Of Media and content

The subcontinent got it's first joint Nobel Peace winners at a time when mortars and bullets are flying across the borders. While Ms Malala Yousafzai was definitely the more well known personality,I, like several others, had not heard of Kailash Satyarthi till the news broke.It probably also is a reflection of the media  today which spends an inordinate amount of energy on trivia and rantings of the political class and what it thinks is 'news'. A couple of weeks back TOI carried an article on Indo-China diplomatic relations. Accompanying the article was a poster of the Deepika Padukone starrer Chandni Chowk to China. Erm. I never got around to reading it. On a lighter note, I remember spotting this at one of the Army camps on the road somewhere in Ladakh. Political diplomacy, anyone?

India's Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Spacecraft created a remarkable feat in it's own right, proof that a trip to Mars doesn't have to break the bank.  At $72 million, MOM costs just a fraction of NASA's $670 million Maven, and $2 billion Curiosity Rover. The leading US daily,
NY times,carried an editorial cartoon called"India's budget mission to Mars" , which it later apologised for.  Whether meant to be funny or ironic,  the racial stereotyping was more than apparent.








The festival season just went by , belated wishes for Bijoya and Eid. Thankfully, the past couple of festive days in Bangalore have been immune to the havoc that the rains have been creating in the city, making driving around an adventure in itself. And seems nothing short of good fortune to have been spared from Hudhud (someone please explain the logic of cyclone nomenclature, apparently this one is named after a bird).Hopefully, Diwali would be a peaceful one, wishes for a safe and happy Diwali!

A happy independence day

The independence day weekend just went by. In his maiden independence day speech,the new PM announced the scrapping of the 64 year old Nehruvian Planning Commission with a new think tank entity. Amidst serious debates on the new think tank panel , my only thought was economics students would now probably be spared the horror of going through archaic histories of the 5 year plans. My most memorable independence day was the Chamser Kangri adventure in Ladakh a few years back when we were supposed to  summit on the 15th but had  to turn back because of bad weather.Only reminds me of how long it has been since I put on my trekking boots last :-).

Closer home , the three day weekend holiday turned out to be a great chance to catch up with theatre. With parents in town , we went to watch Gasha - a play in Hindi set against the backdrop of the Kashmir imroglio and the tale of a fractured friendship between two boys , a Kashmiri Pundit and a Kashmiri Muslim. The play is the third and final part of the Kashmir Trilogy, the first two parts being Rizwaan (2010, First Festival of Contemporary Indian Theatre in Paris)  and Djinns of Eidgah (Royal Court Theatre, London) but can be viewed independent of the two parts. The narrative straddles swiftly between the past and the present to weave the tale of the two boys but  never loses rythm. It's also surprisingly hilarious for a backdrop which couldn't be more serious and  keeps the audience breaking into peals of laughter. A lovely  evening spent at Jagriti (which now also sells cutting chai and samosa) followed by a Sunday lunch inspired by the Bongmom cookbook cuisine. The mom okayed it (yippee!), a perfect end to the weekend holiday:-).

The world cup is over , now what?

The FIFA world cup is finally over. Which means room for "other than soccer" topics of conversation over lunch, coffee and dinner (did people notice the Wimbledon just whisked by?). Not a huge soccer fan myself but it is difficult to stay immune to the hoopla and the passion around what probably is the greatest sporting spectacle in the world. My most vivid image of the soccer world cup is Italy winning the finals in 2006. I happened to be in Milan during the world cup and was lucky enough to witness the grand victory of a soccer obsessed nation. Notwithstanding the FIFA spectacle, Italy remains one of my most favorite destinations in the world.



                         


Speaking of favorite destinations, I managed to visit Goa thrice in less than a year. Between taking my parents to South Goa just after monsoons to holidaying with an old friend leaving for Singapore, Goa manages to offer everything from the solitude of it's remote beaches to the epitome of letting your hair down and not caring about the world. My friend also introduced me to this series of travel books written by Fiona Caufield. Called the 'Love' series, Fiona writes about the most offbeat destinations to be discovered in a place. We discovered an old Portugese villa serving traditional Portugese fare for dinner (also the owner chats up with you and may even be cajoled to play the guitar. Which he did for us. Two women can be insistent enough).

The monsoons are here. Thankfully Bangalore weather has gone back to being 'Bangalore' weather again. If you know what I mean. Between my early morning tennis classes and generally being violently lazy, I try and manage to pick up a cue on Bong cuisine from here. I love the way she writes and her general enthusiasm for food. Plus inspiring an audience like me , who given a chance would stick to the luxuries of a cook dishing out the fare for you. Hopefully, I will surprise my 'Bong mom' when she comes visiting next time :-).