Badam (Almond) Halwa

Badam halwa is easily one of my most favourite sweets. Blanched almonds, pureed with milk to a smooth but not completely smooth paste, are cooked in sugar syrup with ghee. Another of my mother’s pièces de résistance, I use her method but with lesser sugar and a softer consistency as…

Pesto

Be it on pasta, pizza or crusty bread, aromatic pesto is always tantalizing. Very simple to make, the following proportions can be altered to taste. 3 packed cups fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry5 garlic cloves, crushed and roughly chopped1/4 cup pine nuts (if unavailable, increase walnuts)1/4 cup walnuts3/4…

Predictably unpredictable

A garbled conundrum of traffic signals leading commuters to at least five streets, always packed with vehicles, many defying description – this is the major Valluvar Kottam intersection in my city of Madras. For the past few weeks, the traffic signals there have been completely non functional and there were…

Sanjay Subrahmanyan – 3 of 4

This is the third part (of four) of an article on Sanjay Subrahmanyan that appeared in The Hindu. Here are Parts 1 and 2. Sanjay Subrahmanyan gets technical in this session with Lakshmi Anand. Sanjay Subrahmanyan offers suggestions to make listening more productive for aspiring performers. “Listen a lot, and…

Sanjay Subrahmanyan – 2 of 4

This is the second part (of four) of an article on Sanjay Subrahmanyan which appeared in The Hindu. Here is Part 1. Sanjay Subrahmanyan talks about his approach to music, how he plans a concert and the importance of listening. Prior to every concert, Sanjay Subrahmanyan decides what to sing,…

Sanjay Subrahmanyan – 1 of 4

In one of those rare interviews to the media, Sanjay Subrahmanyan opens up and reveals that continuous improvement has been his constant approach. With his complete involvement, thorough competence, enthusiasm and professionalism, it is no wonder that Carnatic musician Sanjay Subrahmanyan is revered by fellow musicians and rasikas alike. With…

U. Shrinivas

Gone. Never to be forgotten. The outpouring of emotions on Mandolin Shrinivas’s premature death has been unprecedented – with any famous artiste, one hears messages from his ilk, but rarely do we see the multitudes expressing affection of this magnitude. Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, emails – hordes are in a suspension of…