BENGALURU: I distinctly remember an interview conducted by the dulcet-toned journalist/TV presenter, Karan Thappar with the ex-CM of Tamil Nadu the late Ms J Jayalalithaa. Karan with his almost languid speech tried to bait her with a barrage of controversial questions. At the end of the interview when he mouthed staid platitudes about how he enjoyed this tete-a-tete, Jayalalithaa brusquely brushed him off and stormed out! Karan’s smile stayed plastered on his face as he mustered up the courage to remain unflustered and calm. In my head I told myself; ‘I must meet this man’! I have been following him for some time now so when there was an invitation from the suave Virender Razdan, GM of The Leela Bhartiya City to catch him in conversation with the author of the book The Great Flap of 1942, I was more than delighted.
Author, Professor Mukund Padmanabhan is a respected journalist and writer himself and the conversation between the two men was candid and entertaining, with each giving the other, the respect and space to talk. The ballroom of the hotel abounded with writers, authors, and people who knew what the ‘great flap’ was all about, rather than the usual smattering of social-beings that sport vapid faces and silly smiles that seem plastered onto their faces. Can’t blame anyone really, as I find myself donning the same expression as I get into a ‘switch-off-mode’ when the pedestrianism gets to be unbearable! But at this event, we were the most animated guests. The audience asked relevant questions while the pseudo-intellectuals that dot every such event had their merry way with their irrelevant and often a tad bit foolish questions! But this did not deter the rest of us who had battled distance and traffic to attend this discussion. Bolstered with fine wines and a finer array of cuisine coupled with a talented singing duo, we had ourselves a wonderful afternoon.
Meeting a great bunch of people over lunch and turning it into a lovely soiree seemed to dominate this week. Partaking of good food, coupled with lively conversations spanning over many topics, some downright funny and some serious definitely sets the mood for an enjoyable afternoon. My friend Riyaz Amlani ups his game every couple of months by bringing in great innovations and changes to his menu. At his much-loved delicatessen, Smoke-House Deli, he has introduced a ‘meatilicious’ menu for the die-hard non-vegetarians and everything I tasted from an array of sandwiches and pizzas to small plates of excellent food (of course, coupled with a mean dose of fabulously mixed cocktails) was a treat to the eyes and taste-buds. Must plan on more ‘meatingful’ meetings like this in my hood!
The likes of us who are ‘pucca-uruians’ are a close-knit lot. So when the young and talented pottery designer Nishita Thakurdas-Jamal calls us to view her latest work we go. The Thakurdas, Jamals, and the Basith families are old Bangalore royalty (never mind other upstarts who lay claim to that title). Nearly the whole of Bangalore turned up in droves to witness her beautiful work. One could hear the chatter and laughter of old friends who have known each other for ages, reverberating down the hallowed corridors of the stately Taj West End.
Our destiny is created by the steps we take not the shoes we wear.
(The writer’s views are personal)