BENGALURU: Hola mes Amigas!
I hope, I was well and truly missed for the week I took off to ‘detox’ myself. Detoxification, sustainability and other gobble-de-gook nomenclatures were starting to rile me a tad bit. So, with a deep seated reluctance I checked into ‘Kshemavana’, a wellness and healing sanctuary built on natural and holistic principles of the visionary guru Dr Veerendra Heggade of Dharmasthala. Built on 26 acres of land this luxurious sanctuary slowly but surely converted me to be more in sync with nature and her bounties. I must admit; my parameters are normal now and boiled veggie food isn’t all that bad! The myriad of treatments from hot-stone massages, hydro-therapy, acupuncture and yoga did me a world of good. The only person who looks on in mock horror at his changed spouse is my carnivorous hubby!
Before my ‘holistic’ sojourn, my life was pretty hectic what with namma ooru turning into a party-zone. I’ve more or less stopped going to launch parties as the days of spilling liquor on my expensive shoes as people jostle me at the venue are over. As multiple PRs do the invite, the guest list is slightly eclectic to say the least. Now I candidly ask who will be coming. I cannot risk being around known/unknown unsavoury elements!
Tejus Jose, GM of Hilton Embassy Golf Links sure knows how to throw a party! Seta, their newest poolside restaurant was teeming with beautiful people, music and laughter. Great Asian nibbles and cheese-platters were deftly circulated while a generously stocked bar made sure we were suitably ‘tippled’! Some fantastic moves by the fire-dancers kept us mesmerized and old and new friends fraternised under the star-spangled sky. I love sprawling spaces where people aren’t cooped up like sardines and one has the opportunity to mingle and converse.
Sanjay and Yashodhara Shroff are a couple that commands tremendous goodwill and respect in our city. Owners of Bangalore’s first every luxe boutique Ffolio, they are a warm and hospitable pair. So when they sent a hard copy of a beautifully thought out invite, everybody who was somebody turned up at The Four Seasons, to help them celebrate all the good things that happened to them during the lockdown phase, including the marriage of their son Rishi to Srishti. Old friends milled around chatting, talking and partaking from a stupendous buffet and I espied some people dancing cheek to cheek. Sigh! Auld Bengaluru at its best…
I received a rather cryptic invitation from good friend Madhav Sehgal, GM Leela Palace, to contact a mysterious ‘Zia’ who would lead me to an undisclosed location at hotel. Even after much prodding, Madhav remained unmoved about coughing up any info. We arrived, only to be escorted through one of the kitchens, up a staircase to a gorgeous ‘speakeasyesque’ bar with thumping jazz music! We could have been anywhere… from mid-town Manhattan to downtown Chicago! The wall to wall bar was stocked with a mind boggling array of Madeira from all over the world, and the predominantly Asian flavoured food was delicious, elegant and something that is only available in the best restaurants the world over!
Bangalore is upping its ante as the gourmet capital of India and we like it… Now if only the infra-structure followed suit!
(The writer’s views are her own)