Whew. A busy Saturday!

- By Deepa Krishnan

I had a breathlessly busy Saturday. It began with a great lunch at Moshe's in Cuffe Parade, followed by a short visit to Ensemble (my friend was looking for Sabyasachi saree), and then returned home to sleep off the effect of the Chilean red we had. 

Dressed up again - luckily found the high heels I had stashed away somewhere - then off to drinks and starters at Busaba in Lower Parel, and then the Karsh Kale show at Blue Frog, where they were launching a new beer called Indus Pride (brewed with spices). Finally went late night snacking at ITC Maratha (awesome selection from the menus at Peshawari and Dakshin). 

(I've put links to all of the above because otherwise I would be doing too many explanations :) with too many adjectives!)

Anyway - I had to kick off the high heels at some point because I simply couldn't walk another step in them. Walked/limped home barefoot from the car and found the house filled with daughter's friends having a slumber party. 

Stumbled into bed, I was *brain dead* by the time I came home, and this inspite of minimal alcohol consumption. The rest of my partners in crime fared worse, since in their bellies, spice beer sloshed around freely mingling with single malts and tequila shots :) :)

Hooboy. All in all, a very nice oh-so-Mumbai evening! A few photos here:

Moshe's at Cuffe Parade. We ordered too many things to list everything here! Washed down with 2 bottles of wine. Ending with gooey chocolate and ice-cream. Divine. As usual I ordered takeaway (olive tapenade and hummus and lavash and a penne dish).

Busaba at Todi Mill Estate, it was quite packed. Looks like Mumbai loves pan-Asian stuff.

We sat at the Busaba bar for a while, and then at a table. We ordered shitaake mushroom maki rolls, gado gado (Indonesian salad) and grilled chicken satay. What's with the totally stark decor and blank walls at Busaba?

Blue Frog, Indus Pride sponsored show. The guy in the blue trousers is Benny Dayal, who has done a lot of playback singing in Tamil cinema. We tried cinnamon and cardamom flavoured beers. It's not a strong flavour, it's quite nice actually.

Dastangoi in Mumbai - wow!

- By Deepa Krishnan

Wow. It's not often you get to see a live performance that is this fantastic. To think I almost didn't go!

This is Dastangoi, the art of story-telling, that used to be popular among the Mughals. I went for a show a couple of weeks ago, at M C Ghia Hall in Kala Ghoda.

The Mughal Emperor Akbar loved Dastangoi performances, and encouraged them in his court. The art died later; so this is a revival of a lost form. But the show that I saw was different in some aspects.

For one thing, the original Dastans (tales) were usually told by a single guy. The Dastan I heard had two narrators; Danish and Mahmood. They took turns to tell the story to the audience; skillfully passing the baton back and forth. They also conversed with each other as part of the story, often enacting conversations between two different characters. Their timing was perfect. They were witty and the script was incredibly funny, so all through the performance, we were rolling with laughter. If you ask me, it was much better than having a single narrator. Here's a photo of Danish and Mahmood with mock-serious faces, saying the most satirical things. The audience was literally in splits. We were forbidden by the duo from clapping in appreciation, so all we could do was say wah-wah, wah-wah in traditional style, and collapse laughing.

The original Dastans were about djinns and magic and adventure and what not. Here's a scene from the most popular Dastan, the Epic of Amir Hamza. Amir Hamza is a larger-than-life hero who travels to strange places, fights demons, trades witty remarks and generally saves the day. No wonder Akbar loved him! I can imagine the entire Mughal court going ha-ha-ha, wah-wah, wah-wah, just as we did! Under Akbar's patronage, Dastangoi evolved into a popular form. This illustration was commissioned by Akbar, as part of the Hamzanama, a huge series of 1400 such drawings, illustrating all the adventures of Hamza. Look carefully and you will see a giant called Arghan Deo rising from the water bearing a gift for Hamza. I wonder what this particular fairytale was!

The tale that Danish and Mahmood told us was not of Amir Hamza. It had a very modern theme - it was about civil rights and sedition, inspired by the imprisonment of Dr. Binayak Sen, a health care worker and human rights activist. For those who don't know this story, it would be good to look up the Free Binayak Sen website. Dr. Sen and his wife Ilina Sen were among the audience (I was sitting at their feet; hence the unusual angle!)

Because the Dastangoi format requires a magical setting in a strange land, Danish and Mahmood invented a strange country, peopled by strange characters. But it was easy to recognize comparisons - there were the poor landless, there was an oppressive state and police, and a shoddy legal system. The story was told in satire form; the humour saved it from being a one hour moral sermon. It was powerful and appealing, and the audience responded with many wah-wahs both for the content as well as the presentation!

Earlier in the evening, both Dr. Sen and Illina addressed the audience on the issue of sedition laws and how they can be misused by the state. Dr. Sen is Vice President of PUCL (The Peoples Union for Civil Liberties), a 25-year old organisation formed primarily as a platform for the protection of civil liberties and human rights.

The audience for the speech represented Mumbai's educated elite (no surprises there) - social workers, writers, activists, lawyers, film makers and college students. People listened carefully when the Sens spoke, and clearly there was a sense of real concern among the audience about the issues that were discussed.

I went with my friend Pooja. Before the speeches, we made a little foray into Jehangir Art Gallery, where I bought a couple of paintings. This is me with the artist, Somnath Roy, who teaches at the Government College of Art and Craft, Calcutta. The paintings are now hanging on my wall at home.

Later that night, Pooja and I went to dinner at Chetana, where we had a Rajasthani and Gujarati thali and discussed the performance (we both loved it). I dropped her at Churchgate Station for her train, and returned home happy. All in all, a good evening, even if I did return significantly lighter in the pocket!

Weekend with Ranjana

I've been working too hard, frankly, and so has my husband Pramod. This weekend, though, our friend Ranjana (bless her!) came to spend Friday night with us; and we finally made time for a long overdue night out in the city.

Friday night, at our apartment complex, waiting for the car.

I'm wearing a halter-neck top that I bought eight years ago. That's how dated my wardrobe is. As I was dressing up, I decided enough was enough. I would definitely go shopping on Saturday. Being a workaholic is ok. But wearing the same darn thing over and over again? Sheesh. I'm not *that* ossified.

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When the car came, we set out for Bandra, to pickup an old school friend of Ranjana, and then headed to Aer, the rooftop bar at the Four Seasons.

Ranjana and Pramod at the Four Seasons rooftop bar

If you want my honest opinion, this is truly the most outstanding piece of real estate for a bar/restaurant in all of Mumbai. The cover charge at Rs 3000 per couple is stiff by the city's standards, but the incredible view of the city glittering below is very worth it. We hung around at the bar for a few minutes, until our table was available.

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City glittering below

Honestly, this photo does no justice to the view. The full moon was out overhead, and the city lay beneath us. The walls are of sheer glass, making the most of the view. The seating is a sophisticated white, and the dim lighting is perfect. It lifts the spirits, this place.

All seats taken

On a Friday night, all seats were taken. The crowd is a mix of all age groups; but this is not a teeny-bopper place; it is significantly older. There were many people here catching a drink after work; I saw a lot of business suits and formal office wear. The Four Seasons is very conveniently located for people with offices in Worli and Lower Parel. For those working in Nariman Point or Fort, it is a logical mid-way stop on the way home. I rather liked the feeling of being part of the "office crowd". Tables are large, so even for bigger office groups of 8-15 people, there's lots of space.

We ordered nachos and chicken satay; the nachos were not as crisp as they should have been. The satay was pronounced excellent. I didn't even look at the menu; so I don't know what else was on offer.

The worst part of Aer is really the music. The night we were there, it was some electronica/techno type of thing; totally ugh. After an hour of listening to it, I was ready to give up and die. Pramod - who is more sensitive to music than I am - walked up to the DJ and said, hey, check out the people here, do you think this is the kind of music this age group is looking for? As it turns out, the DJ had nothing else to play; or maybe he had been instructed to play nothing but this nonsense. Pramod and the DJ chatted amicably for a long time; while the rest of us looked on and wondered what they were talking about - maybe they were earnestly discussing the city music scene :)

It was a relatively cool October night, but I think November-February would be perfect. I'm definitely going back again, to see if the music changes at all. Fortunately, the music isn't loud.

After Aer, we went back to Bandra and dropped off Ranjana's friend.

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It was midnight by then; and on an impulse we decided to check out more places. I dragged Pramod and Ranjana to Pali Village Cafe for pasta and dessert and coffee. But we got there too late; they could only offer wine and dessert. So off we went to that old favourite, Olive.

Chilling out at Olive

For a place that is so much part of the city party scene, Olive is quite unpretentious. The food is good, the service is decent, and the crowd is a merry mix of all sorts. We found a nice corner at the bar to hang out; and then Pramod wrangled us a table to take a late order for pasta and pizza and tiramisu. Quite a lovely end to the day.

Oh - and one more thing - if you're wondering whether I kept my shopping resolution - here's the proof :)

A productive Saturday afternoon at Zara

We went shopping at Palladium on Saturday. Ranjana and I were joined by my sister, and we spent a happy afternoon trying on all sorts of things.

Zara is such a delight - I could kiss every single designer that works for them. By some miraculous magic, the clothes at Zara make you feel feminine and beautiful, in a way that other stores don't quite manage. Ranjana bought up half the store; and my sister bought winter clothes for her upcoming trip to Istanbul.

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I was content with three simple additions to my wardrobe. But I'm already looking for another weekend out now, so I can wear them. Pramod, are you reading this? :)

Finding the magic

On Saturday we went to this new club called Magic, in Worli.

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Very nice if you want a quiet sophisticated place for a couple of drinks after work. High ceilings, and tasteful decor. Cocktails were very decent, although my husband swears there was no alcohol in his Jack Daniels ("How come I'm still standing after so many rounds?!").

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The trouble with Magic is that after 10:30 p.m., the teeny-boppers take over and the music gets downright terrible. There were six of us, and not one of us liked the music. Admittedly, none of us were teenagers, but honestly, even teeny-boppers shouldn't have to put up with that kind of house music.

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By 11:30 we decided enough was enough, and made a quick escape to Worli Sea Face. There were several cars parked already, we found some space for ours. Families were out strolling, there were couples, and groups of friends. The pavement had been dug up. "Perhaps they're doing it up, like Marine Drive", said Rajeev.

There was a half-moon glimmering on the water. On the horizon, we saw ships, and a curve of land glittering with light. I clicked several photos, but none of them did any justice to the moon or the waves or the cityscape.

At midnight, a coffee vendor came along on a cycle.

"Kaunsa coffee hai?" asked Roopa. What coffee is this?

He showed her a branded sachet. "Instant hai", he said, in an accent that placed him firmly as a first generation migrant from UP.

He served us coffee in little plastic cups, at 5 rupees a cup. As he walked away wheeling his cycle and calling his wares, Roopa said in a very matter-of-fact way: "Kuch-na-kuch kaam dhoond lete hain sab". (Everyone finds one way or another to make a living). "Look at this guy, he's chosen to walk here at midnight selling coffee."

An evening on Marine Drive

My friend Praveena just landed a new job, so we went out to celebrate. She bought tickets to a play, it was being staged at the National Centre for Performing Arts on Marine Drive, at 4 p.m.

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'Chaos Theory' by Rahul da Cunha is the story of two people, starting from their college years in the sixties, to their present day life as academicians in New York. Reasonably good ingredients for a play, I guess, although this kind of storyline has been done to death already.

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Here's a scene from the early part of the play. The two first meet at a college party in St. Stephen's, Delhi, where they discover they are both students of English literature. He is a pompous but funny wastrel who loves to drink; she is sharp and witty and destined to be top of her class.

There was a projection screen at the back, on which they used a montage of music and visuals from each decade to show the progression of time. The images and songs were right for the period, but it looked like the sort of thing an amateur would put together on Powerpoint. A little more attention to style and design would have helped. I felt like I was back in college, putting on a last-minute show for some college festival.

The play itself was pretty decent, some of the lines were really funny, although the conversations sounded like they were set in Eton rather than Delhi. I must confess, I'm not a big fan of the kind of Indian theatre where the script sounds like an Englishman wrote it. Granted, the main characters were students of literature, but they sounded so very unreal. There was also a lot of slap-stick by supporting characters, and a final emotional scene with so much gawky hamming by the drunk wastrel that both my husband and I couldn't bear to watch it. Overall, though, not a bad effort, 6 out of 10 on the Deepa Scale!

The play finished at 5:30, so we decided to wander down past Marine Drive to Chowpatty Beach. Everyone wanted to eat pav-bhaji.

At Chowpatty, the stalls were already beginning to see the first customers of the evening (peak time at the stalls is from 6:00 to 8:00 pm). We went looking for pav-bhaji, but got sidetracked by the Badshah panipuri stall.

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Badshah has absolutely delightful panipuris. They're served by a guy wearing a pair of gloves, so of course, they lack that extra tang of sweaty hands! But it's lip-smackingly good, and you can ask for a filling of your choice (potatoes, sprouted moong, chole, or boondi). I had hot chole filling, with ice cold pani and an absolutely heavenly meetha chutney. After you're done eating, there's a guy who comes around handing out paper napkins.

After panipuri, I dragged everyone to my favourite pav-bhaji stand - Shetty's. They also do some really good sandwiches.

Pramod, me, Praveena and her husband Rajeev. Four very hungry people. I ordered a cheese pav-bhaji, while they stuck to the normal stuff. Pramod as usual, wanted his pav without maska.

Piping hot and mouth-wateringly tasty! It was spicy as well, the kind of spice that sets you thinking about ice-creams and golas for the next course.

Kulfi seemed like a better option than golas. There were lots of flavours to choose from; including some names that seemed inspired by Playboy. (I'm not kidding. I found a Kulfi called SANGAM 3-IN-1, and another one called MILAN 4-IN-1.) There was also a whole sub-section called Punjabi Special Item (are you thinking what I'm thinking?) - which included Punjabi Rabdi Kulfi, Kaju Draaksh Kulfi, Anjeer Kulfi, Sitaphal Kulfi, and a very, very modern-sounding 2000 MILLINIUM KULFI. Pramod ordered a Punjabi Rabdi, and it was outstanding. Praveena and Rajeev had Sitaphal.

By this time, the sun was setting over the Arabian Sea. The municipal van came around on its patrol, so the hawkers selling colourful paper fans and balloons disappeared. We decided to head out to Dragonfly at Express Towers for a drink. It's quite a swish lounge bar and restaurant, and some of the tables have really lovely views of the Arabian Sea.

We hung around near the bar. Drinks were ordered, and pronounced satisfactory. After all the stuff we'd eaten, none of us could bear the idea of more food. It was a quiet night, since we were there early, so we had our pick of tables.

I didn't want to sit anywhere near the big TV screen, so every now and then Rajeev would pop around the corner to watch the Singapore Grand Prix. We were discussing Lehman Brothers and bonuses - or the lack of them - when Rajeev suddenly piped up: "That's the Spanish national anthem!"

"Huh?" I said

"Must be Alonso!"

"Er...?"

"Alonso! He must've won!"

"Ah", I said, nodding like it all made sense.

At some point, we finally paid our tab (well, Praveena paid!) and left. Downstairs, the Victorias were doing their little pleasure rides on Marine Drive. I watched a young couple (honeymooners?) smiling and enjoying their ride on a jingling carriage.

By the time we got into our car, I had a beatific smile on my face. Good company, great food, good conversation...and great views of the Arabian Sea. I can't think of a better way to spend an evening on Marine Drive!

The Blue Frog - very cool indeed

If you like live music, The Blue Frog is definitely a must-go-must-see place. They play an interesting and eclectic selection of stuff, and the club itself is a very cool place to just hang out.

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We went on a Wednesday night, after a classical Odissi and Bharatanatyam dance performance. What a contrast it was, to go from that sort of jasmine-and-kancheevaram event to this ultra-chic place!

The first that struck me about the Blue Frog was the seating. They have these little curvy lighted pods that you just sliiiiiiiiiiiiiide into. Feels very hip, gives you privacy and space and you still feel very connected. You need to reserve tables in advance though, because they fill up real fast.

This is the view from the other side, there is a long bar where you can hang out if you don't have a reservation.

The night we went, there was a band from Holland playing, called the Agog Trio. They had a nice chemistry between them, and came across as a team of friendly, energetic, experimentative players.

The food isn't really anything great, I tried some starters and gave up midway. My Thai Mojito had an interesting kick with ginger and coriander, but it was cloyingly sweet. The service was absolutely super, though.

The Blue Frog is more than just a restaurant that plays music. They have four sound recording labs, as well as music production facilities. They help launch records and they offer artist management services. Quite a welcome addition to the city's music scene.

The May program includes performances by both Indian and internatonal artistes. There's Pratz and the Blues Band from Calcutta, Montreaux Jazz Fest winner Leo Tardin, the interestingly named Silverchops (a jazz band from Pune), Alisha Bhatt (punk rock), Aurora Jane from Australia (funk rock with aboriginal twists), Cap'n Crunch (Mumbai-boy Floyd Fernandes plays what he calls "electro-jazz and clubtronic fusion", whatever that is!), and lots more.

Go check it out. I'm definitely going back there again.

Nightlife in Mumbai - taking friends around

- by Deepa Krishnan

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Suba and Lankesh, our Srilankan friends, were here for a couple of days. Lankesh is an easy-going guy, and his wife Suba is a very interesting woman who speaks her mind. We've always gotten along famously. Since the two of them wanted to party, we decided to show them the city's nightlife.

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"I've heard so much about Enigma", said Lankesh on Day One. "Why don't we start with that?"

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"Yes", said my equally easy-going husband. "Let's go to Enigma".

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I was running a temperature after the day's shopping (Suba and I spent a small fortune on shoes, belts and bags at Linking Road). So I dropped out of the Enigma trip, and the three of them went.

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Suba being Suba, was dressed to her eyebrows. Lankesh is a pretty natty dresser as well, so I coaxed my husband into looking presentable. After the three of them left, I went to bed with an aspirin. I didn't regret it one bit. I'm a thorough Enigma-hater, so in any case, I would have spoilt it for them. At breakfast next morning, Suba was scathing. "No class", she pronounced. "What weird creeps we met! And the music! Terrible!"

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It was time to salvage the city's reputation. "Let me show you some different places tonight", I said. "Maybe we can go bar-hopping". So at nine p.m. on Day Two, we went to Shiro for drinks. The minute we stepped in, Suba said "This is more like it!". And I knew the evening was off to a good start. The bartender was attentive, the service brilliant. The starters were excellent. From Shiro, we went to the Dome at the Intercontinental, because I wanted to show them Marine Drive at night. No disappointments there either. The red bar had a nice little buzz to it, the views were outstanding, and the outdoor seating fabulous.

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And then we took them to see Mumbai at night - the Gateway of India, the heritage district...and ended up at Indigo for dinner. We got ourselves a table at Indigo, but the menu didn't work for us that night. After all the drinking, everyone wanted something spicy! So we bid goodbye to the still smiling waiter at Indigo, and went off to find Bade Miya.

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"You mean we can go walking?", asked Suba, when we left the car behind. "It's quite late, you know."

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"It's just the next street from here", I said, "Besides, there will be a lot of people there even at this time."

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So we went there on foot, and of course, Bade Miya was a hive of activity even at midnight. See for yourself.

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Crowd outside, eating off car bonnet at midnight. One family had a 3 year old sitting on top the car.

The "Miya" of Bade Miya, counting cash. He gave me a dirty look when he saw the camera, but didn't say anything.

A closer look at the kebabs

The roomali rotis that the kebabs are folded into

My dashing husband, with Suba. Bade Miya has now expanded into the building across the street. So while you can eat standing outside, you can also have a sit down meal. We didn't want to stand, not on high heels!

Lankesh and me

Waiter Number 5, our Man at Bademiya. This little card, by the way, is ALSO the menu.

Ta-da! Flip the card around, and this is what Bademiya offers! No prices listed. None needed.

Service is quick, and the chutneys that the roomali comes with are just heavenly.

On the way home, we rounded things off nicely with the legendary strawberries-and-cream at Haji Ali. Suba was all praise for it.

We got back home at 2:00 in the morning, happy and full. I realised that seeing Mumbai through the eyes of a close friend, a first time visitor, is real fun.