The Lighthouse Conversations with Hashem Montasser
The Lighthouse
118 episodes
2 weeks ago
Hashem Montasser, Founder of the The Lighthouse Restaurant & Concept Store in the UAE, is a raconteur who avidly follows the work of arts, culture, technology and, of course, food. In a series of conversations aimed at introducing its audience to the Middle East’s entrepreneurial landscape, Hashem asks his guests about their life journeys, inspirations, successes and failures and everything in-between.
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Hashem Montasser, Founder of the The Lighthouse Restaurant & Concept Store in the UAE, is a raconteur who avidly follows the work of arts, culture, technology and, of course, food. In a series of conversations aimed at introducing its audience to the Middle East’s entrepreneurial landscape, Hashem asks his guests about their life journeys, inspirations, successes and failures and everything in-between.
“I’m very comfortable around people who are homesick but not sure where home is.” Avni Doshi on the impact of culture, motherhood and identity on her creative writing process, and the UAE’s nascent literary ecosystem.
The Lighthouse Conversations with Hashem Montasser
1 hour
1 year ago
“I’m very comfortable around people who are homesick but not sure where home is.” Avni Doshi on the impact of culture, motherhood and identity on her creative writing process, and the UAE’s nascent literary ecosystem.
Hashem catches up with Avni Doshi, author of ‘Burnt Sugar’, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize. In her book, Avni explores the themes of identity, culture and motherhood. The heartfelt discussion captures the poignant moments of personal growth that permeate her narrative, now seen through the lens of maternal experience, where vulnerability and understanding intertwine. Their conversion navigates Avni’s love of astrology, her artistic doubts, and the prospect of her book hitting the big screen.
Links
Nadia Wassef on narrative structure, trafficking in nostalgia and life after publishing a debut memoir.
Yasmina Jraissati on unlocking the potential of the Arabic language and how she accidentally became a rebel with a cause.
00:00 Coming up
02:21 Character development
07:56 Anticipating success
08:53 The role of the mother in India
11:26 From child to caretaker
15:42 Moving to India
18:40 Harper’s Bazaar India comes knocking
20:55 Homesick but not sure where home is
22:18 Girl in White Cotton
24:35 First publication by Harper Collins India
25:35 Second publication by Penguin’s Hamish Hamilton in the UK
26:29 ‘Girl in White Cotton’ becomes ‘Burnt Sugar’
28:46 Booker’s Prize Shortlist
30:08 The brutality of motherhood
32:50 Real politics plays out in the family
34:38 The pressure of success
38:02 Avni’s writing process
44:48 Writing peer groups
46:54 Responding to critique
49:55 UAE’s literary scene
The Lighthouse Conversations with Hashem Montasser
Hashem Montasser, Founder of the The Lighthouse Restaurant & Concept Store in the UAE, is a raconteur who avidly follows the work of arts, culture, technology and, of course, food. In a series of conversations aimed at introducing its audience to the Middle East’s entrepreneurial landscape, Hashem asks his guests about their life journeys, inspirations, successes and failures and everything in-between.
