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.
Kalidasa for 21st century
Fantastic exposition of why Kalidasa is huge in ancient Indian [...]
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.
At work, women don’t need to play by the same rules as men: for The National Abu Dhabi
At work, women don’t need to play by the same [...]
Why your girl should go to a women’s college: for Mint Lounge
My view—from personal experience and from watching other adolescent girls—is that women have many voices in their heads that tell them how to behave. They have a mortal fear of being judged. They hate confrontation. A good teacher can drown these voices. A good college can alleviate the desire for approval that women have; the self-correction that they engage in all the time. Through role play and encouragement, faculty and staff teach young women to be assertive, to speak up; to stop second-guessing their thoughts and opinions.
An all-women’s college changed my life: for The National Abu Dhabi
Inspired by the visit of Sonya Stephens of Mount Holyoke, [...]
Raga Connection show
I will be doing a workshop "The Raga Connection" along [...]
Year in Review
It is the time for "Year in Review." Spoke to [...]
Bonda Soup, where the bowl matters: for Mint Lounge
Still bummed that I didn't go to Ayodhya in Mangalore [...]
In search of the perfect wine glass
Anyone who has stayed in a hostel has a resource-constrained mindset towards food. I don’t care which college you went to. Standing in line and waiting for a finite amount of food does something to your psyche. It makes you think of food, not as a pleasure to be had, but as a resource to be grabbed. It has taken me several decades to get out of this mindset.