In Indian politics symbolism is ..almost everything. AAP got votes and accolades on that basis. No lal batti, no kothi…now people ask why Delhi is turning against AAP in twenty days? Because, the symbolism has changed. This time, it’s not the people blocking roads and closing metro stations. It’s the government. A govt whose leaders speaks a new arrogant language: “constitution badal dalenge” “republic day parade nahin hone denge” “main CM hun, kahin bhi baithunga” “danda maro, police theek ho jayegi” I am the law…Continue Reading “Anarchy – Fair or cruel term to explain Aam Admi Party’s latest methods?”
This was probably that first restaurant in Delhi that I fell so much in love with, around a decade back, and continue to be till this day. Both the outlets have not changed in any aspect whatsoever over the years, but they are still awesome. Naivedyam at Hauz Khas Village is the more famous of the outlets, the one at Kalkaji being a lesser cousin. I have never been to the one in Gurgaon, wherever that is. Anyway, apart from décor, almost everything else is…Continue Reading “Naivedyam, Hauz Khas Village & Kalkaji”
Everyone has a golgappa favourite. From Malviya Nagar, CR Park, Kamla Nagar Market to Gole Market Bengali Market, every foodie knows of some well known or little known guy who has awesome paani or some innovative filling. Frankly, finding the best golgappa guy is like chasing the Bigfoot. Not that I have any less interest in golgappas, just that I don’t try to rank them anymore. This changed a few days back when a friend took me to this forgotten corner of Noida in Sector…Continue Reading “Maa Vaishno Chaat Bhandar, Sector 26, Noida”
When we ask for charity, we make up all sorts of excuses. Give away that old sweater you don’t need it. You spend so much on eating out. Give away the price of a meal. It’s not a big deal. It’s sad. Asking for charity is like asking for a loan that we are not even going to use. Or, pay back for that matter. But should we be so overwhelmingly apologetic? You should have a long face and go crawling on your knees if…Continue Reading “An indecent proposal”
When I wrote about Moti Mahal, I knew there is just one other restaurant in Delhi that could exceed it in fame, fan following and legend. There is no foodie in Delhi who has not been there, taken photos to prove his credibility or written about it. The restaurant is an icon and I have been going there since the days I used to be a vegetarian. Yes, that is the amount of craze that the place has. Two vegetarians can make the hard trip,…Continue Reading “Karim’s Hotel – Jama Masjid”
Damn Facebook. It kept showing me products from Fabfurnish until I gave in. You may have read the Fabfurnish review by now. The ads have not stopped, but now new stores are added to the list every day. I didn’t know there are so many ecommerce sites in India. The latest one being Yepme. The ads were bombarded, and then a few friends bought from them too. So, came the sponsored posts. What got me to bite was their prices. Everything seemed to be below…Continue Reading “My experience with online shopping: YepMe Review”
Times have changed. A decade back, when I was studying in North Campus, there were not many fancy restaurants around. Make that any. Zee restaurant in Vijay Nagar was everybody’s favorite hangout. Even the restaurant was not at all expensive, it was a treat that we could afford only once in two weeks or so. On most days, we will pile up on rickshaws and make the trip to Majnu Ka Tila. There used to be a Rosy Restaurant and a Wangden House that we…Continue Reading “Indus Flavour – Delhi University, North Campus”
Travel. I wish we did more of that. But it takes a lot of time and money. A lot of planning and mindspace. The burden of the word has, somehow, made the action scarce. We decided to take some load off it. This winter, we decided to see Delhi like a tourist. Not just see touristy places, but go all the way – go to tripadvisor to see the city in the list format, read outsiders’ blogs, take some advice from Lonely Planet (may it’s…Continue Reading “Purana Qila / Old Fort – Delhi Heritage Walks with Sohail Hashmi”
Nothing about Mayawati was one dimensional. Her rise, her rule or her departure from power – every bit of it is laced with controversy. But, that’s true for all or most political leaders in UP. When Mayawati won the election, people hoped that she can’t be much worse than the anarchy loving Yadav clan. When she was ruling, nothing could be worse. Once the Yadavs came back to power in Lucknow, people fondly remembered her citing corruption and waywardness is better than rampant hooliganism. Lesson…Continue Reading “Ambedkar Memorial & Park, Lucknow”
When it comes to restaurants, I, generally, try not to go overboard. Same way, that a bad experience does not motivate me to trash the place. It is good to be moderate and rational about experiences. But I am a human after all and it is natural to go overboard at times. Especially, given how badly those interested in the arts and crafts have been fed in Delhi. Triveni Kala Sangam canteen or the Mandi House chinese truck, a roadside burger patties guy – there…Continue Reading “Café Lota – National Crafts Museum, Pragati Maidan”
Social media is supposed to be easy and just. It’s the mass engine, takes time but reaches at all the right conclusions. The AAP wins, the Congress loses. The small quirky restaurant wins, the big media advertisers lose. A voiceless intern wins, the pillars of power lose. Unlike in real world, you don’t have to move mountains to get noticed. You do good, put it out there, get dressed and wait for people to lift you on their shoulders. The larger wheel of social media…Continue Reading “You win, social Media!”
Food is a great indicator of the seasons. Watermelon slices and kakdi on push carts announces summer and moong dal vada with mooli and chutney whispers that its winters. These days, you get all the fruits and food items year round. Seasonal bingeing used to be fun and I hate cold storage. In Delhi, Moong dal vada can be found on every street corner these days. But the most famous ones are in Lajpat Nagar. If anyone is willing to contest that, let’s settle it…Continue Reading “Moong Dal Vada / Pakoda and Mooli”
For most people, the state bhavans are limited to the Andhra Bhavan. Everyone raves about the food, the hospitality, the price and how many times they have been there. But there are quite a few others that are worth a visit. Not the Maharashtra one, they don’t have good food. The Oriya one is good. I have heard good things about the Assam and Goa one. I can’t eat anything at the North Eastern ones and I have had enough litti chokha. Jammu Kashmir used…Continue Reading “Tamilnadu House Canteen, Chanakyapuri”
Greed and gluttony are two cardinal sins. It’s apparent why. But, you know, they are not that bad. I don’t know about greed, but there are so many antidotes to gluttony that it is hardly an issue – Hajmola, anar dana goli, Limca with rock salt. Technically, so long as you are eating to satiate hunger, it’s not gluttony. And, thus, you may escape hell sentence on a technicality. Sitting on the banks of Ganga, many such thoughts crossed our minds. There was the mighty…Continue Reading “What we ate on the banks of Ganges in Rishikesh”
There is one going on in Delhi these days, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Like hundreds of other people, we went there expecting to be surprised. However, any man with average intelligence could soon decipher that it is a massive govt conspiracy. Here are a few speculations about where the idea came from: • After having lost the Delhi elections so badly, Congress had planned a revenge on the city folks and this is one plan that was executed to perfection. • American government wanted to…Continue Reading “National Street Food Festival 2013 Is A Govt Conspiracy”
Almost all the hill stations have beautiful churches. Why? Same reason why all the tall mountain peaks have temples. You give the religious guys a beautiful spot, they will say wow and immediately get down to piling rocks and building a place to pray. Anyway, few days back, we were in Lansdowne. Given the name, it would have been surprising if the place didn’t have a bunch of churches (imagine a Rudrapur without a shiv temple!). So, the churches were there – St. Mary’s Church…Continue Reading “The churches of Lansdowne”
The horrible horrible thing about Delhi is that it takes a lifetime to go one place to another. The best thing about Delhi is that you never know what you will run into when you get to that place. On most nights, we give in to the fear and stay in. A few others, we are thrilled about the surprises and venture out. Now, this was a boring Saturday night. We went to Odean at Gole Market to eat gol gappas and headed to Connaught…Continue Reading “Delhi Youth Festival @ Central Park”