26/11 and my predicitons

I am not an astrologer. But this one time I can bet on my predictions. This one time I know it will come true.

It is the beginning of November. Very soon we will have the first anniversary of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Let me provide everyone an insight to what will happen on the run up to November 26, this year. There are different perspectives we can look at. I think we would be better off examining the key parties, rather than target what individuals would be doing.

Government – our self proclaimed leaders would address some gathering, in some part of the country. They will reiterate that after 26/11, they have beefed up security on all quarters. They will blame our neighbours and say that we will not tolerate any such attacks on our motherland. They will make sure to include the names of the deceased like Hemant Karkare in their blown up speeches. And of course, there will be a one minute silence at the beginning of the session, in both houses of parliament. They will announce gallantry awards for the ones who fought last year.

TV Channels – These days our TV channels go berserk for anything and everything. Every channel will show footage of what happened last year. All channels will rewind to a minute by minute happening of the massacre. They will show the map of Mumbai and point with red dots, the places where the events unfolded, along with the timing of the event. The commentaries will of course be done by people who can really make a mountain out of a mole hill, just by using their high pitch voices. They might also take a gun and walk into Dadar station or even hire a boat and sail through fisherman’s colony and then say our security is useless.

NGO’s and few socially conscious organizations – they will not have anytime during the day, as they have their work to do, which earns them their bread and butter. In the evening, they will hold a candle light vigil at the incident spots. They might all gather together and walk up to Mantralaya or the commissioner’s office or some other spot. They might then present a memo to some government babu, signed by 25000-30000 people asking the government to take steps to ensure this does not happen again. Then go home, watch the TV channels and sleep off.

Defence chiefs / Defence minister / Home minister – They need special mention, although they do form a part of the government. All of them together will condemn last year’s attacks. They will tell about what they have been doing to ensure such incidents do not happen again. But one of them will also say that as the ‘anniversary’ of 26/11 is approaching, they have intelligence inputs that such strikes might happen again and all forces should be alert. There will be extra security at airports, parliaments and other places frequented by government babu’s.

Police / Commandoes / Soldiers – these are the guys who fought bravely against extremist forces, last year. Just another day at office for them.

Common man – will be afraid to step out thinking about what happened last year. The warning signals from the defence chief’s only add to the fear. He will go to work, come home, keep changing TV channels to see the coverage of how events unfolded last year, eat, pray that he escaped and sleep off.

Kasab – He will be congratulating himself on being successful on living off the tax payer’s money for a full year. He will be thinking of new ideas and thoughts. May be he should change caterers. Everyone needs a change. Or may be ask for his case to shifted to the international war crimes tribunal. But most important, continue to live and enjoy all comforts from the tax payers money.

One can understand all of the above people reacting in different circumstances, except one. I do not need to point out which one. Such is our judicial system, where someone from our neighbouring country rides a boat and comes to our land. He opens fire, kills a few people but gets caught in the process, red-handed, but our government is still examining witnesses and filing schedules after schedules and documents after documents.

Probably by 2030, this incident will be part of the CBSE history syllabus. Once upon a time a man named Kasab, rode a boat and entered Mumbai. He opened fire at a railway station and killed many people. Alas!!!everyone ran helter skelter. Our police caught him and arrested him. He was lodged in Arthur road jail. And then he lived happily ever after.

Now can anyone bet this will not happen??????

Udipi Palace

When we hear 'Udipi' only two things come to our mind. One is the Krishna temple and the other is idly-vada-dosa-sambar. Now definetly I am not talking about the temple here. Udipi Palace is a small South Indian eating joint in Kingsbury, in the county of Middlesex. Very soon, the county of Middlesex might get an award for serving the best Indian food in London.

Well, having eaten there many times, I have always stuck to dosa and vada(sambar and chutney is taken for granted). The last time I went there to get a takeway, it was lunch time on a Sunday. The restaurant had advertized in bright colors 'ready meals'. That immidately reminded me of the 'Darshini' or the millions of Andhra eating outlets in Bangalore. So I ordered a takeaway lunch. The smell on the walk back home was intoxicating so say the least. I just could not wait to try the food.

The 'meals' had 2 chapatis, decent helping of rice, rasam, sambar, two veg curries, dal, butter milk, yoghurt and pickles. Overall it is good enough for one person to eat heartily.

I started with the chapatis, dal and veg curry. The taste was amazing. Nothing fancy, but as close to home cooked food as it could get. After the chapatis vanished in no time, I pounced on the rice. Now the best way to eat rice, rasam and sambar is using your hands. First I started with some rice and sambar with the other veg curry. Instantaneous comment was 'super'. The pickle with the sambar and rice jelled like a piece of pineapple on a vanilla cake. Once the sambar was over, the rice and rasam was equally delicious. Of course the left over rasam can be taken as a drink as well (without the kicks). Then came the butter milk. It was not great in quantity, but top notch quality. Reminded me of the days in Bangalore when the best drink to quench the summer afternoon thirst is 'majge' (butter milk).

A hearty experience and the restaurant guy is now friends with me. The next time I went to buy medu vada, he gave me some 'bajis' (pakoda) to taste, as that day he started making them for the first time. Customer loyalty always get rewarded.

By the way, the entire meals costs only GBP 4.00. Defintely worth every penny. There is a abridged version of the meal available for GBP 2.50, but when you go for the meals, go for the full one, so you also feel full. The restuarant is opposite Kingsbury tube station on the Jubilee line. Yeah !!!!!! it could be a nightmare to get there over the weekend, but all efforts are duly rewarded.

Pati, Patni aur Woh

Reality shows seem to be the in-thing with our TV channels these days. Every channel has a show and everyone seems to be following some show or the other. Rakhi Sawant seems to be the queen of reality shows. First it was Big Boss, then Swayamvar and now Pati, Patni aur Woh. And with every show she has become intolerable.

This new show ‘Pati, Patni aur Woh’ has all the ingredients to spoil your evening. Five celebrity couples are put through the motions of everyday life of the common man – raising kids, caring for elders in the family, working and earning money and doing household chores without any help available. Clearly goes to show the ignorance and naivety of our celebrities and the artificial world they live in.

Anyway, currently they are bringing up kids who are 6-9 months old. Their real parents monitor their children through video conference, sitting in the next room and can interfere if they think something is going wrong. I feel sorry and pity for the children who have to put up with the tantrums of their celebrity foster parents, rather than the other way around. Also, how would parents have the heart to put their child through such an ordeal? Why would parents keep their children away from them, voluntarily and then moan and cry? Would any parent be calm and composed if told that they had forgotten to give their child, the medicines it needs to be given? Would anyone take an answer that they forgot to read the manual in which the food habits of the child are clearly mentioned? The real parents of these children are putting up with the reel parents on all these points. There can be only one answer to this question of why. “Money speaks honey.” They are compensated well for putting their children through this ordeal. They all come from well-off families. So why would they want to put their child through this? The answer is pure greed. One of the parents proudly told the media that their child got an offer for a movie, after being seen on this show. So, till the child has commitments like school, make them earn some bucks. Contentment and living within means is slowly but surely vanishing from mankind (no offense to women. Making sure before I get sued for discrimination).

Highlights of the show:
- One lady called her mom and asked her how to make plain rice.
- Another lady keeps cursing the baby that it eats so much
- One of them keeps hogging all day and I have never seen her husband eat
- One of them cries that she misses her other half. Where is he? Gone to work for 4 hours a day
- And the icing on the cake has to be Rakhi Sawant, who openly says that when she gets married to her Mr. Right, she wants to have only one kid and then will undergo ‘nasbandi’. Wow!! But there seems to be a mismatch of.. you know what.

Now I have BIG question. What on earth is our government, IB ministry and the thousands of NGO’s we have doing? If a middle class household employs a child in their home that is a crime? If poor people send their children to work, that is a crime? If our diwali crackers are manufactured by children, in the factories of Sivakasi, that is a crime. The government cracks a whip in all these situations. Middle class people, who genuinely need help and are willing to pay for it, cannot employ a child. Or if parents are poor and want to send their children to work, to make ends meet, cannot do so. Then why are well-off families allowed to use their children, to make money? Why is the government allowing such parents to let their child to be on such a show? Why is a TV channel allowed to employ children less than 14 years?

The law states that children less than 14 years should not be employed in hazardous working conditions. Now who defines non-hazardous working conditions? I know people who have hired less than 14 year olds as domestic helps. The environment and working conditions are much better and a blessing, as compared to what is provided to the child on this show. If a child working in a cracker factory is hazardous, then not feeding the child properly or making the child bleed on the show is also hazardous. Why can’t the government put an end to such ludicrous shows? Why does the government have a two-faced attitude? It is a shame that the mass needs such shows to keep them entertained. It is a shame that we have fun at the cost of others.

A parting word of advice for the ‘celebrity’ couples who have been given jobs in a hotel so that they can earn money for their so-called family? If you are given a palatial, fully furnished house to live in, without paying rent, without paying any taxes, without paying for utilities, without paying for transportation, having a car at your disposal, having medical help at your disposal and given Rs. 3000/- per month, I think majority of Indians would love to swap roles with you, considering that’s what the per capita income in India is and with the burden of all living expenses. So stop cribbing and get you’re a** moving!!!!

Austerity, my foot

Finally the UPA government realized that it also needs to do some cost cutting. This is something which should have been ages ago, but better be late than never. But this show of austerity will yield results only if done properly. Else this will go down as one of the many cards, which politicians play to garner votes.

The leader of the UPA setting an example is definitely the right step in this direction. But the whole implementation was completely a lost cause. One can and should travel by economy, but if you have two seats next to you on either sides and behind you empty and blocked, then, madam is better off travelling by business class, where she can get her own so-called space to work on important matters, which are a matter of life and death for citizens of the country. Plus, if she really wanted to show austerity, she should be sitting in any seat between 15 to 25 and not the first row, which provides extra leg space. That is how the cattle class travels. It is understandable that she would not know this as she seldom steps out of 10 Jan-path in anything other than an air conditioned, bullet proof convoy. Who paid for the additional empty seats? We did. And how do the airlines recover the cost? Simple, just increase the price for others. So we, the taxpayers foot the bill for those additional seats plus pay more for our travel. We'd rather be better off paying for a business class seat. We are in the situation of the devil and the deep sea. Whichever way, we are screwed.

She even got the support of her son. He travelled by Shatabdi express. Since when did the air conditioned coaches of Shatabdi become a show of austerity? More than half of the travelling public cannot afford the Shatabdi in our country. If he was so keen on garnering support from the common man, by showing austerity, then he should have been sitting in one of the normal trains, using his own handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead and buying a ‘Kinley’ or ‘Aquafina’ at more than the MRP price. Thats what the common man does. But our man chose to sit in the comforts of an air conditioned coach and having made-to-order breakfast.

Well, if the UPA government really wants to be in sync with the common man, then they need to do more than just talk. Actions speak louder than words. This cannot be an exercise to garner votes. This is something which should be inculcated into every politician in India right from the day he joins a political industry. If you cannot provide a certain standard of service to the public, then you have no right to enjoy the same service with our money. The government should remember that they are not doing a social service by being the government. It is a job, for which they report to the public. We pay their salaries and benefits. And our money is not meant to be wasted on frivolous stuff.

Something for our Indian TV channels and newspapers. You mentioned that Rahul Gandhi had for breakfast on the train. He enjoyed the bread omelette and the parantha. But how come no one told me what Sonia Gandhi had during her flight? Was it a parantha or was it the south Indian idly-sambar or the maharashtrian poha? Did she drink lime juice or orange juice? And did she whack 25 sweets from the air-hostess like a child would do? I just cannot wait to know. Please please someone tell me. And if you cannot, don’t bother. It will not be the end of the world for sure.

Unions, strikes and lockout

Last couple of days, I have been reading about the strike by pilots of Jet airways, which has caused nothing but inconvenience to the common man. Do such people who fuel such agitation, even realize the repercussions? How much of inconvenience it would have caused to travellers? People would have missed official meetings. There would be some who would have been travelling to catch international connections. There would be people travelling on emergencies. Last month, all airlines wanted to strike, if the government did not bail them out. Such is the sad state of affairs in our country, that a small group of people can hold the entire country to ransom, for their own selfish motive.

A strike is never a solution to any problem? A strike takes away more than what it attempts to give. It affects the people who pay for a service through their hard earned money. The airlines will refund the cost of the ticket. But can it refund the time; effort and tension passengers go through, to get themselves on another flight? It goes way beyond monetary compensation. All other airlines, whose pilots were not as coordinated enough to induce such a preposterous action, would be running to the bank. They are no less selfish in cashing in on the already stressed out passengers. Can someone please explain the reason for ticket prices increasing manifold? I do not buy the thought that it is a demand-supply situation. The number of people flying in India was always minuscule and supply was always more. Shrewdly putting, other airlines have resorted to a practice which is as close to hoarding and black marketing as it can get.

No one would agree, but the coming together of Kingfisher and Jet, to share maintenance facilities, ground handling facilities etc. was the biggest cartelization of the airline industry in India and no one could nor did do anything about it. According to what the media reported, majority of the passengers who had to cancel their Jet tickets went to KF. The result of the so-called cartelization is clearly evident and we as common people can do nothing about it but pay the sky high prices and travel.

What will it take for us to realize that when we stop doing our work, it not only affects us but trickles down to other parts of society? When will we ever get over the communist tendencies? Have we not lost enough in the past, due to communist leadership? We are a democracy, where everyone has a right to speak their mind and to do what they want, but only to the extent it does not become inconvenient to others. With rights come responsibility and it is high time we realize it and move on and away from communist ideologies.

By the way, all the striking pilots should be fired and new ones hired. As it is due to the recession, there aren’t enough worthwhile jobs to go around. Atleast this way, people who want to work will get work and those who want to create a nuisance can continue to do so. Fortunately in India, the government does not provide a ‘dole’ for unemployed people. Instead of striking, let us get on with our jobs and talk it out to sort out issues. There are no issues which cannot be solved through a mutual dialogue. And let us not trouble anyone for our personal interests.

High time we have some regulation controlling strikes and lockouts not only in essential services but in each and every sphere of the economy. The government on its part needs to provide better compensation and benefits to all PSU staff, else what is applicable to majority of the PSU staff, should be made applicable to the ministers. After all isn’t the government also a public sector undertaking?

When I gave up a Kingfisher beer !!!!!

Over the last bank holiday weekend, we took a trip to Sandown, on the Isle of Wight. Overall, the trip was excellent, but thats not the point here. During this trip, I gave up a KF beer for something else. For the first time I said 'no' to beer and I did not repent one bit.

Well, the highlight of each of my trips has always been the food. And not one trip goes without having one Indian meal. There is a strong bond between Indian food and myself. Wherever I go it follows me or wherever Indian food is available, I reach that place. On the way from the station to the hotel, we spotted an Indian placed called 'Swad'. It had a sunday buffet and we thought that we should go there the next day.

So next day lunch time, we entered the place. It was a decent sized restaurant, with a fair number of people. As went in, we were greeted with a "namaste and aiye, aiye'. We took a table in a corner. I fail to understand why I Indian restaurants outside India think that they attract an audience in the name of bollywood (read Himesh's nose), instead of concentrating on good quality food alone. Anyway, we had a look at the buffet, which had veg samosa, rice, naan/roti, matar subzi (green peas) and Masala alu (potato) for the veggies. For the non-veggies there was lamb samosa and chicken curry. The chicken looked amazing and something in me told me that we were upto something here. So I just took rice and some chicken curry. I came back to my table, completely slaushed in the aromas of the chicken curry. The first mouthful was absolute bliss and I realized that I was right and we were upto something brilliant. The small pieces of chicken was succulent and just about well done. The spices had hit every nook and corner of each chicken piece and the curry was spicy, a bit on the higher side for UK standards. As I was about to go for a second helping, the waiter/owner asked me if I wanted any beer or any drinks to go with it. He said he had KF. Now for beer lovers like me, a KF in the UK is nothing else than India having non-corrupt politicians. But I was so mesimerized by the chicken and wanted more of it, that I had "no, thanks" for the beer. I rushed for a second helping of the chicken curry and rice. It was followed by a third and then a fourth helping. I was cautious of the beer filling me up, so that I would then be able to have less of the chicken curry.

This has to be the best chicken curry that I have ever eaten in the UK. It reminded me of 'Delhi Darbar' or the other restaurants in Delhi that serve chicken curry. My best half asked me how the chicken curry was, as I hadn't spoken to her in the last 15-20 minutes, sitting on the same table, I said 'this chicken curry was so Delhi'. That was enough for her to understand how I felt. I told the guy serving our table that the chicken curry was just too good and absolutely brilliant and that it reminded me of Delhi. Tad came the reply, "saab, hum Malviya Nagar mein khana banathe the aur ab yahan. Lekin hain dilli waale aur sab masala bhi dilli se laathe hain (sir, we use to cook in Delhi and then now here and spices come from Delhi). And by the way, this chicken curry experience cost us only 5.99 GBP per head.

I was so so so so thrilled and happy and satisfied. I knew the chicken curry was something familiar. I felt like I was eating in 'Saddi Dilli' and I was so right. The chicken curry rocked as much as Delhi does........... Anyone going to the Isle of Wight and wanting to try this place, give me a shout for directions...................... and I let out a big burp (sorry) - that was the chicken and not beer for a change !!!!!!!!!!! cheers.....

I am a VIP, Mr. Home Minister

All TV channels, newspapers and websites have been buzzing with SRK being detained at a US airport and subjected to security checks and questioning. Before that it was our ex-president Mr. Kalam being stopped by a US airline security official. The Indian government has done itself no favours by coming out against these incidents. Mr. Kalam, being the soft spoken and learned person he is, chose to ignore the issue, whereas SRK had no choice but to do what he was told. There is a difference between both these incidents. One obeyed the law as his duty and the other was forced to obey the law. Since Mr. Kalam himself chose ignore the incident, we will also not dwell on it. But what’s with SRK?

India is the only country where we have a VIP, VVIP, VVVIP and all adjacent categories for almost everything. Whether you want to get through airport security or get a special darshan in tirupati or get through traffic snarls (by creating one) or have security to protect you from untoward elements of society or even watch a cricket match. We have VIP and VVIP passes and tickets for almost everything.

For a moment, let us forget about reservations or the quota system. The VIP mindset is what is creating problems for India. You could be a VIP in your country, but do not even expect any other country to give you the same treatment. And why should they? Of course, I can understand the case with leaders like a Prime Minister or a President, but why does our government make a hue and cry about a bollywood actor being subjected to security checks and questioning. Thousands of Indians will be getting into the US everyday and many of them will be subjected to questioning and checks. Does the government do anything for these people or even take notice of such incidents? There are more muslims in India than in our neighbourhood. Many of them would have travelled to the US and subjected to questioning and checks, even if they have a different sounding name. Does the government care about such people? What makes SRK so different from the rest of the people trying to legally get into the US?

Our government needs to come out of the VIP conundrum. When it comes to issues of national significance and law, everyone should be treated the same way, irrespective of whether you are a minister or a cricketer or a bollywood actor or just a normal person like you and me. Also, who stopped our government and CISF from screening Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie when they came to India? Who stopped them from putting Hillary Clinton through security, when she came to India? We do not do our job properly and our home minister has the audacity to say that US security went overboard. I have a question for you, Mr. Minister. After September 2001 (9/11), how many extremist attacks have taken place in the US? And since then how many attacks have happened in India? The US became so serious about security after 9/11, that no one has been able to touch them after that one attack. This shows how much that one incident has affected them and they are taking all precautions and measures to ensure it does not happen again, even if it is at the cost of stereotyping certain sections of society or annoying someone like SRK. They do not care what others will think or say, as long as they are able to protect their country and citizens.

What happens in India, Mr Minister? Extremist attacks and loss of innocent lives have become an annual ritual. We will need some monster database to keep count of the number of attacks in India, since September 2001. Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Jaipur, Ahemdabad, Surat to name a few and not to mention Kashmir. What have you done after each attack? Expelled someone, blamed our neighbours and issued statments like 'we will not keep quiet'. Have you done anything to ensure it does not happen again? Security is beefed up for a couple of months after the attacks and then all back to square one. The security vigil is at its best in the days running up to Independence day and Republic day. Are the people carrying out such acts, fools, to even try something when security is at its best? Who are you trying to fool? Security should be at its best around the clock, irrespective of the time of the year or who the person is? Clearly shows that you have not learnt from the past. Even when you catch the culprit, you give him a lawyer and feed him mutton biryani. If evidence such as acts of extremism on live television is not enough, then what do you want? Another IC-814 and then you will release him and blame airline security.

What you need to do is put everyone through security checks, irrespective of who they are -Cricketers, bollywood personalities, industrialists, politicians and the who’s who of our society. Let them come to the airport 3 hours in advance like any of us, stand in a queue and get through the motions of travelling by air. But there is a point of contention. All these people, put together will not be even 1% of the vote bank, but contribute 100% to your party fund. So you cannot and will not do this. We pay taxes to you and you work for us. If you do not do your job properly, we should have an option of not paying tax as we get nothing in return. Will you agree to that? I am not playing devil's advocate, but merely questioning the value our taxes.

Every citizen of India is a VIP. Every citizen of India has the right to education, food, healthcare and other basic necessities of life. Every citizen of India has an equal right to have security for his life and belongings.

High time our government realizes that they have to provide this. They need to work to ensure they meet public expectations. And please Mr Minister, stop blaming security officials in another country, who are, by the way, just doing their job, which you might never understand

Swine Flu !!!!! Mr. Health Minister

Dear Mr. Health Minister,

For the past few months, H1N1 and Swine flu have become buzz words. It has spread to such an extent that WHO has declared a pandemic alert and in India, 20 people have lost their lives and many are infected. Have we not had a cholera outbreak in India and people have died? Have we not had a plague outbreak in India and people have died? Every year, hundreds die during the monsoon season due to diseases like Malaria and Dengue. Then why is that you have made H1N1 a big issue?

It started with Mexico and then spread across the globe. You started screening passengers at the airport, from long haul flights. I was in India 2 months back and filled in one such form and went through one such screening. The screening process was a big farce and a slap on the face our abstract healthcare system. People sitting at the counter took the form, never even gave me a look and attested it with the government seal. Is that screening? I can vouch that none of the people sitting on the other side of the counter were qualified to even become a compounder, leave alone being a doctor. This is the pathetic state of our healthcare system.

You set out a list of do's and dont's. We should maintain personal hygeine, drink boiled water, sneeze or cough with a handkerchief and dispose it off properly, wash our hands properly and overall remain clean. Thats what we do everyday. Its not rocket science, unless you have never done these things before. This what we have always been taught in school and at home. We always have been drinking boiled water, as the water you provide in our homes can, at best, be used for washing. This is not something for which you hold a pamphlet and pose for the camera.

Let me tell you why we are affected. I am not a health expert, but neither are you, so hope you wont mind, me giving you a piece of my mind:
- More than half of our population lives in rural areas, where there are no sanitation facilities, no clean water, no waste disposal mechanism and nothing that can be called personal hygiene.
- 60% of our financial capital and a sizeable proportion in other cities lives in slums. These slums which are very well shown in 'Slumdog Millionaire' for which your government had issues, are nothing but breeding ground for viruses and causes of all such diseases.
- You promise the world as these slums are your vote bank and then disappoint them.
- Our public healthcare system is screwed. Government hospitals are in pathetic condition and more often than not, doctors are on strike. No minister will ever go to such hospitals, except AIIMS. The surroundings of such hospitals are nothing to write about. Patients stand for hours in the queue, waiting for doctors to come and attend to them. These doctors are busy attending to patients in their private clinics, as you do not bother to pay them a decent wage.
- You allow industries (public and private) to dump wastes in drains, which clog them.
- You do not understand the difference between carbon footprint and your shoe footprint.
- You do not maintain the drainage system in any city, which again leads to water borne diseases.
- Railway yards and side of the tracks are waste disposing grounds and you do nothing about it.
- You make provisions to provide medicines and then do nothing when it is hoarded in the black market.

I am following your instructions to maintain personal hygiene but my surroundings do not support me. Please advise future course of action.

Many of the people who died due to the Swine flu had other underlying health conditions, which you chose to convieniently ignore and blame NRI's for importing the virus from abroad. Grow up Mr. Minister. The current state of cleanliness and hygiene in our country is a joke. Lets not even dwell on that side or it might become the second biggest issue to topple a government (first being onions). For all you know, due to the current state of hygiene in our country, Swine flu was always there and this virus was always breeding in our country. Just that you never had the capabilities to recognize it and needed a magic wand from Latino land to make you aware of it.

Yours respectfully
A law abiding, clean citizen.

India Shining !!!!!!!! really

I was in India couple of months back. Wherever I went, a few thoughts crossed my mind, which I thought of putting into words. I am no expert to say whether India is shining nor am I a part of the government who promises to convert Mumbai into Shanghai.

From a global perspective, India is growing. There is money to be made in India. FII's with deep pockets can pour money into the markets and take the sensex up, make a good 15-20% and then sell their stakes, book profits and tank the sensex. It is the same story with the mutual funds. Within 6 months, as of today, the sensex trades at 90% more than the lowest levels of 2009.

Coming back to my India trip, I had a few thoughts, which made me think if India is really shining? Is the stock market growth in India a true sign of development and economic growth?

- 60% of population in the financial capital lives in slums.
- One downpour is enough to make any city in India paralyzed.
- There are some roads in between potholes.
- Power problems still plague big cities. In winters, people use geysers and heaters which increases demand. In summer, people use air-conditioners, which increases the demand and every year for the past 60 years, the government is taken by surprise.
- Water, electricity and basic sanitation facilities are still a luxury for more than half of our population.
- Unemployment is around 10-15%. This is does not include the disguised unemployment prevalent in the government and quasi-government sectors.
- Public transport facilities are in shambles, in a few cities where it is available
- Government hospitals are meant for politicans only (they also seldom use it)
- The airline of the country is meant for government babus, their families, cousins and the army of relatives
- Our defense budget is a whopping 150,000 crores, but any tom, dick and harry, not only takes a boat ride into the country but also holds an entire city to ransom
- We have a public distribution system for the poor, where the worst quality of foodgrains are distributed
- Politicans, beureaucrats, cricketers, filmstars and the likes are VIP's, VVIP's and VVVIP's and are provided Y, Z, Z+ category security, whereas the common man is a victim of extremism
- Many children and adults are illiterate and have no basic education
- Votes cost Rs1/- only
- A bollywood actor is finding it impossible to get a house in pali hill, as he is a muslim and we call ourselves secular
- Even today, more children in the family means more hands to work
- Inflation is negative, but our living expenses are soaring
- The Ambanis and Birlas make money even in the recession, but the mundu on the street lives on a per capita income of Rs. 37000/- per annum
- Anything from a pin to a plane can be bought in 'hard cash'

These are a few things which I noticed. We could be developing, but until such things get sorted out, we will still be developing. We need radically different reforms and a completely independent set up to actually implement them. Lets face it, the current government and constitutional set up is not working. Until the government focusses on saving its 'kursi' we will be developing.

my two cents worth of thought.

Meri Pyaari Rakhi Sawant

Dear Ms. Sawant,

I have heard so many people talk about your show ‘Rakhi ka Swayamvar’ that I made it a point to catch some of the episodes. I also found a few words that best describe it – obnoxious, ridiculous, preposterous, absurd, nonsensical, outrageous etc etc. Don’t you think that this show is a typical example to what extent a human can go, to make money, apart from being a grave insult to the institution of marriage?

For starters, you change your costumes every 10 minutes and engage in meaningless and atrocious conversations with each of the guys interested in becoming your ‘saiyyan’. I must say that the buffet of guys waiting to marry you has a lot of variety, with models, engineers, upcoming actors, businessmen and a police officer. How on earth do you think that guys who are just 21-22 years old are even eligible to be on this show, leave alone marrying you? One of the guys even left a well paid job as a sales manager to marry you. Well, someone needs to instil some sense into him that having a job itself is the biggest motivation for majority of us today and both the decisions require lot of guts, determination and oodles of patience – leaving the job and marrying you.

At the end of each show you eliminate people who you feel do not share any interests with you or you do not feel any chemistry (whatever that means to you). Well, you have used Talent contests, writing you a love letter, Ramp walking, Dancing with you, the army training style crawling on the mud and jumping artificial walls, turning an iron rod using ones throat and walking on fire.

What has someone dancing, walking on fire or dirtying oneself got to do with marriage? Unfortunately the reasons that you gave were equally obnoxious as your highness. Are you really looking for a life partner? Or are you on a maid, servant, entertainer hunting quest? What would be next? Cook a meal for you or wash your clothes or even race horses.

Get a life. Let me tell you Ms. Sawant, there are better ways to meet interesting guys – matrimonial sites or dating websites or even hook-up with friend’s friend and their friends. The only reason you need a reality show is when no one would otherwise want to meet you.

Please please for the audience’s plight, stop crying on television with sob stories of your past, even though it might add flavour to your self proclaimed celebrity status. And what would take it for you to not open your mouth on the show? You can’t speak for nuts and the ‘camminication skills’ are best left aside.

I wonder why any ‘Men’s rights activists’ or ‘nar bachao kendra’ or any NGO has kept quiet for so long. If this was a guy having a swayamvar with a bunch of girls around, the likes of Girija Vyas would have jumped for publicity. Your show is the heights of an insult to not only men but to everyone who believes in the sanctity of a marriage.

Oh!! by the way, ever heard of FCP? Yeah!!!! A Female Chauvinist ----- (something’s are best untold.)

Regards
An Ardent fan of yours

PS: The show is still on and there’s more to come from me.

The joke so far - in one of the episodes there was a dispute between her and another guy and a third guy stepped in as if he were the only savior left in the whole world to support her. For that, Ms Sawant said 'unhone stand uthaya mere liye', literally translated from english ' he took a stand for me'.

What the Recession taught me

Long ago, I read somewhere, “There is a different thrill to do business with someone else’s money.” Only now I understood the meaning of it. The second half of 2008 saw a whitewash of investment banks from the global financial set-up. Looking at the carnage caused by the economic and financial crisis, one does question the existence of a business model, which does not have a product or service to back up the revenues. This is where the age old FMCG’s score over the Investment banking industry.

The golden rule for investment is “one man’s loss is another man’s gain.” So if a load of people have lost their money, someone must have made money too. Else the whole global financial market defies pure logic. Not everyone’s portfolios can be ‘red’ with no one in ‘green’. Whatever happened to the bears of the stock market? Whatever happened to the pessimistic lot, ready to go short? Logic says that in the current turmoil, these guys would have made money, and loads of it. But where are these guys? None of them being reported? Are these guys sitting within the so-called investment banks, trying to square up the losses made by their erstwhile colleagues? Or is this cash (paper is worthless these days), sitting somewhere in the Cayman Islands or Maldives?

Well, whatever the Warren Buffet’s of the world may advice, there are a few things that I have learnt:

- 100 rupees in hand is always worth 200 in paper holdings (read shares). Atleast you know that the value Rs. 100 will not diminish, unlike the paper (not counting inflation, which effects both)
- I prefer getting 7-8% regular returns than 20% in one year and negative the next year.
- If my portfolio is green, I will sell, make my money and get out. What goes up will come down. Gain control over the ‘human greed’. When the markets come down, invest your money back
- Inflation as an economic indicator is meaningless to me, as my living costs are always increasing
- If investing in the shares of a distillery can enhance my returns, I will go ahead. Consumption of alcohol is personal choice and freedom
- I am interested only in my mortgage interest rate. The central bank should do something to ensure my bank passes on the rate cuts to me, instead of me having to scout for alternate banks, to switch my home loan
- The Arab world is sitting on a pot of gold and even if their real estate investments fail, oil will see them through
- Our next to next to next generation will still be buying oil in US Dollars
- Bailout based on book transfers of debt is not the solution. For a long term solution, a fundamental shift in the actual business model is needed.
- Hedge funds do not add any value to economic fundamentals
- Sovereign Wealth Funds are cousins of hedge funds, only portrayed differently
- Developing economies have neither the value nor the volume of trade and consumption to lead a global recovery

And finally, finally, finally !!!!

There was never a recession. What the market is worth today is the real worth. 2007 and early 2008 was a period of an over-priced and inflated market. Now that’s the bitter truth we all have to swallow, whether we like it or not.

Don’t count your stock, before they are cashed……..

Jai ho Pranab da jai ho

Government khud tho aam khaa gayee, bas gutli reh gayee hai aam aadi ke liye

The budget was being tabled as one for the “aam aadmi”. As it is, the expectation had deteriorated after the hike in petrol and diesel prices. The markets shedding a whopping 870 points is enough indication of how the budget has been accepted (or rejected)

There is a lot of investment being made into housing for urban poor and troubled farmers. Huge allocations have been made for National Rural Unemployment (NREGA). Rural health mission has received a fair bit of funding too. This is only an overview of what has been promised for the rural sector. There is a lot more. But there is no mention about the roadmap for fiscal reforms and consolidation, nothing on increasing FDI levels in selected sectors and no mention on reviving industries hit by recession. May be the finance minister thought that disinvestment was too trivial an issue to be included in the budget.

India has not been affected by the recession as severely as the west. The fiscal stimulus is indeed important, but all the jazz about stimulus packages are on paper and mere book transfers. Mr. Mukherjee, if you really want to drive India out of the mess, through consumer spending, use the budget to give money in the hands of the salaried class. Make banks pass on all rate cuts to all customers. Cut the tax rates, increase the investment limits from 1L, which was set by our great grandfathers, give more tax breaks on home loans. Quicken disinvestment and use that money to fund the expenditure. In fact, the salaried class has not got anything worthwhile, whereas the budget for rashtrapati bhavan is up 21%.

The budget clearly shows the motive of this government, which is to save their vote bank. It is no secret that the UPA came back to power on the back of majority of the rural votes. So what they have done is to ensure the focus is on rural areas in the budget, as elections are still fresh in the minds of the voters. Whether they will do what is being promised is a different discussion altogether.

It is no rocket science that during the recessionary times, the HNI and ultra HNI’s hardly get affected. They make their money anyways. The Mittals and Ambanis of the world are still making money. The ultra poor do not bother, as they anyway have no money to loose. It is the chunk in-between, the salaried class like you and me, who get affected the most. It is we who fuel the property business. It is we fuel banks, in the form of home loans, vehicle loans and credit cards. It is we who spend on cigarette, alcohol and petrol and pay taxes through our nose. It is we who pay sky high prices for daily food articles, prices of which keep increasing irrespective of the level inflation.

What does the budget have to offer the salaried class? 10000 increase in the tax slab, women get 10000 as tax exemption and senior citizens 15000. Net effect to the salaried class is an additional income of a mere Rs. 166 per month. Is the government trying to make a statement to the salaried class? Rs. 166 - That’s all your vote is worth. Thank you for voting us back to power.

In a democracy, to make your voice audible, either you need money or you should be the majority. We, the salaried class haven’t got both. Ab pachthaaye kya hoth, jab chidiya chug gayee kheth.

Murg Makhni

Everyone has a family physician, may be a family lawyer or a family barber, but ever heard of a family restaurant. Thats how we treat "The Dhaba" at the Claridges hotel, in Delhi. Any ocassion, right from birthdays to anniversary to any reason to celebrate, we are in this place atleast once a year. For the past few years, this has been an annual ritual, as going to delhi itself has become a reason to celebrate.

This place has one of the best butter chicken dishes (Murg Makhni)one can feast on. The ambience is of a actual dhaba. There is an open kitchen, in the form of the front portion of truck. All cutlery is a mixture of steel and copper, the waiters are in pathani suits, you can see old copper vessels adding to the authentic ambience and the food is just amazingly amazing.

They have the usual veggie fair of vegetables, dal and the rotis, naan and the muttons and chickens and the beers, vodkas, rum etc etc. Lets keep all that aside. The highlight is the murg makhni or butter chicken, which will be as heavenly as a Picasso painting to an artist or Beethoven music to a musician. The butter chicken is made in a tomato based gravy, which in itself just sooo soo soo tasty. God knows what they do it, but it tastes the same everytime in the last 14-15 years that I have been going here. The murg makhni chef must be operating at 10 or 11 sigma to dish out the same quality, consistently for years and years. The dish has 4-5 medium sized pieces of chicken, which are cooked to perfection and the aroma of the gravy and the spices can be felt deep inside those pieces. Just like the Sri Krishna sweets Mysore pak (burfi) really melts with the ghee as you put it into your mouth, the same way the soft, tender, juicy pieces of chicken and the spices and the gravy just melt in your mouth, making the whole experience a heavenly, culinary delight.

The portions are decent and one order of murg makhni will serve 2 people very comfortably. The veggie fare is also equally delicious and the service is excellent. The only word of caution are the damages. Few drinks and a good meal for 4, will push you back by around 3500-4000. Thats why I said called this an annual ritual.

Next time you are in Delhi, just rush to this place - saddi dilli ke murge ka jawab nahi !!!

Saddi Dilli ke gol gappe

When we think of Delhi, the first thing that comes to our mind is the street food. The blissful aroma of papdi chaat, gol gappa, chole bhaturey, Samosa and what not. One of the best places to eat street food is Punjab Sweet House, on Ajmal Khan Road, in Karol Bagh. It is a decent sized sweet shop, with some place to stand and eat. Seating is available upstairs but will anyone want to sit and have the waiter serve gol gappa on the table and insult the genius who invented it. Oh! And for people not so familiar with Delhi, gluttony might be a sin but its worse to call gol gappa as pani puri in Delhi.

On a hot, sultry June afternoon, we made our way to this joint. First were the gol gappas, which have to eaten standing next to the guy making it and be served one at a time in a cup made of dry leaves. I suggest the ones made of rava (Semolina) but you also have the ones made of wheat. For the extra adventurous, you can try it without the sweet chutney. Another point to note for people not so familiar with Delhi, the sweet chuntey is called SONTH and not meetha. At the end of the gol gappa eating session, make sure to have some of the water to drink. If you get 2-3 hiccups due to the spice, it is a sign that you have enjoyed it, else keep drinking till you get one.

After 5-6 gol gappa’s each, we went for the papdi chat with dahi bhallas. Make sure you tell the guy to make it with dahi bhallas, else the whole essence of the papdi chaat is lost. After the spicy gol gappa’s, the slightly sweet and tangy chaat was soothing to the taste buds. Once you have had the papdi chaat, ask the guy to give you some gol gappa spicy water in the same plate that you ate the papdi chaat…. It is not obnoxious. Do this and you will bless me for the rest of your life. Still not satisfied, we ordered choley bhaturey and shared it. Two huge bhaturas in one plate is good enough for two people. And you get the ever tasty chole, extra, at no additional cost. Make sure you eat the pickle and the onions that come with it and for the ever adventurous, take a bite of the green chilli…….

To end it all, we ordered lassi. It was hot standing outside and eating and the lassi would cool our bodies (including our stomach). It came in a humongous steel glass with a small ball of malai (cream) in it. The idea is to drink it bottoms up and at the end of it,one should have a small white moustache made.

Now the only thing was to go home, switch on the AC and hit the rug. A sound sleep of a good 2-3 hours is the best way to digest it. By the way, the damages. All this for 4 people cost us Rs. 250/- only. Now that’s the icing on the cake, or rather the malai in the lassi.

A rude true story

Away from the food reviews and trying to express my views on the dance of the democracy. I want to share incident which happened recently in front of my eyes. It was shocking to say the least.

Date - June 3, 2008. Place - Chennai Egmore railway station. Train - Rockford Express from Chennai to Kumbakonam. As the train left the platform at 10:30 pm, many travellers were already sleepy. We had upper berths, so climbed up and sat comfortably, to have the lower berth travellers sort themselves out. Opposite me was an octogenerian (80+) couple travelling. The man was given the lower berth and the lady alloted the middle berth. Another 3 people had different berths, but lets leave them alone as they are not related to this incident. On the second lower berth was a man, who would have been around 30-35 years old. The elderly man requested this youngster to swap the middle berth with his cancer stricken, 80+ old wife, for the lower berth, so it would avoid her the ignominy of climbing up the middle berth. I was appalled to see this young man refusing with a straight face and had the audacity of being rude to an extent that anyone who is impatient, would given him two across his face. The reason, he said, he had important documents with him and it was in his bag kept under the seat, so he will not leave his lower berth. The old man requested again and again but his requests fell on deaf ears. The wife pulled up the middle berth and prepared to climb up. At once, the old man made his bed on the lower berth and asked his wife to take it. He took the effort to climb up the middle berth with difficulty. Hats off to this man for being a real gentleman and displaying so much of affection, care and support. The lights went out and all of us slept off.

When I got up in the morning, the octogenerian couple of were gone and so was the rude, young man. I kept wondering if he would slept comfortably that night. If his frail body would have any effects of the climb (although for most of us, its no great shake). I wonder what was so important with that young man, that made him not give up his lower berth. Could he have taken the bag and kept it with him while sleeping? Could he not have locked up everything with a chain to assure the safety? Why was he so rude?

Has the youth of today lost the apathy towards fellow citizens, leave alone elderly people? Have we lost the sensitized feeling? Is this an indication of times to come? I do not have answers to these questions, but shudder at the thought of thinking about them.

The election post-mortem

Well!!! The elections have concluded. Not even 50% of eligible voters exercised their franchise. We have another term for a Ms. Sonia Gandhi de-facto government and the face of the government is still Mr. Manmohan Singh. As such there is no change at the helm of affairs. Some stability at last, instead of having a left government, which is never right or the saffron party which does not seem to understand what secularism means.

As a response to my earlier blogs, many readers mailed back that we have educated and learned people coming into the election foray now. Typical examples being Meera Sanyal, Captain Gopinath or some of the IIM grads, who want to make a difference (or at least have the intention). We should cast our vote for them. The governance of our country will be in good hands if such people went to the Lok Sabha. Agreed ! Definitely these are learned people, who give up the cushion of the corporate sector and air conditioned offices and want to do something for our country. But how many such people have got elected to the Lok Sabha? How many of them have been given an opportunity to do something? How many of them have got a chance to make a difference? The answer is none. None of these so-called learned people got enough votes to enter the parliament. This is not just a one off case. In previous elections also, a few learned people stood for elections but none of them could secure enough votes. They could not and did not make a difference.

First reason is, most of them stood as independent candidates and did not have the backing of the congress, BJP, BSP, SP or RJD or any other political big-wig. Secondly they did not have deep pockets to buy votes in return for a colour TV, rice at Re.1 per kg or distributing currency notes to the electorate to secure votes (lets face it, this is what happens). That was the battle lost even before it began. The majority of the vote bank does not care if a candidate is from IIM or a corporate sector big-wig. The main question for them is “kaunsi party se ho”. The answer is “independent candidate “or “nirdaleeya umeedwar”. Back comes the reply “voh kya hota hai?” You have lost the election there itself.

Statistics speak for themselves. 0.5% of the total independent candidates won the election in their respective constituencies. Who are these guys who won against all odds? These are not from the group of IIM grads or corporate big-wigs wanting to make a difference. These are candidates who use to be a part of Congress, BJP, BSP or RJD sometime in the past and have broken away from them due to difference of opinion. These guys are not amateur politicians but seasoned candidates who know how to play their cards during elections.

A lot of people have told me (read criticized) that if I do not vote then I should not complain about the government. If I had a chance, I would have voted for someone like Meera Sanyal, but are we in majority to take someone like her to Lok Sabha? No and probably never will be. The truth sucks, but the reality is majority of the vote bank was and is people who live a life of subsistence. People, who are below the poverty line, people, whose income is less than $2 a day, people, for whom school means nothing or is just a part of their memories of childhood. Such people, who are in majority, cast (read sell) their vote for a TV, food or money. Then how does the educated class (like us) make a difference, even if we vote or stand in elections? Do these so-called sellers of their votes even know the meaning of exercising their franchise? No, but numbers speak. They are in majority and that’s what democracy is. Majority wins…….

So my friends, who cast their vote and criticize people like me for not voting to make a difference, let me tell you a secret. “desh ke logon ko sarkaar aisee hee milthee hai, jaise vo khud hain”. In our country, majority are uneducated, illiterate and are willing to do anything for money. So we get leaders, many of who are uneducated, illiterate and shell out money to buy things which seem beyond their reach due to their own deeds.

At the risk of sounding repetitive, the truth sucks. Unless the majority of the vote bank is educated, we cannot make a difference. Unless the majority of the vote bank has enough wisdom (read common sense) to decide who to vote for, we cannot make a difference. Unless there is fear in the minds of the politicians that if they do not perform, the public will vote them out, we cannot make a difference.

Till then either we should be patient or keep voting for the best out of the worst. Now hasn’t that has been our tradition? After all that is what our ancestors have been doing since 1947?

Dance of Democracy (Nacho voter Nacho!!!)

The dance of democracy (read elections) is on in India. For anyone, who expected an elegant, flawless and polished performance, it has been quite unlike. The dance seems more like a ‘chameeya nach’, than coming from the largest democracy in the world.

Our so-called leaders have been going all out and leaving no stones unturned to expose the most frivolous parts of other candidate’s lives. Only thing we hear is about how much of black money each one has in their numbered accounts, how many cases are pending against each of them or how many of them have utilized public finances for their own selfish motives. These accusations are being thrown by leaders of the country against each other. Each of them have a dark background, but they forget about their own backyard and start hurling at others. Whatever happened to the good old saying of “people who have glass houses do not throw stones at others”.

As in my previous blogs, as a citizen of India, I again emphasise that I want to exercise my franchise. What are the options I have? UPA, NDA or Left Parties. I have no trust in the UPA (read congress) which has been ruling the country for 95% of the time, since independence. I do not have faith in the ‘Hindutva’ policy of BJP, as it defeats the whole idea of secularism. Religion has nothing to with politics, so let us leave it alone. The Left parties are best left alone. But as the Hindi proverb “andhon mein kana raja hota hai”, I decide to vote for a well qualified, experienced and dynamic BSP candidate, who is standing from my constituency (just an example). He promises to do a lot for the constituency and the nation. So I stand under the blazing sun, to exercise my vote. I walk out of the polling booth, showing my first finger with a blue mark to everyone (read news channels), as a sign that I voted (from far such actions could be misleading. Am sure you all understood).

The results are out and my BSP candidate has won the election. Now moving up the party hierarchy, Maya didi (calling her anything else is offensive, proof – Sanjay Dutt) decides that BSP, along with SP, RJD, TDP etc etc. should form the third front and stake a claim to form the government. All of sudden and overnight, a brainwave strikes through the political circles and I read in the next morning’s papers that Maya didi and BSP, for some god forsaken reason, have decided to support the Congress to form a government at the centre. Manmohan Singh is the Prime Minister. I do not even know, if the candidate I voted for was privy to all this. Now what is the value of my vote? What change did I bring by casting my vote? What difference have I made? In the end, I did not get the government of my choice. I did not get the leader or even the party of my choice. I will again land up in the same situation, where I will see my leaders either after 5 years (these days there is more risk and could be sooner) or only on the idiot box. This is what’s been happening for 62 years to the common man in India, the actual vote bank. Ever wondered why these so called leaders call us the vote bank? This is the only bank which will not be affected by the recession. In our country, the number of voters will always increase. If not, they have the money to buy rice or TV’s to increase the vote bank. Truly money speaks honey !!!!!

Now a certain section of our leaders want to make voting compulsory. By all means, go ahead and do so, but on certain caveats as below:

1. Please make sure my name appears on the voters list? There have been instances when people have voter’s ID cards but their names are missing from the voters list.
2. Many people do not live in the constituencies, where they are eligible to vote. Please make arrangements for them to travel to their respective constituency to vote. (Will my boss count it as leave?)
3. A suggestion would be to issue voter’s ID cards to all eligible voters and enable them vote from where they are. After all we are all in India and have the right to choose a Prime Minister, irrespective of where we stay in India.
4. Enable proxy voting for eligible voters residing outside the country, who you think about only for remittances.
5 MOST IMPORTANT – Give us leaders who deserve our vote. Give us leaders who are willing to work for the well being of the country. Give us leaders who are clean in thoughts and actions. Give us leaders who do not play the caste card. Give us leaders who understand what secularism truly means. Give us leaders who use public money for public welfare. Give us leaders who will not tell me what to wear and whether I should be going to a pub. Above all give us leaders who have the time to listen to the people who make them leaders.

Some of the above points might be an aspiration and far from reality. Let us take a middle path. We, as the voting public in India will sacrifice (like always) points 2, 3 and 4 as mentioned above and you agree only to point number five. Point number 1 is something you introduced. So please decide how you want to deal with it. We did not have voter ID cards since 1947, from the time common man in India has been voting.

And now make voting compulsory. There are more chances of the sun rising out of the west, someday, than what has been stated above?

I always believe that a candidate, who stands for election should understand the problems faced by people living in that constituency. This is a far cry from what happens. Else how can we explain the reason for a ex-Telegu and bollywood actress standing from a constituency in UP or a person who has lived all his life in South Mumbai standing from a completely opposite location? Just as example, the candidate who has stayed all his life in South Mumbai might think he will give a generator to each home in North Mumbai to secure votes (TV is outdated now). The first thing he will get back is a statement “bhau, generator chalaane ke liye petrol ka paisa tho do”. Complete expectations mismatch, whereas a candidate from the same constituency would know that people cannot afford to spend money on petrol and they would prefer a robust electricity system. To all our great leader – this is not rocket science.

Traditional schools of thought might argue that the feeling of people welfare should come from the heart and location does not matter (typical bollywood style). Also shrewd politicians will say that we need to cover as much ground as possible to get as many seats. Only then we can come to power and work for welfare (but whose?).

Unfortunately for them, these things do matter. To represent the people of a constituency, one needs to know the people, understand their day to day problems and what issues they face. Majority of the needs of the vote bank can be classified into just three words “ roti, kapda aur makaan”. All they ask for is basic utilities like power, clean water, food, basic infrastructure services and decent transport services. And all this is from their money which they pay as taxes. Plus, it is not, as if you work for free or out of social welfare or caring (yes, the truth sucks!). You get paid for it by the people, to work for them. You live comfortable lives in posh localities where you have all the luxuries of life, whereas the people, who made you what you are, live rough, on the streets, without any of the basic means for survival.

Hats off to you leaders of India!!! Its not Jago India…. Its Jago India ke Neta or soon there will be a time when all you will get is a pile of shoes at a polling booth. Did anyone say votes ????? Sorry, whats that ?

Letters from a tax payer

To our esteemed government and judiciary,

The happenings in the 26/11 case have made a big mockery of the Indian judicial system. It is a tight slap on the face of a country, which is suppose to be the biggest democracy in the world.

We Indians should thank our stars that we caught one of the extremists alive, who carried out the atrocious attack on Mumbai last year. Like yourselves, let me also call the extremist as accused and not a criminal as we still have to prove it in our court of law that he is the same guy who the police caught and he is the same guy who opened fire at CST station. It is like someone standing in front of the mirror and trying to prove to everyone that the reflection in the mirror is him? Oh wow!! What a divine thought? Someone who does that will be the next Nobel laureate.

Well, as a consolation (if that helps), at least now we are in a position to get to the root cause of who planned the attack, who all were privy to the plan and how exactly it was executed. But with all the deep and heartfelt respect, do we have all the answers, more than half a year down the line? Are we in a position to nip the evil in the bud? Have we been able to extract all the information from this one guy? Have we been able to adopt a stern attitude towards our neighbours? Have we been able to show the world, that we are serious in countering such attacks on our motherland and our so-called patience is not our weakness? Unfortunately, the answer to all these questions is a big NO. Someone once said that if you become patient, when you should not be patient, then you will become a patient. It is a shame on our judicial system that we still have yet to begin this case. Everyone is seeing the anger engulfing in the common man, on this issue. Everyone is frustrated with the way this case has progressed so far. And whether we like it or not, I have (and most of us) resigned to the fact that this case will still be on when I retire. (please correct me if I am being over optimistic)

As a citizen of India and a tax payer, I would like to point out a few things here. The enquiry, investigations, filing of chargesheet and appointment of a judge took more time than what would have taken the extremist groups to plan this attack. The next time we shot our foot in our mouth was delaying in appointing the lawyer for the accused. Isn’t a lawyer someone who argues for someone in court to get them out of trouble or get them justice? Well, in this case, appointment of the lawyer was clearly for the former. The explanation being that we should be giving a fair trial. For what joy does the government want to spend the tax payers money to give a fair trial to someone who least deserves it? It is as if we do not believe our own forces and we do not believe the evidences that we have nor do we believe any eye witnesses. Are you so afraid of the so called human rights bandwagon knocking on your doors, if you do not give a fair trial? But why are you so worried and afraid of them? They hardly have any control over the vote bank. You will still have majority of the people standing in the blazing sun to exercise their vote in return for a colour TV.

The accused very well knows that we Indians, ourselves do not have any faith or trust whatsoever in our judicial system. There is no reason for him to be scared at all. He has clearly understood that he can now enjoy the hospitality in our country, at the taxpayer’s expense. He can get fresh air, good, clean food, security and other necessities to lead a comfortable life. Hang on!! Hang on!! Doesn’t this sound like the demands of the common man from our government?

It is indeed very sad that religious beliefs play such an important role in our judicial system. Else how does one explain the case of a lawyer being appointed from the same religious community as the accused, after two unsuccessful attempts at appointing lawyers? And to his credit, he has been tremendous in pointing out that when the crime was committed, the accused was juvenile and should be tried in a juvenile court. If that happens then the maximum he gets is three years. Our judicial system took it a step ahead and allowed for tests to be conducted proving his age. To top it up, the lawyer questions the reliability of such tests, which is currently under review as I pen my thoughts down. Isn’t all this funded by the taxes we pay? Isn’t this money meant to build our country? Isn’t this money meant to improve our security? Let’s use this money for what it is meant for? We pay taxes through our nose, so we get something in return and not for such non-value adding activities.

With best regards
The Indian tax payer

And this is meant for the only person caught:

Respected Sir,

You have the tenacity and audacity (and all adjectives in the Oxford dictionary) to ask for a lawyer from your country (our esteemed neighbours). Thank god for once better sense prevailed with our judiciary and it has not been allowed. I believe you are always in high sprits and enter the court with a smile.(The smile is a statement to our judicial system “you cannot do anything.”). I also understand that your security levels are the same as for our prime minister and president. That’s so amazing. We, poor citizens of the country, who have paying taxes for nothing in return, have been asking endlessly for some basic security and have always got a thumbs down, but you have managed to get it and that too for free. Whoever said there are no free lunches. Now sir, I guess you want some perfume to smell good and toothpaste to clean your teeth. But you have not specified the brands. In toothpaste would you want Colgate, Close-up or Pepsodent? We also have our own home made brands like Vicco Vajradanti. For a perfume, would you prefer Estee Lauder, Tommy Hilfiger or Calvin Klein? Or do you prefer the Axe effect? Oh and by the way, it would be nice to for you to shave once in a while to look presentable in court, as our media will be there trying to get as many pictures of yours as possible. So we will send you some Gillette shaving foam and a new Mach 5 sensor excel which is not yet available in India. And how can we forget some after shave. Please let us know the brand of your choice? We are being told that you would like to go for a stroll outside your cell. Of course ! Walking and fresh air are suppose to be good for health and our esteemed government is always a supporter of such best practices. Would you like some weights to keep your body toned? Also, we believe you have requested that the cash which was confiscated from you and was suppose to be through non-legal channels, you want us to deposit this into your jail account? Sure no problem with that and you will be issued a debit card and pin number. And would you like to have a credit card? We will not charge you the annual fee or any late payment fee or any interest. Also we have cards, which offer maximum cash back and is accepted in jails, across India . This is a golden opportunity, as with the recession, credit is hard to get. I hope you are satisfied with the level of services and food in your cell. If not, please do not hesitate to ask and we will get your food catered from the Leela or even Taj (as you have a liking for it).

Always at your service,

With best regards
The Indian tax payer

PS: A lot of people who might read this, will say that there are processes and protocols in our judicial system which should be followed. Well, if such are the systems, high time we change them. If laws of our land prevent us from punishing culprits who harm our land, then such laws are as good as non-existent. Why is it that we are repeatedly attacked? Because the attackers have become an expert in Indian law and know they can easily get out of it. Its time for us to overhaul our judicial system, so no one plays with it. Its time for our neighbours and the world to take us seriously. Its time our government took us seriously. Its time for the dawn of a new era for our country.

The Indian government is the most neutral in the world, as it does not even interfere in its own affairs. Cheers !!!!!!!!!!

I am the common man

I am not a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian. I do not belong to the SC or ST category. I am not a North Indian or a Marathi manoos.

For me, Cauvery is a river which flows in India and it does not differentiate, depending on which state it flows in. For me, wearing jeans or having a drink in a pub is a personal choice and not trying to ape the west. For me, farmers across the country are people who pour their sweat and blood to produce food for us to eat and not the ones who, if given a chance, will ever depend on loan waiver schemes or will be a coward to commit suicides. For me public places like Palace Grounds in Bangalore or the gardens of India Gate in Delhi are places for people and families to visit and not places where political parties hold a rally, to put thousands of naïve people through inconvenience. I am not someone who wants ‘Z’ category security with black cat commandoes at my disposal, when the entire country is reeling under a terror threat. I am not someone who will block roads and streets because I want to get to the airport. I am not someone who pollutes the environment and increases my carbon emissions with a convoy of 10 vehicles. I am not someone who lives in a VIP area with no power cuts, when there are places in the country where electricity seems to be available like our so-called leaders in their respective constituencies (once in 4-5 years). I am not someone who has millions, billions, trillions and zillions of cash, stashed away in tax havens. I am not someone who will cast his vote, in favour of a person or party, who gives me a free colour TV or provides me with rice at Rs. 1 per kg.

Then who am I?

I am someone who is afraid to go out in public places as there is no security for my life. I am someone, who gets perturbed for the fear of failing to file tax returns by 31st July every year. I am someone who has paid taxes regularly, but seldom has got refunds in the same financial year as the returns. I am someone who has lost a lot of money in the servicing of government officials to get a passport or driving license; not because I am incapable to get one, but because if I do not pay, I will never get one. I am someone who respects a temple, mosque, church and gurudwara alike. I am someone who enjoys celebrating Holi, Diwali, Eid and Christmas with equal fervour. I am someone for whom August 15 and January 26 are more than just public holidays. These are days to celebrate being an Indian. I am someone who shudders, when the cops stop me on the road, to check documents, even when I know I have everything in order. I am someone, who is happy adopt the positive aspects from any culture. I am someone who has encountered hours of power cuts, in the hope that sometime I will see light at the end of the tunnel. I am someone who has got stuck in a traffic jam and missed his flight or train, for no fault of his. I am someone who is scared to meet any friend of the opposite sex on February 14, in a public place. I am someone who sees Slumdog Millionaire and salutes Danny Boyle for his audacity to capture the reality of the slums, unlike some other movie makers who show the slums as a beginning of a rag to riches story. I am someone who will always stand in a queue for 20 hours to get a decent darshan at Tirupati and not bypass the crowd through a VIP entrance. I am someone who wants to exercise his vote but cannot do so, as his name does not appear in the voters list, for reasons unknown. I could be a South Indian, who has always lived in North India, bought a house in Kolkata and currently works in Mumbai, along with my fellow Marathi manoos colleagues. So what ??????????? Isn’t it enough that I am Indian ???????

Yes, I am an Indian. I am a big fan of the dialogue from Chak De India, when the hockey coach asks the players to introduce themselves; only one of them says she is from India, while the others say they are from Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Mizoram or Punjab.

I am Indian who wants to exercise his vote this year. I want to vote for the leader of my choice. Someone, in whom I trust, will work for me. Someone who will provide me with clean drinking water, someone who will provide me with the same quality of rice from a ration shop, as what I get in a super market, someone who will ensure I have electricity when my children are studying for their exams or when mother nature is not too very kind with weather, someone who will provide me with decent quality of food articles, for which I pay through my nose, someone who will provide me with a decent road, on which I can drive my scooter, which I have paid for, through my hard earned money or someone who provides me with a reasonable public transportation system. Someone who will build roads and infrastructure to reduce (not avoid) traffic chaos. Someone, who will not question my attire and will respect my thoughts and believes, someone who will not ask me why I went to a pub and at the same time, I do not expect him to sit and enjoy a drink with me, if it is against his believes, in short someone one who will live and let live.

There’s some more

Someone who will not ask me which state I belong to as long as I am an Indian, someone who does not differentiate people on the basis of whether they go to a temple or a mosque, someone who will never call for a bandh for any reason, someone who will use public finances for public welfare and not swindle them into numbered accounts, someone who will genuinely favour or oppose the policies of the corporate sector and not purely because they fund the election coffers, someone who will ask for votes not because he belongs to my state, region, religion or caste, but because he wants to work for the welfare of society, someone who will not stop me from watching a Tamil film in Karnataka or a Kannada film in Tamil Nadu, someone who will not stop me from working in Mumbai because I am a North Indian, someone who will not instigate me to fight in Nandigram for his political motives, someone who provides me with a sense of security when I am in a crowded train or on a busy street, or in a shopping mall or at the airport or in a 5-star hotel, someone who works for the development and well being of people, irrespective of the rural - urban divide, someone who will pick up a sickle to support me in my farm and not hesitate to pick up a gun to protect me from extremism, someone who will take me into a college based on my marks and academic credentials and abilities and not because I belong to a particular religion or caste, someone who provides me with a job, so I can put food on the table for my family, someone who will have the police book me and make me pay a fine, if I break the law and not go around it, someone who will not have culprits play with the Indian judiciary system, someone who will be a constructive opposition, even if his party looses the election, someone who will not keep an eye of when a no-confidence motion can be passed and the government be voted out of power, someone who will not even think about diverting public finances for elections, more than once in 5 years, someone who will lure me with a achievable 5-year, growth driven plan and not bribe me with a TV or materialistic pleasures, to get my vote.

These are the things which I expect from my leader. When I look back at the enormous number of political parties and leaders in the fray, during the current elections, I cannot find my leader who remotely matches my expectations.

Am I asking for too much? Am being unreasonable. I am confused !!!! Who should I vote for? Or should I ???

Culinary tour of Paris

Any place I visit or live, I just love to try the local food and drinks. Being a non-vegetarian really helps in this case, especially when one is travelling outside India and Paris was no way different.

Day 1 lunch was a quick bite at Mcdonalds as I was more keen on reaching the Eiffel tower than food. The dinner was a real feast. With the influx of many migrants from the Middle East and North Africa, there is a sizeable muslim and arab population in Paris. It is a universal rule that when migrants move to place, they take their food with them. Thats the reason behind the chundo, dhokla and rotla in London. Similar was the case with Paris. There are many Lebanese places in Paris. The one I tried was a quiet one, just next to the hotel we stayed in. Did not bother too much on what the name of the place was, considering the level of hunger pangs at that time. When I glanced through the menu, the first item that struck my eye was shawarma chicken. That was it. There was no need to look further. My limited experience of eating shawarma chicken in Bangalore and London was in the form of a roll. But when the food came to the table, it was a complete contrast. There were tender, juicy pieces of chicken, which were decently spiced and well done. Along with it was some herbed rice which was awesome, some spinach and tomato curry and a sea food paste made of prawns, fish and cheese. As I was about put the first piece of the juicy, yummy chicken into my mouth, the guy who served food came over and gave me something he called bread... but it was roomali roti. The sight of roomali rotis reminded me of the Thunder Fried Chicken (TFC) in Bangalore. Now all this put together, along with some wine and beer which I had, made it an ultimate combination. The juicy chicken combined very well with the sea food paste (chutney), which had very small pieces of prawns, which were amazingly awesome. All the food tasted very very nice, with the spices and the quantity was pretty decent. The icing on the cake was the price. All the food cost only 10 Euros and was well worth it. I have become a big fan of Lebanese food now.

Day 2 food was even better. Outside the Louvre museum, in the gardens, was a restaurant. Some of the food was not appealing at all on the menu. The one that struck me was pepper roasted duck with cheese. So my mind and heart together, forced me to order it. The accompaniements were fries and salad, which were nice, but not nice enough to take my focus off the duck. There were 4 succulent pieces of the BBQ duck with roasted peppers and cheese. This was purely an experiment and I was not sure what I was getting into. But the moment I put the first piece into my mouth, I had this brainwave "quack ! quack !.. this was yum". Within no time ducks swam their way into my belly, along with the fries, salad and again my best friend, Mr. Carlsberg. The damages were around 20 euros, which was worth every quack of the food on my plate.

I strongly beleive that in terms of food, once an Indian, always an Indian. After almost 2 days of non-Indian food, at dinner time, my taste buds took over my mind and heart, forcing me to look for an Indian restaurant. But my better half wanting to eat some veggie, Indian food was an excuse. Luckily there was a placed PUNJAB near the hotel. We entered the place and were greeted with "namaste and aai ye" instead of Bonjour or hiya. The whole place literally smelt punjabi and instantly I had a feeling that I was in Delhi and I was hoping the food also turns out to be as tasty as in Delhi. I ordered the desi chai and onion pakodas. It was raining outside and the door was kept open. As our table was near the door, a cool breeze was blowing and the chai and onion pakodas made it a super, duper evening. We wanted to keep the food simple and for once, I was focussing on food, instead of drinks. We ordered palak paneer, channe ke dal and naan/kulchas. As I dwelled into the naan, palak paneer and channe ke dal, I thought chak de phatte !! nothing can beat Indian food. We finished the food in no time. At that moment, the feeling inside my heart (and stomache) was something which I cannot put into words. It was like a sense of belonging, a sense of achievement at having Indian food.

Now another culinary delight of day 3 was the BBQ chicken on the banks of river sienne. The sausages were also very appealing, but the chicken looked spicy. Me being me, I went for the chicken. It was small chunks of chicken with corn, cooked in a very latino style, with spices and chillies. This was stuffed into a baugette which already had some melted cheese in it. May be the latin americans got inspired by our pav bhaji. Our pav bhaji has pav (bread) and vegetables with butter. The latino style was Chicken and corn curry, with baugette and cheese. It cost only 7 euros, which made me even happier.

I thought Paris was a fashion capital, but for me, it is more of a culinary delight. Infact, I am still looking for an answer as to why it is called a fashion capital. Is it because of the presence of all brands on Champ Elysses? Is this one reason enough for it to be given this tag? Personally, I beleive that the fashion of a city is represented by how the women in that city dress and present themselves. With all due respects and no offense meant, I did not find anything so appealing in Paris, for it be to called a fashion capital. There was nothing unusual or different or appealing about the way women dressed or carried themselves. On the contrary, I strongly feel that London should be the fashion capital. The women dress smartly, with vibrant colors, following the season. The accessories are well thought out and combine very well with the apparel and overall and most important, they carry themselves with an aura that makes you look back and take a second glance.

Bonjour Bonjour

Over the easter weekend of April 10-13, we decided to make a trip to Paris. Suppose to be one of the most romantic cities in the world and also a fashion capital.

The journey on the Eurostar from London to Paris was uneventful with a sandwich, juice and light sleep. After we arrived in Gare Du Nord in Paris, we went to the Metro station to take a train to our hotel. The trains were like cute, small dinky cars which kids play with. The station smelled like Kurla station, in Mumbai, after it has poured cats and dogs (yeah !! you got it). We got to the hotel alright and were all excited to go see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre museum, Champ Elysees and other interesting tourist places.

The first day (actually half) went off in admiring the beauty of the Eiffel Tower, that stood majestically across the river Sienne. Seemed like the entire world was there to see the Eiffel tower. A quick walk across the road led us to the banks of the river Sienne. It was a picturesque site with stalls on the river bank selling food and other knick-knacks, a group playing latino music and boats ready to ferry people across the river and along the must-go places in the city. We hopped onto one of the boats that took us to Louvre, Concorde, St Michael's Church and the Cathedral of Notre Dam, among other places. A glass of wine, on board the ship, with a light breeze blowing across my face was the icing on the cake.

On day two, we started from Arc De triomphe, which, in a nutshell is the India gate of France. Beneath it, was the Le Amar Jawan Jyoti de francois, with the fire burning in memory of soliders who gave their lives for their country, in the world wars. From here starts the fashion street of the world, The Champ Elysees. As we walked the long stretch, all the brands came together in one place. The Hugo Bosses, Louis Vutton's and Chanell's of the world were all present in one street. All we could do was stand and admire (nothing was affordable !!). As we continued our journey, we came across small gardens with colorful range of flowers. Then we reached the concorde and the entrance to the Louve. Little did we realize that it would take us more than hour to walk the gardens, to reach the actual museum. I have the greatest respect for art and painting and also for the Picasso's, the Michaelangelo's and Da Vinci's of the world and their work, but I am not big fan of paintings or museums, but there was a lady who lured me to the Louvre. A very pretty lady, who was the one reason for me being there, against all my interests. She was Mona Lisa. On the way to meeting her, I bumped into lot of paintings on the life of christ and some kings of France. Took me more than hour from the entrance to reach Mona Lisa. And there she was, majestically sitting inside a glass enclosure with a no-go area of 5 feet from her. As we came out, it almost dusk and we wanted to call it a day by enjoying a view of the Eiffel tower in the lights, from Trocadero. That was the most amazing site I had ever seen, with the lights shining in the dark night, enhancing the beauty of the Eiffel.

Day 3 had to be a bit light. We were not very keen on lot of walking, unlike the previous day. So took the metro to Sacre Coeur, a cathedral on top of hill. Looked like a huge cake with a nice cherry on top. A narrow street led us to the foothill. The street was full of shops selling knick-knacks, much to my delight and reminded me to the street leading to Mahalakshmi temple in Mumbai. Just that air smelt of crepes, chocolates and cheese, instead of the masala dosa and vada pav. After admiring the beauty of the cathedral, we headed back to banks of river sienne, for a late (very late, it was 4 pm) bar-be-que lunch by the river, under the warm sun, with some latino music for company. We spent the rest of the evening by the river.

Overall a very nice trip. All went according to plan and we saw all the places which were of interest to us, than trying to see everything. Now back to London and it feels nice to listen to the familiar english language, after 3 days. Goodbye to Paris metro and hello the jubilee line !!!! God bless us !!!

PS: For all culinary fans of my blog, there is more to come... watch out

Spice Rack

On a windy, wet wet Saturday afternoon, strolling outside Stanmore station, we were thinking, what IF we could have rum and coke to warm us up a bit, with some Indian delicacies. Luckily, my memory, which seem to have desserted me when I was writing exams in school and college, helped me. A few friends had recommended an Indian club called Spice Rack, in Stanmore, north-west London. Well, bang came out mobile and without any further delays, I reached out to my friend for directions. It was not very far from where we were and luckily we found the place quite easily. Again, thanks to the weather gods, we could walk it without having an umbrella. It drizzles a lot in London and was not raining or pouring cats and dogs (unlike the old english proverb). Wonder if there is something called as a heavy drizzle!!!!!

As we entered the place, it reminded me of the various bars or pubs right out of the bollywood movies. All black furniture, with red and green lights along with the wall. four strategically placed TV's playing some Himesh reshamaiyya (bollywood music director) song. Wonder when will he keep his mouth (read nose) shut !!!!! The seating is sleek, with leather sofas and chairs. Surprisingly, being lunch time, there were not many people inside. As we entered, we were welcomed with a gujju smile (very courteous) and shown to our table.

Humungous bar, with lots of vareity, but might not impress someone like me, who seldom looks beyond a pint of beer. Oh !! and by the way, my urge to have a Rum and Coke had changed in favor of having pint (may be two).

So the drinks were beer and a funny looking drink with pinks, floroscents, maroons, with a pinapple to top it up (oh!! ladies and their colors). To go along with that were onion pakodas. I wondered how they made a deep fried dish without oil dripping from it and that too, within no time of ordering. Just had one piece of it. No offense meant to the pakoda, it was very nice, but I would preferred to have chicken/meat/fish. And I thought, what was I waiting for ? Summer ???? This was in November. Like the magic wand in any Harry Potter movie, within 10 min, 4 well done pieces of yummmy yummy chicken tikka were right in front of me, whispering into my ears "hurry up hurry up". As I gobbled the first one down, with the beer, I was enlightened to the fact of what absolute bliss meant. Within no time the juicy, spicey tikkas were done with and were at the place where they rightfully should be. The sidings like the mint chutney and salad with chilli powder and dash of lime did not disappoint as well. Gluttney is a sin, but we are humans afterall.

Next the usual main course. By sneaking a look at the next table, we realized that we should be ordering only one curry, as stating the quantity of curry decent would be an understatement. It would have been good enough for three people. Having sneaked here and there since school and college exam days, am glad that skill was useful somewhere. This time it was channa masala (chickpeas) that had the priviledge of being on our plates. Must say, it was good, but could surely have been better, if there was some more spice in it and some more ginger and garlic. Instead of the usual naan/roti, we opted for the chilli, cheese, garlic naan. Now that turned out to be an amazing choice. Not very spicy, but the chilli and cheese combined very well and the dash of garlic played its role to perfection. By this time, the pint was over and in no time was replaced my another one. As far as the colorful drink was concerned, it was followed by a fresh lime. It was like moving away from the genre of Rani Mukherjee and Kareena Kapoor (current bollywood actresses)to Nargis or Madhubala (yesteryear bollywood actresses).

With all the pakodas, tikkas and the other food and drinks, we were happy and satisfied. Slowly but surely my back was reclining on the plush leather sofa. This is the after affects of what we just had. The damages were around £25 (no complaints). Rushed to the station, caught the jubilee line, which was luckily working over the weekend and came home in 15 minutes. At the 16th minute, all I knew was my mattress, pillow and blanket and the heating was on...... sweet dreams !!!! that was the perfect dessert...

Sri Rathiga

Imagine getting up on Saturday morning, after a hard working week and a few beers on Friday night. The first thought that comes to my mind is not wanting to do anything. South Indian food is my all time favourite. Anyday, anytime for breakfast, lunch and dinner and if there's anything else also, I can eat South Indian food. Idly (steamed rice cakes), vada (lentils, made into a paste and fried), dosa (pancakes), sambar (lentils and spices curry), chutney, uthappam (Indian pizza) and the likes. This is ONE big reason why I miss Bangalore. I miss the whole idea of getting up late on a weekend and going to a darshini to get masala dosa (stuffed potatoes in pancakes) and single vada.

Well, Sri Rathiga is situated just next to Safar Cinema in Harrow. Any Indian in London would know Safari, which is by far, the only very very few £ 3 theatres in London, showing only bollywood movies.

Now coming to Sri Rathiga. It is a typical MTR/Darshini (small eating joint in bangalore) in London. Small place, always chirpy and pretty clean. The menu is the usual idly, vada sambar, uthappam. I ordered for a mini thaali (a set menu), which was sumptuous and to say the least filling. It had a bit of everything in it.

I started with 2 idlies with sambar. There are 3 types of chutneys - normal coconut chutney, onion chutney and green chutney. And the quantities of chutney and sambar are unlimited. I started with 2 idlies. Steaming hot and soft. Next came the vada. Crispy yet not oily. That when dipped in sambar and dash of coconut chutney was mind blowing. Next came the mini masala dosa with potoatoes hidden inside. Oh !!!!!! that was lovely. That was almost filling, but when I looked at the left overs, thought wasting it would be a sin. What was left was some pongal (rice and lentils) and a mini uthappam. So ordered for a mango sweet lassi (mango flavored, sweetened battered yoghurt) to drown that in. After all the food, the small mini dessert of kesari (pudding) was remaining. Had to Had to finish it.

Once that was done, I was also done. The Saturday brunch was over, rather more than over and throughlly enjoyed. In the meantime, I also helped myself to a bit of what Bhooma had ordered. fried mini idly's. It was mini idly's with ginger, garlic, coriander and the spices. Instead of gobhi (cauliflower) manchurian, it was idly manchurian. Now that was yummmmmmm !!!!!

Hardly any damages... £ 10 for both of us which by no means was lots, considering London standards.

Came home and feasted myself to a couple of bollywood movies and the weekend was well spent