genius composer needs to write for instruments—either a concerto format with multiple instruments or a song with a long instrumental riff like in Hotel California, where the guitar becomes the melody at the end.