Sarvesh Talreja, Author at Arré

“Beta, Mask Pehno?”: How I Dodged the Coronavirus to Bali and Back

Paranoia was my co-passenger on the flight to Bali. We were handed small, yellow forms from the Indonesian Health Ministry to self-declare any symptoms. This caused me a fright, because as someone who passive smokes by calling Mumbai home, I’ve had a small cough for as long as I remember.

Sarvesh Talreja July 19, 2016

POV

Dear Indians, We Really Need to Talk About Personal Space

We think nothing of sticking to each other in a queue. Rank strangers will put an arm around you when they want to read the newspaper over your shoulder. Why don’t we get the concept of personal space?

Sarvesh Talreja July 12, 2016

POV

Millennial and Proud

Who is Gen X to go pointing fingers at us millennials? This was a generation that would voluntarily watch films starring Mithun and Jeetendra.

Sarvesh Talreja May 15, 2016

POV

The Beginner’s Guide to Going Solo

I wasn’t the sort of person who went out alone. But is it anywhere on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to do things with someone you’ve already gone out with eleventeen million times?

Sarvesh Talreja April 29, 2016

POV

Delayed Teenage Crisis: What Moving Away From Home at 26 Taught Me

While my friends moved abroad to study at 18, I’m leaving only at 26. Uprooting my life at 26 makes me feel like a cross between two kinds of people: a child that’s practising cutting vegetables, and an entry-level yuppie sage.

Sarvesh Talreja April 28, 2016

Coronavirus

I Miss Eating in a Restaurant and It Isn’t About the Food

During the pandemic, the one thing I have missed most is being able to go to a restaurant and have a meal I enjoy. I will know things have returned to “normalcy” when we can sit in a place we love with our people, and not have to worry obsessively about who touched our food.

Sarvesh Talreja April 16, 2016

Coronavirus

My Grandpa’s Solitary Funeral Amid the Pandemic Reminded Me that We Need a Community to Grieve

I lost my grandfather during Covid-19, and his funeral, attended by just a few close relatives, really brought home the meaning of the phrase, “grief is communal”. It is only in the absence of community that I feel the need for more people to validate my own sadness, to stand testament to the life my grandfather led.

Sarvesh Talreja March 23, 2016

Features

What is Bombay without the Modesty of the Vada Pav

The food of Mumbai is a lot like its people – cosmopolitan in nature. And as the city has transformed, its food has evolved too. #MumbaiMirrored is a video series, presented by Mumbai Mirror, that traces this journey, from Bombay to Mumbai. Here we dig into the city’s diverse and flavourful culinary history.

Sarvesh Talreja March 10, 2016