Ruminations.......

We are the World....

2012-02-14T08:11:00.000-08:00

“Arjun, I think I’ll wear a salwar kameez for your International Day.”

“No Mama…u can’t do that … salwar kameez is Pakistani, you have to wear an “Indian” dress!”

Moi... n the red glitter!

Not wanting to belabor the point that Pakistanis also wear salwar kameez , and sensing his desire that I should wear a Sari and dress unequivocally “Indian”, I acquiesced.

International Day @Emirates International School…children from 81 countries around the world, each one required to wear his/her national dress…and the parents too!

The only problem here was, that all my saris were packed away and stored in Delhi…what I had here were mainly the colour of night, for evening wear.. stars and spangles et al! Ah…but there is this bright red one (Lesha’s actually) that could be worn during the day…….even if it is slightly glittery

I need not have fretted….most other parents had “dressed up" to the occasion too!... The huge dining room, the massive soccer field outside and the areas around it, milling with at least a couple of thousand of the EISM fraternity.

Colourfully, decorated stalls, manned by Moms n Dads in their traditional finery….. displaying handicrafts from around the world and offering a delicious variety of cuisines …. Gratis!

Just nibbling at tidbits from each stall had us feeling “stuffed”!

The Brownies!

Arjun’s favourite being the biscuit thin brownies at the American stall, the last bit of chocolate the nice gentleman at the Ukraine stall gave him, the kebabs at the Pakistani stall, the fish balls at the Thai stall, the baby samosas at the Indian stall, the cheese and crackers at the Dutch, the…....!!

The stage in the centre of the field was alive to the song and dance, a wonderful coming together of the world. Traditional, folk and popular music and dance entertained us all….could Bollywood be far behind?!

All in all….we are the world….we are the children……

Arjun's video :)

Billy O!

2012-02-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVp-ycAefgQ&feature=related

“Please go to the Irish Village tomorrow n pick up four tickets for the Billy Ocean Concert for the 3rd Feb. Verm and Priyanka are also coming “. I was given this errand sometime mid Jan’12 by hubby dearest.

Come the 18^th Jan, Wed evening, Prianka’s email popped up at me , “ Can u fill me up on tomorrow’s scene?” Baffled, I replied that i had no clue but would check with Kev and get back to her. Maybe these guys had fixed something for the weekend, I thought .

“So there’s no Billy Ocean @ The Irish Village tomorrow?”

AAh….! The penny dropped with Prianka ‘s reply….. Blunderbuss had been at work again!!

I must state here that when I had picked up the tickets, the date for the concert was 4th Feb and not 3rd as I had been instructed.

Kev had told Verm that the concert was on the 3^rd, Verm had “heard” Thursday! and hence Prianka’s email to me on Wed!! Comedy of errors or what?!

Anyway come 4^th Feb Prianka and Verm had morphed into Akbar and Kapil.....but we were not done yet! On arrival at the Irish Village we were told that the moon had decided that it was the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed …..no alcohol …no concert…come back tomorrow.

I have to say, this was very unlike Dubai…they invariably are more organized…but I guess births are unpredictable!

Billy Ocean…finally! The charming outdoors of the village, dominated by the massive structure of the stage, thronged with scores of people. The crowd, mostly Irish, with a smattering of “others” us included !.. was serious about their “tippling” at the bars set up all over, outside..... or inside the Irish Pub too, where a soccer match on a massive screen vied with Billy Ocean for ear and eyeballs! Tough!

But as Billy O himself says, "When the Going gets Tough, The Tough Get Going"!...and got going he did!

The crowds swaying and dancing and singing along, was exhilarating….. the atmosphere festive. When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going, Loverboy , Suddenly, Caribbean Queen…he sang them all…

For those that desired there was a sumptuous and authentic Irish buffet on offer, including the Irish stew and…… Chicken vindaloo!!..probably for relief!

We did desire!

The Dubai Mall Book Club

2012-01-31T08:20:00.001-08:00

"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!

2012-01-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

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

2011-12-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

“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....

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-30T02:57:00.000-08:00

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...

2011-11-18T05:06:00.000-08:00

“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)!

2011-11-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

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!

Go Anna!

2011-11-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

"Will India stand by Team Anna inspite of controversies?" is the question posed by a survey doing the rounds on the internet.....

What choices does India have?....what options does India have?

The corrupt, self serving government and political establishment on the one hand.

In contrast, there is Team Anna, a motley group of average guys who have taken on the mantle of social work and activism, against all odds, and at risk to themselves; with long and proven track records of good solid work.

Then there are the Doubting Thomases, the nay sayers, who actually raise this question......this is a sorry section of India, who will do nothing to improve the situation themselves......they are invariably beneficiaries of the "system"....Rajya Sabha nominees, Padma Shree reciepients, plum positions etc. Their only role is to try and divert/obfuscate the debate away from the primary issue, ie. corruption, in an obvious attempt to try and get their "political masters" off the hook. This section is amplified and given visibility by the "paid" media.......status quo is their mantra...

And then there is Digvijay Singh........! Single handedly this guy has eroded the Govt's credibility even further.....

Therefore, to my mind the choice before India is easy.....Go Anna!

Having said that, controversies regarding members of Team Anna, whether real or manufactured by the "dirty tricks" department of our lily white goverment, must be probed and investigated to the logical conclusion ....and if found guilty of transgression, punishment must be meted out.

But what does boggle the mind, is that Dr.Kiran Bedi has been so "stupid" (pardon the lingo) to let 35 years of money making opportunities, ( serving in our corrupt politician driven police force), to pass by, miss out on the opportunity to make crores, and now the poor lady has to "make" money by downgrading herself to economy class! How corrupt can she get!!

Kejriwal is another one of the "stupid" category!.......Imagine giving up a "lucrative" position in the "juicy" IRS, losing out on the opportunity to amass millions.....and now the silly fellow has to borrow Rs 900,000 from friends, to pay the damages slapped on him by our honest and upright, and highly efficient Government.....!

The government and politicians obviously do not hold our intelligence quotient in high esteem.....they do not believe that we are able to separate the wheat from the chaff.....

Perhaps they are unwittingly ringing their own, long overdue!.. death knell....

The chorus in the country and abroad is.....

Anna tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hain.....!

Diwali....by Armani!

2011-10-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

A new place, a new life, a new way of celebrating Diwali...!

Decorating the house with lights and diyas, rangoli adding just the right dash of colour, attired in all our traditional finery....but no fire works....

But then it IS the Festival of Lights and not the Festival of Noise.... Right?!!

Goddess Laxmi was duly invited into our home, along with Ganeshji, and whilst they contemplated our fervent pleas, we decided to nip out and keep our date with Mr Armani!

Amal@Armani Hotel is Giorgio Armani's superlative offering of Indian cuisine to the world!....yes!! Not Italian, not Mediterranean not even Arabic but good old butter chicken has the pride of place!

On the third floor of the hotel, it is by far, the best located restaurant in the Armani Hotel@ Burj Khalifa.

Through the main lobby of the hotel, the understated elegance catching one's breath with it's starkness, a passage leads u in a maze- like fashion to the elevator and then to the 3rd floor....

A welcome drink @ lounge with the dulcet tones of the live sitar accompanied by the tabalchi, are an option....... But we passed coz Arjun was hungry!

Booking a table by the window is a MUST MUSt MUst!..... Or even better, and weather permitting, on the beautiful terrace.

Weather was permitting on this beautiful Oct night!....and the hostess led us out to our table with a vantage view of the water body of the Dubai fountains, the sparkling lights of the Souk Al Bahar, Old Town, The Address Hotel.... and yes our own apt building.... We could see the lights twinkling on our balconies...... need to keep a watchful eye.... never know when Laxmiji decides to visit!!

In the meanwhile, Alan, designated by Mr Armani! ( Alan btw is from back home Bangalore!) showed up to turn down our fine linen napkins and guide us through the process of achieving the best results off the Menu......

Smart chap, Mr Armani, did not try to extend his designing talents here!.. and left it to Vijay Anand, a two star Michelin chef, to do a commendable job with the menu....

Arjun devoured the crackling chocolate mousse and vanilla icecream, in a ball of thin cocolate, that melts as the hot chocolate is poured over it....to reaveal the wonder within!....."the best item on the menu!" declared Alan, laying down a complimentary plate of Indian "mithai" as a Diwali gesture.....

All in all a magical evening... the food and drink merely complementing the entire experience....the fountains enthralling us every 25 mins swaying and dancing in tandem to the music....Sometimes stately and tall, sometimes bending over, or just rippling on the water surface....

Kevin forbade photography....If u behave like a tourist.......( grrr!.. the unspoken menace! ) So no visuals!

On our way out, the sitarist offered to perform for us...a ghazal of our choice ( should have seen Kev's face!!!!)....sadly i had to compliment them and move on!

Marvellous.....will definitely be back soon....much before next Diwali!

Happy Diwali!

2011-10-21T22:21:00.000-07:00

"Don't worry darling!....I'll get the golden gazelle for you...!"
Rama promised Sita in his perfect British accent, in the cutest Ramlila that I have seen!

Kids, from age 5 to 14, enacted their version of the Ramayana at the Villa of one of Kevin's business associates at Jumeirah Islands......resplendent in their royal finery, they had the guests of all hues, colour and nationality, engrossed and amused by their rendition!

"Relax bro!"..... Bharat reassuring Rama, "give me ur shoes, and i shall place them on the throne and keep your kingdom safe for u until u come back from your exile in the forest!"

In the forest, Ravana tried to charm a reluctant Sita in his American twang.... But she would not listen! An aggressive Sita if there ever was one!! Finally screaming and kicking he abducted her!

Rama, cute little fellow, good six inches below Sita! .....started his search for her, with Laxman drawling his sleepy encouragement, "Don't worry bro, we will find her soon!"

Entry Hanuman, cute n chubby, and seemed of American descent too! He scampered around with alacrity, doing Rama's bidding...... Delivering the ring to Sita in Lanka, setting it on fire with his tail...... Darting in the midst of the audience to bring back the life saving "jadi buti"......

In the meanwhile Ravana, egged on by Sita's obduracy in not succumbing to his Americanised "charms", and his sister, 'Super'nakha's tale of woe at the hands of the two bros....Rama n Laxman, declared war.

But alas, inspite of interventions by a massive sleepy Kumbhkaran, Ravana had to pay for his sins with his life.....and Rama returned victorious to Ayodhya with Laxman n Sita..

Much joy erupted on the stage....

"Whoopee! the demon king is dead.....party time! Happy Diwali!!"

If only.....

2011-10-16T23:25:00.000-07:00

Shahrukh whined and cried himself hoarse, "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist"....

Has that dented the American resolve?.....reduced racial profiling or diluted commitment to fighting jihadi terror?

Last night Kevin and i had the opportunity to dine with an American Iranian or Iranian American.....whichever way u chose to see him!

Relaxed in the luxurious ambience of "Shabistan", purportedly the best Iranian restaurant in the UAE, strains of the lilting music, played by two Persian gentlemen, washing over us.... Our guest, over a bottle of vintage Pinot Noir, corked and not screwed, i might add!.... gave us an insight to his world view.....

"Look at Dubai," gestering towards the panoramic view of the Creek, outlines of the dhows twinkling on the shimmering water......embraced by an arc of the most ultra modern buildings..... "These Arabs made it out of nothing".

Ruing the fate of his home country, his accented American becoming more pronounced with emotion,

"We in Iran have more culture, more money, more resources, both men and material, but sadly, not good leadership.......do you know, when the Sheikh inaugurated the first bar in Dubai, the more conservative guys in his government objected......he then pointed out to them the spectacular skyline of Dubai and reminded them that all this has happened only with the help of the expats.....he said to them, 'I have built both mosques and bars.... YOU have the choice to go where u wish' "

The sad state of affairs in Iran has compelled our guest to live in America, with his wife n kids for the last 21 years.... Even though the rest his family are in Tehran......
"American society is built on mutual respect and trust......the trust unfortunately has been eroded of late but we have no one else to blame but ourselves!........ The Iraqis, Iranis.......the North Koreans!"

An enlightened world view, even if made pliant by fine wine, music n kebab!......but more of it would be welcome to make the world a better place..

Moral of the story...more wine and less whine?!

If only......

Up Up n away!

2011-09-28T06:11:00.000-07:00

Ready for take off!

“Wake up at 3am!....no way!!”...... Shab or no Shab, Kev was not having it!

Shabnam, Kevin’s friend from days gone by, was visiting us in Dubai...... high on her “ to do” list was Hot Air Ballooning!.......Arjun and I were excited about it, but Kev was not inclined to ruin his Friday by starting the day at 3am!! Early-ish dinner and setting up of alarms had us all organised for the pre-dawn pick up by the Balloon Company.

The Balloon site was deep into the desert, within the triangle formed by Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Two vans and a couple of SUVs formed our “caravan”!...no camels though!! We were a motley group of 16, led by Chris , our Kiwi pilot. His instructions over, we settled down for the drive into the desert.

The French “delegation” on this mission was full of pep, laughing n chattering nineteen to the dozen, Thierry their cheerleader enthusiastically pumping our hands in introduction! An Aussie couple that had flown into Dubai for the weekend! from Perth!!! ....sharing their magical experience of Ballooning over the Masai in Africa.... Two big American guys, one heavily tattoed with a web of designs.....most striking the “Namaste” in Devnagri on his biceps!!.....and a Mexican couple....and the three of us!

The ballooning site was an hour away...we reached whilst it was still pitch dark....the idea is to catch the sunrise in the desert and beat the heat. Imagine the temperatures the air inside the balloon has to be raised to, considering the already high ambient!...Cooler climes are certainly more conducive to Hot Air Ballooning!

The "flame"!

The efficient crew set to work ....first blowing up the balloon and filling it up with air.....once it was filled and upright along with the wicker basket attached to it, that was going to carry all 16 of us and......Chris, the pilot got busy with the process of heating the air inside the balloon.....a huge stainless steel commercial gas cylinder spewing an angry flame into the bowels of the balloon....angry, I guess because each cubic foot of hot air in the balloon can lift only 7 grams!!...No wonder the darn things are soo HUGE!!

Scrambling up!

Chris though was undeterred and had it up n ready in a short while... final instructions done ...especially about landing, first!....we were all set for the MOMENT.....There were no escalators or “flights” of stairs to help you gracefully ascend into the basket.....skills at clambering on to the sides and hurling yourself in to the basket came in handy!!

The flame was now only a few feet away from us, shooting straight into the balloon and as our pilot increased its ferocity....we gradually took off!

Hummous!

What a feeling!....as we gradually left the ground behind and floated up....the vans and SUVs becoming mere specks...We gently floated into the desert, the ripples of unspoiled golden sand stretching out endlessly around us.....sprinkled with a dusting of reddish sand brought in by the ‘shamal’( desert winds) from the parts of the desert with richer hues.....much like a paprika garnish over rich creamy hummous!!

Sunrise

The sun in the meanwhile had decided to peek at us in the distance....the deep orange glow illuminating the darkness of dawn....within a few minutes transforming into a huge golden ball in the distance....spectacular!

Shadow of the balloon

It was a clear day with a flawless blue sky and the winds blowing in the “right” direction...Cruising at 18 miles per hour...we were steadily moving deeper into the desert... ...the ripples now not merely ripples but serious dunes, undulating majestically....the stark and barren beauty broken only by the odd shrub...it is these that the wild gazelles of the desert feed on.....Chris. our pilot pointed out the fleeting gazelles to us...but they were so “fleeting” and on the other side of the basket, that arjun n I did not get a glimpse of them!...but all was not lost....Shabnam did!

Our pilot’s running commentary on the sights and sounds around was suddenly filled with excitement,

“I think the Sheikh is out with his Falcons....if we are lucky we might get to see one in action.” He slowly navigated the balloon in the direction of the Sheikh’s entourage.

The sudden mid air swoop of the falcon on the on the petrified fluttering pigeon took us all (including Chris) by surprise. The collision with the balloon had little impact on the falcon but the poor pigeon fell from its predator’s hooked beakto the ground, doubly wounded by the hit.....we watched with fascinated horror, as the falcon again swooped on its prey....luckily the poor thing found refuge under one of the SUVs

Our pilot, in the meanwhile was going through palpitations!....

“Do you guys know that each one of those falcons cost between 250,000 – 500,000 dirhams? I would have to shut down the company to compensate for the loss of the falcon!”

His grin belied his apprehension....but they actually do cost that much and falconry is a much favoured sport in these parts. I guess we were lucky to be spectators to this sport in mid air....that too at such close quarters!

Soon the excitement subsided and we were ready for landing....NOTHING could have prepared us for it! The pilot’s warnings and instructions notwithstanding!.....The first THUDD!....then a bounce...then thud again....we were jostled around like nine pins....except we were all braced against the back of our compartments, our feet pushing ahead, hands tightly gripping the thick rope loops on the sides of the basket.....finally the basket came to a halt ON ITS SIDE and we were all horizontal!!!

The “mantra” here is DO NOT get out when it stops.... coz even if one person moves the balance is distutbed and the basket could then roll over again and even over the person outside......

Phew!....but we survived!!

SURVIVORS!

"Supreme" logic

2011-09-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Parliament is supreme!........Parliament is SUPREME!!....PARLIAMENT IS SUPREME!!!

This is the refrain we hear from the arrogant “custodians” , currently at the helm of affairs in our country……….. threatened as they are by this unknown creature unleashed on to them by Anna Hazare, called the “Collective Aam Aadmi “. This “guy” seems to be encroaching on their turf…..wanting to reclaim his stake in the democratic process!!...what cheek!!...doesn’t he know?...Parliament is Supreme??!

Parliament is supreme, and therefore the Aam Aadmi , collectively or singly cannot hold a mirror up to our “corrupt from head to toe” parliamentarians…..No Sirrr..!!!....he would be insulting Parliament!!

The logic boggles the mind………Don't our "elected representatives" understand the difference between PARLIAMENT and Parliamentarians????........ would it be disrespect of a temple if the pujari was found to be guilty and called a thief??......NO

Therefore how does calling the chors in Parliament chors amount to insult of Parliament?!

As in the case of the temple….the sanctity and dignity is sacrosanct, the pujari has to be castigated and booted out, similarly, the sanctity of Parliament is sacrosanct and separate from the misdemeanours of the parliamentarians, who will be booted out…sooner rather than later…

The current Lok Sabha has the dubious distinction of having 150 criminals as members of the august house……what dignity ? what sanctity?

The self serving hypocrisy and dishonesty makes one think……..

Well said Mr Om Puri and Kiran Bedi..

Our Parliament, Mr “corrupt from head to toe” politician, will remain supreme INSPITE of you…..

Jai Hind.

OMan!

2011-09-03T00:48:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous part of the world!....

Musandam is that part of Oman, separated from the rest of the country by the east coast of the UAE……………….Jutting into the the Strait of Hormuz, pointing to Iran only 34 kms away, it is host to the passage of 40% of the world’s average daily oil bearing ship traffic..!

Driving up, northeast from Dubai, we traversed through five of the seven Emirates of the UAE…Sharjah, which is almost like a suburb of Dubai!... Ajman, pretty nondescript…..Um-al-Qwaim, and lastly Ras-al-Khaimah…

The striking feature along the drive is the gradual change in the colour of the desert…from pearly white in Dubai to a rusty red in Ras-al-Kaimah……..and then the sudden appearance of “jebels”(mountains in Arabic) on the horizon…….

Ras-al –Khaimah nestles at the foothills of the barren Al Hajar mountain ranges, and is the point of exit from the UAE into Oman……..the passport check is pretty much like the entry procedures into Gibraltor ( UK territory) from Spain…..the towering cliffs dropping vertically into the ocean are reminiscent of those parts too…….

Into Musandam, Oman, cruising along the the marvelous roads, the sparkling deep blue waters of the Strait of Hormuz stretching endlessly……. and the craggy, slatted mountains on the other side, is an exhilarating experience…the overwhelming feeling one gets is that these massive “jebels” are about to crumble and melt away into the ocean.....but they seem to have stood their ground for centuries now!!

The famous “fjords” of Oman are these "khors" (lagoons) of crystal clear water surrounded by the jagged "jebels"…….. the stark, still and spectacular beauty of this magnificence is enhanced by the playful antics of dolphins ….

Untrained and in the wild they have a mind of their own, choosing to respond to the calls made by our “dhow’ sailors……..beating my camera every time...I got them face down everytime…….!! Competitively racing with our “dhow” had us cheering them on!

Kevin and Arjun snorkeled to discover what lay beneath…….the myriad colours and varieties of marine life…… breathtaking……..

Keshav kept us well fed and watered and insisted on holding strange creatures of the sea!

The rustic, natural and still beauty of the “fjords” of Oman is definitely worth a visit…

O Yes!

New Beginnings

2011-07-22T14:33:00.000-07:00

New place, New home, New life and a fresh start to the second half of my life.....

My thoughts meander down to the time I was in school...then college, my marriage(s) and the fruits thereof!....the friends i have made along the way, the ups, the downs ..... yes....it has all been worthwhile......

Now, as i stand at the threshold of the second innings of my life

......i’m in a new place, a new home....a new life...in Fabulous Dubai...!

It’s as if Kevin planned it all...to make my 50th so special....

The trifling details were not forgotten either......Fifty precious roses at the stroke of midnight, heavy duty shopping spree for timeless baubles, a squiffy evening at Hukama@The Address Hotel....my life was complete.....

Thanks, Shalini, Claude n Navya for being there, though we missed Dad n Mum and Niyati and Nived...

Lesha and Saurabh couldn’t make it from Oz either.......

My mother though, was smiling down at me from heaven above.....

With her Blessings....:)

'Food on the Table" spirit of BOMBay....

2011-07-14T04:53:00.000-07:00

Every time the beleaguered city is assaulted, refrains about the "spirit" of Mumbai/Mumbaikare are bandied about by media and politicians alike........
The media for no other reason than lack of anything more substantial to say; and the politicians.... as an ego stroking excercise of the "aam aadmi", to deflect accountability from themselves....

PC.... hassled as he is by the 2G taints on him was too preoccupied with working out his own defense..... And completely missed out on any intelligence that there might have been!

Milind Deora, the rookie MoS ( and replacement for his " oily" dad in government ), grandly proclaimed that " things were much better than last time"!!
Is he telling us that they will be better prepared for the NEXT attack?!!
Does he not stop to consider that many lost lives/ loved ones even this time??

Not to mention the PM in waiting of the Congress Party..... who states casually that not all terror attacks can be prevented!.....we just need to turn him in the direction of the zero tolerance policies of the USA...... Remind him of Afzal Guru and Kasab......that they are his mother's valued guests because she needs to look "secular" in the eyes of minorities.....
And by the by.... the priority of Mom's Govt is a new misconcieved, communally divisive Communal Violence Law!!.....

Ah well.......life ( as long as we have it! ) has to go on......BOMBay wallah has to put food on the table, and take his chances on the terror roulette...

Zero tolerance??.....what's THAT??!

.

Tampering with Nature?

2011-05-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

“We encourage the proliferation of genetically modified breeds in plants and animals.”

Lisa’s famous last words as she and i chatted ( more like fretted) about Burger’s impending flight to Dubai.. and the risks fraught therein....

Pugs, challenged as they are in their breathing capabilities, are not permitted on most Airlines....did we over reach ourselves in our selfish desire to “have him with us”?

We cannot express our grief enough...and the guilt, of having put the little mite through so much trauma...

The most beautiful and adorable little pug....just a month away from his second birthday...

RIP... our little

Burgie Pooh...

Bidding Adieu....

2011-04-28T21:44:00.000-07:00

Both Kev n i are overwhelmed.....

The love, the warmth, the affection and good wishes that have been showered on us in the last few weeks has touched our hearts...

A wide “spectrum” ( buzz word of the season...wink! wink!) of our friends took the time out and created special evenings...lunches and even high teas!

I goofed up big time too...Sangeeta u can have a slugfest with Kev when u are in Dubai on the 19th May.....Tennis buddies are tennis buddies!!...we don’t stand a chance!....Rakesh and Rita...that was a great evening with all the champs!

Lisa n Lloyd the jello shots and all the nice things u guys said about us, still send our heads spinning ;).......This was a season for Goodbyes.....Surbhi left for Down Under...it was nice catching up at Kamini’s....

Rema n Harish...the yummmy dinner and chilled out evening.... Karti n Rajeev, your idyllic terrace and the gourmet meal....love to Cecelia too .

Girly lunches where i wasn’t allowed to “pay”..coz i was going away!....Hems, the pork ones (dimsums) were the best, what say?....but thanks girls......Kamal, high tea at the Westin was LOVELY....the young waiter completely enamoured of you! Anita...Fresco was a nice afternoon...love u lots 

Mithi n Kapil....long and lazy Sunday afternoon@ Spectra...doused in champagne ( at least I was!) and good food...Kapil thanks for all the help with Burgie Pooh....but i guess u can’t do much if Air India goes on strike!

Jantar Mantar, an uplifting and awesome experience with Tarun and Ritika.....thanks for the lovely dinner guys.... In the midst of all of this Rashmi and Anil’s (Nayar) daughter Neha got married to Siddharta, Gopi and Eva’s son....we had the privilege of being guests from both sides!

“Drift”ing through another lazy afternoon with Leera was relaxing and “away” from the chaos at home! (workers galore!!)...Jean n Kamal joined in too...and we “buffeted” ourselves!!

With the IPL fever at its peak...Howzzat was fun......Chit and Devika Cariappa’s choice for the evening was apt...Monk right round the corner, providing ample sustenance.....the USP here was that Chit’s brother is the Master Brewer....even though he works out of Bangalore, he sure does keep things on a leash.... guys if u come across an exceptionally “chatty” Captain on a Jet flight...it has to be Chit...and yes, he swore that his licence is not “fake”!!

Family bonding at my uncle’s place...my masi making a special trip from Jaipur to meet me before we left....my cousins and little nephew...all of 1 and few months...but ready to swoon at “Sheila ki jawani’!...already!...i believe they do start young nowadays! Sakshi Kapil be vigilant!!...Satyam sad we couldn’t make it for dinner with u before u left back for Mumbai...

Hems and Khannu...u did not have to do this, what with all the work happening in ur house.....but thanks all the same ....the Khannu cooler is now my fav drink! Was lovely meeting Rajni and Rajeev....look forward to catching up with them in dubai......she looks like your “MUCH” younger sis Khannu!!

Nami and Shalini...I think it was the first time Kev n i came to ur place after Akhi....Still hard to believe...will see u in Dubai.

Kadamguttus (hope I’ve spelt it right!) and the most awesome pork curry, Coorgi fare at Nanju and Anju’s place is to die for....we are going to miss u guys ...

Shabnam, in Delhi from Dehradun...was really great to catch up...hoping to see u in Dubai en route to London? Yes...Kev had ACTUALLY taken the day off to “help” me!!...we ended up with Shab @ TGIF...assuaging guilt pangs with ‘if we’re needed at home it’s right here!!’......Shab, sorry about the packers and movers and painters and etc... swarming about the house!

Puneeta and Ashu are brave hearts !...after the wine splashing (by urs truly!) episode on her beautiful hand printed silk curtains....i really did not expect to be invited to their home again!...but expectations were belied...not only were we invited but were given cocktail shakers to shake as vigourously as one could!!!....those were fabulous cocktails Puneeta....thanks soo much and for stopping by yesterday too ...missed u.

APC...u are the only one who has “walked the talk”! .... yes guys, he walked from his condo to Mainland China, where we had taken Arjun and his pal for lunch!!...in the HOT sun!!....It’s my last chance to spend some time with u guys, he said.... 

Man proposes and God disposes...but it’s the thought that counts....Rajiv and Kanika, we love u guys and will miss u.....Saurav Madhavi, Kev is in Amritsar...will definitely catch up tomorrow even if for a bit...

Jean Puneet, Nandini Benoy, Vinita Sanjeev....what can i say.....beautiful balmy April night, magical venue@ Avenue!...the most amazing band....i hope that young boy went to school today?...what a voice!...Puneet crooning his/ our favourite song, Benoy’s lovely speech, Sanjeev’s warm hug....priceless! Kamala and Dr Sondhi, Nat and Chandra, Meenakshi , Supi, Karen n Vivian, Joy....thanks for being there....Kiran we missed u 

What does beg mention here is the most touching gesture by my hairdresser.... “madame yeh aapka last blow dry hai yeh aapke liye complimentary hai” ..it was so sweet n touching....thank you Jagdish.

Thank u all...

i better run before i burst into tears!

BOOOMM! Dhamaka!

2011-03-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

BOOOMM! Phat- phat-phat...BOOMM!!

The night sky shimmering with sparkling colours......the deafening roar from the mall next door. Not to be left out, the driver of the Metro on MG Road Station hooting his horn in concert with the cheering, jubilant crowds!!

Watching all this from my terrace, i could not but be swept away by all the excitement and celebrations , even though cricket is not my scene....What a night...India BEAT Pak in a World Cup Semis!!

But wait...a small black spot on this spontaneous rejoicing of a nation....Yes!

My little chit of a maid was in “mourning”! ...because Pakistan had lost!....after all muslims have to support muslims!....she opines!!

A young uneducated girl from “Bengal” (Bangladesh?) really cannot affect much....but what is more of concern is WHERE she’s coming from.

Obviously this is the thought process/allegiance of her family/ mohulla.....

We shall, ofcourse, look the other way and declare ourselves as “tolerant" and respecting of “human rights” and "freedom”...so what if that freedom allows open allegiance to an inimical neighbour with diabolical designs of “bleeding India with a thousand cuts”....

What the hell.......Rati @#$%!!

Let’s get back to the cricket!

Jai Ho!

Missed call on..02261550789

2011-02-27T05:19:00.000-08:00

The throes of revulsion and disgust that have gripped our country in the past few months, is nothing but a revolution of sorts.....

Stunned by the scale and magnitude of corruptions hitting the headlines every other day, a miniscule, but seemingly effective minority of our civil society has nudged the Supreme Court into hyper activism....resulting in the ejection of Raja, Kalmadi and their bureaucratic and corporate cohorts, from the echelons of power......hopefully this will also lead to the regurgitation of our monies that these crooks and their criminal masters have swallowed....

“Revolution” is the buzz word these days...the disaffected youth of the Arab nations are clamouring for their moment in the sun and the right to live a life of dignity....right across North Africa down to the Middle East....

The glass ceiling between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ is opaque in those parts of the world.....the plebs have no idea what the bourgeoisie are up to...they just know that their country has been plundered and sucked dry....In India....things are different...we delude ourselves that we are a functioning democracy and there is equality for all etc, etc... but, is that really the case.....?

An unsuspecting, innocent crowd of young Indians was recently lathi-charged and hounded like cattle (shamefully viewed the world over)......their crime? ...... they wanted tickets for a World Cup cricket match being played in their city.......?!!

These guys surely hit their glass ceiling....albeit a very transparent one....!....i wonder how many more such glass ceilings have to be hit before “young India” comes out on the streets too...

Come 5th of April, Anna Hazare is going on a “Fast unto death”, to strengthen the fight against corruption, demanding the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill.

Kiran Bedi is joining the fast too....

Let us support them by sending a missed call on this no. 02261550789

More power to us....

Jai Hind.

Ah...Men!!

2011-02-07T20:47:00.000-08:00

“Should I tell Nanju that we are not coming?”
My stony silence egged Kevin on... “ I’m going to tell him that we’ve had a fight so we are not joining them”

No coments from urs truly!...and he walked off in a huff, went downstairs and sat down in his favourite corner in the house....in front of his Tata Sky and TV watching some old cricket/tennis match!

Left to my own devices i thought that this was more like cutting of my nose to spite my face....what the hell!...i wanted to go.... and have a nice leisurely Sunday afternoon with friends.....
So I quickly jumped up........got changed and walked past him with a terse, “let’s go”!

Now I’m not sure if he had really told Nanju that we were not coming, but the good thing about old friends is that they take these things with a healthy dose of skepticism!!...and even if u show up thereafter, there are no eyebrows raised!

The silence in the car was deafening, the animosity quotient soaring as we both looked relentlessly straight ahead.

We were headed to Magique@ Garden of Five Senses........ I had assured Kevin that I knew where it was in Sed ulla jaab.......the same place where one of his rice kings lived in his opulently splendid isolation!

“Hey Tarun, we are at the Qutub red light, should we come straight or turn right?!” I wondered why he was asking??!

“No man! You come straight towards Adhchini”!!!...welll ?!... this was like the blind leading the blind!!! But i kept my counsel to myself and kept my lips zipped for two reasons
a)...we were not on talking terms
b) who knows..... the darn restaurant may have actually moved!!

“Hey Tarun, we are now in front of the Tavern at the Greens in Lado Sarai?... are we on the right track??!!”
Ritika, sensing the blind leading the blind syndrome came on line......and guided us into Sed ulla jaab.

Ahaa...there it was...The Garden of Five Senses..... Kevin swung into the parking lot with a sense of achievement, paid the parking and we walked in....

“Hey Tarun, we’ve reached the ticket window...should we buy tickets and come in?”
“No man....don’t buy the tickets....just walk in!!!!” was the sage advice!!!

This time Anju came to our rescue.... “Drive back a little and then u will see signs in the form of black arrows saying ‘Magique’, just follow those (as if!)
When there is no need to stop and ask.... Kevin will...

“Haan Bhaisaab yahan koi restaurant hai Mag nifi que?!!!”...... this after hearing me say Magique atleast 3 times!!

Ultimately we arrived...Nanju waiting outside to ensure that we did not wander off elsewhere!!!!

The fab lunch and super ambience soothed our frayed nerves.....but moral of the story...

Do not ask Kevin Tarun or Nanju for directions...Kevin and Tarun have been the stars here....Nanju when slightly inebriated is famous for driving behind trucks that say “Follow Me”!!

Ah...Men!!!!

Mom-in-law speak!

2010-12-17T19:32:00.000-08:00

“Hello ?...is that Nishant......?...is it a good time to speak?”, Kev was on the phone with my ex.

“ No...I’m having sex right now”............!!!

“OK then, I’ll give you thirty seconds!!!!”

What can I say?....these are my husbands, past and present, initiating a conversation to discuss the process which is going to transform me into a mother-in-law!

Yes my daughter is getting married........... next month!
A myriad of emotions well up in me as i dwell upon this....
Her birth , my separation from her father, sending her away to Australia at the tender age of twelve, the trials and travails of her ensuing teenage years, boyfriends and heartaches.......I guess all of us moms go through these pangs when our little babies are all grown up....and are at crossroads in their lives..

But now...excitement is in the air and preparations are gathering steam.....here and more so in Sydney. Cards, clothes, jewellery, venues and pundits... I still have a lot to do, maybe I’ll look around in Dubai where we will be over Christmas and New Year.............Arjun is excited and happy and delighted that he will miss school to go for his sister’s wedding!

The only dark cloud which loomed yesterday ( and the reason for that brilliant conversation!)is that Kevin is required to be in London on the 21st of January!....the Wedding Day!

I am hoping he will negotiate his way around it...

Inshallah!

For "Keep"(s)sake!!

2010-11-02T23:11:00.000-07:00

“Living in”, “keep”, “concubine”, “mistress”…these words have been bandied around in the media in the last couple of weeks…

What’s the big deal??... if the judge calls a spade a spade?!

Barkha Dutt on her eyeballs challenged show on NDTV, “We the People”…went to town, venting her barely hidden outrage over the use of the word “keep”…bolstered by a carefully ‘selected’ panel.

I was amused…..Kev and I seem to be experts here!!...we’ve done a lot of “keeping” and being “kept”!!

Kevin’s ex-wife stayed on in his house in Panchsheel Enclave, even after they filed for divorce in the year 1995 and continued to even after their divorce, for reasons of convenience (kids etc)…though by law a couple should be residing at separate addresses…so technically ( dare I say!) he ‘kept” her!!

At that time Kevin practically lived in my house in Gulmohur Park…so I practically kept him!!!...And I have to say , even in those dim, dark days of the mid-nineties, my neighbours did not point fingers or look upon me suspiciously...infact they thought Kevin was a "nice" young ( in those days he was!) man!

Subsequently we moved to his place in Gurgaon and …Hey Presto!... I was the “keep”!!!!....more like musical chairs hmmm?!!

In all of this brouhaha, the institution of marriage has taken a knock ( being equated with a live-in relationship ) and the wife is left feeling shortchanged, with a foreboding sense of encroachment on her rights…..Barkha seemed oblivious to this…..( possibly because she is not married?)

To my mind it seems more of a case of “having one’s cake and eating it too”!

Is that why when one gets married it is for “keeps”sake?!

Hehe..;)!

Broken Strings....

2010-10-20T18:57:00.000-07:00

It’s 3.33 am……

Pacing on the terrace just outside my bedroom…..the gentle fragrance of the blooming frangipani, calming my frayed nerves, I try to make sense of it all………... I have no one to hold on to.....Kev is in faraway France....

We have lost two dear friends in the last two weeks…..Shantanu and Kala….

The guitar slung over his shoulder, the mouth organ around his neck, Anita ( his wife ) enhancing his music with her dulcet tones….Shanu’s beatific countenance is etched in our memories.

Akhi, with his “rock star” demeanour, was capable of strumming mind blowing music even from a badly strung guitar (Arjun’s!)…. often putting to music the beautiful poetry penned by Namita ( his wife)…. the one that comes to mind immediately, most poignantly was, “ Say Hello, No Goodbyes”……

Two men, as different as chalk is from cheese…both in their prime…loved by all those whose lives they touched.

Shantanu the quintessential, busy, achieving, workaholic, award winning corporate guy…at the same time a devoted husband and father…lost his torturous battle with cancer

Akhi, the bohemian, cocking a snook at the “regular” types…a complete non conformist, was adept at emerging victorious in every situation…even in death, he slipped away in his sleep, not giving Lord Yamraj the chance to torture his body to “death”…

The families of both, though, are left bereft and grieving…..

In the afterlife I can almost hear Akhi say to Shanu, “ Come on buddy, gotta make music ma..an!”

I do hope they can pick up some of the broken strings ….

Of their unfinished lives…..

Oh..What fun!

2010-10-07T00:20:00.000-07:00

“Girls, we meet at seven and wind up at ten”....middle of the week and all that!

Six of us, ensconced in Kamini’s cosy home, are well- heeled (literally!) ladies with the luxury of putting up those feet and indulging ourselves!.........our job...primarily to blow away what our hardworking hubbies (in the “ private sector”) earn.....

With that as a backdrop, the following may appear incongruous....but we doo step out of floosydom and discuss “current” topics on occasion...

The spectacular opening of the Commonwealth Games....one would have to be deaf and blind not to recognise it for the superlative extravaganza that it was.

Is it a matter of National pride?....most certainly...a pride in the superhuman effort put in by our “private enterprise" to make such a fantastic show happen INSPITE of all odds, inspite of a comatose government that refused to take charge of all the mess created by Mr. Kalmadi and family and cronies, until the nth hour....incomplete venue, lack of infrastructure....
A pride in the efforts of those thousands of men, women , children that volunteered ( free of charge, I might mention) to put up this magnificent show.....

The faultlines on this were sharp!! Hems and Jean were rah rah...”They pulled it off! Let’s look at the positives....so much infrastructure created, the stadia etc”

For God’s sake, Commonwealth “Games”....remember??...no stadia, no games!!! And certainly no opening ceremony to exult over and air out National pride.....isn’t that the LEAST that needed to be done? To have the stadia in place for a Games event???!....that to my mind....supported by Kamini ( wink wink!)..... was not a “positive”.

The “negative” was the unabashed corruption and loot, running into tens of thousands of crores of your and my money by Kalmadi and co., the incomplete and shoddy venues and Games village, the negative international publicity, the “pulling out” by several top players/ athletes. The blatant and callous disregard for the eager volunteers, a large number of whom are school and college kids.

The “positive” would have been that Mr Kalmadi be stopped in his tracks at the first whiff of corruption...it was after all a matter of INERNATIONAL importance ( unlike the 3G telecom scam which was entirely indigenous)...national pride was at stake....but the government chose to go along with him.....one wonders why? And left the us (commom people) with the onus of upholding National pride!

Another positive might have been government intervention, to get the venues ready, a year ago, instead of a week before the event? ( as a consequence a number of venues etc were still “work in progress” as the Games commenced)....May have reduced money making opportunities, but would have saved us, as a country to rely on a spectacular opening ceremony to latch on to, in order to salvage “national pride”.

Much back and forth, flailing of arms accompanied the impassioned arguments, both for and against....Lisa and Surbhi silent observers to the proceedings....... responding with alacrity to Hema’s snap polls..... without bias!!!....50-50!!!!

“Let’s look at the positives” , to my mind is ostrich like behaviour. In all the sorry mess that our country is, the silver lining is our private enterprise and corporate sector, where accountability and redressal are at a premium....
I wonder how long anyone one of our hubbies would last in his job if he told his boss “man let’s look at the positives!!!”...after goofing up big time!

To put aside Mr Kalmadi’s extreme corruption and mismanagement for the sake of National pride escapes me......

And are we then saying that it is the end that matters ...means be could be fair or foul....is this what we need to teach our kids ?

Oh! that reminds me ...it was supposed to be an early evening!!!!!

Chow n Huggs!...Muuah!

Why are we wasting our Time?

2010-10-02T07:22:00.001-07:00

Mr Dilip Padgaonkar knows it all !…..check out his centerpiece on the editorial page in today’s TOI ……

The three judges of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high Court clearly wasted their time ruminating over reams and reams of information and copious amount of evidence presented by recognized bodies like the ASI, for years!...how silly of them…

They should have consulted Mr Padgaonkar!

The Judges of a High Court don’t know the law, the ASI is a dubious entity…. ask Mr Padgaonkar….

Because the judgement ( 10000 page long, which he could NOT have possibly read) has not gone in favour of the “minority community”, the rabid pseudo-secularist in Mr Padgaonkar says, “The verdict of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on the title suits related to the disputed site in Ayodhya makes you wonder whether anything straight can emerge from the crooked timber of the majoritarian mind.” ……!!!!

The 10,000 page judgement, (which he has not read) has been arrived at by the Honourable judges, by a combination of “creative legal thinking” and “majoritarian conceit”….!!

I quickly dived into the archives section of the ToI to look at Mr. Padgaonkar’s “secular” views on Haj Terminals at airports, Haj subsidies and “personal laws” in a secular country…his views on the “majoritarian ethnic cleansing” in the Kashmir Valley….

Am still searching…!

As Shekhar Gupta says in his centerpiece in the Indian Express, “Both sides find the judgement below their expectation, the Muslims more than the Hindus. Yet all criticism and questioning has been tempered with a maturity that surprised all of us, and the world. Ofcourse, the angriest of all were the “ultra-secularists” of the intelligentsia”…..!

Jai Ho!

New Milestones.....

2010-09-24T04:37:00.000-07:00

My little girl is the owner of a franchise?!
I would have thought she has to grow up some more…
But GNC International obviously thought otherwise!

Her Masters degree, the franchise and Saurabh as her mate….
These kids are in a tearing hurry for sure these days…
Piling up everything all at once on her plate!

My heart swells up with motherly pride
Coz I’m sure she’ll do well with all she’s taken on,
Especially with a supportive partner constantly by her side.

Goa??.....In August?!

2010-08-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

“Goa?? …In August?!”
Yeah!!!

The Taj Holiday Village in Goa, is the ideal place to visit at this time of the year…a lush green tropical forest, dotted with fabulously appointed, quaint Villas and Cottages……almost spilling into the Arabian Sea.

The fury and majesty of the August ocean is fascinating. Sipping coffee in the secure confines of the Caravela Beach Restaurant, which is right at the edge, we watched the angry waves devour the strip of sand that was the beach, and then strain against the ramparts of the resort, as if to consume it too.

We (Kevin, Arjun and I) were the first to arrive, followed by Kev’s parents from Secunderabad and then Shalini and Claude with their kids, Niyati, Nived and li’l Navya from Abu Dhabi/London.

It was actually their holiday ( all three kids are students in London/ Cambridge)…a kind of back to their “roots” and a visit to their ancestral home ( Claude is Goan).

We were the gatecrashers!!...with a cause……. the renewal of my Father-in-law’s “family photo”!!
The last edition was now six years old and the subjects had morphed into new creatures!

Other activities were bonding…Navya and Arjun frolicked around, taking turns on the hammocks whilst the other pushed, chasing coconuts on trees with stones!...Nived minding Niyati ( the older!), Navya and Arjun by the pool…….and, many meals together……living up to the adage “the family that eats together stays together”!

Goan food is invariably the high point of a visit to Goa…this time we tried an entirely new set of restaurants…….Cavala near the Baga beach with fantastic live music, delicious food and a “Martin”esque ambience, Riorico (the oldest restaurant in Goa recommended by Claude’s cousin) @ The Mandovi Hotel. Arjun could not get enough of the prawns…… devoured most of the catch in Goa …..spice and chilli et al!

And then, Mum’s Kitchen, where the food was delicious but the tardy service endangered our appointment for the “Family Photo”…neatly salvaged by Claude though....much to Dad’s relief!

Shopping was fun too…….Goa Velha the high point…the Portuguese hangover lingers on here….most of the merchandise is from that country, undoubtedly attracting huge duties! The prints by Mario Miranda, and the indigenously handcrafted tiles with Mario Miranda sketches of Goan life and times are well worth …..

Strolling along the promenade at Donna Paula, freezing moments on our cameras….. Making the most of a “cruise” on the Mandovi river! ..enjoying delicious coffees and ice creams and sandwiches…… was fun together…

All too soon it was time for us to depart….. after a stolen weekend and a Monday thrown in! Arjun had school and “cycle tests” the following day and Kev had to leave for Europe….back to reality……

With a Bang!

"God" of the moment.

2010-08-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

Watching my friend’s helpless distress, despair, frustration, and fear, interspersed with feeble flickers of hope, as she battles with the insidious cancer that has gripped her husband and their lives, makes my own tryst with cancer (my mom) seem mild.

All she wants is for her beloved husband to be cured of the deadly disease and get back to “as he used to be”…her anguish and angst are palpable….to us, her friends.

Fortunately, paucity of funds has not added to her woes, as is often the case, and the “best” treatment available is being administered…

BUT..what exactly is “best”?

My friend’s experience has confirmed that “well known” and “most expensive” is NOT synonymous with “best”………the very hard way.

The “best” cancer specialist in Delhi decided to ignore the initial prognosis that said radiation and chemo, surgery, and then more chemo. New fangled drugs( imported at exorbitant costs) that had to be obtained from a source recommended by the doctor, and cost an arm and a leg for each dose, were now going to be the treatment. “Targeted” chemo, they were told….

Six months down the line….the tumour has grown and the cancer has spread…and the doctor has washed his hands off them!!

Just in the nick of time, he was operated upon by another set of doctors in another city. The doctors’ shocked amazement at the treatment done so far highlighted the fact that our friends had been treated as guinea pigs.

A leading light of a noble profession?

Greed and avarice have edged out nobility.

More patients than can be handled are crammed in…..unnecessary tests are recommended, needless surgeries are performed……..quarterly targets have to be met.
Incentives and promotions dangled by the pharmaceutical giants are such that few doctors can resist.

But in all of this there IS a role that we can play….ask questions, challenge unnecessary prescriptions for medication and drugs and seek counter opinions. Hold them accountable by seeking redressal at the authorized regulatory body set up by the government.
Most often we “just let it be” for fear that the doctor would be “offended” by too many questions/objections. He literally becomes “god” in that hour of need.

If this is the situation with us….the educated, erudite and well-heeled, I shudder to think about the ignorant or poor or both……

Bedtime Banter...!

2010-08-09T19:37:00.001-07:00

“Mom…..when did u marry Kakuli’s ( Lesha) father?”

“Twenty five years ago…….”

“O..kay….so that is 1985…and she was born in 1986, right?”

“Right…” I was a little unsure about where this conversation was going!

“Koool…that was CLOSE mom…you made it just in time, otherwise she would have been born without a father”….!!!

It is a little hard to keep a straight face when your eleven year old is snuggling up to u in bed!...and this was the first time in my life that I had been accused of an immaculate conception!!!

The bond between my two is precious (touchwood), in spite of different fathers, an age gap of 13 years and 10000 kms between them…..!

“When is she coming next? I need to teach her how to make smileys on Facebook Chat”….!!!! I could see that he was missing her!

“I hope Papa will remember to give her my birthday card”….. he had crafted a cute tho belated birthday card for her and designated his Dad ( Kev is enroute to Sydney as we speak) as courier in chief.

“OK enough Arjun…. you have early morning cricket…..go to sleep now”

The cherubic innocence of a sleeping child…..

By the way, I think I should let him know I married his father in 1998 and he was born in1999….. !!

Phew..a second CLOSE shave!!

Double Standards??

2010-07-27T13:51:00.001-07:00

Modi may be a murderer. But then again, he may not.

It’s amazing, how the human rights brigade, led by the likes of Teesta Setalvad and Colin Gonsalves, was willing to give an arm and a leg to ensure that Ajmal Kasab was given a fair trial

This is a man who has been filmed on camera, killing hundreds of their own countrymen in cold blood. But…he DESERVES a fair trial! Fair enough…we are not a banana republic.

On the other hand Narendra Modi, the three times elected Chief Minister of one of the most prosperous and well governed states in our country, has been tried and found guilty by these very same human rights activists and an obviously partisan media. Modi, unlike Kasab, does not have champions espousing a “fair” trial for him by the courts.

AMAZING…Kasab has human rights…Modi does not!

The CBI works overtime to prove Amit Shah guilty and Sajjan Kumar not guilty, for allegedly similar crimes!!!

But on a more serious note, the dichotomy is stark. Where is the disconnect?

I don’t know Modi personally and neither do most people. I have never visited Gujarat and I am sure neither has the majority. YET we all have very strong opinions on what /who Modi is!

Luminaries like Ratan Tata, Mukesh Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Mittal probably know him somewhat better….and they are happy to be associated with him ( no one compels these guys )

Where do WE get our information to form such a strong opinion of Modi?

The MEDIA!…….happy to be a stooge of the dispensation in power….a dispensation that crafted the massacre of our Sikh brothers in 1984……(with no closure or justice even after 25 years!)

But THAT is OK…….??!

Now That I'm 11....

2010-07-20T09:54:00.000-07:00

I’m too old for a birhday party, Dude!”….Dude??...that was my 11 year old talking to me!... “Only kids ‘celebrate’ their birthdays,”…I was informed sagaciously.

“ Ok, so what do u want to do for ur birthday this year?”

“ Nothing Mom, You n Papa give me a nice present, Dada Dadi will also give me a gift and then u can take me out to dinner!”

“Wow, that’s a nice change from the last 10 years!”…I hoped that it would really remain so!!
But as the birthday approached…..each day a new friend was added to the guest list and finally there were six!!

The plans also altered “slightly”….. “Instead of dinner we can go out to lunch on Sunday ( a day before the Birthday) and before that I can take my friends to FunCity @The Ambience Mall…….Lunch @Aroma’s of China should be good……..all my friends love Chinese food!”

So come Sunday morning, Kev drove us to the Ambience Mall and dropped me off with a scruffy group of 10/11 year old rowdies…..and left me to my own devices…..and drove back home only to return later with his parents closer to lunch time…..!!

“ I booked the table @ the restaurant and ordered a cake with 11 candles, that too on a SUNDAY, my day of rest and relaxation!” I was told, when I started to crib about being left alone with the boisterous bunch….

The boisterous bunch, and I may add, insatiable too! One card each, with a charge of Rs.250 each was not enough……..exhausted in 15 minutes FLAT!!! The besceehing looks in six pairs of mischievous eyes melted my heart and resolve over n over!

An hour and half later, content and happy with their substantial haul at the games…..they marched off to the restaurant, a hungry bunch….

Dada Dadi and Father dearest were there, already waiting, ….. The yummy rich chocolate cake arrived in the middle of the meal, glowing with eleven lit candles.

“Oh….. You got me a cake too!”….delighted Arjun blew out the candles and cut his cake, with his buddies cheering him on…
The venue for the ( no I won’t call it party!!!) games??! moved to the house, where they played soccer in Arjun’s room until it was time to go down and play in the Park around 5.30 pm…

“Celebrate”…did any one say??!...No way!

Arabian Odyssey

2010-07-17T20:55:00.001-07:00

The highest, tallest, largest, smallest, deepest, longest, greenest…Yes!...that’s what Dubai is all about……the superlative.

Since everything had to be made out of nothing in this desert city, no expense and endeavour has been spared to create this ultra modern marvel in the midst of the Arabian Desert. The Petro dollars from staid, big brother, Abu Dhabi, in times of distress, certainly come in handy….to make up for the profligacy!!

This was my first visit to Dubai…for some reason, even though Kevin has been going there for ever, I had not been there, even in transit….well that has now been rectified…..!

We all descended on Dubai from different directions…Kevin came in from Jeddah in the wee hours of the morning, Arjun and I landed at around noon from Delhi and Lesha, an hour later, from Sydney.

“Is our driver REALLY a Pakistani?” Arjun was filled with curiosity. I really don’t know what he was expecting?!.... but Mushtaq turned out to be an amenable sort of chap, very helpful and eager to point out the landmarks of Dubai and Abu Dhabi to us……

The 10,00,000 Indians and Pakistanis out number the local population by a stretch and are responsible for building and maintaining Dubai.

The hour and a bit long drive to Abu Dhabi was smooth. One does not even realize when the toll has been debited to the sensor toll card on the vehicle!...I did not see this even in high tech

Germany

!..Automation?.....or what??!

Abu Dhabi though smaller, has the same glitzy buildings, Malls and Hotels as Dubai, only lacking the same razzmatazz…….the drive along the corniche reminded me of our own Marine Drive in Amchi Mumbai……..only the buildings were much jazzier.

We spent a very pleasant evening at Claude and Shalini’s ( Kev’s sis) Abu Dhabi Home, chatting to Shalini and Navya over Skype (she lives in London), guzzling beer, and then rounding it off with the most amazing Iranian meal @ Hatam’s.

“I am here….Finally!” Prianka and I had been playing hide and seek with my intended Dubai visit for some years now! After some back and forth, and confabulations with Sanjeev (Verm) and Kevin, we met up for drinks and at their beautiful home in a locality with a delicious sounding name!!...Um Sequim!

“Tell Kevin Sanjeev Kapoor’s Khazana is NOT a good idea! Imagine coming from Del to eat Indian food??...how Punju can u get!...We are going to take you guys to a fab Pakistani restaurant, BBQ Delights, owned by my friend, @ Jumeirah Beach Residence.”

A fun filled evening with a lot of light hearted banter and laughter……

Malling, shopping…the “must do” items on a Dubai agenda. I have to admit though that the edge from this has been blunted by the many Malls mushrooming in our own backyard, and the availability of the same brands universally…...it no longer is the eye-popping wonder of yesteryears!

Ski Dubai @ Mall of Emirates was a fun time for Lesha and Arjun…(a very sophisticated version of Snow World in Hyderabad) and Sonam ( Lesha’s friend from MGD Jaipur) joined them in the wet n wild madness at Wild Wadi……the Wadi bashing on way to the Desert Safari Camp, is guaranteed to bring up ur heart into ur mouth…a moving rollercoaster!!

“No Mamma, You have to come with us to the top of Burj Khalifa.” … “Oh no!”… I thought to myself….

The tallest building in the world had been inaugurated with great fanfare in Jan of 2010 and Lesha was determined to go right to the top…and drag me along!

After having been been on top of various towers n tops across the world…….The Eifel tower in Paris, the London Eye, The Petronas and KL tower in Malaysia, the beautiful restaurant at the top of the Sydney Tower…I really had no desire to go up another!!...

But my protests came to naught and I found myself going up the latest Dubai “est” in a supersonic lift….Yes …we reached the top in less than a minute!! The rate at which the ears went “pop” “pop” was alarming!...but obviously tried and tested!

A cruise along the creek, and a view of a shimmering and glittering Dubai on the rippled waters is unforgettable experience. Sanjeev (yes! another one!), Kev’s colleague in Dubai had organized an evening on Zuber and Doc Mansur’s beautiful Yacht

The son and son-in-law, respectively, of the erstwhile Saudi Ambassador to India in the 1960s, Zuber regaled us with wonderful anecdotes of his sojourn in India during his father’s tenure…we even discovered that we had lived in the same building … “Landmark” on Carter Road in Mumbai at around the same time!!...talk about a small world!

Sitting atop the yacht, enjoying our drinks ( yes the Arabs were drinking!!) and cigars, the delicious aroma of the barbeque, expertly being prepared by Doc Mansur ( a leading pediatrician in Dubai), wafting in the gentle breeze…the lights of Dubai twinkling all around us… the quiet hum of the yacht’s engine rippling through the water…..good company…. was heavenly! Lesha missed out….she went with Sonam for a hip n happening party…with Mushtaq (best friends with Arjun now!) keeping a hawk’s eye on the proceedings!

Kev n I have been promised an overnight stay on the yacht, the next time...can’t wait!

Everything in Dubai is over the top and larger than life…

“ Dubai is so fake,” disdainfully but aptly opined Hanni, Lesha’s Lebanese hairdresser @Emirates Towers Salon ( recommended by Prianka). Coming from his bejeweled and colourful persona it was a bit rich!..but true….

But “Fake” in the nicest possible way…..!

Wily K Jo!

2010-07-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

The wily K. Johar…!

Under the garb of making something “different”, he has tricked us into watching his usual frothy candy floss fare….AGAIN!

For the diehard K Jo fans, I guess it was “just right”…

For skeptics (real ones, and not fake ones like the protagonist of the movie)…it was… well, the same mushy, over the top and clichéd melodrama….

Why did I go to watch “I hate love Storeys”?....Good Question!

The answer, tho, is not so smart…Yes…on the say so of my 10 year old son!

And...I will reluctantly admit...the cute Imran Khan!

He is adorable and lives up to the promise of his wonderful first film “ Jaane Tu Ya Janne Na”. The heroine is the quintessential “hindi film heroine”…easy on the eye. Unfortunately, even together they cannot salvage a weak and contrived storyline.

The sole objective of the film seems to be an attempt to justify all the corny, mushy. surreal and unabashed emotion rousing depiction of characters and scenes/stories of K Jo’s earlier runaway hit films…credibility?.... ah no…what’s that??!

Critics… the morons, what do they know about film making?...True…

As long as he keeps raking in the moolah from folks like u n me…I guess K Jo’s right!

Zest

2010-06-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

“Zest it is”…Ritika declared

“No, no…it’s called Setz, or something like that now”, one of our young men piped up.

Whateva!..Come Saturday night, Anju, Ritika n I set off for Setz with our young army.

We reached at 8.15pm, hoping that they had not given away our table that had been booked for 8.00 pm sharp!

Yes, the booking is essential, or u won’t even get the place to wait in! especially on a Saturday night….

Zest.. or Setz…(I infinitely prefer Zest to the ridiculous Setz!!) was a mixed experience for me …this was my first visit to this “top of the charts” multi cuisine restaurant, with live stations.

Anju n Ritika had both been here on various occasions and had raved about the food, service …It started well enough…..Virgin Mojitos for the boys, “nimbu pani”, with varying degrees of salt n sugar for us ( we avoid alcohol when out with the boys….obvious reason!!) was served up pretty fast with very little confusion and the starters arrived duly…but as the evening goes on and the restaurant fills up, the waiters are definitely stressed out….leading to minor but irritating faux pas….

Apparently, on their last visit Anju’s husband, Nanju had ended up sponsoring the drinks for the European guests on the next table!!!....as usual discovered only at home…tho the restaurant apologized profusely! ( Nanju…Jaan na pehchaan…?!!)

Ambience, décor etc is glitzy and ‘nice’ ..nothing spectacular…..the sit out looked very inviting…but it was much too warm .

We had a lovely evening, though marred by the fact that Anju had to dash out and rescue Rohan from a little accident ( a lady had banged into his car damaging the axle)…his car had become immobile and had to be towed back….

“ Mobile se immobile kar diyaa,” ….she must have been surely related to Ajit ( of Hindi movies) !!!

Go back?.....ummm..maybe…..though Spectra would be my pick for multicuisine live stations …

Anytime!

Holiday Mode.......

2010-06-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

Excitement is in the air….chaos reigns in the house…..warm clothes are being aired out…regular summer stuff out already…Burger, sitting in an empty suitcase…. his doleful, doggy eyes saying “can I come along too?!”

“Mama, will we reach Dubai first or will Kakuli ( Lesha)?” Arjun wanted to know for the nth time.
Patiently (!) for the nth time I tell him that her flight from Sydney will come in an hour after us…
“I can’t wait, Mama!...I want to go and check out that Tennis Court on the top of the tallest building in the world…..must be so scary!
Arjun’s excitement can’t be contained! “Wadi Bashing, Ski Dubai and the water parks…Yipee!....”
I think I shall pack him of with Lesha for all these “adventures”! …Though I think the Desert Safari & Wadi Bashing would be fun for Kev n me too!

“I’m going to take you guys to the famous Khazana restaurant, owned by Sanjeev Kapoor,” Kev declared with enthusiasm… We all tried to look excited!

What also seems really fun and exciting is the Cruise Dinner, organized by Kevin’s colleague, with Arabic food and dancers!

Shopping, Spa-ing, primping and preening…never fear when Lesha’s there! and I have a feeling that I will be emotionally blackmailed into it all!

Catching up with Claude ( kev’s bro-in-law) in Abu Dhabi; dear, old friends Verm and Prianka and many others will be the star attraction……

And then….we takeoff for the beautiful Bavarian Capital, Munich in Germany. Kevin had taken me to Germany ( and Turkey) on a pre-nup honeymoon ….at that time we had visited Frankfurt and then driven through the winding roads of the picturesque Black Forest Mountains, to the picture perfect spa town of Wiesbaden…unforgettable.

Bavaria promises to be equally scenic and exciting, steeped in history, invoking a dark curiosity and fascination about Hitler’s regime. Nuremburg is definitely on the agenda…..

“Will we get to see REAL snow mama?” my history lesson on Hitler brushed aside!…though the short story “Genesis and Catastrophe” by Roald Dahl, about Hitler’s birth to an impoverished Austrian couple, had had it’s impact on him….further aided by the holocaust on Wikipedia!

“Ofcourse, but not in Germany at this time of the year, but higher up in the Austrian Alps, near Badgastien”….that was where we were headed to.

Salzburg, the home of Mozart, where the “hills are alive with the sound of music”; Vienna, the city of waltzes and the Blue Danube and the Sacher torte (ummmm!); the valley city of Innsbruck and romantic Venice, with it’s soulful gondoliers and “over the top” grandeur…....they all beckon to us!

More about them when we get back!!

We Deserve it.....

2010-06-09T21:55:00.000-07:00

“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to high office.”

2500 years on and Aesop’s wisdom still lives on….

8 “officials” of Union Carbide, including Mr Keshub Mahindra ( the then Head of UCIL), have been handed out “tragically comical” sentences, considering the enormity of the disaster.
The CEO, Union Carbide Corporation, Warren Anderson, and the then Prime Minister of India ( Rajiv Gandhi) and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh ( Arjun Singh) at the time were allowed to get away scot free…

Not only did they get away scot free, but the current, ruling dispensation is beholden to the Italian born widow of Rajiv Gandhi as their only salvation.
And Arjun Singh, the family loyalist has been rewarded ( inspite of losing the mandate of the electorate!) with plum posts in the Union Cabinet.

Let’s consider this….would Mr. Keshub Mahindra in collaboration with UCC been able to set up this plant in India without government clearances?

The “prestigious” UCIL plant, was a manufacturer of pesticides, the components of which were lethal gases like Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) and other deadly toxins.

The construction of this plant in the heart of the city, in its mostly densely populated area, along the railway lines, minutes away from the main Railway Station of Bhopal, can be deemed as nothing else, but intent to murder and maim.

WHO GAVE THESE PERMISSIONS IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Our Media does not care to ask this question…...Arjun Singh is declared conveniently as “inaccessible”!
Madame Gandhi is “untouchable” in the most exalted sense…..

To add insult to injury Warren Anderson was given the royal treatment and in a ‘Quattrochisque’ manner allowed to flee from Bhopal in the State plane!... (on a bail of a paltry Rs 25000/-) and out of the country, never to return again……

The regular ordinary people…we are expendable…

My mother used to lovingly spray her beautiful prize winning roses with the wonderful “Sevin”, little realizing that the lethal MIC contained in it would consume and maim the lives of the people of the city that she loved and called home…fortunately for her / us, the wind on that fateful day was in the “other” direction….

The overjoyed people of Bhopal had had firm belief that this huge big “Amrikan” company would somehow transform their lives……it surely did.

The angst, the frustration and the helplessness felt by us was beyond words.
Today, with this verdict, the salt is further rubbed into our wounds……

Yet we will vote the same dispensation back into “high office” again!!

Winners and Losers

2010-06-02T02:47:00.000-07:00

Two Headlines…

Mamata sweeps Civic polls in Kolkata.

Ratan Tata inaugurates Nano Plant in Sanand , Gujarat.

Winners both on the same day!….is it Providence?

Just 19 months ago Mamata had successfully forced the mighty Ratan Tata out of Singur and into the willing arms of Narendra Modi.
Her “ Save Farmland” movement, boosted by the omnipresent do-gooders like Medha Patkar and Arundhati Roy, a huge success.
The prestigious project that was to put Singur on the world map has now gone to Narendra Modi’s Sanand, and Singur remains on the world map, albeit notoriously.

Spoken like a true urban,city slicker, I will be accused, with no idea of the ground realities. The most fertile “multi-crop” land was being “forcibly” taken away from farmers that have owned the land for generations. Sacrilege.

To my mind what begs the question is, “ What good was that “most fertile” multicrop land, ultimately, if it had only managed to keep the farmer mired in debt and poverty for generations?”

The desire of Ms Patkar and Ms Roy ( and others of their ilk) to ensure that certain section of the poorest of the poor of our populace remain in their “natural habitat” ( like wild animals?) is laughable.
They should be denied the bounties, and benefits of progress and industrialization on which they themselves thrive upon!...and derive their resources from.

Coming back to Singur……The Nano unit may have been able to provide only about a 1000 direct jobs, but it is a no brainer that the 70 proposed ancillaries would have provided more job opportunities.
Small businesses catering to the daily needs would have sprouted rapidly creating self employment.
Responsible industrialization has always led to prosperity, in every part of the world.

After chasing Mr Tata away, have these ladies done anything constructive for the farmer of Singur? No. He is still toiling like a beast of burden trying to eke out a very basic existence, still mired in debt and poverty.

But we forget, this is India. The voter chooses between a bottle of cheap country liquor or 2 kg of rice. Therefore to make him prosperous and thereby immune to these “eclectic choices” does not serve Mamata’s interest.

But Patkar and Arundhati? who pays them to keep these people poor?

More power to Ratan Tata and Sanand.

iPhone(y)...!

2010-05-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

I have had this threat hanging on my head since last Christmas.

“Mama guess what my Christmas gift to u REALLY was?” I looked at the huge Guess bag that Lesha, my daughter had given to me and wondered …..what next?

“I had ordered an iPhone for u, but coz I got busy with Uni and Assignments, I could not get it unlocked”

“Unlocked?”…I thought….Outwardly nodding my head in agreement, not wanting to appear “not with it”!

‘But I don’t need an iPhone…I have a perfectly good phone that does everything that I want!”

Obviously we were on different wavelengths, “Mama, how can u use THAT phone, it’s so EMBARRASSING…even the driver has a better phone!”

Wow! now I am in competition with the driver.....about a phone??!

Let me get this straight…I can make a call, take a call, send and receive messages and tell the time…..good enough for me!

Last year Kevin had experimented with a Blackberry on me, I have to admit I failed miserably…could not send a single message…he gave up on me in sheer exasperation!!...

Reverted back to my good old companion. Really enjoy a good comfort level!
It has stood by me through thick and thin, never given up on me because of shabby treatment meted out to it by (wo) man or beast.

Let’s face it, there are some things that one can do and some that one can’t…my Achilles heel is tech gizmos.

But apparently appearances are important…so says my daughter...and in a couple of weeks I shall have to bid adieu to "constant companion", with a heavy heart and try and bond with the slick "upstart" entering my life!!

Does anyone care?...Will my phone define my persona??...there must be very little to me if that is the case!!!

Page FB!

2010-05-14T23:13:00.001-07:00

“May I speak with Sangeeta please?” I requested my friend’s assistant (rated by a business magazine as one of the more influential women in Corporate India).

“I’m sorry Ma’am, but she is busy right now…..may I have her call u back?”

Busy…right… I thought to myself…just saw her online on FB!!

Facebook… an addiction…..wonderful tool of information and connectivity and also the panacea for boredom, lack of celebrity…. …

C’mon now, admit it…..each on of us has this secret (open secret?!) desire to acquire celebrity and be featured on Page 3, and thereby become the object of the “neighbor’s” envy!

Page 3….?! No chance, all the space there is hogged up by 5 types of people

Genuine celebrity ( this one is clueless about his/her ‘appearance’!)
Page three celebrity (someone who is a celebrity because they repeatedly appear on Page 3, because of connections with event managers/media planners etc and for no other tangible reason!!)
The paying celebrity ( oooh I wish!)
The pushy wannabe hangers on ( uh..ummm)

So…if u r not a real celebrity, do not have the right connections or sufficient Moolah, and don’t wish to be a hanger on…FORGET it!

In any case, the people that one does see there are complete strangers and are rarely ever featured again, except ofcourse for the ‘connected’ regulars

Sour Grapes?....no no…the bald and beautiful truth!

And grapes cannot be sour any longer…FB zindabad!!

That Award of Excellence, achievements at the workplace, exotic travels, party time, the latest Birkin added to the ‘collection’ ( even if it is from Chinatown!) or the latest designer label ( even if it is off the heap in Saojini Nagar)…u can get the gist….. can now be showcased in precisely the manner u want, when u want and to whom, the pics tweaked to exactly the right hue and exposure!!..

Infinitely better than Page 3, one would imagine..and it can be controlled at ur fingertips!

No agonising over the darned photographer’s whims or the editor’s scissor. Or the hole in one’s pocket to charm them both!!!

FB allows each one of us the opportunity to present/project ourselves in the way that we wish to be perceived…….the danger here is that we might get reduced to being “performing” monkeys to the FB audience!!!

It is becoming so much a part of people’s lives and takes up so much time……

AND…

I have to plead Guilty!!

Best Son in the World....!

2010-05-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

“Knock Knock” …assuming that it was Keshav, coming in with my morning tea and newspapers, I dashed into my dressing room to put on more ‘respectable clothing’. ( hence the dishevelled look!!)

“Happy Mother’s Day!”...My little baby boy thrust a beautiful bouquet of pink roses at me, standing there grinning from ear to ear..

To say that I was overwhelmed, would be an understatement. Apparently he had conspired with Keshav to go and book the flowers at the florist at the Central Arcade ( our local market). I am now told that even though Kev was in the know, the whole “operation” was conceived, executed and paid for ( from his precious pocket money!) by Arjun.

It has been the most delightful start to a wonderful day.

I wonder what else they have up their sleeve?!

Shahrukh... Help!

2010-05-06T22:13:00.000-07:00

“ My Name is Khan, and I am not a Terrorist”…spouts Shahrukh Khan, in his inimitable candy floss, frothy, superficial style.

Sure ..your(the terrorist's) name is not Khan but it IS Shahzad, Kasab, Kasi, Hasan, Atta or Ansari……how different is it from Khan??

The “persecution syndrome” that drips from Shahrukh’s movie defies intelligent logic.

Why on earth should the US authorities NOT profile people with such names? Why should “racial profiling” be the crime rather than the acts of terrorism that could be perpetrated? Prevention is surely better than cure?

Our Muslim friends, especially Shahrukh should set the example by WELCOMING the extreme steps the US authorities take in order to protect their ordinary everyday citizens.

In fact Shahrukh should use his considerable and substantial clout in India to implement the same here. Even if we don’t top the international list on any other criteria, we certainly do so, as sitting ducks for the Jihadi Juggernaut in Pakistan.

Human Rights activists, Political compulsion ( both national and international) and a misplaced sense of obligation towards a community that is being radicalized at an alarming rate are the main reason why we are seeing a rise and rise of terror activities…

Are Muslims the only disaffected, shortchanged people on the planet? Their real and perceived grievances are cited as “root causes” for brutal murder of unsuspecting, innocent people, in no-war zones.

Shahzad ( the Failed Times Square Bomber), as kosher as they come….educated, wealthy background, MBA etc, etc…….what was his grievance?? (If it was the promise of 72 virgins.....I'm sure the Colorado born Huma would have something to say!!)

Unfortunately Shahzad epitomizes and emphasizes the snowballing inclusion of the most unlikely candidates into this cesspool of senseless brutality, bloodshed and murder.

When the threat, (luckily it remained just that due to Shahzad’s ineptitude) comes from such unlikely quarters, a paradigm shift in they way the targets of these killers defend themselves should be unapologetic.

An excerpt from an article in Counter Terrorism, by Gabe Suarez says it all:
//“These are not the times to be seeking political correctness over public safety. It is not the time to fear false labels created and assigned by the mass media. The Israelis learned that lesson long ago. After all is said and done, it is better to be a live “intolerant racist” (as the MSM would call us) than a dead “co-existing”, tolerant “paragon of political correctness”. I suspect that had Shahzad’s bomb been successful, lots of tolerant, “co-exist” types would have died right alongside us “intolerant racists”. The times call for careful profiling and suspicious curiosity as well as daily preparation.//

The problem is, that as I write this, I do worry about what my Muslim friends will think and feel. I do worry about what my “liberal” ( read uninterested, mostly ) friends will think. I do worry about being “politically incorrect”.

Shahrukh, you and other prominent/ educated/right thinking people of your community owe it to us and u need to take a stand against the Jihadis rather than cry “My Name is Khan…and I am not a terrorist”!

Don't Worry...Be Happy!

2010-04-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

Don't worry... Be happy!...that's the way I was

But now

I am worried.

I am trying to inculcate a value system in my little boy. Trying to teach him to tell “right” from “wrong”. My dilemma…I am not sure anymore about what really IS right or wrong.

With IPL gate, the 2G telecom scam, the cut motion in the Lok Sabha, Goldman Sachs, the Pope and his paedophile Archbishops……all of these being beamed directly into my brain with a mere click of a button, I really am compelled to stop and think and re-evaluate….

The IPL imbroglio has thrown up its maverick fall guy and greenhorn politician. But the real Fat Cats remain firmly ensconced within the opaque walls of the BCCI. The Governing Council ( that was supposed to be working along with maverick Modi) suddenly came out of it’s “Kumbhkaran” like stupor, and lo behold! the same guys that allowed the degeneration to happen right under their noses are now going to set it right??!
Ethics, right, wrong, principles, integrity, probity in public life….what on earth are these??!

The cut motion, moved by a ‘united’ opposition in the Lok Sabha against the debilitating price rise of essentials in the last few months was another fiasco. The smug and sanctimonious holy cow of Indian politics, the Congress had no compunctions about using the most potent weapon in its armoury, the CBI. The shining beacons of corruption of our polity Lalu, Mulayam , Mayawati and Soren….. demonstrated that they remain so!
Ethics, right, wrong, principles, integrity, probity in public life…...what on earth are these??!

In the light of the above, do we really see the ruling dispensation sacking A.Raja for the humungus telecom 2G auction scam…..a loss of Rs.30,000 crores to the exchequer? I think not. Mr Karunanidhi of the DMK is one of the valued allies…staying in power at ALL cost is the prime objective. To hell with
Ethics, right, wrong, principles, integrity, probity in public life….what on earth are these??!

The Goldman Sachs CEO and his bunch of crème de la crème, Wall Street Raiders are refusing to accept that they did any wrong! They sell a junk product to their clients and then shortsell it!! Explanation….. the poor sucker wanted to invest in risky products!!!
It’s like convincing a guy to stand at the edge of a cliff, and then pushing him over! All because he wanted to take the risk and stand at the edge?!
Ethics, right, wrong, principles, integrity, probity in public life….what on earth are these??!

The last bastion of pure and good values, the Vatican has not been spared either. Priests of all denominations in various parts of the world have been found guilty of being paedophiles. No punitive action has been taken either by the Vatican or by local authorities, even in countries like the USA. On the other hand, the erring priest has been transferred to another diocese to be able to traumatize a fresh set of kids. All that is being offered is an apology ( maybe). Automatic immunity, it would appear…
Ethics, right, wrong, principles, integrity, probity in public life…….what on earth are these??!

We could go on and on…Swami Nityanand is currently languishing in Jail, though I have no doubt that he will be released soon on some pretext or the other, and it will be business as usual.

Stalwarts like APJ Kalam and Mr E. Shreedharan ( Delhi Metro) that can stand public scrutiny, and come through squeaky clean, are few and far between.

Is this what I should teach my son?
Ethics, right, wrong, principles, integrity, probity in public life….what on earth are these??!

Warring tweeters!

2010-04-16T21:09:00.000-07:00

“Have you published your blog about IPL-Gate yet?”…one of our friends smsed me yesterday.

Actually…No…I have been so immersed in the Millennium Trilogy, the crime thrillers written by Stieg Larsson (RIP), and in his compelling anti- heroine Lisbeth Sandler, that Tharoor and his antics were really not inspiring enough!

I mean……what IS new here? or is it that I am now immune to all forms of corruption?

Tharoor and Modi….from my perspective an amazing coincidence. Both of their sisters were a year junior to me in college (Sophia, Ajmer) and school ( St. Mary’s Nainital) respectively!!

But that aside….!

Tharoor, the wannabe UN secretary General, had to step down from those rarified environs and descend straight into the quagmire that is Indian politics, replete with sleaze, filth, muck and crooks.

A Stephanian, with a clipped quasi- Brit accent, and suave demeanour, leads most people I know, to declare….. “the poor man is so Stylish! why can’t they leave him alone?!! We need people like him!!”…. I hear people near and dear to me, lament.

So what if Shashi Tharoor and his ageing arm candy of the hour were caught with their hands literally in the till? That is apparently par for the course!

Even as I write this, Ms Pushkar’s credential are mysterious and unidentifiable. Beautician, spa owner, almost “sweat equity” receipient from Shahrukh Khan’s (denied) KKR, sales manager in Dubai….dubious or what?? Her qualification for being the beneficiary of Rs 70 crores worth of sweat equity is purportedly, her “love for cricket!!” Will the real Ms Pushkar come forward please?

Having said that I do believe that Tharoor, even though still wet behind the ears as a politician, has been incredibly naïve and if I may add, foolish? to have landed himself in this fiasco.

Visuals, of the bomhomie and goodwill between Lalit Modi and Tharoor, the two protagonists of this soap opera, were there for all to see 24x7. But obviously in all of this cronyism and “you scratch my back, I scratch yours” scenario Tharoor fell short and did not scratch Modi in exactly the right spot!

And to borrow from the cliché……. Hell hath no fury like a Modi scorned! Unfortunately ( for Modi) the repercussions seem to have boomeranged on him and are threatening to take him down along with Tharoor…a lose- lose situation! if there ever was one!

Tharoor will probably be the first minister of the tech age to have tweeted himself out of office!

Now u tell me Sanjeev, why would I tear myself away from the unpredictable Lisbeth Sandler in favor of these losers???!

Night Out With the boys!

2010-03-20T03:21:00.000-07:00

Oh Boy!

What better way of getting to know your son better than to go out on a date with him?!
Anju, Ritika and I did just that...our sons Rohan (22), Aman (14) and Arjun (10) (respectively), were surprisingly co-operative with the whole enterprise, considering the difference in their ages!
"Rati, Anju wants to go with Rohan to some "sea food joint" in Def Col on Friday night?"... ("oh nice, one of our girly dinners that the three of us go off to, occasionally, minus the Big Bs (Stephanian Buddies)").... I thought to myself, before Ritika had finished........ "Anju was wondering if our boys will come too?"

I was all attention suddenly...... that sounded fun!..... "Hey that sounds great, count Arjun n me in!"

Come Friday night, freshly bathed after his rigorous tennis class, Arjun and I set off for Swagath in Def Col; feeling a tad foolish about it, since we have a fantastic Swagath in our own backyard! The only reward of doing cross country in high traffic being the "page 3 spottings" like Ritu Dalmia and the "Chhupa Rustom Guy", that are inevitable in Delhi!

Anju, Ritika and Aman were enjoying their drinks when we reached; Rohan reached soon after and we started the all important business of ordering the food. The crab that they were going to serve us was brought on display...and after much oohing and aahing (sadism if u ask me!!!) and clicking of pics, we settled back to get on with the business of "getting to know" each other.

The polite banter soon morphed into more serious "consultations"! Rohan, the pony-tailed, guitar playing rock star (plays in a band), also a 4th year law student, thought it imperative to advise Aman and Arjun to ask Ritika and me for a raise of their pocket money. The intricacies of the impact of inflation on the purchasing power of "sour punk" and "ice breakers" and bubble gum were ruminated upon !!

The positive fall out of being a law student also became evident as Rohan regaled us with his encounter with a cop over a minor traffic transgression. The cop's stern demeanour dissolving into total submission as soon as he saw the law books lying in the car.
"Aapke Father bhi vakil hain?" On Rohan's affirmative nod the cop continued, " mai to pehle hi samajh gaya tha, aab aap se kya loon? Vaise to Rs 800 banta hai...aap jo bhi theek samjhen, de dijiye!"...
"I'll give u Rs700...... is that Ok?"....!!!! Our uninitiated, wiseguy, lawyer in the making!
"Nahin, Nahin...aap ko itni takleef nahin dena chahata hun...aap Rs.200 de dijiye!?!" Moral of the story...always have a few law books lying around in ur car!!!!

In the meanwhile our meal arrived and after munching and crunching on the erstwhile cynosure of our camera!....and devouring prawn Koliwada and Butter Pepper Garlic, Arjun and Aman dug into their extra large scoops of chocolate icecream; after being denied the The Birthday Special ( 9 scoops!!!), which Arjun let us know was for "only" Rs 310!!
Rohan, in the meanwhile hopped across to check if the famous Def Col "Kulfi wallah" had anything left for us....we were in luck!

Anju, Ritika and I need to give ourselves a pat on the back!...the boys want to go out with us again!!
"Rohan, since u are the eldest, you are going to pick the next venue for the 23rd April"......
"But 23rd is too far off...can't we do it sooner?!
"OK," Anju quickly figured out an earlier Friday. "How about the 16th April?"
So as the 16th approaches, Rohan will have to coordinate everything. And Archit ( Ritika's older son) will be there too!

Maya 'Jarl'land!

2010-03-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

We Indians don’t really have anything against corruption and amassing of unexplainable wealth…....Naah....… c’mon…it is the crudity and crassness that we object to. Mayawatiji, do u hear?!

Take Lalu’s Fodder scam…the savvy dude, siphoned off thousands of crores that was meant for the emaciated cattle of Bihar. Now that was smart…after all it was only cows ( imagine them mooing their protest!) that he was depriving. The icing ( or should i say cream!) on this pie was that even the Supreme Court declared him “innocent”…everyone is happy. Imagine putting Lalu thru so much strife…for nothing. It’s a minor deviation that the cats ( Lalu n Rabri) got the cream instead of the cows!! He has also legitimately “milked” another cow…The Indian Railways!

Or maybe Sukhram, the ingenuity of the man!.. he stitched up the notes in his mattress…...Mayaji don’t you think a mattress might have been a better idea….I think Sukhramji took the saying “you lie on the bed of your own making” very seriously indeed! Infinitely better than a humungous garland, and also much easier to keep! You could have also slept “peacefully”! Instead u now have the taxman after u and that means breaking that garland and sharing with him.

“Hawa” mein flying rumours, that LK Advani received substantial sums of money, on the basis of his name scribbled in some Jain fixer/ dealer’s ( those unscrupulous, dirty guys) diaries??…not possible. Bits of paper and little scribbles on them boosted by a frugal lifestyle makes the courts come to the conclusion that it was in fact all “hawa” mein.! Mayaji, just a "parchi" out of Advaniji’s book might have been a more "clean chit" way of doing things.

Another option might have been to appoint a foreign middleman, u know….like Madam’s friend Quattrochi ..he could have opened fake accounts in foreign banks for u for a ‘nominal” charge and then fled to countries with whom we have no extradition treaties…..Simple…

Or

If a Swiss magazine Schweizer Illustrierte in 1991 revealed that Madam was controlling accounts worth $2 billion dollars in her minor son's name…

Who is going to believe That??...a Swiss magazine?? isn’t that something to do with a gun??!

Harvard scholar Yevgenia Albats cited KGB correspondence about payments to Rajiv Gandhi and his family, which had been arranged by Viktor Chebrikov, which shows that KGB chief Viktor Chebrikov sought in writing an "authorization to make payments in U.S. dollars to the family members of Rajiv Gandhi, namely Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Paola Maino, mother of Sonia Gandhi" from the CPSU in December 1985. Payments were authorized by a resolution, CPSU/CC/No 11228/3 dated 20 December 1985; and endorsed by the USSR Council of Ministers in Directive No 2633/Rs dated 20 December 1985. These payments had been coming since 1971, as payments received by Sonia Gandhi's family and "have been audited in CPSU/CC resolution No 11187/22 OP dated 10/12/1984. The Russian government confirmed the veracity of the disclosure and defended it as necessary for "Soviet Union”

See Mayaji, even the Russian Government CO-OPERATED, confirmed and approved!!! Ofcourse, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union does not exist any longer, but I am sure u can find many such interested parties. International collaboration is always fruitful/ classy and sophisticated.

Mr VP Singh’s son was a fine young man, who royally took a holiday in St.Kitts…it WAS only a holiday, promise..

Bangaru Laxmanji was probably one other guy that made the same mistake as u...u know flashing money on TV!...Not done Madamji...even ur left hand should not know what ur right hand is doing!! Why give those "angrezi speaking" TV wallahs extra TRPs??..they are not going to give u anything for SURE!

Mayaji, it is a long list…. after all the Swiss banks have admitted that India has the largest amount stashed away in secret accounts…One point Four trillion dollars or thereabouts ( more than our GDP @ 1.2 trillion US$!!) of the “aam aadmi’s” khoon pasine ki kamaayi.

Shame on u Ma'am..only ONE garland, some crores and stone statues? It could have been much more had u adopted one or all the methods above…… AND the Indian Pappu would have still loved u!......

To "Bee" come our future PM!

Hard Choices

2010-03-08T04:52:00.000-08:00

“If I get selected for the school cricket team, I will need a new bat Mama”. My son toodled off to school with his decrepit bat, with no grip, for the cricket “trials”.

“Ah!..... all my preaching seems to be bearing fruit!” I thought to myself.

A couple of years ago, when Arjun had joined his tennis coaching class, I had bought him a decent enough tennis racket…but apparently it was not good enough… his “Sir” said that he should have a high end one and his friends ridiculed him for not having a Prince, Head or Wilson….at the grand old age of EIGHT!!

I have to admit that I was a little pissed off with the Sir…the children ofcourse, did not know any better. I decided that I was not going to buckle under this kind of “peer pressure”, and also give my son his first lesson in doing so.

Not an easy task, believe u me….it is a very fine line between “depriving ur child” and “instilling of values”….I gave it a shot!

“Do you know Arjun, your favorite cricketer, Irfan Pathan comes from a very poor family? (Wikipedia, Thank you!) . “Do you think his father could have bought him expensive balls, shoes etc?...No…He is a fantastic cricketer because of three things…his hardwork, practice and perseverance; and fourth and not the least his innate talent. All the branded stuff came to him only AFTER he had proved himself. This is what u must tell ur friends when they make fun of you.”

All this whilst “bleeding heart” Dad was giving me reproachful looks…… “ how can u do this to my son?”

But I stuck to my guns…and I must say my little boy stuck it out manfully too, for six whole months……his game “miraculously” improving with the very same racket!

Kevin, on the look out for an opportunity, jumped up, the minute his class teacher called us to let us know that he needed to be rewarded for his work at school……no second guesses as to what the reward was!!!

I console myself that it was a “reward”!...it did not come for “free” and I do believe he appreciates it a whole lot more….

The fact that he happily went off early this morning with his old broken bat for the “trials”, without demanding a new one makes me think…

“Maybe I did something right!”

MONEY MONEY MONEY....!

2010-03-07T00:26:00.000-08:00

Money is the filthiest thing invented by mankind…especially money in it’s current form.

“Mama, may I have a Burger please?”…. “Sure…here’s a hundred bucks, go get one”

My son runs off to get his burger, clutching the precious currency in his hands, buys the burger and starts to eat it.

How many of us rush to the nearest toilet or washroom to clean our hands of all the muck from the filthy note before biting into the burger with relish? I suspect almost no one……( with the exception of my friend Jean!!!....Ouch!) or the popcorn we buy at the movies… or...I can go on and on….

“Arjun…..don’t touch the banister whilst climbing up the stairs…it’s dirty”… I mean after consuming all the muck of the world with the burger…this is important?!

Even at the height of the Swine flu epidemic I can’t remember anyone ( not even Jean!) sterilizing currency notes or coins!!!

Not only that….we accept change from the dirtiest, filthiest vendors/ people and lovingly count it and then confine it to the inner most recesses of our selves……our wallets!!

If I asked u to pick up a piece of paper lying on the road and chuck it into the bin, ur response would probably be… “Yuck!”…Yet we have no such hang ups about the filthy notes…instead of the bin it would happily go into our wallet!!!

Not to mention the foreign tourist...clutching on to a bottle of Evian in one hand...and in the other...yes..u guessed right!...MONEY!!

What does this tell us about ourselves?... Everything is a matter of convenience. That we are hypocritical in our posturings and approach to all aspects of life….

Money spreads other disease too….like corruption, dishonesty and for that u don’t even need to touch it!....It’s in the air!

Yet we worship it.

Celebrations...

2010-03-01T05:47:00.000-08:00

Holi Hai! Holi Hai!...

It’s Mummy’s 3rd death anniversary today.....ironically coinciding with the colourful and joyous festival of Holi……( the havan in her memory has been postponed to the following weekend )

Life, though, is somewhat akin to Holi….a myriad of colours…sometimes bright and luminous, at other times dull and dreary…..the bright and luminous enhanced by the dull and dreary…

Joya, a dear friend, lost her husband to a deadly disease, even before the harsh reality could sink in. The prayer service that she and their children organized in Manoj’s memory was one of the most beautiful, moving and uplifting that I have ever experienced. “ A celebration of his life”, his family said……

I feel a sense of release today as I celebrated Holi with friends dear to me…confident in the thought that my mother would not have wanted it any other way. I will continue to miss her…but life goes on….

Life and Death…two aspects of our reality that no one can escape. I am just learning to live with it…and celebrate it.

Say A Prayer.....

2010-02-16T10:14:00.001-08:00

“Happy New Year!” “Happy New Year!” Hugs and Kisses and good cheer to bring in the onset of a brand new decade, all and everybody embracing the New Year with an expectant anticipation….yes “anticipation”….

Little did we know that within a few weeks life would turn on it’s head…two of our close friends were diagnosed ( within weeks of each other) with the dreaded disease…cancer.

Life had seemed to be on cruise control, people all around me getting on with the usual business of life, and play; and yet it took but a moment to abruptly halt everything in its tracks… and rudely jostle us out of our comfortable and complacent existence.

What “happens to other people” was suddenly too close for comfort. Commiserating with the families and extending well intentioned but vacuous offers of help was more difficult than I thought.

Witnessing the trauma, of a friend adjusting to the harsh reality of a loved one afflicted by the deadly disease, is painful, and it does make one stop and think….

Priorities undergo an instant shuffle……..almost like a “back to basics” exercise….One is forced to think…”What is it from amongst all this chaos that I really value and hold dear?”….It took merely a moment to realize………very little.

My mother and my friend Eva succumbed to the deathly jaws of the disease ( though Eva gave it a tough fight). That was 3-4 years ago. Medical science has made more progress by leaps and bounds since….

And...if there is a God…. “Please look out for them”

The Mecca Of The Fashion World

2010-02-11T03:49:00.000-08:00

Walking down the streets of Paris and encountering a burqa clad woman is a bit of an oddity today. Not only is it an oddity, but a dichotomy to what Paris stands for. The Mecca of the fashion world.

A country has the sovereign right to protect the ethos of its culture and society, from an invasion that is radically and diametrically at variance with its own.

These thoughts have been whirling about in my mind ever since I read the main article on the Editorial Page in the TOI this morning, authored by Ian Buruma, a Professor of Democracy and Human Rights, at the Bard College in New York.

He advocates that banning of the burqa in France is wrong because

*“there is the matter of individual freedom”

( Did she have it in her own country of origin? Does she have it in her own home? More often than not she is compelled to wear it and proclaim that it is her own choice. We have enough documented evidence of what could happen to her otherwise.)

* “Individual practices, as long as they do no harm to others, should be allowed, even if many people don’t particularly like them”

( This is fine as long as the cultural ethos of the practice is in tandem with those prevalent in the adopted society. For a foreignor to come and try and insist on their “right” for something which stands out like a sore thumb is exceeding expectations)

* “There is another reason why the burqa ban is a bad idea. If we are serious about integrating immigrants into western societies, they should be encouraged to move around in public as much as possible. Banning the burqa would force this tiny minority of women to stay at home, and be even more dependent on their men to deal with the outside world.”

( Should it not be the other way round? The operative word here is “immigrant”. Should those women not try and assimilate and integrate into their adopted country unobtrusively? Is it the duty of the westerner to hand hold them?)

Probably these women ( and their families) are in France because of the oppressive atmosphere in their own countries. Why would they come to another country and try to make it like the one they came from?

Flipping the coin…..a visit to any Muslim country immediately curbs a vast number of our freedoms. A visitor may not consume alcohol. Pork cannot be consumed. Women must cover their heads with a scarf. We must follow ( and be punished by ) their laws as decreed by the Shariat.

Human Right Activists are deafeningly mum.

Probably because we are not "human"!

"Bringing UP" Pangs!

2010-02-04T07:54:00.000-08:00

Who goes through the pangs of growing up more…the parent or the child?
I learnt, much to my dismay and discomfort, that it probably is the parent.!

“What is sex Mama?”…taken aback by this fresh salvo, I hemmed and hawed, and grasping at straws, came up with a gem….

“You know Arjun, there are males and there are females…so there is the male sex and the female sex”!!..(I was amazed at the inanity of my own reply!)

But my 10 and ½ year old (every half is critical!) was not convinced, ‘No Mama, not that….I want to know what the “F” word sex means!” BOOM! This salvo was deadlier than the first and had me stumped and speechless.

Anyhow regaining my composure, mustering up all the equanimity at my command, and marshalling my thoughts, muttering to myself that I must not shirk my duties as a parent, however embarrassing, painful or discomfiting the situation may be; I launched into a clinically antiseptic description of the reproduction system of the human body ( both male n female!!)…describing the whole process graphically…

At the end of my sterling effort, his quizzical expression seemed to say….Is that really it?

But by then, I had had enough and that was all that he was getting from me….the finer nuances and details I plan to leave for Kevin!

TRP ( Truth Rest in Peace! )

2010-01-28T17:37:00.000-08:00

“Is Barack Obama nervous about India?”…ominous music accompanies the pompous, all knowing, high pitched (yes all at the same time! ) tones of a prime time news anchor.

I wondered what had happened? It was only earlier in the day that I had heard Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech, and he had seemed fine then!
So in order to find out the reason for the poor man’s nervousness I watched the “news”.

It was laughable… Obama’s reference to the fast growing economies like China, Germany, and India was projected completely out of context.

Talking about the advice to “wait” and “hold on” regarding hard and contentious decisions that are required ( and have not been taken for decades) to ensure future robust growth for the American economy, Obama referred to the fact that,and I quote “China is not "waiting" to revamp its economy, Germany is not "waiting", India is not "waiting"…..these nations are not standing still, these nations are playing for second place….”

What they did show on TV was “India is not waiting…these nations are not standing still….” thrice in quick succession, background music for impact, followed by…Why is Barack Obama so nervous!!!!

Credibility thy name is Times Now and Arnab Goswami. All other channels and anchors competing for the same space!...Jai Ho!!

Changing Mores...!

2009-07-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

“Was Nani ever divorced?”... “No”, I absent-mindedly shook my head. “Nana was her first husband??” I looked up at my 10 year old, and assured him in the affirmative, wondering at where all this was coming from. And it was not the last question, “Was Nana ever divorced?”…!! he wanted to know!

The innocence, curiosity and crystal clear logic of a 10 year old!

The genesis of that curiosity probably stems from the fact that both Kevin and I have been divorced earlier and and have (ex) first husbands and wives. He probably imagines that it is the norm!

As we were growing up, divorce was a “dirty” word and especially a divorced woman was looked upon with great suspicion. A whole generation of couples went through life in a bad marriage because of these taboos.
This easy acceptance of changing social mores, by this new generation is surely a “setting free”, an unshackling?

Nani, ofcourse, must be shuddering in her heavenly abode!

India Abroad

2009-06-02T01:14:00.000-07:00

“Why is India so dirty and the people so poor, Mama?” my Gurgaon born, chirped up.
I looked at my 9 year old son and thought to myself….. “Yes, WHY indeed?”…

His is yet an un-“conditioned” mind. He has not yet been subjected to the Macaulayian Juggernaut that we call our education system…the only way that I can discredit my “mobile citizen’s” observation as a manipulation of “western” influence is by admitting that he has had the opportunity to travel extensively the world over, and thereby see the contrast.

Sadly for us, that is how the world in general, perceives India…… through the eyes of a nine year old. Mr S Gurumurthy (a friend of mine sent me the link to his speech) has mentioned the intellectual deficit....it is applicable universally
His speech ( http://hvk.org/specialarts/intellectual/intellectual.html) to the students of IIT Chennai is thought provoking and it is difficult to disagree with most of what he has to say.

Self flagellation and self deprecation has been honed to perfection by a large section of our media. Self critique and objectivity has been the casualty.

It is absolutely correct that every country has its own set of problems and negatives…but does that negativity define it?..In our case it does. When a nine year old looks at America he is overwhelmed by the dazzling positives…and when the spotlight moves to India it is a sad story with merely a glitter here and a twinkle there.

The imminently successful “Q & A” ( Slumdog Millionaire ) and “The White Tiger” written by contemporary Indian writers, Vikas Swarup and Aravind Adiga have stirred up a hornet’s nest in many ways….primarily accused of India bashing.

The religious bias in the former, in order to appear “politically correct” and “secular” is indeed deplorable and in any other society, would have called for bans……. “The daVinci Code” and “Satanic Verses” come to mind instantly. However we did not even do that. WHY?

Having said that, to my mind, both works are a reasonably accurate description of life and society as it is in India today. I, being part of it all was able to identify and even find my own caricaturized slot!

To castigate Swarup and Adiga for “telling it like it is” is like blaming the mirror for an ugly reflection…..lamenting is hardly ever the solution.

It would probably be infinitely more constructive to find out WHY all the virtues of our great country are eclipsed by and are less saleable than all the dirt, grime, chaos, poverty and corruption.
Once we have the answer to the WHY? and we act upon it…the reflection will surely change.

Don’t u think?

Who is the real Pappu?

2009-05-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

Does it really matter that I vote? Not really….nobody actually cares.

All the hype in the media about being a “pappu” etc comes to mean absolutely nothing….The real “pappus” are the bureaucracy and unless we don’t get rid of this class, we will continue to remain “pappus”.

Almost a week later, I am still seething with anger and frustration. It was a bright, sunny and hot morning on the 7th of May…the day designated for the casting of the ballot in Delhi and Haryana.
Kevin and I fished out our “passport” ( or so we thought) to the ballot…the all important Voter ID card, and set off with great nationalistic and patriotic fervour to exercise our basic right and “make a difference”.

On an impulse in the car, I called my friend Nandini ( the last time we had gone to cast our vote together), to find out if she had already cast her vote.

“I can’t find my name on the list. Neither does yours or Kevin’s seem to be there.” was her encouraging remark!

“Anyhow since u guys have your Voter I cards, give it another shot. Don’t go to the front of the school (the polling booth venue), it’s chaotic. Take the side lane and go in from the back gate…it’s more orderly there.”

Following her directions we had no trouble finding the guy with the list. Sitting on a rickety stool, he had a tough time dealing with dozens of people all at once. Finally we managed to get the sheets with the Ks and the Rs. Kevin’s name had been struck off the list; the Rs scenario was weirder….the last name was Rajinder. So any Rakesh, Rakhi, Rati or Rukmini were simply not counted amongst the many millions of our wonderful babu kingdom.

One set of Babus ( or should I say Pappus?!) gave us the Voter I card. Another set of the same lot compiled the electoral lists…. and……. Voila!.....they did not match!! How typically consistent and true to form!

Accountability?....Naaah…… in Pappuland we don’t use big words. As long as we get our “free” everything and pickings on the side, we are at peace, the only act of aggression being the pushing of files from one end of the table to the other!

This is the condition in Gurgaon…the much touted Millenium City. The electorate classified amongst the educated elite of India, a pawn in the hands of these manipulators? I wonder which polling booth got the other half of the Rs list and who voted against my name?
Wonder what happens elsewhere?

Anyhow, I have been taught to look at the brighter side of every situation….. yesss!....my newly acquired talons n manicure were saved from “the ink mark”!!

Mother's Pride

2009-04-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

I was torn…torn between wanting to be with my daughter on the milestone event of her graduation, and the thought of leaving Arjun behind for the first time ...ever. As always, Kevin came to my rescue, took matters out of my hands and I was all set to go to Sydney.

Flashback…eleven years ago….after returning from a holiday with her father in Sydney, my daughter, Lesha, expressed the desire to go back there and study. It hit me like a bolt from the blue…was the toughest decision of my life, but after weighing the pros n cons, I started the immigration formalities & the legal process of handing over custody etc to her father.

Today, it seems I made the right decision then. My little girl has transformed into a well-qualified, intelligent and beautiful young woman of the world.

This one week was our “quality time” together…just the two of us! She really took that seriously!

Off the plane, at my hotel, I was under the impression that I would put up my feet and relax after a long flight…but it was not to be!

“We HAVE to go to the Royal Easter Show, Mama!…It’s Sydney’s Annual Event and it gets over tomorrow”.

We drove all over the massive Sydney Olympic Park, looking for a parking closest to the venue……but alas “close” was not happening! I discovered over the next few days that a walk from your car park to your final destination is part of the “fun”!! After a leisurely afternoon at the Easter Show, shopping and eating goodies, we rounded off the day with dinner with her Dad.

The next day…. D Day, dawned bright and clear, the cool crisp Sydney air inviting us outdoor. The short drive to the University ( my hotel had been selected by her because of it’s proximity to the Uni ) was welcome and the parking was not too far away either!

The atmosphere was academic, with all the graduating students geared up in their robes and hats. The solemn and impressive ceremony began sharp at 9.30 am. It was a proud moment for all present there. Refreshments and photo sessions done with, we were free for the rest of the day…

Off we go to Hunter’s Valley…An hour and a half long drive from Sydney, Hunter’s Valley is the domain of a 160 odd vineyards. Cheese and wine tasting was fun and all the tasting got us tipsy!

Beautifully landscaped grounds dotted with pergolas invite u to relax and sip your wine and indulge in exotic cheese and crackers.

Whilst browsing through one of the many stores, I was suddenly surprised by a beautifully packaged bottle of wine being thrust at me.. Yes….. a personalized label.. from my daughter to me…it was a mushy moment, indeed!

Fine dining restaurants abound in Hunter’s Valley…but we had all had a long day….the restaurant at the Mercure was sumptuous enough.

We slept in late and I had visions of a leisurely day…but alas not for long. We were out again on the roads of Sydney, criss-crossing the beautiful city, going from shopping centre to restaurant to the pristine Bondi beach….what lovely shopping!..and finally ending up at the Sydney Tower Restaurant. The breathtakingly spectacular view banished all tiredness and fatigue. We spent a couple of hours there soaking in the beauty of Sydney by night….reservations for the tables by the window is a MUST…

Just a few blocks away, by the harbour, is the glitzy Starcity. We tried our hand at the machines tentatively…with 5$!... and WON!!.... 30$!!...The haul took care of our parking tickets for the day!

So rarely have we had time together…just the two of us...that she wanted to do EVERYthing with “my mommy”. Girly visits to the Spa and Salon..( the talons I currently sport are a consequence of extreme emotional blackmail!!..much to Kevin’s horror!).

“Mama, I’ve made reservations for The Jerry Springer Show-The Opera, at the Sydney Opera House..”

“Haven’t we already done enough?” I tried to bring in a modicum of moderation. “ And in any case we have to go to Aunty Vidya’s for dinner.”

“Nooo.. Mummeee….we can’t stay too long at Aunty Vidya’s. We are catching up with Niki ( her step sister, a delightful young lady! ) and some friends at the Sydney Opera Bar and then going to the Shangrila Bar for more drinks.” I sighed my resignation, my only condition being that we take a taxi from and to every parking lot!

I have to admit, the Opera was superb…a MUST do, hour long laugh riot. Drinks at the Opera Bar were pleasant, the cool winter air wafting in from the harbour..chilling me to the bone, but not these young things in next to nothing!

The pride and happiness a mother feels, as her daughter achieves major milestones and seamlessly crosses over into the adult world, cannot be expressed enough in words…not withstanding a few boyfriend hiccups!

All in all it was a week that both of us will cherish.

........and AGAIN

2008-11-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

“What is the value of our Insurance policies?” Kevin asked, out of the blue, shattering the companionable silence we share while sipping tea and reading the morning newspapers.
“I need to know that u and Arjun are adequately provided for in case I’m not around”, he expounded, seeing the puzzled look on my face.
Aghast I gaped at him.

The horrendous and horrific events in Mumbai, since 26/11, have certainly taken their toll of him. The realization that even the hallowed precincts of a heritage property, The Taj Mahal Hotel, are so easily vanquished by a demonic and manic enemy, is psychologically crippling, to say the least…

With each passing episode, the ingenuity and daring of the terrorists are on an upward incline.

The larger tragedy is that we ( read our politicians, our eager-beaver media and our human rights activists ) make the job much easier for them.

On Sunday evening, on “We The People” ( NDTV) one of the panelists, Ms. Simi Grewal, raised a point, very pertinent to the threat from within our country. Her suggestion to the anchor of the show was to take a filming crew to any one of the high rise buildings in certain areas and film the flags in the adjoining slum areas…her contention was that they are Pakistani/Islamic flags.
The response her suggestion met with from a young man was rabid and aggressive to say the least….implying.. “how dare she”. But what bothers me more is the response of the anchor…she was almost breathless with shock…claiming it was the darkest hour on the programme.
Objectivity , obviously was lost, instead of taking the suggestions of the panelist GUEST ( she was there by invitation) at face value and validating/ discrediting her claim by doing as she suggested, the anchor thought it fit to breathlessly brush it under the carpet………………WHAT ARE WE AFRAID OF?
We can have heads roll, we can change governments, we can empower and strengthen our security apparatus…but all this would probably come to naught if we don’t face up to the unpleasant realities that besiege our country and strengthen our own resolve to call a spade a spade.

Our politicians’ skewed priorities are tragic-comic. The Batla house encounter and arrests of Muslim boys after the Delhi bombings created a political impasse for the Government. The meager resources of our ATS ( God bless them ) were directed towards unearthing “ Hindu Terror” to nullify the political damage caused by the former!

By all means, hang them if found guilty, but to put the entire limited resources of the ATS to this task, with daily media briefings for over one month, now seems to have been a costly mistake.

The handlers of the terrorists seem to be mocking the Indian government. The captured terrorist has a Kalava ( holy Hindu thread ) tied round his right wrist!

Thankfully Arundhati Roy and Teesta Setalvad seem to be dumbstruck for once ( touchwood!)

Those of us in the general domain that feel strongly about such issues give vent to our frustrations by blogging, joining groups on social networking sites, participating in candle light vigils and peaceful marches.

What ELSE can we do?

Alienation and Human Rights

2008-09-23T04:26:00.000-07:00

I plant bombs and terrorize,
Over my human Rights and alienation,
The Intelligesia will agonize…..

Blast after blast…senseless killings and then……NOTHING

Round TWO…..another series of blasts, senseless killings and then again…NOTHING…the diabolical intent is clear and incessant

But wait….we are debating…. on NDTV, CNN-IBN, TIMES NOW, the print media, the various commissions and committees set up by ineffectual governments, and not to forget the esteemed and often self righteous Human Rights activists….
We are a “secular democracy” and we shall remain so……who cares about the people that die with frightening regularity in bomb blasts.

What is it that we have been debating for years, with such ferocity that it actually emasculates us rather than empower?

1) Alienation of Minorities :

Every blast is followed by mocking e-mails to the establishment, glorifying jihad. Would it meet with the panelists’ and minority community’s approval if the police showed up with Sikh suspects?!
In the recent blasts, the suspects have been tech savvy, reasonably well educated young men, some with regular jobs. By whom & where have they been discriminated against and not “allowed” to be part of the “mainstream”? Really not clear…

In actual fact, it is the indoctrination they receive as they grow up, in and around Madarsas, that are controlled by foreign funds and radical clerics.
All of them are in the age groups between 18-24, too young to have concrete firsthand memories of Bombay Blasts’93 or Gujarat. They are obviously avenging someone else’s demons.

Leaders and Elders of the Muslim community have obviously failed to groom the young within their community with the correct sense of values towards the nation state. It is their responsibility to ensure that the youth feel a sense of loyalty towards their country and report to the authorities immediately, if anyone tries to lure them into anti-national activities…have we witnessed a single such case?
Can it be denied that Osama Bin Laden is their role model? The bigger picture is plain and simple jihad and “alienation” has no part in it. Terrorist activities are happening in Islamic countries…because of alienation? Indoctrination is more like it.

Dr. Abdul Kalam, Irfan Pathan, Yousuf Pathan, Azharuddin, Kaif, Patel….the list is long: all these luminaries have come up from the poorer sections of society ( some even from the dreaded land of Modi ) on the basis of their own merits. No one has put them up there as second rate representation of the minority community.

“Integrate” should be the mantra of the elders and leaders of the Muslim community.
Nobody discriminates on basis of religion …but yes if one shows up in a flowing beard, cap and kurta pajama, there might be a problem just as I would face, if I turned up with a Tilak, trishul and saffron attire!

Alienation is mostly an excuse and mostly brought about from within the radical elements of the community. Do we seriously believe that if the Gujarat riots , Bombay riots etc had not happened, there would be no terror today? With Osama being their role model it is hard to conceive such a scenario.

2) Human Rights of the alleged Terrorist

Human Rights are the basic right of all humans…errr, am I overstating obvious?
A plethora of activists are engaged in ascertaining that the human rights of these people, that blow us up with glee and then gloat…are not violated. They are innocent until they are proven guilty in the court of law…notwithstanding all the evidence the police gather. They are also at liberty to blow us up again and again whilst their innocence is being established by activist lawyers.

The police ofcourse are a bunch of criminals, as declared on national TV by a Human Rights Activist. Inspite of the adverse conditions in which they work, the dangers and perils of their jobs to protect us, they are not deserving of human rights. They die, in the line of duty, no activist comes up to their families to offer help and rehabilitation.

What about the human rights of the “aam aadmi”? Don’t we have the right to be able to live without the fear of being blown up?

Last but not least, the human rights of the victims. The basic human right of dignity in death is violated by the media. Disrobed, bloodied bodies, with limbs torn apart are repeatedly shown on TV channels. Any activists care to ensure this basic right to those unfortunate souls?

In this clashing clamour for human rights we have to prioritise who has the first claim to human rights and not succumb to “democratic and secular” compulsions.

Chattering classes, and opinion makers will continue to debate…
Terrorists will continue to terrorize…
We will continue to die

Long Live “secular democracy”!

Terrorized

2008-07-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

“Hey Ratz..let’s go to Ambi Mall”….. Shirley chirped up, bright as a spark.
“I really don’t think it’s such a good idea, Shirlz…I think it’s better to stay away from crowded places, after the multiple blasts in Bangalore”. I tried to be sensible.
“Don’t be silly…even the terrorists need to take rest”, Shirlz made light of my apprehensions.
We had a great time, browsing through clothes that wouldn’t fit me! And buying more handbags and more shoes for Shirley! We returned home happy and tired at 7.30pm, to spend the rest of the evening with our respective spouses.
“Do you know there has been a series of blasts in Ahmedabad?” Kevin remarked casually as I walked into his den.
My mouth fell open…whilst we were blissfully shopping at the Mall, Ahmedabad was burning…..my apprehensions were becoming fact.

8 blasts in Bangalore and 17 ( the highest number ever) in Ahmedabad on two consecutive days…rendering hundreds dead or injured…even a hospital had not been spared this time to create greater impact.

What manner of evil & devious mind/minds are at work here? What are they hoping to achieve? All the usual spiel about Islamic Shariat prevailing in the world, message to the Americans, destabilizing India etc is fine; but that is the “Big Picture” propagated by the self serving, manic and egoistic individuals like Osama bin Laden and his ilk.

What is it that compels a young man, ostensibly a son of the soil, to tie up crude bombs on rickety bicycles, and sit back and watch and take credit for the havoc he wreaks?
Religious brainwashing is the obvious definitive answer……could also be penury and illiteracy.
That the madrasa and the mullahs are responsible for this indoctrination is a forgone conclusion. That the vast majority of the “foot soldiers” are mostly poor, unemployed and radicalized young men is true to a large extent, but not quite a forgone conclusion….a lot many of the suicide bombers/terrorists have been highly educated professionals.

Occasionally, we hear a murmur here or a whisper there that all Muslims are not radical…that Islam has been hijacked by the extremists etc. WHY don’t we get to see that moderate tolerant Muslim? Why don’t we hear him raise his /her voice and condemn the senseless killings that happen with such regularity in the name of Islam? Why don’t we see a counter movement within the community to negate the hate indoctrination by the radicals?
The more terrifying aspect of this phenomenon is the insidious and ordinary nature of the enemy. He could be your local meatwallah, or the “nukkad” tailor, your carpenter, or even that nice guy who was with you in college. After every such dastardly act, across the world, this aspect has been emphasized.

What are we going to do about it? Nothing I guess.
Justice for the Gujarat riot victims is a priority
The media has a “balanced” point of view and endeavours to give everyone the benefit of the doubt….Naredra Modi being the exception
The intelligensia are busy sipping their wine and discussing the next book launch in Pakistan and looking forward to the famed Pakistani hospitality!
The politicians……the less said the better.
As for myself….I’m too scared and powerless….am just sharing my thoughts with u.

In the meanwhile as the invisible enemy stocks up on it’s next lot of bicycles, I’m off with Shirlz on another shopping spree…to the Select Citywalk Mall.
“ Have a blast before the blast! What say?!”

Laws of Nature

2008-06-28T05:26:00.000-07:00

Perched at the pinnacle of the rugged terrain, the massive bird cast it's eagle eye all round the mountainside and the deep crevices within. Startled, and nervously aware of the predatory eagle’s presence in the elevated distance, the herd of mountain goats, much like deer in the forest, shuffled and made ready for flight to hide from its swoop of survival on them.
All, but one….alas one little kid, ran helter- skelter, surefooted as only mountain goat can be and concealed themselves from their predator. The deserted little goat bleated plaintively, terrorized by the imminent danger that it could instinctively sense. Balancing on the edge of the narrow ledge, which spilled over into a deep fall into a rocky valley down below, it made one last attempt to run after its herd but the eagle was faster……
One tug….a second tug with its powerful beak and the kid had no chance. Dangling its prey from its beak the bird’s strategy was to drop the goat over into the crevice and then swoop down for the kill.

This was one of the many forwards that we all receive everyday……. “Survival of the fittest”, “Might is right”, the hierarchy in ‘the food chain’… ….would probably flash through all our minds in that nanosecond, and then we relegate it to the trash bin of our inbox.
But it seems the replay button got pushed…. and I have been witnessing the plight of the hapless goat over and over.

It makes me wonder, at the ease, with which we accept the cruelty and determination of the eagle’s actions and the plight of the benighted goat….and marvel at the laws of nature. I am not going to question or challenge the laws of nature here…it would be presumptuous to say the least…and I marvel at them too.

What set me thinking deeper was the ease with which we extrapolate these acceptances on to human behaviour.

Scud missiles are being directed onto Iraqi targets from Israeli territory. “The war on Terror” has been unleashed. The Supersonic eagles swoop down on the innocent and beleaguered populace of Iraq and Afghanistan. Hawkish statements emanate from the pinnacles of power in Washington DC. The wretchedness of the Iraqis and Afghans only increases with every bomb attack and round of gunfire.
All other countries bleated their protests and then scuttled along with their everyday lives….and watched the two countries get reduced to rubble and anarchy.
Was this an act of survival? Maybe so. After all for an oil guzzling nation like the USA, control of Central Asia and the Middle East are critical.
Do the laws of nature apply to mankind too?

Ruthless, relentless cruelty are also said to be the hallmark of the recently designated terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. He rose from obscurity, out of the eastern regions of the cowbelt, and catapulted himself onto the pinnacle of the underworld. Motions of protest and perfunctory attempts to catch him and bring him to justice were up to naught. Politicians, film stars, socialites, cricketers grace his lavish soirees……one of them even gave his son in marriage! Surely, a successful survivor.

In our own little world we find many instances…..Sanjeev Nanda, in his powerful BMW mows down seven hapless people and he was not even hungry…merely inebriated. What do we do? Mumble a few protests and allow the system to set him free and then vie with each other to appear with him on page three!

Mahatma Gandhi versus the powerful British Empire is probably the only instance in the history of mankind when “the goat overpowered the eagle”. Probably because the “herd” rallied around him……but such instances are few and far between………invariably each one is looking out for himself/herself.

Rewind to the video…… I and every mother would want to see her child in the place of the eagle rather than the goat. What do I tell my child? That to survive in this world a cold, calculating, ruthless, relentless, mindset is the requisite qualification? Either that or you better have an idea that the “herd” buys into!

MACHINATIONS!

2008-06-04T20:33:00.001-07:00

All of us that know Kevin, know that he is a doll…. Only when he is not being a grouch!
Since he was about to commence on his 50th year on the planet, come end March…I thought it would be an appropriate occasion to celebrate life…… especially after my mom’s passing the previous year.
“Kevin, please can we have a party for your fiftieth birthday?”
“Why?” The solitary cryptic word brooked no argument…I wisely let it go…
Two days later, I try again, “ Kevin, Mum & Dad plan to be here for ur birthday ( I avoided the 50th bit! ) Let’s have a party….please.”
He must have been in a good mood. I got my sanction and the usual budget for a party.
My dilemma…how to get more money!!
"Kevin, stock markets have collapsed….blue chips are available at throwaway prices….I think we should invest some now.” I struck pay dirt! ( I know most of u will hate me for this, including Kevin! but…thank God for the Jan 22 crash!!)
With all permissions in place with just a little bit of subterfuge, I embarked upon project “ Kevin’s 50th”.

Lucias, the singer, belly dancers, DJ’s were a lark…….Thanks to my friend Devender, of Le Meridien….but the cake….how should I negotiate that one?……ordering a nude torso is not something that I do on a regular basis! The logistics would not permit ordering from the Meridien….
“Um…Can I speak to the lady that sometimes attends to customers…?” I walked into Sweet Obsession nonchalantly.
“I’m sorry ma’am….but she’s not available right now….Can I help you?”
“We..ell, umm….err…actually, it’s my husband’s 50th B’day and I was looking for a…umm… special kind of cake….. u know…the upper part of a woman’s body….”, my confidence shaken, I stuttered without making eye contact with the pleasant young guy, who is now my friend Dushyant…
“Oh, you want an adult cake…! We have done one sometime back…” he fished out an album and opened to the relevant page.

Regaining lost confidence and becoming increasingly blasé by the second, and…. after discussing the finer nuances of tone and muscle, I placed the order for the cake …but mine would not be wearing a dress starting halfway down the boobs and certainly no rings on the nipples as recommended by friend Dushyant! The catch…I have to surf the net and print out a nude pic of a nubile nymphet in all her God given glory!
Sounds simple enough, but not when you have an inquisitive eight year old in the house AND the printer is in his room!...So stealthily, with help from my friend Shirley ( She was the surfer! ), having packed off Arjun for a sleepover with her son Adam, on a night when Kevin was out of town, I did the deed!

That taken care of, the rumblings of another conspiracy brewing in faraway London became louder. Kevin’s sister, Shalini and her husband Claude, along with Little Navya were coming to Gurgaon for a couple of days, just for Kev’s B’day, and I had strict orders from ALL in-laws that Kevin MUST NOT get wind of it…therefore no mention of it to any other relatives/common friends, even obliquely! Imagine having to gear up for 5 house guests and pretend as if it’s business as usual…ladies I’m sure you’ll understand where I’m coming from!!

Preparations are on in right earnest…….meetings with the caterers, the florists, tentwallah gain a frenetic pace…..the all important booze has been bought.

“Hello,” I respond to the umpteenth call.

“ May I speak with Kevin please?

“ I’m sorry this is not his number, but you could leave a message with me and I could have him call u back”.

Verm, Kevin’s buddy from Stephen’s was being all mysterious.
In Delhi from Dubai for a short visit, he wanted to surprise us…..poor Kevin! Just as well for his salt free diet which restored his BP levels to normal!….Dealing with one surprise after another in a short span of a few hours can be injurious to health for even the strong hearted!!

All preparations in place…the evening commenced with Lucius and Deepak crooning melodiously…everything seemed to be on song….friends and relatives streaming in, armed with good wishes & wonderful gifts for the Birthday boy ( Kevin says Thank You all! ).

Behind the scenes…the belly dancer, guarded by her bouncers, was getting dressed in Chris and Shirley’s house (Chris demanded to know why he had not been told about it earlier!! ) ….The driver had been dispatched to pick up the cake.

Polite chatter and the clink of glass…the evening cruised sedately and at half before the midnight hour…my father-in-law launched into a summary of Kevin’s first innings on mother earth. His wit and sense of humour engaged all….until…the doorbell rang….

In comes the trolley with the nude torso, Chandan ( Man Friday JR.!) wheeling it, his eyes popping out in wonderment at the shenanigans of these sahib and memsahib log!

Behind him, scantily clad Roopa delicately leading in the even more scantily clad belly dancer ( her bouncers were never too far away!...Guys …I had emphatically explained to the agent that all our gentlemen guests were really that! and there should be no need for the toughies….but apparently as a policy they are sent with these girls…well )

Kevin, in the meanwhile had turned as pink as the shirt he had selected to wear that evening….I think it was a mixture of delight and embarrassment!....He gingerly cut the torso at the most non controversial point……but it was not to be…amidst much heckling and cheering Roopa made sure that the poor torso was butchered…literally!!

The DJ struck up the volume and the belly dancer started her numbers…..Soon we had not one but two !...Roopa in all her dancing glory was matching the girl move for move…I in fact, got enquiries for her services as well!!

Panning away from all the action, my inlaws decided to call it a day, night, morning??!...It already being the wee hours…we carried on for a couple more…I’m sure Kevin went to bed a weary 50 year old!

My Son n I

2007-11-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

“The Prime Minister is coming to inaugurate our model farm in Ludhiana on Sunday” Kevin dropped the bombshell as he walked in from work on a Monday evening. Resigned to the vagaries of the corporate world and my fate which is inextricably linked to it, I mentally said goodbye to our vacation in Singapore for which we were scheduled to leave on Wednesday
The disappointment in the room was palpable and louder than the silence.
“Why don’t you and Arjun carry on with the plans….Singapore is a safe city and everything functions like clockwork. Just keep your phone switched on at all times”.
Momentarily I was at a loss for words. I had NEVER traveled abroad alone and certainly not with my little son. With a little bit of encouragement from Kevin I began warming up to the idea. The excitement barometer began to perk up and we were soon on course.

After bidding Kevin a teary adieu at the airport, Arjun and I were truly on our own and on our way to Singapore.
Change Airport was everything we expected and more... Arjun was delighted with the never ending motorized walkways!!…our baggage arrived efficiently in double quick time and we had no problems navigating our selves to the exit where our Hotel pick up (a Mercedes no less!) was waiting for us.

Our Hotel was strategically located at the top of Orchard Road, at the junction where the road emerges out of the leafy residential areas. Right next to us was a MacDonald’s (thank God for those!) and a Toys R Us above it. The entire road stretched out resplendent in its glamour and glory. Strolling out in the late evenings was especially thrilling and devoid of any perils. The ritzy malls and fabulous, exclusive designer stores were enticing and beckoning. I tried hard to resist the temptations……finally succumbed only to a few! Coming from Gurgaon’s very own “Mall Mile”, what struck me most was the orderliness of traffic….both pedestrian and vehicular. Wistfully, I wondered if we would ever get there. We would probably be able to match the glitz and glamour…Mall for Mall, but the discipline…?
But there is more to Singapore than Orchard Road and the Travel Desk at our hotel was well equipped to guide us.

Since every Indian is expected to pay homage at “Mustafa’s”, in Singapore’s Little India, in the Serangoon Road area, I decided that we should begin our adventures from there. This being my first trip out alone and that too with Arjun…..I was a little apprehensive about using the highly efficient MRT as advised.
As our cab approached the iconic Serangoon Plaza, I realized that the Singapore ethos was missing here…the Indians had taken over!
It probably is the best place to shop in for the Indians living in Singapore; but even the size and scale of the organization, to my mind does not merit a special visit…but then I may be the minority….
After indulging in a little bit of. “because we are here” shopping and giving Arjun an Indian lunch in “Little India” we hailed a cab back to our hotel.

Refreshed after a much needed snooze, we waited eagerly for our bus to pick us up at 6.30pm. I had purchased the Night Safari package from the Travel Desk. The bus arrived promptly at the scheduled time and we settled into our comfortable seats for the 45 minute long ride. The Zoological Park was bustling with activity and I wondered whether we would get to see any animals at all….! But once on the open trams the scene changes quite dramatically. The ride through the dense, simulated forests was quite scary. Strategically placed lights caused the eyes to glint..…only the silhouettes of the animals visible in the dark. The running commentary in hushed tones kept us informed on the type of forest we were passing through and which animals we might be able to spot. A sudden growl behind us, the rustle of leaves in a nearby bush, or a plaintive howl in the distance kept us on tenterhooks! The walking trails were certainly not for my son and me!!
The shrill ring of my communication gadget was incongruously loud. Kevin wanted to know if we were fine. Hurriedly, I assured him, while throwing apologetic glances in all directions!......my “truly Indian Moment”!!
The animal show, held every hour is very skillfully executed. The performance by the handlers is superb…you even come away almost convinced that the animals have a sense of humour!!
The food court provided a good venue for dinner and after some touristy shopping, I felt elated at having “done it on my own”!

Singapore Cuisine is a happy amalgamation of Chinese, Indian, Tamil and indigenous Malay food with a dash of western cuisine thrown in for good measure! My son, weaned on wholesome Punjabi Chinese could not fathom why the noodles were so fine….Thank God for MacDonald’s!

Our cabbie the next day was a talkative Malay. Malays are the indigenous population of Singapore and quite resentful of the Chinese, who have virtually made it their own. Racial discrimination and caste systems are prevalent almost everywhere in the world…..obviously Singapore is no different.
The Kusu Island that we were on our way to, highlights the difference between the two cultures. On our way to the Marina South Pier, the cabbie regaled us with mythical tales of the giant turtle turning into an island to save two shipwrecked sailors, a Chinese and a Malay…his entertaining account…interspersed with Hindi!… kept us amused…the Malay was obviously the better man!
As we sailed away towards the Islands, the imposing skyline of Singapore’s business district panned out before us…The tall Merlion spouting a gush of water in the forefront. The idyllic boat ride to the islands and a walk in the serene environs of Kusu, with it’s thousand of turtles, temples and shrines was a contrast from the hustle-bustle of the City.

Whilst in Singapore, we managed to acquire a collection of umbrellas…..The down pours are short, quick and intense and the equatorial showers are a daily affair. Ofcourse we stepped out everyday without an umbrella and came back with a new one!
Though I must say the one we picked up at Sentosa was the best…my son will probably argue that the one he picked up at Toys R Us is better!

A holiday in Singapore is incomplete without a trip to Sentosa…The cable car ride from the Harbour Front was exhilarating. The bird’s eye view of the city and the world’s busiest shipping port down below was spectacular.
Underwater World was a unique experience…..myriad of colours floating around you in all shapes and sizes. Arjun walked around the whole way at least half a dozen times!
Fort Siloso was interesting, affording a historical perspective of the Japanese dominated war years, its era as a concentration camp for POWs (thank god my concerned husband did not choose that moment to inquire about our wellbeing!)…the waxwork depiction of every episode is incredibly lifelike….I could see that my son was not really impressed! Sentosa Island could probably be a separate holiday by itself…..

Having negotiated the entire stay in Singapore without incident….my roaming instincts were awakened……thereafter Arjun and I have gone off for holidays to Bangkok, Kualalumpur and Sri Lanka on our own, without having to keep our “phones on all the time”!! More about those another time……

Trading Places

2007-10-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

They say in China, the lady of the house is always exasperated with the maid..…..the maid is constantly on the phone with the stock market.
In our house it is the lady of the house!
After the sad and untimely demise of my mother in March’07 due to acute leukemia, I needed something to divert my thoughts. I was fortunate to have an uncle who came to my rescue and suggested that I try my hand at the stock markets.
“You’ll finally be able to put that MBA to use,” he said.
That really did not gel with me at all…after all; the best & biggest punters on Dalal Street are true blue sons of the soil.
With great trepidation & a sense of bravado I took the plunge……as you can see I live to tell the tale.
My husband, Kevin, gave me access to his DMAT account and I was in business. “You win some, you lose some.” He said. Brave man, I thought and so did our friends!

I must confess, though, that the bourses have sucked me up the way a vacuum cleaner pulls in dust!! (my friends will vouch for this).
In order to be able to make the right calls for intraday trades or to make unerringly accurate investment decisions, one must be well informed.
So now I am normally found poring over business magazines and news papers and glued to the “Your Stocks” programs instead of the “Bold & Beautiful”!

In May’07 Kevin, our son Arjun and the punter of Dalal Street decided to go on vacation to Europe.
“But I’ve taken all these long positions” I wailed. So out came the laptops (Kevin hates going on vacation with one especially because of the security hassles) and the Parker family was set for summer.

London was wonderful…with musicals, concerts, fish ’n chips and pubs being the usual suspects. The much touted “London Eye” is….ummm..well……
The highlight for my son, though, was the tour of the Chelsea Football Club and a shopping spree at their fabulous showroom.
Most importantly, connectivity with Dalal Street was no problem, the internet connections being excellent at Shalini’s (Kevin’s sis) home near Wimbledon.

In the meanwhile, since the Markets were recovering from the tumble they had taken, after the interest rate hike by the RBI at the end of March’07; my “long positions” were delivering.

Tomorrow to Paris on the Euro Star? What about the May Futures & Options expiry? How will I know if I should Rollover my positions to the June series or just book profits? As if reading my thoughts, Kevin waved his Blackberry at me.

Kotak & I established excellent rapport from on board the Euro Star and while watching the quaint French countryside, I must confess, I made some good calls!
Paris is undoubtedly unrivalled in its charm and grace. Whilst in Paris, driving through the tunnel in which Princess Diana met with that fateful accident is eerie..the pillar still remains damaged and unrepaired.
Versailles takes ones breath away with the sheer grandeur of the gardens and the palace. Marie Antoinette would, in our times, have probably said “If they can’t get shares give them businesses!”

Our next destination was Spain……Ole` Espania, what a beautiful country…..The Costa Del Sol was a serious threat to my newly acquired profession….. Every single day Kevin drove us off to a new place in our rented Ibiza car. He manfully mastered driving on the wrong side of the road!

The Rock of Gibraltar was fabulous but the Brits are not too keen to ensure telephone connectivity from its caves & heights. The view & the silhouette of the African coastline, however more than made up for my losses on my Titan Shares.

Our next stop was the birth place of bull fighting; Ronda, a beautiful little sleepy town up in the mountains about two & half hours away from Malaga. After gorging on their version of paella, it really is different everywhere, and satiated on the delicious Spanish wine, we drove back content….though half of my mind was wondering whether the Sensex had closed up or down.

Evenings were delightful along the beach…the beach cafes served up the most delectable seafood….we even tried almost uncooked mussels. With a twist of lime & washed down by fine Spanish wine or a cool glass of Sangria they were delicious. The Tapas were amazing in their range and variety…..just like the listings on the Nifty and the Sensex!
Granada, in the Sierra Nevada, is famous not only because of the song but also the 14th Century Moorish castle ‘Al-Humbra’. It sadly did not make it as one of the Seven Wonders. The four hour drive was spectacular, with olive plantations all along the way.

“Today we will go to Picasso’s House”. I told my seven year old son. Malaga is a beautiful city on the coast with undulating hills on the one side & the beautiful blue Mediterranean. It is also the birth place of Picasso. After a tour of his house and enjoying the beauty of the sculptures & paintings on display we felt culturally enriched & rejuvenated.
“Why did we come here?” I felt the tug of a little hand. “This guy’s house is not even that cool!” Ah well…..

Need to get back to the hotel & check out how the markets have fared. And ever since, I have to admit, I made good progress and gained from strength to strength…….. until the monster called SUBPRIME raised its head. It took all of us unawares and literally knocked off 2000 points! Have learnt to navigate that as well.

The blithe & sanguine account makes it sound tempting but I have a DISCLAIMER.
I am not the breadwinner in the family.
I do not have to put food on the table. (Only literally!)
I do not have to pay the school fees
I do not have to pay for my own goodies
I do not have to pay for holidays!!

Oh Baba!!

2007-10-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

Oh Baba!!

"Try some baba ganoush" my gracious hostess offered. "Baba who?"... perplexed I looked around for the esteemed baba....When suddenly it dawned on me that she was referring to the damned middle eastern version of the baigan bharta that we were gorging on!

The pained expression of suppressed laughter on the faces all around confirmed that I had committed a social gaffe.

Be it French, Italian, Spanish, Mexican, Middle Eastern or Chinese, Japanese, Korean or of any other origin....in Indian society you are well versed with the finer culinary details of all.
That is to say the least, ….. you have to SAY it right too! Never mind the guttural sounds or rolled ‘r’s or the singsong of the east. Your status as ‘International Sophisticate” is at stake!!

Of course Mummy (& I daresay EVERYONE”S Mummy ) was an expert at all these exotic dishes and I was certainly weaned on them. And being the naughty child that I was, I did not pay attention and learn how to say it right! Imagine, mistaking good old baba ganoush for a real Baba?!!

During our stay in London last month, my seven year old son got himself a Chelsea Football Club dress…what is wrong with that? A T-shirt and pant…to my mind constitute a dress…but no…I believe it is not!
Since I have gotten over the colonial hangover…I couldn’t care less. Call it whatever the English will! (I wonder if even they are sure of it themselves!! Remember the confusion over game & sport? AND everyone is RIGHT!!!)

Tahini? Of course, it’s a paste you get in a bottle!! ‘But’, I persist ‘what is it made of?’ The reply I get… “you can get it at the Morning Store’. Strange. Falafel is not a fruit? OK OK …….

My inability to connect with & pronounce the most confounding foreign words/ names has a strong genesis. The German nuns who taught me for 9 long years called me Rraaatee (simply put… Rati!). Naturally I assumed people of different countries/cultures spoke differently…but now I find that what is OK for the Germans is not OK for me?!

I have now decided to do a crash course in ALL possible languages & join classes of all cuisines of the world.

In the meanwhile, I must tell our man Friday… ‘ Keshav aaj sahib aur hum Italian khana khane ko bahar jayega… tum bachalog ko khana deke sula dega’. Oh Hell…..looks like I need Hindi classes too!!