Kashi is endlessly fascinating as is the Ganga, the river of India as Jawaharlal Nehru famously said. I just loved writing this piece. BIG STORY Sun, 28 Feb 2016 HOW BLIND FAITH IS CHOKING THE GANGA Photo: Shoba Narayan The mission to clean the Ganga will be a pipe dream as long as Indians have […]
Tag: Hinduism
Kashi, Ganga and the politics of religion
I enjoyed writing this four part series for Mint on Sunday. Kashi is a dream-like place. Seems to belong to another time, and yet to all time. The photos are mine too🙂 OF DEAD COWS AND THE GANGA: THE PARADOX OF RELIGION Photo: Shoba Narayan In her quest to embrace faith, the ultimate feel-good […]
Palani Hill & Kartikeya
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 made two videos to accompany the piece. You can see them in Youtube About the Palani temple. Click here. About the Panchamritam. Click here
Ajmer Dargah
Mint has been sending me on trips to various spots to write on “sacred food.” This week, it is Ajmer Dargah. What a sensual experience. I respond to scents and sounds. The enveloping scent of roses was amazing. You have to read it at the site for the full photo cum words experiences. Oh, I […]
U. Chicago Magazine
Message from my dear friend Tommy (Tomas Haendler) who has known my eldest since she was born. Hi Guys. Just came back from a week at the beach and among the reading stuff I take I reviewed the University of Chicago magazine article on Wendy Doniger’s writings on Hinduism, and surprise, surprise…. there she was. […]
The Sexes– again
The thrill of being a beat reporter at a newspaper is to turn in copy and have it up in a few hours. Column writing takes away that immediacy but offers carte blanche with respect to voice and content– that is its thrill. I write my Mint column about two weeks in advance and The […]
New York Times
The editor of Room for Debate got in touch and asked me to write this piece Respect the Sacred, Ignore the Sexism Shoba Narayan is a columnist and the author of two books: “Monsoon Diary” and “Return to India.“ Updated January 8, 2013, 3:42 PM I am a Hindu. I love my religion’s glorious and imaginative epic […]
Yoga Journal
About Vishnu in the Yoga Journal Super Man Vishnu lives in luxury, but this Hindu god will abandon his opulent ways to take human form and save the world from evil. By Shoba Narayan In Indian films known as “god movies,” Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi, the pale-skinned goddess of wealth, are shown living in […]
Yoga Journal
Yoga Journal Parvati Power This Hindu goddess, consort of Shiva, proves that dignity and smarts prevail. By Shoba Narayan Parvati is one face of the divine female energy, often called Devi (the shining one) or Shakti (power), that many Indians worship as the power above all deities. The goddess is personified in many forms, including […]
Yoga Journal
Thanks, Naomi, for sending me these links in the Yoga Journal. Wrote these pieces a long time ago. Didn’t know they existed. Quite Contrary Kali is both a fierce warrior and a compassionate mother goddess, reflecting the range of behavior available to us all. By Shoba Narayan Many of the female deities in Hindu mythology […]
