Tag Archives: India
Only Connect: An encounter with Charles Correa and the power of the empty centre
(Jun 17th 2015) I was saddened to hear the news of Charles Correa’s death. An international name who declared he was proudly an Indian architect first, I was fortunate to interview him for Radio 3’s Night Waves in May 2013. … Continue reading
On The Road with Buddha: The Prince Who Walked Out of His Fairy Tale
UPDATED SEPT 2 What happens when a prince walks away from his kingdom? I love the symbolism and and dream like metaphors of fairy stories. So a “real life” one is all the more intriguing. I’d been fascinated with the … Continue reading
Posted in Books, History, Music, Religion, Travel
Tagged Ashoka, BBC, Buddha, David Yip, Herman Hesse, Hinduism, Hollywood, India, Jack Kerouac, literature, Prince Siddartha, Something Understood
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Richard Dawkins & the humanist’s dilemma: When faced with Islamic State does “moderate” religious discrimination really matter?
This piece first appeared in The Big Issue magazine – journalism worth paying for. Available from street vendors UK wide or subscription. Blackwell’s bookshop in Oxford has 3 and a half miles of books. It’s a wonderful place. The deputy … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Crime and Justice, History, Media, Religion, Uncategorized
Tagged atheism, Babu Gogineni, Blackwell's bookshop, British Humanist Association, Catholic, Christianity, culture, EM Forster, Francesca Stavrakopoulou, Hinduism, humanism, India, ISIS, Islam, Islamic State, Leo Igwe, media, Nigeria, oxford, publishing, Richard Dawkins, Salman Rushdie, Satanic Verses, Sheldonian Theatre, superstition, Switzerland, terrorism, Valentin Abgottspon, World Humanist Congress
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Only connect: Charles Correa and the power of the empty centre
(Jun 18th 2015) I was saddened to hear the news of Charles Correa’s death. An international name who declared he was proudly an Indian architect first, I was fortunate to interview him for Radio 3’s Night Waves in May 2013. … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Design, Radio, Science, Uncategorized
Tagged architecture, BBC, Charles Correa, EM Forster, India, modernism, Mumbai, Night Waves, Pune, RIBA
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BBC Bush: The House at the Centre of the Globe
To mark the closing of BBC’s Bush House, which sends out its final broadcast today, this is an updated memoir of growing up there in the 70s. Bush House, Aldwych: The centre of the universe My mother, Lalita Ahmed, used to freelance … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, journalism, Media, Radio, Uncategorized
Tagged 70s, BBC, Bush House, culture, India, journalism
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Can we laugh about this? Race on film
I spent an hour with the Film Club charity in Battersea Park School in South London today,(I’m a trustee) discussing the treatment of race and racism on film. It was Anti-Racism Day, apparently. I chose clips from a sample of … Continue reading
Posted in Children, Comedy, Education, Film, Media, TV, Uncategorized
Tagged 50s, 60s, 70s, cinema, culture, Douglas Sirk, India, indians, Peter Sellers, sitcoms, Susan Kohner, terrorism, tv
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Don’t Go There, Lady
I wrote to journalist and future doctor Lucy Mathen as a child when she presented Newsround. More than 30 years later we met. I wrote a feature about it for The Guardian. And as a result of learning about how … Continue reading
Posted in Children, journalism, Politics, Radio, Science, Travel, Uncategorized, War
Tagged books, charity, culture, India, journalism, Lucy Mathen, medicine, politics
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Kate’s State of the Nation Wedding Dress
I was one of a number of designers and writers asked to contribute a piece on this image of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress for the first issue of a new pop culture journal by student Xanthia Hallissey from the London … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Design, Media, Uncategorized
Tagged culture, fashion, feminism, India, kate middleton, media
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8 Days in Seoul with Images. India’s Dream City?
I was nagged by one question throughout my recent holiday to Seoul. Why does South Korea remind me so much of India? But of an India without slums, heavy pollution, child poverty and endemic corruption? This is a personal write … Continue reading
My secret playground in the Bush House Hindi section
News that the BBC is closing the shortwave service of the Hindi section to India has a special relevance for me. This is not a post about the decision. The service will continue to be available on FM and via … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, journalism, Media, Radio, Uncategorized
Tagged 70s, BBC, Bush House, custard, Hindi, India, radio
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