Quick note

Sorry for the intermittent silence; much has happened over the past two weeks on the work front, which is why I haven't been reading much. Suffice to say that I'm gainfully employed now and am settling into the new workplace. 


Will be doing a bit of reading over the weekend for a work related assignment and post an author interview in due course. In the meanwhile, enjoy the archives and do grab a copy of Samanth Subramanian's wonderful collection of travel essays, 'Following Fish'. 

Sneak Peek: Quarantine by Rahul Mehta

The good folks at Random House India recently sent me a sample copy of their forthcoming book, Quarantine, by Rahul Mehta. It's a collection of short stories about gay relationships and the manner in which Indian families deal with them.  What struck me the most about Rahul's stories is the simplicity of his prose; crisp sentences, simple words and well-constructed paragraphs which make his stories beautiful and tender. Just to give you a brief insight, in Quarantine we see Bapuji, a typical grandfather who cribs about his daughter-in-law Asha's cooking and is unable to come to terms with his grandson being gay while in  Ten Thousand Years, we read about a couple whose relationship is on the rocks because one of the partners, Thomas, has been unfaithful.  There's a third story, Citizen, which I'm yet to read but I'm sure it'll be as enjoyable as the previous two.


I don't want to say too much right now because I've just read two stories but it's suffice to say that I really enjoyed whatever I read and am looking forward to reading the full book once it's out at the end of April. 


Will post a review/author interview if, as and when it happens.

Next Big Thing: Wilbur Sargunaraj

If you’re one of those who troll the Internet looking for mindless entertainment, you probably know who Wilbur Sargunaraj is. If not, log on to YouTube and search for this 32-year-old, US-based Tamilian, whose satirical videos and tutorials on marriage, blogging, talking in German, ordering burgers, and cricket are becoming quite a rage. His Love Marriage video, by far the most popular, has already been viewed by over 2.5 lakh enthusiasts and is getting downloaded as a ringtone for mobiles too. Another hit is Blog Song, which has been creating quite a buzz in the blog community.


But what makes Sargunaraj — looking out of sorts in corporate attire while singing and dancing and beating, literally, drums in one of his videos — such a hit? He knows that he lacks singing and dancing skills. But the manner in which he combines this knowledge, complete with bawdy lyrics and catchy tunes, produces a heady concoction.
Sargunaraj’s motto, in his own words, is quite simple: “Making the common, extraordinary”.


In Love Marriage he does just that. He’s prancing around with villagers, moving around in a humble bullock cart, singing a song where he’s requesting his parents to let him have a, well, love marriage. He may describe his style of singing as “vocal chanting” and though he’s anything but a singer, his music videos are bound to make you laugh.


Sargunaraj has been doing standup comedy in the US for a while now, but only recently decided to venture into music videos. “I always wanted to be an actor,” he confesses. But instead of waiting for an opportunity to come his way, he created one himself. “I wrote songs and through my music videos, I was able to sing, dance, play drums... just like an actor.” He calls himself a “pure entertainer” and going by his online fans’ comments he is a hit. Hailed as a “global superstar and a visionary” by one fan, another follower remarks that “Wilbur inspires me....” What other plans does Sargunaraj have? For the moment, he says, he plans to release more videos, before concentrating on another album, which, he says, will release later this year. “I’d love to do a world tour so that all my fans have a chance to sing and dance along”. That apart, he also wants to host a travel show. “God willing, movies will happen soon”, he adds. That can wait, after all, he’s already dealing with being the Internet’s newest sensation.


(Did this for the Sunday Business Standard. Also, this piece was inspired by Aishwarya's blogpost so a big thank you to her as well!)

On my bookshelf...

....are a lot of books that I've bought and received over the last few weeks. Thanks to the book fair, the Jaipur litfest and my current job as a book reviewer, I've managed to collect quite a number of books; some of which I will probably start reading in another lifetime. Here's a quick list


1) Berlin by Antony Beevor: This was a book which I bought accidentally and, to a certain extent, unintentionally. I went to the World Book Fair in Delhi looking for Beevor's much-acclaimed work Stalingrad and his latest book D-Day and while I did spot both the books on weekdays, they were sold out over the weekend. In fact, the only Antony Beevor book which remained untouched was Berlin, which is a narrative account of the people who were caught during the final collapse of the Third Reich. A blurb at the back of the book states that Berlin is "even better" than Stalingrad (although the Book Fair stalls indicated otherwise). Haven't started reading it yet but, given the amount of praise I've heard about Beevor, I will probably read it soon


2) A Matter of Taste: The Penguin Book of Indian Food Writing edited by Nilanjana Roy: A few months before I actually bought this book (in Jaipur), I had just finished reading the hugely enjoyable Rude Food by Vir Sanghvi and realised that there weren't very many Indian memoirs written about food. I did a quick Google search to prove myself wrong, and the only other book which showed in the results section was A Matter of Taste. Initially, I was a bit hesitant to buy a copy since I'd read a read an unkind review of it on the net. But, given the authenticity and accuracy of internet reviews,  I decided to buy a copy anyway. And I'm glad I did. Because even though a lot of essays are extracted from books, the range of memoirs they capture (for want of a better phrase) are fantastic. There's Behram 'Busybee' Contractor reminisces about eating chapatis with his morning tea. Rohinton Mistry writes an endearing account of a Parsi family's tryst with chicken. Suketu Mehta's extracted essay from his terrific book Maximum City is a terrific and horrific account of the sacrificing of a goat by Mumbai's "black collar workers". Other writers whose works feature in the book include Salman Rushdie, Raj Kamal Jha, Radhika Jha, Mukul Kesavan and Vir Sanghvi. I hope Nilanjana does a sequel to this book - it's been almost six years since this one came out and it's high time we got to read another one.


3) The Picador Book of Indian Cricket edited by Ramchandra Guha:  Bought this one from the book fair as well. For anybody interested in the history, personalities, quirks and the evolution of the game, this one is a must read. Not only because it's edited by Ram Guha but because of the range and quality of the essays in the book. While the contributors to this anthology are formidable writers themselves, it is Guha's superb skills as editor which stand out. His ability to choose from top quality cricket writing and his reasons to choose them  give the book its intellectual tone and character. I haven't read the whole book but a few outstanding essays include the ones on Sachin Tendulkar, Malcolm Marshall, Waqar Younis and Brian Lara from the personalities section. There's a wonderful piece in the initial part of the book which traces the origin of Test cricket and a few pieces on the food at cricket grounds which I'm looking forward to read.


4) Broken News by Amrita Tripathi: A new chick-lit novel by the CNN-IBN journalist, the book is a satirical take on the TV news business and office culture in India. Broken News is the story of a not-so-young TV journalist and anchor (NOT Amrita) who battles craziness, chaos on a daily basis as part of her job. She's almost had a nervous breakdown, a horrible breakup and after eight years on the job, has become quite cynical of her profession. In between, she also plays mentor to a newbie hack who's just graduated from a J-school. If you are an aspiring TV journo with idealistic dreams of anchoring on the second day of your job (like yours truly was not too long ago) then this is just the sort of book you should read. Not only will it kill some of that idealism, but it'll also give you an insight into the chaotic world called 'behind-the-scenes'. I'm already 50-odd pages down and am enjoying the book very much. There are a few glitches (lots of commas) but barring that this book's a fun read. Grab a copy ASAP


5) A Corner Of A Foreign Field by Ramchandra Guha: There was a time in my life when I thought of historians as 'bloody boring'. Part of this thought process should be attributed to a rather ordinary school life where if you admitted you liked history, you were immediately labelled 'weird' (and in some cases unceremoniously thrown out of your peer group) Ram Guha's book was released exactly at that point and I kick myself for not buying/reading it then. This 500 page tome isn't really a 'cricket book'; it's a book which looks at India's socio-political tapestry from the prism of cricket. In fact, it wouldn't be wrong to say this is a book is more profound than Guha's most acclaimed work till date - India After Gandhi for it blends all of Guha's profiles; cricket writer, historian, biographer, anthropologist and political commentator. Again, I haven't started reading the book yet (yes, I know I suck but blame it on the profession please) but I doubt I'll be able to put it down once I do. 


That's it for now. Back to work and to do some reading. 


P.S. For all you Ram Guha fans, grab a copy of the latest Caravan magazine; he's written a cover story tracing the history of the Congress Party. Also, read the wonderful interview he gave to Chandrahas Choudhury about India After Gandhi

Jaipur Diary: Short Note On The Litfest

- Recently attended the Jaipur Literature Festival and I have to say it wasn't as fun as it was last time round. That doesn't mean the festival was bad; it's just that this year it was insanely crowded and I hadn't heard of or read the works of most of the speakers. Also, I didn't interview anybody this time round. However, what I did was attend a lot of sessions so that I can blog about what was discussed as opposed to posting one Q&A after another (as it is, the blog has too many of them). 


 - So anyway, that apart, I seriously think Sanjoy Roy & Co. should move the festival out of Diggi Palace. As scenic and traditional as it may be, it simply cannot accomodate the hordes of people who come there.  And going by the popularity of the event, it's size will only increase in the years to come.  


 -  Felt slightly bad for the organisers because a lot of the speakers, authors and invitees were stuck in Delhi and/or in their respective cities due to the dense fog and visa-related issues. Which meant that a lot of the sessions had to be rescheduled (especially on the first two days) and a lot of speakers had to double up as moderators of other sessions.


- By far, the most popular speaker at the festival was - not surprisinly - Chetan Bhagat who was mobbed by schoolkids and fans and was the subject of much discussion amongst presswallahs, delegates and every second attendee. That some not-so-nice things were said about him is another matter, but it was quite evident that most people were envious of the life he led. Even the session which he moderated had to be moved out of the Durbar Hall to the front lawns. And this, when he wasn't even discussing a page of his works!


- However, the showstealers for me were Vikram Chandra, Niall Ferguson, Lawrence Wright, Tenzin Tsundue (whose session had to be scheduled keeping in mind his court appearances!) , Geoff Dyer, Alexander McCall Smith and Tunku Varadarajan. Can't describe how brilliant they were. You just had to be there to understand what I'm talking about. Suffice to say that it was these gentlemen which made the trip paisa vasool


Will start blogging about the sessions as soon as I've filed my freelance assignments in the next few days.  


P.S. Overheard at the festival: Two very popular authors discussing the finer nuances of masturbation. And that Chetan Bhagat's 'Teen Deviyan' session should've been renamed  'murder by Anjum Hasan' :)

'So when are you going to write your novel?'*

If there's one question which has been asked of me ever since I became a book reviewer, this is it. And by everyone I know. Friends, relatives, well-wishers, journalists, parents and absolute random people who I might have met at some of those boring book launches. 


Which brings me to the point about reviewing and book writing: why do most people assume that, if you're a book reviewer, you're also an aspiring writer? 


Perhaps it's got to do with the fact that some book reviewers in India are authors and vice-versa. Or maybe - and this is just a guess - there's this perceived notion that book reviewing enables to you to meet publishers, writers, critics who then help in cutting short the excruciatingly long process of  getting published. 


But ask any published writer of repute and he or she will tell you that book writing is an extremely arduous, ambitious, mind-numbing, finger-breaking, brain-frying process.  From what I've heard over the past one year, it seems getting a hair transplant or undergoing plastic surgery seem less painful (unless of course you do a Michael Jackson and change the way you look every alternate day). And this is just the writing process I'm talking about. Getting published is a different ball-game altogether. 

I won't drone on about the how's and why's of writing and publishing any more except to state both require the patience of a saint, mind space, lots of time and that brilliant, Stephen Hawking-invented component without which no book would ever get published: a story (a calm Shivraj Patil look on your face whenever there's some major issue in the manuscript will count as bonus).

As for me, I don't think I have very many of the elements listed above. And also, I'm very happy with book-reviewing. Most satisfying activity it is. 

*Disclaimer: This blog post is not meant to discourage/dissuade/demoralise/kill the aspirations of any aspiring writer. It is purely an exercise in random self-indulgence and to keep the craft of writing alive in the blogger. Please write/don't write at your own risk.

Looking Ahead: 2010, A Year of Promising Literature

Was just going through the catalogue of a publishing house and realised that there are a lot of books I'd be interesting in reading next year. A quick glance through my own shortlist


1) The Temple-goers by Aatish Taseer: Billed as the Delhi novel, I can't remember the last time a book was awaited with such anticipation. A debut novel, Temple-goers is the story of a young man who returns to Delhi after living abroad for many years. Soon, he is befriended by Aakash, an unpredicatable young man who shows him the dirty underbelly of Delhi. Both get embroiled in a politically sensitive case which exposes the ruthlessness of Delhi society


A few months ago, Aatish read out excerpts from Temple Goers for a select audience in Delhi. I happened to be present at the reading and, along with the others, was mesmerised by what I'd heard. And if that reading was any indication, this book will definitely be flying off bookshelves. 


2)  Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese by Sidin Vadukut: Before I proceed any further, let me declare that this is a plug. For ever since I started reading whatay.com, I've been a fan of Sidin's writing. Be it popular culture, travel tales or mostly random observations, Sidin's brand of humour is immensely popular among bloggers and tweeters. But his forte is looking for humour at the workplace. And that's exactly what Dork is about - a hilarious book on office culture and humour. Want to know more? Click on the link and/or wait for excerpts.*


3) May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss by Arnab Ray: What you just read wasn't a typo nor am I drunk-blogging but that is actually the title of the book.  Popular blogger Arnab Ray, also known as Greatbong (of Random Thoughts of A Demented Mind fame) is out with his debut novel; a promising laugh-out-loud, irreverent take on everything that India is (and isn't). C-grade bollywood movies, cricket, education and reality TV shows among many other things


4) Evidence of Suspicion by Amitava Kumar: Writer of the much-acclaimed Husband Of A Fanatic, academician Amitava Kumar critically examines the impact of the war on terror from a philosophical, moral and political perspective. I'm one of the lucky few who've had a chance to look at the text (fleetingly) and I wouldn't like to divulge too many details except to say that it's a gripping, moving and thought provoking tale


5) Homeboy by Husain Naqvi: The story of young, New-York based Pakistani boys in search of their identity and chasing The Great American Dream who embark on a road trip which goes horribly wrong. Another much-anticipated debut by yet another Pakistani author.


6) Karl Aaj Aur Kal by Cyrus Broacha: Television's most popular funny man pens his debut novel which promises to be as hilarious as his spoofs and bakras


7) The Biryani cookbook by Pratibha Karan: Yes, I do read recipe books and I'm not ashamed of admitting it. And I'm eagerly looking forward to this book because my cook can't make a decent biryani to save his life. In fact, his version of the biryani is an absolute insult to the dish. Hence, I'm looking for some much-needed course correction and a few unusual recipes. 


8) The 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron Book' by Jai Arjun Singh(aka Jabberwock): Noted literary and cinema critic, Jai Arjun Singh writes about the iconic movie which pioneered the dark comedy genre in Hindi cinema. Not much is known about the book since Jai's still working on it, but since Jai is a prolific and respected blogger, this book promises to be an interesting read


*Off-late, I've met Sidin a few times and the man has the ability to generate humour every two seconds. Hence, I'd like to forewarn journos who'd be doing author interviews with him - you'll probably spend most of your time laughing and don't be surprised if your giggles drown the conversation on your voice recorders!


That's it for now, folks. Enjoy the year ahead and do lots of reading.


Oh, and in between please leave comments on my blogposts. It'll help improve the quality of writing 


(My review of Aatish's Stranger To History: A Son's Journey Through Islamic Lands is here. Also, an interview with Aatish)

Shoutout: Jaipur Litfest 2010

Sorry for the prolonged silence but I've been buried under a mountain of books and have been busy procrastinating. However, literary endeavors - big or small - must continue and hence, I've booked myself for the Jaipur Literature Festival next month. Honestly speaking, the list of speakers isn't as glamorous as it was last year but they've still got some fine writers such as Hanif Kureishi, Anjum Hasan, Sankar, Soumya Bhattacharya and Amit Chadhuri in attendance. When I visited the official website a few months ago, I was delighted to see Ahmad Rashid's name on the list as well but to my disappointment, it seems he's skipping the fest again this year. Which is sad because his book Descent Into Chaos is one of the best books ever-written on terrorism and America's response to it in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Hopefully, he'll make an appearance in 2011.

Keeping these writers company will be Gulzar ( who re-appears after a spectacular debut last year) and Javed Akhtar. I just hope that unlike previous years, there isn't any Bollywood superstar present this year (Aamir Khan came a few years back and Amitabh Bachchan came last time around). It'll help attendees to appreciate the work of writers who've come there and keep the crowds slim at Diggi Palace.

To be honest, I had ambivalent feelings about attending the festival this year; a less-than-glamorous author list, huge crowds and of course, expenditure. But I guess it only seems natural that I should be there this year as well - after all, the germ of this blog and whatever freelance writing I'm doing these days is the festival. Hence, I shall be at the Diggi Palace again next month - attending sessions, meeting new people and (hopefully) doing some interviews for my blog.

In the meantime, do go through the January and February archives to read the interviews I conducted last time. I'm feeling too lazy to link them here. Hopefully, they'll be tempting enough for you to come to Jaipur!

Unintended Silence

Sorry for the silence, folks. Much travelling and wedding attending happened over the past two weeks, hence the silence. Coming soon, however, is an email interview with John Elliott and Bernard Imhasly, editors of a wonderful anthology and an interview with Sadanand Dhume, author of My Friend The Fanatic, a riveting travelogue about Indonesian cultural and politics post the 2002 Bali bombings. More soon
Ciao!

On The Go

Was in Bombay recently for over a week and hectic socialising with friends and family meant very little reading. But I did manage to flip through some pages here and there. Here are a few reccomendations from whatever little I've read.

Pundits from Pakistan by Rahul Bhattacharya: Journalist-turned-writer Rahul Bhattacharya pens a wonderful account of India's cricket tour to Pakistan in 2004- the first in 15 years. For Bhattacharya, cricket is not merely a sport but a prism through which he views the lives, events and incidents associated with it. His interaction with Pakistani leggie Danish Kaneria and Kaneria's family is one of the most poignant passages of the book. Kaneria, a Hindu, describes how normal life is in Pakistan despite belonging to a religious minority. Another passage, interspersing the assassination bids on General Musharraf with the security arrangements for the Indian team, is remarkably well-written. For any young urban Indian growing up in the mid-90's deprived of top quality Indian cricket literature (biogs and autobiogs aside), Pundits from Pakistan comes as a breath of fresh air. A real cracker of a book! (Thanks, Jai, for the reccomendation)

Churchill by Roy Jenkins: One of the most exhaustive, erudite yet tedious biographies I've ever come across. And when it begins with the phrase, 'The ducality of his provenance', you know you'll always need a dictionary if you are serious about reading this 1000-page tome.Written by eminent British parliamentarian Roy Jenkins, this is one of the finest biographies to have been written about one of the most controversial statesmen of the 20th century. Foreign Affairs called it a "liberal history of Britain". The Observer said that "Churchill is a life brilliantly reflected in the mirror of its author's personality and experience."

Released as late as 2001, Churchill is an exhaustive work; something that only a veteran politician like Jenkins can write. For he had the advantage of not only being able to access previous works on Churchill but also to interact with him as a parliamentarian. But thanks to the tedious language I've barely managed to finish one chapter. Will start reading the book again soon - with a dictionary at hand!

Foreign Correspondent: 50 years of reporting in South Asia: As a sucker for journalistic writing, this book was on the top my must-have list and I'm glad I've finally bought it. Published jointly by the Foreign Correspondents Club and Penguin India, this anthology was brought out to commemorate the golden jubilee of the FCC. Not only is it a collection of the finest pieces to have appeared in foreign newspapers/magazines, but it also illustrates a sad but growing trend: the decline of long-form feature writing. If you're a frequent reader of Indian newspapers and magazines, you'd probably agree that exquisitely written, enjoyable yet informative essays are limited only to a few columnists. Otherwise, most newspapers and magazines have become mere wire-copy publishers. Even then, they're so poorly edited that you feel like consigning them to the dustbin after reading the first sentence itself.

Hence, this anthology comes as a breath of fresh air. Pieces range from Delhi in the 50s to the rise of the BJP in the 1980s. From an erudite obituary of Jawarharlal Nehru to a gripping account of Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and its aftermath. For anyone who is interested in contemporary Indian history - if not long-form, journalistic writing - this is a must on your bookshelf.

Liberty Or Death: India's Journey to Independence and Division by Patrick French: I first became a fan of Patrick French's writing not too long ago when I read this piece by him for Tehelka. A year later, his biography of V S Naipaul, The World Is What It Is, won critical acclaim and was one of the bestsellers for 2008. I looked up Patrick's bio on the net and found that he'd written two other books apart from his Naipaul, Liberty Or Death and another one on Tibet. Being a sucker for books on Indian independence and partition, I chose to buy Liberty Or Death over the Naipaul bio. But that's not the only reason I picked up the book

Released in 1997, Liberty Or Death evoked mixed responses. While Philip Ziegler, Lord Mountbatten's official biographer, states that Patrick has tackled "..a subject of extreme complexity, calling for scholarhip", eminent Indian journalist Swapan Dasgupta pooh-poohs it, stating that the book is nothing but "...a delightful tale of intrigue, ham-handedness and just plain blundering". One Indian journalist has gone to the extent of calling it a piece of "yellow journalism". And I can understand why. Basically, Patrick doesn't revere the leaders who negotiated India's independence and partition with the British. Instead, he's quite critical and even irreverent about them. For example, French has this to write about Gandhi:

If Gandhi is your hero, it can be a deflating experience to read what he actually did and said at crucial points in India's political history. The authorised version of the Mahatma is very different from the real one. Far from being a wise and balanced saint, Gandhi was an emotionally troubled social activist and a ruthlessly sharp political negotiator. As India's Transport Minister John Mathai said in 1947, the final failure to reach a satisfactory settlement with the Muslim League stemmed in from the 'Gujarati mentality' of the Congress leadership - i.e. 'that of a trader driving a hard bargain'

Now I haven't read the entire book but if this passage is anything to go by, then I'm sure there are plenty of uncharitable references to Nehru, Patel, Jinnah and even Churchill and Attlee. But, irreverent references notwithstanding, I think Liberty Or Death is an important read. For far too long, we've had a one-sided opinion about partition and independence. Patrick's book gives us the 'other side' of this epochal event. Might help to balance opinions- if not change them.

Other books I procured in Bombay but haven't read include Amartya Sen's Idea of Justice and Mani Shankar Aiyar's A Time of Transition. Haven't got down to even opening the packets so you'll have to wait for a while before I write about them

Finally, of all my socialising events, the one that I enjoyed most was with fellow blogger Hash. We roamed around the beautiful areas of Fort and Kala Ghoda and stopped at second hand bookshops before settling down at the quaint Kala Ghoda cafe for some organic nimbu paani. Oh, and in between we also visited the Strand book store (only to find it shut for the day) and The Bombay Store (which, in my opinion, should either revamp its stationary section or close it down completely). And post the Kala Ghoda cafe, we checked out the Oxford bookstore only to find that it hadn't stocked Hash's book for over 2 or 3 weeks! Not good for a debut novelist. Not good at all. Anyway, thanks Hash for the wonderful evening. We should do this once again when I visit Bombay again in November.

Oh, and don't think the Bombay rambling is over yet. Part 2 of the foodie tales is coming up soon.

Foodie Tales Part 1

Over a month ago, I re-visited Bombay to bond with family and friends. An endless flow of alcohol and shameless exhibition of gluttony is always on the cards whenever I visit the city. And since I’m on the subject, I guess it’s worth sharing a few restaurant stories of the city.

China Garden@Kemps Corner and CR2: As a kid, the day we (family included) landed in Bombay, it was a given that dinner would be at Nelson Wang’s iconic restaurant at Om Chambers. And if the day happened to be a Saturday or Friday, my uncle would reserve the table at least in a week in advance. Once, we had to wait for nearly 45 minutes in the adjacent Piano Bar till a vacant table was found. Apparently, crowds used to gather outside the restaurant over the weekend to catch a glimpse of their favourite movie stars. All of them would end up dining at CG or downing a few drinks after their film premieres. CG was known (and still is) for its eefoo wontons, cream corn, sapo vegetables and chicken manchurian. It moved to the crassy CR2 mall I Worli for a brief period but townies preferred the newer – and more authentic – Chinese eateries which had mushroomed. Now it’s returned back to Om Chambers in a newer avatar – CG83 – but it’s not even a shadow of what it used to be. Except for their signature dishes, everything else is oily, spicy and plain boring. I’d rather eat home-cooked Chinese food than go to CG83. It’ll be a cheaper, healthier option.

Thai Pavilion@ Taj President: When someone tells you that a chicken appetiser is served on a long toothpick-like stick with peanut-butter sauce, you start getting second thoughts about the place. But once I tasted Chicken Satay, I fell in love with it and with Thai Pavilion for dishing out some fabulous Thai cuisine. Be it Tom Yum soup, Penang Curry or Masaman Curry, this South Bombay restaurant soon became quite a rage. But unfortunately Thai Pavilion too went downhill for a few years. The food became horrible, menus remained unchanged, service was bad and loyal clientele preferred India Jones and others to Ananda Solomon’s eatery. In fact, there were times when Taj President offered free pick-up services to those who wanted to lunch at Thai Pavilion. Inevitably, good sense prevailed and the restaurant was closed for renovation. It reopened last year and to say that it has outdone itself would be an understatement. Solomon’s given it a contemporary twist so now the menu’s got flambé prawns with a hint of orange and the Thai curry is devoid of spices. Yet, it all tastes so good. The décor is friendlier and the restaurant’s more spacious than before. Let’s not discuss prices though. The appetite gets ruined.

Bagdadi’s@ Colaba (Behind the Taj Mahal Hotel): Now before I’m labelled as an elitist snob, I’d like to write that my most memorable meals have been at this non-descript eatery. After drinking ourselves silly at Leopold’s or Sports Bar, my friends and I digged into the most amazing Mutton/Beef Biryani, Chicken Masala, and Chicken Fry which is available under 50 bucks. That we blew up most of the cash on booze is another matter, but fact remains that Bagdadi’s dishes are much better than it’s overhyped neighbour, Bade Miyan. Another factor which sets Bagdadi’s apart is its egalitarian nature: be it a sozzled rich brat or a disgruntled taxi driver, all of them descend here for a quick bite. Signs such as “food will not be served to overdrunken person” and friendly waiters (one of them remembered that I hadn’t visited since the 26/11 attacks) are added features. So if you’re short on cash but looking for a delicious meal, Bagdadi’s is your destination – provided your not overdrunken!

Trishna@ Fort and JVPD: If there’s one restaurant in Bombay which is jam-packed at 10:45 PM on a weeknight, it has to be Trishna. Famous for its butter garlic crabs, fish hyderabadi, dal hyderabadi and Lonely Planeters, this South Bombay eatery has started spreading its wings to the ‘burbs. Not only is the JVPD outlet more spacious, it serves more dishes than the one in Fort. The Chettinad Crab was a wonderful discovery – especially since it was de-shelled and mildly spicy. But the real revelation was the pomfret tikka: soft, chunky pieces grilled to perfection. A welcome change from the hyderabadi fish I’m so used to eating. Add to that Trishna’s signature Dal Hyderabadi, a few neer dosas and malai kulfi, and you have the perfect meal!

Coming Soon

Sorry for the disappearance act people, but I've been quite busy over the past fortnight. Balancing between work and planning further studies isn't as simple as it may seem. But, in between, I've been doing some work for this blog as well.

Got in touch with Patrick French and will be doing an interview with him about his book, Liberty or Death. This will be a blog exclusive so you won't find it anywhere else but here. However, it won't be posted before the end of this month/early next month because I still have to start reading the book.

Reviewed Aatish Taseer's much-awaited debut Stranger To History: A Son's Journey Through Islamic Lands. An engaging, insightful read about the Islamic world. Also had the opportunity to interview the young man, and we hit it off quite well (the dude has an enviable study!). These will be put up very shortly; as soon as I receive the go-ahead from the BW peeps.

Will also be posting the review of Mukul Deva's Salim Must Die. A short interview with him can be read here.

For now, all I can say is regular blogging will suffer since I'm planning further studies and trying to balance work alongside. Still, I'll try and post as often as I can. Watch this space for more!

Motorcycle diaries...of a different kind

I guess some people still haven't got over the Raj!

Healthwise Musing!

Just another random, funny sighting in one of New Delhi's hidden parks.

Goodbye Steve!

Just heard that Steve Bucknor is going to retire as umpire next March. Am instantly reminded of a college assignment I wrote at the height of the Sydney Test fiasco last year. Reproducing it here again.

(Warning: For those of you who hate anti-media rants, ignore this post)

The second cricket Test match played between India and Australia at Sydney will be remembered for the controversies it generated rather than the cricket which was played. Umpire Steve Bucknor, member of the International Cricket Council’s Elite Panel, made as many as 11 blunders against India. And to make things worse, the Australian cricket team alleged that Harbhajan Singh made racist remarks against Andrew Symonds.

Given the undue attention that is paid to cricket in our country, it was but natural that the media would devote reams of newsprint to this story. In its article that appeared on Jan 6, 2008 titled “India laid low by Benson-Bucknor duo”, the Indian Express called Bucknor “blind”. The Hindu which is normally measured in its reportage carried a front page story on January 7, 2008 confirming a three Test ban on Harbhajan Singh. News channels went on a “Breaking News” blitzkrieg and certain sections of the electronic media alleged that Steve Bucknor held a grudge against the Indians.

Being an avid cricket fan, I saw most parts of the match and shared similar sentiments on the quality of umpiring. But to say that India lost the Test only because of poor umpiring is hard to digest. On the last day, our team which boasts of such cricketers as Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Yuvraj Singh among others could not bat for 70 overs. It shows that besides poor decisions, it was a batting collapse that contributed to the loss at Sydney. Says Pradeep Magazine of the Hindustan Times “Despite all the wrongs done to them on the field, India could have still salvaged a draw and been in a much stronger position to take a high moral ground and tell the umpires and the Australians of what they thought of them”

Also, I think the media is wrong when it says that Bucknor holds a grudge against India. The argument presented by the press is that the umpire, on numerous occasions, has repeated his mistake. To substantiate this point, it has been repeatedly stated in several debates (such as The Big Fight on NDTV 24X7) that an ICC enquiry found Bucknor guilty of incompetence during the 2007 World Cup final. However, there has been no official enquiry which can prove that Buckor bears a grudge against India or any other team. Hence, to say that an umpire of this stature, who has officiated in over a 100 matches, bears ill will towards a team is false.
In addition, a leading Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, in one of its programmes committed a factual error. The anchor said that Steve Bucknor is a Be-Imaan (cheat). This is a very serious charge as it questions his integrity. And before making such a sweeping statement, one must take into cognisance the age factor: Bucknor is 61 years old. He may be past his prime but there is no evidence to suggest that he is a cheat. This is yet another example of the media getting its facts wrong.

In the aftermath of this controversy, the ICC replaced Bucknor, who was to officiate in the third test at Perth. The Times of India, in its January 9, 2008 edition, carried a front page story titled “India wins Sydney test” with reference to this development. In its editorial the newspaper writes “The ICC has hit the right buttons by initiating action against those who were on duty at Sydney. They bungled and an exciting Test match ended in a mess.” In a country where cricket has achieved cult status, the media ought to have acted in a mature manner. This decision by the ICC was not a victory for India. Instead, it was a sad day for the game of cricket. And inspite of being aware of Bucknor’s sloppy umpiring in the past, why didn’t the Indian cricket board appeal to the ICC to replace him before the start of this series? The board owes an explanation to not only its players, but to millions of cricket lovers in the country.

In conclusion, it was an episode that saw a high quality Test match being reduced to a mere controversy. What was even more appalling was the coverage by the Indian media which was mediocre, to say the least. Instead of being jingoistic about this issue, it could have shown a sense of maturity.

Weekend Activities (or the lack of them)

Have registered myself for the WordCamp India conference. It's my very first blogmeet and naturally, I am quite kicked about it. Importantly, it gives me something to do over the weekend which is usually dull and boring since I usually end up sitting at home on my sorry arse and graze like a cow. Also looking forward to Sam Miller's heritage walk at Habitat Centre which is a follow up to his latest book Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity. After the quirky launch yesterday and the hilarious facebook activities, I am more than looking forward to this event. But, I will have to wait for a good one week for these events to happen. Right now, I just have to be content with doing something totally boring during the V-day weekend: attend the British Council Education Fair.
Yes, I know. It sounds ridiculous and a rather lame thing to do on such an occassion. But, alas, I have no dates lined up and a friend is curious about studying in the UK. Besides, not a single good movie is lined up for release which I can look forward to. Add to that, all the romantic and mushy programming on TV which would make you cringe! I guess the British Council event is a good escape, if not a great one.

Hopefully, you're weekend will be better than mine. Happy Valentine's Day!

P.S. Another reason I'm attending the blogmeet is because the found of wordpress.com is gracing it with his presence.