Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Shoba Narayan

Shoba Narayan is the author of Monsoon Diary: A Memoir With Recipes and Return to India: An Immigrant Memoir and a regular contributor to international publications.

Stories from Shoba Narayan

Tulsi Yadav teaches Shoba Narayan about the application and design of mehndi, or henna, at the Dera Mandawa haveli in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Formerly a private mansion, the Dera Mandawa is now a hotel.

A Quest to Master the Art of Henna

In anticipation of her daugher’s wedding, Shoba Narayan set out to hone her mendhi craft