There is a certain excitement in the air with Deepavali around the corner. The very ‘holiday season’ that used to excite us when we were youngsters (the ‘Age-of-Aquarius ‘where we didn’t have to work) now seems tedious and long. The holidays, especially for the government institutions, seem to stretch on forever and are sometimes clubbed together to give the already underworked employees a long weekend off! As a result, any government sanction, registration of property, delay in the courts and a slew of other problems become of low priority. Officials are not in their ‘seats’ and paperwork is lethargically shuffled from one empty desk to another and one can see the normal populace tearing their hair out.
Oh! But the corporate and private sectors are another ball game altogether. The only way our hardworking millennial kids get any respite from their 12-hour working days is with great difficulty. Next week is my birthday and my only wish is to have a ‘family’ lunch together.
My sister, her kids and me and mine is my ardent wish. My daughter and son-in-law are in Mumbai and perhaps my daughter cannot get off, but my munchkin will be here for sure! My munchkin is all of three, full of sass and so cute! She is a full-fledged ‘threenager’ (a very apt pseudonym I coined for her). I can only ardently pray to the ‘Gods’ that our public servants pray to, so my daughter gets her ‘off’ time!
But the season of cheer brings along with it, a whole lot of celebrations. People just need an excuse to celebrate so there are pre-Deepavali, post-Navaratri and ‘in-anticipation’ Christmas events and one cannot forget the ‘winter weddings’! And for all that we need more shiny clothes; more jewellery, more shoes and the list can go on. So, all the vendors and local artisans bring their wares to show-case to the thirsting public.
My dearest friend Nidhi Kataria is a fabulous jewellery designer and she designs, executes and markets her own brand ‘NidhisArk’ which has quite a fan-following of its own (including me)! Raj Shroff is my fave designer and since I’ve known him for the past 20 years, we know each other pretty well. His quirkiness is very unique and enchanting, so our styles are well synced! They did me the honour of asking me to light the auspicious lamp to flag off their exhibition showcasing a multitude of artisans. Retail therapy and lunch at the venue, JW Marriott! What a wonderful pre-birthday!
Everything Indian seems to be the flavour of the season. Indian designers, Indian clothes, Indian goods and of course, Indian food! Gone are those rich creamy ‘curries’ and masala-ridden food that we used to dish up to please the ‘foreign’ palate. Every time someone said ‘butter chicken masala,’ my hackles rose. Our cuisine differs from north to south and east to west. Our condiments and seasonings are so subtle and varied. To dump everything into one hot, oily mess and call it ‘Indian food’ and call our subtle rotis ‘naanbread’ used to give me the proverbial heebie-jeebies! We had the pleasure of dining with Gaurav Shiva, the new GM of Royal Orchid, at their Indian speciality restaurant, Tiger Trail. The food was outstanding! We were served subtle shorbas, excellent protein from their spit-ovens and delicious breads.
’Tis the season, alright!
(The writer’s views are personal)
