Food Delight

Bhojan! The name itself is so inviting. When I close my eyes and think of it, all I can imagine is a sumptuous meal, very Indian and tastefully and cleanly prepared! And if you are an Indian living in the U.S., close your eyes and think of this name, doesn’t it sound all the more mouth-watering? My interview with Sweta Parthasarathy and Tarandeep Narula on their love for food and cooking as well as their venture Bhojan, as part of a special cover feature that I did for the first anniversary issue of my magazine, Spark.

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Categories: Interviews

For the Woman by a Woman

If you thought creativity was all about music, dance, writing, theatre and painting, then think again! Here’s a woman who has gone an extra mile to pursue her passion for designing jewelry. My interview with Benaazir Muhammdunni, an entrepreneur into jewelry design, as part of a special cover feature that I did for the first anniversary issue of my magazine, Spark.

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Categories: Interviews

Agam – Musically Yours…

Music. How often we run to it like a child does to his mother! For many of us, music fills the creepy void that sometimes gobbles up our insides. And to be able to create that music, which more often than not, remains a soothing balm, is indeed a God-sent gift. Agam is one effort in this direction. My interview with Swaminathan Seetharaman, Agam’s band manager, as part of a special cover feature that I did for the first anniversary issue of my magazine, Spark.

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Categories: Interviews

Pride

It’s such joy and pride to see your little one grow up, taking one step at a time. Trust me, the pride you feel at every stage of progress is priceless. There’s nothing more beautiful in this world than the experience of being with your child. I wrote this when my son turned three and was kind of settling down into school. He had the typical separation anxiety and did throw tantrums but he overcame that and did me proud in ways more than one!

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Categories: Essays

Discovering the Past

Dr. Michael Petraglia is a Senior Research Fellow and the Co-Director of Centre for Asian Archaeology, Art & Culture, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford. He is also a Senior Research Fellow, Linacre College (Oxford) and a member of the Human Origins Program, Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Michael Petraglia talks on what it means to be an archaeologist, his work in India and also shares his opinion about the archaeological and cultural heritage of India.

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Categories: Interviews

Books Must Work for All Children

Radhika Menon is the Managing Editor of Tulika Publishers, an independent children’s publishing house based in Chennai. Tulika has produced over 200 titles, for the age group 0-16 years. They include picture books, bilingual books and folktales, contemporary fiction and non-fiction, and much more. Tulika publishes in English, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, and Bangla. She opens up on the inception of Tulika Publishers, the books they publish, the challenges they face, future plans of Tulika and her thoughts on the Indian children’s publishing industry.

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Categories: Interviews

It’s not about Children but about Parents!

Raksha Bharadia is the co-author of many titles in the Indian Chicken Soup Series including Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul, Teenage Soul and Romantic Soul. She has also authored ‘Me: A Handbook for Life’ and ‘Roots and Wings: A Handbook for Parents’ both published by Rupa. Raksha has also contributed many articles for Times of India, Femina and Gurlz. In an interview to me, she talks about her book on parenting, ‘Roots and Wings’ and some important aspects of childhood and parenting in today’s world.

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Categories: Interviews

Still a Long Way to Go

Kalpana Sharma is an independent journalist and columnist whose columns appear regularly in The Hindu’s Sunday Magazine, on The Hoot and Infochange India. Her columns are about developmental issues, women, the media and the environment, among others. Kalpana Sharma is also the author of ‘Rediscovering Dharavi: Stories from Asia’s largest slum’ published by Penguin in 2000. In this interview, she gets talking about the Indian society’s attitude towards girl children and social issues such as female foeticide. Excerpts.

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Categories: Interviews

Stop Taking Life Seriously!

Sidin Vadukut is the author of ‘Dork : The Incredible Adventures of Robert Einstein Varghese’ published by Penguin in 2010. ‘Dork’ is Sidin’s debut novel and presents a humourous account of life in the management consulting industry. Sidin did his engineering from NIT, Trichy and MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad. He is now managing editor with Livemint and writes the weekly column Cubiclenama. In a peppy interview, Sidin talks about himself, his writing and book, humour and much more.

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Categories: Interviews