Great

Eternal words that make you feel cherished!

I got a card from CaratLane with these lines...they were lovely enough to share.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Celebrate with drinks on the house

Do you fancy a drink James Bond style - shaken and not stirred? Or want to imagine your on the deck of a luxury cruise ship drinking champagne? Sip it and meditate over the future or get nostalgic about the past. Either way, having a bar at home might appeal to your finer instincts and get your imagination going as well!

Putting together a shot of whisky over rocks after a hard day at work is such bliss. It’s also easier to put together. Besides, if you don’t know how to mix your martini with a twist of lemon, then there are a lot of websites that come to your rescue.

But what’s a lot harder is how do you find the space in your home to put a bar in, in the first place. With homes being priced by the precious square feet parameter, every corner of a home is utilized to the utmost. So, putting together an elaborate bar is not an option for many people. But, if you are the type who frequently entertains, then you simply can’t do without one.

If space constraints and a tight budget are what’s keeping you from becoming popular with your boss and colleagues, then fear not, there are cheaper and innovative options for you.

First, use space inventively. All architects will tell you this, that a corner that can’t accommodate any huge piece of furniture, could be used to install a recessed bar. A niche in the wall with a simple pane of frosted glass can be just as effective as anything more showy.

A trolley, the kind that some people use to wheel in breakfast- in-bed or on which they have snacks, while watching a movie at home with friends, well, this is just perfect to be wheeled around your apartment, as and when needed, and after use, it can be tucked in neatly into a corner.

An architect, Shilpa Kushe says she had space constraints in her own home, so she got a counter made, on top of which she’s put a lamp and some knick knacks. But when guests come over, the counter-top is cleared off, the lamp is turned on and out comes the bar – from the open corner of the counter.

She’s fixed it so snugly into the corner that it looks like a solid chunk – a closed floor to waist level cabinet. But when you pull out the trolley, it comes out smoothly on castor wheels - out of the side of the unit. A clever use of space and she has a custom-made piece of furniture, that she can use for various purposes. She says, any carpenter can make this within Rs 3,000 - Rs 5,000.

Again, this is for those on a very lean budget. Using materials that are easy to wash or wipe clean and something that is scratch resistant, should be the first priority. Using wood is a good idea but just a polished granite slab or a marble top will give an ordinary counter, a classy feel.

Kushe has another option for people who don’t want to hunt for a carpenter and then shop for materials. She told moneycontrol, “Stores like Bombay Stores have readymade wine racks that are small enough to be put on a dining table or even a kitchen counter. This isn’t a bar but it serves the purpose of keeping your wine in an accessible place, rather than in the back of a cupboard.”

“Also with all the glassware being in the kitchen. The portable rack can be put right next to it. So, you have everything within easy reach. Though, this will keep the liquor out of sight of guests and may tie you down away from the fun, but then you can give guests access to your kitchen and let them help themselves.”

Actually, that won’t be such a bad idea at all. Ofcourse, plan on spending a little more on keeping a well stocked selection of drinks. It doesn't have to be vintage wines or aged cognac because these don't come cheap. But all the same, there are Indian brands like Sula Wines and Indage, that are producing good white, red and sparkling wines. Buy your labels sensibly.

With such abandoned access to free liquor, your guests won’t mind mixing their own cocktails. You might also win approval for being such a free and generous spirit!


Written for www.moneycontrol.com

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Look sexy in La Moda's ultra cool clothes

Are you looking for exclusive clothes to wear that no one has got their jewelled fingers on yet? Those daringly low necklines for that cocktail party or a sequinned top for a night of clubbing - if this is the sort of thing your are looking for, then Mumbai has got to welcome a new entrant.

La Moda will soon be in Mumbai, once a minor issue of space is resolved and Leena Sekhawat can get started. She is an importer and exporter of clothes and is based in Milan. She plans to bring down a range of clothes from various Italian boutiques, that she sources from.

She was briefly down for three days to scout for business and a sneak peak at the clothes proves that she's got great taste. So people, you know where to head once she sets up her own boutique.

Unfortunately, she's going to be dressing up female bodies only, so men will have to stick to their tried and tested wardrobe!

There were flowery dresses, an A-line, lime coloured, combination of crepe-tulle fabric skirt, tops with assymetrical cuts and sizzlingly seductive necklines. There were short playful skirts and Elvis Presley in his element on a sleeveless, sequinned top.

Then there were wrap tops in blue, green and pink. Snazzy front tie-ups ending at the hip or a longer one that hugged the silhouette, was also there for women with gym-toned figures to flaunt.

Then there were hip hugging pants with the maximum waist size being 30 inches, and shimmery belts to complete the party look. To round off the hip look, La Moda also had some handbags, but she could do with expanding the range a little bit.

But Leena has plans to dress up TV channel anchors and not your typical Page 3 types, though even they are welcome to buy her clothes. She told moneycontrol, "These clothes are for people with good bodies. In Italy, people wear far more daring things." She hopes Indians can carry off her clothes well.

If dressing daringly is what Indian women have been waiting for, to declare that they have arrived, then they know where to go, the next time Leena Sekhawat is in town.

For enquiries e-mail Leena Sekhawat at: lsekhawat@yahoo.com
Written for www.moneycontrol.com

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

The Lankan Fantasy

Endless white seashores edged by groves of coconut trees ran for miles, parallel to the road we were driving down, from Colombo to Bentota. Sri Lanka is the ‘Emerald Isle’ of South Asia and with good reason. For me, as an Indian, Sri Lanka is a two hour flight to the south and because this country features prominently in one of our epics – the Ramayana, as the kingdom of the demon-king Ravana. But in Sri Lanka itself, there is no sign of him. He is neither feared or revered; he could as well be declared absconding! The real reason being, the Sri Lankans do not consider their country to be the abode of Ravana that the Ramayana describes and calls ‘Lanka’. Hence, there is no acknowledgement of Ravana having interfered in India’s domestic policy even back then! But as we fly over the north of Sri Lanka, the pilot urges us to look out of the windows to our right and points out the remains of the ancient bridge connecting the two countries. The same bridge, over which Lord Ram led an army into Lanka to rescue his wife, Sita, who was abducted by subterfuge by Ravana. Besides myths and legends, Sri Lanka and India sport lots of similarities, while the dissimilarities are stark and obvious. We seem to share an abundant coastline, a rich culture, love of scrumptious seafood and people with happy, sunny dispositions. But there the similarities end. Another interesting facet is the hundreds of statues of Buddha which dot the country. These ranged from small statues encased in glass to monoliths placed in strategic places. They were made of a bewildering range of metals – bronze, copper, gold-plated ones to marble, terracotta and plaster of Paris. The bigger ones were enclosed in open verandah like structures, so visitors could step up for a closer look. The walls were usually painted with stories that illustrated Lord Buddha’s life in pictures. No inch of free space was wasted. Beautiful murals instead of bare walls give Colombo and many parts of Sri Lanka, a very chic and bohemian look. With intelligent use of space, Sri Lankans have etched the life and times of their presiding deity for the contemplation of all. Thus, keeping at bay, graffiti and ugly paint jobs. Even with Lord Buddha peering over everyone and everything, secularism in architecture is really the order of the day. 

Shopping malls have an eclectic, ‘anything-goes’ style. Odell, the premier shopping mall is actually a refurbished Dutch mansion, with the façade painted a chaste white while inside is fusion of designs. Well-appointed rooms lead off from one to another with wood finished parquet floors with palm trees lined up in the middle of the building that opens up to a high skylight. A French patisserie that is all homely wood serves delicious, freshly baked croissants, coffee and smoothies. The display area showed Scandinavian influences – with sleek steel, open-faced display racks that have been well spaced out, showing off clothes and books to advantage. Shoppers could move around the display area instead of being hemmed in by a counter or other shoppers. Some recessed, well lit niches held handbags, books and CDs. Everything seemed to belong and fit seamlessly into one another, despite the difference in style. 

After we land in Colombo and drive across the city, I realize this just could not be Mumbai. The architecture differs by far. Both cities are commercial capitals of their respective countries, but the British influence is felt in our Mumbai's Gothic buildings that we inherited after Independence. In Colombo, the architecture is Art Deco and sometimes Classical or just plain whimsical. Dutch influences are everywhere, but so are British names, which live to this day. I drove through Colombo's exclusive Cinnamon Gardens enclave, where the foreign embassies are located and saw plaques with names like Barnes Road, Kinsey Road and Norton Road. This was an absolutely delightful, quiet and verdant section of the city – more along the lines of Colaba than Breach Candy. The city’s skyline has not been cluttered with skyscrapers. But the buildings compete to outdo each other with grandiose spires, temples on the terrace, or elevators on the outside façade of the buildings. Only on one occasion did I see a staircase in front of a shopping mall that extended perpendicularly from the second floor and dropped from there in a sinuous twist – it was designed to look like a curvy coconut tree trunk! Across the entire city, buildings did not go beyond the third floor. Each section had a very distinctive look. The Cinnamon Gardens area was all white stone and tiled roof with intricately carved lintel and lovely wrought iron balconies and gates. Most shopping malls were two-storey glass affairs that blazed a vivid yellow, airy blue or electric red, depending on the colour of the reflective films they were coated with and imparted that crazy-fun atmosphere. I even saw buildings painted in eclectic shades of blue, red and yellow or a three-tone colour scheme of just kaleidoscopic purple. I’m referring to only one building here which was painted three shades or three different colours! It did make for a visual feast that remains in one’s memory. 

Apart from the splash of colours, the Sri Lankans are good at clever and innovative use of space. I passed by a little cottage abutting the main road in Kalutara, a small village on the way to Bentota (which is their premium beach area). I saw a man standing in a giant oval shaped photo frame! When I took a closer look, I realized that was his door. It had been cut into the stone exterior of his cottage in a perfect oval and the doorway was framed by wood trim that was painted a green colour. 

In Galle, the southern-most point of Sri Lanka, a mansion called the Historical Mansion/ Museum that belonged to a Dutch officer has been renovated and is maintained by the Sri Lankan Tourism Department. Here, the high wood ceilings and floors have been saved from termites and vandalism. The museum does have a good collection of ancient telephones, cameras, utensils, lamps and jewellery used in earlier eras. Behind the mansion, a courtyard that seems inundated with lush vegetation is hemmed in by wooden galleries on the remaining three sides. These are living quarters for the artisans who craft exquisite jewellery for the export market and work from here. I did not see any hint of unseemly extensions or deletions in the décor. The artisans seemed to be aware of the importance of the place they called home. In Sri Lanka, transport is mostly by SUVs and MUVs (multi-utility vehicles) of foreign makes like Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Honda and Mazda. That is one reason why Sri Lanka looks and feels richer than India. Having much cleaner streets and completely paved pavements, than India, also adds to the country’s appeal. Sri Lanka has taken the effort to go all out to impress tourists and make it idyllic and as safe as possible. 

I passed by gardens that overflowed with foliage. Lush bougainvillaea, exotic orchids and frangipani that grows wild in the fertile Sri Lankan soil. Hibiscus in an unusual cream colour peeked out over most people’s garden walls and gulmohars bloomed everywhere. In one garden, I saw a unique installation. The family had knocked out all the windows of their redundant SUV, stripped it off seats, engine, chassis and tyres and kept only the shell in their garden and had put clothes out to dry, where earlier the windows had been. It was such a eye-poppingly different garden ornament. Though, at first glance, it also looked like the van had just been abandoned by its occupants who had left their clothes behind in a hurry! Homes have their own striking individuality seeping from their core. Apart from funky garden installations and photo-frame doors, there was another home which caught my eye. This one was innocuous enough in its design; just that the patch of grass in front of the house looked like the owner had a private zoo on his premises! He had carved life-like elephants, leopards and put them up in his garden. I later learnt, that he used this great marketing ploy to get people to notice his property, stop by and shop there for those pieces of wonderful, carved wildlife. Ingenuity combined with business acumen makes for a very enlivening landscape, that is called Sri Lanka. Written for Architecture magazine (Belonging to the Council of Architecture, India) Photos are the author's personal ones. So copyright protected.

Meeting Lord Shiva in Murudeshwar

Goa is known for its beaches, afternoon siestas, cashew feni and bebinca (a special Goan dessert) but not many know of Mangalore, which is conveniently tucked between Goa and Kerala. In comparison with the other two locations, which are better known and much explored, there is a certain rustic charm about Mangalore. Tourists have to still discover the untouched beaches here and they are unlikely to, because these places will be only known to the people in the know - someone like me - for whom Mangalore is a 'native place'.

What a pity, but it's a situation that the locals are not in a hurry to change. Well, Goans are used to having tourists in their midst, but Mangaloreans have yet to see the hordes pour in. They are content to carry on without having to put up with semi-naked (sometimes completely naked) foreigners flock to their beaches. The pace of life has remained unchanged. True, there are far more vehicles plying between villages and no bullock carts, but bus stops are in the heart of busy markets, where fresh produce is spread out for the eyes to linger on and the mouth to savour, later on.

But with the Konkan Railway cutting across the length of the Konkan Coast, there is much more to explore than ever before. This railway line is a mammoth operation, winding through hills and makes its way into and out of 12 tunnels and over rivers and pretty little villages. Along this line, is a village called Murudeshwar. One has to travel a few kilometres into the interior and suddenly, you can smell saltwater in the air. That's when you know, you are nearing a beach and it is one of the many hidden, jewel-like stretches of sand with noticeably fewer people, than would have been the case, had this been a popular beach resort.

At one corner is a hotel built right on the water, with restaurants on three separate floors. So, this a lovely family picnic spot with people going on innocent boat rides for kicks. Water scooters and other aqua sports have yet to haunt this place. But as you round a corner, you see a church and Shiva temple, opposite the beach. So people can combine religion with a great day outdoors. There is temple gopuram coming up which is 24 floors high and since we are on an upward slope, the workers on the facade of the temple look like ants scurrying around. But what comes up next is huge and breath-takingly awesome.

As the car finally comes around the last curve, we see the Shiva statue, which has been built out of a single stone found right there in the sea! The statue looks to be at least 100 feet high but carved with so much attention to detail - the long shapely fingers, intricately knotted hair, the serpent coiled around its neck and the tiger skin he's seated on.
Then we realise, there are more of these life-size statues of Gods and demons around this central statue. There was also a beautiful chariot being driven by a hero of one of the epics. It was Krishna driving Arjun to do battle with his cousins, the Kauravas. This was a scene from the Mahabharat.

What's astounding is that this complex winds up from the beach and climbs up a steep incline, on the very edge of which is the Shiva statue. Towards the seaward side, a railing cordons off visitors from pitching into the sea below. Work is still in progress here, as stone masons are busy at work, carving the many stories, that our culture abounds in, into the walls of the hillock on which the Shiva statue is seated. Tourists are still allowed to go around and take a look, free of cost. Who knows, once it's completely done, tourists may have to pay to view these marvels.

This is one beach with attractions of a different kind!

Facts: There is a guest house in the complex besides the hotel on the water. Also present is an exhibition hall on the beach. This is not a state government initiative but a private one! The builder is a construction magnate named RN Shetty, who also helped build part of the Konkan Express Railway line. The idols, though, have been carved by Kashinath & Sons.

Written for www.dancewithshadows.com

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Village by the sea; Mangalore

Gentle surf comes tumbling up to the shore and washes over your feet – your own foot bath. The water is clean and cooling. The boat is gliding towards me in a haze of mist. Polished wood slicing through water and making its way to where we are standing and the mists clear a bit, so I can see old Sheena’s face, a little more clearly. He is the fisherman who ferries passengers back and forth.

He spots us waiting on the stone pier and his sun-creased face breaks into a broad smile as he sees us waiting for our ride, as it were. We are his renegade visitors from Bombay whom he saw every year during the holidays. The boat washes up as close as possible to us but we wade out to greet it like the pros we have become after years of visiting grandma. Across from us is her island – a home that she’s known since she was 15 years old and came there as a wide-eyed bride. Her beautiful long hair had allegedly mesmerised my grandpa and that is how she came to be his blushing bride. He took her away to his private space – the island. Now in her 70s, she knows no other home.

We climb into the boat and the helpful kolis (fisherfolk) help with the luggage and then clamber on. They chat with my mother because they have known her since she was a little girl and know everything about her family. Deep, dark secrets don’t stay hidden on the island, they just become part of folk lore. These people have long memories and remember my generous great grandpa very well because he was something of a landed gentry here.

My great grandfather was able to feed his family off the fruits of the earth – literally. There was always a year’s supply of rice which was stored in round casks made of coir. This was lugged out of the attic as and when the stores in the kitchen diminished. Two people were needed to haul it down and the rice grains were fresh as ever and remained untouched by vermin. No state-of-the-art storage requirements needed here.

Fresh coconuts were plucked to be served to visitors. The sweet, cold taste of freshly sliced coconuts still tingles my tongue. Every part of the coconut is used – the coconut milk is like alchemy in fish gravies, the tender meat is for garnishing chicken masala or any of the seafood that was cooked. The husks were used to light the stove in the ancient kitchen. The dried palm fronds were made into mats and all weather coverings for windows and also made very versatile awnings over doorways.

Our family also had boats to give out to the fishing community and they paid us in kind. So, we had a succulent and fresh catches of the day delivered to our doorstep. My mother has never tasted better seafood anywhere else since. I call that being spoilt for choice!

The island approaches and we have to get off on a sandy bed because it is the dry time of the year. The luggage is merrily hoisted on many other shoulders apart from ours and people march on with it. They know exactly where to drop of it off and besides we need to keep our balance and not tumble into the water. But what they don’t know is that by then I’ve become almost like them. I can jump into boats and off them and wade through shifting sands in knee-deep water with a bag on my shoulder in skintight jeans. It’s the jeans which fools them. My mother worries that if I do tumble overboard, the heavy denim will drag me down and not keep me afloat. Oh mothers!

My grandmother is there now waiting for us at the top of the stone steps, cut into the side of the island in perfect symmetry. She knows we are here because the luggage got to her before we did. And the neighbours gather too for a warm welcome. My uncle climbs down to help us and we all walk into my grandma’s waiting arms.

We are all examined for damages, if any and then led through a coconut grove to the first yellow painted house. For years it was not called anything but the Christmas cards I sent always got there on time. Now it is named after my cousin – Marina Villa. The sand is soft and wet, bare feet sink as if on a luxurious Persian carpet. The sweet water well with the sign of the cross, which my great grandfather dug is there where it will always be – immovable. It’s got a cemented porch kind of area, where the neighbours come to sit and talk while taking turns at the pulley! This is where the gossip flows and plans are made. This is also where I’ve taken a cold shower plenty of times, especially after a hectic day on the beach, on the other side of the island. We avoid trailing sand into the house as much as possible because no one keeps their homes shut and therefore sand gets in anyway. But I’ve yet to see an unclean house or courtyard.

So after lazying around on the beach, I go to the well and clean off. I know how to work the pulley very well but my mother must have told them to keep me away from the edge in case I decide to take a better look inside! So the women keep pulling up pots of fresh water and pouring it over my head. On hot summer days, this is the closest you could get to nirvana.

The spirit of community is so great that people drop by to share meals without any formalities involved. There is always extras to go around. If there is a wedding, communion, confirmation or even a funeral, everyone pitches in to cook and help the family. Weddings especially can be fun because the ribbing and teasing starts long before the wedding night. With a houseful of relatives and neighbours, it's hard for the poor bride/groom to get away for a moment to themselves.

There was a time when, even wedding feasts were cooked at home entirely. I remember when my uncle and aunts got married, how the chicken dishes and idlis were made at home, in huge vats. This was possible because everyone showed up 2-3 days earlier and skinned chicken, diced vegetables, ground rice and masalas by hand. All this was accomplished by an efficient division of labour and done all through the night, accompanied by music and ribald jokes!

Men skinned, cleaned and cut meat - chicken, mutton, pork, while women ground spices and rice. All this was done in the huge open courtyard, often with kerosene lanterns and moonlight for company. I've been there and know what fun this is and what kind of camaraderie people shared. Now, ofcourse, the catered buffet has spread to Mangalore as well.

Most people enjoy Christian weddings because they serve alcohol, while other communities in India don't even serve non-vegetarian food. So, most children too sneak a sip or two of harder drinks that they would normally be forbidden. But it also goes without saying, that later on, alcoholism seems to strike many people - both men and women - though more men have fallen victim than women. Doing anything in a low-key manner is not an Indian tradition and drinking is one of them!

Here days begin early as cows have to be milked and then taken out to pasture and cowsheds cleaned. Then courtyards are swept energetically and water is fetched. Tea is prepared with hot dosas or idlis with tangy coconut chutney. Every meal is a rice-based gastronomic affair because that is the staple grain here. So you will never see chapatis being cooked in a traditional Mangalorean household. The same goes for urban breakfasts that consist upma, cornflakes, fruits etc. My grandma would think we were snacking on junk food! Fruits were always for after meals or if necessary in between meals if you were hungry. Farm fresh eggs from our own hens were always there and they tasted divine. Warm buns and loaves of new, succulent baked bread with just a hint of sweetness was always on the table because somebody always went across the river to the bakery before we kids even rolled over in our sleep.

Then everyone trooped out to the fields for the second time in the day before it got too hot to work. They returned around 11.00 am to have a mid-morning meal of thick brown rice stewed in its own water, some vegetables with grated coconut which was tasty in its simplicity, some home-made mango pickle and sun-dried jackfruit or chilli papads patiently made by an aunt over the summer months, just in time for us to descend in hordes and devour them. The brown rice would also be laced with ghee (clarified butter) got from our cows. My grandma would bring out this huge jar from her storeroom of delicious, yellow-coloured ghee and liberally pour it for everyone. I later learnt the secret to my grandma’s cooking – the taste was so phenomenal because she cooked everything in this pure ghee as opposed to vegetable oils bought from shops. My mother and aunts have inherited this habit from her. Only today, it is not unusual for my mother to come back from her trips to Mangalore with cans of pure coconut oil which is judiciously used over more than a year.

Everyone is so ecologically aware of how to use the resources around them to the maximum, there is a lesson here for us city folks. Coconuts would be taken across the river to the oil mill. The rice would also be milled across the river. Toddy, a fermented drink got from the coconut would be taken to the opposite side of the island, on the sea side because this is where the fisherfolk and the toddy tappers lived and they make toddy in huge vats over wood fires. Actual, freshly brewed toddy tastes like well, Irish coffee. That is the closest description I can think of. With just a taste of something other than coconut in the drink. Just like Baileys Irish cream never overwhelms the coffee but complements it.

The salty air does whip up an appetite and the days are spent lolling in the fields or going for boat rides around the island or chugging on a motorized launch with fishermen. These fishermen operate on the seaward side of the island and therefore they don’t upset the rhythm of my grandma’s or her neighbours’ households. The fishermen sometimes set out at night to do a spot of fishing and I’ve heard them sing as they mend their nets on the beach before setting out. With just paraffin wax lanterns lighting their way and the stars guiding them on their journey, the boats look like so many fireflies out on the water. With the river on one side (where Sheena’s ferry service operates), the paddy fields in between and the sea on the other side, this is Kodi – my private island in Mangalore, in every sense of the word.


Written for Jetwings