BENGALURU: Good morning Bangalore! I can add a Namaskara, a cheery Hola or any other form of greeting you wish, but for heaven’s sake people calm down! It’s been a particularly hot week with particularly hot topics of discussions occupying cyber space and our living rooms. Angst was ‘virtually’ creeping right into our homes. So, who do we blame? The heat, our depleting green cover,(God! I’m sounding like a stuck record), basic intolerance to anything that shakes our safe cocoons, or a myriad of other problems? I blame it all on ‘Auntyji’!
Auntyji, who is now an internet sensation, stormed into our lives by accosting a couple of young girls in a mall in Gurugram indignantly shaking her multiple chins at their short dresses. Not only that, she proceeded to exhort a couple of young men to rape them for dressing in such a way! The gutsy young ’uns followed her into a store, all the while video recording her on their mobile phones demanding an apology and rightly so. This post went viral and understandably created a furore in the country, and many discussions were had even in our placid city. I was fortunately (or unfortunately) a part of said discussion, where I was invited to be a part of the panel which comprised people from different walks of life, including a senior bureaucrat. The said bureaucrat was a raving misogynist! I was amazed that he did the very same thing! He too, shook his multiple chins at the quavering audience and thundered that they must keep their daughters in check! There are very few times that I am left speechless and this was one of them.
He had the gumption to say ‘rape’ was a direct outcome of women dressing provocatively because…wait for it…’Bayz will be bayz!’ The shell-shocked women looked at me for a retort, but I was too busy breathing fire from my nostrils and looking like an enraged dragon to respond immediately. I did retort, and I am happy to say his quivering, indignant double chins were victory enough for me.
But all work and no play makes me lose my sense of humour.I am unashamedly fond of my creature comforts and happily indulge in them when the opportunity arises. A beautiful new hotel The Four Seasons has recently thrown open its swanky doors for the discerning Bangaloreans and since I was invited to partake in an informal lunch with a couple of other people of Bangalore, how could I refuse.
Needless to say it’s a jewel in the crown and everything from the ambience to the food to their charming general manager, Fredric Blomqvist, was a delight. The fact that their ‘dishy’ executive chef, Stephan Calvet, was as appetising as their food, was a bonus! Our much loved homeboy, Manu Chandra, and restaurant czar, A D Singh, are good friends of mine, and their past associations in running restaurants together have met with huge successes. They have changed the diaspora of eating out in our ‘ooru’. They have introduced so many cuisines from all over the world and we are loving it! Cantan, their newest baby is an ‘authentic’ Chinese restaurant. A swish address in CBD, great food with a happening bar... the Trimurti of success in my books! We attended a soiree replete with ‘auld’ Bangalore (read as; guests who are sophisticated, charming and have a three generation lineage behind them) and had ourselves a really wonderful time. Sigh! I do wish there were more such intimate events. The cacophony and noise gets to moi.
Overcrowded parties where the food and ambrosia run out is definitely not kosher. Loud parties and louder discussions are slowly ebbing away at our city’s charming soul. So chill madi and peace out folks.
Till the next time, ciao!
RubiNATIONS
Rubi Chakravarti
writer, actor and funny girl