Every song she sang today was new to me, so I've got plenty to listen to this week. Ninnu Kori Varnam in Mohanam (which she clarified was not the usual Ninnu Kori but the one composed by Pallavi Doraisawmi Iyer) Padame thunai in Valaji by Papanasam Sivan Narmada kaveri nilaye by Dikshitar in Namadesi Narada … Continue reading Sumithra Vasudev at IIC, Delhi
The last stop of the trip was Paris. As this was my second visit to the city, I can now conclude that Paris is undoubtedly one of the greatest cities of the world. The urban infrastructure, heritage structures, Haussmannian boulevards and the exceptional food make the place vibrant in a remarkable sense. The number of … Continue reading Paris Notes
I knew Lyon was the gastronomical capital of France. But after landing there, I also learnt that in addition to being the location from where Caeser launched his campaign against the Gauls, it was also the nerve center of the Resistance movement during the Nazi occupation of France. One reason for this was also its … Continue reading Lyon Notes
It was only when I landed in Venice did I actually understand what Venice was. Unless you see the real thing, its actually quite complex to fathom how a city can be built on a marshy lagoon and thrive as a Republic for more than 800 years until the short man from France came and … Continue reading Venice Notes
I was happy to walk through the city that gave us the phenomenon called the Florentine Miracle. Brunelleschi’s dome is undoubtedly the centerpiece of the city and no amount of awe-struck staring at the Duomo felt sufficient. I wonder if it was the contrast between the white exterior and the brownish-red dome. The Uffizi Gallery, … Continue reading Florence Notes
The 70-minute train journey from Rome provided some impressive views of the Apennines. (Few of us realize that Italy is a mountainous country with the Alps dominating the north and the Apennines running through the axis.) The region was also the area where some of the most ferocious campaigns during WWII were fought including Monte … Continue reading Naples Notes
Despite living in Delhi since 2009, there are still numerous historic sites, monuments and museums that I’m yet to visit. So even before landing in Rome – a city with an equally illustrious historical pedigree – I was wise enough to realize that 3 days in the city would just give me a fleeting glimpse … Continue reading Rome Notes
Perfect Days: Wrote about this here Vaastuhara: Aravindan's last movie. A friend of mine, while helping her parents shift residences from Delhi to Kolkata, reset a password for her dad as 'Vaastuhara' - The Dispossessed. Reminded of the movie that I probably watched decades ago, I found it on YouTube. Mohanlal at his peak, a … Continue reading What I Watched – May 2026
Earlier this month, I saw a few scenes of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ when my daughters were glued to it. There’s this scene where Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep) puts Andy Sachs (Anne Hatheway) in her place when she expresses disdain and nonchalance over some high-end luxury garment. In the space of a few minutes, Priestley … Continue reading Luxury, Desire, Economics: The World Behind ‘The Devil Wears Prada’
In popular imagination, the Allied invasion of continental Europe is dominated by the Normandy Landings. The opening amphibious landing scene in Spielberg’s ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and the Cold War narrative of the joint Anglo-American thrust to free Europe and clear the road to Berlin have both contributed to this narrative. The truth was that months … Continue reading The Forgotten ‘Battle for Italy’ and Naples in 1944
