Monday, November 26, 2007

Sites, Sounds and Aromas of Bangalore

The hectic schedules of Bombay can be testing on your pressure levels and to get away from the routine, my husband and I decided to park ourselves for a whole week at my sister's in Bangalore. What better way to spend the holidays than to sit back and have no particular agenda. Waking up late, eating warm home cooked meals and soaking in the cool winter breeze of Bangalore...sweet vacations are made of these!!
One must know that in spite of the commercialization, Bangalore still remains slow and laid back compared to Bombay, which is in a way charming. Today is Day 3 of our one week holiday, and we have not seen much of the city as the shopping zones come to life post 11am and peak around 8pm.
The IT boom has given rise to many small eating joints, one of which has come out as the clear winner in the VFM category and that is- Kairali. If you like cuisines from Kerala, then this the place to visit. Located in a lane parallel to Forum Mall at Koramagala, Kairali is a no-frills Mallu joint with only Mallu food as its main offering. Ambiance and presentation could go take a hike and the people there make no bones of not having any. The menu has the basics like gruel with chutney and dry vegetable which is a staple dish in Kerala, appam and chicken curry to parota and grilled greasy chicken. Four of us had a sumptuous meal for Rs.175/- and that is truly value for moolah!
Watch this space for more on Bangalooru....

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Issueless Matrimonials

Many may find the matrimonial section of a newspaper highly informative and even helpful considering our nation's preoccupation with marriage as an event or process. Either you want to get married or you are attempting to get someone you know married. The matrimonial section would naturally be one of the oldest and supposedly trusted sources to know who is or isn't tagged.

These are common emotions when one decides to browse through the matrimonial. However, I for one have always read this section of the newspaper with great interest as it never fails to provide a few laughs and always reminds me that there are wierd and desparate people in this world.

Here are some of the funnies from the matrimonial:
  • Looking for a tall, fair, slim, beautiful, educated, religious, respect for elders, cool, caring homely girl who will support to carry family forward,good understanding, and who is willing to take care of old parents. Must not be older than 25 years. Good luck searching for that one!!!
  • There are some adverts that start with -I am from a swetamber oswal jain family and I am a simple person...Very simple yet very complex, don't you think?!?!
  • Now every guy wants a simple, fun loving and down to earth girl. And that is being very specific! I suppose you can find this girl immediately, now that you have laid it down so clearly :)
  • Then there are those who have already been through the marriage cycle once- Divorces. I came across this guilty guy who was insistent on proving his innocence and his ad read- 40 year divorced male looking for a fair, slim, beautiful and all that jazz and hold your breathe and never been married girl... still fair enough... However he is quick to add that he was and is blameless in case someone decides to ask him about his marital status. He screams out, " Its all her fault!! I was a babe in the woods!!!"
  • There are parents who are keen on getting their daughters married and put up adverts that seem to be showcasing their linage more than their daughter. Father is an ex-brigadier from the army and mother is a PhD professor from some top notch college. They are all a part of some elite family in God knows where and their family asset base is a gazillion rupees .... and yes- they have a daughter who needs to get married.