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Foreign languages/Harvard’s Nieman Storyboard
Do you think in English or your native tongue? I wrote this complex essay about mother tongues, foreign languages, and how they influenced-- and continue to influence-- my writing. Also whether you can use them to improve yours. For this, I listened to stories and poetry in my mother tongue, Tamil. I also listened to Pablo Neruda in Spanish and Russian poets in Russian. I don't understand these languages but they helped my writing. Read the post to know how :)
Raj Parr profile/Mint Lounge
Some time ago, I drove three hours from San Francisco down the coast of California to a picturesque town of Cambria-- to meet iconic winemaker, Raj Parr. As you will read my profile of him here, Raj Parr can identify wine varietal, vintage and producer by simply smelling the wine. Which to me is the thrill of tasting wine. The nose is an under-used organ and wine-tasters have figured out how to make it work for them. Read about how Raj Parr does it.
Dance Conference- Maya Rao
When the multi-talented Madhu Natraj asked if I would chair a dance conference in her mother's name, I was honored and touched. I am a failed bharatanatyam dancer. But I love dance and the world of dance. So I happily accepted. For the last several weeks, we have been planning. And here it is-- happening on Saturday, September 18th from 10 to 3 at the Bangalore International Centre (BIC). You have to register for the event to be there in person at the BIC. Details in the post and on the BIC website.
Personal essay/Harvard’s Nieman Storyboard
Harvard University's Nieman Foundation has a wonderful website called Nieman Storyboard, which is a terrific resource for anyone who wants to learn how to write. I wrote an essay about using a global event as a hook for hanging a personal essay or memoir.
The Bengalurean snack that nobody has heard of
About the wonders of the Kodubale and the Maddur Vada There are some snacks that have a pan regional jurisdiction, while there are those [...]
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.