shylashrishankar.com

I am a writer, food historian and political scientist. I’ve studied and worked in Cambridge, London, Washington DC, New York and Austin, and finally returned to New Delhi where I now live with my husband and my cat. I love gaslight mysteries, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Japanese locked room crimes, and any murders set in remote islands and country houses during a perfect storm. 

Oh, and anything botanical is right up my alley as is historical fiction. I love growing old roses – just breathing in the delicious scent of a damask rose each morning is my idea of paradise, along with a mug of freshly brewed coffee and a good book. With the water shortage and the blistering summer of 2022, my garden and the scents, alas, exist more in my imagination. My interest in plants led me to do courses in garden design and botanical drawing, and you can see my sketches on the writings page icons. 

I write with a fountain pen on unruled paper and I love the process of making the words open up the heart of the issue. My monthly column in Open magazine explores a diverse set of ideas on food, crime fiction, gardening, politics, law, and history. 

I am a writer, food historian and political scientist. I’ve studied and worked in Cambridge, London, Washington DC, New York and Austin, and finally returned to New Delhi where I now live with my husband and my cat. I love gaslight mysteries, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Japanese locked room crimes, and any murders set on remote islands and in country houses during a perfect storm. 

Oh, and anything botanical is right up my alley as is historical fiction. I love growing old roses – just breathing in the delicious scent of a damask rose each morning is my idea of paradise, along with a mug of freshly brewed coffee and a good book. With the water shortage and the blistering summer of 2022, my garden and the scents, alas, exist more in my imagination. My interest in plants led me to do courses in garden design and botanical drawing, and you can see my sketches on the writings page icons. 

I write with a fountain pen on unruled paper and I love the process of making the words open up the heart of the issue. My monthly column in Open magazine explores a diverse set of ideas on food, crime fiction, gardening, politics, law, and history. 

I am a writer, food historian and political scientist. I’ve studied and worked in Cambridge, London, Washington DC, New York and Austin, and finally returned to New Delhi where I now live with my husband and my cat. I love gaslight mysteries, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Japanese locked room crimes, and any murders set on remote islands and in country houses during a perfect storm. 

Oh, and anything botanical is right up my alley as is historical fiction. I love growing old roses – just breathing in the delicious scent of a damask rose each morning is my idea of paradise, along with a mug of freshly brewed coffee and a good book. With the water shortage and the blistering summer of 2022, my garden and the scents, alas, exist more in my imagination. My interest in plants led me to do courses in garden design and botanical drawing, and you can see my sketches on the writings page icons. 

I write with a fountain pen on unruled paper and I love the process of making the words open up the heart of the issue. My monthly column in Open magazine explores a diverse set of ideas on food, crime fiction, gardening, politics, law, and history.