BENGALURU: Another year is nearly coming to an end, and this time we can honestly say that we ‘don’t know where it went’! Things haven’t changed all that much, and a false bonhomie abounds. As humans, we are predictable. Either we are overly cautious or we throw all caution to the winds. The people who suffer from this fallout are the motley crew of cautious yet daring people who work and play keeping in mind that there is a pandemic still raging outside.
I think I fall into the third category, struggling to staying afloat amongst the adrenaline junkies who live dangerously and have no regard for anyone else’s opinion or safety. Parties, events and the like are on in full swing. The party planners are all popping out of the woodwork, sending invitations for the launch or re-launch of new stores, bars, restaurants, nail-cutting salons and ‘the opening of a brown paper bag’ as my good and popular (unnamed) friend would say! The funny part is that all the ‘inviters ’ assume a higher moral ground than their colleagues.
Each one vying with each other by sending expensive gifts (read freebies), bad-mouthing and claiming they come from lofty antecedents when in truth no one knows or cares! If an invitation or a gift comes directly from the owners or partners of a store, hotel or restaurant, I readily concur that it is a great way of keeping in touch with your ‘paying’ customers, but otherwise… calm the ‘freebie’ down!
Since I have done nothing but eaten, loved and prayed (fervently) for the last nine months, it has been kind of ‘heady’ to go out for a bit. That is my 2.0 version of living dangerously! Most people are trying very hard to go back to ‘the way we were’. For as many invitations that I have accepted, I have politely turned down double. ‘Barely’ wearing masks and immediately entering into an intimate ‘ghus-phus’ session is a wee bit scary. And when questioned about maintaining social distancing, the cretins whine about not being able to hear the next person clearly!
Even then I celebrated Hanukkah at The Taj West End at the invitation of the new Consul-General of Israel, Jonathan Zadka. He and his wife Hila hosted an elegant soiree where there was a cultural exchange of traditional foods between chef Sandeep and chef Shaun from Israel via a Zoom call. It’s amazing how similar our cuisines are!
The Leela Palace was on my agenda quite often this fortnight, mostly because the staff is friendly and polite and every guest feels safe with all protocols in place. My son Adnan and I shot a vlog there as a part of his Loud Gay Brown and Totally honest series, where despite the presence of many guests, the staff was on their toes maintaining social distancing and mask protocols. The ‘fam-jam’ lunch, where my sister and my kids flew down from all over the world just to celebrate beingwith each other was superb!
The food ranging from grills, Indian, Asian and a charcuterie table groaning under the weight of all that food, was truly uplifting. The Sunday Brunch at ITC Gardenia was everything this season needs to bring cheer into our hearts. The family lounged at the Lotus Pavilion as the staff made us all feel special. The biryani and kebabs, the Middle-Eastern delicacies of shawarmas and wraps, the Southeast Asian dim-sums and gyozas and the platters of sushi and sashimi washed down with champagne was a sublime experience. Here’s hoping we have a safe year with no more political U-turns…