Hola! Bengaluru…
I was getting a tad bit too embroiled in this ‘kannh’ (evil eye) and negative vibe cross currents. My ‘mother’s little helper’, my maid, and not to be confused with the Rolling Stone’s famous song where a mother’s helper was a reference to a hallucinogenic compound, was on the roll!
Jacklin-Jack, as she calls herself, had taken untold advantage of my (little) superstitions by turning herself into Merlin the Magician! Jokes apart, I now know why the doomsday pundits and their ilk do brisk business. Giving in to this nonsense is a downward spiral. One can get totally sucked into an abyss of superstitious balderdash! I gave a firm order that henceforth, all things ‘blah and baloney’ were to be banished forever. No more incense sticks, lime and chilies (unless they were used to make pickle) and other such inconsequential things were to be brought into the house for ‘cleansing’. The end came when I found my slippers all facing soles up! I didn’t even ask. I just said enough is enough.
So wearing my best smile and a new dress, I landed up at the ITC Gardenia for the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs World Chaîne Day celebrations. Usually, the Chaîne dinners are quite formal and stiff-upper-lip, but keeping the sultry weather in mind, this was a chilled-out affair. The relaxed roof-top ambiance with everyone dressed for summer turned into a fun evening. Of course, being the oldest and most respected gastronomy society devoted to preserving the camaraderie and pleasures of the table, the array of food and drink served was outstanding.
Happily bolstered in the company of good friends, good food and even better Madeira, the happy hormones did their job and the raucous laughter and bonhomie continued well into the night. I woke up the next morning invigorated and raring to go and promptly fell off a tall chair which I usually sit on to answer the intercom! Lying flat on my back I went through a surreal experience.
I remember falling (as if in slow motion), and I could hear the scratching sounds my nails made as I desperately tried to grip the table for support. I remember trying to break my fall by turning my body sideways to protect my head. Luck and good ju-ju was on my side as I didn’t break any bones and came away with a twisted knee, broken toe nail, bruises and a sore head!
I gingerly stepped out to my favourite watering hole The Taj West End, after a couple of days only because they had a few of my powerful lady friends talking passionately about the sustenance of India’s rich heritage of art, artforms and traditional weaving techniques supported by the Tata trust.
My good friend Kaveri Ponnappa, who is an author/anthropologist and a passionate conversationalist, was joined by danseuse Madhu Natraj and a few others to share their personal journeys. I was overtaken with a sense of nostalgia as I sat in the company of genteel people who listened with rapt attention as the impeccable staff and Somnath Mukherjee with Arjun Pandalai kept an eagle eye out for the comfort of their guests.
With evenings like this…good juju is bliss. Remember Karma is a…vixen!