I Am MomBai

"Mrs." - Brace for impact

2025-02-17T20:24:00.000+05:30

“Sometimes, the first ones are a little burnt.”

While this comes across as a consolatory statement made by a man for his newly-wed wife on her first attempt at serving a “hot fulka”, you’ll find it insidiously brazen if you see the 100 minutes of the movie “Mrs.” that precede this scene.

What if I tell you that this woman demurely serving phulka was in fact the “replacement” of another who, after months of emotional and physical turmoil at the hands of her in-laws, decided to leave the household, literally barefoot?

That’s the story of Richa (Sanya Malhotra), a trained classical dancer with her own dance troupe, in a nutshell. This movie is currently grabbing a lot of footage on social media for all kinds of reasons. Women are getting triggered, understandably, vicariously “living” Richa’s suffering. Some others, as enablers of patriarchy, are attacking their own. Some men, on the other hand, are bringing up the “mens’ suffering” angle. There are, of course, exceptions, whose conscience has stirred and are feeling utter disgust.

What I loved about this movie is that there are no loud fights, over-the-top emotional scenes conveying the torturous life of a newly wed woman in a rigid patriarchal family in which the mother-in-law and the bride’s own parents are enablers. Everything is conveyed in silence – the oppression is conveyed through silences and powerful symbolism. The scent of sweat mixed with the smell of food, the relentless drip of a leaking sink, the clatter of utensils—these seemingly small details form a language of oppression, which dawns upon Richa sooner into the marriage rather than later. Like a python that slowly crushes the bones of its prey before swallowing it alive, the first to be crushed are Richa’s dreams, then her friend circle, and eventually almost her will.

Diwakar’s shift from a seemingly caring (“male gynaecologist”) husband to one who strips his wife of her humanity is unsettling, not due to its abruptness, but because of how slowly it unfolds. His initial comment, “You smell like the kitchen — the sexiest smell in the world,” appears to be filled with affection. However, as his feelings shift from desire to contempt, those same words become a tool for rejection: “You smell like the kitchen,” now carrying with it a sense of condemnation.

I feel that Sanya Malhotra has become Richa. Her emotions, hidden tears, and tired sighs come across so authentically that it’s easy to forget she’s acting. Her silent defiance, simmering frustration, and eventual awakening feel so intimately personal.

Nishant Dahiya is unsettlingly convincing as Diwakar. His is a grey character; a rather unexemplary man, who unknowingly continues the cycle of oppression under the guise of tradition.

Kanwaljit Singh (Buniyaad, Saans fame - I had crushed on him in the latter), as the rigid father-in-law, irritated the hell out of me as he waited for his wife to draw his shoes out of the closet for him to wear.

Aparna Ghoshal, as the mother-in-law (a so-called Ph.D. in Economics) who has long accepted her fate, adds a quiet layer of tragedy to the already intense atmosphere of the film.

Some films burn into your consciousness like acid – especially for someone like me who has witnessed this patriarchal family setup up close – and doesn't offer neatly packaged happy endings. The movie forces the viewers to sit in their discomfort and get out of their "delulu" of our society currently being a progressive one. Mind you: this film is shown in an urban setting, not in a village! Watch it at your own risk – it’ll trigger you a lot, that’s a promise! You need to decide in which direction you want to be triggered – to work towards a better society or to retire deeply into delusion and whataboutery.

First solo trip: Ujjain – the Land of Mahakal

2023-11-26T16:00:00.008+05:30

|| सदा शिवम् भजाम्यहम सदा शिवम् सहायते ||

[I always chant the name of Shiv, and he is always there for me.]

The seed of this adventure was sown after my trip to another Jyotirling in December 2022 – the Kashi Vishwanath. It happened by chance that a dear friend’s mom said, “You’ve visited Baba Vishwanath, soon it’ll be Baba Mahakal next.” I feel goosebumps even as I write this, because it was this dear friend’s family that was instrumental in ensuring that I get darshan of Baba Mahakal even before the first anniversary of my Kashi visit!

After Kashi, I got busy with life. Did a Europe trip with family and a few other smaller trips. When October dawned, this inexplicable urge to do one last trip (budget-friendly) before 2023 ends came up. And the first thing that came to mind was: Ujjain! I explored a couple of group tour options, but knowing how group tours operate (expensive, strict timelines, group chaos, too many adjustments, I decided to do this “totally solo”. While I have travelled in group tours as a solo traveller, this was my very first tour which I planned, lived, and executed in a completely solo manner!

Those who are spiritually inclined will agree with me here when I say that a “higher power” was directing me – because the right people just presented themselves to help me “live” this fabulous trip. The friend (a local of Ujjain) that I mentioned earlier helped me chalk out an itinerary (which literally got finalized in 2 days’ time); her younger sibling helped me find a good cab for sightseeing for the 3 days of my trip and was in touch throughout; his lovely wife literally handheld me through my hotel stay in Ujjain as well as the temple trail; and their parents pampered me the whole two days. Even the cab driver (coincidentally named “Ishwar”) was super sweet, a great listener, and helped me click photos for my social media. My solo outing could never have been so warm and so momentous.

Since a lot of well-wishers wanted me to recount this journey, I’m reproducing my experiences in a chronological order below:

Day 1 – 15 Nov: Setting off

On board the bus to Indore

With butterflies in the tummy, I left home around 6.30 PM for my bus pick-up point in Wakad, Pune. The bus (the operator Raj Ratan Tours came highly recommended) was due at 8 PM. The bus was a luxurious one, with airconditioned bunk beds (I had booked the upper bunk for a secure feel since I was travelling solo). The bus set off exactly at 8 PM (unlike the typical “Indian Standard Time”) and I began my journey to meet Baba Mahakal. I was constantly in touch with my friend’s family and the cab driver, informing them about my whereabouts. Sleep was elusive because of the constant movements of the bus.

Day 2 – 16 Nov: Indore & Maheshwar

The bus’s ETA in Indore was 8.30 AM, but I was pleasantly surprised to see myself in the city of foodies at 6.45 AM! An anxious wait (though not unsafe) of 20 minutes later, my cab and a smiling Ishwar drove up to me. The affable and pleasant-natured young man made me feel at home and we set out for our first halt – Maheshwar. En route we halted at the famous ‘Apna Sweets’ chain of sweets/namkeen shop for a filling breakfast of the famous “Indori poha” and a chai that was out of this world – not too sweet (as is usually the case anywhere outside our own home), just right!

Jam Gate, enroute Maheshwar

On the way, we visited the Patalpani waterfall and Jam Gate (we actually passed through it on our way to Maheshwar) – a brisk sightseeing in the morning pleasant weather.

My hotel room at Labboo'z Cafe & Lodge

We reached Maheshwar around 10.30 AM and I checked into my ‘palatial’ hotel named ‘Labboo’z Café & Lodge’, which is located inside the Maheshwar Fort. After freshening up (with on-demand hot water – a plus during winters here), I draped a beautiful Maheshwari saree (after all what better way to pay tribute to the city than by wearing its famous GI-tagged produce) and set off for some sightseeing. We didn’t have to go far as everything was in our close vicinity. We first visited the Ahilya Wada – the palace of Maharani Ahilyadevi of the Holkar dynasty that ruled Indore and Maheshwar. Ahilyadevi is very much revered in these parts of our country and rightly so, considering her contribution to Sanatana Dharma and to the welfare of her subjects. Read more about her, here.

At the feet of a towering personality - Rani Ahilyadevi

Then we moved to the vast and beautiful Maheshwar Ghat that was built by Ahilyadevi. Located on the banks of the River Narmada (I recall Ishwar calling it “chhoti Ganga”, when it comes to its divinity – ‘Narmada Parikrama’ is an important pilgrimage undertaken by Hindus), the ghat is home to several beautiful temples and entrancing architecture. I also got a chance to see the weaving mills located nearby, but of course from outside. However, since it was getting close to noon, and due to the milling crowds, we decided to end our sightseeing for the day and headed for lunch at our Hotel. After a little post-lunch rest, we set off to see Sahasradhara, where over 100 streams of Narmada merge to provide an amazing sight. However, since I visited close to winter time, the water streams had almost dried up and there were only bare rocks and hawkers to see.

Maheshwar ghat

By now, my lack of sleep the previous night was beginning to take its toll and I was feeling very tired. So, we decided to call it a day, even when the evening was still young. I managed to do a bit of shopping for clothes in the shops within the fort. We then had an early dinner around 7.30 PM and I retired to my queen room! Sleep was still elusive, but I managed to get some rest. The next morning, we had to set out early for Ujjain.

About Labboo’z Café & Lodge: A budget hotel, it shares space within the fort premises with a five-star resort named Ahilya Fort Heritage Hotel. My room had two private access points – one via the main door with a flight of ancient stairs snaking up to my room, and the other was through a common balcony that had a separate entrance in the property. The vibe of the hotel was very boho, chic, ethnic, and the staff extremely courteous. The rooms are clean, but they can be slightly musty due to their age. Don’t expect high-end cuisine here. But you’ll get good basic food such as paranthas, sandwiches, and the typical Indian thali. Since I was on a pilgrimage, non-vegetarian food was not on my mind and hence didn’t check if they offer. Breakfast is served at 8.30 AM (very late for people like me who are on a strict itinerary) and dinner orders close after 8.30 PM and the entire staff goes home, except for the watchman (which was a bit scary for me and gave me a bit of a sleepless night, but everything was completely safe and I can totally blame this fear on my nerves).

Day 3 – 17 Nov: Raverkhedi, Omkar-Mamleshwar, Ujjain

Raverkhedi - Samadhi of Peshwa Bajirao I

While heading to Maheshwar the previous day, I had noticed a signboard pointing to Raverkhedi – not many people know that this small village is of prime importance to Maratha history. Here lies the samadhi of its most successful Prime Minister and Strategist – Peshwa Bajirao I (who never lost a single battle in his lifetime). There’s so much that can be said here about him, but let’s suffice by saying that this detour was no less of a pilgrimage for me. After 2 hours and more than 35 kilometres of offroading (the roads are really bad here), we reached the location. This is literally in the middle of nowhere and since we had skipped breakfast when we left Maheshwar, we could not find anything to eat here, save for some packets of sev and hot tea. When I entered the samadhi site, which is free to access for everyone, I experienced two conflicting emotions – a sense of awe to be sharing the same space with such a great personality and a sense of calm. The place is very peaceful and the Narmada snakes along in a tranquil state. Apart from this samadhi, there’s also a shiv temple that was built by Kashibai, the widow of the Peshwa, after his passing. However, we were unable to visit it due to paucity of time.

Quick note: Raver-Khedi is actually a pair of twin villages. Raver + Khedi.

After this detour, we headed to Omkareshwar, where we finally managed to have a sit-down breakfast. A fare including batata wada-chhole chaat (because that was ready), followed by some scrumptious aalu paratha and chai.

Narmada river with the Omkareshwar temple in the background. In the foreground is Mamleshwar (not visible)

Then we headed for a darshan of Mamleshwar, which is one half of the jyotirlinga Omkar-Mamleshwaram. The temple was extremely crowded and the darshan itself involved a lot of pushing and shoving (reminded me of the local trains in Mumbai & did not come without its own fair share of verbal volleys). After the darshan, we headed to the bank of the Narmada (this would be the final time I would be seeing the river) and I paid my obeisance to Omkareshwar from a distance as I honestly did not have it in me to stand in another long queue, with the hope that He will call me back again soon.

Standing Nandi at Sandipani Ashram (source: Tripadvisor)

We then headed off to Ujjain, with only one break for lunch. Here, I checked in to Hotel Shree Ganga. After a little freshening up, we headed out for some temple hopping. By now, there was a nice nip in the air and my shawl was a constant companion. We started off with the Sandipani Ashram, which is the ancient school where Shri Krishna and Shri Balram received education from Rishi Sandipani. The entire Ashram premises exudes positivity. It houses the only Shiv temple where the Nandi is standing. Apart from this, there is a wonderful art gallery in the premises showcasing paintings, murals, and frescoes around the life of Shri Krishna that every devotee and art enthusiast would be interested in. It also offers a great opportunity to learn facts about Krishna’s life and of course, burn calories by walking!

After this, we headed to the Mangalnath temple – where the Planet Mangal (Mars) is worshipped in the form of a shivling. Here, we got a chance to be a part of a wonderful “sandhya-aarti”.

We then headed to the Kalbhairav temple, which was unfortunately extremely crowded, and I barely got to see the deity properly. Shri Kalbhairav is considered to be the guardian deity of the cities that house jyotirlings/shaktipeeths. It is a custom to visit the Kalbhairav before the presiding deity. I had done something similar on my trip to Kashi.

Foodie delights

After this, we visited my friend’s family who took me out for a light “chaat dinner” – aalu tikki chaat, pani puri, followed up by thick, flavourful custard apple kulfi. We had planned a night-time viewing of Mahakal Lok, but I was feeling very tired and we decided to call it a day.

Day 4 – 18 Nov: Ujjain

Harsiddhi Mata Temple, Ujjain

Started very early with a sumptuous breakfast of poha and jalebi. Then it was time for some more temple hopping – this time two very crucial and “jagrut” temples: first was the shaktipeeth of Mata Harsiddhi (it is believed that the elbow of Devi Sati fell off here when Shiv was carrying her body after Dakhsha’s ill-fated yagya), followed by the Jyotirling of Shri Mahakal. Both the visits went off very peacefully and with minimal crowding. Both temples are located close to each other and we did these on foot, barefoot.

Mahakal Temple, Ujjain

At the Mahakal temple, after the darshan, when we were visiting the smaller temples within the Mahakal Lok premises, I was fortunate to listen to the maha aarti – and this was a special one unlike any other I have witnessed before. More than 2 minutes of goosebumpy, rapturous sound of the usual dhol, mridang, etc. but pronounced by the sound of the “damru”.

The temple hopping was followed by a trip to ‘Shri Ram Bhojnalay’ for a delicious vegetarian Marwari thali spread. Then we set off for some shopping – both for food and clothing. Towards the end of the day, it was time for me to say my goodbyes to my wonderful and gracious hosts and then onward to Indore to catch my 8 PM bus to Pune, which dropped me back home, again, way before its ETA.

About ShreeGanga, Ujjain: The hotel is a little on the pricier side with INR 4K+ per night, but it has most of the comforts that a 3-star hotel might provide. It is also centrally located and its in-house restaurant has a great range of delicacies to offer. The rooms are large and spacious with all the modern amenities and accessories.

Checklist for solo trip newbies:

Before venturing out completely solo, try travelling solo within group tours. I travelled quite a few times with operators like Veena World and some local operators before taking this jump to an end-to-end solo trip.
Check the calendar for any specific days/holidays, etc. before booking. In this case, 17^th November was a state election day and therefore many hotels were cancelling bookings, thankfully mine didn’t. Also, since I visited during Diwali holidays, I had to face a lot of crowds – mostly influx of people from neighbouring states bordering Madhya Pradesh.
Do some in-depth research and plan your itinerary in the minutest of details. I feel in my case I could have planned even better and added an extra day so that I could cover all the sightseeing points in a slower pace and get enough rest. So, for Indore-Maheshwar-Ujjain trip, I would suggest keep 3 full days for sightseeing sandwiched between 2 days for to & fro travel.
If you’re following any diets, suspend them for the time of travel.
Take the usual safety precautions any solo woman traveller should follow for her journey – keep a pepper spray; SOS speed dial number; take photos of your cab & number plate and circulate them among your contacts; carry enough cash, but split it in different bags.
Please feel free to add to this list from your experience in the Comments section, I’d be happy to learn from you!

|| ॐ नमः पार्वती पतये हर हर महादेव ||
[I bow down to the husband of Devi Parvati, the omnipotent Mahadev]

A Dummy's guide on how to smuggle greens into food so your family eats it

2023-02-13T10:51:00.001+05:30

When it comes to eating their greens, both children and adults can be fussy. To ensure that my kiddo and her daddy don't miss out on the nutrition, I resorted to the age-old practice (perfected by a long generation of mothers and grandmothers) of surreptitiously adding them to the foods they love. The case in point - the humble parantha. While the recipe in itself is not new, I added a few tweaks I learnt from my mother-in-law, my best friend, and some of my own.

So here it goes:

Ingredients:

2 katori Wheat flour

1 tablespoon besan (gram flour)

1 tablespoon bhajani peeth (mixed flour used to make thaalipeeth - a Maharashtrian delicacy)

2 tsp jeera (cumin) powder

1 tsp whole jeera

1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

1 tsp white sesame (only during winters)

2 tsp dhaniya (coriander) powder

1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp haldi (turmeric)

1 tsp aamchur (dried mango) powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tablespoon curd

1 tablespoon schezwan chutney

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste (avoid, if you're using schezwan chutney)

3 fistfuls of cleaned and rinsed methi leaves, chopped

3 fistfuls of cleaned and rinsed red Amaranth leaves, chopped

Salt to taste

Water for kneading the dough

Ghee for shallow frying

For tempering:

3 tablespoon oil (any oil is fine) for tempering

1 pinch of heeng (asafoetida) for tempering

Method:

Mix all the ingredients (except items for tempering) in a deep and wide bowl.

Heat the oil in a small tadka pan (I prefer the one made with iron for nutrition and taste) and add heeng powder to it and after it sputters, switch off the gas. Pour the hot oil over the flour mixture. Pour some water into the hot tadka pan and add it to the flour mixture. Knead it well and keep it aside for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, start making medium sized balls of the dough. Take a clean, dry cotton cloth and place it over the chakla (roti making platform). Place a dough ball over it and flatten it with the rolling pin, applying dry flour as required. Apply some ghee to it and fold it. Roll it again and and repeat the same folding process. This is done so that your paratha gets nice layers. Now, roll the folded dough into a thick roti and fry it on the pan by applying ghee (generously - ghee is good for your bones) on both sides.

Serve the parantha hot with curd and pickle.

Photo recap:

1. Clean and rinse the veggies with water.

2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

3. After the tempering, knead the flour and let it rest (covered) for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out the dough into a parantha/roti. Place a cloth below it before rolling so it doesn't stick to the platform.

5. Shallow fry it on the hot pan using ghee on both sides.

6. Serve hot with curd/raita and pickle.

Kantara in one syllable: "Whaaaaaouwww!"

2022-10-27T11:39:00.007+05:30

In today’s world where films are dished out like goods on conveyor belts in a factory, rarely does a movie transport you into another world and leave you in a trance long after it’s over! It’s almost 24 hours since I saw Kantara in all its splendor in a multiplex near my home and I still cannot get it out of my consciousness.

First things first – the story-telling approach (I don’t want to put spoilers here, so I’ll be brief), the cinematography, the music are mind-blowing. The film is shot in relatively unseen natural locations with day and night scenes captured really well. The stunts, the artwork, the lighting, the editing, and special effects are of a very high quality – and they do not look staged at all. To the viewer, it seems as if it’s all happening in real life. The music, especially, holds the entire 2 hour-30 minute film together from the beginning to its riveting end. Like many reviewers would tell you, the first and last 15 minutes will leave your jaw open right till it hits the floor!

The film brings forth a very important point for the audience. In the modern times, anything that doesn’t align to our “western-educated rational” minds or simply doesn’t make sense is dismissed as “folklore” or “folk tales” – be it our epics like Ramayana or Mahabharata or the belief systems among villagers and tribals pertaining to their naturalistic, primordial, elemental deities. The fact is: just because your rational mind doesn’t accept the existence of “Dhaivas/Bhootas” (nature deities) does not mean that they do not exist or that they’re not all-powerful. The film also breaks the stereotype of the “benevolent God”. The Dhaivas/Bhootas are ancient deities that predate all human life. They command respect and can be extremely vengeful if a person doesn’t fulfill the promises made to them, is disrespectful or unfair to others – as shown in one of the scenes where the antagonist’s father dies by vomiting blood after disrespecting the deity and threatening to break the promise made by his ancestor.

Disclaimer: Bhootas are elemental deities (pancha mahabhoota – 5 elements) and not ghosts as someone not conversant with this terminology might believe. The Bhoota Kola may seem superstitious and even scary initially for the general audience. My request to those who are not familiar with this tradition would be to do some research into “Bhoota Kola”, “Panjurli” and “Guliga” dhaivas before or after watching the film for a better understanding. As a viewer, I was partially aware of this concept because of my ancestry in Konkan and Goa. The concept is very similar to the “Gram Devata” and “Mool Purush” who preside over the village and forests and offer protection, justice to the residents in these areas.

The film also unabashedly embraces Hinduism. In the current political climate in India and globally, one comes across so many instances of Hindumisia (that’s a topic for another series of blogs, but later). Here is one film that is not at all apologetic about its Hindu roots. I feel that Hinduism, as a faith and way of life, is closely intertwined with nature. The entire Hindu pantheon, our everyday rituals and practices are deeply connected to nature. In fact, the title ‘Kantara’ means “forest” in Sanskrit. The entire film is shot in and on the outskirts of a forest, telling the story of the people whose very existence depends on nature. The film’s main symbol – the wild boar – is also the Varaha avatar of Lord Vishnu and the audience can hear attributions made to this avatar in the main song (Varaha roopam…you can listen to the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH_RYRwVrVM) of this film. The 2 scenes of the “Bhoota Kola” were so intense in all their glory that I, as a viewer, felt compelled to join my palms in obeisance.

Another notable point here is that the protagonist Shiva – played by actor Rishab Shetty – is not the usual suave, macho type of hero that the Indian film industry is used to seeing. Here is one true son of the soil, strong, uneducated, steeped in beedi and liquor, beastly even, but with his heart in the right place: staying true to nature and locals. Shiva is essentially a rebel and his internal and external conflicts will keep you riveted. His character is grey, which tries to live in two worlds at the same time. The first is the carnal world full of liquor and enjoyment, and the second one is the Divine, which is the legacy he inherited from his father who used to perform the Bhoota Kola. He is perpetually plagued by nightmares whenever he does something wrong (like hunt for wild boars). Towards the end of the film, he is led to this mysterious place in the forest, which feels like a portal. After which, everything changes – including Shiva himself.

Watch Kantara in a theater, preferably in Kannada with English subtitles, for the real feel of the Tulu culture in which it is based. Hindi dubbed versions with English subtitles are also available. The film has already garnered rave reviews with a 9.2 IMDB rating. If this movie doesn’t deserve an Oscar (not that we need the West’s approval in this case), I’m not sure what does.

In fact, Kantara reminds me of Sohum Shah’s Tumbbad, which had left people amazed. Such movies are proof that earthy, original, rooted folk tales from India can become compelling cinema. Go, watch Kantara today!

जीवाची जर्मनी Part 2 | Stuttgart

2022-06-22T17:09:00.009+05:30

The Palace Square, Königstraße, Stuttgart, juxtaposed against an overcast, rainy sky

The 6-hour journey by train to Stuttgart could be called as an extension of the "overcoming inhibitions" theme that I started the first blog in this series with, but in hindsight, I could also call this a “Coming of Age” (at the ripe age of 39 😉) kind of journey. Till date, I’ve mostly travelled with family and friends. Even the journey to Berlin was with colleagues I am happy to call my friends. But my travel to Stuttgart had me entirely to myself. The train and hotel reservations were already done, thanks to my lovely colleague from Germany, but in this instance, I was truly alone – but not lonely at all!

Sitting in one place for 6 hours was a daunting task – only made easier by the fact that I could see the rural side of Germany through the train’s windows. Unfortunately, the downside of travelling alone is: you cannot catch a few winks during your long-distance journey. But all these struggles were quickly forgotten when I caught the first glance of Stuttgart after stepping out from the main station. What a lovely city it is; surrounded on all sides by the hills! Though I reached the station at 9.30 PM, thanks to the summer, there was still some daylight, which afforded me this pleasure. Checking in at 10 PM in my hotel in the quaint suburb of Vaihingen, I realized that it was too late for dinner. A tired, slightly scared me had to make do with a cold chicken sandwich before hitting the sack for the night.

The delicious breakfast spread!

The next morning – 3^rd June – more than made up for the previous night’s inconvenience. I started off with a hearty breakfast spread – including freshly baked breads and an insane variety of cheeses and butters – at 6.30 AM. By 7.15 AM, I was ready to explore the suburb of Vaihingen that was to be my home till the morning of 4^th June. It’s a quaint little suburb with a smattering of commercial and residential structures. Stuttgart takes its cars very seriously – on my street, I could see at least 4 car dealers, 3 of them right next to each other – no wonder it’s called the "Autohauptstadt" (Germany’s car capital – just like Detroit was in its glory days to the USA, I guess)!

With my lovely colleagues from Divia GmbH

The rest of the morning was spent in a lively meeting with my wonderful colleagues from Divia GmbH and once work was out of the way, I decided to utilize the remaining hours in exploring the city. One of my colleagues was kind enough to take me along on a train ride and even guided me on how to book a "Stadttour"– a 2-hour exploratory journey of Stuttgart on a double-decker bus! The Stadttour was an experience in itself – learning about the history of the city and how it came about, in a matter of roughly 120 minutes.

An interesting square in Stuttgart

Truly, this is a lot to condense in 2 hours, but those like me who do not have the time to explore the city at leisure, this is a good option. It was during this tour that I learnt that the city, located along the river Neckar, gets its name from its horse breeding past. Stuttgart comes from the old High German word “Stuotgarten” (meaning: stud farm), because the city was founded in 950 AD by Duke Liudolf of Swabia to breed warhorses. As the Stadttour bus went along, I got to see the fabulous and lavish houses – which were originally built for the working class & possibly and ironically house the uber rich now – and beautiful vistas of the Neckar valley. The roads, on which trams and vehicles shared space, reminded me of the streets of San Francisco (as seen from movies). On the tour itinerary were: the pig museum, the Mercedes-Benz museum, the Wilhelma Zoo (which houses around 11,500 animals from around the world), and the Killesbergpark (or "Höhenpark", a former collection point for Jews awaiting transportation to concentration camps), among others.

After the tour ended, I had some time left to explore the famed Königstraße (similar to the Mall Roads you’ll find in Shimla/Manali, in Himachal Pradesh, India). One of Germany's longest (1.2 kms) and finest shopping thoroughfares, it begins opposite the main railway station and runs right through the heart of the city. This street is located along the Schlossplatz, or palace square, which is the largest square in Stuttgart Mitte and home to the Neues Schloss (New Palace), which was built between 1746 and 1807 AD. At the time of my visit, a Summer Festival was on, and the palace grounds were decked up with tents and a musical arena – imparting a cheery, summery atmosphere to the historical structure.

Anyway, there’s only so much you can explore in a day, especially when you’re straddled with a bag containing your laptop and sundries. After an hour or two of exploring, I decided to call it a day and headed back to the hotel. At the hotel, it suddenly dawned upon me that I had – through the entire trip – not sampled a single pint of beer in Germany! That would have been a sacrilege – so I freshened up and settled down to a nice pint on the hotel patio. And then, after a nice walk and light dinner, I retired for the night.

4^th June dawned upon me quickly – like most endings to good things – and I bid my goodbyes to this excellent city, which I intend to explore again. The return journey to the Stuttgart airport in my cab was a particularly rewarding one as the taxi driver remarked that I did not look like an Indian at all – and that I could be easily mistaken for being a Spanish or Italian lady. That made my last few moments in Germany extra memorable 😉.

On landing in Bombay/Mumbai on the morning of 5^th June, the first dish I ordered enroute home was a piping hot vada pav – and boy, did I cry tears of joy on experiencing that familiar explosion of spices in my mouth 😉 😊. Until the next time then, dear reader, Aufwiedersehen!

Key Takeaways

Be punctual: This is something I take very seriously – irrespective of where I am. But the Germans are quite particular about time and it’s a good idea to reach a meeting 10 minutes in advance.

Speak the local language: You can get almost anything done if you speak the local lingo! And this works almost anywhere. While many European countries do speak English for business, there are many people – such as taxi drivers, housekeeping staff in hotels, shop & cafe owners who still converse in German. At such times, the use of a few basic phrases or “Redemittel” can come in handy.

Plan your meals when you’re travelling in Europe: I’ve observed that shops/restaurants usually down shutters by 7 PM-ish. I’ve noticed this happen both in a big city like Berlin and in the small suburb of Vaihingen in Stuttgart. On day 1 at Vaihingen, I went to bed dissatisfied because I arrived late at my hotel (around 9.30 PM) and there was barely anything to eat, except for a cold chicken sandwich – which I had to make do with.

Stay hydrated, but not too much: If you’re out sightseeing, don’t consume too much water/beverages because you may not find too many public toilets when nature comes calling.

Watch out for interesting cultural tidbits: In my hotel in Vaihingen, I noticed a considerable presence of army personnel and came to know that these are from the UK and the USA – a remnant of WWII. You can know more about this, here.

जीवाची जर्मनी Part 1 | Berlin

2022-06-20T14:56:00.087+05:30

The iconic Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) in Berlin

“Just 5 days?” was the response from my dear dad when I told him about the T-Systems Summer Camp in Berlin for the first time. For someone like my dad who has globetrotted a lot, the duration seemed rather disheartening, but for me, it was the start of something beautiful – that I just cannot describe in words.

The trip – before, during, and after – enriched me in ways I could never imagine. Coordinating, with a colleague, for the visa formalities and then helping with the travel-related nitty-gritties for 28 colleagues (including myself) was a huge learning experience.

There’s a term in Marathi called “सीमोल्लंघन” or “crossing of boundaries” which applies so beautifully to my Germany trip. Not only did I cross the boundaries of my beautiful and diverse country, but also my own inhibitions. Going into a foreign land with a culture that’s so varied from ours and trying to speak its language, take in its atmosphere, while remaining grounded to your own self and not letting it all overwhelm you – is a learning in itself.

My itinerary was choc-a-bloc with sessions, but Day 1 (30th May) afforded me some time to explore the beautiful city of Berlin. Saw the iconic Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) and the Reichstag (Germany’s Parliament). This was followed by a quaint dinner (with great sunshine outside – surprise benefits of Summer in Europe) at a pizzeria just next to the Brandenburg Gate – and then we hopped into a taxi that ferried us back to our hotel – The Hilton.

The next morning somehow set the tone for me. In hotels here, breakfasts usually start very early – 6.30 AM – and what a spread they are – so many varieties of breads, cheeses, meats, desserts! And of course coffee & juices. I would wrap up breakfast by 7 AM and step out to explore the city before our sessions started at 8 AM! That 1 hour of “me-time” was so precious: window shopping, getting into local supermarkets, and conversing with the locals in “Hochdeutch” was a reinforcement that the time invested in learning the German language was worth every single minute. From 31st May to 2nd June, this was my routine. Breakfast > “me time” > official Summer Camp sessions > dinner with colleagues > retire for the night > wake up early at 3.30 AM (German time) for video calls with the daughter and the father of my child.

Post breakfast on 31st May, our colleagues in Germany had a pleasant surprise planned for us: 2 beautiful hours of sightseeing in Berlin – from the Berlin Wall to the Nikolai Quarter, and more – via special buses! The live commentary by a local expert in history, politics, and architecture was the cherry on the cake. This was followed by our planned sessions and then a wonderful “networking” dinner located close to our hotel.

Saree Day in Berlin

And this brings me to the “overcoming inhibitions” part I had indicated earlier. While packing for this trip, the one garment that I put a lot of thought into was an heirloom saree, which I wanted to wear in Germany, but I was in a dilemma – how would I be perceived wearing my country’s most treasured traditional attire in a western, corporate setting? One part of my mind (and some friends & colleagues) told me: “Chuck it!”. The other said: “Pack it!” So pack it I did. And along it came with me to Germany. For this dinner event, the beautiful dual-toned Baluchari saree from Bengal (with a Ramayan story – Ram, Sita & the golden deer – etched on its pallu) beckoned to me, and I couldn’t resist its allure. “I’ll drape this now, I’ll worry about the perceptions later”, is what I told myself. Little was I aware of the rave reviews I would get later 😊. Like they say: "Fortune favors the brave!", and I was adequately rewarded with so much love!

I am thankful that I got the chance to shed my inhibitions, one wrap at a time! This also speaks volumes about the Diversity & Inclusion practices in my organization where every individual is embraced and respected for being their own unique selves! This day ended with an impromptu visit – with a few female colleagues – to the Berlin TV tower on Alexanderplatz where we not only took in the sights of Berlin from 203 meters above ground, but we also the chance to test our newly found German speaking skills on the staff at the tower – and boy, were they suitably impressed! 😉 On our way back, we were greeted with rain as we got into an Uber to head back to the hotel.

Ladies' day out - the Berlin TV Tower in the background

The 1st of June started off as planned, and after a few initial sessions, we were whisked off to an “adventure-cum-sports” park for some more doses of team connects. “Die Sonne scheint und die Welt ist in Ordnung.” was the general feeling, with some amazing team games and a nice Barbeque lunch lined up. But suddenly, the bright Berlin skies darkened and what followed was a (close to) 30 minutes of hailstorm. Nevertheless, we still had our fun – with Magenta-themed rain covers! The day ended with a rocking party at another venue where Indian songs like “Jhingaat” had everyone swaying to the beats.

The Magenta wave

On the next day (2nd June), after a quick “networking breakfast”, I took in the sights of Berlin for one last time before we wrapped up the Summer Camp with a lavish lunch spread. I then left for the Berlin Hauptbahnhof to experience my first train journey in Germany from Berlin to Stuttgart.

Quick Takeaways:

What Germans call “Summer” is still “डिसेंबर मधली गुलाबी थंडी” for us Punekars. The Met reading showed 19 degrees, but it felt like close to zero for me. So, please carry woollens.

The breakfast spread at the Hilton Berlin

When in Germany, be like the Germans. Eat local (sample the beers, the currywurst, and so on. My only regret – I just did not get the chance to eat currywurst and didn’t drink a single pint of the local beer. I just don’t know why.), speak with the locals in their local lingo and see all the differences just melt away.

I had just completed my A2 certification in German and Berlin proved to be the testing ground for my newly acquired language skills! From hotel staff to local shopkeepers to cab drivers, it was amazing to express myself and interact with them in German. If you get stuck anywhere, just say “Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch” and see how they’ll help you out 😊.

When you’re in foreign lands, don’t forget your culture. My decision to opt for the saree paid off so many dividends – from appreciative glances to “fans” seeking photos – I literally got to be the celebrity of the day, I’m not kidding 😉.

To be continued...

First Mom & Daughter Trip – Part 4 – Trudging Back Home

2020-08-21T16:03:00.001+05:30

March 20, 2020: We woke up to a tense Friday morning, amid speculations that the travel operator will pack us off to Delhi airport on the same day even though the scheduled departure was Saturday night. All that we were told at this point was that the sightseeing in Chandigarh (the famous Rock Garden) has been cancelled due to the rising cases of Covid-19.

Looking back at the Himalayas, one last time from my hotel room

Post breakfast, we checked out of the Manali hotel and boarded cabs that would take us to our bus on the main road. I bid a silent goodbye to the Sentinels of the North – the Himalayas – promising to be back some day, and then boarded the bus. The tension in the air was palpable. The tour managers were trying their best to keep us cheerful with several fun activities – including celebrating a co-traveller’s birthday during a halt (along the beautiful river Beas).

The entire journey from Manali to Chandigarh is a beautiful one, offering breathtaking sights – with the river snaking along at one end and the tall mountains at the other. But somehow, my mind was not in it. I was trying to keep myself from panicking by watching a show on Netflix. But within, I know I was a bundle of nerves.

We eventually reached Chandigarh late in the evening and checked in to the Hotel Red Fox – our first hotel on our journey to Himachal. What a difference a week makes! We had first checked in to the hotel on March 14, with so much excitement and hope. And here we were now, bogged down by worry about what lies ahead for us – a complete antithesis! Dinner was pretty uneventful and quiet, and we retired to our rooms for the night. It was quite clear that we weren’t going anywhere at least on that day.

March 21, 2020: We were woken up by the tour managers as usual with the regular instructions of keeping the baggage ready by a particular time to be taken to the bus. We freshened up and headed for the dining room for breakfast. The tension there was palpable. As is my habit, I went ahead to chat up with the chef to compliment him for the awesome meals during our stay. That’s when he told us how we were going to be the last guests before the hotel shuts shop. The sinking feeling came back.

Ideally, this day was reserved for sightseeing in Chandigarh, but the tour managers said we’re heading for Delhi right away. But they didn’t commit on whether early flights would be arranged for us. We halted for lunch at the Haveli Murthal and again, I could feel the dip in the atmosphere there. The vibrant fountains were shut, the entire hotel ambience reeked of fear. Post lunch, our onward journey to Delhi began. All of us started checking for our masks and sanitizers. We were becoming battle-ready and heading for the war zone.

A pressure cooker outlet somewhere in Karnal - aptly conveys the "pressure" we were in!

The bus dropped us outside the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 5.30 PM and I believe my worst time somehow began there. The flight was scheduled for 11 PM and we had nothing but time to kill post our security checks. The airport was crowded with impatient and scared folks and the air was full of fear – flights were getting cancelled, one by one. Our group was huddled in a particular section of the airport and we had nothing to do but wait for our turn to board. Then we were informed that our flight was delayed for accommodating a later flight that had been cancelled. We ended up boarding our flight at 12.45 AM instead. All I was doing in those 7+ hours – with an initially excited and later tired & sleepy child – was pray to God: “Please get us home safe!”

My ordeal only ended when I saw my husband at the airport departures exit and we headed back home! This was not how I had imagined my journey to end. But at least I’m thankful that my kid and I returned home without any infection or injury. We did not end up getting stuck anywhere like the honeymooning couple that got stranded in Maldives for months! Now, that’s a nightmare that I was fearing, but didn’t happen, for which I’m so thankful!

Some Key Takeaways

Here are a few travel lessons I learnt and would like to pass on to solo women travelling with kids:

Go for reputed tour operators & preferably in group tours. This will not only ensure that you’re well taken care of, but you will also get the opportunity to meet different kinds of people. Another benefit of group tours is that everything – right from stay to sightseeing to food to entertainment – is taken care of and you don’t have to spend extra apart from any shopping you wish to do.
Pack some extra sets of (recyclable) plastic bags to deal with emergencies. For me, that emergency was my baggage getting soaked on our way to Chandigarh. Also, pack lots of brown paper bags in case you suffer from motion sickness along with anti-nausea pills (with doctor’s prescription of course) and mints. In Shimla & Manali, there are lots of ghat journeys and you’ll likely need both.
There might be divided opinion on this, but if you’re heading to a cold place, pack minimal woolens and buy stuff from there locally. I got very good deals at Shimla Mall Road & the Kullu Shawl factory. You’ll be able to travel lighter during the journey – though the return journey won’t be so!
This would be a very obvious one, but it’s so very critical – invest in a good camera or camera phone. I had a hard time taking pictures because my camera phone was just not good enough.
Do your homework: Research on the famous and lesser-known places to visit prior to setting out on your tour. While tour operators do have a set itinerary, sometimes you get some free time to explore. For example, on our visit to Shimla Mall Road, we were given time to explore and then assemble at a pre-decided spot at a particular time. Had I known that the Jakhoo Temple is something worth visiting, I wouldn’t have missed it for anything. This temple houses the 108-feet Hanuman Statue (did you know it’s taller than Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil?) that is beautiful and awe-inspiring. And it was just a hop, skip and jump away from the Christ Church square. Not visiting it will be the one regret that I’ll take away from the trip. (see pic in my Shimla blog in this series).
Carry books & games for your kid. In group tours, you will be constantly in transit – for 6-7 hours at a stretch. Kids generally won’t sit still, and you can’t keep giving them your cellphone for distraction. Carry some story books and easy games so they stay occupied. Luckily, my daughter had company because there were other kids on board and hence I didn’t have to worry much on that front.
This is mostly a lesson for me because I tend to worry a lot. Be prepared for any eventuality, but do not brood or worry over it so much that it takes the joy away from the present moment. From Manali onwards, I was constantly worrying, and I couldn’t enjoy what was right there in front of me. Like my favorite character Jack Reacher would say: Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. But don't forget to live in the NOW!

This brings me to the end of my solo travel series. Hoping and praying for my next gig, so I can share my experiences with you, my readers!

First Mom & Daughter Trip – Part 3 – Magical Manali & the Mutinous Tummy

2020-08-16T22:12:00.002+05:30

March 17, 2020: After a hearty breakfast, we bid adieu to the beautiful Shimla. The next phase of our journey started. Most of the day was spent in travelling as the Shimla-Manali distance by road is around 248 kms – which takes around 7 hours. The route was scenic – we got to see the Sutlej and Beas rivers for the first time – though we experienced a lot of delays due to the ongoing roadwork at plenty of spots.

The Sutlej River, enroute Manali

We took a halt for lunch and then proceeded to the Sai Shawl Factory in Kullu for some woolens shopping. From there, things started to go downhill for me. Initially, I thought it’s motion sickness, and it took all my strength (and a few mints) to prevent myself from vomiting in the bus. I was dying to reach the hotel and I could barely register the tour manager’s instructions for the next day, which was going to be a momentous one as we were going to head to the Solang valley for a day full of fun in the snow.

We reached the hotel ‘Moniker Resort’ to a hero’s welcome – with aarti, teeka, flowers, and the works! But all I could manage to do was make a dash for the reception and ask for the nearest washroom. I suspected there was something wrong with the food served at lunch and hence the vomiting spells. I requested to be checked in first and rushed to my room. My stomach had gone for a toss and my vomiting just couldn’t stop. But I still had to keep the show going on because I had my daughter with me. Luckily, I had managed to befriend a family whose kid was about the same as my daughter – and they were right next door. My room came with amazing views of the Himalayas right outside, but I was in no shape to register anything, forget enjoying them. The hotel was kind enough to offer me carom seeds (ajwain) to munch on for my nausea. And my neighbors offered to take my kid along for dinner, and even got me a few packets of ready-to-sip ORS. I prayed to the elements to make me better before the next day’s adventure, and that was the last thought in my head as I drifted off to sleep, with my child nestled against me under the heavy blanket.

March 18, 2020: The next day came with little hope. I was feeling horribly drained and nauseous. I had zero energy to get out of bed. I was already awake before the wake-up call and told the tour manager to count me out of the day’s trip. But I could see that my child was all rearing to go for the snow adventure, and how could I deny her that joy? So, I called up the tour manager again and confirmed my attendance and headed out. I just had dark coffee and a few biscuits for breakfast (because one must eat).

It was during breakfast that I came to know about 2 more fellow travelers having taken sick after eating at the lunch stop, with one of them being hospitalized. The tour operators decided to forego that restaurant on our request on our return journey to Chandigarh, and onward to Delhi.

Post breakfast, we headed to the Solang Valley Ski Center in private cabs arranged for us. On the way, we halted at a shop offering snow suits and other accessories on rent. It was a nightmare to get a suit, socks, gloves, gum boots, etc. that fit for both me and my kid and a lot of jostling and shoving was involved because multiple tour groups had descended on the shop (thank god the pandemic had not reached here yet). I realized with remorse that people just don’t have any sense of discipline.

The “suited and booted” us somehow got into our cab and headed to the site. It was glorious & surreal! Snowcapped mountains were everywhere – wherever our sight took us! As we reached the destination, we were told goggles/sunglasses were compulsory to avoid the “snow glare”. While I had my own sunglasses, I had to buy one from a roadside seller for my child (at Rs. 100 a pair) and of course quickly and thoroughly (if both actions can happen together, that is) clean it with my hand sanitizer. Note to travelers: carry sunglasses for yourself and kids if you’re going to a snow destination.

Solang Valley

The experience at Solang Valley was other-worldly – I had never seen such copious amounts of snow first-hand ever before. But physically, I was not in a good shape. Nausea had taken its hold over me and the fear of Covid-19 and my child/me taking ill with exposure to so much cold was pervasive. I was constantly tired and hence couldn’t enjoy much. Tea/coffee were being served in the snow, but I didn’t take either. On the way back, we were treated to a plate of piping-hot momos, which I couldn’t resist, neither could the kid.

Local Himachali snack - Sidu

Around lunch time, we were back at the hotel, and the rest of the day was for us to rest. In the evening, we were served a local snack called “sidu”. Its texture was more like a dhokla, but it had a sweet stuffing made of dry fruits.

Overall, the hotel seemed grander than the one in Shimla, but the heating was a problem. With only one standalone heating module, we were always cold and wrapped up in woolens even in bed.

March 19, 2020: I woke up on this day feeling marginally better. On the charts today for sightseeing were: Hadimba Devi Temple, Rohtang Snow Point, and Manali Mall Road. My initial buoyant spirit was sunk when I heard the hotel staff say that we will probably be the last guests before they shut down services due to Covid-19. This brought about a darker edge to my silvery cloud.

The Hadimba Temple

The Hadimba Devi Temple is dedicated to Goddess Hadimba, who was a demoness married to Pandava Bheem in the Mahabharata. Through sheer penance, she got the status of a goddess. Right behind her temple (where Bollywood films like Roja, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, etc. were shot), another temple dedicated to Ghatotkacha (Hadimba’s son with Bheem) is located, but we were discouraged from visiting it due to the place being a hotspot for black magic (Ghatotkacha is said to be the Lord of the Black Magic).

Sacrificed animal heads were all over the temple premises

Rohtang Point offered brilliant views of the Himalayas, but in exchange for a small trek, for which I was in no shape. So, I preferred to stay at the foothills with a few other fellow tourists and take in whatever sights were available from there (another major regret).

Rohtang Snow Point - Starting Point for the Trek

Physically, I was going through the motions – visiting all the three locations – which are all surreal and beautiful. But my mind was already on the journey back. Every day, I was in touch with the spouse – talking on phone in the morning and at night. Trying to get a feel of what was in store for us.

The day ended on a tense note with PM Narendra Modi’s address to the nation. The wonderful tribal dance organized for us alongside a bonfire also did nothing to cheer the gloom we were in. We retired to bed in a tensed mood, hoping and praying to reach home before all hell broke loose.

I just wish that the circumstances in which I visited Manali had been different. I wish I could have been able to enjoy nature’s beauty to the fullest. But that was not to be. Manali feels like unfinished business. I hope to be back again there some day.

Coming up next: Return journey to Pune & a few takeaways for solo travelers…

First Mom & Daughter Trip – Part 2 – Snow Love in Shimla

2020-08-09T17:49:00.007+05:30

March 14, 2020: I woke up at the unearthly hour of 3 AM to make it to the 5.30 AM reporting time set by the tour company. A quick tea session & prayer to our “Ishta devata” preceded the drive to the Pune airport from our home, which was mostly in silence. It was a mixed feeling – the huge burden of responsibility on my shoulders was making its presence felt. It was not a solo-solo trip that gives you the feeling of being blissfully free like a butterfly. I was taking my child along, and I was responsible for her safety (in the times of Covid-19). This feeling never let go of me right till the time I stepped back into my home. But more on that later.

The husband dropped us outside the airport, we said our goodbyes, and he drove back the way we came. We were greeted by the tour company’s rep who provided us our ticket printouts, snack hampers, and branded bags and we headed inside the airport. Masks on, and sanitizer handy! The flight was on time and the boarding & alighting happened smoothly. While I may have gone through the motions during several trips done with my parents & then my husband, but this one stands out because I was doing everything alone. I had to watch out for anything and everything, and it was daunting! But I must also agree to the fact that there was some invisible force or energy that was driving me and I somehow had the good faith that I was in good hands and I will get good company – and honestly, I wasn’t disappointed.

Alighting at the Delhi airport, I was on super red alert because it was a (sort of) red zone for Covid-19. I felt like I was walking on embers. After recovering the baggage, we walked on and were introduced to our travel group with whom we were going to spend time for the next 8 days. It was a nice, sunny Saturday morning. We were introduced to our 2 tour managers and led to the bus that would take us to our first destination – Chandigarh. The bus turned out to be a rickety one and the rate at which we were getting bumped around, we were praying for our backs and bones! And as if this was not enough, the rain gods decided to make their presence felt and lashed at us with all their glory, on our way to Chandigarh post a lunch halt at Murthal. At Murthal, we had a wonderful vegetarian meal at a restaurant setup called Haveli Murthal.

Balle Balle in Chandigarh!

The scenic Pinjore Gardens

We finally reached our hotel in Chandigarh, which was the only one to conduct temperature checks for their guests. It was a nice little business hotel named Red Fox & we loved the small but cosy rooms & the food spread there. We were really excited about our first night out. But then, more drama was to follow. Our baggage, which was kept in the storage of the rickety bus, was completely soaked! Thankfully, most of our clothes and other items were safe. With the help of our tour managers, we managed to iron out the others that were damp. We had to borrow a hair dryer from the hotel to dry out our bags and after this gargantuan effort, dinner followed.

Arrival in Shimla

March 15, 2020: Our tour routine started. Wake up calls by the tour managers, freshening up, breakfast, followed by sightseeing, dinner, briefing about next day’s plans and retiring for the night. Our first stop post breakfast and checking out of the hotel was the scenic Pinjore Garden. On public demand, the tour company had replaced our bus, which was a much sturdier and luxurious affair. Passenger introductions and a few fun & games happened. After the outing at the garden, we headed to Shimla. On the way, we were greeted by the Kalka-Shimla toy train several times, reminding me of the song 'Mere Sapnon Ki Rani' from the Rajesh Khanna-Sharmila Tagore starrer Aradhana! We reached Shimla in the evening and a cold draft of wind was the first thing to hit me on alighting from the bus. There were no signs of snow, and I must admit that I was a bit disappointed. The views of the hills, though, were breath-taking. The rest of the evening was for us to rewind and relax. I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to pack a pair of woollen gloves for myself. So, I set out of the hotel for a bit and while wandering around discovered just the shop I wanted. After purchasing the gloves, I found that our hotel was perched right next to a toy train station called Taradevi! Since it was getting dark, I decided to explore the station later.

The hotel – Sukhsagar Regency – had a great ambience and the rooms were amazingly warm. I would really like to appreciate the great care taken to ensure the guests stay warm using the centralized AC. The food spread was decent, but somehow the warm water was in short supply because we ended up not getting any. Through our two-night stay we used kettle water for freshening up and sponging was the only kind of warm showers we got.

Kulfi-fied in Kufri

Beauty of the beasts contrasting against the rugged landscape

March 16, 2020: We woke up to this day with it the promise of snow! Right through our breakfast & even as we piled into our bus for sightseeing, our conversations hovered around the possibility of seeing some snow. Let me state on record here: till 16^th March, 2020, the only snow I had seen was in the movies! So, when we reached for our first destination – the Himalayan Zoological Park in Kufri – we were in for a surprise. Yaks & Snow! The Yak owners were cashing in on what would probably be the last of the tourist throng thanks to Covid-19, and were charging upwards of Rs. 50 for posing with the beasts. From the bus, we alighted and were taken to the Zoo – situated on a hill – in smaller vehicles.

Winter Wonderland: Kufri Zoo

Now, here is a word of the wise for those who think snow is all romantic, pretty & nice. NO, IT’S NOT! It is slushy, wet, and bone-chilling and takes your breath away, in a painful way! At the zoo entrance, we were greeted by snow & slush and vendors offering “gum boots” on rent. We decided to ignore that, and I regretted that as soon as we stepped inside the zoo. Then came the ticket counter-cum-lounge of the zoo, where we decided to add another layer to our existing woolens and our tour manager also advised us to wear sunglasses to avoid the glare of the snow. Exploring the zoo premises was a slippery affair! Our shoes were just not equipped for it (because the snow was at least 3-4 days old and had turned into ice) and we had to take baby steps to move ahead. Most of our focus was on getting to the exit point of the zoo without taking a bad fall or catching a bad cold. In fact, two of our co-travellers who were senior citizens took a nasty fall! So far as sightseeing was concerned, the zoo had a limited range of animals - from bears, many varieties of deer & sambar, leopards, and a few birds & reptiles.

Our next stop was the historic Chini Bungalow right next door to the zoo. The Shimla Pact with Pakistan in 1972 was signed here by Indira Gandhi and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Adventure Resort, Kufri

From there, we headed to the adventure resort, which was a short drive away. While everyone else chose to play their choice of games, kiddo & I decided to take in the wonderful lunch, looking at the beautiful views of the Himalayan mountain ranges.

The Christ Church with the mighty Hanuman statue in the background

The next stop was a leisurely stroll of the Shimla Mall Road. We were taken to a certain point by smaller vehicles and then we had to go up and down by two commercial sized lifts that opened at both ends to reach the Mall Road because vehicles are not allowed there. I had anticipated to be here so much, but the crowd and the shops, etc. did not really excite me. The Christ Church was a nice old structure with a historic significance, the beauty of which we took in from the outside. We sipped on some (really bad) coffee (the kiddo got chocolate pastry – which was really bad too) while we waited for everyone to join us at the meeting point. I have noticed that the most hyped stuff/shops/sightseeing points somehow end up disappointing you. We missed out on seeing the Jakhu temple and the 108-feet Hanuman statue that I managed to capture from a distance. This is going to be one of my major regrets. We ended the long day of sightseeing with a leisurely dinner at the hotel and then hit the bed with plans for the next day conveyed to us by our tour managers.

Coming up next: Our adventures in Manali

First Mom & Daughter Trip – Part 1 – The Genesis

2020-08-03T18:54:00.009+05:30

So, this is a blog I’ve been planning to write for nearly 5 months now. I’m still reeling (positively) under the feel-good endorphins released by my first solo trip with kiddo way back in March 2020. Initially, I had planned to turn this into a 2-part blog, but with so many memories crowding my mind, I am afraid this is going to take more than 2 parts. Watch this space!

Born and raised in a Mumbai suburb, with the coast for company, I have always been fascinated by the mountains. Not the regular run-of-the-mill hills, but the mighty, snow-clad Himalayas. Till date I had only seen them in Bollywood movies – Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Roja, Maachis, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, 3 Idiots, and so on.

My last trip with the family (husband, kiddo and I) to Nainital & Corbett was not very satisfactory since it was planned and executed solely by me and this led me to losing faith in customized tours by private, small-time operators. Then my in-laws went on a trip with an established chain of tour operators (not naming them because this is not a promotional blog) and recommended me to give it a try.

Since the spouse is not much of a travel-body and couldn’t spare a whole week, a new plan started forming in my head. Travelling solo with the kiddo, 7 years old at that time. It was a huge step for me because in the 37 years of my life, I had never ever travelled solo, forget about taking the kid along.

It all started with me doing the homework – researching all the travel options that 2-3 of the major tour operators had to offer. Zeroing in on an option took some time. Convincing the family was a process that was going on in parallel. The in-laws were super supportive, but the spouse needed some convincing. Then, once the travel company and the plan was finalized, the next step was to make financial arrangements. A few meetings with the tour company rep followed and I eventually sealed the deal for a tour plan in November 2019 for March 2020. The tour plan was for an 8-days all-inclusive trip to Shimla, Manali & Chandigarh! What sweetened the deal was that I was literally the first person to book as soon as the plans opened, and I got massive discounts! I was on Cloud 9, literally!

But I guess the Universe wanted to pepper my upcoming tour with a high dose of anxiety. Things were going great till the Delhi riots broke out in the last week of February. My trip itinerary included a flight to Delhi and onward to Chandigarh. So, naturally, I was worried and watching the news channels keenly. Eventually, the situation got under control, and then the dreaded Coronavirus decided to make an appearance! Though the first case of the virus was reported in January in Kerala, things started heating up in March. The spouse was naturally concerned, but the travel company was still going ahead with the tour since there was no concrete government advisory against travel within the country; and hence any cancellation would not get me all my money back at this juncture, with nearly a week to go for the trip. I had already done loads of preparatory shopping and my kid and I were mentally all set and raring to go. A week prior to the trip, I was dealing with the nerves related to the upcoming trip, the virus situation (which wasn’t declared a pandemic yet, I think), and a wedding in the family.

Two days prior to the D-day, I started my packing. The spouse was still upset, I was still in two minds. The in-laws were supportive all along. The day prior to the trip, I was still being asked to reconsider. It was, after all, a matter of our safety – my kid and I. And I was doing something like this for the first time. Even my office colleagues, worried about my well-being, advised me against going. After a lot of soul-searching, I finally decided – come what may, I’m going. It was really not a revolt against society at large. It was just that I wouldn't have been able to live with regrets…

India's First Surgical Strike Gets Justice in Fatteshikast

2019-12-06T20:02:00.002+05:30

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. These three words don’t just describe a great king and a karmayogi. They are an emotion for millions of Maharashtrians. The history buff in me could not let this movie pass by unseen. So, I landed up at the local multiplex for a solo watch. And man, was I blown away!

To begin with, let’s start with what this movie is about – the famous encounter between Shivaji Maharaj and Shaista Khan at Pune’s Lal Mahal, and the latter’s total humiliation.

Digpal Lanjekar’s film starts with the evil Namdar Khan (Sameer Dharmadhikari) – Shaista Khan’s commander – interrogating villagers about the whereabouts of Shivaji’s supporters. It reminded me of a similar scene in Inglorious Basterds (2009) in which a Nazi officer (Christoph Waltz) questions sympathizers of Jews.

This is followed by a splendid and goosebump-inducing introduction of Shivaji’s mother Jijabai – it felt as if the Mother Goddess herself is protecting the fort of Rajgad. The background score and the long shots (cinematography) of the forts and forests in the Sahyadri mountain range transported me right into the midst of history.

The first half of the movie focuses on the planning that went into the daring attack on Lal Mahal, and the second half deals with the execution of the attack – bringing into the limelight the true power of the guerrilla warfare that the Chhatrapati was so famed and feared for.

The way Lanjekar has portrayed his characters – from Shivaji (Chinmay Mandlekar), Queen Mother Jijau (Mrinal Kulkarni), the brawny Yesaji Kank (Ankit Mohan), to the brave informants inside Lal Mahal, Kesar (Mrunmayee Deshpande) and Kisna (Nikhil Raut) – lends a sense of thrill to the entire movie.

Lanjekar uses the local dialect and language to bring to life the regional flavour of the Maratha empire. From the eco-warrior Tanaji Malusare (Ajay Purkar) to the unassuming but brilliant Kesar and Yesaji, the interactions between these characters bring life to the drama, and this is adequately sprinkled with humour.

Special mention goes out to super spy Bahirji Naik (Harish Dudhade) – the central character that holds all other characters together with his multiple disguises and accents, smart personality, and humour.

Overall, the film is a great period drama that gave me goosebumps multiple times – Jijau’s entry, the Battle of Pavankhind, the defeat of Kartalab Khan, and the chopping off of Shaista Khan’s 3 fingers at Lal Mahal. Definitely a good watch before it exits the theatres. A fitting tribute to Shivaji Maharaj, and his army of loyal Mavlas.

Bucket List: Empty Vessel, More Noise

2018-05-28T12:21:00.000+05:30

There were two reasons I booked tickets for this movie. One, this movie was to be the vehicle for Madhuri Dixit’s foray into Marathi cinema (Finally! Considering that she’s Maharashtrian, it seems as if acting in a Marathi movie was a choice that presented itself after Hindi movie roles dried up). Second, the premise of the movie: an organ recipient setting out to fulfill the donor’s bucket list (unfulfilled wishes, in the lead character's words).

However, I was disappointed on two counts. One, while no one can deny Madhuri’s acting chops and screen presence, I kept getting a nagging feeling throughout the movie that the director (Tejas Vijay Deoskar) was not able to do full justice to her talent. Second, the other peripheral characters seemed to be trying too much, and too loudly, to take the momentum ahead, and failing dismally. The result: while the premise of the movie was very powerful, the final product and the treatment seemed too superficial.

The movie is essentially all about the journey of self-discovery that Madhuri’s character, Madhura Sane (rhymes nicely with Madhuri Nene—just saying), a housewife from Pune, takes after her life-changing heart transplant operation. This character reminds you of Sridevi’s character Shashi Godbole from the film English Vinglish, minus the insecurities that Shashi faces due to her weak English. Just like Shashi, Madhura devotes her life to her family, cooking four different versions of veggies for her ‘discerning’ family, castigating her daughter for wanting to wear short dresses, following her husband on his business trips, and so on. Even after surgery, she continues to do all that. But something in her has changed. She wants to repay the debt of her heart donor, Sayee, by fulfilling the latter’s bucket list.

This is where, to the viewer, certain things stop making sense. While Madhura is pushed out of her comfort zone to try new things like learning to ride a Harley, going viral on social media (which she does amazingly well in the “pub scene”, by the way), it is a little difficult to digest that a woman in this day and age wouldn’t know the different types of alcohol (well, even if you don’t know, Google maharaj is always there to help you out!) or differentiate between an ATM queue and a queue for a pub.

However, this movie does provide some slivers of light. ‘Panji’ ('great-grandmother in Marathi) played by Shubha Khote (I don’t understand why a grandmother-in-law is called ‘Panji’ by the granddaughter-in-law) lingers in the mind. Of all the family members who display different levels of misogyny towards Madhura (her in-laws who believe food cooked by the 'woman of the house' is better than the fare dished out by a domestic help, and her husband who will “give her freedom to do what she likes provided she doesn’t disturb the domestic equilibrium”), Panji is the only support. She is really funny and on spot with her wisecracks.

Sayee’s mother played by Renuka Shahane, I feel, did not get enough screen time to display her potential. That character could have developed into something more. Madhura’s kids and Sayee’s friends seemed too loud and the mixing of ‘SMSese’ in Marathi dialogues (almost after every Marathi sentence) was too jarring and unnecessary. I’ve interacted with 20-somethings and I’m sure they don’t do that!

To summarize, it seems as if this movie was the launch pad for Madhuri’s entry into the Marathi movie world. In doing so, actors of the calibre of Renuka Shahane, Shubha Khote, Dilip Prabhavalkar, Sumedh Mudgalkar (Sayee’s twin brother Salil) were relegated to being the ‘side pieces’. While this is in no way undermining Madhuri’s talent, I feel that while the intent of the movie was to touch the hearts of the viewers, more mind power should have been applied to its presentation.

Note: Those wanting to see the quintessential dilemma of the Marathi housewife should try and watch Sridevi's English Vinglish or Tabu’s Astitva. These movies have more meat, or rather, food for thought.

Movie Review: Pari—Truly Not a Fairy Tale

2018-03-04T13:16:00.003+05:30

The title Pari: Not a Fairy Tale and the several teasers (read ‘screamers’) on YouTube had already set the tempo for this movie. The horror film lover in me was mesmerized by the short videos that showed vignettes of Anushka Sharma’s part innocent-part ugly face, long nails, and hideous laughter. So much so that when nobody was available to accompany me to yesterday morning’s show, I decided to go for it alone.

The last scary Hindi movie I remember watching was Vikram Bhatt’s 1920. I was looking forward to being spooked out of my senses with this movie. And I was not disappointed.

The eerie sense of foreboding starts right from the first scene with the story opening to a rain-drenched terrace in Kolkata where Arnab (Parambrata Chatterjee) is interacting with Piyali (Ritabhari Chakraborty) as part of a matchmaking meeting. Things are seemingly going okay after the meeting when his car hits an old lady on the outskirts of the city on his way back home. While the lady dies, Arnab meets his daughter in a desolate hut located close by, chained to the house, scared, malnourished, dirty. He helps her with the formalities at the morgue (very dark and eerie) and both go their separate ways. Soon, circumstances bring them together in what seems to be a ride full of twists and turns and several degrees of horror. Revealing the plot any further would result in spoilers; suffice to say that this movie is worth watching in a theatre, with ‘surround sound’ effects.

The star of this movie is truly Anushka, whose completely deglamorised avatar goes to the extent of being dehumanized—dirty clothes, bruised skin, lack of etiquette, cheap kurta-pyjamas, et al. Her performance as the part human-part demonic character named Rukhsana is completely raw, portraying nuanced responses to every sound that she encounters. Her reactions to simple things that we take for granted in our everyday lives, such as the TV or the nail cutter, and her defensive posture when she hears the Azaan or smells agarbattis is to be seen to be believed. If this was not a horror movie, these nuances would have been perfect for a child who has grown in the wild with no human for company (see: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20151012-feral-the-children-raised-by-wolves).

The movie deals with devil worship and a cult that wants the devil’s spawn to rule the earth, something similar to the Hollywood film Rosemary’s Baby. But the similarity ends there. Pari has a lot of violence—such as Rukhsana feasting on dogs, Rajat Kapoor’s Qasim Ali (a Professor from Bangladesh who heads a cult that preys on the devil’s spawn) beheading the devilish babies, and the demonization of women through several ‘witch-like’ creatures.

It seems ‘confusion’ and ‘disorientation’ are deliberately introduced in the first half of the movie through the use of sound and several secondary characters. The sound of a creaking window, Rukhsana’s nails scratching a metal bucket, her constant demands for nail cutter, shuffling feet set the atmosphere to a high-octane eerie. You don’t know what is going to jump out at you next. The movie goes back and forth in time, with seemingly two storylines—the operations of the cult of the Ifrat (a devilish creature in Islam) near the border of Bangladesh and the present-day scenario involving Arnab, Piyali, and Pari—only for everything to make sense, post-interval.

Arnab, who is portrayed as a chronic introvert with no friends, seems to find a kindred spirit in Rukhsana, who is a loner herself. Piyali’s role tends to provide more of a comic relief during her brief and awkward interactions with Arnab.

Rajat Kapoor’s Qasim Ali provides the right balance of evil and suave behavior.

Overall, Pari provides a good dose of horror, with an unexpected and rather tame denouement in the end.

Rating: 3.5/5

Good book, bad grammar

2015-12-22T13:48:00.001+05:30

We have learnt from various epics that apsaras or nymphs are these fickle creatures, who offer pleasure and dupe or distract mortals and seers (rishis) from their paths. Many of them are the pawns of the King of Gods, Indra. One of these apsaras is Menaka and her torrid romance with Sage Vishwamitra is well known.

The writer Kavita Kane, has taken this story and given it her own feminist spin in the novel ‘Menaka’s Choice’. Having read her previous two books, I was looking forward to this one, which also tells a story from the woman’s angle.

Popular culture has assigned to Menaka a role in the sidelines, of a sensuous seductress. However, in the novel, she also has a spine and is independent enough to make her own choices and stand by them. Having her love destroyed by Indra twice (Vasu, the Devagandharva and Sage Vishwamitra), she doesn’t grovel in her sorrow; she gets up stronger and makes all the necessary sacrifices for the well-being of her loved ones. As is her life, even her courage is immortal. Be it Indra, Vishwamitra, or Rambha, the queen of Apsaras, she is not scared of calling a spade exactly what it is.

Just like Menaka, the writer has shown the human side of Vishwamitra too. He is known for his temper and his famous pursuit of attaining the title of Brahmarishi by pitting himself against Brahmarishi Sage Vashisht. Vishwamitra is also vulnerable because he gives in to his carnal desires when he meets Menaka and prefers to lead the life of a householder with her.

The writer has done a good job of describing the ethereal beauty of Menaka and a picture of this woman begins to appear before the reader. The intimate scenes between Vasu (Menaka’s first husband) and Menaka and Vishwamitra and Menaka have been tastefully described.

The denouement of the novel, in which all is well that ends well, is very good.

However, the single recurring issue that has marred the effect of this book for me is the unpardonable number of spelling and grammatical errors (on almost every other page). My reading experience has been largely diluted due to these pointless errors. The writer/publisher could do well to hire a good proofreader for the next edition of this book or the next novel, whichever comes earlier.

Bajirao Mastani: My Review

2015-12-19T18:30:00.002+05:30

I'm back! And there's nothing better than returning with a movie review.

And what's cooler than reviewing a movie that has been criticized even before its release, including by yours truly!

Yes, I'm talking about Sanjay Leela Bhansali's attempt at a magnum opus called Bajirao Mastani.

Right at the outset, SLB gives a clear disclaimer that this movie is based on a novel by N. S. Inamdar, titled 'Rau'. Another disclaimer is that this is 'a warrior's love story'.

The movie begins with a young Bajirao successfully and dramatically staking his claim to the Peshwa post that was once held by his father. The line, "Cheeteh ki chaal, baaz ki nazar aur Bajirao ki talvar par sandeh nahi karte, kabhi bhi maat de sakti hai", uttered in a typical Puneri Marathi accent (some have likened Ranveer's histrionics to senior actor Nana Patekar's) attracted quite a few whistles in the theater. The peacock feather-shooting scene that follows starts a series of grandiose sets that try to bring to viewers the grand history of the Peshwa era.

It then fast forwards to the Bundelkhand campaign, for which a belligerent Mastani confronts the disinterested Peshwa seeking help to save her father's kingdom. Their first meeting is nothing short of electric.

The rest is cinematic history, but I will leave that to the viewers to judge. What I want to talk about is the filmmaker's positive and negative points:

1. Effective use of opulent sets and superlative cinematography. The battle of Bundelkhand, the Aaina mahal, the Shaniwarwada...everything transports you to the Peshwa era.

2. There are clearly three people in this marriage, but they complement each other superbly. Even though the chemistry of Ranveer and Deepika is pulsating, Priyanka holds her own. Tanvi Azmi and Milind Soman back them up well.

3. The tempo that SLB was creating comes crashing down with the Malhari song. It was totally unnecessary and is not in line with the Peshwa image. It's like starting off with Bach and then coming down to Bappi. I stand by my opinion on the Pinga song. No woman would dance with her love rival. Though the film tries to explain it away saying that Kashibai is doing it for the 'happiness of her husband'.

4. The memorable scenes are the first private exchange between Bajirao and Mastani after the battle of Bundelkhand; Kashibai giving the Krishna-Radha-Rukmini analogy to Bajirao, while describing their own situation; Kashibai and Mastani's interaction before the Pinga song, and the delirious (feverish) Bajirao in his death throes. Some more scenes that stayed with me were: the attack on Mastani Mahal and the helpless Kashibai looking on as her husband lay dying, while pining for his second wife/mistress.

5. The song 'Mohe rang do lal' and the opulent Aaina mahal remind you of K Asif's Mughal e Azam. One can see where SLB's aesthetics are coming from.

6. I'm surprised, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I did not see Kashibai wearing a single Paithani. I saw Aditya Pancholi's character wearing a shela of Paithani-like fabric, but not the Peshwin bai. Why? I also wonder if velvet and zardozi were in vogue at that time. Moreover, the saris draped were below the navel and the blouses were very short. This does not seem to be in tune with the period that was being portrayed.

I watched this movie because I was curious. As a former literature student, I wanted to see how much the filmmaker has adhered to the novel, which I have also read. I'm disappointed to say that Pinga and Malhari were not a part of 'Rau'. I was impressed by the fact that the actors have done their homework and it is evident from their Marathi accent. There are moments where their 'basa' (sit), 'bara' (okay) makes you happy.

Overall, Bajirao Mastani may not be a Mughal-e-Azam, which it aspires to be, but good entertainment nevertheless.

The Lotus Queen: A decent first attempt

2014-03-27T19:13:00.000+05:30

The breathtakingly beautiful cover (resembling embroidery work done in Kutch) was what drew my attention and the story influenced my decision to buy it. I had always heard about the legendary Rani Padmini and her self-immolation to preserve her honour from the lecherous Sultan, Alauddin Khilji.

Debut novel of London-based author Rikin Khamar, The Lotus Queen forms part of a trilogy set in ancient Rajasthan. The story is set in the 14th century Rajput kingdom, Mewar, with Chittor as its capital.

The war, which is at the heart of the novel, takes place over Queen Padmini, a woman possessing immense beauty, courage, and a sharp mind. The Sultan, smitten by her beauty, wants to make her a part of his harem. For this, he does not even hesitate to attack this kingdom and unleash havoc.

The book, a work of historical fiction, begins with a traveller entering the kingdom to be greeted by a sight of destruction and decay. From there, the story takes flight with Padmini’s marriage to Rawal Rattan Singh, the king of Mewar. The new queen’s bliss is shattered by the Sultan’s arrival and from then begins the kingdom’s and inevitably Padmini’s descent to destruction.

While historically, the attack on Chittor did take place at that time, details about the beautiful queen remain sketchy. Interestingly, there’s no mention of the queen even in the memoirs of Sultan Alauddin Khilji himself, the Khaza’inul Futuh by Amir Khusro. So, the author deserves a pat on the back for recreating what could most likely be a fable created by some fertile imagination some 700-odd years ago into something that might feel like a true story of love, courage, and sacrifice. Moreover, the author himself is honest enough to discuss the ‘Truth and Legend of the Lotus Queen’ at the end of the novel.

While Padmini may or may not have existed, the truth is that the practice of Saka (fighting the enemy to death by men) and Jauhar (self-immolation by women) were prevalent in those times when foreign marauders would often come to India and loot the locals and ravage their women.

Coming back to the novel, I would say that this is a decent attempt. The author seems to be trying too hard to be brilliant, too hard to please. This is evident from the sloppy editing, but I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt since it’s his first attempt and I hope he’ll improve on his writing skills in his impending works.

What I did like though was that he kept the story short. Spread over 150 pages (excluding the epilogue), it’s a nice weekend read. In fact, if you have time on your hands, you can finish it in a day. Another aspect I liked was the use of the font in the inside pages—it’s not too big and not too small either—is just right. I would give 2.5 points out of 5 for this novel.

Meena Kumari: Ajeeb daastan hai yeh

2014-03-27T19:05:00.001+05:30

Kisi ka pyaar leke tum,

Naya jahan basaoge…

Yeh shaam jab bhi aayegi,

Tum humko yaad aaoge…

For me, Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano) was always that actress who would carefully hide the stub that was left of her little finger (thanks to a car accident) in every scene/song in her movies. And yes, Bollywood’s certified tragedienne. Mostly crying, whimpering about the woes that have been singularly handed out to her in movies such as Pakeezah, Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, etc. (the list is really long). Reading the book by veteran journalist Vinod Mehta, you realize that her reel life has reflected in her real life and vice versa.

Her major problems were:
1. Exploitation by relatives
2. Exploitation by lovers
3. Exploitation by all and sundry (due to her generous nature)
4. All the three previous issues snowballed into a life fuelled by alcohol (her biggest problem) and a gory end by liver cirrhosis

Mehta has taken great pains and it’s evident when he says he had to construct her life without even having met her—through her family and media reports. He confesses that this was his initial assignment as a fledgling reporter and his analysis could not be entirely objective. I like this honesty in the author. His extensive foreword is as interesting to read as the rest of the book.

The author does a decent job in constructing the life of Meena Kumari—from child artiste supporting her large family to an actress on the downward spiral. For most of the part, he tries to play the role of an objective narrator, until he openly sympathises with her ex-husband, Kamal Amrohi. I don’t know the exact events that happened between the husband and the wife, but as an author, I would have stayed neutral and just reported the facts. But maybe if written this way, this biography might have become just another news report. I think the discerning reader should take a call on this aspect.

Meena Kumari was a budding poet too. Some of her lyrical gems I liked:

Tum kya karo ge sun kar mujh se meri kahani
Bay lutf zindagi ke qissay hain pheekay pheekay
(Why do you want to listen to my story:
Colourless tales of a joyless life)

Talaaq to day rahay ho Nazar-e-qehar ke saath
Jawani bhi meri lauta do Mehar ke saath
(You are divorcing me with rage in your eyes
Return to me, also, my youth along with the alimony!)

The veteran journalist attempts a comparison between two tragic heroines—Meena Kumari and Madhubala. Both started as child artistes, both were exploited by family, both enjoyed a lot of popularity, both suffered failed marriages, both met with tragic ends. But what separated Meena Kumari from the more beautiful Madhubala was the former’s aloofness and poetry. Also, her tragedienne image and her undeniably bigger success at the box office.

The pace of the book does lag behind sometimes, but the author, with the precision of a keen journalist, places a lot of facts on the table; something that readers of my generation were not aware of. For instance—the work of Meena Kumari as a child artiste and her exploitation by her family, her accident, whirlwind marriage to Kamal Amrohi, numerous affairs, among others.

What really made me cry while reading this book was the way the tragedienne suffered in her last days. A successful, self-educated, generous heroine who helped everybody, did not even have enough money to pay the hospital on her deathbed. Her physical ordeal on the deathbed made me sick to the core—the syringes, the bloating. Something like that should never happen to even my enemies. She literally drank herself to death. She had started with brandy (which was prescribed to her as medicine apparently) and then graduated to 'hard' drinks, consuming many bottles in a day. Her ‘selfish’ relatives would sneak in cheap liquor instead of the good quality ones… many blame her death on such moves.

Overall, the book is interesting, but not comprehensive. In my opinion, the author should have tried to talk to her peers to draw more information about her. Maybe he could have struck a goldmine had he tried, or maybe she was such a recluse that people didn’t know her that well.

I'll give the biography 2.5 points out of 5.

The Feast of Roses: An Engrossing Read

2014-02-11T10:40:00.000+05:30

The Feast of Roses, the second book in the Taj Mahal trilogy by Indu Sundaresan, charts the rise to power and the eventual fall of Empress Nur Jahan—an ambitious woman in a patriarchal Mughal society.

This novel’s predecessor had detailed the birth of Mehrunnisa (a Persian refugee), the beginning of her love story with Salim (before he became Emperor Jahangir), her struggle in an unsuccessful marriage ordered by Emperor Akbar with Sher Afghan (Ali Quli), and her marriage to Jahangir, with her becoming the Twentieth (and the most powerful) Wife of the emperor.

The novel takes off from where the first one ended, with Mehrunnisa slowly ending the domination of Jagat Gosini, the first Padshah Begum. She obviously makes many enemies who are irked by her defiance of all norms of womanhood in 17^th century India. The novel details how she ruled the country from behind the ‘purdah’, with the emperor being only the ‘titular’ head. The love between Jahangir and his new Padshah Begum is so strong that he is even willing to bear the ridicule of his courtiers, who don’t hesitate to call him ‘henpecked’ in private conversations.

The writer has very beautifully detailed how Mehrunnisa triumphs over her rivals beginning with Jagat Gosini, and then her co-conspirator Mahabat Khan. She becomes an expert ‘statesman’ and politician, easily maneuvering herself out of tricky situations. And when she cannot do that, the emperor does it for her. The instance in question is when she kills an intruder into her palace, how this incident snowballs into a possible death sentence for her, and how the emperor easily extricates her from it, without offending his subjects.

However, the power struggle between Mehrunnisa, Khurram (Shah Jahan) and Arjumand Banu Begam (Mehrunnisa’s niece) keeps the novel taut with tension.

The character of Mehrunnisa has been very well etched out—she is ambitious, vengeful, manipulative, and arrogant. This is a woman who has fought against all odds, with only her sheer will power to become the Padshah Begum in a harem of hundreds of wives and concubines. And there is payback for her—a well-contrived ‘accident’ that terminates her pregnancy and any chance of bearing a royal heir.

Despite having rubbed many people the wrong way (including her brother Abul), Mehrunnisa wins over Jagat Gosini’s slave and eunuch Hoshiyar Khan as a friend for life, who even dies with her.

The irony of Mehrunnisa’s downfall becomes more apparent when she realizes towards the end of her life that while she was trying to thwart the patriarchy, she was depending on men (her father, brother, and Jahangir) to do so. She wonders whether it would have been easier if she had won over the women in the harem instead, rather than antagonizing them.

It is not just Mehrunnisa’s character that is well etched, the author has done full justice to the rest of the people (and there are many) in the novel. Right from Ruqaiyya Begum, Jahangir, Jagat Gosini, Khurram, and Arjumand, to Abul, Hoshiyar, Mahabat Khan, Ladli, Khusrau, Shahryar, none of the characters seem half-baked. This is commendable, because when writing semi-biographical fiction, it is easy to let go of other characters while concentrating on the protagonist.

What I really loved about this novel and the previous one is the attention given to detail. The decadent descriptions of the palaces, the costumes, the food, and the riches made me feel like I’m on the sets of K Asif’s Mughal-e-Azam! In a royal hunt, a lion is fattened on donkey, and just before the hunt, spoon-fed opium so that the two queens can compete for the kill while guarded by 500 retainers and assisted by 5,000 drivers. A chess game is played on an indoor board large enough to accommodate living characters, including elephants playing the rooks. Rose petals are laid out on a pathway for Mehrunnisa to walk on as part of the Feast of Roses—a half inch apart, each perfect and turned right side up (after her momentous physical fight with the emperor)—so that the public knows who is in control.

No wonder this country was colonized by the likes of the British and the Portuguese due to this blatant display of wealth! The description of the Mughal darbar when the British Ambassador Sir Thomas Roe enters it is dazzling, to say the least. That said, the struggle between the Portuguese and the British to gain a toehold at India’s doors is really interesting. And the way Jahangir and Mehrunnisa keep them on their toes (forever guessing their next move) is even better.

The author has taken some liberties with historical facts, as she herself honestly admits. One of the trading ships, the Rahimi, owned by the Dowager Empress Ruqaiyya (in the novel), actually belonged to Emperor Akbar’s wife, Mariyam Makani. But such fictionalized details do nothing to mar a pleasurable reading.

One of the revelations that the novel offered me was that Mehrunnisa’s father Ghias Beg’s tomb is located diagonally opposite to the Taj Mahal. More importantly, a lot of the design elements of the Taj have been borrowed from this tomb!

Overall, the novel is a logical transition from its predecessor and provides entertaining reading. A must-read if you’re a fan of historical fiction. I, for myself, cannot wait for the final book in the trilogy—Shadow Princess.

Mills & Boon on an Indian platter

2014-01-28T18:45:00.002+05:30

When this book came to me for review (my first official one), I was very busy and very skeptical. The spelling mistake (‘navel’ pilot instead of naval pilot) on the back cover page of In Pursuit of the Woman by Rajbir Gill was enough to put me off. However, as a matter of professional courtesy, I did take it up for reading… and was done in two days flat!

The book is about a handsome naval pilot who falls in love with a Delhi college student in the idyllic Goa, the twists of confusion, and the ultimate denouement of their problem. If you manage to look beyond the spelling and grammatical errors (and there are many in the book) along with the colloquialisms (‘her wounds turned green’ is a direct translation of the Hindi phrase ‘uske jakhm hare ho gaye’), this is quite an entertainer for people who are in love with love stories.

Other than the fact that this book really needs a good copy editor, another grouse of mine is that some of the scenes like the ‘gandharva vivaah’, in which the couple gets married with sindoor and mangalsutra-like pendant, is a bit difficult to digest. Who really does that in this day and age? Maybe they do, for some romantics. The ‘suhaag raat type’ scene in a conveniently located government guest house that followed this gandharva vivaah was strangely reminiscent of the ‘Roop tera mastaana’ song from the Sharmila Tagore-Rajesh Khanna-starrer Aradhana. In the movie also, the couple is stranded at a guest house after getting wet in the torrential rains. In this film, Rajesh Khanna plays a handsome pilot.

Overall, the book is a speedy read and I would like to stress that the writer has done a good job of introducing the twists in the tale (which I won’t mention for obvious reasons), which allowed a non-romantic like me to finish reading the novel. Other than that, I have nothing much to say about it.

It’s worth a read, if you are able to look past the clichés and typos.

She wanted to live...

2014-01-21T13:47:00.000+05:30

I’m not a huge fan of some biographies simply for the reason that it is one (or more) person’s take on an individual who has no say in it because he or she is no longer alive. It is with this mindset that I took up Khatija Akbar’s I WANT TO LIVE: The Story of Madhubala for reading. The ethereally beautiful actress, whose short life of 36 years was full of tragedy, was always an enigma for me, not only because we were from different generation pools, but also because not much information exists about her in the media, unlike today’s film stars (who even like to share what they ate for their last meal).

The book was first printed in 1997 and I brought a 2011 updated reprint. Saying that Akbar has done a great job would be an understatement, the reasons being:

She did not have much solid information about the actress, who died way back in 1969. The book has been published first in an era when email and Internet were not accessible to the common man. This means she had to do all her information gathering the hard way… interviewing Madhubala’s peers, who are now senior citizens and hence not that accessible (I assume). For instance, Dilip Kumar, music directors Anil Biswas and Naushad Ali, directors Kidar Sharma and Sultan Ahmed, actors Om Prakash, KN Singh, Begam Para, Shammi, Ajit, Meenu Mumtaz, Nadira, danseuse Sitara Devi, veteran journalist BK Karanjia, among others.
Some of them she was lucky to catch as they have now passed away: Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, KN Singh, Premnath, among others.
She also had to rely on information from popular newspapers and magazines from Madhubala’s times.

Jab kashti saabit-o-saalim thi

Sahil ki tamanna kisko thi?

Ab aisi shikasta kashti mein

Sahil ki tamanna kaun kare?

When my boat was sturdy and safe,

I had no thoughts about the shore.

Now, with a boat so ravaged,

Who can dream of a shore?

These lines neatly sum up Madhubala’s tragic life. They appear close to the end of the book, neatly depicting the total destruction of a guileless, large-hearted beauty, whose heart which was ravaged both by biology (she had a hole in her heart) and by people she loved.

The author has compared her tragedy to Marilyn Monroe’s (who also died young), the only difference being that Marilyn died after she took to the bottle, while Madhu died heartbroken. Both died at the age of 36.

The book does not necessarily follow chronology and keeps oscillating between various periods of time. This, however, does not take away from its read-worthiness. Unlike a typical biography where one person talks about the subject, a lot of peers have talked about Madhubala, creating a neat and real profile for readers like me, who haven’t really been exposed to the magic of the late actress other than a few songs on DD (Chitrahaar/Chhayageet/Rangoli).

Along with the life and times of Madhubala, a large chunk of the book is devoted to the one movie that was both the highest point of her career and which, some of her peers think, pushed her to the brink of death—Mughal-e-Azam. The author has done a neat job of describing the struggles associated with the movie, which took nearly a decade to make, so much so that it has now inspired me to watch the movie again.

The points to watch out for in the book besides Mughal-e-Azam are:

The actress’s transition from Baby Mumtaz to Madhubala
Her role as breadwinner for the family and its impact on her life
Her being caught between a dominating father (Ataullah Khan) and a headstrong lover (Dilip Kumar)
Some of her surprise (for me) suitors being Premnath and Shammi Kapoor
Her marriage-on-the-rebound to the eccentric Kishore Kumar and its unraveling
Her death and her impact on the film industry
Interesting accounts about her by her industry peers

This book, to me, is a collector’s item. Please do give it a read. Only then you could possibly begin to understand the enigma of the Golden Age of Indian Cinema that was Madhubala.

P.S.> The next in line for review is In Pursuit of the Woman by Rajbir Gill. Watch this space.

The Kuru Story

2013-12-24T17:59:00.000+05:30

We are all conversant with the two opposing teams and their natures in Mahabharata— the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The popular culture has imbibed into us that the Pandavas were all white and Kauravas, the deepest shade of black, if ever there is one.

Trend of retellings

Indian epics, especially their revisionist retellings, have become the trend in Indian literature these days. The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni had the story told from Draupadi’s perspective, while Karna’s Wife by Kavita Kane had Karna’s second wife Uruvi narrating the epic. I haven’t read the former, but the latter still sticks to the ‘evil’ description of Duryodhana.

However, Anand Neelakantan turns the culturally-prevalent version of the epic on its head. Roll of the Dice, Book 1 of Ajaya: Epic of the Kaurava Clan is retold from the Kaurava perspective. Here, the Pandavas are villains and the Kauravas are heroes.

In his preamble to the novel, the author makes it clear that he is going to narrate the Kaurava version of the epic—the story of Suyodhana, the crown prince of the Kuru dynasty, whose name was twisted into Duryodhana. The author also talks about a temple in Malanada, Kerala, (http://www.malanada.com/) dedicated to the Prince, with no idol. Apparently, the prince’s spirit pervades here, dispensing justice and protection to the locals.

Dharma and the caste divide

Coming back to the novel, the Pandavas, led by Kunti and Krishna, are said to be the upholders of Dharma—the rigid caste system. Part of this coterie are Dronacharya, Rishi Dhaumya, and another avatar of Vishnu—Sage Parshuram. Interestingly, ‘Dharma’ is also the name of the blind, mangy dog that accompanies the pariah beggar, Jara. But more about him later.

On the other side of the caste divide are its opponents— Kripacharya, Carvaka, Balarama, Vyasa, Suyodhana, Takshaka (who is shown as an opportunist who uses the discontent of the downtrodden for his own benefit), and to some extent, Bhishma. The prominent victims of this caste system are Karna, Eklavya, Jara, and Mayasura—the Asura who built the Indraprastha.

The characters

While Suyodhana is shown to be a noble character, it seems that the author is trying too hard to depict him as ‘all white’. Beyond a few references of him visiting villages, going on donation sprees, and abhorring needless violence, there’s not much meat to his character. His ‘love story’ with Subhadra and his rejection by her in favour of Arjuna is something that seems concocted as I have never come across such a depiction on TV or in literature that I have read so far. Arjuna, in fact, is depicted as a bride stealer—taking Draupadi away from Karna and Subhadra from Suyodhana.

The character of Eklavya and the revelation that the six people who perished in the lac palace in Varnavata instead of Kunti and the Pandavas were Eklavya’s relatives comes as a revelation for me. Eklavya’s father Hiranyadhanus is the first instance of a ‘shudra’ employed as an army general in Jarasandha’s army. How Eklavya is sucked into Takshaka’s vortex of caste politics is interesting to witness.

The transformation of Jara from an orphan who leeches on to Eklavya’s family to a thief to a Krishna devotee is one of the highlights of the novel, along with Eklavya’s life story, which none of the popular media has focused on. Jara is the one who warns Karna of the manhunt launched for him and saves his life… he is also the one who rushes to Eklavya’s aid on many occasions. He is the one who gives up his nefarious deeds after being influenced by a Brahmin’s devotion and charity. Jara’s character had the promise of being the narrator of the tale, but he is reduced to being a mere ‘side hero’.

The depiction of the ‘evil mama’ Shakuni as the sole puppeteer who brings about the downfall of the Kuru dynasty as his revenge against the forced marriage of his sister Gandhari to the blind king Dhritarashtra and the annihilation of his family and motherland Gandhara is a little difficult to digest. Especially when we have to do a lot of unlearning to see Suyodhana depicted as a tragic hero.

Krishna in this novel could be any politician in the present times who loves to pit one party against the other. He’s a communalist who wants people to follow their ‘caste dharma’ and not stray. He claims he is an avatar of Vishnu, here on earth to establish this ‘dharma’, even if it may be unjust to the general majority. He is the one who instigates the Pandavas to kill Jarasandha, to burn down the Khandiva forest that is teeming with people, animals, and flora. He is also apparently the one who ‘influences’ both Draupadi and Subhadra to change their minds about their original suitors—Karna and Suyodhana.

The insecure Yudhishtira, the bully Bhima, Arjuna who asks ‘uncomfortable’ questions to Krishna, the scheming Queen Kunti who wants to bring down the Kauravas with her coterie of Brahmins and who does not hesitate to kill six innocent Nishadas to save her own skin and kin, the principled yet vulnerable Vidura, the strong-minded yet kind Bhishma, the quietly strong and principled Gandhari, the determined yet not-flawless Karna… all the characters are developed well, with the exception of Suyodhana, who could have been more chiselled.

The new in the old

The author very cleverly weaves the modern times into this novel. In his depiction of Mayasura’s curse on the city of Indraprastha that he created and from which he and his caste folk were cruelly thrown out, the social scene of the present-day Delhi becomes evident. Mayasura curses the city saying: “You will always be ruled by the corrupt, women will fear to walk your streets, people from other lands will continue to invade and pillage your treasures…” There have been claims that the ancient city of Indraprastha could have been where the Purana Qila is currently located. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indraprastha).

The author also deals with the pollution of Ganga by the money-minded upper castes… the throwing of the half-burnt corpses into the river. The irony of the Brahmins who believe in purity and pollution polluting the mother of all rivers does not escape the reader.

Shakuni could well be the Taliban (Gandhar is the modern-day Kandahar) and Takshaka could be the modern-day internal terrorist wing.

I was a little surprised to see that the author has not mentioned the famous Draupadi vastraharan in the novel.

Overall, the book is a good read, barring a few spelling mistakes here and there. I would give it 3 stars out of 5, if I were to do a traditional book review.

Chicken Russian Salad

2013-12-07T15:58:00.002+05:30

We have always been fans of the grilled chicken salad served at Papa John's. One day, I thought of replicating this at home and save a few bucks. Following is the recipe, with a few tweaks:

Ingredients:

1 big cucumber (cubed)
1 big tomato (cubed)
2-3 leaves of lettuce (torn)
2-3 leaves of purple cabbage (finely chopped)
1 small onion (sliced)
1 small green capsicum cubed/you can also use red and yellow ones)
1 small carrot (peeled, cubed)
2 chicken burger patties
2 tablespoons Thousand Island salad dressing (any brand)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oil for shallow frying on a non-stick fry pan

Method:
Shallow fry the patties till they're crisp and done. Cut them into small cubes.
Wash and cut all the salad veggies as desired. Get them together in a mixing bowl.
Add salt and pepper and the salad dressing. Mix well. Add the patty cubes and gently mix again.
Serve!

P.S.: The husband says my salad beats Papa Johns' any day :)

The Taj story

2013-12-07T13:37:00.000+05:30

The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (A'la Azad Abul Muzaffar Shahab ud-Din Mohammad Khurram) commissioned in 1632 the building of the Taj Mahal in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal (Arjumand Banu). This is something that we have learnt from our history textbooks. But the true details around that period of time might have been lost in those centuries that followed. The novel Beneath a Marble Sky provides a fictionalized account of the building of this monument, which took more than 20 years, and which had, apparently, a fratricidal tension brewing around it.

This is the first fiction I have read regarding the Mughal dynasty in India. The writer John Shors used his artistic licence to weave a story of love, war, beauty, and tragedy around this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The story:

Jahanara, the eldest daughter of Shah Jahan, is seen telling the story to her grand-daughters. She talks about her growing up in the harem at Red Fort; the love her parents shared for each other, and the events that took place before, during, and after the construction of Taj Mahal.

It is evident to the reader from the novel that although Shah Jahan was the emperor and had many wives, Mumtaz (he used to fondly call her Taj) was both his soulmate and a shrewd political consultant. She would even travel with him into battle, and during one such instance she died giving birth to their 14th child (also stillborn).

However, she had trained her favourite daughter, Jahanara, in the art of exerting influence and political strategy. Thus, the young lady, despite being married off to a disgusting silver merchant (for political gains of course) managed to hold her own. She became the unofficial advisor to the emperor (father), and in his last years, his nurse and companion. It was she who helped with the construction of Taj Mahal and fell in love with its architect, Isa, a man she could never marry.

She was the one who led a failed effort to defend the Peacock Throne against her evil brother Aurangzeb, who was a religious zealot.

About the novel:

Beneath a Marble Sky is a fun, relatively quick read. Its setting—17th century India—allows readers to travel to a foreign place and time. The rich descriptions made me feel as if I was a part of the story, watching it unfold from the sidelines.

The characters of Shah Jahan, Arjumand Banu, Jahanara, and Dara were well-fleshed out. Aurangzeb is shown as an out-and-out evil character, but there were no shades of grey. The explanations for his nature were told, but not shown appearing forth from his character, and hence seemed very shallow. A few instances of what made Aurangzeb so evil should have been shown.

A fleeting mention of Chhatrapati Shivaji was made, and it showed that the author has not done his research properly. Three references made to Shivaji were not correct:

1. That Shivaji was a contemporary of Aurangzeb during the latter’s youth: Shivaji was a contemporary, yes, but at that time, Aurangzeb was an old man.

2. Shivaji died during an explosion/landslide: The reason for Shivaji’s death is shrouded in mystery. Some say he died of health complications due to extensive war campaigns; that constant riding on the horse had something to do with it. Some say it was intestinal anthrax, while others point to poisoning.

3. Shivaji is shown to be an associate of Sultan of Bijapur, when actually both were adversaries.

Overall, the book offers a thrilling read for lovers of historical fiction. I managed to finish reading this in four days flat! Happy reading, y’all!

A breezy read

2013-12-06T21:03:00.001+05:30

Technically, this is the fourth book I have read concerning the great epic Mahabharata. Another one is in the offing, but I’ll talk about it when I get there. For now, my focus is on The Winds of Hastinapur (WoH) by Sharath Komarraju.

I must admit here that unlike the three books I read previously, WoH took time to grow on me. The book starts with a slow pace—possibly because we know so little of its central characters Ganga and Satyavati—and hence one might feel that the first few pages might be dragging their feet. But hold your horses, and you’ll be treated to a literary orgasm.

The story begins from the time when Ganga was but a young girl; the book itself being divided into two parts—the narrations of Ganga and Satyavati, both wives of King Shantanu. One was celestial while the other was an ordinary fisherwoman. It begins with the circumstances that led to Ganga descending to Earth (completely different from the version in which Bhaghiratha brought her to Earth with help from Shiva to free the souls of his ancestors), marrying Shantanu and bearing him sons. The story ends with the birth of the blind king Dhritarashtra and the impending arrivals of Pandu and Vidura.

While in the BR Chopra magnum opus, we have just seen that Ganga, with her infant son Devavrata (Bhishma) leaves Shantanu after the latter breaks his vow and then returns 16 years later with the grown-up prince, we don’t know what really happens to him during his stay with his celestial mother. The author describes ‘heaven’ on Mount Meru, which is hidden from ordinary human beings, along with how the gods actually exploit human lives in a brilliantly-woven narrative. The crystal lake mentioned here is a different take on Amrit. It is here that Devavrata grows up and then comes to realize his real destiny.

The story focuses on fate and karma a lot. The sentence ‘The Goddess never gives anything without taking something, and never takes something without giving something’ appears in the thoughts of both Ganga and Satyavati at some points of their lives, depicting the role human choice or karma (some people these days call it the female version of a dog) plays in framing our destinies.

Regret forms a major emotion that colours the novel. Ganga regrets drowning seven of her eight sons to fulfill a prophecy. She regrets sending her eighth child to earth and telling him something (‘Always keep your father happy’) that would change the destiny of Earth. Satyavati regrets opting for the father over the newly-crowned son (hints of incest displayed when she imagines Devavrata as her lover instead of her husband Shantanu), and placing the condition on King Shantanu that eventually (not in her lifetime) led to a destructive war.

Ganga suffers for killing her progeny by being unable to give birth to a daughter who will succeed her as the Lady of the River. Satyavati, who had learnt the secret of a divine scent to control any man she desired from her first lover Rishi Parashara, loses despite gaining everything. By preventing successors emerging from Devavrata’s seed with her promise elicited from the former, she actually ensures Hastina’s doom because none of her children survive for long. The grandchildren that she begets through niyoga between her illegitimate son, Rishi Vyasa, and the widows of Vichitraveerya—Ambika and Ambalika—are incapable successors. She loses her youth fast and Devavrata continues to remain youthful. In today’s lingo, Bhishma becomes the Baazigar (haarke bhi jeetnewaala).

This book is the precursor to all the events that led to Mahabharata. And to lovers of Mahabharata like me, I would say: Read this at least once.

Mahabharata: What if…?

2013-12-04T23:32:00.004+05:30

‘Choices maketh man’. Nothing could be truer than that. Due to my recent obsession with the Mahabharata, I happened to notice that this one phrase is applicable to almost all its characters—big or small. I’m trying to summarize my thoughts here about the alternate scenario if the characters had chosen the other option. My thoughts thus begin with a big ‘What if’?:

1. …one of the eight Vasus had not stolen the cow from Sage Vashishta’s ashram?

2. …his seven brothers had not been co-conspirators in this theft?

3. …Arundhati, Vashishta’s wife, had forgiven the Vasus (the seven kids drowned by Ganga and Bhishma)?

4. …Shantanu had stopped Ganga from killing their first son itself?

5. …Ganga had chosen to keep her son Devavrata with her?

6. …Devavrata had not taken the oath of celibacy?

7. …Shantanu had stuck to refusing Satyavati’s wishes and not married her at all?

8. …Satyavati hadn’t asked Bhishma to go bring the three princesses of Kashi for her son Vichitravirya (what a weird name by the way)?

9. …Bhishma had agreed to marry Amba?

10. …Ambika had not shut her eyes during niyoga with Sage Vyasa?

11. …Ambalika had mustered some courage during this niyoga?

12. …Ambika had not sent Sudri (Vidura’s mother) to Vyasa and gone herself to him the second time?

13. …the wise Vidura was made king instead?

14. …Gandhari had refused to marry a blind Dhritarashtra (she was actually forced to marry him)?

15. …Shakuni was not allowed to reside in Hastinapura?

16. …Pandu had not mistakenly killed an ascetic couple in the throes of romance?

17. …Pandu had not abdicated on the advice of Satyavati in favour of Dhritarashtra?

18. …Pandu, in the aftermath of the sage’s curse, not given in to his desire for Madri?

19. …Kunti had not tried to test the baby boon, and invoked Sun god? … Karna had perished in the river that he was discarded? … Kunti and Madri had refused to invoke gods and beget children?

20. …after Pandu’s death, Kunti had preferred to stay away from Hastinapura with the Pandavas for good?

21. …King Drupad had fulfilled his promise to Guru Dronacharya?

22. …Drupad had not invoked a powerful child through yagya?

23. …Dronacharya had accepted Eklavya and Karna as his students?

24. …Karna had told the truth about his origins to Sage Parshurama?

25. …Karna had just got the crying child a fresh pot of milk (he could have done that easily) instead of taking it back from Earth?

26. …Karna was allowed to participate in the grand contest at Hastinapura? …Kunti had revealed Karna’s true origin at that time?

27. …Pandavas had died in the lac palace? …Vidura had not helped Pandavas escape?

28. …Kunti had not asked Draupadi to be shared between the five brothers?

29. …Bhima had not met Hidimbi?

30. …Draupadi had not ridiculed Duryodhana at Indraprastha?

31. …Yudhishtira had stopped after his first loss at the gambling arena?

32. …Draupadi was not violated in the gambling arena?

33. …Dhritarashtra had returned the kingdom Yudhishtira had gambled away?

34. …Duryodhana was reined in by Dhritarashtra at the right time?

35. …Dhritarashtra had just one child instead of 100?

36. …Duryodhana had returned the kingdom to Yudhishtira after completion of exile?

37. …Duryodhana had sought Krishna instead of his Yadava army?

38. …Karna had left Duryodhana and gone to his blood brothers?

39. …a pregnant Subhadra had stayed awake through the entire narration of Arjuna’s chakravyuha formation?

40. …Yudhishtira had refused to lie about the death of Ashwatthama to Drona during the war?

41. …Arjuna had spared Karna when the latter’s chariot wheel was stuck in the ground?

42. …Karna had refused the disguised Indra’s request for his kavach-kundal/Kunti’s request that he won’t try any divine weapon twice against any of the Pandavas?

43. …Krishna had not signaled to Bhima to attack Duryodhana’s thighs during the last fight?

44. …Shikhandi was not brought before Bhishma during war?

45. …Gandhari had not cursed Krishna after the end of the war?

46. …Kansa had not killed the seven children of Devaki?

47 …Ashwatthama had not tried to kill Abhimanyu’s unborn child?