Return to India2022-03-10T15:24:48+05:30

Return to India

Return to India

is the tale of a young lady, fascinated by things American, who left Madras to study in the US, and came back for an arranged marriage....

“Although the author does not address it directly, the book highlights two of life’s major questions: Who am I? What are my values?”

Deccan Herald

For those wanting to know

about an Indian's life abroad, this is the book. For all those Indians living abroad and wanting to come back to India, this is the memoir to be read.

And, for those just wanting to have a read of a brilliant book, Return to India is a must.  Shoba Narayan has indeed given a voice to all those who have been dealing with ‘an immigrant’s dilemma’ – to be or not to be is the question!” Blogadda

The relevance of the book

lies in the fact that Narayan represents a vast multitude of Indians who go through that dilemma day in and day out....

The memoir is also about how we handle our urge for ‘freedom’…. The reason for our escape also becomes the reason for our return. And that’s reason enough for this reader to recommend it for all children who want to leave our shores in search of a ‘better’ life.”  Business World

Buy it here
1111, 2014

Bangalore Club

A simple email I got some time ago. On Oct 13, 2014, at 10:22 PM, Vikram Rajaram wrote: Dear Shobha, We have, in the past, been in touch re the possibility of getting you to speak at the Bangalore Club. Your father-in-law was unwell then and I did not feel it was opportune to push it. Can we pick up the threads again? Would a slot in the third week of November work for you? Please let me know. With kind regards, Vikram Rajaram So Vikram and I went back and forth. It ended in a talk If you are in town and a member of the Bangalore Club, please come.

2302, 2014

Moevenpick

Yesterday, the chef at my reading at Moevenpick Hotel and Spa in Bangalore had done such a nice job with recipes from Monsoon Diary. He had put a contemporary 'five-star' spin on the recipes from the book. My favorite was the poha-stuffed-in-papad and displayed by making holes in what looked like lavash bread. Very creative.

1902, 2014

Book Reading

My friend, Meena runs a book club that is affiliated with the Moevenpick Hotel and Spa in Bangalore. Meena invited me to do a book reading at the hotel. Since there is a food element involved, I thought I would do something that I have not done in Bangalore-- talk about and read from my first book, "Monsoon Diary: a memoir with recipes." The hotel's chef is making recipes from the book as well. Since someone asked, there is no fee for this. There will however be beautifully designed hardcover editions of Monsoon Diary for sale at a discounted price of Rs. 300. All proceeds of the sale will go to Unnati [...]

1908, 2013

Tagore and Return to India

A Tagore quote prompted this piece. The quote is included in the piece published in The National here and pasted below. The National Conversation After a return to India, life has become more interrupted Shoba Narayan Aug 14, 2013 Ever since my family and I moved back to India after nearly 20 years in the US, people often ask me what it is like to be back in my native country. My answer is always the same. As the movie title says, "It's Complicated." If I could describe the difference between my life in New York City and my life here in Bangalore using one phrase, it would be this: friends versus [...]

208, 2013

Booksoarus

Thank you, Lavanya Shanbogue, for the plug. Interview here.

2007, 2013

Femina

A piece that came out in Femina a while ago about Return to India. Did I post it before. I did a search on 'Femina' in this blog and couldn't find it. Here it is dear shoba how are you? here we are getting on as usual. first let us congratulate you shoba for the article that has been written by you and published in FEMINA. have you been given a copy? the library man gave the issue only now and hence we are attaching it for you and the other family members to see in case nobody has seen it,keep up the good work shoba and may there be many more [...]

1804, 2013

Women Talking

I had wondered and worried about how this would turn out. It actually turned out to be quite wonderful. Five women talking here

2903, 2013

NDTV

Some time ago, when my book was published, I sent the following email to NDTV. From: Shoba Narayan Subject: Immigrant angst, NRIs, diaspora Date: October 7, 2012 11:13:23 AM GMT+05:30 To: [email protected] Dear NDTV newsdesk: I am sure you get a lot of requests from people wanting coverage on issues. Let me add one more. In case any segment producer is doing a story on immigrants or NRIs, or the Indian diaspora, I would like to submit my second book, "Return to India: a memoir," as a good fit. I'd be delighted to send a copy of the book in case you'd like to see it. Thanks and kind regards Shoba Details [...]

303, 2013

Review of book

Thank you Kari O' Driscoll for the kind review here Author: Shoba Narayan ISBN: 978-0988415799 Shoba Narayan’s memoir is as much the story of an immigrant to a foreign country as it is the story of how becoming a mother changes one’s perspective in so many unanticipated ways. Shoba was born and raised by a traditional East Indian family who observed their Hindu beliefs closely. While she was encouraged to pursue an education, she was also expected to marry someone her parents chose for her and stay in close proximity to her extended family. Unfortunately for Shoba’s parents, their daughter had a fierce desire to go to America. In the first part [...]

Subscribe to my newsletter

Go to Top