When I write about something, I want to tell you all about it. Not this time. I am being a little selfish, and by the end of it, I may just keep you guessing. Now, this story is about the epic waterfall that I had been to a few days back. It’s on the top of a very high hill. If you walk up, it might as well be seem like a mountain. It’s so little known that you can count all the people on…Continue Reading “An amazing waterfall I won’t tell you the name of”
No one goes to Nehru Place to eat, but while you are there, you may feel hungry. The place is so hassled; I have always tried to get out of there as soon as possible. A few times, I have been to the trusted Sona Sweets or the assurance of the Café Coffee Day. The CCD outlet here is particularly small and horrible, though. A few years back, when I used to work in Okhla, the office peon would get us lunch from Manjusha and…Continue Reading “Standard’s Punjabi Khana, Nehru Place”
Shahrukh Khan is known for silly romance, but one of his most appreciated movies is Chak De. Hence, proving the theory that what you are known for is not necessary what you are best at. It’s the same story with Jain Shikanji, at Modi Nagar. If you are driving on the Delhi-Meerut highway, you will come across a thousand (gross underestimation) shikanjiwallahs, all of them claiming to be Jains. Lord Mahavira could never have foreseen that a humble summer drink will be the biggest propagator…Continue Reading “Jain Shikanji, Modinagar”
There are only a few times when the colourful Old Delhi becomes even more colourful. This is partly the reason why Eid is the one of the most represented festivals in the media. The morning namaz is the most important prayer of the year. Supplicants fill the mosques and flow out into the streets. Morning after, the papers are filled will pictures of Jama Masjid. One would think all the streets would lead to this mosque on the morning of Eid. As it happens,…Continue Reading “Eid in Old Delhi”
In one of my earlier reviews, I had mentioned why it is so difficult to write reviews for places in Old Delhi. It is so appropriate that I am going to quote it here. Moti Mahal is probably the second most loved place in Old Delhi, second only to Karim’s. It beats Karim’s at accessibility and ambiance, though. It is on the main road, you can park in front, on the other side. Uniformed guards will receive you and show you in. Unlike other restaurants…Continue Reading “Moti Mahal – Daryaganj”
Let me warn you, this is not an informative piece. If you are looking for admission help or any stats, head back to Google and use better keywords. If you keep finding me, you just have to accept the fact that I am damn good at SEO. You may ask what kind of a post it is then. I have no idea. A decade after passing out, there are no strong feelings for most things. The colours bleed into each other, the sounds mingle and…Continue Reading “Delhi school of economics – the years those were”
I was introduced to sizzlers twelve years back at an amazing restaurant in Green Park. I know the name started with a C, but I have, somehow, managed to forget it. Anyhow, the point being that the standards were set pretty high. When Mumbai’s famed Yoko Sizzlers decided to open a restaurant here, we were all very high. We got to visit the restaurant only recently. The Defence Colony outlet is located at a twisted end of the road. Though it is on the main…Continue Reading “Yoko Sizzlers, Defence Colony”
The world is coming to an end. At least, for bloggers, it is. Never before in the history of mankind had a vocation attracted so many talented people without the promise of any tangible rewards. You may argue that hundreds of thousands run to Bollywood to become film stars, even more enroll for doctor and engineer courses, may be, as many stow away in ships and travel to the developed world. That argument sounds solid, so let me tear it apart, one example at a…Continue Reading “6 indisputable reasons why every blogger should go on a strike”
In our country 3000 children die of hunger and malnourishment every day. The talk of books for children sounds like a cruel joke, or may be, frivolous one at best. And, therein lays the tragedy. We believe these goals are choices whose priority should be debated. However, in a civilized world, saving the lives of few should never become an excuse to provide an inferior and deprived life for the rest. Thankfully, after years of apathy, a change in attitude seems to have come about….Continue Reading “The Idea Caravan – Giving away a million books”
The rains…they make everything look better. The all drenched girlfriend looks better, the chai and pakoda looks better, go out with a shitty camera and every photo you click looks better. Only if someone would have remembered to air condition the world (talking to you, god!). Anyway, here is a little proof of the monsoon beauty: This is what every amateur, wanna be, under-talented photographer does. Point his camera at the flora and fauna and feel like a rockstar. I believe when the object is…Continue Reading “Monsoon, photography, nobel prize, dragonfly etc”
The listing on Zomato shows the average cost for two to be Rs.300. It can never happen unless you are mutant hedge hogs. It is the cheapest food outlet in Connaught Place. That does not say much but trust me on this. The dosas are good and the special Mushroom dosas cost just 60 bucks. I have never tried that and don’t intend to, but, heck, two plates of gol gappas at any neighbourhood thela costs more. Like a true hole-in-the-wall south Indian outlet, they…Continue Reading “South Indian Snacks, Jantar Mantar”
I have always been against organised religion, which is similar to organised crime in both modus operandi and effect on society. They both claim to protect the followers, both incite fear in those who don’t subscribe and both thrive on donations. They both have same brutal standards of service when it comes to their paying customers. I have written about religious places occupying the most beautiful places in nature, being ironically demanding of money before. But all I got to do is walk into a…Continue Reading “Iskcon – what’s cooking at the multinational temple chain?”
If you are born in Delhi, you will have a different idea of the rivers. Let me see, you have dedh Yamuna, you know Ganga and you may know a few that flow through Ghaziabad. You may not have seen too many rivers and one in spate becomes a spectacle. In a country that has a million rivers, it will be sad if you have seen so few. During a recent train journey to Bhubaneswar, I spotted countless rivers from the train. Only when we…Continue Reading “Rivers of the nation”
Pushkar is not a place that you should travel to. It may be a place that you get stuck in, somewhere a bad friend drags you or you land up by mistake thinking it may be an awesome place. In any case, this post is only an account of our time there, it is not an encouragement of any sort. The best part of the town is the approach. When we started from Ajmer, we had no idea that we had to cross a hill…Continue Reading “A night in Pushkar”
Bollywood’s favorite baba has the same legend as the Mata at Vaishno Devi – you can’t visit them until you have the divine approval. We got it sometime last month and made the visit that included Pushkar and Jaipur as part of a three day trip. The drive to Ajmer is effortless with all the expensive toll roads. Though, it is not true for the drive back, as most of the flyovers and bypasses are still under works. Starting from Delhi, I did the four…Continue Reading “Ajmer Sharif – the dargah and the temple”
Year 2050. God is dead, five of the greatest men on earth are called upon to find a solution. All from different eras, they meet virtually in chat room. Here is what transcribed: INTERNET CHAT ROOM: SUPER AVENGERS, YEAR: 2050 MAHATMA_PEACEMAN: Hello BARACKATTACK2008: Hello MAHATMA_PEACEMAN: Who are you? BARACKATTACK2008: The most powerful man in the world. who are you? MAHATMA_PEACEMAN: The guy who defeated the most powerful empire of the world. BARACKATTACK2008: So, you are a vietnamese? THEREALSUPERMAN: Guys, peace out, stop being juveniles and…Continue Reading “How to hire a god”
Whoever said sky is the limit, very correctly said so. But for learning and evolving, not even sky remains the limit Unlike my regular flying days when I am confined to my cockpit playing around with numerous glittery gadgets, managing the radio contact and circumnavigating around clouds (just a few of the several tasks we, as pilots do- yes of course I am a sincere one 🙂 ), today I was traveling as a passenger in an Indigo A320 aircraft from Delhi to Mumbai. The…Continue Reading “Go Indigo go – Learning Business Mantra from a successful Aviation family”
Bangkok for me is quite a frequently visited place. On one of my previous occasions I had even organized for my wife to come over and we could see the place together. This ended up being a disaster as she simply refused to surrender to her usual practice of reducing me to a coolie to carry the load of whatever she bought to satisfy her appetite of street shopping (yes Bangkok is a great place for street shopping). The only interesting experience was that a…Continue Reading “A Brahmin In Bangkok – Part II”
Chalo kisi kaa ghar jalaa ke dekhein, Kisi ka khoon baha ke dekhein, Kisi ke khwab bujhaa ke dekhein, Suna tha badi aag hoti hai diloen main, Chalo thodi phoonk maar ke dekhein.. Chalo kisi ki muskaan chheen ke dekhe, Ankhon me paani bharke dekhein, Suna hai badi jagah hoti hai diloen main, Chalo hum bhi thoda gham bhar ke dekhein.