Column: The Good Life: for Mint Lounge
Gita Govindam
Amazing love-poem by Jayadeva. One of the finest Sanskrit works. I am studying this. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/104687562" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
Memory Improvement
Memory improvement is an obsession of mine. Here is my latest exercise/attempt to improve it. The National Conversation When I turned to the internet to improve my poor memory Shoba Narayan Jul 26, 2013 "Thanks to your mother, I am drinking hot water these days," I told the visiting boy. "Like her, I too believe that the hot water will melt the fat globules in my body and I will become slim, indeed svelte." I was chuffing with pride at adding one more trick to my arsenal of "how to lose weight without doing exercise", when my daughter spoke up. [...]
Goyard, Rimowa and Tumi
I finally got it right: connecting the global with the local. One of the few pieces I am happy with even after publication. Usually I go back and say– nah, wish I had said this instead of this; or wish I had said this better. via Goyard, Rimowa and Tumi.
Goyard, Rimowa and Tumi: defined by your trunk: for Mint Lounge
I finally got it right: connecting the global with the local. One of the few pieces I am happy with even after publication. Usually I go back and say-- nah, wish I had said this instead of this; or wish I had said this better. Goyard, Rimowa, Tumi: defined by your trunk About giant tiffin-carriers, hold-alls, Goyard trunks and vintage European brands Shoba Narayan First Published: Sat, Aug 03 2013. 12 08 AM IST What your Rimowa (left) and Tumi say about you. I bought my first Tumi carry-on for the same reason that I bought branded objects in my [...]
Booksoarus
Thank you, Lavanya Shanbogue, for the plug. Interview here.
Adam Grant
I read Adam Grant's essay in the New York Times last week. I had this knee-jerk reaction that was largely negative. I knew that I wouldn't be able to find the studies that countered Prof Grant's thesis. But I found that I just couldn't let it go. Some of my closest friends graduated from the Wharton School And so I know what it means to say that Prof Grant is the youngest tenured and the most popular professor. I admire him but I think he is wrong. Here is an essay that I wrote about his essay. The National Conversation [...]
Pappadams: what are they and how to eat them: for Mint Lounge
I loved this week's issue of Mint Lounge. Sumant Jaikrishnan is an authentic Indian stylister (the male version of stylista). I loved the cover. Read it here. My piece is on Pappadams. Nice accompanying photo. Read it here and below. Sat, Jul 27 2013. 12 07 AM IST Pondering over ‘poppadoms’ Poppadoms are more fluff than substance. They are glorious, ephemeral and gone in minutes Papad or as south Indians call it, poppadom, is a popular part of Indian meals across regions. Photo: Manoj Madhavan/Mint The essential dishes of a Kerala sadya (feast) are paruppu (dal/lentils), pachadi (raita), and payasam [...]
The Gita Sung
I heard this song first in NYC at my daughter's school, Abraham Lincoln, opposite Mayor Bloomberg's house. I explain it at the end of the song. [soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/102699538" params="" width=" 100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
Femina
A piece that came out in Femina a while ago about Return to India. Did I post it before. I did a search on 'Femina' in this blog and couldn't find it. Here it is dear shoba how are you? here we are getting on as usual. first let us congratulate you shoba for the article that has been written by you and published in FEMINA. have you been given a copy? the library man gave the issue only now and hence we are attaching it for you and the other family members to see in case nobody has seen [...]
Jimmy Choos sexy shoes for Mint Lounge
Today morning, the first thing I did was to go out, pick up all the newspapers and hide Mint Lounge. My parents are temporarily staying with me and I didn't want my father to read my column today mainly because of the use of the swear word-- "Fuck me shoes." I lead many lives-- some for my readers and some as the good daughter/daughter in law. Sometimes these worlds collide much to my dismay. So the Lounge is hidden. Problem is that my Dad has just gone to my brother's house and I am sweating bricks and hoping that he [...]