back in the news-jijamata udyan zoo garden -mumbai

established in 1861 and located at byculla and earlier known as victoria gardens,the jijamata udyan zoo popularly called rani bagh is spread over about 50 acres of land. with an imposing clocktower at the main entrance,the garden has trees some of them very old and it also has a museum called the bhau daji lad museum earlier known as albert museum which has a lot of local archaeological finds including an elephant which was brought from the elephanta caves.

the zoo which once boasted of a wide collection of wild animals like lions, tigers,elephants and bears has now been reduced to a zoo with very few rare species of animals and birds.upkeep of the animals has come under the scanner due to periodic deaths of the animals due to staff negligence. also the living conditions are appalling. the elephants are kept in small caged enclosures with their legs tied by chains.sometime back about a dozen antelopes died under suspicious circumstances.

in the last two months, i did what i hadn't done for ages. visit the zoo at byculla. thanks to my grandaughter whose school organised the trip. having viisted the zoo recently,i read with a profound sense of shock about the death of the six year old hippopotamus shakthi.we had seen the hippo family and taken some close pictures too.there are different versions of the cause of shakthi's death. while the authorities claim that he died because of respiratory failure, PETA( people for ethical treatment of animals) thinks that it could be the apathetic treatment which has caused the death. the water at the pond where the hippos are kept are not changed regularly. in fact it is downright dirty..there are five hippos in the zoo living like one happy family. the average life span of a hippo is between 35 and 40 years.there was an earlier bombay high court order in 2005 to relocate the five hippos. three were relocated but two remained. many animals in the zoo suffer from skin infection due to pathetic living conditions.in 2006 a large number of blackbucks had died.

the bmc has a rs 430 crores zoo revamp plan and exotic animals and birds are expected to be brought in.the zoo is expected to be redesigned in line with zoos abroad like in singapore.moats are planned to be constructed to create natural surroundings for the animals.the plan has already met with lot of opposition mainly for trying to concretise the lush gardens in the zoo complex. there are hundreds of beautiful rare trees and plants in the zoo which must be preserved .the flora and fauna is outstanding and a great treasure which we must maintain at all costs.

'jamavar' at leela kempinski

my young niece from chennai is in mumbai on official work and stays at the company guest house at vileparle. as her 'mama', i have a role to perform. to see that she is at home in an alien city.she is very smart and surely does not need any help but i keep in touch with her so that she knows that there is someone she can turn to if required.she visited us twice,the second time with her handsome fiance.and both of them endeared themselves to all of us.

last week, i had some official work in the western suburbs and i had a high tea meeting with a customer from overseas. i realised that my niece was not staying very far off from the hotel and asked her whether she would like to join me for dinner.though she is a busy person and works quite late into the night, she readily agreed. i decided to take her to a restaurant that would be an unforgettable experience for both of us. i chose the 'jamavar' at leela near the international airport.

it was a very enjoyable evening.when i asked the steward the meaning of jamavar,he explained that it is a very special type of shawl made in kashmir.made entirely by hand it took many years to complete and hence it is very exclusive and pricey.the patterns on the shawl are done with such exquisiteness and craft that the front of the shawl cannot be distinguished from the back.taking a cue from this ancient art,leela chose to name their speciality restaurants as 'jamavar'.in every leela hotel you will surely find a 'jamavar'.

we ordered mullagatanny soup and tomato shorba with basil and panner tikka as starters.both the soups were excellent. the tikka just melted in the mouth like kebabs. the hyderabadi mirchi ka salan was delectable when we ate it with the crunchy naans and the finale was 'sliced alphonso mangoes with vanilla icecream'. the bespoke silver cutlery gave us a royal feeling. the food was excellent,the ambience great,the service though a tad slow was very warm. we just didn't know how time flew as we kept chatting all the time.it is always educative to get a young person's perspective on many subjects. which is what i did. my niece enjoyed the dinner and so did i. but i was richer with what i learnt from the younger generation.

on a mission

when i first heard that a ceo from the corporate world had taken a sabbatical to fight the elections,i was quite sceptical of her chances of winning.i though that the odds would be heavily stacked against her.but when i attended a core group meeting last evening,i realised that she really has a chance and that all of us who love mumbai should solidly rally behind her.i certainly will do my best to see that she wins the elections from south mumbai.the late jai prakash narayan has left behind a deep impact on her. she is not aligned to any party(though lok satta is supporting her candidature). she is a clearheaded,articulate and charming person, passionately committed to the improvement of mumbai. what more can we ask for? she is meera sanyal.get more information on meera sanyal from her website http://www.meerahsanyal.in.

the trigger was 26/11. when that happened,it really gave momentum to her thoughts on improving mumbai city where she has lived for a major part of her life.she decided to fight in the national elections as an independent candidate.she has her own blogsite and is connected to thousands through facebook.her major priorites are a) right and better infrastructure for mumbai,b) improved public transport,c) better security(nothing concrete has been done after 26/11 and we are still unprepared for a similar attack says meera),d) affordable housing for the poor and systemic reforms through the nagar raj bill.

we need a change in our political system. you have to get into it to fight it and cleanse it.for that you need brains,energy,passion,charisma and committment.she has it all.she can win.and she must. to save mumbai and set the trend for the younger generation to devote themselves to the cause of our nation.the youth did it when gandhiji called the people to join him if they wanted independence from british rule.here meera sanyal is calling you to vote for her for a better future for all of us.she deserves our full support.for more info on meera please log on to http://www.meerahsanyal.in

ansaa

this only vegetarian restaurant is a stone's throw away from mantralaya (amantralaya?) and two stones' throw away from our home.located at dalamal towers,nariman point on the ground floor it was earlier known as 'only paranthas" and now rechristened as 'ansaa', it is a modern, comfortably airconditioned, clean,with a hygienic kitchen and only vegetarian punjabi parantha speciality restaurant, right in the epicentre of mumbai. the place where the political power rests.

many times in the past i have had packed food sent home from the erstwhile 'o p' and thoroughly enjoyed the stuffed paranthas. the steward claims that they have more than hundred different varieties.could be an exaggeration but nevertheless they do have many varieties. paranthas stuffed with alu matar and pudina matar and muli gobi are a few of our favourites. accompanied by chhole,tasty piclkles and papad.7.30pm is a good time to go there because no one really has arrived by then and the entire staff is at your beck and call. the last time we visited 'ansaa' was at a peak hour. it took some time to get a place and though our orders were taken quite fast,it took ages for the food to arrive.

this time i ordered some pudina paranthas for my better half and i settled down for a punjabi thali. the black dal,the paneer gravy, the mixed vegetables and the raita were all absolutely tasty.i had a large glass of cold lassi with salt and pepper which was most welcome in the very warm mumbai that we are all currently experiencing. for rs 170 the thali was not only wholesome, it was both delicious and nutritious.

we like the place for its quiet ambience and efficiency and its very genial staff. with a large flat screen tv showing the news channel, you are also constantly updated on the national and international news.there is plenty of carparking space which makes the visit to 'ansaa' totally hassle-free. i love taking my family and friends to ansaa. everyone likes it and it is not very heavy on the pocket either.

earth hour and candle night dinner

my wife is a greenie. what i mean is that she is a great believer in the new green movement. protecting the environment. saving the earth from climatic change caused by depletion of the ozone layer by our indiscriminate lifestyles resulting in degradation of the environment. so,when she asked me to observe one hour of lights out last night in response to a global call to highlight climate change,i readily agreed.

the timing was 8.45pm to 9.45pm.after all,i was also looking forward to a quiet candle light dinner free from burning lights and the sound of music and the glare of tv.i must say,i enjoyed the delicious food that our rajasthani maharaj had prepared.when you are just the two of you and there is darkness around,you feel a sense of tranquility and security with each other. then we retired to the living room and chatted up till it was time to put on the lights again.we discussed many issues which we tend to postpone to another day in our anxiety to keep up with the rat race.it was back to harsh reality once again.

but that escape for an hour soothened my nerves. and i presume that it did the same to hers as well.a small action like this one gives you a feeling of having contributed to a very critical cause and it makes life more interesting and meaningful.i only hope that policymakers throughout the world make 'saving the planet',their topmost priority.

the 'new market'

not very uncommon in kolkata.suddenly you find lot of smoke bellowing out in the landscape.you hear the sound of fire engines rushing to the spot and coming to a screeching halt.to put down a fire caused by some careless and irresponsible individual or greedy shopkeepers who do not follow basic safety precautions.the new market fire,the burra bazar fire,the haldiram fire(s) and yet another new market fire.the list goes on.

on wednesday 25th afternoon,i had landed in kolkata and drove down to my office at shakespeare sarani.a couple of hours later,i learnt that there was a fire in the new market.luckily it was put off before much damage could have been caused.the new market in its old avatar was badly gutted in december 1985,111 years after its beginning.the new market in its new avatar maintains the old british charm. the indian contribution to this classic marketplace is the country's first automated underground parking bay, inaugurated in april 2007.

the prize preserve of calcutta's british citizens and a contemporary of mumbai's crawford market,it was inaugurated on 1st january 1874 and named after sir stuart hogg who was the then calcutta corporation chairman.fondly referred to by the locals as 'hogg sahaber bajjar"(the market of hogg saheb),the architecture of the market done in gothic style is impressive.

as a youngster who grew up in kolkata,i have fond memories of this market which i used to visit so often with my mother.also pre divali it was a must to buy all the new clothing for the entire household. though a strict vegetarian,i remember having bought in the early hours of the morning fresh chingdi maach(favourite prawns for bengalis) for my bong boss at bangalore when i was working there some twenty five years ago.i carried it all the way to mumbai,kept it ovenight in my neighbour's fridge and carried it next morning to bangalore.to what extent do some of us go to please our bosses! he is no more but i am sure he appreciated the effort.so much so that he invited us to a party very soon thereafter and unknowingly i enjoyed the maacher jhal!

the underground car park which is 30 feet below the ground level is supposed to be an engineering marvel.it has a shopping mall at minus one level and a gantry system car parking at minus two level.the project engineers claim that it takes only 90 seconds to recover your car.my driver is not too enthused though.he claims it is a bit of a mess out there.to put my doubts to rest,i must try it out and convince myself whether the claims are true or not.

what is kanchipuram famous for?

best among the medieveal cities of india,a great place for education and fine arts in the olden days,this temple town of about 1.6 million and only about one and half hours' drive(75 kms) from chennai is every piligrim's must-see destination.located on the palar river,it was called kacchi in the olden days.a thriving and vibrant culture existed in this place which was ruled by the cholas,pallavas, pandyas and the vijayanagara empire.hieun tsang had visited kanchi somewhere in the sixth century and has written glowingly about this city's planning and the temples and architecture in his memoirs. gautama buddha had also visited kanchi.buddhism and jainism also flourished in the city at various periods of its history.the major temples that dot the landscape are the sri varadaraja perumal temple(lord vishnu),ekambaranathan temple(lord shiva) ,sri yathokktakaaryswamy temple(lord vishnu),kamakshi amman temple(saivite) etc. the kanchi kamakoti peetham founded by adi sankara popularly known as sankara mutt is an important landmark in this city.

kanchipuram is also wellknown for hand woven silk sarees of rich textures and is also referred to as the 'silk city'. 'kanjeevaram sarees' as they are referred are exquisite and the preferred dress for south indiam women for all auspicious occasions and social functions.they are world-famous for their thickness,intricate details and heavy zari work.in hindu religion,silk is a symbol of sanctity.every south indian bride will possess at least one kanjeevaram sari though she may wear it only once in a bluemoon. the men too get their silk dhotis,angavastrams and even kurtas in the hundreds of shops selling the local produce.there are about 5000-6000 handloom weavers at kancheepuram and nearby making cotton and pure silk dhotis and sarees.

while the city satiates the needs of the spiritual seekers and those who are fond of good indian-style clothing, it is also famous for the different types of kovil prasadam( the food offerings to the gods) prepared by the temple kitchens-the kal dosai,vadai,maavu and the signature "kanjeevaram idli".after my recent trip to kanchipuram and the loads of prasadam that i brought back,i preserved the delectable idli for many days.i had it for breakfast,for lunch and for dinner too.if that urges you to try it out,don't fret. here is a recipe which i picked up from the net.

"Ingredients:
1 Ï¿½ Cup Steamed Rice
1 Ï¿½ Cup Raw Rice
1 Ï¿½ Cup Urad dal/Split Black Gram
1" piece Ginger
Ï¿½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
Ï¿½ tsp Peppercorns, Crushed
Ï¿½ tsp Dry Ginger Powder
Few Cashew nuts, fried
1tbsp Curds
3 - 4 Curry leaves

For the Seasoning :
1tsp Oil
1tsp Mustard Seeds
Ï¿½ tsp Asafoetida

Method:

Soak Steamed Rice, Raw Rice and Urad Dal separately for 5 hours.

Grind, Urad Dal with Ginger to a batter and keep aside. Grind the Rice coarsely.

Add all the other ingredients to the batter. Heat Oil and add Mustard and Asafoetida.

Add this to the batter and mix well and leave overnight to ferment.

The next day grease Idli plates and pour the batter and steam for 7 - 10 minutes."

it's a no-brainer.if you have not been already initiated into making it,go ahead and do it.you will not regret it.

some 'dim sum'

i was introduced to 'dim sum' which actually translates to "touch of the heart" many years ago by my s-i-l, h. it is one of my favourites when i go out dining with him. he loves pan-asian food besides his weakness for the western variety.being a vegetarian,there is an obvious problem for me.but h does not get intimidated.he goes all out to see that a vegan can love dim sum too.or put it in another way,he will make me eat 'dim sum' to my heart's content.it is not an appetiser for me. it is a meal by itself.

'dim sum' originated in guandong province and the famous city of hong kong.it is traditionally a brunch meal.it is also taken with green tea.i love these steamed dumplings. they go under different names and different containments inside.the varieties are many. whether 'char siu bao' or 'har gau' or 'siu mai' or 'cheong fun' or 'dan tart' they are gobbled up by h with great relish. for me it is mostly 'cheong fun' -steamed plain rice rolls without the accoutrement. only dipped in a special chinese sauce,it is plain mouth-watering.

next time you visit 'china garden' or 'east' or 'busaba', just ask for 'dim sum' or any of the above. and i am sure the chef will roll it out for you in a jiffy, at the speed of lightning. i have had them at numerous chinese restaurants abroad starting with my initiation in san fransisco and then in new york and later in london. but back home in mumbai,'east' and 'busaba' are my favourites though. nibbling on bite-sized morsels loaded with fresh vegetables and minced spinach with tea or 'yum cha' is my signature meal in an oriental restaurant.

kolkata boi-mela

during my last visit to kolkata,i did a few things that i would normally not have done.because it is always a rushed trip.meetings after meetings and then time to go the guest house and crash.i had a free weekend with me. like a child my eyes popped out with excitement.when i am in kolkata,i am on familiar ground.it is one of my comfort zones. i decided to prioritise my needs. visit to the beauty salon for a pedicure and manicure. and then to visit the boi-mela(book fair) held near 'sonar-bangla, the five-star itc hotel.one of the biggest book fairs in the world after frankfurt,london and paris. and scotland was one of the partner countries.every year a country is chosen as a focus country.last year it was usa.

known as the "intellectual city",kolkata attracts a huge number of visitors during this period.it is also saraswati pooja time.she is the goddess of learning.the weather is also excellent at this timeof the year.about 50-60,000 visitors come every day,many of them paying their second or third visits.totally about 20 to 25 lakh people visit the fair. it is the largest attended book fair in the world.starting mainly as a book fair 33 years ago, it is now broad based and includes art and cultural activities and food courts which is a major attraction.

the enthusiasm of the organisers motivated by the interest of the book-loving public is phenomenal.but the book- fair lacks infrastructure.the entrance was stinky,the whole area of the ground very unwalkable as it was muddy and slushy,the people- traffic poorly controlled,litter all around giving you a feeling of nausea only soothed by piping bengali music.rabindra sangeet and aadhunik bangla gaans.and outside the entrance it was chaos.motor traffic was out of control.wonder what impressions our scottish guests carried back with them. certainly not very pleasant memories.hopefully,these not very complicated issues will be addressed by the organisers and the annual event turned into a state of the art and world class book fair,kolkata can do it.

the signature tune "oi daakche boi"-the books are calling you, keeps reverberating in your ears when you leave.not only do you bond physically with the book- fair but emotionally too.i will come again,kolkata,next year. but do something to make it not only intellectually stimulating but hygienic and pleasing to the eyes and easy on the legs.

smile with pinky and her dad

in the hype and hoopla of the ten nominations for the oscar for 'slumdog millionaire',a short film from india on pinky,'smile pinky', nominated for the best short documentary has been strangely totally ignored by the indian press.like many unfortunate children born in developing countries,pinky was born with a cleft lip.her poor parents had no money to have the corrective surgery done. she refused to go to school because other normal children shunned her. till she was luckily chosen for the operation.thanks to 'smile train' which teaches doctors in developing countries how to operate on a cleft lip. now her life has transformed and her father rajendra sonkar is overjoyed.she is also flying to watch the oscar awards ceremony. like rubina ali,the little girl from a mumbai slum who acted in 'slumdog millionaire'.'smile pinky' has been directed by megan mylan.

SAI THE SAVIOUR

my mother-in-law who is in her nineties visited us in november last year and stayed with us for a couple of months. her burning desire was to visit the sai baba shrine at shirdi and pay her respects to him.i had to find out an easy way of escorting her to shirdi and bringing her back safely as she is quite frail of health. i was at my wits' end.the only thing that i could do was to look up to sai baba for his help.

last month,i was able to find some time in my tight schedule and took a day off from my work.we took the morning kingfisher flight to ozhar,the hal airport near nasik.we arrived at about 11.30. from ozhar it was a two hour drive to the shirdi sai sansthan.the road is excellent.therefore we reached shirdi by 1.30 pm without much of a strain. it was midweek and a working day.i was surprised to see thousands of people waiting for a darshan.

the sss is supposed to be the second richest shrine board in india after ttd at tirupathi.being the centenary year for sai baba's palki,the sss is going all out to improve the infrastructure out there. a railway station,an airport,better accomodation,darshan passes from mumbai et al to make the darshan and stay a pleasurable experience.the state government has announced the formation of a shirdi development authority to improve roads,water supply,housing etc in this small holy town.wider roads,skywalks,mutilevel car parking,gardens and medical facilities have been planned.

a friend of mine had arranged for a police van to accompany us to the temple.we were ushered in quite fast and we got a terrific darshan.i had to physically pull my m-i-l out as she continuted to enjoy the proximity to the sai baba and appeared to be in almost a trance. we were then taken to an ante-room and prasad was offered to us.we had to leave immediately for ozhar as our flight was to take off at 5pm. the return journey took longer time,almost two and half hours. at one point i almost gave up on the flight and was making arrangements for a stay overnight.we made it just in the nick of time.the aircraft was waiting for us to take off.luckily,i had the foresight to take return boarding passes from mumbai.that made the airport staff wait for that extra few minutes.it was a miracle that we got on board the flight. and in twenty minutes flat we were back in mumbai.

i consider this to be sai baba's miracle. my m-i-l was overjoyed that she could have his darshan and return home in eight hours' time.quite a feat.thanks to our saviour,sai baba.i would not recommend such a rushed visit to anyone. neither shall i do it again.an overnight's stay and darshan in leisure is what is required.it is good for the heart and for the soul.

slumdog millionaire

jhopadpattikutta karorepati.that would be the literal translation of the title into hindi.but when i first read about this movie, i looked up the oxford dictionary to get the meaning of slumdog. it wasn't there,so i tried wikepedia. and i got the answer. the word is new.coined by simon beaufoy who has done the script for the movie. it is made up of two words slum and dog. the dog here refers to the underdog.one who is is not favoured to win a competition. one million is ten lakhs and ten million makes a crore.a crorepati pronounced as karorepati is a millionaire.

there was a hue and cry for the reference to the word dog for the poor slumchildren.as usual some even went to court to get a stay on the film's release.but they didn't get any relief.i decided to see the movie as it had won so much approbation.awards galore.and the 'real thing',the oscar almost there,if you believe in the law of probability.my verdict. well deserved.danny boyle and his team have done a marvellous job.

right from the start of the movie,it grips your attention.no dull moment.it portrays the life in a mumbai slum like no other hindi movie has ever done.true.hundred percent.no exaggeration.even to the extent of showing the young would be millionaire jamal(dev patel) sitting in the loo and when he hears that his favourite film star amitabh bacchan is landing there in a helicopter,he tries to run out to meet him and take his autograph on a photo of his that he has preserved.finding the door of the loo bolted from outside by a mean guy,he jumps vertically down into the shit and runs and succceeds in getting the autograph.that grit perhaps helps him to face all odds to win the coveted "kaun banega krorepati?"

adapted from diplomat swarup's novel titled 'q and a', an award winning book by itself,simon beaufoy has made the story look so compelling.for every question raised in the gameshow,the answer to the uneducated slumboy comes out of experience.the host(anil kapoor) is awestruck at jamal's capability and is sure that it is a case of fraud. the police(irfaan khan and saurabh shukla) step in. jamal is harassed and tortured by but finding no evidence of any wrongdoing he is released for the final round.

the kidnapping of young children in the slums,their torture to make them handicapped and to be used as beggars is vividly shown.the perpetrators initially treat the children well,feed them and once they win the innocent children's confidence,they go about their ruthless task.jamal,his brother munna and their friend latika get caught in this racket.jamal and munna escape,but poor latika remains behind.jamal can never forget latika(then rubina ali).he yearns to get back to her.over the years she has been trained to sell her body. and be the object of pleasure.according to danny boyle there are as of now 26,283 latikas in mumbai alone!

jamal's brother becomes a member of the underworld.latika(now freida pinto) works in the house of a don(mahesh manjrekar).jamal establishes contact with his brother and later latika who is now the object of pleasure of his brother too.taking all this in his stride,jamal goes for the final show sure that latika his childhood sweetheart will be watching and will come to meet him from wherever she is.he answers the last question on the names of the three musketeers correctly and wins the competition.latika and jamal are together.the don has been killed and so too his brother.

the finale is the dancesong "jai ho". beautifully picturised at cst(vt) station,brilliant music by rehman,well choreographed,it was a treat to watch this dance alongwith the credits rolling at the end of the twohour movie. to sum up,sm is a very realistic portrayal of mumbai slum life and shows how the spirit to fight against all odds finally triumphs.

what i admire about danny boyle(aaram se is his favourite expression) and christian colson,one of the producers of sm,is their plan to pump significant profits from the film back into the mumbai slums where the film is set.they want to give back to an extraordinary city which has helped them produce an extraordinary film.the objective of the fund would be to help deprived and underprivileged children and to distribute money to projects in mumbai and the rest of india. a good lumpsum amount would be paid to the slum children actors once they reached 18 and completed their studies.they are giving them an incentive to finish school.how many indian producers have ever put back their profits into mumbai and their slums? when some of the slumchildren were asked about the movie they said that it gives an accurate picture of their kind of life."we like it better than the usual bollywood movies".that should answer all the critics.

partly funded with american money,directed by a british director and an indian rags to riches and gut wrenching story has done so much for bollywood than any other locally produced movie has done.the movie is dark and gloomy and also funny,breathing happiness and optimism.it is a fastpaced film with everyone putting in outstanding performance.the unknown young actors take the cake.the young protogonist jamal(dev patel),the humble callcentre chaiwallah(as he is ridiculed by the show host) still hangs in there and does not collapse under the weight of the mind games played by the showhost and the trauma of torture by the cops. all just to win his sweetheart back.

the winner is also mumbai slums like dharavi and the one at juhu.dharavi was a fort and a fisherman's hamlet and now asia's biggest slum occupying an area less than half of new york's central park with ten lakhs people cramped in there.

will the $10 million sm win the top honours next week in the academy awards or will the $150 million dollar benjamin button? is it a million dollar question? or is it a no-brainer? i had earlier mentioned about the law of probability. that is in sm's favour.also the odds offered by the bookies in india and abroad is also some indication.while sm gets 1.53 odds in india,the international community's is 1.16.and for bb it is 6.50.that is surely an indication of things to come.

pub culture

what a shame! the recent incident at mangalore where girls in a pub were pulled out and beaten up is shameful and horrifying to say the least.the mangalore police response was very slow. after a lot of dithering the goondas were rounded up.am sure they will all get off the hook.then comes the shocking statement of the karnataka cm who says pub culture is not for us indians and therefore it must go.in far off rajasthan, congress cm gehlot joins him in chorus.and the latest to join the bandwagon is health minister ramadoss.

on the one hand we talk of equality.on the other we are so intolerant and conservative.are we a progressive nation? i doubt.
it is for the individual to decide.freedom of choice and speech is enshrined in our constitution.did the girls creat any public nuisance? no. far from it. who are these so called people trying to moralise the nation.actually,they are playing vote bank politics.karnataka cm's daugther says she disagrees with her dad.

in the latest issue of the 'outlook',editor vinod mehta quotes the american journalist,h l mencken,who believed that once you put a few drinks inside a woman,you are 90% sure of taking her into bed.surely,if mencken were alive bjp would roll a red carpet and welcome him to their fold.

i love pubs.when i went to england for the first time in 1979,i stayed there for about two months.almost every night all of us(me and my coursefellows) would visit the pub after a hard day's work.and drink beer.and plenty of it.the beer habit stuck on to me.even now i enjoy drinking beer in a pub ambience in any part of the world.so what's wrong if women want to sit in a pub and relax by having a drink.there is nothing amoral about it.

bangalore is known as maximum pubs city.more than hundred pubs. a well-deserving sobriquet. and it has the largest number of billiards clubs too. all that will now vanish.thanks to our overzealous politicians.maharahtra dy cm went after dance bars.and after 26/11 he lost his job. now the karnataka cm is threatening closure of pubs. he may also meet with a similar fate.don't they have better things to do? like,e.g. mananging their states?

unexpected empathy for the rickshaw puller

there is empathy for the rickshaw wallah coming from the most unexpected quarters.there is a frenchman pedalling in bihar these days.he wants to understand the problems of the rickshaw wallahs.he is doing a research on their lives.he is doing a reality check by pedalling a well-decorated rickshaw on the dusty roads of sasaram,an nondescript town in western bihar.

john lui,40,a technical designer, has ideas for the welfare of the rickshaw pullers.he wants to provide them with social and emotional security after completing his research. something that they lack. he plans to visit varanasi,agra,delhi and a few other cities and towns before completing his research. the rickshaws don't pollute. but the rickshaw pullers are the victims of pollution on the roads, says john.

a tribute to the word apple-apples,apple of my eye and 'apple'.

i love apples like i love many other fruits. but i think apple is the king of fruits.its benefits are multifold. 'eat an apple a day and keep the doctor away' is a proverb which is so very true.Either tart or juicy or spicy or crunchy they deliver more for the buck than many other fruits. quercetin in apple is a powerful antioxidant which protects braincells from degeneration in rats, and might do the same in humans.the apple skin is rich in disease-fighting compounds.according to a new research from germany when the natural fibre in apple ferments in the colon,it produces chemicals that help fight canceer cells.and according to a recent survey, seniors who eat apples regularly are 37% less likely to have hypertension.

my grandaughter is the apple of my eye. she is beautiful,intelligent,sharp and perceptive and very fond of her 'thatha'(grandfather). i enjoy every moment i spend with her. she is the apple of my eye.

i am a proud possessor of some 'apple ' products. the first one was four years ago when i got an apple 'powerbook'. two years later,i got the 'macbook pro' and now i carry along with me whenever i travel the 'mac air'. my daughter and s-i-l gifted me an ipod on my 60th birthday. i bought a 'ipod nano' when i was viewing apple products in a 'apple' showroom in bengaluru last year. i am a true macintoshian or an appleian if i can call myself so. when i visited my daughter and s-i-l in the bay area and later in new york, i always dropped in at the swanky apple showrooms/service centres.and spent hours looking at and using the various models of laptops and ipods 'apple' is so famous for.and listening to the "itunes".

i am a great admirer and fan of steve jobs.he is a rock star. he is brilliant,the like of whom will be very difficult to see during my lifetime.he founded 'apple' inc alongwith steve wozniac. some ten years later he was thrown out in a corporate coup. he came back and with a vengeance worked and developed the company into a superperformer.ipods,itunes and now iphones. extraordinarily creative, a born innovator,a visionary,an autocrat with a notorious temper, all rolled in one.steve jobs and 'apple' are synonymous. he has worked wonders for 'apple' in the last twelve years.its share price went up astronomically though now it has been beaten down because of the economic slowdown.

i was saddened to read that he is suffering from pancreatic cancer and that he has taken long leave for five months.very few survive for more than five years.in spite of medical advances,no cure has been found for pancreatic cancer yet. i wonder why young and brilliant people fall prey to such a fatal disease. randy pausch another brilliant computer guy and MIT professor died a few months back felled by the same disease.in academics, when a good professor passes away,the loss is not as grievous as when a brilliant ceo in the corporate world suddenly leaves.to find a replacement for steve jobs will be very tough.charismatic leaders like him leave such an impact that minus them, the company they led becomes rudderless sans direction and sans vision.unless a successor is identified and groomed.shareholder value crashes dangerously. i hope it is not the end of the road for steve jobs and that he come backs to lead the company for many more years.

for me the word apple signifies well-being,beauty,love and success.

leapfrog into the 'blue frog'

last sunday we decided to go for brunch together with our children and our lovely grandaughter.it had to be a classy place.so we zeroed in on the intercontinental which is famous for its sunday brunches. my daughter called me to say that there would no buffet lunch at the international.so,what was my preference.i said you are the expert,you suggest.and then she said "how about blue frog?" i exclaimed as a thoroughbred veggie with shock, "what!". the name sounded repulsive.she repeated the name. and said that she had been there before and that i should definitely try it out. honestly,the name put me off a little bit.i was hesitant but reinforced by my daughter who has an uncanny sense of what i want, i decided to take a jump and leapfrog.

located in an old cotton mill warehouse,mathuradas, in parel,the entrance to the mill gives you no clue of what you are in for. the exteriors belie the spaceage interiors. once the club doors open you are in a different world altogether.ushered in by cheerful staff, we found ourselves to be the first to arrive at 11.15 am. and then a 'ghazni' looking guy appeared,lifted my hand and stamped on my right wrist. that was a gatepass for me to go out and come in till the session lasted upto 4.45 pm.

cool.it is a swanky place. there are cubicles with a centre table and a sofa around so that about four to five persons can sit comfortably. these tables are called pods. each pod is circled by a mahogany panel. there is a lot of space in the centre which i suppose would be a dancefloor at night. after all it is a famous nightclub too with live music performances. the restaurant has a slick and serene look. the centrepiece of the design is the long bar which gets 100 marks. entry is like into a roman amphitheatre. you go through a narrow passage not well lit, up a flight of stairs and see the panaroma unfolding before you. angled booths at staggering heights. from the seats, diners get a kaleidoscopic view of the dais and the other guests sitting in cubicles all around. there are two large projection screens. on the dais was a band who looked quite bored with just a handful of guests.l said that we had come in too early.the walls have huge bubbles supposedly for better acoustics.they are called acoustic absorbers which help to provide maximum sound quality. the ceiling is high and supported by wooden trusses.the architecture is very trendy.

the view of the buffet at the bar,the assorted tapas, was quite mind-boggling. there were salads galore.before going to the buffet bar we decided to have a drink at the table.h asked for a glass of champagne,l settled for an orange juice and chose for me a bloody mary. grandaughter r was the wisest of the lot. she drank plenty of mineral water.my potion was a stunning drink.it was one of the best,i have ever had.and then l ordered for me waffles with hot chocolate sauce.it was very filling.i wondered whether i would be able to do justice to the wide and exciting-looking spread. then i picked up all the greens from the salad bar and enjoyed the fine combination of spices exhuming a fantastic aroma and the smell of the fresh salads. grandaughter too went to the salad bar and helped by mama picked some bokchoy,beetroot and vermicelli. for the main course there was fish kedgeree,risotto and chicken stuffed parcels with herbs and onion coulis.for veggies,roesti with tossed vegetables and penne tomato with balsamic aubergine.and the grilled stuff included fish-olive tapenade,tiger prawns with spring onion pistau.malaysian chicken.pork ribs-maple and red wine and tenderlion burgers.l ordered a roesti and penne tomato which we both shared. both the dishes tasted delicious. and the 'piece de resistance' was the dessert buffet at the 'pit'. the centre of the complex. wow! what a variety of desserts.it was gastronomic nirvana.l was awestruck at my capacity to eat. how did such food appeal to a typically south-indian palate,she wondered. l was advising me to go slow. probably a bit scared looking at the way i was gorging. but when you pay 2k for a brunch why not make the most of it?

in sum, it was an exhilarating experience. the band disbanded after the first number. it was taped music thereafter. when we were about to leave, the hottest club in mumbai started vibrating. music lovers,food lovers,dance lovers,lovers and lovers started filling up. i must try this exotic club place at night some other time. i am sure it will be an electrifying experience.

this multifaceted outfit was started by two friends phatak and ghanekar who are jazz buffs and composers and musicians.then joined other partners.musicians,filmmakers and an ex investment banker and also a restaurateur.they wanted a 'cool' design for the studio for daily live music performances. the whole restaurant revolves around the music performances which is the main attraction.the business model for this restaurant is different.and it will surely become profitable as the word spreads.you get to see and hear the best music performers and drink the best wine and whisky and enjoy your food simultaneously. the tariff is steep but then you get your buck's worth.

'blue frog' gives a new meaning and dimension to live music. it is a revolutionary music project taken up by 'out of box' thinkers. there is live music performancce six nights a week.the 1000 sq meter complex has most modern sound labs and a music production base. all merge into a cohesive and exciting space offering amazing ambience and an inventive cuisine.
it is a place created by music lovers,of music lovers and for music lovers.