Political correctness has reached a crescendo in this new-wave ideology and the clarity in communication is frankly daunting! As a communication corporate speaker, using humour to bang home a point has its own limitations. I totally understand that crass and plebeian humour and conveying information can be polished, but now one doesn’t understand who takes offence at what! Move over Gen Alpha. Here comes Gen Beta with a vengeance. So in between all the new Gen Z words, my ‘vibe’ looked so ‘drip’ and I was ready to be ‘GOAT’! Ask me what I’m talking about and I will ask you to reference the ‘new-kid-on-the-block’…Chat GPT! All my grammar, enunciations and pronunciations has turned to ‘naught’ as every blogger, influencer, and their ilk have suddenly started writing with (tongue in the cheek) quotes and their writing style is flawless! Only like every machine, ChatGPT too, starts sounding familiar after a while till one update the darn thing!
I was getting the usual yearly tests done for the family as our friendly insurance company demands it, and lo and behold! The doctors who I have cultivated for years and who picked up my phone call on the first ring were all avoiding my gaze. I wondered what had happened till a little bird told me that the doctors were fed up with patients armed with their little micro-processors who asked questions that needed a medical school education to understand! My doctor even has a plaque which says, ‘Please don’t confuse my medical degree with your Google degree’!
Fancy degrees notwithstanding, a fancy soiree was on everyone’s lips. My good friend, the very dapper besuited corporate lawyer Sajai Singh and his ‘drip’ (meaning beauteous in Gen Z) wife Sapna both ‘slayed’ at their own bash. Everyone who was someone was at Lupa to celebrate Sajai’s landmark birthday. The restaurant abounded with ‘gigachad’ men, and women who were ‘snack’. The whole town brought their ‘swag’ and ‘vibe’ to this party. Designer clothes, bags, ‘sun flares’ and jewellery were discreetly worn and it was mesmerising to see so many beautiful and notable personages languidly sipping prosecco and biting on their hors de oeuvres. Just my kind of vibe! Sajai’s family and friends had flown down from different corners of the land and the bonhomie and affection was clearly visible. Chef Manu Chandra runs that restaurant impeccably and the elegance showed in the service, the stupendous food and the ‘rizz’(charisma) was evident!
We lucked out over the weekend as we were invited to The Oberoi’s ‘Lapis Conversations’ chapter 3, The Calcutta Chronicles. These evenings foster conversations about cuisine with dialogue and ideas from the worlds of art and culture. Chapter 3 dealt with the sights, smells and sounds of my childhood… Calcutta. The evening was hosted by writer Sumana Mukherjee and chefs Anirban Dasgupta and Chandrani, who skilfully reimagined the city’s food profile through a seven-course nostalgic journey. They drew their culinary influences from the Mughal era, Bengali-traditions and the colonial ascendancy. I was so impressed by a number of ‘non-Bongs’ (including hubby-dearest) at the table who adeptly mastered the mustard flavours and the famous Hilsa fish! We spent a lovely languid evening, dripping with nostalgia, childhood memories and an unspoken love for the grand dame city, ‘Kolkata’.
I count my blessings every day…living a life that is whole, complete and full. The Bong in me has taken over and soon I shall burst into song!
(The writer’s views are personal)