The temples of Goa

My community – the Gowd Saraswat Brahmins contain various clans (called Kula) and each of them have their Kula deva sthaan (or the clan's temple) in the province of Goa.  This is also common to other communities from Karnataka and Maharashtra. 

                              

At various stages in life it is customary to make a pilgrimage to your Kula devasthaan – some do this annually, a few only on special occasions (thread ceremony, wedding etc.).

And then One day... A memoir by Naseeruddin Shah

Hi, Not much to write here. The title pretty much says it all.

Ever since this book was published and I heard about it on the web waves, I wanted a copy of this. Unfortunately not so easy when you are in distant shores.

So the moment I land in India, I manage to grab a copy,

Undhiyo - a seasonal speciality from Gujarat

Tis the season to be Jolly, and Undhiyo is one of the reasons that makes this season even more special.

But first, an embarrassing confession....

Broken Images: Shabana Azmi at her best

There are such gifted playwrights and actors on the Indian stage (we are indeed very lucky to live during their times) – its hard to choose one best performance out of so many.


However if I had to choose the second ten best  – this would be one of them. (I think top ten would be hard for me... and just to rub it in - I just recently read Naseeruddin Shah's excellent memoir "And then One day" where in the photos section he lists the ten greatest performances on theatre he has ever seen - and each of them stellar actors. The closest I have come to the list is - to see a few of the actors live, or a couple of performances from other actors - not exactly fulfilling - close but no cigar...)

Broken Images is a play written by Girish Karnad and the English version directed by Alyque Padamsee and stars Shabana Azmi.

                             

I had watched Shabana before in Tumhari Amrita where it was fairly staid and not really the best showcase of her talent (I think!).  But Broken Images is truly a testimony to her enormous talent.  Even better – it pits her, against herself.  So she’s competing with the very best – herself!!

Theatre - One of my true loves

Watching a good play is possibly the most unbeatable experiences, and the BEST way to spend an evening. And mix this with great friends, lovely food and you are living life to its best

But for me, even more special and the best experiences I have had have been in my favourite city Mumbai (yes, that one's coming soon)

For me the theatre scene in Mumbai is possibly the best (though I suspect Delhi gets better thanks to the NSD) and the absolutely lovely ambience.