Pooja Sodhi's Blog
Book 1 - 2023 Kohinoor - The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond - William Dalrymple and Anita Anand The ownership controversy erupts every time there is a chance of public sighting of this infamous diamond. And with the coronation of the new King of England, it was appropriate to dive deep into the... Continue Reading →
May 2023 be the harbinger of hope, health and happiness ... Tennyson wrote: "Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come. Whispering 'it will be happier'." After almost 2 years of Covid fear and restrictions, just when it seemed all is well, the scare of the virus resurfaced as 2022 came to an... Continue Reading →
One famous author recently announced the print date of his new book, 4th in the series. While the book release is still some time away, the pre-orders have already opened. And it was pretty heartening to note that pre-orders started with independent book stores. For the last few years, most of the pre-orders of books... Continue Reading →
Written by a journalist author who is loved and hated in equal measure by the public, who courts controversies through his written words, the book The Twice-Born by Aatish Taseer is probably last in the series of both his fiction and non-fiction writings inspired by Indian subcontinent. A book based on my hometown Banaras, the... Continue Reading →
We are a country where girl child is worshipped every Navratri. And so are innumerable Goddesses in various avatars worshipped as the harbinger of wealth and knowledge, as the protector of natural calamities or epidemics, or as a benevolent mother who protects all; but the real stories are scary, heart breaking. As an Adi-Shakti, she... Continue Reading →
Holi - the Festival of Colours is intimately associated with Thandai (a cooling summer drink) and Bhang (cannabis) in North India especially in Uttar Pradesh. The intoxicating combination heralds the beginning of summers in this part of India. As the name itself suggests, thandai means providing refreshing coolness from the summer heat. And consumption of... Continue Reading →
The heralding of winter starts my hankering for Banarasi chooda matar, but one has to wait till the prices of peas are in the comfortable zone. While many who are not familiar with this delicacy confuse it with normal poha with peas which is cooked in many households, but many states in India have one... Continue Reading →
The book would not have happened if not for Covid times. Like all other Sodhi family milestone Birthdays, we were also looking forward to host family and friends for a celebration over drinks and dinner – reminiscing moments from his life. After having been cheated five years before on his 70th Birthday because Chikungunya struck both... Continue Reading →
"But I too hate long books: the better, the worse. If they're bad they merely make me pant with the effort of holding them up for a few minutes. But if they're good, I turn into a social moron for days, refusing to go out of my room, scowling and growling at interruptions, ignore weddings... Continue Reading →
A little late to the party, but I loved the book The Ride Of A Lifetime by Robert Iger of Walt Disney fame. The Ride Of A Lifetime is not just a memoir of Iger's professional journey but also of his life's lessons and experiences. And he shares it all - if you want a... Continue Reading →
This last week I finally read How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates, a newly released book that was a self Birthday gift couple of months back. A book that is timely in many respects - some people (organisations, agencies or publications) prefer to call it climate emergency rather than climate disaster or... Continue Reading →
Last fortnight, I made the first leisure outing in one year, ever since the lockdown eased in 2020. I have been out running errands, to buy things not available through the e-carts industry or for haircuts but not for the purpose of going out to have fun. Me and my friend ventured out on a... Continue Reading →