All Me

So this is slightly personal. But I had so much fun putting it together that I felt like sharing :)

I am not a morning person.

I am a complete foodie, my other loves include reading, writing, shoes, shopping, movies and travelling. So langouring on the deck of a Mediterranean cruise in a pair of Manolo Blahniks, pina colada in hand and my nose buried in Cosmo, knowing that there's a seven course meal waiting for me at the nearby banquet hall and that my room is filled with shopping bags or that I'm headed to a place that would facilitate such indulgneces is my idea of an ideal holiday. Don't worry, I'm not all shallow. And yes, I like long sentences too!

Call it corny, but the happiest day of my life was when my sister was born. It was such a turning point for me that incidentally it is also the time at which my earliest memories began.

Born under the sign of the Tiger on the Chinese calendar, I am fiercely protective about those close to me. Think of hurting them and you might find yourself at the receiving end of my claws.

I'm a work in progress and always will be.

I can be quite self obsessed, which is why exercises such as these are absolutely my cup of delightful tea.

I believe that women need to be given more credit, that they are a powerful lot and that better things in the world are impossible without their empowerment. But I am not a feminist.

Overcoming disability and child-related issues really touch me. I've cried through countless episodes of Oprah precisely for these reasons, although this is not my sole source for a reality check!

Think about it

People make jokes about how it's hilarious when others say that 'life is short' I mean, when you think about it, it's true. What else have you known that is longer than life? So, that makes it a dumb expression, huh? But when you think about it a little closer, it does make sense. Life seems to pass you by and before you know it, so much has gone by and you may have achieved very little. The same applies to doing good while on earth. You have limited time in which you can do good and have any hope of earning goodwill.

When I see people like Oprah Winfrey, Queen Rania and others doing so much, it makes me think that people like this are on a fast track to heaven. And in my book, that's not a bad path to be headed down.

More than just Books

There are a million statistics out there and it's hard to know what to believe. But what remains constant is that education is a privelege that very few have the luxury of accessing during a lifetime. Several children don't enjoy its benefits, being engaged in labour at a time in their life when they should be playing outdoors. Many don't make it past high school, if they manage to graduate. Even fewer enjoy a college education. And among all, women are the most deprived - of opportunity and quality of education.

So that got me thinking the other day. Those who do complete a satisfactory education have a huge responsibility. It is imperitive to use that education to better the larger society who didn't have the advantage of such a facility. I like to call it the duty born of education. Because knowledge without wisdom is incomplete and privelege without humility is just plain disgusting.

Flawless, Absolutely Flawless

Have you ever wondered how you've never seen an ugly sunrise? Or sunset? I think that goes to show how perfect nature is, as are all other creations of the Divine.

The Write Stunner

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Cruel Mr. Hosseini. I'm the kind of reader who doesn't actually cry for the sad parts in a book. Your first book, and I did so for the first time. The second, and I was bawling like a baby during several parts. Cruel.

I'm so glad I read A Thousand Splendid Suns first and then read the Kite Runner. The critics weren't kidding when they said that it's a tough first act to follow. A Thousand Splendid Suns was brilliant. But it doesn't come close to The Kite Runner.

The Kite Runner was absolutely spellbinding. It is the most captivating and sensitive story I have come across in a long time. The friendship, the loss of it, the deeds and misdeeds, gaining some and losing so much - it takes sheer literary genius to narrate a story so beautifully. To have a vision and deliver it so clearly.

Each character was crafted perfectly - Amir, torn between the hunger for a father's love, a cowardly streak that costs him and loyalty to a friendship that he struggles to honour for the rest of his life, Baba who is the embodiment of manly punctiliousness harbours a grave secret, Hassan who is free from any flaw and Rahim Khan who is the kind of friend that people spend an entire lifetime yearning for. How many show you the way to be good again? The book also makes you wonder about characters like Assef. What scorns them so severely that allows them to carry out such heinous crimes? Society?

Like I said in my earlier post about A Thousand Splendid Suns, I can go on and on about how fantastic I thought it was. But no matter what I say, it won't do the actual work any justice. You have to read it for yourself to realise it.

I watched the movie shortly after, and while I have to confess that it's a pretty accurate conveying of the text, the book is really much better.

In three words, I loved it, loved it, loved it. It's a, for lack of a better phrase, must-read! For any reader who wants to grow, this is an incredible start. I know I did. And towards the end I realised, what Mr. Hosseini does through his books is not cruel. They simply remind you to be alive from within. So if anything, his readers owe him a thank you. Once again, Thank you Mr. Hosseini.

The Ticker-Tinkering Job that Really Ticks

Newspapers are usually filled with gruesome stories of death, sufferring and violence. Sometimes, I wonder whether a reader becomes numb to all the cases that happen around the world in the course of a single day. That perhaps with time it becomes possible to simply turn the page without a second thought when you read of another child that's been orphaned in a country ravaged by war or another aircraft that crashed after facing a 'technical difficulty', killing all on board.

But the other day I was pleasantly greeted with news that read that cardiac surgeons at Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bangalore had performed the first ever artificial heart transplant surgery in Asia. I've always loved my city. But today I was especially proud of it. By carrying out this procedure, doctors gave a 54-year old diabetic with heart problems for the past four years, the chance to live the rest of his life in peace.

The best part: The hospital costs which amounted to approximately Rs.6 lakhs, were waived.

Goodness does exist in the world.

When the Kitchen Comes Alive

This is the beginning of a tribute to another one of my great loves. I believe good food and knowing how to enjoy it is nothing short of art.



Until a few years ago, Bangalore had fairly limited dining out options. Apart from the corner darshinis which cropped up quite early, the birth of the local chaat shops and the occasional Chinese joint which served an ‘Indianised’ version of the original cuisine to suit domestic palates, there wasn’t very much to choose from if you wished to eat something other than home cooked meals.

But with time, foreign food brands began entering the market, earliest in the form of fast food, making fried alternatives available to a hitherto health-conscious race that strongly advocated ‘natural’. People became more open to spending a few leisurely hours, out of the house, and considerable amounts, enjoying some food, which gave rise to a specific culture. That’s made way for a gamut of new cuisines, dishes, restaurants and concept dining outlets to open and survive in this city.

For example, where would you have turned to a couple of years ago if you were in the mood for Mediterranean Food? Choices would have predominantly been restricted to heading to an insanely expensive enterprise, if any, in one of Bangalore’s star hotels or booking the next flight to Saint-Tropez. Fortunately today, decisions need be less dramatic with an extensive Mediterranean Platter, complete with chicken kebabs, a choice of hummus or pita bread, baba ghanous, tahini sauce and falaffel available at Frescoes on Cunningham Road, for just Rs. 250 + taxes. It also has some of the best Spanish omelettes in town, beaten to fluffy perfection with mushrooms and tomatoes. And the spoiling of the foodie continues into the attached dessert bar of the restaurant where novel after meal offerings such as The Oreo Cup of Dirt and a twenty-layer cake are up for grabs – both of which among many more is the ideal dessert to indulge in and consummate any hearty meal.

The situation is no different when it comes to most other international foods. It’s now possible to enjoy authentic American food in the heart of the city. TGIF (Thank Goodness It’s Friday!), a franchise of the original New York establishment, serves multi-layer hamburgers (one of the few places in the city that offers it with a choice of crisp bacon strips) and authentic nachos drenched in Monterey cheese and drizzled with fresh vegetables. Go ahead and get a taste of the Big Apple.

Perhaps, you’re in the mood for Carribean food, in which case you’d have to look no further than Sue’s Place off 100ft Road, Indiranagar. Some of its famous dishes are, Stew Beef (caramelized meat marinated with West Indian Herbs), Jamaican Jerk Chicken (uses a method of preparation called ‘jerk’ using jerk seasoning), Jeera Pork (a pungent dish cooked with plenty of jeera powder) and Tobago Crab Curry (a mild curried crab with coconut milk, which can be eaten with dumplings). The West Indies just got closer to Bangalore.

And Oriental food that has long been a feature on the city’s menu has also been reinvented in a big way. Unlike food that was served earlier which largely involved variations of the locally concocted Manchurian and the like, several places in the city today offer much closer versions to the original food, with Mainland China dominating top spot on that list. There’s also Harima on `Residency Road where its now possible to indulge in delectable Japanese dishes like the Harima Special. An assorted sushi platter, it includes 30 pieces of sushi such as Fashimi and Maki Rolls. It’s all available for a cool Rs. 1750 + taxes. A hot favourite at the restaurant is tempura – Japanese batter fried prawns – served with tempura sauce. And of course, it serves the infamously pungent accompaniment, wasabi, made of horseradish. In fact, it even offers the complete dining experience affiliated to the culture, of low seating.

And Soo Ra Sang on Windtunnel Road, off Airport Road, infuses soul to food from Seoul, serving authentic Korean food. Choose from Dolsoth Beebimbob, mixed vegetable rice that can be served with or without meat and the most famous Korean dish around the world or Bull Go Gi – marinated beef fry without oil, though sometimes it can be chicken or pork instead. These make for great options to sink your teeth into to get a taste of the east.

Bangalore is not just about its gardens or pubs. It’s also got a thriving culinary scene in sync with the melting pot of cultures and cosmopolitan people that it’s home to. So the next time your taste buds crave tantalizing cooking, the numerous options in Bangalore will almost guarantee gormandizing satisfaction. Bon Apetit!

The Hand that Wrecks the Cradle

Scarlett Keeling, Madeline McCann, Shannon Matthews – three young children whose names have been circulating in the media, of late. The first is believed to have been raped and murdered while on holiday on a beach in Goa. The other mysteriously disappeared a few metres from where her parents were enjoying a meal one evening at an upmarket resort in Portugal. And the third faced the most bizarre chain of events when she went missing for 24 days before being found less than a mile from her home, locked in the base of a divan bed.

While there are several loose ends to all these cases, the victim has always been the child.
Not the police, not the perpetrator and perhaps not even the parents as much. It is painful for any parent to lose a child but it was Scarlett Keeling who spent her last few minutes fighting in pain and shame. It is Madeline who is possibly the most frightened four-year old out there, if still alive. And Shannon Matthews is the only one who will be able to tell anyone of her ordeal on being shut in a tiny, claustrophobic space in the home of her stepfather’s uncle.

As a society, we’re quick to judge, our tolerance levels being particularly poor. And it’s infinitely easy to do so when it comes to children. But in the light of these cases, it’s necessary to turn our attention to the parents as well, who very often can be quite irresponsible, as these cases demonstrate.

In Scarlett’s case, the fifteen-year old is believed to have been under the influence of alcohol and a cocktail of harmful drugs at the time of the crime, unsupervised and in the company of a 25 year-old tour guide she had only just met. Which parent leaves an inebriated child in the custody of a complete stranger who belongs to a culture where Western girls are often viewed as sexually available? These circumstances would have made the British teenager vulnerable in any part of the world. And Fiona MacKeown, the mother, having nine children fathered by five men, didn’t exactly help tilt the sympathy scales in her direction.

The McCanns weren’t exactly exercising sensible parenting when they left three-year old Madeline alone with her two-year old twin siblings as they dined nearby. Since when was it acceptable for a three-year old to be left on her own, much less with younger children in her care? At present, Madeline’s parents are also suspects in her disappearance.

Finally, Shannon Matthews’s mother has been arrested for concealing her child’s whereabouts from officers, abandoning her in manner that was likely to cause her suffering and child neglect. The fact that her live-in partner was found to be in possession of pornographic images of children as young as four years, that she had made several statements which suggested an intention to run away with the man in whose home her nine-year old or has seven children from five fathers makes her case not much different from that of Fiona MacKeown.

Nothing strikes a reader more than crimes against children. Their helplessness makes these offences especially heinous. But parental incompetence makes a reader seethe. Why should innocent kids suffer because of stupid decisions that those who are supposed to be caring for them take? Perhaps it’s best not to be quick in forming opinions about people who are rarely in a position to fend for themselves but instead bring the actions of feckless parents under scrutiny.

Click Click Boom!

A couple of years ago, a famous photographer captured a grossly undernourished child making its way to a food camp oragnised by the UN, a kilometre away. It's tiny bones were seen painfully through it's gossamer skin and it could barely move. It struggeled to crawl, hunched over its brittle frame in the dry desert sands. But the most striking part of the photograph was of a vulture sitting in the background, threateningly close to the sickly child. Apparently, it was waiting for the Sudanese toddler to collapse before it would gorge on the remnants of its flesh and churn out a substantial meal of its starved form. The picture appeared for the first time in the New York Times and gained huge wordwide attention.

This particular photgrapher won a Pulitzer Prize for his work - the highest honour for a journalist. Ironically, he commited suicide at the age of 33, a little more than a month after receiving the prestigiuos award. The reason: he was so weighed down by the numerous sights he had seen in the past - of people suffering, dying, famine, trigger-happy madmen who were often the authorities. He also came under severe critical scrutiny for taking the child's photograph instead of helping her, taking advantage and benefitting personally from the child's misery, with some even calling him no different from the vulture that was part of the frame.

When I first came across this story, it saddened me to see talent lost but even more for his actions. I agreed that the desperate child needed immediate help more than her picture splashed across major publications. What many don't know is that the photographer had been under instructions to not touch famine victims for fear that they may have deadly diseases that are contagious. I'm all for precaution, especially in matters of health - one of the most important personal assets according to me. However, in this case it was tough to ignore the plight of a young child in need of help. Somehow, the situation didn't seem to warrant precaution at the cost of her sufferring.

Recently, the issue was refreshed in my mind when the latest Pulitzer Prizes were announced. This year too, the winner of the breaking news category was for a reporter's photograph which dramatically captured a Japanese videographer fatally wounded and sprawled on a pavement in Myanmar during a street demonstration. The Japanese photojournalist so dedicated to his profession, continued to click pictures despite being grievously injured on a sidewalk. The reporter who got that on camera and won the award did take a minute to remember his fellow journalist who died shortly after his image was saved for posterity but frankly, that seemed like an extremely orchestrated gesture. It made me wonder...didn't this photographer commit the same crime as the first when he chose to capture his suffering on film rather than rush him to the nearest hospital?

I've seen both pictures that the photographers mentioned above took. Controversy aside, they are powerful images that stir you and which require real skill. But I'm also a firm believer of Karma - what goes around comes around. So what if their places had been reversed with those of their subjects? Would the pictures still have been so special to them?

Statutory Warning

Journalism is not for those who are not curious about life.