A lucky visual treat is what I had the chance to experience in the alleys of south mumbai this weekend, have fun!!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
A Blue Synagogue
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Food for thought …
Lot has been said about the booming economy and particularly the boom in the organized retail sector in India. Malls have been mushrooming at every nook and corner of the smallest of cities in India. Malls are equated to a shopping experience where people not only go to shop but they are the new parks where families go on a weekend to spend time.
This Diwali, I did the opposite. Me and my mom went shopping on the Gujarati New Year’s day to a traditional market - the Natraj Market at Malad station.
The place is dominated by Gujarati traders selling cloth, readymade garments, stuff to decorate your garment and the works. We happened to be the first customers for everyone that day and I was amazed with the warmth that we were showered with in each shop that we visited.
Each shop had a bowl of sweets kept at the entrance. Whether you buy something or not, you are insisted to take some sweet alongwith you as a token of well being. I was pleasantly surprised that these people had kept this tradition alive of offering sweets to anyone who visits your house on the New Years Day, in this hectic and extremely materialistic world.
We ended up purchasing some dresses from a shop and the shopkeeper ended up making an invoice of an amount like Rs. 501. He said, that the one rupee was as a shagun. We readily gave the amount and imagine our surprise when he gives us a full box of sweets as we were his first clients for the New Year. I was particularly taken in by the warmth of this gesture.
I am sure we would not have ever been received with such affection at any mall. Nobody would have really cared if it were the New Year or if we were the first client for the New Year.
These are simple and very tiny gestures which make the fabric of India. It saddens me that we tend to forget the rich culture that we live in, the talents that we have, in blatantly copying the west in our race for becoming the next superpower.
I sincerely hope that somewhere we do not loose this identity which is India. Economy boom or not and it is this identity which makes us different from the rest of the world’s so-called successful economies.
Would be nice to know your opinions on this.
This Diwali, I did the opposite. Me and my mom went shopping on the Gujarati New Year’s day to a traditional market - the Natraj Market at Malad station.
The place is dominated by Gujarati traders selling cloth, readymade garments, stuff to decorate your garment and the works. We happened to be the first customers for everyone that day and I was amazed with the warmth that we were showered with in each shop that we visited.
Each shop had a bowl of sweets kept at the entrance. Whether you buy something or not, you are insisted to take some sweet alongwith you as a token of well being. I was pleasantly surprised that these people had kept this tradition alive of offering sweets to anyone who visits your house on the New Years Day, in this hectic and extremely materialistic world.
We ended up purchasing some dresses from a shop and the shopkeeper ended up making an invoice of an amount like Rs. 501. He said, that the one rupee was as a shagun. We readily gave the amount and imagine our surprise when he gives us a full box of sweets as we were his first clients for the New Year. I was particularly taken in by the warmth of this gesture.
I am sure we would not have ever been received with such affection at any mall. Nobody would have really cared if it were the New Year or if we were the first client for the New Year.
These are simple and very tiny gestures which make the fabric of India. It saddens me that we tend to forget the rich culture that we live in, the talents that we have, in blatantly copying the west in our race for becoming the next superpower.
I sincerely hope that somewhere we do not loose this identity which is India. Economy boom or not and it is this identity which makes us different from the rest of the world’s so-called successful economies.
Would be nice to know your opinions on this.
Technorati Tags: Retail, Economy, India, Gujarati New Year
Monday, November 13, 2006
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….
The title of my post must say volumes about what this is about. I am talking about, you guessed it right – Desserts.
The most exquisite of sins, these delicacies manage to tingle the tastebuds of many a calorie conscious people.
I have here the most delectable delicacies you can find in Mumbai.
Are you a chocolate lover? Do you find anything with chocolate irrestible? If your answers to these questions are a big YES, then Chocolate Avalanche was made for you. What is this dish you ask, well, it has chocolate brownies, chocolate icecream, chocolate mousse, chocolate sauce and cocoa balls all put in a big bowl – all for you to gobble. Check out this chocolatier’s paradise at Mocha – Coffee and Conversations and let me know what you think.
If this was too chocolaty for you then go to a place called Theobrama. I went there only last week. Apart from a wonderfully friendly uncle serving you, try their latest pastry which currently has no name and is put on the display as no name. This is a chocolate cake with dried black grapes as little surprises everytime you bite. Try it and let us help the nice uncle there in naming the bombshell.
The opening of Baristas’s has done a lot of good for dessert lovers like me. They have a range of excellent desserts to dig in. From chocolate excess to cold coffees with brownies, these people know their desserts really well.
If chocolate is not your forte, try the fresh fruit cake available at Hypercity. This one comes with loads of exotic fresh fruits like kiwis, blackberries and the regular ones like bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries, oranges with a vanilla base. And the fruits are not just the garnish, you will find them in each scrumptious bite of this heavenly dessert.
For the calorie conscious there is the latest buzzword in desserts – Gelato. Now please, please do not eat at the Gelato Italiano outlets that are opening up everywhere in the city. The gelato is really bad. The reason this dessert finds place in my blog is an outlet called Amore. The gelatos are simply fantastic. These guys have made gelatos from ferraro rochers, dark chocolates, tiramisu, chocolate brownie, the works.
Sin on these and share your experiences with me.
Happy Eating ..ah ah.. Happy Sinning Guyz!!!!!!!
The most exquisite of sins, these delicacies manage to tingle the tastebuds of many a calorie conscious people.
I have here the most delectable delicacies you can find in Mumbai.
Are you a chocolate lover? Do you find anything with chocolate irrestible? If your answers to these questions are a big YES, then Chocolate Avalanche was made for you. What is this dish you ask, well, it has chocolate brownies, chocolate icecream, chocolate mousse, chocolate sauce and cocoa balls all put in a big bowl – all for you to gobble. Check out this chocolatier’s paradise at Mocha – Coffee and Conversations and let me know what you think.
If this was too chocolaty for you then go to a place called Theobrama. I went there only last week. Apart from a wonderfully friendly uncle serving you, try their latest pastry which currently has no name and is put on the display as no name. This is a chocolate cake with dried black grapes as little surprises everytime you bite. Try it and let us help the nice uncle there in naming the bombshell.
The opening of Baristas’s has done a lot of good for dessert lovers like me. They have a range of excellent desserts to dig in. From chocolate excess to cold coffees with brownies, these people know their desserts really well.
If chocolate is not your forte, try the fresh fruit cake available at Hypercity. This one comes with loads of exotic fresh fruits like kiwis, blackberries and the regular ones like bananas, apples, grapes, strawberries, oranges with a vanilla base. And the fruits are not just the garnish, you will find them in each scrumptious bite of this heavenly dessert.
For the calorie conscious there is the latest buzzword in desserts – Gelato. Now please, please do not eat at the Gelato Italiano outlets that are opening up everywhere in the city. The gelato is really bad. The reason this dessert finds place in my blog is an outlet called Amore. The gelatos are simply fantastic. These guys have made gelatos from ferraro rochers, dark chocolates, tiramisu, chocolate brownie, the works.
Sin on these and share your experiences with me.
Happy Eating ..ah ah.. Happy Sinning Guyz!!!!!!!
Technorati Tags: Desserts, Mocha, Hypercity, Amore
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