The Travelling Bioscope

While Raj Kapoor might have been the first Indian director to take his audience to foreign locales with Sangam in 1964, it was Yash Chopra who reinvented romance creating an everlasting association with chiffons, Swiss dales and meadows in full bloom. Ever since Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan immortalized the famous Kuekenhof tulip gardens in The Netherlands with the riot of colours and the magic of Kishore-Lata in Dekha Ek Khwaab from Silsila, this garden has been a highlight on the itinerary of a large number of Bollywood loving honeymooning couples from India. Apart from these gardens, this legendary onscreen pair also brought Switzerland home to the Indian viewer, beginning a trend which was faithfully followed by blockbusters like Chandni and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge among a host of many other films. And thus began the Yashraj formula for sureshot success which fused the hero of the day singing hit romantic songs, actresses in chiffons cavorting on green meadows and the snowcapped Alps in the backdrop. So much so that that Swiss tourism tied up with Yashraj Films and Kuoni Travel Group in 2010 to create a customized tour called the YRF Enchanted Journey which takes travellers to different locales from the various films produced under the banner. While this one is perfect for couples, we take a look at a few other cinema-based tours that continue to fuel our imagination long after their last scenes have unspooled on screen.

Middle Earth  (New Zealand)
Peter Jackson’s award-winning trilogy brought Middle Earth to life in all its magnificence and glory. Great credit goes to the director for choosing New Zealand as the backdrop for the LOTR films as its natural beauty is quite unsurpassed. The film catapulted the country’s sights and sounds into the public imagination across the world as Lord of the Rings series went on to become one of  the highest grossing films of all time. Almost all parts of the country have different LOTR tours and can be customized to suit your interests. Some of the most breathtaking sights include the Tongariro National Park providing the stark landscape for Mordor with its central peak Mount Ngauruhoe as Mount Doom which is the figurative beginning and end of the ring. For those who want only the Middle Earth experience, there are the Hobbiton movie set tours which recreate the green splendour that is the shire, complete with the little hobbit holes, the Green Dragon Inn and the Party Tree where Bilbo does his disappearing act!

Amelie’s Montmartre (Paris, France)  
Amelie, the wonderfully quirky 2001 film, follows the travails of a dreamy young waitress through the charming cobblestoned paths of Montmartre. This erstwhile artist’s village is one of the most charming parts of the city, associated with the music of the Jazz Age, the impressionism of Monet, the genius of Picasso, the madness of Dali and the never-ending dances of Moulin Rouge. It is also the MontMartre of Amelie Poulain. From the metro station she used to take to the local grocer and butcher shops that she visits, this is one inexpensive tour that you could craft for yourself with help from the numerous online sites. A good place to end your tour is at Café des Deux Moulins on 15 Rue Lepic, the lovely, quaint and now legendary little cafe where Amelie is shown working in the film. Wrangle a terrace (outdoor seat) and treat yourself to a glass of wine and watch the laidback life unfold on the gorgeous Montmartre Hill.

The Feluda tour (Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Varanasi) 
This one is quite the personal favourite. While following Feluda’s complete adventures could very well turn into a Bharat Darshan, a fan of the two Satyajit Ray’s films, Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath, could follow this super smart private detective’s adventurous trail across four cities in North India.
Every Bengali’s much-loved sleuth from 21 Rajani Sen Road, Ballygunge, Kolkata, Feluda is Satyajit Ray’s immortal creation whom he brought to life with finesse in his films Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath. While the films were continued by his son, Sandip Ray, it is Ray senior’s mastery over the craft that brought this Charminar-smoking detective to life with all the sharpness of his intellect. Soumitra as Feluda turned in a stellar performance which was equally matched by his young assistant Topshe, essayed by Siddhartha Chatterjee and the unassailable writer of thrillers Jatayu, played by Santosh Dutta. Together, they travel to various cities, encounter oddball characters from those places, find themselves in humorous situations brought about by the clash of different cultures and languages and solve great mysteries plaguing the people and police force alike. Follow the Sonar Kella route as envisioned in the dreams of the young boy Mukul and journey across the often surreal landscape of Rajasthan. A traveller can visit destinations including the Nahargarh Fort in Jaipur, the lesser-known Circuit House in Jodhpur and finally wind up at the marvellous golden-yellow sandstone fort—the Jaisalmer Fort. Travel by train all through and hope to meet characters as diverse as Lalmohan Ganguly, the writer of popular detective fiction and collector of antiques. For those attempting to get lost in the bylanes of Varanasi as depicted in Joy Baba Felunath, the film is the perfect map for the same and will no doubt take you to interesting sights and bring the city alive in a whole new way.

(This was published in the New Indian Express Bangalore on 27 November 2014)

The New Sartorialist

Even before the stroke of the midnight hour  when India awoke to life and freedom, her political leaders had already found their feet on the world stage as far as fashion was concerned. Certain political figures have stuck in our minds for the distinctive head-turning and individualistic styles as much as their ideologies or their theories on nationhood. Their looks have been emblazoned in the public imagination and spawned many copycats over time and yet, the panache, grace and sheer magnificence of these original style gurus remain unmatched. Thus Jackie Kennedy’s bouffant and oversized sunglasses, Nelson Mandela’s silk hand-painted ‘Madiba’ shirts, Margaret Thatcher’s pearls and power suits, Benazir Bhutto’s pop lipstick and headscarf, Indira Gandhi’s grey streak and more recently Priyanka Gandhi’s earthy and elegant cotton saris, Vasundhra Raje’s chiffons are but a few of the unforgettable signature style statements that have carved their place in the annals of fashion.
The Mahatma’s homespun Khadi went on to take Indian ramps by the storm in the 21st century and even ended up being the chosen garb for the powerful Jedi knights in the Star Wars films! As a symbol of Swadeshi nationalism, khadi kurtas and saris became the de facto politician’s uniform, making a strong statement and establishing the socialist agenda of dynastic heads.  
Jawaharlal Nehru was the political fashion icon of our times and his Nehru Jacket has revolutionised the world of Indo-western men’s fashion. His bandhgala, which evolved from the Mughal-style achkan, a fitted jacket with full sleeves and a single row of buttons down the chest with a short collar around the neck gave the jacket its name—the bandhgala. Add to this, the rose tucked into a buttonhole, the fitted churidar and the distinguished topi—it is little wonder that Nehru made it to Time magazine’s list of the top ten political fashion statements of all time.
In what is an ironic twist, Nehru’s true fashion progenitor is not his sneaker-wearing great grandson Rahul, but our newest Prime Minister, Narendra Modi who is a proud ambassador of India’s acche din as well as her fashion to a global audience. Resplendent in his bright yellow, orange and even pale pink half-sleeved kurtas and matching bandi (sleeveless bandhgala jackets) sets, stretched taut over his ‘56-inch chest,’ Modi is a man who understands the importance of a well-cut garment. The NaMo kurta is a reflection of his cult of the individual that has completely changed the dynamics of Indian politics as well as politicians on a world stage.   
From the early crisp saffron kurtas stitched at the posh Gujarat-based Jade Blue boutique to an elaborate wardrobe planned by fashion designer Troy Costa, Modi’s fashion spends and scope might have changed but his sartorial taste has remained ascendant. The pastel kurtas, paisley shawls, wine-coloured bandhgalas, rimless glasses, flamboyant pagdis, ethnic headgear and even an occasional cowboy hat is carried off by this often controversial and eyeball-grabbing figure with great aplomb. 
Although Nehru and Modi might be entirely divided on political, ideological and party lines, this ubiquitous Indian jacket brings them together. Indeed, with Modi’s appointment, the bandhgala is back on the world political stage with a bang. And its has got a new lease of life in its funky 21st-century NaMo avatar. 

(this was published in the New Indian Express Bangalore on 3 November 2014)

25 ways to discover the City of Joy

Kolkata, the grand doyen of the East, where history is a living, breathing root of the city, providing it the nourishment to limp through its not as glorious present. Kolkata, the city which nurtures art, culture, music and poetry and also sounds the death knell for commerce and industry. Kolkata, a haven for immigrants and refugees, from the handful of Jews and Armenians to the disappearing Chinese who made this city their nerve centre and established their culinary sway over India through their hybrid food. Kolkata, a city where Christmas is a state festival, celebrated with fervour and excitement -- a city that knows its Christmas carols and the right consistency of teh plum pudding -- a knowledge gleaned through the British Raj and the vibrant Anglo-Indian community. Kolkata, a city of political idealism and political kerfuffles. Kolkata, a city of fabulous food, madness, contradictions and great beauty to the eyes of a somewhat biased observer like me. However, partiality aside, here is a list of the top 25 things to do in the city, things that would complete any tourist's itinerary and remain the much-loved nostalgia-inspiring treats for an erstwhile Calcuttan returning to his or her home.

1. Have a cup of creamy Viennese Coffee and a sinful Strawberry Cube at Flury’s on Park Street. This must-have tea-time cake laden with marzipan, cream and all things nice accompanied by a cup of their signature brew will surely warm your cockles as well as give you a sense of the history of the place.

2. Take a boat ride on the Hooghly that snakes its way through the city. This is a great way to watch the life on the banks, unravelling before your eyes in a slow and unrushed manner. Late afternoon is the best time to hire one of the numerous noukas or country boats at the Princep Ghat. Watch the sky change colours as the boatman rows you into a golden sunset.

3. Go on a tonga ride around the Victoria Memorial in the evening. Best undertaken in winter, while this activity might be obviously touristy, there is some amount of charm in the ride around the greenest and prettiest part of the city. Take your loved one, climb on to the carriage and slip into another era. Tongas are available for hire in front of the Victoria Memorial.

4. Indulge in the unforgettable rich plum cake from Nahoums, an Armenian bakery in New Market which used to make the best Christmas cakes and remains a part of every Calcuttan's Christmas itinerary. While the last Armenian owner, David Nahoum recently passed away, his employees continue to keep his legacy alive and run this age-old establishment.

5. Catch the best live music in town at Someplace Else in the Park Hotel. This iconic bar has developed an identity of its own, nurturing new musicians and initiating generations of young people into the hallowed world of rock n roll. Whatever be your favoured style – blues, jazz, or good old-fashioned rock n roll, Someplace Else provides something for every kind of music aficionado.

6. Olypub is a dusty old character-laden bar on Park Street which is a good place to catch a quick beer and a fine Steak Chateaubriand. They grill this meat in magical ways and rare, medium or well done you are likely to get a surprisingly wonderful steak as well as some great conversation with the regulars who patronize the joint. While a recent fire shut the establishment, everyone is waiting for the pub to reopen.

7. Eat a chello kebab platter at Peter Cat , a food experience you cannot leave Calcutta without. This entirely appropriated version of an Irani classic withsucculent mutton/chicken kebabs on a skewer, buttery rice, roasted vegetables and an egg fried sunny side up on top, makes it a perfect symphony of flavours. No wonder hundreds of chello kebab platters roll out of the restaurant’s kitchens.

8. End a night out on town with the sumptuous Chinese Breakfast or Yum Cha at Tiretti Bazaar, Poddar Court. Freshly prepared by the Chinese community in the city, this breakfast includes everything from honeyed pork to succulent chicken buns. You have to be an early riser to catch it as the food is laid out around 5:30 am and finishes by 7 am.

9. Visit Kumartuli to check out this artisan community that showcases some of the most beautiful art work by local craftsmen, sculptors and potters as they make idols of gods and goddesses. Visit in the run-up to the Durga Puja to see the colony buzzing with activity.

10. Eat the typical and mouth-watering Kolkata-style biryani at Arsalan, complete with the saffron grains of rice, melt-the-mouth chunks of meat, whole fragrant potatoes and a boiled egg.

11. Indulge in a typically Calcutta midweek activity and visit either Saturday Club or Calcutta Cricket and Football Club (CCFC) for a lively bar night. These erstwhile colonial sports clubs have a relaxed charm and vibe that is entirely their own. You need to befriend a member to make your way into the club,s but once there just sit back, chat and drink the evening away.

12. Take a tram ride down Red Road, the central artery of the city. This is a lovely way of enjoying this laidback and historical city and the ride is through the Maidan, which is one of the greenest stretches in Kolkata.

13. Revisit Tagore’s life at the Jorasanko Thakur Bari, the ancestral home of the Tagores. The house has been restored and converted into a museum and gives visitors an insight into the life and influences of this noble father of Bengali art, music and culture.

14. Discover the marvellous architecture and history of the erstwhile zamindars, intellectuals and student revolutionaries on a North Kolkata walk. The labyrinthine lanes of the old city offer surprises at every turn and an organized walk by companies like Calcutta Walks or a resident who knows the history of the area can add value to your wanderings in this atmospheric part of the city.

15. Take a morning walk along the promenade of the vast Dhakuria Lake and follow it up with a lebu cha right outside any of the gates, a quintessential South Calcutta early morning experience.

16. Catch a play or film at Nandan, the epicentre of Calcutta’s cultural activities. The place is always buzzing with foreign film festivals, international dance performances and local, national and international theatre performances.

17. Visit a traditional fish market and watch the innumerable fresh fish on display as well as the whole process of assessing, bargaining and buying. Mornings at the Gariahat Market are a good time to experience an ordinary day in the life of a fish market.

18. Take in the imposing Gothic architecture of St Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of the city. The seat of the Anglican Diocese of Calcutta, this is a grand sprawling structure with an awe-inspiring midnight mass on Christmas eve.

19. Volunteer or simply visit Mother House, the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, which has great historical value as the one-time abode and resting place of Mother Teresa.

20. Don't miss a photo-op at the Malik Ghat flower market thriving on the banks of the Hooghly. This colourful mess of all kinds of beautiful fresh flowers, right below the Howrah Bridge is a sensory early morning experience.

21. Visit Calcutta University and Presidency College, world renowned academic institutions, which are worth a visit for their architectural styles. Take a walk down the corridors that have produced numerous eminent personalities. Both are on College Street

22. Victoria Memorial might be an odd relic from the Raj. but it is grand, opulent and worth a trip. Its lovely lawns under the shadow of a massive statue of Queen Victoria are a great picnic spot.

23. Give in to your religious side at the Kalighat temple. This chaotic and ancient temple is much venerated as one of the 51 Shakti peethas and is believed to be the spot where the toes of the Goddess Sati fell to earth.

24. Do not miss a football match in progress at one of the clubs in the Maidan to get a feel between the legendary rivalry between the Mohan Bagan and East Bengal football teams. The practice matches are usually free and there is a lot of good natured ribbing that goes on during the game as supporters gather on to cheer their favourites.

25. Stay at the Fairlawn Hotel which is renowned for its famous guests like Dominique Lapierre, Shashi Kapoor (there is a room named after him). The hotel has a cluttered Victorian air and till very recently, had a wonderful proprietor, the indomitable Mrs Violet Smith, who would watch over single female travelers with a watchful eye and would regale anyone willing to listen with stories of a bygone era.

(This was published in the New Indian Express Bangalore on 13 November 2014)

You gotta roll with it

The quintessential kati roll was born in a cavernous and smoky Mughlai restaurant in the Byzantine back alleys of Kolkata called Nizam's way back in 1932. The classic kebab cooked on a bamboo skewer or kati (as it was called in Bengali) and stuffed in a fluffy paratha, was a quick meal on the go and a substantial snack that nurtured generationsof Calcuttans. The kati roll shortened to a simple 'roll' soon travelled with enterprising Bengalis to other parts of the country and was soon appropriated as Indian street food available in every nook and corner in every city across the country. Everyone had their own secret spices, their own meat and veggie variation and their own secret sauces. From Delhi's kakori kebab rolls to Mumbai's aloo filled frankies, the roll has many avatars. However, it is the Kolkata-style kati roll that has survived many pretenders and converted even the health food junkie to break their resolve and try a bite of this delicious, greasy and unbelievably hearty meal on a stick. Bangalore as a shape-shifting city of expats is home to varied cuisines and cultures and a large Bengali population (numbering in lakhs) has ensured that the Calcutta-style kati roll has found its way into the leafy bylanes of neighbourhoods across the city. Surprsingly, we found some delicious rolls hidden away in the backlanes of Indiranagar, that posh high street of gourmet restaurants and chic pubs. Move away from the glittery neon lights of the main roads, through the warren of bungalows and boutiques, use your nose as a GPS radar, follow the smoky smell of burning charcoal and before long, you will find yourself at these popular hole-in-the-wall establishments that have become my comfort food on blustery and rainy days.

Chakum Chukum: Calcutta on a Roll: This little roll shop tucked away in a corner off
7th Main Road, Indiranagar is always busy and the few plastic chairs and stools outside its outlet are almost always occupied and many others stand by waiting for the parcels or chowing down hot rolls under the tree. The three or four member staff operate out of minuscule kitchen churning out rolls by the dozen with assembly line precision. The paratha in each roll is equally crisp, the lemony onions creating the perfect balance with the charred edges of the kebab or veggie filling. Started by an advertising executive, Sujoy Das (also the man behind the innovative Bengali and Anglo-Indian restaurant Bow Barracks which has unfortunately shut shop) and his wife Arpita Sinha, this little joint has a loyal; customer base as well as daily converts. My favourite: their Double Chicken Egg Roll where the paratha is cooked on the griddle along with egg, creating this flaky hybrid paratha-omelette which is then given that right bit of heat with the green chillies, the sweet and sour red onions and the melt-in-the mouth and tangy chicken tikkas. This one is really Calcutta on a kati. Priced at `140, this is a perfect substitute for dinner. The  prices start at Rs 50.

Khan Saheb Grills and Rolls: Just down the road from Chakum Chukum, Khan Saheb
is located on the ground floor of Sri Shiva Sai Complex on the 13th Main, HAL 2nd stage Indiranagar and is a roll shop worth patronizing. Another primarily takeaway joint, they make their rolls in paratha, roomali roll as well as whole wheat
wraps. They also have a more extensive menu with kebabs and tandoori items as well
as beda roti and bhuna combos. However, since rolls were what I wanted, rolls werewhat I stuck to. I tried their Chicken Reshmi Tikka Roll in a whole wheat wrap. This healthy option was surprisingly tasty and holding the succulent kebab filling with elan. The Mutton Seekh Roll (one cannot have do justice to a mutton roll unless it comes in a paratha) was a delightful spicy concoction of finely ground meat kebabs and julienned onions. Priced at Rs 70 and Rs 120 each, the two rolls were an economical and satisfying
late evening snack. While this roll joint combines the Kolkata kati roll with local flavour, it does so with finesse, making sure that kati roll junkies or wrap-eating fitness enthusiasts get their fix.

Kitchen of Joy: This tiny and cheerful snack joint is bedecked with snapshots of the city,
stuffed with Kolkata-themed memorabilia and little tables and mudas where your knees and elbows might graze against your neighbours, providing the perfect session for intimate adda sessions or a frugal first date. Apart from chops, samosas, boiled eggs and a range of teas, the little shop modelled after a neighboured snack joint in Kolkata, also serves kati rolls. I picked a Chicken Egg roll and was surprised to find a generous portion of a tawa-style chicken stuffed inside a flaky paratha. While there are some purists who argue that the regular kati roll can sometimes be a tad too dry, this roll is the answer to all those cribs. Coated in a spicy sauce, onions and slivers of capsicum, this roll is hearty and fillling. Quell your tingling tastebuds with a soft rosogolla from the same shop and you will leave as a happy camper. The Chicken Egg roll is competitively priced at Rs 90.

(This story was published in the New Indian Express, Bangalore on 15 November 2014)

Tales of Spice and Curry

It is not often that one meets a chef and food writer who is an ex British RAF pilot, a stage lighting specialist an an expert on all things curry. But then again Pat Chapman is not your regular bloke. This bright-eyed 64-year-old has visited India 44 times and his personal roots lie firmly intertwined with the history of India. It is not much of a surprise that Chapman carries the sobriquet of Curry King confidently and is as eloquent with his knowledge of the different masalas and spices as he is deft with preparing dishes based on andaaz. Recently in town for a special demonstration on marinades and grills, Pat Chapman held forth on what curry meant for the British people and how he has in his own way tried to popularize the concept without owning a restaurant, or manufacturing ready-to-eat TV dinners a la Sir Noon to the populace, thus making it nearly as ubiquitous as the neighbourhood fish and chips in 21st century UK.

According to old family records and his grandmother's stories, Pat Chapman can trace his history right back to the first British presence in the country. In a tale that reads straight out of a great East-West novel, Chapman's great great great grandfather came to India with the East India Company merchants way back in 1715. Not too much is known of this period and it is only in the the mid-19th century that the trail picks up again with his great grandfather who was enlisted in the British army and was living in India with his wife and infant daughter. As the tide of favour turned against the ruling powers and found expression in the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, great violence ensued throughout the country. Chapman's great-grandfather and his wife were killed and the little daughter ended up as the sole survivor of the family. Although she was raised in England, the moment she came of age, she returned to India to study at the St Joseph's College, Nainital and lived here till things got unpleasant for the Raj. Her daughter, Patrick's mother was also born in Nainital. When his grandmother did return to England, she carried with as a legacy, a wealth of culinary knowledge from the country. And it was this legacy that she passed on to her grandson Patrick.

Patrick grew up eating Indian food at a time when it was a rare thing in England. "I remember in those days there were 6 Indian restaurants in all of Britain while today, there are over 9000. Things are very different now and everything is available in your local mom n pop store. When I was young, I remember my grandmother ordering spices from the chemist as that was the only chance of getting a hold of them," says Chapman.

Growing up in the wake of a post World War II England, Patrick developed an interest in curry as a hobby. Since he had grown up eating Indian food, he decided to take his interest and knowledge a step forward by helping out friends, colleagues and acquaintances with recipes and information about spices. In keeping with this, he founded the Curry Club, an offline social network (this was 1982) to disseminate information about Indian curries. This hobby expanded into a full-time profession and very soon, Chapman was a consultant, cookery show host and food writer with his recipes and knowledge about Indian food making him a much coveted expert in the field. It is thus quite apt that Pat Chapman was in fact invited by the Kerala government to give a talk on spices at an agricultural fair.

According to Chapman, the term 'curry' which has been appropriated into the British culinary vocabulary today, is a word that is unmatched by anything else from another geography or another cuisine. "The word curry describes a dish, a meal and the food of a nation and I don't think that there is anything quite like it," says Pat Chapman. Chapman who travels across Britain giving cooking demonstrations and teaches amateur as well as first-time cooks the nuances of spices, encouraging them to move beyond the Chicken Tikka Masala and its clones realizes that the diversity of Indian food is far too great to be captured by curries alone. "Since the earliest settlers and consequently the earliest restaurants in England were the Punjabis, that is also the Indian food which has remained most popular in the nation. Today, we have broken away from the stereotypical pastiche of Indian food that used to dot every menu in London. Chefs are introducing regional cuisine as well as fusion," says Chapman even though he remains a purist who loves the authentic and often fiery nature of curry rather than hybrid versions of the same.

Chapman stands as a beacon of Indian food in a foreign land helping make it global, accessible and giving it the recognition that it deserves. He is the undisputed curry king who loves his Goan Vindaloo which he believes gets its right flavour only with the hard-to-get toddy vinegar and the high levels of heat that might make most people squirm, but rests easy in the belly of the 'Curry King' .

(this was published in the New Indian Express, Bangalore on 1 November 2014)

the young and restless clothes maiden

It was a bright Saturday morning, the kind of day you'd imagine that pretty young things would be lunching with friends or sunning themselves at the park, instead, here they were at a mall, standing in a serpentine queue (at a quick count I estimated nearly 150 people standing in line) for a chance to catch the opening of the much-awaited affordable and trendy high-street fashion store--Forever 21.

On the selfsame Saturday afternoon, the borderline decrepit Garuda Mall in Bangalore was dotted with young girls and well preserved older women carrying the huge signature bright-yellow shopping bags. Some, barely able to contain their excitement had upended their bags on the benches outside the store and were comparing notes about their loot with friends.

The queue that I contemplated standing in for precisely two seconds, was full of young girls 21 and younger, dressed in their fashionable best with candy coloured lips and skinny jeans in pop colours. Pop and indie dance music boomed from the interiors of the store (special note must be made of Sia's Chandelier which has lodged itself in my head as a permanent earworm), keeping spirits buoyant. The girls (they were all women in all their late teen and early twenties, wit blazing hormones and dapper spirits. A few male stragglers stood around shuffling uncomfortably, no doubt waiting to surprise their girlfriends and win a few brownie points), stodd patiently conserving their energy reserves like sprinters waiting to take their turns at athletic heats.

The atmosphere was charged as the security guards would remove the ropes guarding the entrance and let the next group in. All around me I could here whispered asides about the fashion and affordability quotient of the brand that was enough to send young'uns into a tizzy. I shamelessly eavesdropped as one girl recounted stories of a sale at another Forever 21. There was jostling and pushing, tugging at errant arms and legs of the same pair of jeans and tops, and jackets and even shoes sent flying by the fashion marauders. This was a whole new retail experience, slightly surreal and entirely exciting.

 I was hardly a callow young girl and had few pretensions of being forever 21 in any part of my body apart from my head. Yet, even I wasn't immune to the attraction of this store, counting down the days till its opening. While, I made it a point to shop it big brands only during the sale season, this store offered stylish alternatives of the same outfits at full price that were otherwise available on some lucky days on some backstreet alley export rejects store. While, out of respect for my age, I didn't stand in the queue and returned in the evening, I also did get my Forever 21 fix on the very first day that it opened.

By the time I returned to the store, the staff was seemingly on their last legs. There were mountains of tried and discarded outfits just about everywhere. The brave would stick their arms in and pull out gems fro those selfsame pile, while a more lazy shopper like me dawdled through the stands of the sprawling 8000 sq feet of neon-lit space and picked up bits and bobs in various shades of black that suited my age and body type. Showcasing their winter line, the orderly display had, by 9 pm, turned into one large blur of plaid minis, woolly shrugs, faux leather jackets, trendy tan-coloured workman boots and distressed denims. It was also populated with dazed boyfriends, tired mothers and giggly girls whose energy had not waned in the least after standing in lines for the changing room, lines for bills and lines to reach particular stands.

As I managed to grab my purchases and make my way to the billing counter without losing either limb or life, I spotted a pile of ankle socks with little pugs, kitties and lions going rrrr and realized that it is perhaps this quirky take on style that makes every shopper here truly feel the lightness of youth!

(this was published in the New Indian Express, Bangalore on 24 November 2014) 

One more cup of coffee for the road

(the best-ever spoof of the original)

There is something almost cerebral about sitting in a cafe sipping a cuppa with good conversation, or a good book for those who trammel the solitary path. I grew up in a pre-liberalization era when neon-lit chain coffee shops did not dot every single neighbourhood in the country. The American, British and European chains had still not made inroads into metros and most people had vague ideas about the pronunciation and spelling of espresso and cappuccino. My notion of cafes was derived from the old colonial tea rooms and coffee houses where I got the first whiff of freshly brewed coffee and also learnt that meeting for a cup of coffee was a leisurely activity that had little to do with the temperature of the coffee in your cup and more to do with the cash in your wallet that allowed you to order endless cups, the conversations that meandered over topics and issues with differing levels of engagement, the number of cigarettes remaining in your packet and time that was remaining to while away the in-between hours, to seek shelter and succour on rainy days, to kindle romances old and new, to strike up intellectual debates, to share confessions, to have tear-stained goodbyes, to people watch and to invigorate the body reeling under a late summer afternoon lassitude. Going back in time, there are cafes that I remember as milestones in my life.

College Street Coffee House
As a young student, peeling walls, grime, cigarette smoke, jholas, khadi kurtas and the occasional strain of guitar accompanied to Dylan songs had an unbelievable and near-irrational attraction for me. Thus the first time I ever stepped into the legendary College Street Coffee House, my own imagination sufficed to make this a place of unmatched atmosphere. Redolent with stories of the revolutionary Naxals who hatched their plots over cups of the famous coffee, artists and filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Ritwick Ghatak and Aparna Sen who had adda sessions accompanied by mutton cutlets and the literary icons of the Hungry generation including Shakti Chattopadhyay who used this buzzing space as a platform for hot debates, Coffee House is an indelible part of any Calcutta student's growing-up years. This coffee house fuels romantic notions of history and revolution and is a near time capsule of the 60s and 70s when flower power, anti-
establishment struggles, protest literature and music was at its all-time peak.

 The Tea Stall at Prafulla Chandra Sarkar Street

As a wide-eyed rookie reporter, I have drunk cups of lebu cha and milky tea boiled beyond oblivion in a kettle that had probably been around since the beginning of time. Sitting on the grimy steps of old hardware shops under the magnificent arches of a quintessentially colonial building in Calcutta that housed one of the foremost papers of the country, it was this ever-bubbling kettle that was companion to many hours spent in the company of all manner of journalists, smoking cheap cigarettes and discussing a city in political disarray.

Flury's, Park Street
 Flury's, an age-old tearoom in Calcutta's famous Park Street is the place that always made me linger over my cuppa. For a pastry shop that opened in 1927, this cafe has seen a changing world and its own rather remarkable journey has been from neighborhood confectionary to a decrepit colonial coffeehouse to a stylish cafe/restaurant/bakery after the fashion of a turn-of-the-century European tea room done up in pink and a rich chocolate brown. This was a far cry from its earlier stodgy avatar as a dingy, cavernous room with air conditioning that would chill you to the bone. I saw the downed shutters on a holiday one summer. I was about to begin the process of mourning when I heard the whispered word "renovation" that was murmured by all who passed the mysteriously shrouded corner. And one fine day it reopened. The new Flury's straddled history and a modern chic. I returned to the city. I returned to Flury's and it became a place for endless conversations, bitter reminiscing, good-natured camaraderie, sweet romance, and maddening love. I lived out all my separate selves here – as a poor student scraping together just enough for that Viennese coffee; as a struggling  journalist looking for a story; as a  tourist introducing others to the delights I had known. I fell in love with my husband over cups of coffee in Flury's and made life decisions about leaving the city and all that I knew along with Flury's. Till date, I have never found a replacement.

 A Parisian Cafe
 As a traveller, I have joined the legions of map-scanning, Lonely Planet toting, sunblock wearing hordes who have sat in a cafe in the shadow of the Louvre in Paris. The love affair with the city has been as much about walking the streets by night as it has been about sharing space with skinny French women on the outdoor terraces of cafes in the August sun watching the world go by as we all sipped on our cafe au lait in comfortable silence. Paris was the city I had dreamed about my whole life and in those dreams, I was always sitting by the Louvre or the Seine, drinking black coffee, smoking elegant slim cigarettes, eating flaky croissants and talking to strangers about Sartre.

Urban Cafe Crawlers
Today, as an urban migrant moving from one city to the next, anonymous as I search for the familiar -- the cafe that I can haunt. Since I have no emotional maps to refer to any longer, all I can do is break down the familiar into familiar smells and tastes of caramel macchiato and hazelnut frappes. Thus I have become a part of the floating population that lives in neon-lit chain coffee shops, drinking cups of characterless coffee and over-sweet confections in order to stave off being a legal alien.

(This was published in the New Indian Express Bangalore on 30 October 2014)