Hey there readers! Hope life has been rosy with all - with the Valentine week that passed by. That leaves us with a waning February, ushering with it the spring (but that's somehow not visible anywhere else in the city, but the Cubbon park-ish areas).Apart from that little irrelevant update, here's another - Wink writers are at their desks, for a change. They leave you this time with Dubare on Wanderlust, Spinning stories at the Funny Side Up and Chandni Chowk at the "grub" column.
We're looking for some Funny Valentine Stories. If you laughed a lot over some roses, let us know! Write in! We're all ears and pens - we'll listen to you and write it on Wink, if the stories made us laugh!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Wine, Dine and Dance - Chandi Chowk
(We hear this is our most popular section! I tell you, the world is full of foodies!)
The weekend came and I went looking for a place to dine. Had heard that Koramangala had a couple of “must-see” places and so I decided that I must see them. Drove around the place looking for a place so that parking wasn’t too much of a trouble. Went past the National Games Village and saw a brightly lit “Chandni Chowk”. A dhaba! One never sees dhabas in the middle of civilization I thought. Parking space was ample. So we parked easily and went in. The interiors were a huge surprise. All colourful and festive. We walked on gravel, treading cautiously to see that no uneven stone from the lot stabbed you on the heel. The seats were made of huge stone blocks covered with cushion (thank god for that!). The curtains were semi-transparent and were multi-coloured. Sequin work could be found everywhere. The walls were covered with pictures of the most popular stars from Bollywood. On look at the menu and you’d definitely see the Punjabi influence. There was “Beer-sheer” and “Wine-shine” for you to drink. “Lassi-vassi” was definitely good. I also had a large of “Vodka-shodka”. The starters had a lot of tasty panner, spicy and definitely to my liking, For the main course, we had an assorted roti basket with 6 rotis. And handi o go with it. The dal too tasted good. We were stuffed by then and decided to give a miss to the desserts which had a couple of Bengali sweets. Surprisingly there was no Gulab jamoon on the menu and when I asked the waiter he said there was! The waiters there are not too sure what’s on offer. It turned out that there was no Gulab jamoon after all.
The weekend came and I went looking for a place to dine. Had heard that Koramangala had a couple of “must-see” places and so I decided that I must see them. Drove around the place looking for a place so that parking wasn’t too much of a trouble. Went past the National Games Village and saw a brightly lit “Chandni Chowk”. A dhaba! One never sees dhabas in the middle of civilization I thought. Parking space was ample. So we parked easily and went in. The interiors were a huge surprise. All colourful and festive. We walked on gravel, treading cautiously to see that no uneven stone from the lot stabbed you on the heel. The seats were made of huge stone blocks covered with cushion (thank god for that!). The curtains were semi-transparent and were multi-coloured. Sequin work could be found everywhere. The walls were covered with pictures of the most popular stars from Bollywood. On look at the menu and you’d definitely see the Punjabi influence. There was “Beer-sheer” and “Wine-shine” for you to drink. “Lassi-vassi” was definitely good. I also had a large of “Vodka-shodka”. The starters had a lot of tasty panner, spicy and definitely to my liking, For the main course, we had an assorted roti basket with 6 rotis. And handi o go with it. The dal too tasted good. We were stuffed by then and decided to give a miss to the desserts which had a couple of Bengali sweets. Surprisingly there was no Gulab jamoon on the menu and when I asked the waiter he said there was! The waiters there are not too sure what’s on offer. It turned out that there was no Gulab jamoon after all.
Funny Side Up - Spinning tales...Talking Stories
There are million stories floating in the air. If one blinks, one misses a story. They gently move about – floating, sensing, feeling and sniffing for more stories. “Once upon a time, there lived a clerk. He woke up and never went to work” Stories pick up these lives, record them, write them down and replay them in the night. Sometimes I wonder if my story is being written down, taped for use later – when a little child refuses to eat without the accompaniment of a story.
The most interesting real life stories I have heard have been in the form of gossip over dinner table, when garrulous aunts talk their hearts out. How would you like to follow up on the cousin's neighbor who went out mysteriously in the nights, after dinner? On further investigation, the story turned a little lame – the neighbor went out to eat “paan” at the faraway “paan” store. How about the uncle who was a part of the army – and has been “out-there” and eaten snakes, out of sheer hunger (this is said in pride of course)? How about the valiant robbery that the grandmother prevented, by keeping jaggery at the door? (Oh, this one is a masterpiece)
But then, I have also seen some stories brew right in front of me. Poor Renuka, giving me a vehement “I don't like that guy”, poor mom calling to find out where her son is, poor son hating “upma” on breakfast bar! Phew! Poor street dogs menacing poor street cat, poor spider, poor fly. How about the story where the householder waits for “painters” to come in early, so she can rush to work?
But then, I have read that many more stories. Every three hours a writer is born somewhere, trying to force a story down someone's throat. The murders, the gory details of a war, the “flip side” to everything, the tale of a midget and a mouse, its the never ending list. Most often, the more unsaid the story, the better its told. A twinkle in someone's eye, a tear, a halo over someone's head, the sparks that fly – makes some interesting read.
And one starry night, when there is no one talking, one can look up at the sky – and one will know, that there a million stories, and then some more.
The most interesting real life stories I have heard have been in the form of gossip over dinner table, when garrulous aunts talk their hearts out. How would you like to follow up on the cousin's neighbor who went out mysteriously in the nights, after dinner? On further investigation, the story turned a little lame – the neighbor went out to eat “paan” at the faraway “paan” store. How about the uncle who was a part of the army – and has been “out-there” and eaten snakes, out of sheer hunger (this is said in pride of course)? How about the valiant robbery that the grandmother prevented, by keeping jaggery at the door? (Oh, this one is a masterpiece)
But then, I have also seen some stories brew right in front of me. Poor Renuka, giving me a vehement “I don't like that guy”, poor mom calling to find out where her son is, poor son hating “upma” on breakfast bar! Phew! Poor street dogs menacing poor street cat, poor spider, poor fly. How about the story where the householder waits for “painters” to come in early, so she can rush to work?
But then, I have read that many more stories. Every three hours a writer is born somewhere, trying to force a story down someone's throat. The murders, the gory details of a war, the “flip side” to everything, the tale of a midget and a mouse, its the never ending list. Most often, the more unsaid the story, the better its told. A twinkle in someone's eye, a tear, a halo over someone's head, the sparks that fly – makes some interesting read.
And one starry night, when there is no one talking, one can look up at the sky – and one will know, that there a million stories, and then some more.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Wanderlust - Elephant camp at Dubare
Not many have heard of this place called "Dubare". Cradled in a secluded place in coorg. I got there by car. Quite some drive that was! Left early morning from Bangalore, had breakfast at Kamat on Mysore road and drove on... On and on... (6 hours on the road makes you say "On and on..." Phew!! And I wasn't even driving!) Once you reach coorg, you better be on the look out for that sign that says "Dubare. Go this Way--->", or you could spend a lot of time in coorg just looking for the place. We had booked cottages from Bangalore. The Jungle resorts' office on M G Road above the good ol' Indian Coffee House does all the work you need to assure you a great holiday. Once you get there you have to give a call to the agent there, who gets you a motor boat and takes you across the stream to your cottage. The cottages there are fantabulous. They really are. They look chic, well-equipped and are awfully comfortable. You go to the main hall for food, which was good too. Then we went to a game drive. Saw a lot of elephants and lot more of thier droppings. At 10, there was camp fire. Dancing around it, is what you are expected to do. At 12, it was black out. The next day was interaction session with the elephants. You get introduced to them, and later choose to bathe and feed them and can sit on its back for a joy ride(at your own risk actually, because our guide was given a couple of blows by a young one that was a li'l camera-shy). We left the place exactly 24 hours from the arrival time. We were taken back to our car by he same motor boat. The chap guiding the boat did a couple of stunts with it and we hopped around in the vessel for a bit till we reached the detination. Bangalore had to be reached. As I left, I decided that I'd go back to that place. As I write this in the car on the busy streets on Bangalore, I cannot but hope that that day would come soon. It sure was a "Bon Voyage".
Wanderlust - Baga, Goa
Baga – one of the most popular destinations of North Goa. Goa is an exotic destination – sun,sand, beaches and fenny. Nestled by the seaside is Baga, part of the Calangute Village Panchayat, but looking brighter than any Indian metropolis. The vibrant Baga is home to the Baga beach. Cute cafes, restaurants, goa-kind-of-stores selling colorful caps, bags and clothes, lights – all a dream come true for a shopper. English Breakfast and Portuguese tea, you name it you got it, all in a kilometer's distance. Baga is extremely multi-continental, with Indian store sellers who sell colorful hairbands speaking Russian and Spanish! You can rent an apartment, cottage, room at Baga – but beware, in the tourist season you can run out of every option. It is useful to book it beforehand. One of Baga's most entertaining lanes is the Tito's lane – house to the famous Tito's disc. It is definitely worth a visit. The day at Tito's typically begins at 10:30 pm and continues upto 4:00 am. Tito's lane is colorful, populated, noisy, bustling with life even at 2:00 am in the morning. You must definitely catch the night life at this place – its one of a kind. Tito's lane hosts many eateries, discotheques and coffee houses. Mambo's comes adjacent to Tito's. It leads to the beach, eventually – which host the beach parties (something really fun too!). I don't remember the street ever going silent. In spite of being a really small territory, Baga can keep people busy for several days, with hectic partying and heavy shopping. You can rent out bikes at Baga easily and zoom into the nearby areas – Calangute, Chapora, Anjuna. Baga in daylight is a lazy, extremely cute, exotic village – reeking charm. The laid back atmosphere in the air makes it feel like home. Its the ideal vacation location, providing every traveler an experience of a blend of cultures – the Indian and the rest of the world. Watching the sunrise from the beach, is the icing on the cake of the Perfect Baga Holiday.
Wine, Dine and Dance - Bardez
Bardez. A place in Goa. A spacious restaurant on the main road. Serves almost all that you've heard of. Continental, Mediterranean and of course, goan. Great reception. Good food, i must say. Thoroughly enjoyed it until we found a strand of an aluminum scrubber in the noodle bowl. The cleaner apparently had done a wonderful job. We had evidence. A drink called "Love in the afternoon" was transformed, with ease, to a more cheesy version by the oh-so-coquettish owner. "Phirang" crowd swarmed the place. They apparently gourmandize on the turkey there, i was told. Due to its proximity to the beach, clothing is optional (A full body tan can be acquired with little effort) Sea food is a must try for those who don't mind having sea food. Tiny prawns and fish, to be specific. Awfully snoopy waiters who want to know all about you, your family and neighbours. Ketchup will be provided in abundance. Not to worry. Friendly crowd. They smile at you, wink too and definitely wish you a "good afternoon". A fancy place altogether. Scrubber was found before consumption and we were not charged for it. All's well. Do visit it.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
I beg your pah-don!
We've learnt all our sophisticated tricks from the Brits. Balancing a spoon, knife and fork simultaneously while pecking at the food, for example. All the civilized behavior, polite references to the weather, spice-less cooking, buttering the bread with the knife, and holding that stiff upper lip stature, we have lapped it all up. So much so, we've also tried to emulate their humor into our lives – we've laughed at the way we even bother to simulate the British in our lives and why and how!
I've picked up the “I'm fine, thankyou” so well, and have improvised so much on it that it almost sounds like an insult. “The talkies” - In Bangalore, you can always get to “Sanjeev Talkies” pronounced as “takiz” by the auto rickshaw drivers and not a Cinema Hall. The “Town Hall” and the Koshys are one of the better things that stayed behind, so much so I bet a lot of people would leave with the Koshys if it left!
In countries like India, where nothing is a forbidden topic – like your most distantly related aunt asking how much you earn in the most public forum she had been to – the polite English come across as rude. (But yes, aunts of course, are universally formidable creatures.) “I don't think so” “Not quite” “If you wish to” have been suitably contorted to mean mean things in India, where not wanting to reply to a question is considered rather rude. (Of late, what I plan to do with my life is the aunt-discussion topic)
Its impossible to throw out a colonial rule of a century from our country. Its idiosyncrasies have led to my grandfather knowing the Julius Caesar by heart, my grandmother knowing the Wren and Martin and me gaping in astonishment, while struggling to explain what the “past participle” is. (Seriously, what the heck is it?). Due to weird circumstances, I stand wearing a pair of socks when at home, using the apron while cooking and going “splendid!” when the culinary experiment turns out all right.
Its a “rather sunny day” and the weather is “just the day for fishing”, we can sail in the “Catamaran”. Its a “Mulligatawny” soup for “supp-her” and its always time for “high-tea”. The political rally had the politician acting as a “juggernaut” and Sachin Tendulkar is a “Mogul” of cricket. We have taken the cricket and made it our own, turned the game of hockey around – given them the polo.
The Bland English has so finely been blended into spicy Indian curry, that the cuisine comes served with a smile. And I have great reason to believe that one of the finest things that we got from the Brits, is “Carry on, Jeeves” and “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”. But if you're asking me how much of Charles Dickens I have read, I'll have to say “I beg your pah-don!”
I've picked up the “I'm fine, thankyou” so well, and have improvised so much on it that it almost sounds like an insult. “The talkies” - In Bangalore, you can always get to “Sanjeev Talkies” pronounced as “takiz” by the auto rickshaw drivers and not a Cinema Hall. The “Town Hall” and the Koshys are one of the better things that stayed behind, so much so I bet a lot of people would leave with the Koshys if it left!
In countries like India, where nothing is a forbidden topic – like your most distantly related aunt asking how much you earn in the most public forum she had been to – the polite English come across as rude. (But yes, aunts of course, are universally formidable creatures.) “I don't think so” “Not quite” “If you wish to” have been suitably contorted to mean mean things in India, where not wanting to reply to a question is considered rather rude. (Of late, what I plan to do with my life is the aunt-discussion topic)
Its impossible to throw out a colonial rule of a century from our country. Its idiosyncrasies have led to my grandfather knowing the Julius Caesar by heart, my grandmother knowing the Wren and Martin and me gaping in astonishment, while struggling to explain what the “past participle” is. (Seriously, what the heck is it?). Due to weird circumstances, I stand wearing a pair of socks when at home, using the apron while cooking and going “splendid!” when the culinary experiment turns out all right.
Its a “rather sunny day” and the weather is “just the day for fishing”, we can sail in the “Catamaran”. Its a “Mulligatawny” soup for “supp-her” and its always time for “high-tea”. The political rally had the politician acting as a “juggernaut” and Sachin Tendulkar is a “Mogul” of cricket. We have taken the cricket and made it our own, turned the game of hockey around – given them the polo.
The Bland English has so finely been blended into spicy Indian curry, that the cuisine comes served with a smile. And I have great reason to believe that one of the finest things that we got from the Brits, is “Carry on, Jeeves” and “Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”. But if you're asking me how much of Charles Dickens I have read, I'll have to say “I beg your pah-don!”
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Wink - The Fortnightly Update!
Welcome to the wink again. We're nearing the Second Update of the Wink. Just thought we'll keep you informed. In our second complete update, we will leave you with our Funny Side Up column - which has gotten a little Brit, Our Wanderlust Column - with a trip to Baga, Goa. There's the Wine, Dine and Dance section - leaving you with something to eat. But we're going to add a little to this and introduce a "guest column" - with a "Guest" writing for us.
Keep a watch on this space. You never know with our writers, they brew up the strangest of things. Last I heard from one, the write-up was on how to keep leather fresh. We'll try our best to spare you that!
Keep a watch on this space. You never know with our writers, they brew up the strangest of things. Last I heard from one, the write-up was on how to keep leather fresh. We'll try our best to spare you that!
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