A Mother–Son Independence Day Brunch at the Taj

Some mornings ask to be marked. This 15th of August, the 80th Independence Day, my son Siddharth and I decided to mark it the way we like best — slowly, together, over a long and unhurried brunch at Taj Palace, New Delhi. Walking in still gives me that little pause. The domed ceiling, the lantern chandeliers hanging like quiet gold, the cool hush of marble underfoot — the Taj has a way of making