birthday night at the ' the intercontinental'

our daughter l decided to give me a treat on my sixtyfifth birthday. as my better-half and my s-i-l were travelling, it was just the two of us. we had to pick a place where we could go without much hassle and just chill out. we looked at several options. and then zeroed in on 'the intercontinental' at marine drive which is at walking distance from our home.

'the dome' at the intercontinental is a very interesting restaurant located on the eighth floor of the hotel and on the rooftop. one gets a kaleidoscopic view of the arabian sea and the marine drive promenade with a breathtaking look at the glittering 'queen's necklace'. with a stunning view that it has to offer and the comfortable lounging swish white sofas,you can have a very relaxing evening with your friend and choose from a varied selection of drinks and cigar.there is a private glass enclosed bar as well in the centre of the restaurant. a white tent was already provided in anticipation of the monoon.i ordered a mojita with plenty of ice which was excellent and very satisfying. it is a great place to unwind.we chatted for a while and i caught up on a lot of things that i had missed out.both of us travel a lot on work.we found the drinks a bit overpriced though; but then one rationalises it by saying to oneself that you are also paying for the ambience and the style statement.

when we dine at the 'intercontinental', we prefer to go to the 'dome' first for a drink and later descend to the 'kabab corner' on the first floor for a north indian meal. the sardarji steward is a friendly guy who makes our stay as pleasant as possible with his quick and witty service and wonderful manners. the 'kabab corner' is spacious,guest-friendly and the waiters dressed in black coats bend over backwards attending to every request that you make.the kebabs are to die for,even the vegetarian stuff.they just melt in your mouth.after all isn't it the top kebab place in town? we ordered a variety of indian bread,dal makhani and some baingan curry. the kebabs,the ambience and the service compensated to a large extent for the lack of real flavour in the food.

when the cheque arrived,i offered to pay up. l would have nothing of it and she graciously signed the cheque with heavy tips to the waiters.it was a wonderful treat from a loving daughter to a doting father.

'vepampoo'(neemflower) rasam

this is not a very popular rasam as it has a bitter tinge because of the flower of the neem leaves. the taste has to be cultivated.but neem has some great healing properties.it is an excellent deworming agent.also by regular consumption the digestive system can be strengthened. and if cooked well it can be a very stimulating and satisfying rasam.

when we lived in chembur in the mid-seventies, we had a large neem tree in our garden.it was the first tree that my mom had planted. during season,i enjoyed picking up the flowers.they have a good smell though when you consume the cooked rasam it tastes a bit bitter.

if what i have said above doesn't put you off, try this method with the following ingredients:

3 tsp ghee,one and half table spoonful dried neem flowers,one small ball of tamarind,1/2 tsp rasam powder,one tablespoon jaggery.i small tomato cut into four parts and add 1 tsp salt for taste. make a spice paste of 1 tsp ghee,1 tsp pigeeon pea,3 red chilies.1/2 tsp methi seeds.1/2 tsp hing.

take tamarind, make a small ball of it and soak it in about one cups of water.after some time squeeze the tamarind to the fullest.keep the water plus tamarind solution.put the tamarind water on the stove and add salt and asfoetida to the solution.boil this combination.take a pan,add some oil and red chillies.wait for the chillies to turn black.then add 'vepampoo'.once the 'vepampoo' also turns quite black for a good flavour add the chillies and 'vepampoo' to the boiling solution.add another cup of water,bring to boil and remove from stove.tadkafy with seasoned mustards.
dress it up with coriander leaves and curry leaves also.

serve it hot with plain rice or it can be taken separately as a soup.

a simple recipe for a delectable 'sundal'

sunday is a good day to have 'sundal'. as an evening tiffin when you are looking for a snack that can keep you going till dinner time. on normal working days,i return home rather late and there is just time to shower and head straight for the 'sappadu'(meals). our cook gb who is a maharashtrain makes delicious 'sundal'.since the main ingredient is dried beans,the protein in the beans makes it an energetic food and it is very easy to make. during navarathri, in traditional south indian homes,women are invited to participate in the golu festival-a festival of dolls. every evening a different type of sundal is prepared.

during my childhood days,i would visit my grandma who lived in a village about 100 miles south of chennai during the summer holidays. without fail, we would be treated to a cup of 'sundal' either made at home or taken as a 'prasad' from the village temple.old habits die hard, they say. i still have my sundal at least once a week.

here is the recipe for what gb made today:

what are the ingredients?

• 2 cups chana dal
• 6 green chilies
• some curry leaves
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut and 1 red chilli
• 1&1/2 tsp mustard Seeds and a dash of asfoetida
• 1 table spoon iodised salt
• oil for seasoning

and what is the method to be followed?

• wash and soak chana dal for 12 hours preferably overnight
• cook it in the pressure cooker with some salt.
• take the frying pan and pour oil,heat the oil and add mustard seeds to the heated oil.
• when it splutters add the chilies and fry for two to three minutes.
• add pressure cooked channa dal, curry leaves, shredded coconut, and salt and mix well.

quite easy to make and tasty to eat,it is nutritious as well. what are you waiting for? put on the apron and just do it.

parupppu urandai(balls) kozhambu

i have a great partiality for this kozhambu. on a first look, a north indian might think it is kofta curry. but a deeper look will reveal the truth and he will wonder how he was completely deceived. he wouldn’t have bargained for tur daal balls soaking in hot gravy. it is not easy to make. if the tur daal balls are too hard, your teeth could get into some trouble or if it is too soft, it will just crumble in the mouth and you have lost the taste and the fun.it should be just hard enough to breakdown when you bite into it and give you that lovely tangy feeling of tamarind and dal. when mixed with rice and eaten you don’t really need a vegetable accompaniment.

what are the ingredients that go into this explosive kozhambu?

for the kuzhambu- one small lemon size tamarind,one teaspoon sambhar powder,very little turmeric powder,one-half teaspoon mustard seeds, a dash of hing powder,two red chillis, two tablespoons of oil, some curry leaves and coriander leaves.

for the paruppu urandai- half cup tur daal,one red chilli,onehalf teaspoon of salt and a bit of hing powder..

and here is how you prepare the paruppu urandai:

1) soak the tur daal for an hour or so.
2) add red chilli,hing powder,and salt. grind into a thick batter with water.
3) take a kadai,pour one table spoon of oil add the daal batter and stir till it is cooked well and leaves the walls of the kadai.remove it and place it in a plate and allow to cool.then roll into small size balls . place it on a idli plate and steam cook.
4) it is not really necessary to steam it. if the paruppu urandais are not well cooked it may dissolve in the water.

and how about the kuzhambu?

1) soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water.extract the juice after some time.repeat and add salt and turmeric powder.
2) heat one table spoon oil in a kadai.allow the mustard seeds to splutter and then add the sambhar powder,hing powder.stir,add the curry leaves and add to tamarind water.
3) boil the tamarind water.add the paruppu urandais carefully.again boil in average heat.
4) add chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice.

our cook gb has been preparing it for the last so many years from time time to time.yet she has not mastered it.those of you who haven't tried cooking this delectable stuff,don't hesitate to try it. i have heavily borrowed the recipe from andu patti's cookbook.she can't be wrong! and there is paruppu urandai rasam too! wait for some hot rasams. they are coming.with the monsoon.

rest your head on the teddy bear and listen to the singing rabbit

about a fortnight back when i was in kolkata i visited the crossword book store.i like the place for its quiet and simple ambience. i spent a couple of hours browsing through the latest books,had some hot chai and picked up a few books in the process.i also went to the toys section as i coudn't imagine myself returning home emptyhanded without any gifts for our dear grandchildren-r1 and r2.

r1 will be completing 2 years early next week while r2 is 6 months young.both are lovely little girls.r1 is a puzzle guzzler.so,a puzzle is a must must gift. and she loves to play with colours.therefore, a colourbook is also 'de riguer' when i go outstation. r2 watches all the hungama her elder sister makes with absolute mirth in her eyes almost saying "hey sis,what's all this fuss about? in addition to the compulsory gifts,this time i got a teddy bear chair for r1 and a musical rabbit for r2. they are fond of our two cockerspaniels mango and cherry.i decided to bring in two more animals to provide them with a virtual zoo at home.

the bear chair is a cute bear headrest made out of vinyl and very portable(inflatable) hopefully durable and comfortable.the rabbit sings when a button is pressed and even taps with one leg and shakes the others.it's fun watching the rabbit in action.these toys are made in china and they are pretty inexpensive.one has to be careful with toys from china because of the toxicity in some of their products. sadly,our toys don't match up to the china standards.though i have bought wooden choppus from chennapatna and other toys in mumbai toy shops they fall far short of the ingenuity of the chinese. the toy market in india is huge.unlike when we were young and hardly played with toys,the present generation of parents literally dump their children with all sorts of toys.it is high time we start excelling in this industry and give the chinese a run for their money.

"nungu, nungu"

nungu is a very unique fruit.it is the kernel of the palmyra tree.the nungus are cream coloured and are heart shaped. each fruit has one or two kernels in it. whether it is mumbai or kolkata or titilagarh in orissa,i found roadside vendors stacking up these almost black looking fruits during this hot summer season. and they were getting sold like hot cakes.
.
though many eat the nungu with the fibre, most peel off the skin and eat it with relish without biting it into pieces but by putting the whole nungu in the mouth and gradually sucking it . you get a lovely feeling when it travels down your mouth.it tastes like sweet white jelly. some like to add some chaat masala while others prefer to put a dash of sugar and cardamom powder on it. I like it plain.

from a nutrition point of view,the fruit is terrific. it has a high content of phosphorous and calcium and hardly any fat.

when we were young we would visit our grandma(paatti) living in a village near villupuram every year during the summer vacation. every afternoon during our stay which would be for about a month,she would select soft nungus from the seller who used to enter the village shouting “nungu,nungu” at the top of his voice. we would rush to our paatti and inform her that the nungu vendor had arrived. she would then tie up small change in her sari and come out of the main entrance door and bargain with the nunguwalla and get us the best nungus for the best price.my brothers,sister and myself woud rejoice once the purchase was made.paatt would then place them in a plate and gradually skn off the top creamy coloured layer. voila,the fruit was then ready to be gobbled up!

the shelf life of nungus is very poor.the taste is best when it is just taken out, have nungus in plenty and beat the heat.don't postpone your buying decision as the monsson is around the corner.

if you have any suggestions of how this delicious fruit can be used to prepare something very tasty,do send me your comments.

pearls of wisdom

recently a supreme court bench passed down some nuggets of wisdom. and it came from their personal experiences as the honourable judges claimed. we have to seriously give a thought to what they said. to the effect that if your wife says that the sun rises in the west, say yes and buy peace. the wife is always right.

it is happiness rule no 1 for all married people. when a divorce case was being heard in the apex court, the judges observed that the only path to happiness lay in agreeing to whatever the wife says.

how many of us married folks will agree to the hon'ble bench's advice, i do not know. there is a hindi saying that "hum sab joru ka gulam hain"(we are all subservient to our wives). perhaps the judges both from the north had this in their minds.when the supreme court judges have given a stamp to this maxim,is there any point in trying to breach it?

obey your wife and rule the world.

the omnipresent mango

this is the season of mangoes.whether you are in mumbai or kolkata or even titilagarh in orissa, the versatile mango appears to be omnipresent. the king of fruits is dominating the fruits markets with its handsome appearance,delectable aroma and warm feel. when i was in kolkata last month there was a full blown campaign on the new pepsico mango drink called 'slice' with their brand ambassador,the lovely katrina kaif making you drop everything and go for the mango drink.

how blessed we are that we get so many varieties of mangoes in our country. maharashtra,goa,bihar,gujerat,karnataka,madhyapradesh,kerala,orissa,tamilnadu, west bengal,andhra pradesh are all mango producing states.alphonso grown in maharashtra and goa of course is the king of kings.but then there are so many other varieties too which unfortunately get overshadowed by the mighty aapus.i just got a list made of thirty-five varieties of mangoes that we grow. i am sure that there are many more.

bombaiya,malda,pairi,safdarpasand,suvarnarekha,langda,rajapuri,alampur,baneshaan,alphonso,
banglora,baiganpalli,dasahari,gulab khaas,jardaalu,roomani,samar bahisht,vanraaj,fazli,safeda
lucknow,neelam,imam pasand,malgoa,chousa,cherukuraasam,himayuddin,himsaagar,kishan
bhog,sukul,bathua,totapari,kesar sirki,aamrapaali,mallika.etc. frankly,i have lost count.they are
all different but great in taste.no wonder mango is so extensively used in chutney,papad,pickles,
daal,biryaani,icecream,kulfi etc.

of all the varieties above my favourites are alphonso,dasheri,imam pasand and beganpalli.interestingly,imam pasand comes from a very close relation's family stable.the tatachari's of srirangam.my cousin's father,a great horticulturist, had won a gold medal from the president of india in the early seventies for having developed such a tasty variety in his mango orchards at srirangam near trichy.thanks to them we used to get a regular quota of this delicious imam pasand.

the mutipurpose mango(all the parts of the tree are used for various health and medicinal requirements) is also used in pakistan by enemies when they want to make peace with each other.but then the mangoes have to be from your own farm if you are sending it to your enemy.only then the gesture gets accepted as a genuine attempt to break the ice.recently after the general election results were out,the pmk party which was routed were at the receiving end from their dmk brothers who squeezed mangoes and beat these mangoes with chappals to vent their anger at the pmk traitors who deserted them before the elections and joined the aiadmk. and in far off peru in latin america peasants refused to give up their mango farms even under intense pressure from powerful vested interests who wanted to mine for gold in the same place.love for mangoes know no barriers.

the great poet kalidas,the urdu poet amir khusro and mirza ghalib have all heaped praise over the mango fruit in their compositions. mango finds a place in indian culture and history from time immmemorial. even in the aapastamba sutra,valmiki ramayana and tulsidas's ramcharitmaanas and mahabharata mango has received unequivocal praise.

there is an hindi saying that there are two things that can never be replaced.the mango of hindustan and the taj mahal.
"do woh cheejain hain,jinka nahin hain badal
hind ka aam aur tajmahal."

the glittering golden day

this year akshaya tritiya was on monday 27th april.it is a very auspicious day.you don't have to see muhurtams or rahukalams.any time during this day is good time.whatever you do will be a success.akshaya means that it does not diminish. lord krishna in the mahbharata gives the famous akshaya patra to his cousins the pandavas who have no shortage of food in the forest because of lord krishna's unique gift. this is also the day when one of the avatars of lord vishnu,parashurama was born.

for the last few years i have been buying some gold on this auspicious day. on my own,i might not as i am not all that fascinated by the yellow metal.i don't wear a chain or a ring or anything in gold. gold for me is to be kept for a rainy day. with alternate investment opportunities having dried up due to the economic meltdown,i bought some gold driven more by emotion than any prudent investment decision.

kotak and icici are two banks who aggressively push the sales of gold during akshaya tritiya and deepavali. as a regular patron,i get some discount. the prices are also special to encourage potential buyers.a friend of mine tracks gold prices on a regular basis.he recommended that i buy and he also gave me a rosy forecast.some don't share his optimism.they say that as an investment it has more negatives than positives.they think it is a long term underperformer. they opine that once equity is back with a bang,gold will go on the backburner. i don't take any of these extreme views. in balance it is not a bad investment.i buy gold which is easily marketable, in the form of swiss made biscuits. i ended up the day with a big hole in my purse. the redeemimg feature was that it had found its way in a different form to my bank locker.

hona toh sona!

the zoozoos

my last post was on the mumbai jijamata zoo.this one goes one step further. this post is on zoozoos. what are zoozoos? they are human beings and nothing to do with animals or birds.they look as if they have arrived from an alien planet. they are the talk of the town.brilliantly conceived by o&m marketing agency,they appear in the vodafone ads.they are fun to watch and provide comic relief.

zoozoos are not animation,but small-bodied thin women under layers of white fabric.while watching the ipl matches, i came across these ads during the commercial breaks.the lovable big-headed creatures have already a huge fan following(thirtyfive thousand) in facebook and viewed 13,000 times last week on youtube.more fans than advani and manmohan singh.the girls shriek,"they are so cute'! unlike animation looking like real,this is the opposite. real people looking animated. stick-bodied creatures with egg like heads, they are a delight to watch. like the hutch dog ads this one too is a smashing success.

trick photography makes them look smaller than they really are.facial expressions were made out of rubber and pasted on the actors.their fast movements are made intentionally to make it look comical.the voices are also fast in gibberish multiplied several times.29 different zoozoo ads have been created especially for the ipl.merchandise like keychains,t-shirts and mugs and mobilephone stands are in huge demand.look at the zoozoos and enjoy the fun.more zoozoos and less cricket.o&m have achieved a bloodless coup for vodafone..

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.