-k4lD-U204025897261YmH-250x250%40HT-Web.jpg "Shoba Narayan")
Shoba Narayan is Bangalore-based award-winning author. She is also a freelance contributor who writes about art, food, fashion and travel for a number of publications.
Articles by Shoba Narayan
How to negotiate and get things done in B’luru
Moving to a new city, like Bengaluru, can be challenging when it comes to getting things done. Negotiating with government officials and finding the right tailor are just some of the hurdles. While bribes are an option, some choose to use alternative methods, like numerology or gifting educational books and fabric. Social media makes shopping easy, but finding a tailor requires more effort and negotiation skills. The key is to have multiple options and be willing to switch if necessary. Brinksmanship is also a common tactic in various situations.
Updated on Aug 03, 2023 12:33 AM IST
Walking the talk about Inclusion
But what about inclusion and diversity—something every brand talks about today. Talk is cheap though. What counts is putting your money where your mouth is.
Updated on Jul 20, 2023 01:00 AM IST
The Kannadiga obsession with khara-bhaath
The bhath has the consistency of thick porridge and you could argue that this is the Kannada comfort food.
Updated on Jul 06, 2023 12:38 AM IST
Why do so few outsiders bother to learn Kannada?
“Linguistic jingoism only happened after the states were reorganised by language. Before that, the borders were much more porous.”
Updated on Jun 22, 2023 01:08 AM IST
Better than bhel puri: Girmit or mandakki
To understand the hold that girmit or churmuri has on people from Karnataka, you have to understand that it is not just a recipe. It is an ecosystem
Updated on Jun 08, 2023 01:19 AM IST
What kind of a coffee drinker are you?
My divide is much more nuanced and connected to those of us who wake up to filter coffee every morning. The question is: where do you buy your coffee from?
Updated on May 10, 2023 12:29 AM IST
Is the Kannadiga sambhar overrated?
Most restaurants in Bangalore do not serve sambhar with the dosè. Thank God, I say because I think the Kannadiga sambhar is overrated
Updated on Apr 26, 2023 12:39 AM IST
How to spot a Bangalorean
But even the firebrands from other regions of Karnataka and other states calm down when they come to Bengaluru. Why is that? For a city of some 12 million, Bangaloreans are among the most genteel and polite people in India, if not the world
Updated on Apr 13, 2023 12:33 AM IST
10 mind blowing things about B’luru’s history
So you see, don’t dismiss this city as merely modern. It is as modern and cosmopolitan as it gets, but it is also an ancient settlement.
Published on Mar 30, 2023 12:24 AM IST
Why do Bangaloreans like single-colour chutneys?
To verify my theory about Kannada food minimalism, I crashed weddings in Basavanagudi, Chamrajpet, Jayanagar and Malleshwaram
Published on Mar 16, 2023 01:08 AM IST
Why Bengaluru’s traffic makes it the startup capital of India?
Do a search on India’s startup capital and two cities come up: Bengaluru and Delhi
Published on Mar 02, 2023 12:47 AM IST
The chef as an artist or businessperson?
Chef Manu Chandra, who has many well-wishers in Bengaluru, has opened Lupa, his first entrepreneurial venture
Published on Feb 16, 2023 03:08 AM IST
Which breakfast is better? Kannada or Tamil one?
I may be wading into the Kaveri here, but a question arose recently in a mixed group about whether the Karnataka or the Tamil Nadu interpretation of the classic idli-dosa breakfast was better.
Updated on Feb 04, 2023 12:24 AM IST
Where can you go to shop in Bengaluru?
This is one of the most frequent questions I get asked by visiting friends: where do you shop in Bengaluru?And the answer in the great Indian tradition is “Depends on what you want to buy
Published on Jan 17, 2023 11:55 PM IST
The delicate art of maintaining friendships
“Okay, I am going to reveal a vulnerability,” confessed a friend during a recent New Year’s party
Updated on Jan 10, 2023 04:35 PM IST
Counting my numerous Bengaluru blessings
Frankly, I find it exhausting to narrow down on things everyday that you are thankful for. Taking stock once a year is more doable. So here are the things that I am grateful for, about living in Bengaluru.
Published on Dec 22, 2022 12:19 AM IST
An art institution that deserves to be celebrated
Every public arts institution in India these days says that it wants to be inclusive, but most never achieve this goal. Most end up as containers of beautiful objects, a space where an elite few stand silently in contemplation of works of art.
Published on Dec 06, 2022 11:32 PM IST
Bengaluru’s Shivaji Nagar and its myriad hues
Much like any other global city, Bengaluru is composed of neighbourhoods, each with its own unique charm.
Published on Nov 26, 2022 08:25 PM IST
Bangalore Talkies: How do you find things that you are not searching for?
It began with glass bangles, a uniquely Indian ornament. I don’t usually wear glass bangles, unlike my mom, who loves them and wears them everyday.
Updated on Nov 10, 2022 02:12 PM IST
Bengaluru’s secret neighbourhoods to beat post Diwali blues
I once wanted to live here because Basavanagudi, along with Malleshwaram, is the portmanteau (combining two words to make up a new word) that gave R.K. Narayan’s fictional town of Malgudi.
Published on Oct 26, 2022 12:31 AM IST
By Shoba Narayan
How do you make friends in a new city?
Say you move to a new city
Published on Oct 12, 2022 11:51 PM IST
Travel: A whale of a time
“In the winter, it is like a whale highway,” says Captain David Higgins, as he steers the large sailboat towards Manly Beach off Sydney Harbour in Australia
Published on Oct 08, 2022 12:56 AM IST
Shoba NarayanShoba Narayan
Bengaluru, a treasure trove of diverse weaves
I am a ‘Trishanku’, by which I mean that I stand between Chennai and Bengaluru with respect to my allegiances.
Published on Sep 29, 2022 12:05 AM IST
Middle class millionaires: A bewildering equation
A funny thing happened as Bengaluru was getting flooded with rainwater making the city a laughing stock for the country and the world
Published on Sep 15, 2022 11:54 PM IST
The world is changing around and so should you
Seventeen years ago, my husband and I moved back from Manhattan to Bengaluru — for two reasons. We wanted to bring up our daughters in an Indian milieu so that they would have a place that they could call “home.” The second reason was our parents.
Published on Aug 23, 2022 12:21 AM IST
Bluru: How the tech capital is reinventing itself as literacy hub
Can Bengaluru as a city inspire tales, stories, books, films and more– in the way that London and New York have done, or Florence did during the Renaissance?
Published on Aug 11, 2022 12:13 AM IST
Secrets of writing and other tools of the trade
What you hope to do as a writer is convert the physicality of the object into metaphor for emotion, memory and history.
Updated on Jul 28, 2022 12:02 AM IST
Scrapbooking and other summer pleasures
In an age when everything is digital, engaging with the physical world is vital
Published on Jul 14, 2022 12:15 AM IST
Is Bengaluru the foodie capital of India?
Some are rabidly commercial with home cooks and chefs posting recipes, offers, discounts and rewards. Others such as the Bengaluru Biriyani Club and the Koramangala Lunch Group meet in person at different outlets
Published on Jun 30, 2022 12:21 AM IST
What does it take to age well? Some Bengalureans give their take
To me, this combination of having a passion, a routine that includes physical activity and family, and a hobby that keeps you engaged and surrounded by people is a great way to age. But hey, that’s just me.
Published on Jun 16, 2022 12:25 AM IST