Pongal, Al-Barak and Nandan

As people geared up to celebrate the harvest festival, it did not bring good news to us. ‘Us’ would mean me and my roommates – with our cook going on a long leave and all nearby shops closed. Now, I don’t live in a place to boast of hospitality choices. So it was a major blow. And with the government mandating an obligatory holiday, we were homed without food L... By the way an interesting article on the history of Pongal can be found here. Seems it has its origin from the Sangam ages, during the ruling of Pallavas during 4^th – 8^th Century A.D - http://www.pongalfestival.org/history-of-pongal.html

Coming back to our food woes, lazy that we were, none of us wanted to cook; so we thought of hitting out at one of our usual place – Thattukada – A popular Keralite restaurant in Tambaram – the closest suburb. Sadly, they were exhausted of all their supplies. A surprising wave of customers swept all their food supplies. That’s how we land in Al-Barak – a newly sprung Arabic restaurant serving multi cuisine food. Well, an Arabic restaurant on the outskirts of Chennai is surely an ambitious project. Speaks about the changing dynamics of the city; with more and more companies being set up in these areas, there is a growing demand for quality services, especially in foods.

We walk in cautiously to their first floor (they don’t have anything in the ground floor J). A freak looking lad from the eastern parts open the door for us. All around, we see only people from that part of the world which left us wondering if we were in a Chinese restaurant. Then lo, we see a mallu right in the middle. When I ask him of their speciality, he promptly replies grilled chicken – “It will taste very different sir”. Well, we decide do try that out. But not with the usual khubboos but with kerala porotta prepared by Bengali cooks. A truly Indian restaurant- wont u say? Thanks to our hunger we order for mutton masala as well. In the next few minutes, we were served with one of most delicious grilled chicken I’ve ever had. The shawahi, as it’s usually called, is one of my favourite dishes. I’ve had that in almost all the Arabic restaurants in town. But this one was special. Absolutely mouth watering; together with the kerala porotta, it melted in our mouths. The mutton was so soft that we dint feel the need to chew . Just to add on, we order for crispy lamb as well. Though not as great as the chicken, it adds to the variety.

Now this is one place I would recommend to all my friends living anywhere in the vicinity of tambaram. And for my readers living outside, you could try this if you happen to land in Chennai anytime. It’s relatively close to the airport; it’s in a place called Tamabaram sanitorium. Ask anyone in the city and they’ll ask you if its in Chennai. J Trust me, Chennai is a really big city.

After that sumptuous lunch, none of us even bothered to think of dinner. Burp!! I can steel feel the gas inside. J J

Another good thing about today – I finally managed to complete Nandan’s book – Imagining India. It has taken me so long to complete this. The size and the hard cover would not allow me to carry this book with ease. And the content required some hard reading as well. So I ended up reading this only at home and when I am completely relaxed. I must say – a thoroughly informative and interesting book. Nandan explores various aspects of our country – Starting from his own journey of ‘accidental entrepreneurism’ to exploring a new paradigm in India’s demographic shift – he gives a wealth of information. As you walk through the pages, you can gain amazing perspectives on a wide variety of issues. The enviable positions he held till now – as co-chairman of Infosys(which he relinquished recently to head the National ID project) , President of National Council of Economic research, member of Knowledge commission, member of the review committee of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, member of the National Advisory group on e-Governance, Chairman of Government of India’s I.T Task Force of Power gives him access to people like few others can. And he has used all of his powers to paint the canvas with his imaginations. He has put in the books views of stalwarts of various fields – from Sam Pitroda to Ahluwalia to Joseph stiglits to numerous reformist civil servants.

All this coupled with his impressive narrative makes this a jewel to own. He speaks with passion on the importance of English and the powers it has in opening up employment. He gives an insider account on how I.T came into governance right from the time of Rajiv Gandhi. And then goes on to dwell on the power it can play in governance. He sings the Friedman song on globalization and takes you through to the various swings our country took towards opening up to the outside world. His account of how the government viewed entrepreneurship, immediately post independence – as a profit thirsty wicked soul ( got from the East Indian experience) to the more later realization in the power it could create, which showed up post the economic reforms Mr singh took.

What has amazed me is the deep insights he provides on every topic. He has got expert views on every subject he has touched. His research assistant has done a brilliant job too. He makes a strong case for a uniform ID and rightly got appointed to head it. He speaks for more reforms in tax, pension scheme and vouches for sustainable development. Lastly, he speaks on the importance of how our optimistic views of the future can transform our present. He gives a brilliant example too – jugaad – which literally means ‘everything put together’ (this is an innovative car which many people in rural north India use to travel, built on whatever they can lay their hand on. Check this pic out https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOkt89BeyrCwemqJFH8G9g9NC9MYnE7op6jGmnAn87Vt0gZqvZ67jJa8AwWqGMfbdyrzVGw78sitdNzCH0jWI4UFkqe0hRoDroxZqkmJ2dxw_u2TWXYiDtl2K5pI9Ru87HviAGotosjzo/s400/jugaad_cheap_pick_up.JPG ). He rightly points out that in our people lies our strength. And a bottom up approach is what can transform us. For too long, the government has played a paternalistic role, always looking at the masses as needing pampering and care and thereby creating ineffective policies which do no good in the long term. And he minces no words in lashing out at the politicians for their election time freebie offerings.

Anyway, this space is too small to write a review of a humongous work as this. I only wished to share a few thoughts. I can assure you, after reading the book, you will feel invigorated. You will feel enlightened and glad to have learnt of the nuances of policy making. Of nation building and governing;

I would recommend this to all my readers...

On that note I’ll call it a day wishing all of you a happy pongal and Makr Sakranti ... J

A connoisseur's treat

A fine Saturday morning, rising sun making way for the pouring clouds; one of those days you wished would stay forever, making you feel the beauty of nature, bereft of all the artificial temperature controllers. I was only glad that I didn't have to spend such a day staring at any stupid monitor.

I had an appointment to keep. Bringing some purpose to my day, I was to teach elementary mathematics to graduate students. Aptitude training – never did I think in the wildest of my dreams to don such a role. The caprices of life are so unpredictable; this was the second time I was doing this and I must admit, it turned out to be a memorable experience about which I intend to write sometime. So, after a few hours of yelling, yes now I realize the importance of voice for teachers, I was all exhausted. I told Ajai that I need good food to make up for all the energy I just lost. Ajai and I, apart from being schoolmates have this special thing in common – we both enjoy our food. We are not gluttons though; the right word would be gourmets or connoisseurs. Apart from the fact that we appreciate good food, we savor them. No we are not really gluttons. J

Just that we use of our taste buds extensively. Not many people do that. I am proud to say we are among the enlightened few.

So I suggested Mainland China – a brilliant Chinese restaurant, he said zaras – an Italian one with tapas bar. Then we thought of our common friend, another school mate who’s also in Chennai. Now this guy, Manoj is always the Bakra. Poor chap, always ends up paying for our rampages. The sad part is, amongst the three he would be mistaken for the glutton, thanks to the biological reactions in his body. Though he eats only half as much as we do, he looks twice as much as we are ;) and by some spate of fate, always ends up paying for us. I have to acknowledge his magnanimous heart. I am sure Ajai will agree. Coming back to deciding on the restaurant, I suggest crimson chakra, a place close to where Manoj stays. A place neither of us have been. So we are agreed. Just as I was giving direction to Manoj, Ajai suggest we pick him up from his house. This took us on the verge of ECR – east coast road, a beautiful road along the Bay of Bengal which every Chennaite would enjoy riding on. Now the plan changes and off we go zooming along east coast to Mahabalipuram – a small town famous for its temples, rock carvings, statues and a lot more. Most importantly this place is very popular for fishes, which is why we were going.

Off we go to sea shore garden resort. A small place right in the middle of the beach, almost touching the waters; covered with thatched roof and adorned in simple interiors, this place is a treat to the eye. You could sit there and feel the magical sea breeze tickle your senses. The waves almost in front of you; the babes also add to the color. Sadly, Manoj is unlucky again – he’s fasting until Christmas– a ritual he so ardently exercises without any worldly incentive. Fasting would mean staying away from all sorts of non vegetarian food including egg. May the good Lord bless him in abundance.

We start our orders with gobi for him and fish for us J. We start with calamari, proceed to masala fried fish – I don’t know the name of the fish but it was decent in size. Chopped to small pieces and friend with nice masala and when topped with lime, made for a great dish. But the calamari was definitely the better of the two. We were done with that, but were in no mood to go in for any main course, so we ask the waiter what else he has to offer us. He brings us a plate of tiger prawns spread in mouth watering masala. The plate is clean in less than two minutes. We call him again and this time he says he will check with the sea. He is evidently amused at our potential. In the gap, he fills ours table with some spicy pepper chicken which I leave it to Ajai to handle. All the while our dear friend is feeding on gobi. Taking pity on him, we call the waiter and ask what else they have in vegetarian cuisine. He thinks for long and says he has chips – fried potato. With no other option, we order one of that. By the time that came, our table was clean again. Once again we call the waiter and ask him for the best he can offer us in fish. He goes back in and shows us a good long fish. We nod our heads and what comes to our table is nothing but bliss. That long fish mixed in finger licking masala, kept as is in one huge plate. Pure heavenly bliss; we pounce on it with a respectful bow. To our friend we say – God bless you! For having resisted the temptation to immerse in ecstasy; for the next few minutes, the table was silent. It was unadulterated pleasure. Strictly for a food aficionado;

Oh… a treat it was… to the tongue and to the eye. Harmony couldn't have manifest in any way better. Peace, blessing, love – whatever they call that state of mind where you are in a world away from the usual – we were in that. I can’t be too sure of Manoj now :p. we just sat there staring at the sea for another hour, letting the waves wash over us, indulging in a luxury which many don’t discover.

I must say, a truly memorable day…