Angry birds
I am getting ready for work when a loud tok-toking outside the front door grabs my attention. The tok-tok sound is repetitive. And persistent. It makes me leave what I am doing and walk to check its…
Bajka or Tarua: Fritters from Bihar
One item which is a must in every thali at lunch when guests come visiting to a Bihari home are bajkas. These are fritters made out of assorted vegetables. These are quick to make and can be…
My saree stories: Part 17 (Odisha weaves)
Today’s blog post is the second edition of my collection of Odisha’s gorgeous weaves. I have previously written about the Odisha handlooms in Part 13. (click here to read). In the previous edition I had covered the…
Dhirde: A Maharashtrian crepe
It all started with my college batchmate and friend Pallavi Waikar asking me if I knew how to make dhirde (pronounced धिरडे). Now Pallavi is a Maharashtrian and is married to a Bihari. And we often exchange…
My saree stories: Part 16
This edition of my saree stories has hand woven sarees from Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Vidarbha. And a unique yarn. Have you heard of the phenkwa technique? Or futki yarn? Can you differentiate between…
SPB: Parva illa Sir, you will still be around
I grew up in Pondicherry. I distinctly remember one evening, when my English teacher, Mrs Hawkins, came up to my father and said that she had to take me to see Shankarabharanam. She really wanted me to…
Lost opportunities
“She told me that you had given her a hug that day.” I hear these words and my heart sinks. It is a feeling I find difficult to describe. Guilt. Regret. Shame. Did that mean so much…
The walk towards light
I might have easily ignored the Whatsapp forward which talked about India’s first visually impaired company secretary. But my eyes fell on the name. Turab Chimthanawala. Surely, it couldn’t be the little Turab I knew. It was…
My Saree Stories: Part 15
Welcome to yet another edition of my saree stories after a long break. This time there are legends and traditions and the history of unusual sarees. I’m sure you have heard of Baluchari, Chikankari and Ponduru khadi…
The joys of learning
Some years ago, I was part of a Fellowship programme where we were taken through a session on strengths-based leadership. I am usually very skeptical of these self-help kind of polls which give you a verdict after…
