CHARLOTTE TOTTENHAM

Our train pulled in to Amritsar Junction at first light and I awoke to the sound of coolies and rickshaw wallahs battling for the attention of the passengers. I shoved my way, elbows first, off the train and towards the exit of the station. Here I was greeted by a breed of Cycle Rickshaw that was new to me, one which involves a precarious balancing act, as the chair is just a solid dome atop a cart. After an ungainly struggle, two of us were seated, determinedly clutching o

To add to Delhi’s cosmopolitan vibe, Serendipity describe themselves as ‘Mughal meets Morocco via Mexico City and NYC’. Located in leafy Chhatarpur, a rural suburb of Delhi, their boutique Concept Store has an impeccable collection of handicrafts, furniture and clothing collected from all over the globe. Serendipity is housed in a sprawling Haveli, which has been expertly and tastefully restored by creator Kuldeep Kaur. With large airy rooms, a beautifully decorated courtya

Hopping on the Mewar Express back to Delhi is usually an adventurous experience. Every other passenger is keen to ascertain where I am from: “from which country you?” and why I am here. However, last week when I got on the train, a slightly intimidating bunch of teenage guys from the next berth were being untoward and annoying, and repeatedly proposing marriage. My saviour came in the form of a charming, well-spoken and evidently intelligent boy named Chetan. From Mumbai,

As someone who spends a great part of her time fussing about finding good coffee, Delhi can present a bit of a challenge. All too often I am greeted with the poor excuse for a cup of coffee that is half a teaspoon of Nescafé in lukewarm water. Sadly, despite the numerous plantations in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over 80% of the beans grown in India are exported. Numerous cafés and restaurants in Delhi have cottoned on to the delight that is good coffee, but until rece

Interpreter of Maladies is an eclectic mix of nine short stories, all penned by genius author Jhumpa Lahiri. Published in 1999, she deservingly won the Pulitzer Prize for her work the following year, though these tales do in fact transcend time. She was born in London, grew up in America, but is of Indian origin, specifically from Calcutta. Each of the tales takes a different tone, but largely speaking Lahiri focuses upon the cultural struggles of Indian immigrants living in

I crossed the Ganga at sunrise. Well, I say sunrise; it was more that misty white haze that conceals even the least special of highway towns. There is rarely a glorious, celebratory sunrise in Delhi or the plains that surround the city. Day creeps in apologetically in muted, chalky tones. The canopy of smog mars any clarity and the thick air is damp, even in winter. Along the highway to Nainital, skeletal trees are interspersed with pylons, half-finished concrete homes and

A tribute by Berklee Indian Ensemble to the great A. R. Rahman #BerkleeIndianEnsemble #Music #India #Bharat #Motherland #Hindustan

In India it is impossible not to notice the countrywide obsession with phones and technology. The question asked by friends is not ‘what phone do you have?’, but, ‘what smart phone do you have?’! Of course there is no denying that this is a worldwide phenomenon, but this nation still has 70% of its population living on less than $2 a day (ie. below the UN poverty line). Even in villages and small towns, artel, aircel and vodafone billboards are ubiquitous, and everybody has a

This week I met up with Dharamveer, a charming and intelligent guy who is one of seven co-founders of Zostel, India’s first hostel chain. He praised his co-founders and chatted about the fact that together they make the perfect team. India is currently a country full to the brim with budding entrepreneurs, but as Dharamveer said to me, ‘everybody can have an idea; it’s the execution that matters’. Zostel really have got this execution element so right. Having begun their re

On a summer’s day in Punjab in 1957, thirty three year old government roads inspector Nek Chand decided that the regimented and conformist attitudes of Chandigarh mentality suited him no longer. He began to create an illegal and secret sculpture garden on government land behind Sukhna Lake. He constructed interlinking waterfalls, pathways, walls, steps, miniature auditoriums, pools, caves, platforms and statues, totally out of scrap. His creativity extended to the use of c