https://www.arunimajoshua.comRSS Feed for Arunima JoshuaenSat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://splainer.in/sections/2026/Festive-Shopping-Guide--Mumbai-Edition/travelEditor’s note: We asked Arunima Joshua, journalist and Mumbai shopping expert, to cut through the clutter and compile this no-nonsense shopping guide to Mumbai, with a special focus on counter culture and indie finds. After all, no place does hustle with a side of cool better than the maximum city.   (Check out our shopping guides to Bengaluru and Goa. You can also head to our sister site, Souk, for the best shopping recommendations.)   *****       Fluxus Chapel (map), Bandra    This is run by o...Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://splainer.in/sections/2026/Festive-Shopping-Guide--Mumbai-Edition/travelhttps://www.timeout.com/india/news/i-danced-to-techno-and-did-breath-work-at-3-500-m-in-the-ladakh-desert-091426Read Time Out's trip report of the Akasa Gathering, a brand new destination music and wellness festival in Karu, LadakhAn expanse of arid Himalayan splendour unfurls beneath me as my rickety plane descends over Leh airport – the highest commercial airport in India, no less. I feel a twinge of nervousness grasp my chest as the pilot announces the temperature outside. Mumbai girls like me don't quite understand the concept of 3°C until the draught bites their noses off. But what I'm here for is e...Mon, 14 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/india/news/i-danced-to-techno-and-did-breath-work-at-3-500-m-in-the-ladakh-desert-091426https://billboardind.com/on-the-road-taba-chake/The finger-style guitarist and indie-folk performer behind the albums Bombay Dreams and Khud Ko Miloon is set to take his Nyishi dialect, Hindi, Assamese, and English tracks to five cities across the U.K. and Europe in October 2026. He sat down with Billboard India to answer our On The Road questionnaire. Where are you taking your tour and how many stops are there? Between October 7 to 11, I’ll be travelling from Amsterdam (Netherlands) to Birmingham, London, Manchester and Cologne (German...Wed, 19 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/on-the-road-taba-chake/https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/art-and-culture/electronic-music-sanaya-ardeshir-sandunes-baalti-lapgan-diaspora-south-asia-11786019361997.htmlThe New York-based duo of Mihir Chauhan and Jaiveer Singh , who make music as Baalti, say it’s one of the most fun samples on their new record. It’s a small example of their unique source material—Carnatic beats, club sounds, chopped Indian classical scatting. In the 1970s, rumours swirled that the ‘Skylab’ satellite would crash in the Kashmir valley. It never did crash, but became a legendary anecdote. In Baalti & Lapgan’s music video for Lime Tikka, a village girl named “Satellite” is seen try...Thu, 06 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/art-and-culture/electronic-music-sanaya-ardeshir-sandunes-baalti-lapgan-diaspora-south-asia-11786019361997.htmlhttps://billboardind.com/peter-cat-recording-co-global-tour/Frontman Suryakant Sawhney’s (better known to fans as Lifafa) swinging serenade of “So move over darling…”, the opening lyric of “Memory Box”, soars over views of the San Francisco runway and planes across the glass. Low-lit lamps are placed between the swaying crowd of airport attendees. In June, the Delhi-based indie veterans Peter Cat Recording Co. took a 17-hour flight to the Californian city, landed at the airport, and played a pop-up concert at Terminal 1’s Gate B4 to a swarm of music enth...Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/peter-cat-recording-co-global-tour/https://billboardind.com/prateek-kuhads-new-era-is-loose-and-free/It’s a rainy afternoon in Mumbai’s Khar West suburb. We take the elevator to the seventh floor to meet Prateek Kuhad, fresh off the release of his third studio album, Full Moon Chamber. In a pristine white space, bathed in natural light, Kuhad is seated in a flowing cotton shirt and pants. The singer-songwriter, who has consolidated his status as an indie fixture over the past decade, has spent the last few years living partially in Los Angeles, where the new album was written and recorded. In I...Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/prateek-kuhads-new-era-is-loose-and-free/https://billboardind.com/on-the-road-rashmeet-kaur/Rashmeet Kaur took her Punjabi and Bollywood tunes to six cities across North America for her ‘Rashmeet Kaur Live’ tour over the last month. She sat down with Billboard India to answer our On The Road questionnaire. 1. Where did you tour and how many stops were there? This was my first North American tour. ‘Rashmeet Kaur Live’ hit up New York, Toronto, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Oakland, Vancouver with six stops over the last month. Now I’m set to play two shows in Delhi and Mumbai in Aug...Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/on-the-road-rashmeet-kaur/https://billboardind.com/on-the-road-when-chai-met-toast/Kochi-based band When Chai Met Toast are set to perform in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Dubai and Vancouver – to name a few cities – for their ‘Joy Rooms’ tour from August – November 2026. The four-piece act comprises vocalist Ashwin Gopakumar, guitarist Achyuth Jaigopal, keyboardist Palee Francis, and drummer Pai Sailesh. They sat down with Billboard India to answer our On The Road questionnaire. 1. Where are you touring and...Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/on-the-road-when-chai-met-toast/https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/things-to-do/inside-mumbais-immersive-food-walksAmbi bai is dancing. She's surrounded by the other adivasi women of the Thakkar tribal community, and for a moment, nobody in the group is thinking about the donna baskets or foraged shevdi stalks in front of them.  A city like Mumbai has no dearth of compelling cultural walks. The usual ones'll take you to hotspots to savour street food and fine dining alike. The pub crawls will get you day-drunk. But there's a newer kind of walk that isn't chasing either high. This is for the tourist sick of...Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/things-to-do/inside-mumbais-immersive-food-walkshttps://billboardind.com/meet-neversober-indie-musics-go-to-producers/Soham Mukherji and Riz Shain have produced songs for the likes of King, Jonita Gandhi, OutStation, Ikka, Chaar Diwari and even collaborations featuring Jay Sean and Jason Derulo. The duo, now 24 and 26-years old, have worked since their teen years on the art of music production, having learnt the ropes from YouTube tutorials, like many of their Gen Z peers. While Mukherji comes from a musical family, having veteran Bollywood singer Shaan as his dad, Shain started out assisting brothers Armaan...Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/meet-neversober-indie-musics-go-to-producers/https://billboardind.com/madstarbase-never-intended-to-go-legal/Following years of takedowns and copyright strikes, the viral bootlegs by Anant Ahuja and Neal Sekhri – the DJ/ Producer duo who go by the alias MadStarBase – have had their second label win with Saregama officially releasing four of their retro Bollywood edits.  R. D. Buraman’s iconic “Dum Maaro Dum,” ‘90s anthem “Saat Samundar,” cabaret classic “Piya Tu” and “Meri Umar” which is a flip of Kishore Kumar’s “Om Shanti Om” are all available on digital platforms now. With Saregama’s seal of appr...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/madstarbase-never-intended-to-go-legal/https://billboardind.com/aksomaniacs-queer-icons-are-his-friends/Malayalam R&B artist Aksomaniac has watched his track “Amsham” rise and rise on global charts. The moniker of singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Aron Kollassani Selestin, ‘Aksomaniac’ was his way of flipping his initials with his Instagram username when he started making music. Featuring fellow Malayalam artists – singer Bhumi and producers M.H.R and Circle Tone – “Amsham” is a beat-led slow burn on longing of the heart. It centres around a South Indian deity of desire – ‘Man...Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/aksomaniacs-queer-icons-are-his-friends/https://billboardind.com/garvit-priyansh-want-to-soundtrack-the-movies/In April this year, playback legend Arijit Singh covered Garvit-Priyansh’s breakout hit “Kaahe Mose” at a Delhi concert. Singh said it was one of his favourite songs and asked the crowd to remember the duo’s name. A few weeks later, the Mumbai-based artists have been selected for the YouTube Music Foundry Class of 2026 – alongside pop group Outstation, North-East duo Antara & Ankita Nandy and singer-songwriter Damini Bhatla. The YouTube Foundry program provides emerging musicians with direct fin...Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/garvit-priyansh-want-to-soundtrack-the-movies/https://billboardind.com/what-is-playback-in-a-post-arijit-world/RJ Rohini remembers the evening. The entire Fever FM team huddling together to figure out how to console their listeners. Arijit Singh had just posted a note to Instagram saying he was no longer going to take playback singing projects. “I am calling it off. It was a wonderful journey,” wrote the “Channa Mereya” crooner. The entirety of the next day was dedicated to Singh, with requests coming in from all across the country. “The radio sounded beautiful that day. We were able to acknowledge the f...Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/what-is-playback-in-a-post-arijit-world/https://splainer.in/sections/2026/The-Homegrown-Popstar/listenEditor’s note: India’s Gen Z pop era has just begun. Hooks that crawl into your ears, elaborate stage designs with couture to match, backup dancers that don't miss a beat—indie music didn't look like this 10 years ago. How did we get here? And who are the artists leading this 360 degree revolution? Arunima Joshua spotlights eight exciting popstars remaking the Indian indie space today.   Written by: Arunima Joshua   *****   We’re in the age of the certified pop girlies. They may be building slow...Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://splainer.in/sections/2026/The-Homegrown-Popstar/listenhttps://billboardind.com/before-bairan-nobody-was-listening-to-banjaare/Brothers Sumit and Anuj speak to us from Kurukshetra, Haryana, where they have recently acquired an independently rented home. The duo do not disclose their surname, and request to be known together only by their alias ‘Banjaare’. They have held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard India songs chart for over twelve weeks, for their song “Bairan”.  “We are two feet above the ground,” the siblings tell Billboard India over a video call. Flute parts, strummy guitar and a syncopated beat, drive the so...Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://billboardind.com/before-bairan-nobody-was-listening-to-banjaare/https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/bars-and-pubs/idoruIt’s supposed to feel like home. But how many homes have you been where a casual mascarpone dip-based bite is topped with red caviar – ikura, the Japanese kind? The ikura is also a feature of a Roku Gin-based cocktail (Ikura Opera), in which the delicate salmon roe is served on an ornate golden spoon and bursts slowly in my mouth. The array of Japanese spirits is displayed against a technicolour blue, complementing the Munro speaker and custom panels that decorate time and space. Opulent orange...Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/bars-and-pubs/idoruhttps://www.timeout.com/mumbai/restaurants/best-for-date-nightPhotograph courtesy of Slink & Bardot | The best romantic restaurants and bars in MumbaiPhotograph courtesy of Slink & BardotThe best restaurants for date night in MumbaiLow lighting and overly priced food isn’t always going to be enough to up your Hinge dateFriday 16 January 2026ShareCopy LinkFacebookTwitterPinterestEmailWhatsAppWritten by Arunima JoshuaContributing Writer, Time Out MumbaiAdvertising window.rawSlots = window.rawSlots || []; window...Mon, 18 May 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/restaurants/best-for-date-nighthttps://www.timeout.com/mumbai/bars-and-pubs/la-panthera-1I’ve never been to a European palazzo, but the stately black door and sheer curtains withholding the interiors of La Panthera from me might be a portal to one. It’s an unforgivable cliché to say you’ve found a slice of Italy or Spain in Mumbai, but you’re going to have to forgive me. The grand arches, coffered ceilings, post-Renaissance mural and bronze valances have loosened my tongue.  Inside, the menu asks (nudges) me to pair my cocktail with suggested food selections. The choosing’s been ta...Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/bars-and-pubs/la-panthera-1https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/bars-and-pubs/paradox-1As you climb upstairs to Paradox’s seating area near the bar, you can sense you’re entering a solemn oasis dedicated to design. The midnight forest wall tapestry’s reminiscent of what an Indian season of The White Lotus credits might look like. Carpets absorb the clickety-clack of your heels, the tent section feels like a baroque dream, electronic music bathes the space in sophisticated surround sound. Is this what a real cocktail bar should feel like? A zany zine menu of cocktails with abstrac...Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/bars-and-pubs/paradox-1https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/restaurants/sobo20Not far from the lobby of the InterContinental hotel lies a tribute to New Orleans and Paris. The Marine Drive restaurant boasts Franco-American cuisine (not with indigenous touches), and we’re already thinking of the caviar-laden dishes we must be ordering, though upon first look, the interiors have us intrigued. No mass-produced lighting and barware here, we notice. The retro decor and seating is a chic interpretation of Bombay’s yesteryear art deco aesthetic, as envisioned and executed by the...Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/restaurants/sobo20https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/restaurants/scarlett-houseDon’t fret if you find it hard to locate the red bungalow in the winding lanes of Pali Village. Park near 30th Road and walk over until you spot a giant scarlet bow and an art deco sign. The interiors are adorned with antique crockery, Christmas candles, and vintage wallpaper – all bathed in a cherry-red radiance. We’re particularly excited about the hydration shots that owner-actor Malaika Arora so highly endorses. Focused Forest (berry & peppermint) and Calm Before the Storm (lavender, blue p...Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/restaurants/scarlett-househttps://www.timeout.com/mumbai/restaurants/neumaNeuma’s as much an ode to the love for aesthetics as it is to good food. Designed by Ashiesh Shah (an architect for several prominent restaurants in Mumbai) and owned by director Karan Johar, the white, sunlit bungalow in Colaba has retained popularity since its opening in 2022 – no small feat in a city as buzzing as Mumbai.  The restaurant’s spaced off in sections – the Garden Café (an outdoor space with a coffee bar), the Rose Bar (a red velvety affair), the Blanc (a Danish-style dining area)...Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/restaurants/neumahttps://www.timeout.com/mumbai/bars-and-pubs/slink-and-bardot-1Slink & Bardot’s the prime choice for sliding, rather than smashing, into the weekend. Upon arrival, the naval docks greet you with slow, turgid waters. There’s no line yet at Slink – it’s a mere 7pm, and the crowds are, so far, mercifully at bay.  A walk down a corridor and through a pair of tavern doors takes you inside. Your table’s ready. Since we’re playing it safe (for now), first orders of business must, of course, be the Meloma and Paanch – their signature variations of a paloma and pun...Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/bars-and-pubs/slink-and-bardot-1https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/bars/best-cocktail-barsPhotograph by Pankaj Anand | Best Bars in MumbaiPhotograph by Pankaj AnandThe best cocktail bars in MumbaiA definitive guide to the best bougie cocktail bars in the cityWednesday 15 April 2026ShareCopy LinkFacebookTwitterPinterestEmailWhatsAppWritten by Arunima JoshuaContributing Writer, Time Out MumbaiAdvertising window.rawSlots = window.rawSlots || []; window.rawSlots.push('{"adSlotId":"/5185/body1/feature","adContainerId":"ad-body-1-9264","isOut...Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://www.timeout.com/mumbai/bars/best-cocktail-barshttps://splainer.in/sections/2026/Here-Comes-Jamini-Roy/listenEditor’s note: Is techno now boujee? Is raving now matcha-and-samosa-fied as Gen Z goes sober? Can people actually tell the difference between house, bass, and electro, all while ‘soft-clubbing’ at a run? What’s next for electronica in India then?   In this cracking list, music journalist and former Advisory editor Arunima Joshua looks at the new wave of desi alternative electronica—how these experimental and ambitious artists are bridging the worlds of art pop and electronic music through melod...Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0100https://splainer.in/sections/2026/Here-Comes-Jamini-Roy/listenhttps://souk.splainer.in/story/community-recommendsWelcome to another edition of Community Recommends, a new Souk series where we ask fellow enthusiasts to share the things they love. Books, objects, places, ideas. The goal is simple: instead of algorithms or bestseller lists, we turn to our community for discovery. For this second edition, Arunima Joshua—journalist and former editor at Advisory (2023-2024)—shares 8 things she’s purchased recently that she would highly recommend.  Arunima writes about music, F&B, lifestyle and culture. Her love...Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://souk.splainer.in/story/community-recommendshttps://thenodmag.com/content/lollapalooza-music-festival-mumbai-2026-breakdownIf 2025 proved one thing, it was that there’s never been a better time for Indian gig-goers. The luck continued with Lollapalooza, the annual get-together of Gen Alpha, Gen Z, millennials, and boomers, where dads, mums, and their children got to watch some of their favourite musical acts. At the 2026 edition, produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live, artists from Japan to the UK, São Paulo to Canada, and the US to Asia congregated at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse over the weekend to offer us the...Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://thenodmag.com/content/lollapalooza-music-festival-mumbai-2026-breakdownhttps://splainer.in/sections/2025/Swift-Consequences/listenEditor’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...Sat, 08 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://splainer.in/sections/2025/Swift-Consequences/listenhttps://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/art-and-culture/sijya-ep-leather-brass-music-synthesisers-minimalist-electronica-delhi-11761993184121.htmlOn 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...Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/art-and-culture/sijya-ep-leather-brass-music-synthesisers-minimalist-electronica-delhi-11761993184121.html