Horn not OK please

I enrolled myself for driving lessons at WIAA as soon as I turned 18 and to everyone’s surprise I passed the test – in one go. I was very good. You might have heard of the two ‘How To’ bestsellers I wrote: 7-Point Parking and Driving Without Mirrors.

I wasn’t always good though. As a learner I always had to be reminded about: a) making hand signals, and b) using the horn. In my instructor’s words, I was behaving “like a marwari” and that using the horn was actually “free”. In retrospect, I think his edginess might be a direct result of me being at the wheel, which is understandable. I had that effect on a lot of people. I say that in past tense because I only resort to public transport these days.

But the instructor’s words indicate the general mindset of Indian drivers these days. How often have you had to disconnect the call on your cell phone while you were on the road because you couldn’t even hear yourself? Or grimaced at a driver tooting away to glory? Cold stares don’t work and confrontations are a waste. As a pedestrian, you don’t have too many rights here. And why must 'pedestrian' also mean 'ordinary'?

I suppose India has its own set of rules and etiquettes for almost everything. A honk would almost always display rudeness on the part of the driver in most countries but in India it’s just a way of announcing your presence – I’m here so you better get out of my face! But gone are the days of road rage; pedestrian rage is the fad these days.

My secret garden

The Hanging Gardens, located in the heart of South Mumbai, is also located very close to my heart. In my opinion, it is among the prettiest spots in this part of town – unless it’s a weekend when it is converted into a dumping ground for the convenience of local picnickers.

The neighbourhood is the only patch of pure greenery in a dense concrete jungle and has been a huge source of peace and quiet for me ever since I was a tooting tot, which means that I probably annoyed the hell out of other people who were there for some peace and quiet.

But I must admit that the garden is not the same as it used to be. For one, the gentry has changed a lot with more young people coming in. There was a time when all one could see were sexagenarians wearing Nike Airs taking a walk with their caretakers. One day I spotted a really old couple rambling about holding hands and my heart immediately warmed up to such a touching show of affection. I pointed this out to a friend who in his cynical way commented that what they were really doing was hold each other for support.

Anyhow, these days I see a whole lot of school and college-going kids, young wives and mothers, and a fair share of newly attached couples being escorted to the gate by security – for this is a ‘family-type’ place.

There is also a colourful water fountain now (the space and the water for which could have been used for more greenery), light ambient music (which honestly spoils the entire ambience for me), and solar panels on top of each lamp post (which is always a good idea).    

Also, the visitors have multiplied and there’s a bit of jostling to do, especially when a group of five decides to walk together in a row. But since I’ve been a regular to this garden for many years, there is a sense of ownership, possessiveness even, and I hate to see it invaded by newbies who do not care to keep it unsullied or conduct themselves appropriately. The Hanging Gardens is my own little Central Park – with …um…hedges that have been carved into shapes of animals.

No grammatical errors this Christmas!

I was recently accused of having my grammar “in place” by a senior editorial person of an international magazine over the phone. So I quickly tried to hide my surprise and a chuckle by pretending to agree with her. Honestly, even after a first class in MA in English and a decade of being a professional writer and sub-editor, I never thought of having my grammar perfectly in place. I just go with the flow.

I’m guessing that a lot of people pass out of school wondering what P. C. Wren and H. Martin were going on about; the little minds of pubescent boys and girls are busy contemplating acne.

Anyhow, I still can’t get my brains around it. I feel the same way writer Lynne Truss does about the subject. I remember struggling to unsuccessfully stifle my laughter on a BEST bus a few years ago when I came across a line while reading her Eats, Shoots & Leaves: ‘To me a subordinate clause will for ever be one of Santa’s little helpers.’ The more I thought of it, the more I let out a laugh. And the fact that I was traveling alone didn’t help.

Maybe learning grammar is like learning to play music – you learn the notes first and then you play by ear. In any case, I’m glad that Subordinate Clause doesn’t care if you’ve been a good kid. Or not.      

Macau: A safe bet

The landscape of this former Portuguese colony has undergone a massive transformation, and although it has retained a portion of its colonial flavour, the attire these days is more blingy and grand.

Macau has had the reputation of being a mini Las Vegas far too long for it to change its image overnight to a cultural destination, especially when it is the only place in China where casinos are legal. The present landscape doesn't help either, with acres and acres of land (a lot of it reclaimed) quivering under the weight of humungous five- to seven-star deluxe hotels, some still under construction.

Yet, the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) is sparing no effort to bring about that change. So while its gambling industry still flourishes, Macau is trying to take on a new identity - that of a destination steeped in history and culture. The superimposition is already in process (see box below).

But why look for a different personality when the original one has worked well - exceptionally well in fact. While Las Vegas was well represented on this year's list of winners for the best Four and Five Star awards by Mobil Travel Guide, Macau (along with Hong Kong) already has more five-star rated hotels and spas than any other city. In this first year of rating international destinations, each of Macau's three Las Vegas-owned casinos received Mobil honours - Wynn Macau and the property's spa received five stars while MGM Grand and the Sands Macau received Four Stars. The Six Senses Spa at MGM Grand Macau and the V Spa at Venetian Macau received Four Stars.

A possible reason for wanting this change is that Macau has perhaps realised that putting all its eggs in one basket may not be wise. Reports show that its gambling industry began showing signs of cooling after Beijing began limiting the frequency and duration of travel by mainland residents. The global financial and economic crisis is also taking a toll. Revenues declined even as the number of licensed casinos rose to 31 at the end of last year, from 28 at the end of 2007.

Nevertheless, the history and culture of Macau promises to be as big a hit as the heady and intoxicating mix of its casinos and a lively night life. And this combination will continue to fuel high occupancies in its hotels which compete with each other in terms of opulence, flamboyance and grandness. The increasing number of direct flights from other countries (there have been talks of directly connecting India and Macau by budget airline, Viva Macau) will no doubt fuel this.

The superimposition

Joao Manuel Costa Antunes MGTO's director, Joao Manuel Costa Antunes, has ensured that its development strategy this year is diversification (not only in products offered but also source markets) with 'World Heritage' as the focus to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Macau Special Administration Region or SAR. (Portuguese traders administered the region until the handover to China on December 20, 1999. Macau now operates under the 'one country, two systems' policy with a high degree of autonomy and will do so until 2049 that will mark 50 years of the transfer.) Under the new strategy, MGTO will develop new thematic tour routes and explore multi-destination itineraries to build a regional tourism brand. New tourism products such as hop on 'Heritage Bus' and free docent service at World Heritage sites will also be introduced in addition to cultural performances at tourist spots. The SAR government is also putting efforts in developing MICE tourism with MGTO setting up a co-operation mechanism with the trade. The network will be consolidated through the 'Industry Partner Programme' and promotional events focusing on MICE will be implemented and professional training programmes set up. Promotional tools such as the Macau Convention Brochure, Macau Incentive Travel Guide, second edition of Macau Meeting Planners Guide and MICE video footage will also be introduced. Antunes added that MGTO will host a number of MICE activities, including the PATA Annual Meeting 2009 to be held in Macau this April. He expressed that while continuing to promote the theme 'Experience Macau' under the slogan 'A World of Difference, the Difference is Macau', it will organise themed itineraries in the Pearl River Delta, family tours, world heritage tours, student tours, 'silver hair' tours, gala dinners and travel marts. MGTO will launch various promotional activities with focus on the 'Historic Centre of Macau' and organise familiarisation trips to showcase Macau's heritage. Other activities include photo exhibitions, gala dinners and tourism briefings. MGTO will continue to implement its 'Performance Pledge' undertaken to improve efficiency and operate the 24-hour Tourism Hotline 28333000, re-inforce tourist education to promote quality travel practices as well as educate tourists of their rights. For the travellers, it will also launch a number of e-services such as online booking system, online application status enquiry, website version of Macau Meeting Planners Guide, online referral service for RFP, e-MICE survey as well as e-publications. Another area that the tourism office is looking into is training the hospitality and tourism players for fluency in English since Macau has a majority of Chinese-speaking population.

 Note: This article was published in the February 16-28, 2009 issue of Express TravelWorld. For more read here: http://www.expresstravelworld.com/20090228/edge02.shtml 

Do the strings!

I’ve just discovered that I have short hamstring muscles. I’m not saying that because I’m short, because I ain’t. Most times (and so it is in this case) it’s genetic – like flat footedness, but not as popular. Shorter hamstrings mean that I frequently suffer from mild backaches because of the constant pressure on my lower back.

The only remedy for this is to do stretch exercises – which wouldn’t have been a problem if my boyfriend and I hadn’t split up. I’m just kidding of course. We haven’t. No, seriously, I have been doing stretching exercises recommended by my yoga instructor and it seems to be helping.

But I’ve had serious bad luck as far boyfriends are concerned. It’s not so much as having bad luck WITH them as much as having trouble FINDING them. Some friends think I’m too choosy (untrue), others feel I’m a complete clutz when it comes to this (bullshit), and the rest think it’s just a matter of fate (possible). My theory is that there has been a complete lack of single, with a lot of emphasis on interesting, guys in Bombay since I turned 19, which was a long time ago – in another century.

In effect, I’ve had no strings attached since my first relationship which ended with him marrying a higher soul (she was a doctor) much against my wishes. Ironically, this clashed with the Y2K fiasco that completely rocked the IT industry of which I was a tiny part at the time. So people in office mistook my hurt look for concern about the world economy.

And while the IT industry did get out of the whole ‘millennium bug’ chaos, I took my own time getting back to being happy. As they say, the first cut is the deepest. I took up music to distract myself but even in that I chose the saddest sounding instrument – the violin. I fiddled with it for some time – first learning Indian classical and then turning to Western classical – and let me tell you that whichever classical you take up, violin is a bloody difficult thing to learn. I just couldn’t get the strings right. Maybe I should take up puppetry.  

Women at work

Women in the culinary profession are few and far between. We feature two women chefs who cook up two diverse cuisines at Bangkok's Zense Gourmet Deck & Lounge.

Zense Gourmet Deck & Lounge, the first phase of the four levels of rooftop restaurants and bars atop Zen World in Bangkok, has a unique dining concept - it offers four cuisines from four top Bangkok restaurants: Thai by White Café; Italian by Gianni Ristorante; Japanese by The Kikusui; and Indian by Red. It has now introduced Contemporary European Cuisine.

Occupying a total area of 4,000 square metres, the restaurant seats 400 diners and has a standing capacity for another 300. Featuring a giant outdoor terrace overlooking downtown Bangkok, the restaurant is on the 17th floor of an entertainment mecca called Zen World.

Designed by one of Thailand's leading architects, Amata Lhupaiboon, the 130 million baht concept was developed by the Central Retail Corporation. The entire F&B project is called Destiny, inspired by the four elements of earth, water, air and fire. We present two of the chefs at Zense - Chef Nida Sudasna who heads Contemporary European cuisine at 'To Die For' and Chef Noo-Benya Nandakwang from 'White Café'.

Chef Nida Sudasna

Chef Nida Sudasna

Chef Nida is a commercial film director and editor who is also interested in cooking. She used to cook occasionally for her make-shift restaurant at her beach house aptly titled 'Once in a Blue Moon' that served Mediterranean food and wine - opening only whenever it was convenient for her and her clients. When her friend and fashion guru Bhanu Inkawat wanted to open a more serious restaurant, he invited her to be the executive chef for his 'To Die For' restaurant that serves contemporary European cuisine. Says the 55-year chef, "It is a place where people come to enjoy good food, great atmosphere, to see and be seen."

When asked what the most challenging part of her work is, she says, "Since my food philosophy is keep it fresh and modern with an original recipe, it is difficult to come up with new and creative ideas for our special menus every other month. I believe that only the best is good enough." She uses the freshest ingredients she can find and is even very particular about the salt she uses, which comes from a certain province. Her team has tasted and approved it because "God is in the details". Today, she balances her two loves - filming and cooking. "Luckily looking after the restaurant comes quite easily because I use the same philosophy with both jobs - just try harder and pay attention to details," Chef Nida says.

Speaking about culinary trends around the world, she adds that modern Indian food is coming on strong in the global culinary world. "In the end though, I think a trend is only what customers demand, which is more and more interesting and exciting food," she says, adding that although organic food is a great trend, she hopes that chefs don't cheat on the concept.

Chef Noo-Benya Nandakwang

Noo-Benya Nandakwang

A veteran in the food business with more than 20 years of experience, Chef Noo-Benya Nandakwang started right after her graduation from Thammasat University. She began her career as a proprietor-chef, and has owned various restaurants in the past - 'Blue's Bar', 'Red Bar' and 'White Café'. On the flip side, however, she has never got an opportunity to work with any other cook who wasn't her employee.

Born in 1964 to a family of artists, the creative bend is apparent in her. According to her, there are two important points in the business - one is the presentation and the other is catering to specific needs of clients. "Of course, they both have something to do with creative ideas. I'm a food stylist myself so about 90 per cent of everything is from me. After the briefing, I consider the best possible menu and presentation for each particular event," she says.

Her father was a professor of arts in Silpakorn University while her mother was the editor-owner and writer for a women's magazine. "Growing up with her has inspired my way of cooking," Chef Noo-Benya says.

Ask her what her food philosophy is and she says, "I like to feed the crowd like I am one of them. My favourite line is 'If you tell me who you are, I can cook for you.' I got into this line of business because I like food; I grew up in a family where everyone cooked and eating good food is our passion." Fortunately for her, balancing work with family life and children isn't too difficult since their main kitchen and offices are in the same compound.

For her, innovation doesn't mean more expenses. "Creativity is in your head; it is free. You just have to work harder. What is difficult to do is maintain freshness. We must design the restaurant menu to make sure that most items are used in more than one dish," she says. It is her policy to always go forward and be daring to create new recipes and techniques using different methods from both Eastern and Western cuisines.

Quick bites of Chef Nida

Favourite dish: Omelettes, Thai style Favourite restaurant: 'To Die For' of course. Most common mistakes chefs make: They don't pay attention to making simple dishes like pasta Your inspiration: Fresh seasonal ingredients and my dreams After-hours activity: Reading What do you enjoy cooking: I enjoy cooking simple food for my family at my beach house where seafood is plentiful

Quick bites of Chef Nandakwang

Motto: To always give your best shot Perfection to you is: A happy client Most challenging part of your job: It is not the cooking but understanding exactly what my client wants Favourite food: Hardboiled eggs. It is both beautiful and versatile. You can eat them with anything from caviar to sandwichs to chilli dips. It has a perfect oval shape, you can eat them hot or cold, it also travels well! Favourite restaurant: Ming Lee in Bangkok opposite the Grand Palace. It is a Chinese-Thai restaurant over 100 years old where my mother and her friends used to hang out Organic food: Is the best. It is actually going back to our roots, before science, before industrial food business A common mistake most chefs make: When you think you know better than your clients Your inspiration: I create/try a new dish when I'm bored After-hours activity: Drinking with friends

Note: This article was published in the 16-30 September 2009 issue of Express Hospitality - a hospitality trade publication. You can also read it here: http://www.expresshospitality.com/20090930/chef'splatter03.shtml

A place of his own

Note: This article was written in August 2009 for Express Hospitality

With the popularity of ‘only women’ floors in hotels, can the ‘only boys’ concept be far behind? 'His Space' at the Hong Kong-based The Fleming has on offer all the boy toys including PlayStation, Xbox 360, in-room golf putting green, iPod entertainment and the latest men’s magazines.

The quiet side-street, in the heart of the Wan Chai business and entertainment district on which this 66-rooms business boutique hotel is located, belies the hip and the stylish hotel interiors. After launching the concept of ‘Her Space’ in February 2007, The Fleming has now introduced the ultimate room concept for men – and going by its manager Francis Lee, the first in Hong Kong to do so.

The 'His Space' concept has been designed as a gaming paradise with video consoles for Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii, a golf putting green in rooms along with an iPod dock entertainment system, men’s magazines and a comprehensive DVD library. Of course, all this comes at a premium. The ‘His Space’ rooms are priced at HK$ 1,400 a night subject to 10 per cent service charge and a supplement of HK$ 300 for high season bookings.

“We also have an offer at the moment to promote this idea – a 50 per cent discount on selected imported beers, including Belgium brews, plus complimentary local calls, broadband internet and cable TV,” says Lee. Extras include an American breakfast, late check-out (until 3 pm) and access to California Fitness exercise classes. For a supplement of HK$ 400, guests can upgrade to executive rooms with fully-equipped kitchens, foot massage machines and multi-function fax facilities.

Nevertheless, according to Lee, Her Space is equally popular among female executive travelers if not more with amenities like the facial steamer and leg massage machines. “We continuously upgrade our amenities and services by improving both our hardware and software. This will ultimately win the loyalty of our guests,” says Lee.

A ‘home feel’ 

Working with the hotel since 2007, Lee says that the decision to incorporate the ‘His Space’ concept was taken by the hotel management as well as its PR team. “We thought that it would be something entirely different for male travellers to enjoy while staying in a standard hotel room. The games consoles will definitely add to the ‘home feel’. It was also following on from the success of our ‘Her Space’ floor,” he says.

Targeted at single male business travellers with a general interest in boy toys, the rooms are also open to families who may request to stay at His Space. “However, it is not recommended as the video games and magazines may display materials unsuitable for children under 18. But we can selectively arrange personalised products for families, such as the Wii room,” Lee adds.

His and Her Space will be marketed when the “new hotel image” is launched at the end of the year. However, Lee did not reveal what the new image is going to be. But the overhaul might be a strategy to overcome the slow market. Lee says, “With the difficulty that many hotel operators are facing at the moment, revising room rates and rolling out different promotions are key. His Space is definitely one of the strategies to keep The Fleming brand exposed and highlighting our oriented approach and keeping us ahead of the market.”

The Fleming was ranked on Condé Nast Traveller’s Hot List 2007 among the world’s best new hotels, and a finalist as Best Boutique Hotel of the Year 2007 in the SCMP/Harper’s Bazaar Style Awards. It is a member of Sterling Hotels, a collection of hotels from Preferred Hotel Group.  

Home is where the heartburn is

You know the warm, loving feeling of contentment you get when you’re surrounded by a close-knit herd of family, eating and laughing and generally amusing each other with personal jokes? Me neither. My favourite member of the family is our Golden Labrador Rover, who would have been for real had my parents allowed me to get one. 

American actor and comedian George Burns has gone on record saying that his idea of happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family – in another city. But he probably got away with it because he gets paid to offend people. I agree with his statement wholeheartedly; there ought to be something to it, because all good jokes have a modicum of truth in it. Seriously, haven’t you seen all those people at the arrival gate hugging their family member(s) who probably live in another city/country? And the farther they live, the happier they look.

No, I don’t want to sound cynical. I would be the first person to advocate HUFs and it’s not just because it helps save taxes. Families are a good support system more than anything else, which means that they can help delay dementia. But I wouldn’t advise it if it acts as a quickening agent.

Unfortunately, family is too complicated; its a bittersour symphony. The good part is that you don’t have to get along with each other because you’re family. You can take each other for granted and not really worry about it, and you can fight like PMS-ing cats and forget about it the next minute without anyone thinking that you’ve lost your centre of gravity.

   

A famous first line from Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina envelopes a universal truth in a single pithy sentence: ‘Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.’ (See, that’s why they’re called timeless classics!) I haven’t read the book but I’m guessing it’s partly about Anna’s messed up family and how one can achieve happiness at home. I don’t know whether it ends happily for the heroine of the novel – I’m told it doesn’t – but it’s only fair that every family should get its own happy ending. I’m sure I will get mine. Too bad, the title My Family and Other Animals is already taken. So is The War of the Worlds.

Hi-fi love

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby is a story about love and music - it is what the lover hopes for and the music enthusiast yearns for.

Rob is a thirty-something, single Brit who owns a music shop called ‘Championship Vinyl’ in London. He has just broken up with Laura, his live-in girlfriend, and in the pain of being separated reminiscences about all the heartbreaks that he has suffered since school. He becomes fairly promiscuous after his separation and retraces his love graph and gets in touch with all his ex-girlfriends to try and understand where he went wrong.

Nick Hornby

In the process, he begins to analyse himself and therefore men as a species and their relationship with women. It is hard to say whether this is autobiographical. But Hornby’s sentiments come across to readers through Rob who is emotionally vulnerable and yet, egotistically indifferent.

Hornby is unconsciously funny and deeply insightful. He makes Rob an unpretentious, musical being who expresses his emotions through songs. Rob and his shop assistants - Dick and Barry - are vinyl addicts and passionate about music. But they spurn every kind of pop, sentimental, tacky music for blues, soul, and jazz. Every song for them is a thought, a sentiment and for every event they have a ‘top five’.

Hornby, through first person narrative, masterfully depicts Rob’s soul-searching journey that every individual takes at some point in his or her life. Which is why the reader relates to the novel at every turn of corner: “You spend Christmas at somebody’s house…you see them in their dressing gown…and then, bang that’s it. Gone forever. And sooner or later there will be another mum, another Christmas, more varicose veins.”

Hornby uses music as a metaphor for life. “What came first, the music or the misery? Did I listen to music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to music?” are questions that Rob asks himself. And in trying to understand his plight we find ourselves asking the same questions.

Marked with wit, sarcasm and humour, this novel is as much profound as it is ordinary. And although it might begin on a pessimistic note, Hornby gives it a hopeful ending. We sympathise with Rob because we sympathise with our own situations. And in making Rob happy in the end, Hornby fills those gaps in our hearts that are caused by too many disappointments.  

15 Favourite Writers in 15 (part III)

1.                             Mitali Saran

I met Mitali while we were on a travel assignment in the Caribbean and became friends during the 10-odd days we were together. Hence, the first name. I stumbled upon her blog where she stores her columns and instantly liked her style. She’s funny, subtle in her sarcasm, with a touch of self-deprecating humour. It’s the perfect mix. You can read her here: http://mitalisaran.blogspot.com/   

2.                             Charles Dickens

We’ve read him in school and possibly didn’t like him because we HAD to study him. But when I was given a choice, I did go back to reading him and found out that I enjoyed his books. I liked it not only because it took me back to my years as a pig-tailed school-going hobbit but also because most of his books are poignant stories about children – the greatest of underdogs – and how they survive. Famous first line from A Tale of Two Cities: ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…’   

3.                             William Shakespeare

Fellow bloggers, lend me your …er… eyes. Okay, I’m not trying to make an impression here and neither do I claim to understand one of the greatest poets of our times. But Shakespeare is like the first love we can never forget no matter how painful it was. I had Julius Caesar in my tenth standard syllabus and our English teacher, Mrs Rao, made us learn most of the lines (from the unabridged version might I add) by rote. It was painful. But I did well in my board exams and that was all that mattered.

Surprisingly though, I found myself thinking of those many lines I had memorised and going back to my tattered JC textbook (yup, I kept all my English textbooks). I graduated to reading his sonnets and fell in love with them. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much (any) success with Romeo and Juliet. There are many controversies and unfounded accusations surrounding Shakespeare and his work but that doesn’t take anything away from the genius that he was. The fact that his plays still strike a chord goes to prove that.  

4.                             Bill Watterson

An absolute genius! To create such complex cartoon characters as Calvin and Hobbes (well probably not Hobbes, who was the direct result of an overactive imagination of Calvin) and give them a sense of humour and traces of wisdom mixed with dementia can only be the work of a genius.

I have loved Watterson’s comic strip ever since I was old enough to hold a newspaper. But it was only after I did some serious research on it for a public speaking assignment (we had to talk for 3 minutes on any topic of our choice) did I really get to know the characters and their creator. Did you know that Calvin’s parents have no name (they are referred only as ‘mom’ and ‘dad’) and that his dad really wanted a dog?      

5.                              Ermm...

Unfortunately, I ran out of names after the 14^th entry. But I would rather like to make some honourable mentions who didn’t make it to my list.

a) Mitch Albom, for Tuesdays with Morrie and For One More Day. Both very touching.

b) Matthew Gregory Lewis, for The Monk. Very Gothic. Very scary. Very good.

c) James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. For all the streams of consciousness.

d) Lynne Truss, for her Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Wonderfully funny.

e) Arthur Hailey, for all his page-turners.

f) Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. For obvious reasons.

g) Irving Wallace, for The Three Sirens. Well, obviously, for all the sex.

h) J. D. Sallinger for Holden Caulfield’s madness

i) Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. For Howard Roark.   

15 Favourite Writers in 15 (part II)

Inspired by: A friend who tagged me with this on Facebook

The rules were: The first 15 authors/writers (poets and cartoonists included) who've influenced you that you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

    My list includes (in no particular order): Part II

1.       Dave Barry

Slapstick. That’s the only word I can think of when talking about Barry’s writing. Although his work may seem to be a little ‘dumbed down’, he’s quiet a versatile artist. A great fan of writer Douglas Adams, he is a humour columnist and has written for several newspapers including The Miami Herald. He even played in a “literary” band, which at various times included writer Stephen King. His books are the kinds you would want to read when you need a quick pick-me-up to restore your sense of humour and face the world again; his imagination is so ridiculous that I have often had to restrain a chuckle or two while doing time on a train or bus!

2.       Nick Hornby

Remember the movies High Fidelity, Fever Pitch and About a Boy? They have all been adaptations of his books. Hornby (I have never figured out whether its pronounced –buy or –bee) was recommended to me by the same long-lost friend mentioned above, particularly High Fidelity, which was my #1 book for many many years and was my first choice when I had to review a non-fiction for a journalism assignment. Unfortunately, I didn’t get graded – the teacher thought I had lifted it from somewhere! 

Anyway, I was pretty disappointed by the books that followed and the latest one – Juliet, Naked – was a complete let-down for me. But I’m okay even if he doesn’t write another book. For me Nick Hornby starts and ends with High Fidelity.

3.       Douglas Adams

You know the feeling when you meet someone really whacky and wonder how they got that way? I got that feeling when I first read Adams. My personal theory is that he was probably abducted by aliens living on Pluto, experimented on and then sent back to earth. He is funny, but not many may understand his humour. And if you’re not into sci-fi, then you can just forget it. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series is one of his most popular books, which has been made into a movie. I even had its audio book – which was not so much fun after a bit. So Long, and Thanks for all the…er… laughs!    

4.       Oscar Wilde

Now, here’s someone who knows how to give one-liners. Unfortunately, in my opinion, he has become more popular for them than his books. He has not only written fiction but also plays, short stories, essays and even poetry. His work is varied but I’ve only read his plays (and loved them) and the darkly sardonic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. For a Victorian writer, he worked with simple but witty language. He was, in his time, widely controversial because of his sexual orientation. But as long as he gave us masterpieces, it doesn’t matter, right? Art for art’s sake and all that!   

5.       James Herriot

       James Herriot was introduced to me by a friend when he loaned me his copy of All Things Bright and Beautiful (which I have never returned!). What makes him special (Herriot, not my friend) is that he writes about his experiences as a vet and the cases he covers. He does so with a twist of that subtle humour that he possesses in abundance. His patients are not just animals to him and he takes as much interest in them as he takes in their owners. You can get so immersed in what he has to say that you forget that you’re actually reading non-fiction. His books have even been adapted for film and television, including BBC.      

contd...

15 Favourite Writers in 15

Inspired by: A friend who tagged me with this on Facebook

The rules were: The first 15 authors/writers (poets and cartoonists included) who've influenced you that you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

My list includes (in no particular order): Part I

1.      P. G. Wodehouse

What more can I say about Mr Wodehouse, except that he’s the best there is for two types of writing: English and humour. I was introduced to him by a long-lost friend when I was still in college and I still remember the first book I read by him. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the Jeeves series, nor did it have any stories on our poor old Bertie. It was ‘The Adventures of Sally’ that had me hooked from day one. Gold in mine.

Since then, I have read and re-read many books by Wodehouse and my fave so far are the Jeeves series and the Psmith series, although I find it really hard not to mention Imperial Blandings omnibus in the same breath.

I have often heard that people may like him or just plain hate him. And that may even be true. You need to be patient with the plot lines and the daftness of it all. What you must look out for are the idiomatic pearls that he scatters along the way. With him, it’s definitely not the destination but the journey that needs to be cherished.

 

2.      Bill Bryson

The most famous line attributed to this writer is ‘I come from Des Moines. Someone had to.’ from his book The Lost Continent. This trend of thought encapsulates most of the writing from Bryson. He continues in this vein whether he’s talking about the Australian outback in Down Under or his years growing up in Iowa surrounded by corn fields in The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.

What I like most about him though is his understated and subtle humour. Humour is more humourous when it is least forced. And Bryson is an ace at that. And when it is combined with a travelogue, the fun just multiplies.
       

3.      Jane Austen

I can never read the works of li’l miss prim-n-propah slouched on the sofa or resting on a comfortable bed. To understand her, I need to sit upright on a chair with the book perched on the table. Also because I have an omnibus with all of her six novels in one book – The Complete Works of Jane Austen – which makes it difficult for me to hold it up in bed.  

I don’t mean to offend Miss Austen or her admirers. All I’m saying is that if you don’t have complete concentration, you’ll end up reading the same lines over and over again. Whatever her personal life may have been, she had a really vivid imagination for her time and was a very good storyteller. Yeah, her plots got a little repetitive, and yeah her main characters are always women. But she wrote what she knew and she wrote it well. My favorite of course, despite the millions of remakes in Hollywood and Bollywood, will always be Emma.    

4.    Thomas Hardy

My earliest memory of Hardy is of the title of one of his books, Far from the Madding Crowd, except that I didn't know it was a book and that it was from Hardy. I later learnt that the title of this particular book was inspired by a poem written by another Thomas, of the Gray kind.

I liked Hardy instantly because he uses simple language and understands the basic human nature very well. The superficial simplicity of the pastoral setting (the English countryside) in his works are deceptive. Hardy was in fact very well-read and knew his subject thoroughly. Also, the way he makes his characters speak in the local dialects are fun to read: ‘She’s a very vain feymell – so ‘tis said here and there.’ 

5.      Jon Krakauer 

I had heard so much about his non-fiction book Into Thin Air from mountaineering friends that I finally decided to read it and picked up my copy from a quaint little book shop in Darjeeling. And it was worth every word, and more. Krakauer is a hardcore journalist, a mountaineer and a nature enthusiast and his books are like reportage – very well researched and painstakingly detailed.

I absolutely loved two of his most popular non-fiction works, both tragedies incidentally which shouldn't reflect anything about me by the way – Into the Wild and the one mentioned above. I could actually feel the pain he felt for the characters. Beautiful. It’s a must even for an armchair mountaineer such as myself.


...contd.

Gastronomically challenged, I

Here’s a typical scene from my dinner outings with friends. They know exactly what they want, which is usually something that was dead at one time, while I sit there scratching my…er…head and going through exactly five vegetarian options listed in the menu for the eighty-eighth time.

Most of my friends are non-vegetarians, which is fine since I have no hang-ups with people tearing away at meat, red or white, so long as it doesn’t smell like dead meat. Right enough they order something that looks pretty appetising and fulfilling. And they are completely relishing it, while my vegetarian dish is sitting idle, looking pretty.

With every bite they take, I feel as if I have been eating ash all this while and not known it! The fact that almost 90 per cent of these people are complete non-vegetarians while my personal choice has been to stop at mushrooms doesn’t escape me. It makes me wonder whether the taste of blood – so to speak – whets the taste buds.

So have I been missing out on one of the greater joys of life? At the threshold of my thirties now, I have often wondered if my lack of interest in either trying out different cuisines or a total lack of interest in cooking is something of a disorder, where instead of ingredients and their measurements on paper all I can see are dancing alphabets swimming in vegetable soup.

My social conditioning since childhood has been that, to be a loving wife and a good daughter-in-law – in short a complete woman, I have to be a great cook first. So as a child I started out by helping mother on the side with cutting salad or buttering the bread for sandwiches. I was later encouraged to watch cookery shows on the only channel there was - Doordarshan – and I soon graduated to doing my own little show in the kitchen after it closed post lunch. I became my own little celebrity chef.

So here I was, a midget version of myself, explaining to a phantom audience plastered on the kitchen wall how to make a biscuit and jam sandwich or a mixture of all that was left from lunch. Sometimes it was just how to make that perfect tea. I found a rather unwilling taster in my older brother who was nonetheless willing to take the risk. Unfortunately, he never went beyond the second bite.

Since then I have constantly heard my mother complain about my lack of cooking. And all her attempts to make me take on the ladle with equal zest as I take the television remote have failed. I do cook today, but only the basic stuff and only when I must. It didn’t help that I wasn’t even much interested in eating. I eat to live and as long as my stomach isn’t secretly eating itself, I’m alright. 

My indifference to gourmet food was to the extent that I couldn’t eat anything the time a friend took me to try a real fancy restaurant in a five-star hotel in Bandra. My food looked so elaborate that I couldn’t tell what I was eating: it looked complicated and it turned me off. Give me Nutella and cream crackers any time.    

There’s another thing that I simply love. Nigella Feasts on TLC. It is by far the most intriguing, deliciously appetising cookery shows on television I have ever seen. And I’m not even a foodie!

Nigella Lawson, a British best-selling author and host of 'Nigella Feasts' and 'Nigella Express', takes cooking to a whole new level. Described as “a delectable series from the domestic goddess herself” by Food Network, the show had me hooked instantly – like so many men all over the world. And she really made me want to cook. And eat. 

What you can’t miss about her is that she looks absolutely happy and completely satisfied simply cooking. Nigella knows how to keep her viewers interested. She doesn’t just ‘throw in’ the pomegranate in the curd but ‘gently crushes the lovely ruby drops so that the curd looks a beautiful pink’. That’s the kind of cooking she does. My favourite part is when she tiptoes to the fridge in the end to make a midnight snack. It’s good to see a celebrity cook taste their own cooking. So what if I can never get myself to do that.

Amar shonar bangla

As children, we are always eager to grow up. But it is only as adults that we realize that the icing from the cake has been licked and the best part is probably over.

So has it been with me. I came into this world, on a day when folks on the other side of the world were busy enjoying fireworks to celebrate Independence Day, in a not-so-snazzy part of Kolkata – the north. I grew up in Mumbai and it is the only place I call home. But the city where I was born – where my maternal home is - holds a special place in my heart. It is where I have spent every single summer vacation, with or without my family.

For me, ‘quaint’ will always bring to mind the bottle green doors and green shuttered windows on each and every house dating back to the British Raj nestled comfortably alongside narrow lanes. It is a neighbourhood of now-crumbling 18^th and 19^th century buildings that are painted either yellow with green doors and windows or in a white-and-light blue combination.

I still remember the times when my maternal grandfather in his trademark white starched dhoti and kurta took me to buy either milk or sondesh every morning holding my tiny hands and declare with unmistakable pride to acquaintances as we passed by ‘aamar may’r may’ (my daughter’s daughter).

North Kolkata has a beauty of its own that often goes unrecognized and therefore unacknowledged. It is still largely populated with Bengalis and Marwari families that settled many generations ago to set up businesses here. One can still spot Tant saris – cotton embroidered saris that are so characteristic of Bengal - drying from pretty wrought-iron balconies, the controversial hand-pulled rickshaws and the lazy trams.

This kind of beauty may as well be an acquired taste for I know many south Calcuttans who remain unaware of this side of the city. It is of little surprise then that most tourists who are looking for a typical Kolkata experience rarely go beyond British-style buildings in Park Street and elsewhere in South Kolkata. Even the guide books have yet to discover it.

But there are a few to whom this kind of heritage matters. A foundation called Cruta – Conservation & Research of Urban Traditional Architecture – founded by a tiny group of conservationists has started organizing heritage walks through streets to educate people about the eclectic architecture at hand.

It is of course difficult to lure the youngsters from all the malls that have sprouted up in the south (that is leading to a whole new mall culture among Bengalis) to get them to walk through filth and impromptu public baths near the water mains. But it is a start.

For me though, the after-effects of spending a large part of my early childhood in Kolkata will never wear out. I remember as a second grader at the age of eight or so I dressed up in a white dhoti-and-kurta for a fancy dress competition at school looking every bit like a true Bengali Babu. I even sang an epoch-making poem by Rabindranath Tagore which was later made popular by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose - 'Ekla Chalo Re' (Walk alone).