Have you heard the story about Gabriel García Márquez’s 80th birthday party? Gabo was famous by this time, his years as a poverty stricken journalist having given way to his career as Colombia’s most famous novelist. At 55, he had become the first of his countrymen to win a Nobel Prize for Literature. At 80, … Continue reading
For Part 1, look here. In Delhi, green tends to come in dustier shades, but there’s so much of it. The area adjoining Hauz Khas Village is a great example – the trees grow thick and a little wild but sadly the deer park appears bereft of deer. The village, swallowed whole by a ravenous, … Continue reading
Standing at the junction in Pettah, I let my nose guide me forward. Past the hot fragrance of dried red chillies heaped in their gunny sacks, past the subtler, earthy scent from the stores where rice merchants weigh their produce and the shops of the spice sellers where the aroma of cinnamon, clove and pepper … Continue reading
When I pull back my window drapes, I discover half of Delhi has disappeared. It’s my first day in the city and a new bed in a strange room has me rising early. From the tenth floor, I see the horizon has dissolved in a cloud of heavy fog as a cold snap grips India’s … Continue reading
About six km away from Pooneryn, Ruvan Ranatunga could almost taste the salt on his tongue as a warm wind swept the scent of dried villus toward him. Ahead lay the Indian Ocean and the end of his long journey. By his side, on this final stretch, were family and friends, among them Indunil de … Continue reading
Sitting across from a stranger in a foreign country, Mirra Fine will sometimes catch herself wondering how she got lucky enough to be there. Mirra and her fiance, chef and activist Daniel Klein produce ‘The Perennial Plate’ – an online weekly documentary series ‘dedicated to socially responsible and adventurous eating.’ For series one and two … Continue reading
“It would have been a good last chapter, but there you have it,” says John Julius Norwich “no one knew it was going to happen.” If the British historian and traveller had published ‘The Popes: A History’ in 2013 instead of 2011, he would have had for his epilogue an event quite unlike any other … Continue reading
Look out the plane window at the right moment and the sight of the Himalayas lining the distant horizon will take your breath away. Wreathed in clouds, peaks capped in snow and sunshine, they stand implacable against the elements. Landing in Kathmandu, you’re almost disappointed to find your view curtailed by Shivapuri, Phulchowki, Nagarjun and … Continue reading
Smriti Daniel 