Travel Stories
Latest Articles
Videos to accompany Palani Hill & Kartikeya: Sacred Food: Mint on Sunday
My piece on Kartikeya, also called Skanda, was the cover story at Mint on Sunday. Best to read it here. Warning: it is long. I also [...]
Radio New Zealand and Abdul Kalam
So they call from Christ Church on Skype on a rotating schedule of global correspondents. I shoot the breeze with the breezy anchor, Bryan Crump. [...]
The Art of Judgment: for Mint Lounge
My uncle Sivaramakrishnan called from Mumbai this morning stating that he wanted to “capture Twitter". Do you have good judgment? How do you teach it?
Buy my book
Just got my ten author copies of Katha yesterday. They are beautifully packaged. Small enough to fit in a purse. It releases August 28th but [...]
Katha Review
Thank you Vijaya Pushkarna, for the generous review. I am supposed to have a Twitter conversation with you or The Week tomorrow, August 5th from [...]
Flora and Fauna in Sanskrit literature
For any nature-lover, this video interview with Naresh Keerthi, who is a doctoral student at NIAS (National Institute of Advanced Studies), Bangalore is a treat. [...]
Nine features I wrote for Condenast Traveler (US edition) a while back
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 [...]
NPR/ The Takeaway Show
Love NPR. Still listen to it. They called from Boston to interview me about this. As always, I won't listen to it (prefer to listen to something other than the sound of my own voice) [...]
New York Times: School Poisoning Deaths
As a columnist, I don't get the high of newsrooms very often. But this was one instance where it worked. My editor at the New York Times and I were wrapping up an essay that I had written for their mother load blog. It was about 9 PM last night and we had deemed the piece ready. Then she suddenly sends an email telling me about the Bihar midday meals scheme tragedy and asked if I could write a piece on it within an hour. I did, and then went to watch Scandal! Here it is below.
Solar Energy
An article inspired by the zero carbon house of my friend, the mathematician, Sujatha Ramadorai. The National Conversation How solar energy is shining new light on this country Shoba Narayan Jul 17, 2013 Sometimes the [...]
What to eat at an airport for Mint Lounge
Airport tales as different as night and day Airports are happy places at 8am on a Monday morning. The lines are short. People are civilized Shoba Narayan First Published: Sat, Jul 13 2013. 12 18 [...]
Fibs and love
If I had read this, I would have called it a 'cute' piece and that really is what I was attempting. Inspired by the Huff Post divorce columnist's list of what makes a successful marriage. [...]
Freaking out with Instagram
Thank you iPhone 4S. What would I do without you?
Kerala Men
As a nominal Keralite, I feel that I can comment on Kerala with impunity. This piece was written after a visit to Trivandrum. I was attempting humour but someone from Kerala told me that I [...]
Why women don’t work? for The National Abu Dhabi
Thanks to this forum for discussing feminism. Specific thanks to Naina, Vinay, RG, NS-- and even though others have a view on him-- Krishna. This appeared in The National, Abu Dhabi. Caught between traditional values [...]
Interviews with His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Wall Street Journal
Follow my Youtube channel below
Follow my Instagram channel below
Shoba Narayan is an award-winning Indian author, journalist, and freelance travel writer based in India. She specialises in luxury travel, immersive journeys, and Indian culture with a focus on food, wine, culture, cities, and identity. With over two decades of experience, she has contributed travel features to Condé Nast Traveler (US edition), Travel & Leisure, DestinAsian, Mint Lounge, The National (Abu Dhabi), Taj Magazine, and Hindustan Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Telegraph UK, The Guardian UK, and Robb Report among others. Her awards include the James Beard food-writing award and a Pulitzer Travel Fellowship. Her travel writing spans India, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, the Maldives, Bhutan, Costa Rica, and beyond — always with a focus on the sensory, the cultural, and the deeply human. Based in Bangalore, India, Shoba is a leading voice on South Asian travel, reviewing luxury hotels in India and abroad, and writing immersive features on traditional Indian crafts, and contemporary Indian culture. As a freelance travel writer and memoirist, she writes evocative, deeply researched features on everything from birding in Costa Rica to spiritual tourism in Bhutan.
For editors: Shoba Narayan is an Indian travel writer and food writer, who contributes to assignments on travel, food, culture, and Indian cities. She has reported from across the world and writes narrative-driven features with a strong sense of place.
Key Expertise: India travel writer, freelance travel writer India, South Asia travel journalist, luxury travel India writer, food and travel writer India, Indian food writer, Bangalore travel writer, South India travel writing, cultural travel writer, narrative travel journalist, travel features India, heritage travel India, slow travel India, sustainability travel writer, hotel and destination features India, travel essays South Asia.