BENGALURU: Oh goody! We are back in business both locally and internationally. Humans thy name is vanity and stupidity. We have successfully obliterated the two horrendous years of our lives and started (re)living our lives with a manic zeal!
Take me, for instance. I can barely keep up with our nightly shenanigans. Sometimes it is two places in one night! The very same masked crusader (moi), is making up for lost time with a vengeance. The slightly older ones have a sense of pessimism. What exactly are we saving ourselves for? Why venture into an altered world with greying hair, arthritis and a sense of not belonging? No, thank you! I’d rather be
relevant now than redundant later.
Whereas the young ’uns are restless. They are getting married, having babies and saying; ‘a colourful expletive’ you! They know that money alone cannot buy them a life or happiness. Many of them have been left orphaned and now our society is dangerously veering towards something akin to William Golding’s terrifying book, Lord of the Flies! I remember having this conversation at Whiskey Ambassador Sandeep Arora’s exclusive connoisseur whiskey tasting dinner at JW Marriott.
A couple of us were discussing the changed scenario of having a world bereft of older folk and the narrative changing to a younger one. Some of us firmly believed that the old must give way to a younger world seen with a fresh perspective; but there was a lot to be said about an argument of losing a mature and an experienced voice too. I sincerely hope we can strike a balance.
So as most of the world took a neutral stance on the beginning of what could possibly be WW3, many decided to play ‘frog in the well’. The impending forecast of a deadly fourth wave seemed like more forbidding news. Looking at it cold-heartedly, what’s the point of saving the world for another Cardi-V attack? Shaking off my gloomy reverie, I wound my way to a friend’s son’s restaurant Taki-Taki. A lovely ‘tasting’ table of delectable SE Asian fare, good friends and great cocktails always lifts my spirits.
Young adults always surprise and charm me alike! The Christ University hotel management students did that over the weekend. Their annual networking dinner could rival any world-class formal sit down. Stalwarts from the hospitality industry and major players in the corporate and social circuit graced the occasion which went off without a hiccup! Having been fortunate to dine in most fine restaurants the world over, I can say these children were on par with everything. From the invitations to supper and wine pairing was spot on. At the vote of thanks I could see their proud mentor Dr Nigli barely concealing his excitement.
The grand-dame, The Taj West End too, is re-inventing and changing its avatar. They recently launched their ‘qurated quality quisine’ on a QMIN truck that has quintessentially Taj food on wheels to be parked at designated spots all over the city. I love it when they think out of the box and make their cuisine available for everyone. The loyalists showed up in droves to wish them luck, and GM Somnath Mukherjee showed everyone the famed ‘Taj-hospitality’.
It’s nice when some things don’t change too much!