I have never been able to understand the popularity of K-pop and K-drama that has taken India by storm in recent times. It even has a term, Hallyu, which in Chinese translates to Korean wave. I have never listened to K-pop and did not know about BTS, one of the most popular Korean boy bands,…
2022: Covid wave, life went on, another wave… Repeat?
I had to admit, when 2022 began I wanted it cancelled already. I had valid reasons for it. When I thought COVID-19 was behind us, the third wave began. Just when I thought that we are out of COVID-19 woods, our entire family was down with the Omicron variant. Though the virus itself wasn’t life threatening,…
Mani Ratnam attempted the impossible to bring the splendour of Ponniyin Selvan on screen
Ponniyin Selvan. It is an obsession that has followed me since the time I read the book when I was a teen. It is an obsession that continues till, and no doubt will continue till I live. I first read Ponniyin Selvan right after my Class 10 exams. It is a five part historical fiction…
Isekai boom and recommendation algorithm that is keeping it relevant
Isekai boom that started in the 2000s is here to stay. But not for the reasons we think and not in Japan. In many ways it has technology to thank for.
A weekend in Mangalore visiting beaches, fort and museums
I spent a weekend in Mangalore visiting beaches and wonderful museums in this coastal city.
2021: Yet another year of surviving the pandemic
When I wrote my year-end blog at the end of 2020, I wondered if there would be another year, where just surviving would take as much precedence as this. Then I proceeded to say, “Maybe not.” I could not have been more wrong. As far as a year goes, 2021 was worse, way worse, than 2020.
A visit to Belgium’s only official Chinatown in Antwerp
Situated in the heart of the Diamond City, the Chinatown is just a few feet away from the city’s railway station, an architectural marvel. The colourful paifang, the traditional Chinese arch or gateway, welcomes you, like the one in Milan, but subdued very much similar to the city itself.
The way of life of shokunins, the Japanese masters
職人. Shokunin. I first came across this word in Matt Goulding’s Rice, Fish and Noodles, where he describes a Japanese chef’s dedication to the art of making sushi. I came across the term again, when I was watching the popular documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi, which chronicles the life of shokunin, Jiro Ono. It is…
Hayao Miyazaki, the king of dreams and madness from Japan
As journalists, we all have that one personality that we would love to interview. Think of tech celebrities such as Steve Jobs, Elon Musk or maybe even Jack Ma (if we know where he is first), but not limited to them. You get the drift right? People who had humble beginnings, who are visionaries, and…
Coronavirus diaries | Eating my way through the pandemic
One of the best things that happened during the pandemic was getting back to cooking, which I used to love. From trying North Indian dishes to Korean pancakes, I have spent more time in the kitchen over weekends in the last few weeks than over the last one year. There were lot of dishes that…
What happened to the once popular never ending game Temple Run?
I was killing boredom with a game of Temple Run 2 at the dawn of another boring day. I ran. I ran further. I kept on running. I crossed the rivers and hopped over the obstacles. Rewards were plenty and dangers bountiful. There were narrow lanes and fire coughing mountains, giggling rivers and dangling emeralds…
Besan ka Chila, from India to Africa’s Zanzibar
I was recently reading the book, Feast in the Islamic World by Anissa Helou, a cookbook focused on the regions, where its food culture was shaped by Islam including India, Pakistan, West and Central Asia, and Africa. It was more of a recipe book sprinkled with information about when and which place it originated from….
A journalist's diary 