The National Abu Dhabi
Comment Essays for The National Abu Dhabi
Hindustan Times: Breakfast in Bangalore
India has a masala dosa problem. This folded potato-filled fermented-rice flat circular piece of deliciousness has overtaken the world. The problem is that equally good variations of this form get lost in the focus on this one type of dosa.
Sommelier India: New York City wine
Say you are visiting a new city in the US and you want to taste and buy wine. What do you do? I experienced this recently when I visited New York.
Soneva Maldives: for Mint Lounge
Just outside my cottage at the Soneva Fushi resort was a coral reef. Several times a day, I walked out into the sea and start swimming with my flippers.
Hindustan Times: Visiting Chefs
To be a good chef, you have to have knowledge, opinion and confidence. Few professions are as unforgiving as a chef’s chosen job. You get feedback instantly. If the dish isn’t good, it gets sent back to the kitchen.
For WisdomCircle: Fearless after 50
Recently, I have noticed a happy trend among women in the fifties. They are blossoming in ways that even they could not have predicted.
Hindustan Times: Dance in Bangalore
Bangalore is blessed with a multitude of classical dance forms relative to say, nearby Chennai where Bharatanatyam reigns supreme, or Hyderabad where Kuchipudi takes pride of place.
Hindustan Times: Ganesha festival
Of course Mumbai is the city that is associated with Vinayaka, Ganesha, Ganapathy, call him what you will. But you may be surprised to find that Bangalore can provide spirited competition in the spectacle area.
WisdomCircle: Soul and Spirit
This column is about a simple fact: as you age, the ego becomes both stronger and more fragile. This plays out in ways that can both strengthen and sabotage because you are both secure and insecure.
Hindustan Times: Gay Bangalore
Recently, I was at the 14th edition of the Bengaluru Queer Film Festival (BQFF), a three-day community-funded event where 50 films were screened.
Hindustan Times: India Independence Day
It is that time of year again when all of us engage in a healthy dose of nostalgia, amnesia and hope about how India has changed since independence. Lists will come aplenty about things to be proud of and things to worry about.
Craft chocolate: Destinasian Hong Kong
This post is about the flowering of Indian craft chocolate using local ingredients. Really lovely to see an idli-grinder as part of the chocolate making process.
WisdomCircle: how much money
When I was at the Columbia Journalism program in 1995, two professors invited a bunch of us students to their apartment for dinner. After a few drinks, one students asked— what’s the number? How much do you need to live like this?