About

Chillaxing at Regents Park, my “favouritest” park in the whole wide world

Welcome, dear reader, to my blog on all my favourite things—travel & photography, books, music, Mumbai, and much more.

I am one of the founders of #TSBC (or The Sunday Book Club), an armchair and actual traveller, an editor, a communications consultant, a click-happy photographer, a Classical music (Indian, Western and Arabic) lover, a mythology enthusiast, a closet graphic designer, a foodie… I am all that, this and more !

My Favourite Things reflects all these multiple interests of mine. Basically, this is a blog on a little bit of ‘that’ and a little bit of ‘this’ and everything in between. It is a blog on topics that matter to me, on topics that interest me, on topics that I want to contribute my two bits to…  Some of the posts will be tinged with humour, while some others could be tinged with seriousness. But they are all from my heart.

This is my third, and only active, blog (and you can read my other two blogs — both of which were study assignments — here and here). It completed two years on 2nd June 2012. And what a fantastic two years they have been — of writing, self-discovery, interaction and growth as an individual. Do read the posts I wrote after crossing the annual milestones.

I love feedback. That is what keeps me going, so please, please, please don’t feel shy to comment. It’s absolutely free. :-)

Disclaimer: This is MY personal blog and does not reflect or convey in any way the views of the organisation I currently work for or the organisations I have worked in previously or the organisations I am associated with by way of membership or subscription or otherwise…blah, blah, blah.

76 thoughts on “About”

  1. I just love the photograph of you! The image of you in this photo is so different from your image as Publications Manager at work. Look forward to getting to know the many dimensions of ‘Sudha’.

    Best wishes – Rajshri.

    Reply ↓

  5. Hi there,

    I’m looking for a good picture of the Mumbai skywalk, to reproduce in a book that Bloomsbury are publishing next year, and I really like the one on your blog showing the skywalk overhead with children playing on a slide below. Is this your photo, and if so, would you be willing to give permission for us to reproduce it and supply a hi-res file?
    I look forward to hearing from you soon.

    All best,
    Emily Sweet

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Mandar,

      Welcome to my blog and thank you for stopping by and commenting. I’m really flattered that you’d want to join me. The reason being that I’m obsessively punctual and at the same time a last minute planner. Most of my friends refuse to come with me on my explorations of Mumbai. :-(

      That said, if I have ever planned an outing in Mumbai well in advance, I will let you know.

      Reply ↓

      • I can understand !!! Punctuality would give your opportunity to enjoy the outing to the fullest !!! But they way you have seen Mumbai is fabulous !!! Cool, If its on Weekend am ready to join anyway !!!

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  10. I was researching the Mount Mary Basilica then St Andrews Church and got linked to your favourite things. I m going to need a 12 step programme because I am hooked. I am visiting my hometown Bandra, in January and was planning on taking off to Kerala , Goa but you have opened a plethora of things to do around town, Sky-walking for one thing. I left Bombay(thats what it was to me) 33 years ago and the pictures jogged, smells, tastes, sounds and feelings. You write with beauty, wisdom and all my senses were on high alert. Thanks.

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    • Welcome to my blog, Inez, and thank you so much for your lovely comment. Bombay may have officially become Mumbai and changed over the years, but still ha a lot to offer.

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  13. Hi Sudha my first time here… loved your style of writing.. ur enthusiasm can be seen in your words :) :) glad am following you now….hope u travel more and we get some good reviews :) :)

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    • Welcome Sunita and thank you so much for you nice comments. They made my day :-) And yes, I’m travelling again next week, so watch out for new posts on my travels in about 15-20 days. ;-)

      Reply ↓

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  17. I have to thank you for tweeting 2 pink lines. Big Thanks. This is the first time something I have written about has been tweeted. Yay, my cache’s going up.

    Reply ↓

    • You deserve it, Meera. I have not read such a powerful piece packed in those few words. BTW, I have forwarded this to a couple of friends who are also university professors and teach counselling for sexual abuse and incest. They might contact you for using this material in class.

      Reply ↓

  18. Hi Sudha, got your blog link from Zephyr and hopefully should get to see you as well this friday. Anything with mumbai and photography pulls me in, i can see your blog is much more than that. I will take time to go through but thought will say hi

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    • Welcome here, Averil, and thank you so much for stopping by. Thank you so much for the follow and I hope that the alerts will intrigue you enough to keep visiting. :-)

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  22. I chuckled reading the line “and you can read my other two blogs (both of which were study assignments) here and here”. I found ‘here and here’ instead of the name of the blogs quite funny! Can’t explain though if you asked me what’s so funny?:)

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  23. Hi!
    Came to your blog through your guest post on Cybernag. Loved your posts on London and England. I live in Edinburgh, Scotland and just back from a week long tour in London. I can so identify with your posts! Will post my photos soon.

    Keep writing! :)
    Maddie

    Reply ↓

    • Welcome here, Maddie, and thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed the London posts. I look forward to seeing your London photographs soon.

      Though I lived in London for a year, I was unable to visit Edinburgh for some reason or the other. I am a fan of Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus series, but refuse to believe that the city is as dark as he paints it. I hope that I get a chance to visit that place and hopefully sooner rather than later.

      Reply ↓

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  26. Hi,
    Would you be interested in reading, and perhaps reviewing, a new Whodunit ‘A Mysterious Death at Sainik Farms’ –set in New Delhi?
    I could ask Rupa Publications to send you a review copy.

    Shall await your reply, rukmani anandani

    Flipkart link: http://www.flipkart.com/mysterious-death-sainik-farms-8129119544/p/9788129119544?pid=9788129119544&_l=gWxQa0snNjHUHKJhnj_y0w–&_r=0ZU9HFbC2Wa8Vn_VO%20f8HA–&ref=83d9cb45-c72e-4b85-9c8d-7b31a871651a

    Reply ↓

  29. Hello,

    I’ve been reading your blog and absolutely love it. I was wondering if you’d be interested in reviewing books from Random House India?

    Looking fwd to hearing from you, please mail me at rukunk@randomhouse.co.in

    Best,
    RHI

    Reply ↓

  31. Hi there,

    Thanks for documenting at length your visit to Champaner. I’m a freelance writer in the SF Bay Area. I loved your discussion of the Hindu-Moslem sensibilities in the mosques there. I had a few questions for you about this for a writing project of mine. You can read more about me at http://www.saritorial.com. There’s also more about me at kalpanamohan.org. Do you mind sending me your email? You can email me at kalpana@kalpanamohan.org. Thanks so much! I love your writing and your presentation.

    Kalpana

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  32. Hi,

    We’re interested in advertising on your blog / website. Let me know if you’re interested in discussing further about it.

    Thanks

    Amandeep singh

    Reply ↓

  33. Hi. I am the author of a debut fiction novel ‘Once Upon the Tracks of Mumbai’ released in bookstores last month. I was wondering if you would be interested in reviewing my book. For more information on the book, please visit http://www.rishivohra.com.

    Thank you. Look forward to hearing back.

    Rishi

    Reply ↓

    • Thanks, TGND. This is my favourite pic of me too. Usually, I have my eyes closed or looking elsewhere or just scowling. This photo is special as I was very happy that day, I was at Regent’s Park London, it was a warm enough day to take my jacket off, and I’d just hogged on samosas (my first after nearly 9 months). So yea, life was good that day :-D

      Reply ↓

  37. Dear Sudhagee,

    I Came to know about your great ancestry from your blog.
    I am developing an article about MM Dr. T. Ganapathi Sastri and his great contributions to Sanskrit and the Indian society as a scholar and genius. Most of this article will go to Malayalam/Sanskrit/English (and eventually other Indic and so on )Wikipedias. The article has special significance this year as it completes a full hundred years of re-discovery of Bhasa’s Sanskrit Dramas by TGS.

    In this regard, I beg to you if you could send me any and every information that you may know about his life, biography and achievements. I also request you if you can release those great photos of TGS (and his son’s) on public domain (actually as CC by SA) to the Wikipedia’s archive of photographs. This way, we could use those photos on Wikipedia pages as authentic and licensed work.

    In case, you have not tried uploading any images to Wikipedia’s repository at commons.wikimedia.org so far, please visit this link: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:UploadWizard (You need to make a user ID at first).

    You can upload the photos if they really belong to your family or if you can vouch they were captured pre-1950 or so (to ensure copyright issues does not arise from someone else).
    Please let me know about any help you are providing, at my e-mail address. Thanks.

    Reply ↓

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  41. Hi I really like your blog very much. Just wanted to ask u something. I have 3 websites on mumbai and pune. Those are:
    http://www.townmumbai.com (e magazine of mumbai with web directory)
    http://www.mumbaipuneonline.com (Marathi e magazine of mumbai and pune with web directory)
    And http://www.townparle.com (e newspaper of vileparle)
    I just wanted to ask can I publish some of ur post on my site . I ll give ur name and blog link in that. If yes pls. Let me knw on chandakeskar@gmail.com
    Thanks and Regards,
    Chanda Mantri

    Reply ↓

  42. You never cease to amaze me….I am yet to meet a person as versatile as you!! Definitely need to take tips about multi tasking from you. ;-)
    P.S. Awesome pic!!

    Reply ↓

    • Delighted to see you here Pooja. And thank you so much stopping by and commenting. And who is it you are calling versatile? Me? I’m just another person who is interested to multiple things :-)

      Reply ↓

  43. Hi and Namaste
    I invite you and all the other curious seekers/learners to visit the Elephanta Caves in my company as a ‘ guide ‘ A little about my background and experiences.
    After graduating in science, I worked on the shop-floor of Hindustan Lever Ltd in very hot and harsh conditions. I have had a close look at the plight of ‘ Industrial labour ‘ I took VRS in 1990 and initiated the Vare Group( with Bharat and Vijaya). In the interim we did the ‘ Permaculture ‘ programme. I also acquired an independent piece of land in Karjat and did ‘organic farming’ -myself with support from my family and local labour. So, I also saw ‘ Agricultural labour ‘ at close quarters. Very little religion (ritualistic or otherwise) was given to us as children by our British educated parents. But, this ‘ contact’ with Mother Earth has given me enormous meanings about the Magic/Mystery/Madness called LIFE.
    I also did a Teacher’s Training programme in the Steiner-Waldorf method and have been doing actual farming with the kids of grade3 . I do a similar exercise with adult Indians ( Urban Bhaaratwaasis) so that the ‘ feel’ the plight of the Bhaaratwaasi KISAAN( Rural Indian). ‘ AATEY DAAL KA BHAAV/KEEMAT PATAA CHALTA HAI ! I attach a photo – on PAGE 3 of TOI dated 24 march 2013 Sunday edition.
    Now, I work as a Freelance, Professional Guide – Trained and Licensed by the Min. of Tourism.
    So, I bring all of these experiences ( a very unusual cocktail) into my presentations – in schools, colleges, corporates and our foreign A-TITHEES- Tourists. These experiences added much-needed touch of ‘ feeling – thro’ the Heart’ to the otherwise coldly logical ‘ thinking – with the Head ‘ that had ruled me. So, I begin and end with a NAMASTE!
    More in person – especially at the Elephanta Caves.
    Why Elephanta ?
    I am a Professional, Licensed, Freelance ‘ Tourist Guide ‘ mainly ‘ guiding ‘ our foreign Atithees around Aamchee Mumbai and the never – to – be – missed UNESCO World Heritage Monument – The Elephanta Caves – the KAILAS of the WEST !. The Sculptures and the Mythological Stories of Lord Shiva here are replete with the Symbolisms implicit in the Hindu ( also other ) religion that enunciated the Values – Moral, Ethical, Religious, Spiritual and above all, Ecological – that ‘ guided ‘ Mankind on a Path of Eternally ( Sanaatan ) Holistic, Simple, Sustainable ( Balanced ) Living – with the noble intention of ensuring that Work became Worship ! The vested interests of ‘ religious heads ‘ in all religions, demanded and received ‘ blind, unquestioning faith ‘ in the Rituals and thus ‘ Worship became Work – and we became ‘ God-Fearing ‘ ! ’A host of rebellious, questioning ‘ spiritual masters ‘ started ‘ enlightening ‘ the masses and revealing the real, spiritual dimension of religion and enabling one to be a ‘ better human being ‘
    Here the message is
    NAMASTE – BALANCE ( ‘tween the Opposites ) – SUSTAINABILITY – MANAGEMENT !
    For most Indians and Bhaaratwasis, a trip here is just a nice picnic on the sea and a cursory peep into the ‘ toota phoota ‘ caves- uddhar koochh nahin hai !
    Welcome to ELEPHANTA ! ! – a place for Holistic Edu – Tainment !

    WHY with me ?
    Consider my idea of organising a trip to Elephanta by Indians ( urban) and Bhaaratwaasis ( rural) who would be open to a very down to earth understanding of the Sanaatan Dharma -also called Hindu – ism. Is it really an -ism , one will wonder. A retired Air Force Pilot came over one day when I was on official duty, after inquiring with the India Tourism office. He began listening to my commentary with a big question mark on his face. At the end he opined that he had never experienced such an interpretation, that connected religion ,mythology, ecology, science , spirituality AND SHIVA. He offered to invite me to lecture to the scientists at the Vignyan Bhavan in Delhi ! By his own admission, he was sceptical, because he had heard so many sant/ mahatmas speaking about Shiva and my explanations made’ holistic ‘ sense to him. Again he enquired if I would like to go to the North and explain these facts to the believers/ devotees !
    It is easy to see why foreigners get carried away by the sights and the sounds there. But the appreciation of my presentation by an experienced, but sceptical Indian is certainly a feather in my cap and also a certificate/ testimonial. This emboldens me to make this offer to you to get groups on a Teerthyatra/pilgrimage to Elephanta – the KAILAS of the WEST !
    Yours Nature Ally,
    Ramanand Kowta ph 09892910023

    Reply ↓

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