Finally, here are a few photographs of the baby that everyone loved so much. It’s a doll, yes, a doll, made by my French mother. It’s not a real baby, […]
Vierge Noire
The Vierge Noire – the Black Virgin – how little I know of her, but how enthralling it is! When I visited Chambéry for the first time in 2004, I […]
A Conversation in Paris
A few years ago, I was alone at Paris airport. Shortly after I landed, I went to use the washroom. Sitting on a wheelchair was an old, old lady with […]
Seatbelt
During an exchange programme with a school in France, I noticed something I had never noticed before – rickshaws do not have doors! The first time I went in a […]
Performing in Renage
A very dear friend of my sister’s organised a performance for us at a chapel in Renage. That was when we learned what effective publicity is. Michèle, who, I should […]
Impure Veg
‘Pure veg’ is such a uniquely Indian concept. I used to mock it. My grandparents are pure veg. (Somehow that sounds odd. A pure veg restaurant is different from pure […]
Easter in France
The good thing about being a foreigner in a French family is that they do everything to give you the true French experience. My family could not control the weather […]
Travel Records
My sister and I looked around.Things seemed perfect. It was a beautiful morning. It was not raining. Shops were just opening; restaurant-workers were setting their chairs and umbrellas. In the […]
The Dahu
Do you know the dahu? What a fascinating creature it is! A friend in Grenoble told me the story. The dahu looks like a deer, you know. A deer with […]
Experiences on Stage IV
Every time my sister Nisha and I performed in France, we had far less time to practise than usual. The last two performances were easier – we practised long distance […]
‘Stranded’ in Paris
I don’t exaggerate when I say that my poor guardian angel is overworked. I don’t exaggerate when I say that I have the craziest possible travel experiences. Proof of the […]
‘Stranded’ in Milan
Coming back from France in 2006, we had an Alitalia flight via Milan. Everything until Milan was fine – except one thing. This is an aside, but I must say […]
Chenonceau
The little castle that appears on the Disney logo is, I am convinced, Chenonceau. The château de Chenonceau has to be a Disney castle. In the World War II, the castle marked […]
Power Cut
I remember going to a creperie in Grenoble a few years ago – an important part of my French experience. I was in a large group of Indians for once, […]
An Old Lady in France
Having performed at Aix-en-Provence (close to Marseilles), and being readers of Dumas, we couldn’t not go to Marseilles and visit the Château d’If. We had read and heard enough about it […]
The Eiffel Tower
I was not at all impressed when I first saw the Eiffel Tower. My problem with the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and the Mona Lisa is that they look […]
Ramayan in French
My association with France began with a French exchange programme in 2004. I was vegetarian, I barely spoke French, I had never heard the French accent, I was to live […]