Anahita Dhondy is a Chef Manager at the very famous SodaBottleOpenerWala. Being a Parsi herself, she brings in the trademark flavours of Parsi food at two restaurants of SodaBottleOpenerWala in Delhi(Khan Market) and Gurgaon (Cyberhub). She speaks to OFFDHOOK on how challenging it is to be a female Chef  and what does International Women’s Day means to her? Coming from the Parsi culture, is it easy or difficult to do the justice with the cuisine? And how SodaBottleOpenerWala maintains the authenticity of the cuisine?  Being a Parsi, it isn’t difficult for me to cook and teach the cuisine I’ve grown up eating. There are however many hurdles that have come…

She is an ultra marathoner and the first and youngest Indian woman to run a 100 Mile race in the Himalayas in the year 2007. Priya Darshini runs a racing company called The WindChasers based in India. She has been encouraging and training several people to push their limits and rediscover their boundaries. The WindChasers organises some of the most beautiful and extreme ultra marathons in the world.  Currently they organise the annual Sandakphu 70 Mile Himalayan Race in the month of March/April every year. Not only this, her soul stirring music displays an enviable combination of range, technique, unconventional compositions and a prodigious voice. She has shared the stage and collaborated with…

Bhakti Mathur grew up in Delhi but now settled in Hongkong with her husband, two sons and a beloved golden Labrador. By profession, she is a banker but her love for books started from a very young age. Her mother was a librarian and as a child she spent many hours in the library. Today she is known for her ‘Amma Tell Me’ books – A series of picture books about Indian festivals and mythology for children in the three to nine year age group. Her series has grown with books on the festival of Diwali, Holi, Ramayana, Krishna, Ganesha and Hanuman. When not writing, working, or running after her boys, she…

Divya Sama calls herself a reformed journalist. Once a reporter, the spirit never dies in whatever career path you take, she claims. After her stint as a young reporter for The Indian Express Newspapers in Mumbai, India she went to Columbia University, New York to study International Affairs in 2008. She has studied, worked and lived in following countries – USA, Switzerland, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Lebanon/ Syrian Border, Philippines, Jordon and India since her departure in 2008 from India. Since then she has been working extensively for Communications with Communities, an emerging field in emergency response and Aid Evaluations/ Accountability to Affected Population. She has conducted large-scale assessments to monitor UN,…

Its been almost two years since you developed an app called Dial Kashmir, so how people have accepted it and how successful the project has been in India? The app is targeted at my own people (the people of Jammu and Kashmir) and those who intend to visit the valley. Irrespective of the section of the society at which this app is targeted, People from all walks of life appreciated my work.  And when people appreciate your work, it gives you so much to cheer about. I have been recognised for the app. I also received some awards for it. The app has more than 20000 downloads on play store.…

‘Amma Tell Me About Holi’ India is a country where every child grows up hearing folktales and fascinating stories of good and evil. Of Gods and Demons. Of Ramayana and Mahabharata. It is a strong medium of storytelling, which helps in conveying even the powerful messages. Stories, which form the backbone of Indian Mythology, are a great source for parents, to inculcate interest in Indian culture in younger generation. Different stories in Indian mythology have been passed from generation to generation either by word of mouth or through carefully stored scriptures. Indian mythology is a vast treasure house, where kids have lot to explore. The world of picture books Today…

What Did My 4-year-old Daughter Do At the Air Show and Was It Worth It? Living in Bengaluru, it is hard to ignore the Aero India or more popularly referred here as the Bangalore Air Show. Preceding the event, there is a huge built up in the media; people talk about it, as going to the air show is a mark of being a true Indian. The city, otherwise surviving on its overdose of IT, gets something else to hold on to and show its diversity. It will be three years that I have been calling Bengaluru home. It was high time for me to honor the city and visit…

Warning: Nursery admissions in Delhi will make you fee like a fresher who is going to college on a first day. Nervous, Anxious, restless are just the small words, its way beyond your imagination. And we are not trying to scare you!!!   After a two-month long battle, chaos and hard work (Yes I mean it) I sit relaxed as my child finally gets through the toughest task of admission process. All said and done but a feeling of disappointment and distress still bothers me. It is the system, which has shaken my belief in its sacrosanctity. It’s torturous admission process has trembled my love for the city called dilwaalon…

CHITRASHALA, is a visual treat of rare vintage graphics. Chitrashala is a journey, which takes you back to the era where any bollywood film publicity poster was an extension of the creativity expressed on celluloid. It also mesmerizes you with dazzling masterpieces of Indian calendar art from the middle of the nineteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. Preserving the Indian cinema memorabilia and other verticals of graphic art is the policy lawyer of global eminence, Sumant Batra. His passion to preserve the art steered the idea to curate Chitrashala, a one of its kind private museum aiming to preserve the precious vintage Indian graphic art. Chitrashala is…

She has kept the tradition of folk music alive in India. She is the queen of Indian folk music. Her euphonious renditions of Awadh and Banares has taken Indian folk music and culture globally. Her music is a rustic reflection of the larger Indian society. Her painstaking efforts to revive the Indian folk music have made her name synonymous with folk music in India. Yes! You got it right. She is none other than Malini Awasthi. In conversation with OFFDHOOK, she opens her heart out on Folk music and its struggle of survival in India. ODH – You have been singing for so many years and arduously working to keep…