Good morning, Bangalore!
Ho-hum! I wish the babus and their henchmen would do something different and not be so predictable. Despite innumerable stay orders, they carry on with their shenanigans. ‘They’ have become adept at bending and mutilating rules so they can carry on regardless with their main mission of looting hapless citizens. The money trail defies gravity and spirals upward, and we all know where it goes, right? They are rampantly marking trees to murder them, callously disregarding our polluted lakes, slyly trying to erect steel flyovers in any nook or corner, destroying heritage buildings, all against court orders! What really zaps me is the bureaucratic sense of entitlement that they all seem to have. They completely seem to forget the citizens who voted for them and immediately don their ‘royalty’ robes. They almost immediately become impatient, immoral and impetuous.
Recently a ‘bigwig’ of our country decided to pay us poor old ‘southies’ a visit. Our already poor infrastructure was pulled to a stretching point. Traffic snarls were endless all day for two solid days. It became impossible to get to work (unless you left at 4am) and I saw schoolchildren, adults, ambulances and cops tired, distracted and fed up! My friend, Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, is an activist and a crusader for anything that goes wrong in our city. A fellow army brat that fought long and hard for respect to be shown to our armed forces (instead of empty jingoism) was stuck in traffic with her 92-year-old father (a retired colonel and a veteran of three wars) to take him to the hospital. We have all and sundry spouting ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ and arresting people as anti-national on a whim and yet when a man worthy to spout this phrase is stuck in a car awaiting medical attention,
all because an oily politician (who probably hasn’t done anything worthwhile or seen the inside of the National Defence Academy), has brought the city to his knees with his security protocol. Who are they afraid of, huh? Well, if one is so scared of one’s own countrymen, then it’s time to introspect! If one set a fire to one’s own house, then some flames will definitely singe you. Be careful of karma… it has a bad habit of biting one in the derriere!
I spent the weekend blocking my mind to all type of ‘negativity’ (that’s a new buzzword) and concentrating on all things bright and beautiful. Call me an escapist, but a great ambiance coupled with good food always puts me in the right frame of mind! I looked forward to the pre-opening soiree of Far & East, a new pan-Asian restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel. I really enjoy intimate get-togethers where one is able to have conversations with a close group of friends over some ambrosia and food.
The staff and the GM, Fredrik Blomqvist, happily showed us the restaurant with its spectacular view from the 21st floor. We were seated on small intimate tables where the staff could serve and explain the nuances of each dish while we ate. We were pampered and feted, and with the all the beaming that was going on, it was evident that the guests were having a great time. As a die-hard Bangalorean, I was thrilled that there was another feather in our culinary cap.
Anita and Phillip Samuel are perhaps Bangalore’s most generous and prolific hosts. Anita is gregarious while Philip is endearing. Anita’s birthday bash at The Leela Palace was a blast. The Samuels believe in spoiling their guests rotten with the liquors, food and song. They even have a fleet of cars with chauffeurs ready in case their ‘happy’ guests need them to get home. We are not complaining! Till next week, complain, eat and drink!