In 1979, Basu Chatterjee made Baaton Baaton Mein and unobtrusively brought to us the dating and courtship rituals of a community that was till then either caricatured or just overlooked in Hindi cinema. Nancy Perreira and Tony Braganza…
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Matriarchal manipulation in a patriarchal world is depicted unsparingly in Usha Priyamwada’s Pachpan Khambe Laal Deewarein (Now playing on Prasar Bharti). The mother resentful of her lecturer daughter’s comfortable life in her college residence because the younger daughters…
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“Start with hope..always start with hope. We went from being a shitty team to become one of the biggest dynasties in the sport and all it needed was one match to light this fire,” says Michael Jordan at…
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In 1947, my grandparents brought three children and the remains of an uprooted life from Pakistan to India in a train. One of those children was my mother. I grew up hearing a lot of stories about the…
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Three documentaries streaming right now show the ultimate culmination of the Bois Locker Room culture. And what happens when one gender is taught to mistrust its instincts of self-preservation and the other does not even learn something as…
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In Sudip Sharma’s Paatal Lok (Now streaming on Amazon. Co written by Sharma, Sagar Haveli, Hardik Mehta and Gunjit Chopra. Directed by Avinash Arun and Prosit Roy), India’s disowned inhabit the headlines we turn away from. A young…
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When I took leave of Patiala and my first job as an LKG teacher, I was given two Tarla Dalal books by my colleagues to accompany me to my new life in Bengaluru. This was in 1994 and Ms Dalal was possibly the only known name in the Indian publishing industry. The recipe booklet that […]
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 […]
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 […]
There is a scene in Bimal Roy’s Bandini where Nutan’s Kalyani is described as Annapurna…the goddess of an abundant kitchen. She is half in love with a rebel (Ashok Kumar) who comes every evening to discuss lyrical poetry with her father and enjoys her cooking but it is when he describes her as a woman […]
Food shows in India often turn into vanity projects with celebrity chefs faffing around, putting up uninspired stuff and garnishing it unfailingly with a mint leaf. The requisite research, the detailing of atmosphere, an interesting context, good production values and hosting skills that hold your attention are by and large missing in Indian food shows. […]
No this is not yet another ode to Maggi noodles, so you can stop groaning. Maggi was on my black list for a while now after I heard about the wax coating on the noodles and that it is difficult to digest. Anyhow over the past several years I have been slowly weaning my family off […]
The Maggi controversy has tainted the glow of memories that were formed as an entire nation gathered to watch Hum Log in the early eighties and to salivate over a new wonder snack that was, ‘‘fast to cook and good to eat.” Hum Log was Manohar Shyam Joshi’s seminal story about a lower-middle-class Indian […]
Award-winning, Michelin starred chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer Vikas Khanna is back with a new book, Shaken & Stirred. This one celebrates the magic of mocktails and Khanna was in town to share a few mixology tricks and to interact with fans and the media. We pinned him down for a chat about his life and […]
In the heart of Kinnaur in Himachal where tourists on their way to the desolate yet beautiful valley of Lahaul and Spiti, often stop by for a breather or some stretch-the-legs treks; there lives an old man. With a finely lined face, a green Kinnauri topi on his head and a Zen like peace surrounding his persona, 69year-old […]
Many years ago, I met writer and gourmet food specialist Karen Anand at a Bengaluru hotel for an interview and her manner was crisp and measured just like her approach towards cooking. She seemed ready for the next chapter of a life that had by now spanned books, TV shows, a brand of her own […]
Aromatic air, the hustle and bustle of men and women working furiously to churn out local, authentic and traditional meals at food counters and proudly exhibiting an array of mouth-watering delicacies. The buzz and the energy of those who cook and those who love to eat . I am not just talking about food, but a food paradise. ** This is […]
My memories of celebrating Lohri in Patiala are a bit hazy. But yes, winter was the season when beeji, my grandmother would painstakingly chop sarson ka saag and then cook it in a haandi on a mud angeethi. The prepared saag always topped with a dollop of homemade butter never ever saw the inside of […]