Feb

Masjid Wali Gali

Posted on February 14th, 2009 by Harsh

Every city has its secrets. I mean places that exist but you have never been there, and you have not visited them because they are not on the usual routes or have malls or markets to attract you. I have always been attracted to such places because of their unusual ambience and they reflect the true essence of the city. A few weeks ago I happened to be one of such places in Delhi called Masjid Wali Gali. If you are wondering where it is, let me clarify upfront it lies in Mayapuri. The approach is quite unusual as well. There is a narrow street going from Nangal Raya towards Masjid Wali Gali. Beyond the narrow street lies one of the biggest markets selling cheap car/auto spare parts. No, these are not spurious products, but fixed/repaired (read jugadu) ones. For example, I bought a car taillight with a mild crack that was not too noticeable at a very reasonable cost.

Now, how did I land up there? Well, the story goes like this. Weeks ago, I banged my card, quite embarrassingly, while reversing against the wall. There was a huge dent and the taillight broke. Now, the deal was that I had to get it fixed and it required a new taillight. Getting the dent out is quite an affordable deal, but a new taillight would have left a dent on my wallet. So, my friend and I went on this adventure to Masjid Wali Gali. Masjid Wali Gali is not exactly a gali – in fact there is a broad muddy road and shops on both sides of the road. All of the shops sell cheap car parts, and you can see many people with their cars there. I could also spot a Mercedes! From the gali you can see a green-colored building, which is a mosque.

My friend and I (well, I can address him as Swaran because he is pretty popular here) went about checking the shops to purchase a taillight. Quite expectedly, there was no fixed price and you have to haggle to get the best deal. There are no rules of haggling. You can instantly ask for the half the price that the shopkeeper quotes, and you will get a good deal. Most shopkeepers are quite nonchalant. One thing is that you have to be smart enuf to know what you are buying. You can be easily fooled, but I got a feeling that they would not fool you there, ie not sell you something that cannot fit.

We only checked a couple of shops, and got an amazing deal. Why I say amazing is because it was almost one-fifth of the price that a new Honda taillight would have cost! It almost looked as good as a new taillight. It took up quite a lot of our time, but the deal was worth it.

So, next time you want a spare part, you can safely head to Masjid Wali Gali, but in the first place, drive safe and avoid a trip there.

1188 days ago Short URL 2 Comments

Delhi/Experiences

Feb

A Walk with the Tigers

Posted on February 11th, 2009 by Harsh

Tiger! Tiger!

I am in the midst of reading The White Tiger, and I am admittedly totally awe-struck with the Man Booker Prize winning novella. Aravaind Adiga has done amazing well to describe the many faces of our multi-hued state (pun intended). He narrates the story of a villager who is recruited as a driver with his village landlord’s son in Dhanbad and then he is taken to Delhi with his employer where he sees the life of the rich and poor, and how the city changes him. The book gives a very vivid description of Saddi Dilli. The White Tiger, in my book, is an un-putdown-able book. Yesterday, I was waiting for a client meeting at his office, and read about 50 pages whilst waiting. Well, I will post the review as soon as I am done.

Taming the Lankan Tiger

The Pathan Brothers turned into modern day Hanuman and put Lanka on fire! Replicating the efforts of the Hussey Brothers down under, they brought Indian to the doors of victory from what seemed to be an irreversible position, after India were reduced to 115-7. I was particularly pleased to see Yusuf Pathan score at a blistering pace, something he consistently did in IPL 2008. Another bad day for the Lankans though even after they did almost everything right, apart from winning!

Roninized Tiger

Every Sunday, I make it a point to catch at least one classic, and this Sunday it was Ronin’s turn. Robert De Niro is one of my favorite actors and I admire his versatility (watch Stardust to realize that). I watched him for the first time in the 1989-hit The Untouchables where he portrayed the character of real-life underworld don Al Capone with stunning ease (It was one classy flick with Kevin Costner, Sean Connery and Andy Garcia doing more than justice to their characters). Ronin is a typical 90s sleazy film with sensation car chases and conflict of alliances. It keeps you hooked throughout. De Niro is unsurprisingly outstanding as Sam, an ex-paramilitary guy who can easily make and execute challenging plans. Watch it for its thrill and inimitable De Niro moments! And I am sure you will watch it more than once.

1191 days ago Short URL Comments

Books/Cricket/Movies/Sports/Views & Opinions

Feb

Creative or Alienated?

Posted on February 10th, 2009 by Harsh

All of a sudden a thought has struck my mind. I was reading Sandipan Deb’s article in the Indian Express, and he had remarkably stated that once when attending a workshop, he was asked to pen down his own obituary. Being a creative writer that he is, he wrote a poetic one with very high literary overtones. The workshop conductor gave him an F (that’s the grade, btw) for that. Sandipan was extremely upset, and wrote in his IE article had Dostoyevsky read the obituary text, he would have paid him a fortune to claim the rights of his next book.

I am not surprised by the reaction of the workshop trainer/conductor, Mr Deb. From my experience, I have realized that there is a huge gulf that exists between the way a creative (such as writer, filmmaker, author, poet, columnist, philosopher, painter) and a non-creative person (your regular IT, Finance, BPO guyz) think. No offence to the latter, as they have their own set of capabilities, which the former usually are deprived of.

I don’t have much to claim that I am creative, but at least in my own books, I am. I could directly, emotionally and profoundly relate to Mr Deb’s failure to acquire a decent grade in the workshop. You see, people who write, generally have a different way of looking at things. Once attending a creative writing class at the British Council, I was asked to write a poem on perhaps the darkest topic ever: “death”. What I ended up producing is one of the funniest pieces of poetry I have jotted down till date! Fortunately for me, it was a creative writing class, so I got my share of accolades, and a warm applause from my pretty-looking firang teacher (blushes!). I have discussed it with my friends also who just cannot stop talking about IT and finance when we are together, or worse, real estate prices! We creative people don’t have a taste for such stuff. More often than not, I am yawning to death deep inside me, but manage to have a plastered smile on my face, as if I am understanding everything being said.

Last week, I was sitting in one of my friend’s office late in the evening. It is an IT company, and understandably most people were engineers. As evening progressed, we sat down for drinks around a nice bar table that they have in their office. After a peg or two, another Engineer from Nokia joined us, and thereafter the talks were just about the latest phones, laptops and all that gadgety stuff! A big YAWN! Most jokes that they laughed on, were not good enuf to make my facial muscles move, but I did give a fake grin to acknowledge the pedestrian quality of their jokes. I felt like an ungracious alien in a technically charged environment. Understandably, after three pegs, I gave up, and excused myself from the gathering. I went straightway to another friend, and ended up discussing nonsensical stuff till late night over a few more pegs of English Scotch – you see that’s what people like us enjoy the most.

But I feel that creative (technically and financially-challenged) and the non-creative (technically and financially-enabled) are made for each other. We rely on each other. When I have to buy a laptop, phone or for that matter even a car, I usually rely blindly on their intelligence. When my friends have to get a creative SMS/Email/resignation letter/resume done, I am in the firing line. One of my teenage years friends has been availing of my poem writing services for years now. I also feel glad that it works for him! In return, he gets my car accessories done, my mobile phone fixed, and helps me take all kinds of “technical” decisions. I call him “khurafati” So, it is so so mutual, you see!

All said and done, the right brains and left brains are usually at sea when together, although it depends on many other factors also. Some people may have different opinions on this piece, but that’s how I have felt in whatever few years of existence I have had (wink!).

1192 days ago Short URL 11 Comments

Experiences/Views & Opinions

Feb

The Man Called Dev

Posted on February 9th, 2009 by Harsh

I would have never gone to watch Dev D had my friend not sold the idea to me. For that matter, I knew nothing about the movie before I stepped into Audi 3 at Wave in Rajouri Garden. My friend insisted the movie is off-beat worth a few hundreds of rupees. Well, I bought his words, and went on to watch this modernized and contemporary version of “beaten to death” concept of Devdas. But hang on! Dev D is not your Bimal Roy or Bhanali kind of flick. It is funny, dark, touching, tear-jerking, and shocking. Anurag Kashyap has managed to direct an unprecedented concept in a way only few can. I have not watched No Smoking but have been advised to given its unusual theme and presentation.

Anyhow, coming to Dev D, it is a story about an amoral yet sentimental (yes, even the modern day Devdas can be sad, even if he sips Smirn-off instead of the good old English Whisky!) London-returned rich brat who loves the daughter of father’s manager. Cliched? Yes. But that’s where the Bollywood cliché ends in DEV D. The two lovers, Dev and Paro, are sexually adventurous to the core! Paro sends him a nude pic of hers when Dev is in London, and spreads a bed to make love in the fields on his return. Like all good Hindi movies, Dev D has a villain too, which ironically you may end up pitying when he becomes the object of wrath of the sharp-tongued jatni Paro. The villain narrates, visibly fake, stories of his steaming relationship with Paro, to Dev just when they are about to get sexually and emotionally involved. That breaks the relationship, and the chirpy Paro, after having undergone the trauma of being disowned by jealous Dev, marries another assumingly rich munda.

The plot takes a twist from thereon. The spoilt brat Dev turns into a 24/7 alcoholic and drug addict, even now deeply in love with his ex-sweetheart Paro. Heartbroken and sex-deprived, he lands into the brothels of Delhi in search of opium and lots of Vodka with coke. The funny thing about this life is that heartbroken often find their next love pretty soon after their heartbreak (what modern psychologist term as rebound relationships), and Dev is no exception. Keeping in the true spirit of Devdas, he finds love in a whore named – no gifts for guessing – Chandramukhi. Now, Chandramukhi comes with an interesting story of her own. The 17-year-old prostitute once lived with her father (a diplomat) and got caught in an MMS scandal! The father committed suicide, the mother disowned the daughter, and the daughter embraced the lucrative job of prostitution. The role of Chandramukhi is played by Kalki Koechlin, who lends the firang touch to the film. She easily takes to the role, quite convincingly! As expected, Dev and Chandra fall in love, but Dev still lingers in the past, still trying to court the happily-married Chandra. Things don’t work out, and on one drunken night, he crushes seven people on Tilak Bridge with his BMW! Sooner he realizes his fallacy of living in the past, and embraces the lovable whore Chandra! The ending is quite abrupt and right so.Dev D exposes the darkest corners of saddi Dilli, its corrupt underbelly where firang whores make lots of money out of prostitution, nightclubs run in the deepest parts of roguish old Delhi, pimps operate openly in the cheap old Delhi hotels (read Taj Mahal Hotel).

Anurag Kashyap has done a brilliant job making a full-blown movie out of an interesting theme that could have easily gone wrong. I think the best part is infusing humor in the mother of all tragedies, and unconventionally creating a heady concoction of an innocuous man’s tragic life and his fateful reunion with love!

1193 days ago Short URL 2 Comments

Movies

Feb

Mainland China at Rajouri Garden

Posted on February 8th, 2009 by Harsh

Finally, yes, finally I have been able to discover sumptuous, finger lickin’ Chinese food in my neighborhood. Mainland China recently opened on the main Rajouri Garden road, where you have a slew of other popular restaurants such as Wok in the Clouds, Pind Balluchi, Dhabha etc.

In past 10-odd days, I have made a couple of trips to Mainland China and both times I was just tempted to come back again! So much so that I have not been able to convince myself to make a visit to the neighboring Singree (it is owned by the same hospitality group), which has won rave reviews by food critics. The approach to Mainland China is a bit tacky with construction nearby, and car parking can be a problem at night. But you can avail the valet service if you want!

The interiors of the restaurant are tastefully done with more focus on the theme, and there is a reasonably tall and gold-hued statue of the Buddha at the end. The seating is spacious, and that is a refreshing change, as quite a few restaurants nowadays try to save on the expensive floor space and make it stifling! Anyhow, coming to the food, on my first visit, I ordered lemon peppery soup (non veg) to start with. Rich in vegetables and with a slightly pungent essence of lemon, the soup qualifies to be labeled more than “decent.”

For the main course, we ordered New World Gung Bo Chicken and Lotus Leaf Wrapped Rice with Kernels and Almonds. The chicken, as far as I remember, was absolutely sumptuous, and the rice was excellent. The serving of chicken was not too great, and foodies with monstrous appetite may need to order something along. But I must also mention that the two of us were full, and left rice unfinished. All in all, the food was great! The service was pretty good too, and the staff served with a pleasant smile. Also, I must not forget to mention that they served complimentary Chinese Tea, which tasted like simple black tea! You can avoid that, and I am sure you will not miss anything!

On my second visit to Mainland China, I had fish and prawns (I do not remember the exact preparations) and it was definitely not disappointing. Also, Mainland China has a very elaborate menu, and you will have to make quite a few visits to get a taste of many or every thing. On the face of it, it seems every preparation on the food menu is worth trying at least once. So far, so good!

One grunt before I leave. Mainland China, for some incomprehensible reason, serves hard drinks on the weekends only! Why??

1194 days ago Short URL Comments

Delhi/Eating Out

Feb

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish – Book Review

Posted on February 5th, 2009 by Harsh

When I started italics I knew nothing about entrepreneurship. It was like captaining a ship not knowing how the sea will behave or how to sail when the tides are high, or for that matter, even still. It may not be the best analogy but that’s how entrepreneurship is – you just cannot plan, and I am still a bad planner. In fact, I think it doesn’t need serious planning, but yes you need to have a roadmap. Anyhow, without getting into the speech-mode, I will come straight to business!

I had first come to know about Stay Hungry Stay Foolish at rediff.com. I was quite fascinated by the book, which narrates the story of 25 first-generation entrepreneurs from IIM Ahmedabad. Well, I have always been fascinated with business success stories. The first time I read an entrepreneur’s journey was Subroto Bagchi’s (co-founder of Mindtree Consulting) High-Performance Entrepreneur. High Performance… was a simple read, very practical, and right from the horse’s mouth. It was helpful but in hindsight did not offer anything new. Still, I would recommend High Performance… to many budding entrepreneurs (I’d be happy to lend it to you).

Coming to Stay Hungry…(the title is borrowed from a famous speech by Steve Jobs), I have my strong opinions about the book. It is not for people like me who do not carry the exclusive label of an A-List B-School, and have toiled (and toiling) to break into the corporate companies for generating business. The book is authored by Rashmi Bansal, who is also from IIM-Ahmedabad and runs a youth magazine called JAM. Stay Hungry… can only be a good read for those from top 10 B-Schools who use their strong and global networks (read batch mates) to generate business, funding and ideas. Barring Sanjeev Bhikchandani’s (founder of Naukri.com) inspiring story, which sounds like the proverbial rags-to-riches tale, there is nothing which makes a non-influential, not-so-well-qualified person feel like taking the plunge. Most successful entrepreneurs globally are dropouts (Bill Gates, Steve Jobs) or not ‘that’ well-qualified such as Branson and LN Mittal and scores of others.

Stay Hungry…remains largely biased, and glorifies even the easiest of entrepreneurial journeys. Anyhow, looking at the brighter side, Stay Hungry…makes a good read because of many interesting stories, and how many entrepreneurs coped up with bad times, money-crunch, client loss, and unfriendly ecosystem. Also, most entrepreneurs featured in Stay Hungry…are made for business, and apparently possess the natural knack for doing business and taking risks. They epitomize the quintessential never-say-die attitude of tough entrepreneurs who constantly challenge their own capabilities, wade against tough times, have great self-belief, and are fighters to the core. All this underlined by immense ambition. And this is certainly inspiring.

Stay Hungry…is divided into various sections: a) The Believers b) The Opportunists c) and c) The Alternate Vision (read social entrepreneurship). Admittedly, I did not read the last section because I could not somehow relate to social entrepreneurship and I have my own ideas about that. Coming to the meat of the book, Sanjeev Bhikchandani’s story is a must-read, though I am sure you must have read it innumerable times in magazines, newspapers and portals. The man’s struggle and tenacity is awe-inspiring. On thing that is common between most stories is that they teach you when to self—fund and when to search for a VC. Apart from Bhikchandani, there are stories of entrepreneurs such as SB Dangayach’s (founder of India Infoline), Nirmal – who quite unconventionally started a school. I particularly liked the story of K Raghavendra Rao, founder of Orchid Pharma, a USD 300 million dollar pharmaceutical company. The man built his company from scratch, had extraordinary vision, and worked in the Middle East prior to his venture to gather money for his dream company. Post-setup he worked with great precision and focus to create a reasonably big-sized company. For me, that’s the most interesting and inspiring of all the stories.

Also, you can read the making of well-know companies such as Makemytrip.com, Subhiksha, Educomp, Mphasis and EXL Services.

All in all, Stay Hungry… is not a bad one-time read. I cannot say that I have not learned anything from it, but I would love to read a book that has an eclectic mix of entrepreneurs from varied academic backgrounds.

1197 days ago Short URL 4 Comments

Books/Views & Opinions

Feb

The Great Kebab Factory, Radisson

Posted on February 4th, 2009 by Harsh

I don’t often like going out on Sunday evenings. I hate to wait outside a restaurant, and I often admire those who wait for hours for their turn to enter to eat! C’mon. You go to eat and a restaurant makes you wait outside, and you have to bargain for minutes. I can’t buy that idea somehow. I often like to have my choice of table in a restaurant, usually the one with a couch, where I can quite embarrassingly (for the other person accompanying me) recline and feel comfortable. Well, if it is a lunch with a client, then I prefer a chair to ensure my back is straight, and I don’t relax more than what is required. But that’s another story.

Coming to the main story, I planned to visit The Great Kebab Factory at Radisson on Sunday. Fearing that I may have to wait for sometime, I booked table for four of us (me and my foodie friends). One of our friends later withdrew, so three of us reached Radisson 15 minutes after the scheduled time. However, there were still a few vacant tables and the lady escort quite courteously showed us the way. The Great Kebab Factory has a kebab theme (I don’t exaclty know what I am saying) which means that the décor is brownish, and pretty much in sync with the kind of food they serve. With high ceiling and a congenial ambience, The Great Kebab Factory makes you fall in love with it even before you nibble the first bite.

Coming to THE food, they serve platters, non-veg and veg (I don’t know what vegetarians come there for). In Rs. 1350 (plus taxes) you can have till your heart’s content, and that’s good for people like me with huge appetite. Let me tell you what all we got in non veg – Galouti Kebab (very tender and not spicy), Chooza Hara Dhaniya (Chicken marinated with dhaniya, very tender again), Kandhari Murgh Tikka (Can’t remember, but it was normal chicken tikka), Ajwaini Machhi Tikka (good, finger-lickin fish, with a bit of Indian spices on it), Barrah Kebab and Murgh Taka Tak (this is with gravy and you can enjoy it with Roti, or breads as they say it). For the main course, there was just Gosht Biryani and two types of dals (urgh!). But that’s not even required! Appetizers are more than enough. Also, there was a wide array of sumptuous chunteys to complement hot-served kebabs.

The service? I think that was the USP. The staff was very courteous, and unlike most restaurants they didn’t bother us too much, or swarmed around the table. Most of them gave us space to eat, and served at regular intervals! It also reminded me of Chowki Dhani, when they pleasantly insisted us to eat Shahi Tukda even when we were full to the core!

All in all, a great experience!

1198 days ago Short URL Comments

Delhi/Eating Out

Feb

An Afternoon at Olive Bar & Kitchen, Hotel Diplomat

Posted on February 2nd, 2009 by Harsh

I had heard a lot about The Olive Bar & Kitchen from my cousin, and as luck would have it, I was crossing Dhaula Kuan the other day, when he called me up and we decided to catch up at…Yes, The Olive Bar & Kitchen. Olive is located inside Hotel Diplomat which looks more like a big bungalow than a hotel property. We parked our cars on the backside, which is a narrow but clean street. However you can use valet service if you go for the front door entry!

Olive is quite regularly featured on Page 3 parties, and its owner AD Singh is a famous socialite. He was there when we went, and was seen entertaining his own guests. Olive is a quintessential Mediterranean restaurant. It has a rustic feel to it and a very upmarket air. You will also find quite a few firangs there. The furniture was very rustic, reminiscent of good old Goa, and a beach like ambience added to the thrill. You have stones and pebbles as the floor if you sit outside. I would recommend you to sit out in the open, if the weather permits. Also, I did not have a peek into the closed area, so my opinion/advice may be wrong or subjective. Olive has won many awards and accolades and I have never read any bad review – it is literally the cream of the crop.. So, I was quite excited from the moment I entered.

We chose to sit in the open. It was afternoon, and the weather was almost perfect. It was not too crowded, hardly 4 tables were occupied. We took our seat on the wooden chairs. The food menu at Olive is not very elaborate, but you do get your options. We skipped the soup, and went for a few appetizers. We ordered Grilled Calamari and Apple Salad (I had one vegetarian friend with me who was quite lost, understandably). It was the first time I was having Calamari. Calamari comes across as a slimy white-colored sea creature, and for the first timers, it may appear to be a bit repulsive. Calamari was served with lettuce with lemon essence. There was less of Calamari and more of green vegetables. Calamari was not bad but failed to win my heart. Sea food aficionados may just enjoy it.

I may not remember the exact names, but we ordered Cornish Hen and Kingfish for the main course. They are grilled preparations, served with a few sauces and dips. Both of them were sumptuous, and thankfully not spicy. We also asked for one Funghi Pizza, which was quite large with a thin crust. The pizza was as good as you would get anywhere else. I also had Iced Tea, which had a very pungent taste of lemon. Before winding up, we indulged in sinful desserts. We had a trio of three ice cream flavors and Tiramisu. It was quite good.

Though we did not have any hard drink, the beverage menu offers a wide array of Single Malt, Wine and Champagne, and that too at a premium price! I went with a preconceived notion that Olive would be very expensive, but considering that we had desserts as well, the bill amount was around 3500 for three of us!

Olive offers a unique Brunch spread on Sundays, and that looked quite tempting, and my cousin confirmed it. I can always vouch for the veracity of his claims.

1200 days ago Short URL Comments

Eating Out

Posted in February 2009 …