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Make Mozart and Beethoven rock for you
To become a connoisseur—of the arts, ideas, food, wine, languages, movies, sports, economics or history—is ultimately a selfish exercise. You begin because you cannot help yourself; because of an abiding interest, one that will not let you go. Digging deeper becomes self-perpetuating after a while: The more you know, the more you want to know. At some point, you reach a crest and flip over. Once you pass that stage, beautiful things happen. You will hear a snatch of a Bollywood song and be reminded of a symphony. You will make uncommon connections that are ultimately the gift and pleasure of learning something new. A butterfly’s flight will look like an adagio, which refers to slow tempo in music.
Radio France on The Milk Lady of Bangalore
In which my book, La Laitiere de Bangalore or The Milk Lady of Bangalore made it to Radio France. Thank [...]
Interview with Chef Dominique Crenn
An interview with a chef I admire, Dominique Crenn. For Fine Dining Lovers-- based in Italy. There is also an India connection. The founder of Upside Foods, based in CA is an Indian doctor, Dr. Uma Valeti. I didn't interview him though. Maybe for another piece. Lab cultured meat is a new thing but the fact that a chef of the caliber of Crenn is endorsing it means something.
Why are hospital billing systems so bad?
Is it just Bengaluru or are hospital billing systems bad all over India? My aunt suffered a fall and had to be hospitalised. In a city that prides itself on using technology to ease business, why are hospital billing systems so archaic and the opposite of user-friendly? Hospitals use phrases like “patient care” as a marketing tool. Yet, when the time comes, they fail us. Automating hospital billing systems is the only way to improve the patient experience. It isn’t rocket science. Why aren’t hospitals doing it? I talk about a recent experience.
Food and Faith in Four Ingredients: Rakesh Raghunathan and I at the BIC
May 4, 2022. From 6:30 to 8 PM. Rakesh Raghunathan and I do a jugalbandhi at the Bangalore International Centre. Come watch us talk about sacred food. We will tell stories, Rakesh will sing songs, and do a cooking demonstration of one of my favourite dishes. I will of course talk about "Food and Faith." Free and open to the public. This is an in-person event.
Artistes are learning to pivot during pandemic
I have a problem with consuming culture virtually. I especially dislike how technology has converted live performances into flat-screen replicas. All mediums change the form. Technology for the most part diminishes the performing arts. Here is my column for HT about the performing arts. Linked to some upcoming events.
Nine features I wrote for Condenast Traveler (US edition) a while back
Interviews with His Holiness The Dalai Lama
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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.