Scrolling on my phone in between meetings, I saw horrifying images of an Airbus flight, barely taking off and bursting into flames over the horizon. I have stopped getting easily panicked, as most pictures on the net are AI-generated. I often wonder what types of sadists generate horrifying pictures just to garner eyeballs! Unluckily this Air India tragedy was true. Of course, the death of Karisma Kapoor’s ex husband also took prominence on the news-ticker display! But in a star-crazed country like ours, this is ‘understandable’. Heart-wrenching pictures of families and friends searching for their loved ones in morgues and hospitals have flooded our senses. Tragedies by their nature are sad, but avoidable and senseless ones are pathetic.
I must admit till I got this news yesterday, I was a happy bunny. I was stepping out after a long while and was happy to attend some niche and different events at places I am comfortable in. It started off with our very exclusive (by membership only) Bangalore Wine Club soiree at my favourite restaurant, Le Cirque at the Leela Palace. It was great meeting up with old friends and enjoying the superlative food and wine in its precincts. Sometimes some people whisper that I may be a wee bit ‘toffee-nosed’ but, I am unapologetic about liking the finer things in life and I know I have worked my derriere off for these privileges!
I was thrilled to be invited to a rendezvous, at the beautiful Taj West End to launch celebrity nutritionist, Rujuta Diwekar’s latest book, The Commonsense Diet. The hall was packed with our local celebrities and socialites alike, keen to hear her in conversation with Chiki Sarkar. The guests were eagerly waiting to engage with her in conversation and pop the magic question; ‘How to be buff without being too tough?’ The discussion was insightful, funny and informative. What followed was a scrumptious dinner hosted by the hotel which would definitely not aspire to make any of us who partook in the feast into a ‘size-zero’, like Kareena Kapoor was when she followed Rujuta’s diet!
I more than made up for lost time when I chose to be housebound when my munchkin was visiting from Mumbai. I accepted a lot of invitations that appealed to me and where I knew I would have a great time. Having dinner with just my core family at Yauatcha when the visiting chef from Hakkasan came down from Mumbai was a gastronomical treat! Master Chef Raymond Wong was equally delighted to see me as I was him. We had a scrumptious meal, with the piece de resistance being the sweet crab meat dumplings with a dollop of caviar! ‘Xie Xie’ Hakkasan!
Traffic in Bengaluru is a nightmare, but when good friends call, one must go, especially when one knows that the prominent writer, critic and authority on whisky worldwide, Jim Murray, would be giving us a master class on the art of whisky appreciation. Nikhil Agarwal, founder of All Things Nice, a well-honed wine and spirits consultancy, always puts up very interesting, informative, fun and elegant soirees where the ambience, (this was at the Four-Seasons Bangalore) the pours, the food and company are exceptional. Literally ‘all-things-nice’! I was there with my very glam and prominent ‘all-gal-gang’ and needless to say we had ourselves a ‘Slainte’ time. Ironically, today the ‘real world’ is an escape from the internet!
(The writer’s views are personal)