Years ago, when I lived in New York, I did a series of commentaries for NPR.

You can find the NPR Link Here.

My producer was this fabulous lady called Davar Ardalan. Basically, I would write a commentary and email it to Davar. She would coach me on how to speak it so that it sounded conversational, not stilted. I had to change the words because the written rhythm is quite different from the speaking rhythm. Then I’d go downtown to the NPR studio. Davar would phone in from Washington where she was based. I would speak my commentary into the mike. The local producer and Davar would correct certain words and then, we’d do a take. Radio is an accessible conversational medium. Now that I am thinking about doing podcasts, I am thinking of my first voice coach, the fabulous Ms. Davar.

‘Monsoon Diary: A Memoir with Recipes’
April 26, 2003 Shoba Narayan has written about her journey from southern India to the United States in her new book Monsoon Diary: A Memoir with Recipes, celebrating food …
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1244700
all things considered

Hindus and Muslims
December 29, 2001
New York writer Shoba Narayan grew up in India. She offers this personal account of the complicated relationships between Hindus and Muslims in India.
all things considered

Indian Chic
January 23, 2000 With the popularity of all things Indian — henna, silk saris, and body piercing — essayist Shoba Narayan finds that her Indian-American niece is suddenly cool …
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1069508
all things considered

Sari Essay
October 03, 1999 After a decade of wearing western style clothes in America, writer Shoba Narayan experimented with wearing a sari for a month on the streets of New York. …
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1064842
all things considered

Who Wants To Arrange a Marriage?
March 11, 2000 New York writer Shoba Narayan had an arranged marriage eight years ago. … She has some advice for the producers of the controversial TV show, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1071467
all things considered

India’s Population
August 29, 1999 India has just surpassed the one billion population mark. Writer Shoba Narayan of New York says traditionally in India, pregnant women are considered symbols of prosperity and fertility has always played an important role in the country’s psyche. But she says now it’s time for some changes.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1057790
all things considered

An Internet Wake
August 13, 2000 Essayist Shoba Narayan recalls spending “quality time” with family on the Internet…where they recently held a wake for a deceased relative. …
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1080672
All Things Considered

Cricket Memories
March 19, 2000 Essayist Shoba Narayan remembers playing cricket as a girl, and she still marvels at how a game can bring together sworn enemies. …
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1071792

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