On Open Access

On Festivals, Family Reunions and the Maximum City

For most people religious festivals are nothing but pretexts for families to get together. I am part of this club.
Therefore, it's amazing that because of one small kid who had the misfortune of having his head lopped off by his Old man whom he rubbed the wrong way in order to protect his mother's modesty, I get to meet family and friends in Mumbai

Mumbai- the city of dreams. The place I call the home of my soul. The city where I feel like kal-el does when he's on Earth. The city that has everything going for it except the traffic, the crowds and the weather. But the traffic's orderly, the people are the coolest and the weather has the Mumbai monsoons on its side. Mumbai, you are family too- and boy am I glad too see you again!!
GANPATI BAPPA MORYA!!

On Food Capitals and Places to Visit

Am attaching a couple of pics of our wonderful students at Vanguard Business School

 PGPB01 & PGPB02

A recent class discussion with these guys :

PGPB02

Reminded me of places that I wish to visit and restaurants that I want to eat at ( most everything reminds me of these two things). Usually I want to Visit places simply because i have heard of a few good restaurants at said location. Given below are a few cities and reasons why, as also listed are the  (very few :D) good restaurants in Bengaluru that Manali and self  haven't yet had a chance to sample the fare at.

Cities to Visit -

#1 : Tokyo  - With 247 Michelin Starred restaurants and being the home of Sushi/Sashimi and a chance of Fugu perhaps (I dare say that's a must for me if Tokyo happens) and hence the official food capital of the world

#2 London/Paris/NewYork - Not the recent hindi film starring Ali  Zafar and Aditi Hydari but the three most visited Metropolises in the world. Museum/Art /Theatre buff that I am the reasons for visitng here aren't restricted to food BUT some of the best restaurants in the world are here for sure. And having been pampered with the finest French & Italian cuisine in west Africa while I was there ( Trust me very very few restaurants in India understand good Italian and French Cooking) definitely Paris seems the gastronomical pick of the three ( incidentally Paris is also the city with the second most Michelin starred restaurants after Tokyo - so there!) BUT London has the Savoy Grill (a mecca for any Wodehouse fan) and the Fat Duck ( Anyone who has enjoyed food at Caperberry in Bangalore ?) and I'm sure New York is home to some of the finest restaurants as well

#3 Melbourne/Sydney - You've seen Masterchef Australia, mate? - That's why!

#4 Sao Paulo / Rio de Janeiro  - Ok no purely food motives here. Just want to go to Brazil (ideally in 2014 and 2016)

Restaurants in Bangalore -

#1 Shiro - No idea why Manali and I haven't yet been here !

#2  Jamavar / Zen / Zanotta - The Leela Palace is too out-of-the-way but have heard good things about these three restaurants so maybe a detour is in order and on the cards ?

#3 Rim Naam - Heard good stuff about this restaurant as well

Update:

We've been  to Shiro recently and it totally deserves its star billing/ reputation.

On Olympic and Box Office Hopes

India has kicked off its London 2012 campaign in disastrous fashion..My initial prediction that India will clinch at least three golds this Olympics is surely hanging by a thread as I post this, yet the optimist in me still hopes that mission will indeed be accomplished !


On an aside we saw "The Dark Knight Rises" last week, and for me the movie was definitely better than "The Dark Knight". Am a huge fan of the Joker that Heath Ledger pulled off, but the movie was pretty thin apart from him. Also decent watches were "Bol Bachchan " and "Cocktail"


Tonight we will be watching "Kya Super Kool Hai Hum" and before you begin - we watch  every movie that releases, simple! So Ekta and Her K-Brigade have stormed the box office in the opening weekend  and yet my expectations from this movie aren't at all much all I hope is that its at least a comedy, that in itself will be enough for me!