Author: manuscrypts

  • Growth, or the lack of it….

    At every cross road, there are opportunities that have not been taken. There are choices that have been made, options that have been taken, the first with a steely resolve, and the second, with a sense of compromise. The first is more often than not, a happy tone that comes from knowing exactly what we want, and the second one is a tone of resignation, which comes from knowing somewhere deep inside that by giving up a little, much could have been gained, if only we could bring ourselves to do it, if only we could be sure…

    I’ve always wondered about why I have a problem with giving up a few comforts, a few perks, a few advantages in life, especially if it means I could have an opportunity to connect with what I was meant to do in this life. At first, i thought it could be because I wasn’t sure what exactly it was. But then, I was even giving up chances of finding out what it could be.

    I came across a new logic a while back. One thats rooted in my small town origins. Of course, its no longer a small town, its what they call a tier 2 city. 🙂 Growing up in a small town means that you’re always on ‘add to shopping cart’ mode in terms of aspirations. Growing up in an age when the cans of cola in the hands of videsi relatives evoked a sense of envy, didn’t help. While a lot of the shopping cart items were thrown out with age and what I hope is maturity, there are some deep seated ones which are difficult to get over. Which explains the constant striving for growth. And as each upgrade is done with, it becomes more difficult to give up what has been achieved after so much of work has gone into it. While it can be argued that the potential growth by letting go is much larger, or that the movement is only lateral, when you come in from what is relatively nowhere, it is difficult to imagine even risking going back there.

    until next time, hedging the bets

  • Kobe Sizzlers

    Talk about focus… You only come here if you are in the mood for sizzlers… We couldn’t even try our regular strategy of one starter + one sizzler + dessert approach, since the starter options are almost nil… Even with this focus, we felt that we could’ve got more choice of sizzlers in say, Yoko, Indijoe or Tangerine.

    First things first, the joint is located on the 5th floor of Garuda Mall. We tried reserving in advance, but as usual were met with ‘We don’t take reservations on weekends’. What surprised us were a few tables there with a ‘reserved’ sign, and I only got a smile in response to my query. We reached there by around 7.45, and could easily get a table, but the place got crowded in another 15 minues.

    Since I was still reeling from a heavy lunch, we ordered a Chicken Salad and a Nasi Goreng. The salad came in no time, was very tasty (just the way I like it, with lots of mayonnaise) and was quite large, in terms of quantity. The sizzler took some time, but that might have been because they were waiting for us to finish the salad.

    The sizzler was made of boneless chicken on a bed of fried rice. And what a bed it was – king size!! I’m quite sure that even with a free stomach, I wouldn’t have been able to finish it. The lack of options, I think, is made up for by the extremely good quality and quantity of the food that one gets here.

    The dessert options are the regular suspects – custard, brownie. They also have a few beverage options like iced tea, cold coffee and something called the Kobe special coffee, have to try that out sometime.

    The ambience is quite pleasant, with very comfortable seating and cosy seating for 2 people. The food is absolutely value for money, the entire meal cost us just about Rs.400.

    Kobe Bangalore. 5th Floor, Garuda Mall, McGrath Road, M.G.Road, Banglore-560025 Tel: 080-65600872

    Menu and Photos at Zomato

  • Temptations of the West

    Pankaj Mishra

    A commentary on life in the subcontinent, that vividly portrays issues that pertain to the region- from the university politics of Uttar Pradesh to the lanes of Bollywood and from Ram Janmabhoomi to the plight of Kashmir, and thats only one country.
    It also shows the role of Pakistan in the cold war, its dealings with the US , the mujahideen, communists and the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Touches on Nepal and the Maoists vs Monarchy tussle. Most importantly it also throws light on how religion can fuel the fires of jihad (Afghanistan) as well as serve as a cohesive force that becomes a source of cultural identity (Tibet).
    While it could be claimed that he does not devote the deserved attention to each part of the sub continent and therefore leaves the work incomplete, what I liked was that though Mishra tries his best to remain objective in his understanding of the issues, he is also not dispassionate, and tries to bring in a perspective that reflects the views and experiences of the resident population. If you’ve read his earlier work, ‘The Romantics’, you’ll feel a sense of deja vu, not just in the content, but in the tone too.
    Read it at a good time since the outcome of a lot of things discussed in the book is happening now – Prachanda’s triumph in Nepal, the return of the Kasmiri pundits, the Tibetan protests.
    The other good take out was his projecting of Buddhism as possibly the last bulwark against capitalism. No, I’m not a communist anymore, but strongly believe that our society needs an anti thesis, an option against the unbridled arrogance of money.

  • Separate Lives

    They had all said that marriage was not an easy thing. It was a balancing act, and one which posed new difficulties as soon as you thought you had it all planned out. That was just before she got married, and now almost a decade had passed.Yes, it was quite a lot of what they said, but that was only part of it.

    Truth be told, she was a happy woman now. She had a great love life, something women of her age could only dream about. Sometimes, more often than not, on weekdays, he took a day off from work and spent the whole day with her, ready to do her bidding. For instance, he was taking her shopping today, and when they returned, he had promised to cook lunch for her. And it was not even a weekend. Bliss.
    They had a great time shopping, it was amazing how much of a help even a man could be in shopping, if he put his mind to it. And he was a great chef, that was a well proven fact. In fact, after she tasted his menu of the day, she asked him why he wouldn’t think of it as a career.Speaking of careers, her husband was a high profile corporate executive. He earned enough not to mind her frequent shopping trips. That reminded her, she’d have to leave now to get back by the time he returned from office. After all, she couldn’t allow such a great life to be disrupted by a suspicious husband.
    Yes, they were right, married life was a balance, one that took quite some acting.

    until next time, vows and woes

  • Panchvi Pass

    They asked him about his new fad. He said it was a 55, a concept/story told in 55 words, no more no less. They said, okay when would he stop. He said, soon. Actually, it was just a quirky race, to complete fifty five 55s before his blog turned 5. That day would be tomorrow.

    Until next time, ab tak pachpan 🙂