Sundari Venkatraman's Blog, page 68

Book Review: THE INDIAN TYCOON’S MARRIAGE DEAL by Adite Banerjie

I saw that this book - The Indian Tycoon’s Marriage Deal by Adite Banerjie - had a 5-star review on Rubina Ramesh’s blog “ The Book Club ”. I love Mills & Boon and an Indian author is even better. So I bought a copy of the book at Sion Crossword and got to reading it.

I was hooked right from the beginning. Krish offers Maya a contract wedding to stop his father from running his life. Maya accepts the deal for the same reason - to thwart his father. But neither of them is aware of the other’s intention. What they don’t expect is to fall for each other.

A beautifully woven tale of romance with sensitive and sensible characters as protagonists - I loved both Krish and Maya. KD, the hero’s father, was also very realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the many descriptions of the locales, houses, décor and the landscape. I absolutely enjoyed the sizzling chemistry between the hero and heroine. Very well written book, Adite Banerjie! Hope to read more of your work.
Adite Banerjie
Congratulations!

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Click Here to check out Adite Banerjie’s website  

Politics: HOPE BLOOMS IN MY HEART

When the Anna Hazare movement happened in 2011, I felt that something could happen to finally set right the politics in India. But later, things kind of fizzled out.

When Arvind Kejriwal decided to stand for elections - without Anna Hazare’s blessings - I was also one of those people who wondered whether it was possible for Mr. Kejriwal to uproot corruption from Indian politics.

Yesterday, hope bloomed in my heart after seeing the results of the Delhi elections as well as Arvind Kejriwal’s interview with Barkha Dutt.

Click Here to see part of the interview.

The headline “Don't need character certificate from Rahul Gandhi, says Arvind Kejriwal” can be misleading. At no point was Arvind Kejriwal rude about the other politicians. He did not attack anyone personally. His one mantra was to make life easy for the common man. And I am sure all of us are able to relate to that.

I had tears in my eyes as I watched the interview. AK’s politics is very simple – to do good and to say ‘No’ to corruption. He has proved that it is possible to do well in an election without gundagardi and black money. Hats off!

I could so relate to what he said when he mentioned that it is all not about Aam Aadmi Party but the Aam Aadmi himself. Finally, there is someone who understands despite being part of the power game.

I did wonder whether it was possible for Arvind Kejriwal to take on giants like the Congress and win. Well, I am so glad that he has proved me wrong in the very first election that AAP participated in.

I look forward to the whole nation waking up! 

Travel: SAI SAGAR FOOD COURT @ SHIRDI

Just before we went for the darshan of Sai Baba on the first day at Shirdi, Venkat and I decided to have a snack at Sai Sagar Food Court which is right across the temple entrance at Gate 1.

We asked for Upma and Dosa and both were very good. We saw that they also serve two types of thali for lunch and dinner – both vegetarian.

The first one costs Rs. 50 – yeah, it’s true – and serves 2 rotis, 2 sabzis, dal, rice & pickle. The second one is a Chinese Thali costing Rs. 60 – serves rice & Manchurian gravy. We never got the time to taste either of the thalis but we saw people queuing up for them. The restaurant is very spacious and ran full during lunch and dinner hours.

Sai Sagar Food Court is attached to Sai Palace Budget Hotel that offers rooms at reasonable rates.


The snacks on sale near the pastry counterThe best part I liked about the restaurant was their confectionary. On the first day, Venkat asked for a Black Forest pastry – a medium sized piece – at just Rs. 35. It was fresh and delicious. The next day I had a Blueberry Jelly topped pastry at the same cost. It just melted in my mouth. The restaurant is a must visit for their pastries if nothing else. Simple awesome!

Travel: MTDC’S THE PILGRIMS’ INN @ SHIRDI

The Pilgrims' Inn
I have heard a lot from people about the comfortable facilities offered by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) within the state. Once before, when we visited Matheran a few years ago, we went to check out their facilities there. We were not too impressed.

The Reception - the guy there was quite helpfulAs MTDC’s The Pilgrims’ Inn is very close to Hotel Sai Moreshwar – where we stayed at in Shirdi – Venkat and I decided to check out the facilities.

Neem - the vegetarian restaurantThe Pilgrims’ Inn is quite close to Sai Baba’s Temple entrance and looked quite attractive. They have a vegetarian restaurant call Neem. I don’t know how good the food served here is.

AC room for threeWe went to check the rooms – the cheapest costing Rs. 1700 + taxes. The facilities looked good. They have a website and booking can be done way in advance too. The rates are the same whether it is during the week or during weekends.

Quite nice!

Sharing: DR. BHAU DAJI LAD MUMBAI CITY MUSEUM

Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City MuseumThere was a lecture by Dr. Kavita Singh, Art Historian attached to Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. The topic was ‘The Future of Ethnographic Museums’ and I don’t quite know what made me decide to attend. Dr. Singh’s lecture was very informative, only I could not relate much to the topic.

Prince Albert on the pedestal flanked by two lovely ladies; a bust of David SassoonI enjoyed the visit to the Industrial Arts Gallery on the ground floor of Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum . It used to be called Victoria & Albert Museum after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. A tall statue of Prince Albert on a pedestal flanked by two lovely women is placed in the centre of the hall. There are busts of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert behind the tall statue. There is also one of David Sassoon in front of the main statue.

The ceiling with a chandelier at the entranceAs I walked from the left, I saw glass cases filled with different wares created across India as well as some foreign lands.

Welcome!There were swords and shields made of iron wrought with gold and silver. This work is called Koftagiri. Bison horns were used in making different ornamentation like lampshades and more.

The main hall ceiling. Doesn't it look gorgeous?There were Ivory works from Japan & China; metal figurines from Nepal & Tibet. Lacquer ware – items made of lac looked amazing. I think these were from Kashmir.

The Art Gallery & a view of the first floor galleryThere were works from Ceylon (today called Sri Lanka), Dacca, Burma and more.

Intricate stone carving of Sun!The papier mache work was very attractive – hand painted with vegetable colours. While there were pieces from South India, those from Kashmir were the best.

Model of Bidri CraftsmanBidri work is black in colour and is made from an alloy of tin and copper. It has the advantage of never fading. Hooka bases, betel nut containers, jug and spittoon were some of the pieces on display. The Surahi was lovely.

A model of a weaver's homeThere were brass lamps collected since the Harappan period (3300-1300 BC).

A decorate hookaI will leave you to check out the rest of the items on display instead of making this a lesson in History.

Sandalwood carvingI remember visiting Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad a few years back. In fact, I have been there at least three times. Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum is the only other museum I have been to. While you cannot compare the Mumbai City Museum with the collection in Hyderabad, it was quite an interesting visit.

One of the beauties on the side of Prince Albert's statueI did not have the time to check out the first floor and the rest of the place as it was closing time. I am sure I will be visiting the place once again pretty soon.

On the way to the first floorDr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum
91 A, Rani Baug,
Veer Mata Jijabai Bhonsle Udyan,
Byculla East,
Mumbai-400027
Phone: +91 2373 1234

Visiting hours: 10 am-5.30 pm
Closed on Wednesdays

Entry:
Rs. 10 for adults
Rs. 5 for under 12
Rs. 100 for foreigners

Sharing: BULLOCK RUNS SUGARCANE JUICE MACHINE

Little Anushka with Bullock Rushi!On our way to Shani Shingnapur Shrine, we saw a number of sugarcane juice machines run by bullocks. We stopped at one such place to drink some juice. It was manned by Nanda and her 3-year-old daughter Anushka. The pretty little girl was extremely friendly and was thrilled to receive the groundnut chikki that Venkat offered her.

Nanda giving instructions to her RushiNanda persuaded her bullock Rushi to walk around the wooden machine crushing freshly cut sugarcane. She gave Rushi verbal instructions that the bullock followed perfectly. I was not too surprised as I know my cat Simba understands every word that I utter. I was glad to see that she never used a stick on her Rushi. I managed to capture the process on video.

Nanda & AnushkaWe refused her offer of ice and had the fresh juice that tasted so yummy. I believe the family of three owns one more juice machine about 15 feet away that is run by her husband Namdeo.



I asked Nanda if she will be sending little Anushka to school. She told me that her daughter would be sent to school when she was four. She also said that they lived not very far away from where they sold cane juice. The whole place was green with so many trees and fields around. I told her that they were very lucky to live amongst nature and Nanda agreed with a wide grin. Mother and daughter posed for a couple of pictures and Anushka was quite thrilled that I had taken one with her and Rushi in the same frame.

We said goodbye and left the smiling mother-daughter duo to return to Shirdi.

Film Review: GORI TERE PYAAR MEIN

Gori Tere Pyaar MeinI wish the film had been crisper with less or no songs and a tight edit

Cast: Imran Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Anupam Kher, Nizhalgal Ravi
Director: Punit Malhotra

Venkat and I were keen to see this movie and could only go this Thursday – a week after its release. We both enjoyed the film.

THE STORY

Sriram Venkat (Imran Khan) is a happy-go-lucky architect who works for his father. The Tam-Bram family lives in Bangalore. Sriram’s father is quite tired of asking him to be more responsible. That’s when the parents decide to get him married. They arrange a match with Vasudha (Shraddha Kapoor). Vasudha tells him in private that she is in love with someone else and requests Sriram to reject her. He in turn tells her to talk to her parents as he does not want to say ‘no’ to the alliance and earn his father’s wrath. The couple gets engaged. In flashback, Sriram talks to Vasudha about his broken relationship with Diya (Kareena Kapoor). Sriram’s perception changes as he talks more and more about Diya. And then he decides to run away from his own wedding…..

MY PERCEPTION

As I have mentioned in other film reviews, Imran Khan can act at times. Luckily, this is one of those films. He has done a very good job of playing the character of a guy who lives on the surface who later moves on to discover himself. Nice one, Imran!

Kareena Kapoor looks gorgeous in her role as Diya and she has also acted very well. There was a time a few years ago when I used to dread watching her films. She has come a long long way. Great work, Kareena!

Shraddha Kapoor’s role is quite small and does not have much scope. She was okay with what there was.

The story is good and the lack of violence was what I liked most about the film. Despite there being opportunities for a few fight sequences, the movie makers have steered clear of them. I am so glad for one. The concept is good and quite forward thinking. But I wish the film had been crisper with less or no songs and a tight edit. That would have kept the audience hooked. And that is probably the reason why the theatres did not run full despite the film being good.

A couple of bloopers that I could not help but notice as I am a Tam-Bram myself – a Tamil bride does not dress in a silk full skirt and synthetic half sari for her wedding. The bridegroom gets all set for Kasi Yaathirai (a trip to Kasi to give up the life of a family man) wearing his slippers – not barefoot like Imran. As he decides to go away, the bride’s father requests him to return promising a beautiful wife in the form of his own daughter. The older guy washes the groom’s feet AFTER he has been persuaded to cancel his trip to Kasi. And NOBODY eggs the bridegroom on to run away. The scene appeared quite stupid to me.

VERDICT: It’s worth a see definitely, especially if you like romance.

RANKING: ***Smart

* Silly
** Shaky
*** Smart
**** Snazzy
***** Super

Travel: HOTEL PUNNAMI @ SHIRDI

Hotel Punnami is very close to Dwarkamai & ChavadiShirdi being a pilgrimage haven, one cannot help but find a number of hotels and restaurants all around. The restaurants sell all kinds of cuisines under the sun while one can never be sure how authentic they are.

Venkat and I saw a few restaurants saying that they served South Indian Thali and Andhra meals. I was quite impressed with the Tamil boards actually. Venkat told me that they could be printed at a cost and did not necessarily mean that the meal was authentic. He was proved right pretty soon.

We walked into a restaurant run by a Maharashtrian and spoke with the manager. He explained that most of the restaurants were run by Maharashtrians and Biharis and they all sold their own versions of South Indian meals. The man was nice enough to tell us that there was one restaurant on the first floor above his that sold Andhra meals. While he also told us that the food was not great, we decided to risk it.

Are we glad that we did!

The table is set for lunchThere were huge name boards written in Telugu and we did not even know the name of the restaurant when we entered its precincts. I could not take pictures of the place or the meal that we ate as our mobiles and camera were at the temple counter.

We asked for a meal and were told that the cost was Rs. 70. This was for two vegetables, pappu (dal), sambar, rasam, rice, avakkai pickle, green chilli chutney, powder chutney and rice – all unlimited, along with a cup of curd. Everything tasted yummy if you like your food a little spicy and sour with tamarind. We loved it!

Venkat pays the bill after a hearty breakfastThe next day morning, we went back to Hotel Punnami – I managed to locate the English name board in broad daylight – and had breakfast.

It was 11 am and they were getting ready for lunch but did not mind giving us breakfast. We asked for upma and medhu vada and were disappointed when both the items turned up cold. We asked them if they could serve us something hot. Without a protest, they removed both items and offered us idli and dosa. Both came piping hot with two types of chutneys and delicious sambar. We relished the breakfast along with coffee and left the place with a satisfied stomach.

Travel: HOTEL SAI MORESHWAR @ SHIRDI

As I was planning our trip to Shirdi, I checked the internet for suitable hotels for stay. After checking the excellent ratings on www.makemytrip.com , I zeroed in on Hotel Sai Moreshwar. I found their website and realised that they also had branches at Lonavla and Pune. After finding contact numbers, I called one to find that it was a Mumbai number.

The reception at the hotelMs. Vanitha answered the phone and told me that rooms were available and I could book a double non-AC room for Rs. 1526 per day including taxes. After consulting Venkat, I booked a room for two days. I also called the other local number to check about the availability of room service, a restaurant, hot water, etc. They even have a free wi-fi connection for guests that could be used in the reception.

Our roomWe walked from the bus stand to Hotel Sai Moreshwar that was just a couple of minutes away and booked in. We were lucky to get the rates that we did as walk-in guests usually pay Rs. 1700 + taxes for the same room. I went to check the rooms – they have regular and deluxe, which is with a balcony. All the rooms have air-conditioners and we could use one of them without using the AC there as the weather was quite pleasant.

Venkat relaxing on the bedThe room we booked into – No. 302 – was very comfortable and quite big. The bathroom was also large and the best was the availability of hot water round the clock.

I have to mention that the service was excellent. They provided us with fluffy towels on both days, cleaned up the room very well and room service was very prompt.

The food was not too badThe food at their in-house Restaurant Sai Maurya was good, not great. We had only a couple of meals there.

When we planned a trip to Shani Shingnapur, the hotel manager had the AC car booked for us at a reasonable rate.

All in all, we totally enjoyed the stay at Hotel Sai Moreshwar that is located barely a few minutes from Shirdi Temple.

Click Here to find out more about the hotel and contact numbers for booking. 

Travel: A VISIT TO SHANI SHINGNAPUR

Lord Shani!
I have heard about Shani Shingnapur from a number of people. The thing that most struck me was what I had heard about houses having no doors as the people felt quite safe under the protection of Lord Shani. Venkat had visited the shrine once before.

The entranceWe hired a car on Tuesday morning and went to Shani Shingnapur. The temple is about 70 km from Shirdi. The only problem is that half the distance is covered on horrible roads. The driver took more than an hour to traverse the tortured 30 km and then another forty five minutes for the rest of the distance. We reached the town at around 12.15 pm after a scenic drive full of green fields. I managed to see grapevines, sugarcane fields, flowering plants and a farm full of brinjal plants.

Bullock carts loaded with sugarcaneWe passed by a number of bullock carts loaded with freshly cut sugarcane that was being carted to a nearby sugar factory.

Near the car parkI just loved seeing all those wooden sugarcane juice machines that were being run by bullocks. I insisted on stopping at one to have fresh cane juice on our return journey.

That's me at the entranceWe reached the temple area and parked the car. Many vendors approached us to sell til oil and flower trays. They also insisted that Venkat should not wear a leather belt and that we should remove our footwear right there. Venkat had already had an experience of walking a long distance on the hot roads without slippers during his earlier trip. He refused to remove either his footwear or belt and told me that we should go on till someone officially stopped us.

This majestic king of the forests was guarding the entranceNo one did, actually! We had to walk for about 5-6 minutes to reach the temple complex. I was so relieved to see that there were no rules here at Shani Shingnapur. We left our footwear at a counter manned by the temple employees and walked into the temple with our mobiles and my camera. There was no one to tell me not to take pictures. It was a joy to walk in. While there was a crowd, there were no snaking lines. We all had the freedom to walk in and take darshan to our hearts’ content. The stone – a swayambhu – depicting Lord Shani is placed in the centre of a compound with a metal railing. One could walk around and pray at will. There were a couple of security personnel who just kept a watch without interfering. There were a few pundits ready to offer pooja if anyone was interested.

For meditationWe walked up to the deity and prayed peacefully for a few minutes. Then we walked around the compound, checking out the different counters.

Venkat chanting 'OM'There were two tall structures where one could meditate. While they were not in the shape of pyramids, they had a high ceiling and Venkat’s voice echoed when he chanted OM a few times. It was nice!

Farmers and cattle relaxing after delivering sugarcane to the factory
There is a huge garden in the front. We sat there for a few minutes before leaving the temple, totally satisfied with Shani Bhagavan’s darshan.

A house without a doorWe left the temple to visit the village by car, checking out the houses. It was amazing to see that they really had no doors. Some of them had curtains while the others not even that. I managed to click a couple of pictures of this incredible phenomenon.