The Dubai Mall Book Club

"Is there a booking for a Book Club?"...my query was met by a wave of the hand, the petite hostess at PAUL's cafe flashing a brilliant smile at me.Taking that as an affirmative, I marched in, looking for a Book Clubbish table.

I saw Maha ( I now know it was she! ), the co-ordinator of the group, standing beside a vacant table, but I couldnt be sure... she looked at me expectantly too..but couldnt be sure either! I thought it best to go back to the hostess and have her guide me...... back to Maha!

"Nice to meet you. Please have a seat." I took to Maha's warm smile instantly, but had to excuse myself for a bit, to attend to some pressing matter at home ( i had misplaced my Debit Card!)

"I'll be back in 15-20 minutes. Please bear with me."

"No problem," was Maha's kind response.

20 minutes later, when i returned (my mission still unresolved ) to a full house, a chair was promptly pulled up and space created at the table.

Ten of us, from around the world...representing a myriad of backgrounds and religions; each one expressed what she thought of "The Bastard Of Istanbul" by Elif Shafak, each one's impression coloured by the prism of the culture that she viewed it through.

The Armenian genocide at the hands of Turkey being the underlying theme of the book; conflicts down the ages and in other parts of the world, the role religion plays to nuture those differences, the closure for those displaced by the conflicts; views on modernity and role of women in different societies; world politics were all discussed.

The US of A, Venezuela, Australia, UAE, Syria- Palestine n a "bit" of Turkey! Ireland, India and the UAE all found representation at this table of the United Nations!

Diana, Jennifer, Marta, Anne, Dina, Joe, Leila, Nalini and Maha; it was such a pleasure to meet you all. I have to admit i cant match the country to the name a 100%... but will get there next time.

I also regret that i could not go up to Book World with all of you to check out our next title "Please look after Mother" by Kyung-Sook Shin ( had to rush back to figure out how to solve the Lost Debit Card saga!)

I will be more organised next time :)!

　

Oh those Russians!

Russia's biggest export to the world?.....its Women! Yes.... statesque, and beautiful, they can be found where ever one goes on the planet...

Dancing Queen...

"Devender, i want a belly dancer for Kevin's 50th Birthday." This was some years ago and Devender, being FNB Director at the Le Meridien Delhi, was just the right guy to ask...and sure enough he put me on to the agent..

"Madam, if you want a Russian girl it will cost u x and an Indian girl will cost y.." No mention of an Egyptian girl, considering it is a Middle Eastern dance! But who was i to argue...and so the Russian it was..a pretty young thing...

Putting it down to the "gori" fetish that Indians suffer from, i set it aside

But.... i find its the same in Dubai....they r all over!

A Kimaya fashion show organized by Credit Suisse Dubai, showcasing shimmering lehnga cholis, anarkalis, and churidars kurtas........ modelled by?..... the blonde beauties, albeit, the more petite ones!!

I wonder why? Why do these young women leave their homes n family and embrace an uncertain future in a strange country.......even if there is an overwhelming demand for them?

Just emerging out of the grip of the 900 odd pages of the WW1 saga, "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follet; the extreme deprivation, poverty, hunger and abject hopelessness of the ordinary Russian at the time compelled me to view these women through  that prism.

In those days they were peddaling their bodies for a loaf of bread.......a hundred years on they r doing the same....maybe for slightly more....

Russia a component of BRIC...one of tbe fastest growing economies along with Brazil, India n China. Some of the other smaller erstwhile Soviet countries are on an upward economic trajectory as well.

With her "handler"..

Surely ample opportunities exist within their own systems?

Or is it what we call in India "non inclusive growth"?

Qd's

“You back from Del? Dinner tomorrow at a place of your hubby’s choice? ( the underlying threat being that it better not be Sanjeev Kapoor!!).

“How about the Irish village?” I think this was Kev’s attempt to redeem his rep with Prianka!

“That’s great….but Qd’s @ The Dubai Golf and Yatch Club is also an option”. By virtue of Verm being the senior denizen, we went with his choice….Qd’s it was!

The 40^Th Emirati National Day celebrations underway, Dubai is in holiday mode, events galore lined up day after day over the stretched weekend….

Arjun had his pals over for a sleep over…they spent the evening strolling down Emaar Boulevard, just down the road from us, with Keshav in attendance, admiring the dozens of Vintage beauties lined up on the sidewalk, all spruced and primed up for the Car Rally next day.

The home front taken care of, Kev and I set off, Sarfaraz ( Kev had no plans of teetotalling!) drove us to Qd’s in efficient time…..

All our earlier forays into the Creek Club have been to the yatchs. Still and quiet, the pretty boats bobbing in the rippling waters. Qd’s was another dimension….sprawling down to the water front, a bustling noisy open air lounge bar...the air filled with the smoky aroma from zillions of "shishas"...

“Did u guys book a table?” It seemed pretty full to me and more people walking up each minute!
“You can wait at the bar sir……a table for four by the waterfront, we will “collect” u as soon as one is available!”.... Well...we were "collected" even before Kev could retrieve our drinks from the bar, a big beefy guy, walky talky in hand, led us to our table by the waterfront.


The hostess left a cone of wedges at our table beauifully held up in a wire mesh stand...
"Did u ACTUALLY order this?"....considering that we were both struggling with the calories!
"No...it probably comes complimentary!" was Kev's explanation.

Anyways...in for a penny in for a pound, i thought and helped myself to one...ummmm.... n then another!

"I'm sorry madam, i will have to take this"...... it was some one else's order!!..never felt so foolish in my life...am hoping those guys did not miss the two wedges that i had!!!
Just then Prianka n Verm walked up...half an hour after us...."But i sent u a message!" Verm insisted. "No way, i never got any!....ah well...:)!

"A friend of ours will be joining us...he's a jeweller!" Prianka had had a busy day shopping for rocks...i guess the exerience had been so pleasant, she wanted to prolong it!

Jaideep turned out to be a great guy. The great company, the ambience, the nippy weather, the view, live music in the background....couldn't have asked for better!

Great choice, Verm!

What I miss....

The excitement of going back to Gurgaon/ Delhi was mounting....after the aborted trip in Oct for Shantanu's Memorial, i live in dread of Kevin's travel schedule!

Relegating Arjun to Keshav's capable hands, assured that Kev had no plans to go haring off, i was soon airborne and homeward bound! After 6 months...the longest time i've been away!

Sitting out in Jean and Puneet's lovely garden, enjoying the pre winter nip in the warm glow of good food, wine and 'shisha'....catching up with Anita, Kamal, Nandini n Benoy, Joy n Kiran and...APC...! It was a "happy club"!!

A luncheon rendezvous with the gals at the new ( at least for me!) Spaghetti Kitchen, included a bonus! In the form of Khannu!! Karen, Leera, Rema, Hems, Kamini, Jean...just like old times....missed u Lisa Puneeta n Vineeta.... There's always another time :)

Family beckons....a nice gathering at my uncle's place....was fun.....lil Arnav kept us entertained

Sangeeta so glad we caught up....i really dont know if i am sorry that u had to drop me back from the Vasant Vihar Club!! Thanks for the lovely lunch and the pep talk on my writing! Feeling so bad that ur Jan trip to Dubai is off :(

Kev and Arjun have arrived ....Arjun was thrilled and excited on three counts.
1. Missing a day at school
2. Visiting Gurgaon and more importantly Beverly Park
3. Staying with Sarthak in Beverly Park.

Can life get better than this?! Debu thanks for the lovely tea and taking such good care of Arjun.
It was a strange feeling....returning to Beverly Park....knowing that someone else is currently occupying our house...did not want to go up:(

In the meanwhile Kevin and I had been ordered by Nanju to show up at Olives in Sainik Farms.....yes this is the same Nanju of the Tarun fame ! who had guided us to Magique in Adchini not so long ago....fortunately Ritika and Anju salvaged the situation and guided us to Qutub! The "rickety" chic and dim lighting of the restaurant complemented/ camoflaged our "since morning" attire......the enthusiastic waiters jumping to pronounce every pan/ dish as "very hot". We were perplexed as to why the pans were hot and the food was not !! The kiwi margheritas were delicious tho...as was the freshly baked cake that we had ordered for
dessert. Looking forward to all u guys in Dubai....sooon. Nanju, notwithstanding urnewly acquired coffee plantation!

Nat and Chandra, such a pleasure that we could have lunch together. Kamal thanks for manouvering this buffet @The Chowk... and Jean came along too....happiness!

The wedding reception at the Mauyra, for which we were in Delhi officially, went off beautifully. Westview, My Humble House, Bukhara, Dum Pukht were the varied offerings....the decor ethereal and dreamlike in delicious pastels....

In the midst of lunches and dinners and wedding functions, i squeezed in a few moments to shop...not really critical coz everything "Indian" is readily available in Dubai.

Our hopes that Arjun's school would declare 27th Nov, Sun, a holiday for the Islamic New Year....well the moon did not oblige and i had to return with Arjun in time for school. Could not attend the Stephanian bash with Kev.

A bye bye lunch with Jean ( missed u Puneet) @Rodeo....and then to the airport......Kev came back the next day....changed suitcases and went on to Paris!

Cest la vie!

Return of the Native

Is this the best we have? .....

...Is the thought that fleetingly crossed my mind every time we returned home to Gurgaon, from a trip overseas.

The chaos, filth, indiscipline, the unruly traffic and shabbiness of our “Millenium  City” hits u at first and then recedes into the background, as one gets drawn into the business of everyday life in our individual cocoons of comfort and luxury. One is happy to be home.

But this time was different... i  was “visiting”, after a gap of 6 months, and the thought stayed.

WHY is it SO?

Dubai, the city that i was coming from is virtually owned, run and managed by Indians. The Indian diaspora across the world has done itself proud and is held in high esteem....it has been proven time and again that Indians excel in conducive environments, but in our own country we disintegrate into chaos?

Or is it really that? .... is it really about the people?  The people that do so well in other countries, in corporate environments within India, in little pockets of excellence like our metros; why and what pulls them down in their own country?

With a self serving government at the helm of affairs, whose primary duty seems to be to safeguard the interests of one family, the rest of us are reduced to second class citizens in our own country. A visit to any government office will further emphasise this feeling of second class citizenry, having to plead and grovel and bribe to get the most mundane of tasks done.

My experience here in Dubai, for all governmental work has been extremely positive,  streamlined, quick;  one is treated with respect and dignity, and even a pump of the hand!....makes me wonder, why i am  treated so badly in my own country.

The police, the investigating agencies and the rule of law in India is a joke, used as a tools of intimidation, to bring (or attempt to bring) naysayers to heel.

Citizens, with impressive track records, seeking  to reform this corrupt and rotten system are harassed and harangued on frivolous and imaginery “transgressions”. The media hounds them to please the establishment.

The same media is almost “celebratory” on the bail granted to anti nationals and criminals like Balwa and Kanimozhi. They are strangely silent on the arrears of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Meira Kumar, to the tune of Rs 2 crores.

Harvinder Singh is thrown into jail for doing what almost every Indian endorsed. On the other hand Jitin Prasad is ‘gracing’ Parliament, after having kicked an Indian on live TV.

Sadly, we seem to be heading towards becoming and oligarchic Banana Republic.

But all of this was temporarily numbed, the warmth and love of friends and family overshadowing it all.

I will keep going back...only for that.

PS: btw the only thing i have in common with Thomas Hardy’s  Clym Yeobright is failing eyesight!!

Divine Intervention...

“Simply beautiful,  amazing, early morning ‘Surya Darshan’ "….one of my friends commented on this picture.

“Surya Darshan” reflected off the Burj Khalifa!  Whilst clicking the pic I hadn't thought about it as poetically!…though it had struck a chord within me too..

Man made perfection enhanced and rendered even more spectacular by nature.
 
The Duomo in Milan, crafted by mankind over a period of 400 years, completed during the reign of Napoleon;  caught at sunset, the fading rays of the sun bestowing on it two tones ….gold and silver. Again spectacular.

I wonder how many such collaborations of man and God exist?…

Do share the ones u might have chanced upon…....

Arab Spring(s)!

On the Highway....

Imagine the delight of the first Bedouins, that must have chanced upon the hot water springs many thousands of years ago, in this hot Arabian Desert………. Not much different from the delight/sense of achievement, that the millions of young participants of the current Arab Spring, sweeping across North Africa and the Middle East, feel!

These Hot Springs, bubbling out the elixir of life, from the bowels of the earth, much before they gurgitated oil!.....are near Al Ain ( The Spring), the fourth largest city in the UAE.

Avenues of Al Ain

Sleepy, leafy, level 0! (no highrise)  Al Ain, in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, south of Dubai, is a picturesque drive thru, with its wide palm lined avenues and countless roundabouts! to the Springs at Green Mubazarrah at the base of the barren Jebel Hafeet, the highest mountain in the UAE…..Oman as usual just round the corner…or should we say “over the hill”?!!

THE Road!

“Is it really the best driving road in the world?” Arjun wanted to know, when he was told that the 11km road, rising 4000ft to the top of Jebel Hafeet was apparently an engineering marvel…… he firmly believed there could be no better roads than in Germany!!....... What intrigued and excited him further was that it had been featured in the Hindi movie “Race”!!

2 lanes up...1 down

The drive up the rough hewn, golden mountains was smooth, two lanes going up. Four thousand ft covered with ease and in minutes, our ears popping vigourously, the only calamity!

Jebel Hafeet

Sustenance at the top is dicey…if you are pally with the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi, u might wangle an invitation to the palace there! The option of The Mercure Grand Jebel Hafeet a kilometer down is second best!!

After a good tuck in of mezze and burgers, the Green Mubazarrah beckoned to us…… We got lost is another matter!....The GPS lady took us onto a “Abu Dhabi Truck Road”!.....And the sign posting was not the best….

“ I’m driving back to Dubai..” After much persuasion, both pleading and coercive, Kevin relented…..and soon we found Green Mubazarrah!



right on top!

it's HOT!

Sitting along one of the canals, the balmy afternoon sun surprisingly quite pleasant, we dipped our feet gingerly into the hot gushing water….and splashed around happily….yes Kev had “cooled” down! The artificially greened hillocks around us contrasted dramatically with the larger barren golden mountains behind them…..Arjun and Keshav took an expedition up one...waving frantically to us from up there!

Artificially, because the water from these “Arab Springs” is brackish. Must have been disappointing for those early Bedouins…….

Hopefully the current Arab Spring erupting in Northern Africa and the Middle East, will give a new life to the region, and not end up as mere “showcasing” too….



 Inshallah!