Monday, June 7, 2010
The Indian Summer
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Love Bytes
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Fine Dining: A Treatise
This particular piece is in ode to the art of Fine Dining practised and cultivated by the people of money specially the New ones. That is not to say that Old money does not know how to celebrate this particular celebration of life as The Person might put it. But in this piece we focus more on the nouveau rich and their temples of culinary worship- the standalone Fine Dining restaurants, kinda exclusive, u know the types where u need to have a booking a few days in advance preferably. Considered ‘hatke’ than the standard ***** hotels’ restaurants these places reek of exclusivity (or so they seem to think) thanks mainly to the right hand side of the menu-cards and less due to the kind of clientele or the fare on offer. Now Calcutta being Calcutta still somehow boasts of a handful of these. They say ‘Gods must be Crazy’ I say ‘These restaurateurs are’. Come to think of it, how can Calcutta junta (no offence IT people...even IT DINK-s would think thrice before throwing caution to the wind) handle such eye-popping prices for something very basic! Now enough of a background as The Person would say by now, let’s get down to describing the menu item that inspired this composition.
Afraa. That’s what the Neotias call their little nest nestled at the perch of the Salt Lake City Centre (This clarification was necessitated by the fact that Calcutta now boasts of 3 City Centres actually...one of course the CBD, second the Salt Lake one, third its sibling at Rajarhat---yes that particular location which is supposedly the Promised Land for the Bengali IT herd of Infosys and Wipro who are being denied their cup of ‘cha’ (tea) and bowl of ‘muri’ (puffed rice) and a few solid rounds of ‘adda’ specially during the lunch breaks in the sanitised world of Bengaluru/ Hyderabad/ Noida).It means White. Decor suits the name. Now that we have the location let’s get along with the piece. The occasion-a warm home-coming welcome to a temporarily culinarily-challenged Indian MBA practising his trade in the hold-your-breath city of New Delhi- a place where finding non-veg good food is not only tough for the salary-challenged class (read Students) but also to go from a food-loving-and-gorging human to a non-veg-challenged foodie takes a Herculean effort...yeah I know Atlas Shrugged and We Managed...but still come on no self-respecting foodie can give up on his habits specially when he/she is not inclined to do so. Period. So where were we...ahh yes the occasion. Now for the company. Of course to-be-spouse! And the item that would help to transcend the dining experience from being a vanilla one to a Fine one was a Dessert...yes they have a Dessert menu-card all leather bound and you can have a full table laid out with a very romantic floating candle-never mind the fact that this was not supposed to be a 4 course meal (why it was not can be taken up on a later date) now the problem with such transcendental products is that if you are not a regular patron of such places you are sure to remember their name only as long as the menu rests on the table. So the order was placed. Couple of the dessert for the couple of course...as it was put “I can’t share mine” such statements obviously heightens your expectations specially in a Fine Dining set up. The next thing that u should be advised in Fine Dining is Expectation Management. They promise the World and give u let’s say Patna. So true to its nature out came the desserts on the expectation-laden table. A description is absolutely necessary at this point else we would not be doing justice to the Fine Food. A pristine white plate, with a spherical chocolate-covered-crust which held a pista-variant of icecream and a plateau-shaped hot choco-sauce filled inners and to add the final flourish there was a broad X marked by choco-powder. Disappointment at first sight...really The Person’s long-cherished notions of Fine Dining were reinforced—‘all crap, little substance’. As for the taste well it was good...nothing that would get Afraa a Michelin star soon. That marks the end of this piece.
Friday, May 2, 2008
AN EXPERIENCE CALLED APPRAISAL-AN EXERICSE IN FUTILITY
Sunday, March 30, 2008
A Banwas 2.5 Months Old
-call-it started.New friends have been made aplenty...new exotic destinations discovered too...a place so exotic in The Person's opinion...but the problem lies in the fact that the keys to enjoy the exotic appeal of the place is still alluding The Person...here's hoping to it dat in good time even they will be available...so how has life treated The Person meanwhile? Well not good(as if you will at all get what is meant by that!!!) but not hugely bad either...given that The Person took a life-defining decision(The Person would surely live long enough to regret that the author is quite sure...but that's what The Person felt right and had to be done.Period) But currently the scenario looks real bad...the GuestHouse is without another soul(if you might care to count out the caretaker)...and no exams to relieve the The Person of this dreadful thing called project...Cars however still continue to flash by...BMW Coupe,7 series,Mercedes A-Class,M-Class,Porsche Carerra GT...Ferrari not yet sighted...Lamborghini done though...But is The Person content?..Watch this space for more..For now the answer is NO.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
THE * SIGN OF THE PERSON & ALL U WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT

Taurus (The Bull) (fixed, earth, personal): Keyword: "I have". The Taurus person is resourceful, thorough, dependable, responsible, loyal, patient, placid, stable, sensual, affectionate, comfortable, solid, earthy, strong, money-oriented, practical, productive, cautious, musical, and artistic. They can also sometimes be stubborn, indulgent, insecure, acquisitive, possessive, rigid, stodgy and slow. Suitable occupations are where perseverance, practicality and responsibility are awarded,and security is available; such as builders, farmers, bankers, civil servants, accountants and artistic pursuits, especially singing and sculpture. In medical astrology Taurus governs the throat and neck. In astrology Taurus is ruled by the planet Venus. The sun sign dates for Taurus are April 21st - May 21st. The earth form of Taurus is fertile soil that has green growing plants.
Positive traits of Taurus people are:
* disciplined
* hard-working
* good sense of humor
* prudent
* great work-ethic
* artistic
* loving
* creative
* romantic
* sensual
* Very sexual
* attentive
* comforting
* strong
* steady
* shy
* organized
* cautious
* harmonious
* trustworthy
* calm
* tenacious
* stable
* patient
* resourceful
* easygoing
* careful
* dependable
* honest
* conservative
* determined
* loyal
* protective
* practical
Characteristics considered negative
Negative traits are:
* controlling
* stubborn
* hyper-sensitive
* gets stuck in ruts,
* little to say
* resentful
* moody
* horrible temper
* possessive
* overindulgent
* Jealous
* overly self-conscious
* rigid
CAREER:
Physical traits:
Astrologers believe that each of the zodiac signs has identifiable physical traits. Physically, individuals born under the sign of Taurus tend to have a full and square face, small ears, a rounded and dimpled chin, generally large foreheads, a short and turned-up nose, large and expressive eyes, glowing and opaque skin, full and well-shaped lips, small and even teeth, and thick, often curly hair. They are thought to usually be above average height
THE DEAL THAT U GET:
Taurus persons tend to be hedonistic, cool customers. They live primarily through the pleasures of their senses.
This is the more solid and pragmatic sign in the zodiac. It brings a lot of practicality and earthly sensibility. It is very utilitarian and seeks real, useful results for its efforts. This sign may be seen as lazy by some, but that is because it is strongly motivated by reward, and lack of such prize for its efforts tends to drain it of energies.
This sign is not psychologically equipped to deal with conflict and suffering, which reveal its more neurotic, sometimes brutal side. It does not take well to threats or disrespect, and can be quite resentful. Nevertheless, this is much more a sign of love and pleasure, where he usually much prefers to dwell.
Taurus can be greatly moved by physical beauty. In fact, some Taurus people, especially Taurus ladies find themselves delving in fields of esthetics or cosmetics.
Little acknowledged trait of Taurus is its rebellious nature, which is often considered as stubbornness. Its rebelliousness is actually quite refined in nature, certainly when compared to Aquarius' no holds barred. In accordance, it can be extremely wilful when it does not feel appreciated or respected.
They really hate discomfort, and can be quite preoccupied with avoiding it. This sign is usually a subscriber to "slowly but surely". It prefers to hold back than to risk himself.
Although they are quite aware of the wickedness inherent within their natural melancholy, basic constructive drives within this sign usually make them go with the greater good. Even in the case they do go down the wrong path, it will be more systematically conductive than just spite, and it should be rewarding aplenty. That said, naturally they are more inclined to fall into depression than act in a negative fashion.
They have a great longing to something special, exciting. This is the grounds for the great possessiveness within this sign, as anything that's considered special to them is held dear, clasped indeed.
Taurus is the more practical, constructive sign within the zodiac. The ruler of this sign is Venus, on her earthy side. His natural house is the second house.
Taurus shares similar qualities with Virgo, which eases them working together. Taurus appreciates Virgo's stable and rather predictable ways, and they often associate.
It can sometimes feel a bit intellectually inferior to Virgo's more dazzling abilities. Granted, Taurus does not really like to complicate himself with intellectual processes that do not lead to good, perceivable, real-world implications. This may sometimes mark him as "slow" by some, although Mercury's situation should be judged as well. Taurus' mentality tends to simplify things, really "bring them down to earth" (and to the commoners), and so sometimes eases thing and makes them much more workable.
Taurus tends to be somewhat more self-interested than Virgo, and can become quite lazy if there isn't any incentive offered.
Interestingly, there are not so many top-celebrities of this sign, as it tends to be rather personal and does not usually feel a burning need to take on the world. It tends to be rather easily satisfied, and prefers not to extend itself too much.
FINALLY LETS SEE WHO GETS LUCKY:
The following items are traditionally associated with Taurus:
* Most compatible with: Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn, Scorpio, and Pisces, the Water and Earth signs.This person besides is a case in point!

* Possible with: Taurus and Libra, due to the joint Venus rulership.
* Doubtful with: Sagittarius, Aquarius, Aries, Leo, and Gemini, as Fire and Air are incompatible with Earth
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Banwas...Or Is It?
- Honda Civic and Accord(Imp to notice is City-s are not cars to own)
- Mercs (Yaar that's too tacky..everybody has one or so it seems)
- Beemers (Well Well they are not a rare sighting again..and 1 7Series was dere too)
- Toyota Lexus (Honestly The Person had never seen one b4)
- Audi (Sedan and SUV)
- Porsche Cayanne
- Nissan Tiguana
- And to add the final flourish...A BENTLEY...Majestic man its presence!