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Arunima Joshua

About Me

I am a Bombay-based freelance journalist interested in writing about music and culture.

How I Work

I am intrigued by stories at the intersection of culture, current affairs and social commentary. With a decade of association with India's independent music industry, I have covered the scene and contributed  extensively to communications (PR) efforts in the same.

Get in Touch

arunima.joshua@gmail.com

Selected Bylines

Splainer •

False God: The great Swiftie conundrum

Editor’s note: Pop icon Taylor Swift has perhaps the most committed fanbase in all of pop music right now. The Swifties have been following, analysing, and dissecting every single move she has made for close to two decades, united in their adoration. However, her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, has caused a rare ‘glitch’, dividing her fanbase—the disillusioned, the loyal, and the cult conspiracy theorists. All of them trying to grapple with the big Q: What has Taylor Swift become? 
 
Music jo...
mint •

Old machines and introspective electronica on Sijya's new EP

On Rust, the second track off the electronica composer-producer Sijya’s new EP, Leather & Brass, the refrain of “you’re not afraid to write me off, I’m not afraid to tie you up" lingers. It echoes the tension of the layered vocals and guitar pedals, the latter borrowed from her mix engineer. Sijya, who describes herself as kanjoos (tight-fisted), says she has a commitment issue with gear. “It’s all so expensive and I don’t know if I’m going to use it for five years. Everything is 50,000 plus. I...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

New Restaurant Openings: Thai Another Day

Miss Margot, Bandra: European small plates, classic cocktails and chandeliers galore. A candlelit entrance takes things up a notch, while the extensive liquor menu features concoctions named the titular ‘Miss Margot’ and ‘Menage A Trois’. No LIITs, only one beer (a New England IPA) and no trendy picantes — this cocktail lounge means serious business. Sorry Gen Z, this one’s for the grown ups.

Linking Road, Bandra (W), call 9082278702, Instagram.

SoBo 20, Marine Drive: At InterContinental’s new...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

Can A New Padel Social Club Take The Dust Off Atria, Worli?

Each time we drive past Atria at Worli, the mall appears crestfallen, covered in cobwebs, a diva that needs downtime.

But this month, if you look closely, there’s less slumber and more lumber, as shiny new things buzz around her crown. On Atria's rooftop, spread across 18,000 square feet, a new social club is taking shape, one that combines everybody’s favourite pastimes – padel and palomas - plus so much more. 

Net-izens, welcome to Courtside -- modelled after social wellness clubs in New Yor...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

The I Dig Bandra Tee Comes With Real Rubble

An agonised CA. Freaked out building security. Ankur Tewari paying his dues.

These are all characters that populate the story of the T-shirt that took Bandra by storm (drains).

It all began when creative director Ajoy Advani, fed up — like all Bandra residents — of the constantly dug up roads, created a T-shirt as a personal joke. The white tee featured a JCB excavator in action on an under-construction St. Andrews Road, and emblazoned across it were the words ‘I Dig Bandra’.

This T-shirt fle...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

A Book Club In A Colaba Apartment: A Novel Idea

In the newly-released-on-OTT Superboys of Malegaon by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, there is a scene in which the script writer says “writer baap hota hai”. Indeed. And here’s a book club and a sort-of co-working space for authors, copywriters, poets, reporters and their ilk that plans to treat the writer right. Yup, this includes getting a massage while you pen your thoughts. Quill and chill.

The folks at Journey of Objects, which houses an independent print magazine (Object) and a retail arm h...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

Shirt Locker: The CinCin Family Now Also Makes Uniforms

It’s what you get when you cross Bombay’s most famous suit maker from the 70s with pasta from this decade – a spaghetti western. Which in today’s story, loosely translates to the Bajajs’ — family behind Yauatcha, Hakkasan and CinCin — newest venture, a revival of the patriarch’s BADASAAB sartorial service, but tailored towards the next generation’s new business idea: uniforms.

During Bandra’s groovier times, Kishor Bajaj’s BADASAAB, a bespoke tailoring store suited and booted everyone from poli...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

Meet The Matcha Supplier to Kitchen Garden & Kala Ghoda Cafe

If you must match-a with someone this March, let it be with Esha Ashar and Ashish L. Your love for them will blush like the cherry blossom currently blooming in Japan, when you note that the duo, previously investment professionals, now run Yūzen Matcha, an enterprise that brings artisanal matcha from Japanese terroirs to a tea cup at your favourite Mumbai cafe.

It’s been only four months since their practice began, and Yūzen already supplies to the city’s best, including Kitchen Garden by Suze...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

Your Local Florist, Fish Market Get New Signs

Three A4 size posters sit neatly in a row at the blue-grey entrance to a local fishmarket. Above the tarpaulin, is an illustration of a saree-clad fisherwoman carrying a giant freshwater catch above her head. It is flanked by the depiction of a traditional shopping bag and downward facing fish on the left. On the right is the pin code of the location with a beige typeface announcing a ‘Fish Market’ in English and the vernacular script. Watch the electric (r)eel here.

Creating free signage for a...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

Library Love: An Offer You Can’t Refuse

Feedback on your manuscript and how to finish it, video calls on storytelling using oral history, writing workshops, poetry courses, one-on-one sessions, personalised illustrations and more from the country’s literary greats in exchange for your donations. Claim the offer of your choice starting at Rs. 2000 to help support grassroots libraries around the nation as part of Free Library Network’s (FLN) latest campaign called ‘Library Love’.

The informal collective of storytellers — writers, graph...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

Notes From Bandra’s New Live Perfume Bar

Notes From Bandra’s New Live Perfume Bar

Take notes at One of a Kind, where founder Nikita Dumbani flits in and out, soft as a perfume spritz, likening fragrance notes to the social affair of meeting a new person. “Top notes are your first impression. The heart or middle is the conversation you have with them and the base or bottom note is the way you say goodbye,” she tells us.

A student of cosmetics who aced the chapter on perfumery, Dumbani initially set out, like so many on the beautyscape...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

A Bar Sells Sneakers & Sazeracs + Late Checkouts & More!

Late Checkout, Lower Parel: A sexy cocktail lounge in Mumbai that you can walk into after midnight and get a drink? Unthinkable. Late Checkout aims to change that with no dreaded last call at the bar. Just one more drink. And another, perhaps. Post 12:30 am till the 1 am shutter time, you have the option of ordering your poison from a drinks take-away menu that is served in a unique glass that you can take with you on-the go! Remember kids, don't drink and drive. As for early birds, this restored textile mill venue at Lower Parel gets plenty of natural light during the day, courtesy soaring ceilings with skylights and serves varied global cuisine, with a bias to Japanese and Spanish dishes.

No Scream Time Limit At This Horror / Sci-fi Film Fest

Wash February’s V-Day ick off of you with an event palate cleanser of sorts, one that will  help you paint the town dread. Put your hands together for the Wench Film Festival, where indie Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy genre movies collide onto our screens and into your screams, with 42 films playing out over 4 days. More here: Instagram, www.wenchfilmfestival.com.

Taking place across two Mumbai venues (Churchgate and Andheri) from February 27th- March 2nd, the Wench Film Fest was founded...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

Om My God: A Mysore Yoga Shala & Cafe Open In Khar

If you can’t do a chakrasana yet, you will swiftly learn to bend backwards for a new Mysore shala in Khar, veiled by trees and visited by qualified teachers from around the world; a place to learn life lessons from sacred breath work and icy cold plunges; a space to await smoothie bowls and ceremonial grade matcha lattes from their Mysore cafe that will open here next week.

Flexi-foxes from Khar and Bandra, bloom at Anokhi Garden, a yoga shala and cafe with a 20 year legacy in Mysore. You can c...
bpb Brown Paper Bag •

North Goa Gets Its First Padel Court

It may please the court to know that North Goa just got its first padel ball venue via Coco Padel, a bouncy new company that is committed to “scenic courts only”.

You will believe their promise once you promenade over to their first spot: a cottagecore forested dream come true, a blue padel court polished and set like a sapphire in a grove of green foliage at Anjuna’s new, sustainable hotel, Circle. On the same premises, a natural rocky swimming pool gurgles, a pottery studio glazes and after-p...
bpb •

A New Mid-town Boutique Hotel That’s Kissed by The Sea

In a previous life, not too long ago, a Shivaji Park Hotel called Parkway, provided temporary residences at subsidised costs to doctors and nurses who served their mandatory COVID-19 duty at the Hinduja Hospital nearby.

You would say that good deeds are indeed rewarded, if you were at Parkway last Friday, to witness what a complete pass over of the property from grandparents to grand children can do; to see the hotel’s transition from a musty Parkway to a must-see The Kin; to find a private rev...
bpb •

ICE X Makes Drinks Freeze-Frame Worthy

A slow melting, clear pillar of ice in your single malt. Punch blocks to pour champagne on ice. Sharp diamond shaped cubes to put maharanis’ stones to shame. A bouquet of orchids frozen in time.

This is just the tip of the iceberg over at ICE X, a new Pune factory that makes all kinds of artisanal ice for hotel bars and private clubs but also for your house parties and intimate home cooked dinner dates. I never melt a girl like you before.

At ICE X’s plant in Pune with equipment from Ukraine,...
Rolling Stone India •

Review: Mumbai Gets a Dose of Pop Perfection with Dua Lipa

Our recap of all the sights and action at the Zomato Feeding India Concert 2024, featuring Jonita, NAV, Talwiinder and more Undeniably the biggest moment from Dua Lipa’s Mumbai concert this weekend was when the Albanian-British pop star crooned and Bollywood danced to the viral mashup of her song “Levitating” with the 1999 filmy hit “Woh Ladki Jo” from the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Baadshah as you would have seen all over social media by now. The Instagram reel sensation was originally mixed by Mum...
Vogue India •

Must be the season of the witch(core)

On the occasion of Halloween, the supernatural and witchcore haven’t just been amped up but also paid tribute to as parties, coven meets and Wicca have taken centre-stage at commercial and community events. Mumbai-based WENCH Film Festival dedicated to the horror and fantasy genres just hosted a gig called ‘Disco Blood Bath’ which featured a vampire wedding complete with a wedding band and DJ. Singer Suman Sridhar performed the ‘Opera of the Vampyr’ for the vampire nuptials, narrating a horror s...
Splainer •

Issai andaaz: A UP-wali’s Christian feast

Editor’s note: Advisory editor Arunima Joshua shares delightful family recipes from her home state—with some idiosyncratic issai—or Indian Christian touches. She shares a tradition that brings together the Lucknawi culinary history of her paternal side–with that of her mother’s Bhojpuri traditions—enmeshed with typically issai khane (Indian Christian food) flavours.
 
About lead image: Lovely stained glass from Christ Church, Lucknow. 
 
Written by: Arunima Joshua, Advisory editor 
 
My father—a...
mint •

Charli XCX, Peggy Gou and the summer of the Party Girl | Mint

“It’s okay to just admit that you’re jealous of me… I’m your number one,” Charli XCX chants over aggressive cyclical synths. Von Dutch, the first single off her sixth studio album, BRAT, falls under the ‘electroclash’ genre, a punk lovechild of 90s techno and 80s new wave. The track is a slap in the face—one that wakes you up to the euphoric highs of a messy night out.On 7 June, Indian-origin British singer Charli XCX and Korean-origin Berlin-based Producer-DJ Peggy Gou both dropped their full-l...
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Selected Bylines

Splainer •

Bombay beauties: What you should be doing in the city

Bombay beauties: What you should be doing in the city

Editor’s Note: This is part one of the most detailed guides to Bombay’s crowded arts & culture scene. There are few people more passionate about the city than Arunima—who has spent 12 years exploring all its delightful nooks and crannies... Here’s what you really ought to be doing on your next trip to the Maximum City—from music venues, theatre, architecture and art galleries.

I've lived in the frenetic financial capital for the past 12 yea
Splainer •

A very useful gifting guide: How to shop on Instagram

A very useful gifting guide: How to shop on Instagram

Editor’s note: Gifting is tricky business—and creates great anxiety (See: This excellent The Atlantic essay). Insta seems like a great place to find something unique and thoughtful—handcrafted, bespoke items that show we care. But we all worry about being gypped. Advisory editor Arunima Joshua has a guide to help you navigate the perilous shoals of the ‘gram.

Instagrammable goodies. We’ve all seen them. Perfect pictures of baubles and cute
Mint Lounge •

Sandunes’ earth songs in ‘The Ground Beneath Her Feet’

During the covid-19 pandemic, music producer and composer Sanaya Ardeshir thought “the world was going to end and that music was done”. Ardeshir, better known by her moniker, Sandunes, spent the first year of covid travelling through Goa and south India with her partner, bassist and mix engineer Krishna Jhaveri, recording circadian rhythms—12 hours of day time and 12 hours of night time recordings, with no intention of making music again.

The songwriter from Mumbai considered doing something el
IndiaTimes •

Four Indie Music Artists Setting The Stage On Fire Right Now!

On a rainy evening at Mumbai’s G5A “black box” performance venue, Kavya Trehan, (stage name stylised as KAVYA), is surrounded by an extensive set of loopers, synthesisers, electronic drums and keys. The indie artist is performing songs from her 2021 EP Know Me Better: Her lilting voice casts a spell aided by her outfit of couture saree-pants. KAVYA put on an audio-visual spectacle nothing like I’d witnessed before, in my decade of attending indie gigs and festivals. Her vocals channelled pop and
Splainer •

Folk to film: Bollywood remakes traditional ballads

Editor’s Note: Here’s a modern folk lesson. Arunima takes you through the history of folk compositions and their several renditions that finally land up in the glitzy and danceable world of Bollywood music. Listen in, take in the folklore—and feel free to compare them to the filmy versions!

Bollywood has often retold folk and oral traditions glistening them alive to the silverscreen. This is also true for the musical traditions of the largest film industry in the world. We introduce you to the
Splainer •

We recommend: Indie music from the Valley

We recommend: Indie music from the Valley

Editor’s Note: Here’s a wonderful crash course in contemporary independent music from Kashmir. Hip-hop, sufi and rock artists are recreating poetry and folk sounds—but with a message and often uncomfortable for the rest of the nation.

Indie experimentation in the subcontinent is peaking across genres. And it’s no different in Kashmir where indie artists are seriously kicking ass. The mood in the Valley is more hip-hop—marked by a resurgence of sufi-fol
Splainer •

Beer drinker’s guide to Pune

Editor’s Note: The lesser-known treasure of Pune is its craft beer. Homegrown breweries, online deliveries, draft beer on tap and the multiple craft beer festivals reflect the laid back pace of the city. Hope you enjoy checking Arunima Joshua’s favourite spots to grab a cold one. Have a ‘brewtiful’ weekend:)

It’s no secret that craft breweries and artisanal beer are having their ‘hoppiest’ moment in the country. Beer drinkers are spoilt for choice—whether you’re in the mood for coconut cream al
Splainer •

An excellent playlist of drummer beats

Editor’s Note: This weekend, unleash your inner percussionist with these groove slapping tracks curated by Aarifah Rebello. The selection ranges from the pop punk phonetics of Paramore to classics from Jet, Mutemath and Death Cab for Cutie. Also included: off-time signatures and double kick beats from the masters Foo Fighters and Alter Bridge and new-age RnB from Anderson .Paak.

As a storyteller and performer, Aarifah Rebello may strum a trusty acoustic guitar or experiment with a live-looper,
Mintlounge •

On Midnights, a sexier, sparkier Taylor Swift

Ten albums in, Taylor Swift knows her job as an artist and songwriter. On her new studio album, she seems to have a keener understanding of it than ever before. Midnights features deft lyricism and a rhythmic cadence, eschewing simple verse formats for her deepest dive yet into celebrity vulnerability.

Also read: Pena artist, Mangka, sings of the past and future

Midnights autobiographically chronicles 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout Swift’s life. There are frequent recalls to her earl
Red Bull •

Four things to check out at EyeMyth Festival 2019

In its fifth edition since 2011, Delhi-based UnBox Festival’s media arts offspring EyeMyth Festival returns to Mumbai shores. What will most likely be a balmy Bombay winter weekend from November 29th to December 1st, will witness three days of intersecting art, culture and technology.

One of the most interesting facets of multi-disciplinary and cultural festivals in this metropolis is venue hopping. EyeMyth takes place at four of the most diverse venues in the culture-incubating infrastructure
Sakal Times •

Spinning siblings

After working with an international label, an indigenous label, and a Mumbai-based artist management agency, Pune-based electronic act — the Moon Roots Project — decided to take the DIY way recently. Self-releasing their fourth EP Esin earlier this year and also recruiting a close friend as manager, the techno beatmakers have had things only looking up since.

The synergy can mainly be attributed to the fact that the duo, Fatema and Hannan (Hakim), also happen to be siblings. With about a six-ye
Pune Mirror •

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

By: Arunima Joshua



House and techno-music producer, anish sood, will play a one-of-a-kind show in the city



Goa-based Anish Sood is only 27. This is also probably why he’s completely at ease taking a risk by playing a set which is “not crowd friendly” in his own words. “What I do is I turn all the lights off so it becomes pitch black and we have just one strobe light which kind of creates a very epileptic kind of dark room vibe,” says Sood, describing the experience that he has in sto
Rolling Stone India •

Delhi Indie Night Opens Up To Local Bands

In 2009, British expats Andy Dodd and Nathan Steele met in the capital city at a common friend’s house party. Now better known by their stage monikers DJ Doddji and DJ Steelish, the duo is popular among Delhi’s alternative music scene, whose growth they have contributed to steadily. As part of Delhi Indie Night, the two have been hosting unique gigs where attendees are assured cheap booze, odd themes (they’ve had ”˜aprons and gloves’ parties to ”˜wearing two different shoes on each foot’ dos) an
Pune Mirror •

METRE UP

By: Arunima Joshua



Experimental Marathi poetry show Irshaad, helmed by two veteran city-based poets, is making waves globally and returns home tonight



The word “irshaad”, literally translates to a command or an order given to someone. In poetry, however, the word is used as an encouragement by the audience for the performer to commence his couplet or verse. City-based poets Sandeep Khare and Vaibhav Joshi write and perform largely in Marathi.



Barely eight months old, Irshaad ha
BOOM •

Did These Books Predict The Coronavirus Outbreak? | BOOM

Social media is abuzz claiming two books – The Eyes of Darkness (1981) by Dean Koontz and End Of Days (2008) by Sylvia Browne – predicted the Coronavirus outbreak.

Users are sharing images from the books, one of them written in 1981, on Facebook, WhatsApp And Twitter highlighting excerpts from the books that speak about a similar outbreak.

While the internet has lately been flooded with varied misinformation and misleading claims around the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the connection
Festival Sherpa •

Lost Stories Drop Remix For Alan Walker's "Alone" And It's Banging!

Ever since its release at the end of last year, Alan Walker‘s latest electro-house stomper “Alone” has been on everyone’s lips and minds, with its lush vocals, courtesy of Swedish songstress Noonie Bao and Walker’s signature synth progressions. Now, India’s electronica scene ambassadors, Lost Stories, have remixed the track for a smoother feel and more climactic drops.

The producers are also going to give the remix away as a free download after it crosses 200 K views on Facebook, the only place
BOOM •

Bat Infestation Video From Florida Falsely Shared As Coronavirus Source Found | BOOM

A three minute video from Florida, USA of a bat infestation under a tiled roof is viral falsely claiming that the source of the novel Coronavirus in Hubei, China has been found.

The video dates back to July 2011 and shows workers with gloved hands removing the tiling of an old roof to reveal hundreds of bats flying from under every tile panel.

As the contractors continue to move from panel to panel to reveal a heavy bat infestation, cinematic music accompanies the visuals, masking any dialogue
BOOM •

No, Video Does Not Show Street Vendors Evicted Before Trump's Gujarat Visit

A video of an eviction drive from Odisha is being falsely shared as street side hawkers in Gujarat being evicted in preparation for the visit of US President Donald Trump's visit to the state on February 24.

The video follows an excavator demolishing fruit and carts as officials oversee the whole process. Many carts are then wheeled towards the excavator which goes on to crush them turn by turn.

The video is being shared with the caption, "Don't the poor have a right to live in this country un
Festival Sherpa •

REVIEW: The Heady Affair That Was The Pune Debut of Tapped Festival!

The Sunday day out was the perfect kickback with booze, food and live music!

For its third edition, Tapped – the craft beer and food festival from Bombay– moved to its neighbour city, and Puneites had high hops to indulge in what had been brewing. The one day extravaganza boasted artisanal beer from over eight breweries across Mumbai and Pune, ten food stalls curated by Little Food Co. apart from a drinking games arena and multiple musical acts.

With some of Mumbai’s finest (Brewbot and Gatew
BOOM •

Yogi Who Went Into Meditative State 300 Years Ago Found Alive? A FactCheck | BOOM

A video of a man with an aggravated case of psoriasis from Kazakhstan is being shared over WhatsApp and social media in India as a yogi in a transcendent, meditative state for 300 years who was found alive after digging around a temple.

The graphic video shows a man in a haggard state covered with mud, blood and several sores oozing with fluid, laying in a hospital bed. The age or ethnicity of the man is barely identifiable from the video, however when asked his name in aa foreign language his
Festival Sherpa •

Kumail Launches New EP From You To Blue!

The 23 year old Mumbai producer will perform the new EP with a live band for the first time!

After two well-received EPs and 2016’s full length debut Links, Kumail Hamid, has released his third EP From You To Blue on indie label Knowmad Records. While the live EP Launch takes place on the 24th of March at antiSOCIAL, Khar, Mumbai, the EP releases across online platforms today! One of the Indian indie music scene’s favourite beat makers, Kumail, will be performing with a live band, which involve
Festival Sherpa •

Naezy Becomes First Artist To Release New Single Through Saavn's 'Artist Originals' Program

Mumbai Based Rapper Naezy dropped “Azaad Hu Mai” – an ode to freedom and the responsibility of making the right choices that comes with it, in collaboration with music streaming app Saavn.

The underground hip-hop scene is kicking off with a bang in 2017, with both Mumbai rappers, Divine and Naezy, dropping singles in the last couple of weeks, apart from new music from other Indian rappers and hip hop crews such as Swadesi and MC Mawali. “Azaad Hu Mai” sees Naezy address those who dare to challe
BOOM •

Fake Message Claims China Producing Corned Beef With Human Body Parts

A video alongside a set of images is being circulated across WhatsApp in India, claiming that China is producing canned beef with human body parts which is being sent to Africa.

BOOM investigated the claim and found it to be false. The video shared across WhatsApp is unrelated to China's production of canned meat products or imports to Africa or other countries.

The video captures a person in a long gown with their head and face concealed with a hat and face mask, skinning off human corpses i
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