A katori of kheer as an ice-breaker between a sulking father and a daughter. The birthday gift of a recorder that plays back the voice of a beloved interspersed with romantic songs. A furtive phone chat on a terrace amid clothes drying under the sun. The banter with a roadside chaat vendor. Strings of […]
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Month: July 2015
Gladiator Days And Nights
I was in Bombay in January 1993 after the “riots” when mobs went on a rampage burning their shops and killing them where they could find them. And before the retaliatory bomb blasts by the Memon gang. ** I remember walking around a familiar shopping area in Andheri, seeing once famous shops (owned by Muslim merchants) […]
Masaan: Of Transience And Eternity
Tu kisi rail si guzarti hai..main kisi pul sa.. thartharata hoon (You pass by like a train…I shudder, pulse like a bridge). These lines from a Dushyant Kumar poem in Neeraj Ghaywan’s debut film Masaan, take you back to the terrace of a small town home where in the middle of the night, you heard […]
How Bollywood Ceased To Be About Us
Over a decade ago, at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore, I spoke with a youthful conviction on why Hindi cinema must never be dismissed as just another drug to keep the masses oblivious to the real issues of governance, poverty, disenfranchisement, corruption and more. When gently asked by the moderator, why Hindi cinema could not be […]
Being Sania Mirza
Serena Williams knows better than anyone else that even being a world-class player cannot insulate a woman from mindless and vicious criticism about her body, her race, her irritating disregard for how female tennis players should look and conduct themselves. Perhaps someone like Sania Mirza can empathise because she too has been judged […]
Who Stole My Childhood?
Running carefree with naked feet, Reaching for mangoes up in the trees, Endless summer days of fun, Spent in the lap of the sun. Hours spent in glee with friends both imaginary and real, Board games, hopscotch, badminton and dolls, Trips to the beach on moonlit nights, And ice cream treats to beat the heat. […]
The Deliciously Deviant Book That AC Wrote
You know, when after prolonged gorging on balushahi, khubani ka meetha, kalakand, gulab jamun, malapua, you turn to a plain Cornetto ice cream? You bite into it and it turns out to be anything but plain: the buttery-smooth ice cream blends with the crunchy waffle it is wrapped in and the nuts sprinkled on top are a feast. […]
Eat Your Heart Out In North-Goa
I was in Goa last weekend and I’m infused with susegado tinted peace. Yes, that much abused word when it comes to all things Goan. A number of people have messaged me asking for a list of recommendations for great eating joints. And being a vegetarian, I believe that if a place in Goa has […]
Sri Lanka: A Magical Love Affair
A friend in Dubai and I have started a ritual. We meet at least once a year in an exotic new location and so this year, after much planning, we decided to visit Sri Lanka. And I am so glad we did. Two girls. 1,300 kms. And just seven days to discover the diverse beauty […]
In The Solitary Heart Of A Himalayan Village
The idyllic village of Tosh, located at the edge of the Parvati valley near Kasol, Himachal Pradesh, has only a few thousand inhabitants. The village is no different from hundreds of others scattered right across the great Himalayan belt passing through a major part of North and North-East India. One of the many obscure villages […]
A Vegetarian In Thailand
I am more apprehensive about being a vegetarian in South-East Asia than I am in Europe. Vegetarianism is not something the South-East Asians understand that well. Dried shrimp, a favourite topping, seems to fall under this rather flexible veggie umbrella. And then there is the ubiquitous fish sauce (and meat sauce) that forms part of […]
When A Good Girl Finished First
Years ago, during a long trip to Europe, I was making my way to Cornwall from London. I had booked my train tickets online from India a month in advance. I was to catch my train from Paddington and was very excited about this little adventure though I had just reached London by train from […]