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The Savage Beauty of Alexander McQueen: for Mint
Memories of the V&A and my Parisienne friend Elisabeth Guez are fresh in my mind. The V&A has another nice exhibit where they try to [...]
Trees and birds
The best thing that is happened to me as a result of this year-long journey is the cliché: I feel connected with the universe. Let me be clear. I don't think you wake up one morning and suddenly feel at one with the cosmos. It is a gradual process of shedding layers of armor that you have built around yourself. The way it happened for me, and I am by no means there yet, has to do with connecting multiple species and seeing a greater whole.
How to bird-watch. How to watch birds
It begins with a pair of binoculars; and a balcony, if you have one. If there is some greenery visible from your balcony, even better. But you need binoculars to begin this voyage. Mine are Bushnell binoculars from Amazon for about $35. They have a magnification of 10X50, which didn’t mean anything to me except that it seemed better than the 8X40 advertised by other brands. I use them every day, except during travel, and even that, I want to change.
Radio New Zealand
I did my correspondent duty for Radio New Zealand last week here and embedded below http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/remote-player?id=201753346
Ambalapuzha, and yes, I know it is a tongue-twister for some.
Some time ago, I went to taste this most famous of payasams in Kerala. Here is an account of the experience at the new Mint on [...]
My first Mint video
I was trying to channel Peter Jennings but I really want to channel Gini Moos of CNN. Will be doing more. Looking forward to it. [...]
Nine features I wrote for Condenast Traveler (US edition) a while back
About Sons-in-law for The Atlantic
Depends on if you're American or Indian: a look at how two different cultures approach family-blending.
Cow Chronicles
Bovines can cry. Great headline. This second edition of Cow Chronicles has been an interesting journey. On the one hand, I get very touching personal emails that react to these stories. On the other, I [...]
Cow Chronicles
Bovines can cry. Great headline. This second edition of Cow Chronicles has been an interesting journey. On the one hand, I get very touching personal emails that react to these stories. On the other, I [...]
Swiffer, Karcher vacuum, and microfiber slippers
One of my favorite topics-- cleaning. I happen to be a connoisseur in this area, I might add. Cleaning gizmos do for me what tools do for men. Buying cleaning products is a great way [...]
New York Times: Breast Feeding
Years ago, when I lived on the Upper West Side, I used to have coffee with a bunch of mothers from my daughter’s school — the Philosophy Day School, “opposite Mayor Bloomberg’s house,” as we used to tell the taxi drivers. We would drop our children off in the morning and walk around the corner to drink mediocre brew and forge connections at Nectar Cafe.
Losing the Calf
Just one more next week. I am about ready to write something else. The cow chronicles: losing the calf There is a reason that Taurus, the sign associated with the bull, is associated with being [...]
Cow Chronicles: headed to hostel
Nice that Mint has added a separate Cow Chronicles link. Go to the end of this article and click. I usually write between 800-900 words per column. After watching Aniruddha, the photographer, shoot for this [...]
Men in Power
Hate the headline but what to do, I didn't write it. The National Conversation Comment As women gain power, will female scandals in India rise? Shoba Narayan Jun 3, 2013 Even for those Indians who [...]
Tone
The reason for misunderstanding-- many times. The National Conversation Comment It's not just what you say that matters, it's how you say it Shoba Narayan May 15, 2013 Save this article My nephew Harsha is [...]
Interviews with His Holiness The Dalai Lama
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
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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.