Milk Teeth - Book review

Milk Teeth by Amrita Mahale
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amrita Mahale’s debut novel ‘Milk Teeth’ is about life in Mumbai and resembles Mumbai’s favourite fast food ‘Bhel Puri’, essentially a mixture of soft and crunchy, sweet, sour and tangy.
In this book she has dealt with Romance, Riots and Redevelopment that Bombay went through and became Mumbai. While dealing with these she has touched upon relationships that are filial, cultural, heterosexual and homosexual.
She has a laid back style of narration, yet does not let your mind wander off from the story for too long and pulls you back into the thick of action before you can put the book down.
The blurb on the back cover reads ‘There was plenty of anger on offer in Mumbai and it was easy to look away. But every once in a while, someone with imagination crafted their fury like origami into something delightful’ and describes the book perfectly.
You will find the rich boy meets middle class girl resulting in culture conflict and then there is the story of the ambitious middle class wanting to keep up with the Jones’s and one cannot ignore the caste/communal angle ruling the roost in all this.
Amrita Mahale takes the reader on an exciting, thrilling roller coaster ride through the evolution of a city and its citizens who are always on the look out for adventure in eking out a life or more. Never a dull moment for long.
For a debut novel she has done an excellent job making peace with Grammar Nazis. She seems to have done her homework very well and it shows in her vivid description of various events and the characterisation of all the characters that make Mumbai what it is. Amrita has also shown that it is the citizens who make the city what it is despite the corrupt politicians.
I enjoyed the read as I could relate to the city of Mumbai through Bombay having lived here for more than six and a half decades, hence can vouch for the authenticity of the circumstances that have been wonderfully woven into the lives of the struggling citizens of this city.
Do read this book to understand what makes Mumbai tick and survive despite all the abuse meted out by all and sundry.


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A murder on Malabar Hill - Book reviewed

A Murder on Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A beautifully knitted tale of a murder using different colourful strands of cultural conflicts, class conflicts and interpersonal relationships in India during the British Raj.
Sujata Massey has also delved into the issue of women's rights and the attitude towards them in the given circumstances. The story is womancentric and revolves around the protagonist Pervin Mistry who despite the ban on women appearing in court, finds a way around to fulfil her desire to practice law and do her bit for the pardanashin women (women in burqa who do not have any direct contact with male strangers), hence giving them an opportunity to present their fundamental rights to property and life.
This is not the sitting in the armchair and solving mystery tale but full of adventure out on the streets and homes.
The ideas and the language flows seamlessly and keeps the reader engrossed in all the goings on during the entire length of the book.

Wonderful read. It has induced me to look forward to reading more of her books.


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#BNLF - Defining bloggers

Blog Now Live Forever or #BNLF, staged by the immensely popular Indiblogger last weekend, made me very happy not only because it was organised so well but because after ages here was a bloggers meet that was about blogging for blogging sake and not about sponsoring products.

Here was a meet that was meant for bloggers to meet and exchange ideas about blogging.

Added bonus was listening to famous bloggers about their journey in the blogging world. Was elated to meet up with 3 of my favourite bloggers Zephyr, Purba Ray and ArnabRay apart from those with whom I had only interacted online. Made my day!

No I did not take any pictures at the meet because I was so involved in enjoying the moment so I will give you guys interested in pictures of the meet a link to Indiblogger’s page which has no less than 422 pictures to sate your picture desires! Click here and enjoy!

Get set and Bolt!

As part of their promotional activity, I was invited by Blogadda on behalf of TATA Motors to check out the new hatchback ‘Bolt’ on display at the Oberoi mall.

I went there last weekend and as I was entering the mall, I overheard people talking about Narain Karthikeyan. Apparently one could get a photo opportunity by just visiting the ‘Bolt’ arena in the mall! I was thrilled. Was indeed a great opportunity not only to check out the car but also get photographed with the one and only Narain Karthikeyan.

Having reached the ‘Bolt’ arena which could be identified easily as there were a lot of people milling 

around I headed straight to one of the many guys in the bright ‘Bolt’ Tshirt and asked where I could meet the famous Narain Karthikeyan. He pointed to a tiny low platform next to the car on display and asked me to stand there while he would take my photo. Dutifully, I stood on the place indicated and got myself photographed, all the time wondering ‘Whats up?’ The mystery was soon cleared as the photographer showed me my photograph with Narayan Karthikeyan and transferred it to my phone via Bluetooth. Here it is J

Now about the car. Bolt is being projected as a premium hatchback car with all the trappings that are offered by others in the market. So what is special about this? Is it the price? The price is not 

revealed yet, they said. So what else? The reply he gave me was impressive. I shall list out the five features that would make ‘Bolt’ stand out among the hatchbacks in the market.

1)      First time ever Multi-Drive: Sport mode when you need that power, Eco mode for excellent fuel efficiency and City mode for the perfect balance of the other two.

2)      Revotron 1.2 Turbocharged MPFi Petrol Engine for that exceptionally powerful driving experience. This is what I would love to check out as and when I get to Test drive this beauty.

3)      Generation Next Safety with 9^th Generation ABS by BOSCH, Corner Stability control (I would surely love to test this out too) and dual airbags (finally someone has decided safety is more important than cutting corners to reduce price!)

4)      Segment Superior space and comfort. This has been traditionally a TATA Motors forte since their TATA Indica and am glad this is still being followed religiously!

5)      Connect Next – Not only to keep up with the times but also to be ahead in the race, the ‘Bolt’ will have ‘Touchscreen Infotainment’ by Harman which will give you an access to an array of entertainment and connectivity features like smartphone enabled navigation from MapMyIndia in addition to advanced voice command recognition.

So guys Get set Bolt!!

“This post is a part of the Get. Set. Bolt. activity at BlogAdda.”. 

Hp Connected Music Indibloggers Meet at Otto Infinito, Mumbai

Hp has launched laptops with music bundled in for free! Only the music is free, not the laptops :) 

To demonstrate this amazing package, Ranjivjit Singh, Head– Marketing, HP PPS, India, along with Neeraj Roy, MD and CEO, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment invited Indibloggers to Otto Infinito the Mediterranean restaurant in Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai on the 16^th Feb 2013.

Called HpConnected Music, this package has over ten lakh tracks which you can either stream or download for free, albeit for a year, and all this legitimately!

Otto Infinito conjured up some exotic dishes to ensure that the bloggers reveled in the music and food while the Indiblogger team ensured all bloggers screamed and raved and ranted at the highest decibels! There were lot of Hp headphones given away as prizes for various screaming and tweeting contests. No, I did not get one. And for the person who guessed the name of a band in an envelope was a Hp laptop with Connected music! No, not me.

Do check out glimpses of the meet in the short video below! View it in 'full screen' to enjoy the captions (malice towards none)

Review of 'Black Dog' whisky

Received a bottle of Black Dog scotch whisky for review and what better time to open it but after a lovely long alcohol free ride of Ashtavinayak!

Had a couple of friends over for the ‘tasting’ and general celebration of my acquiring the ‘Desert Storm’ Royal Enfield motorcycle!

The Black Dog, incidentally, has an interesting history.  Apparently, Walter Millard, a Scot in British India, travelled to Scotland in 1883 in search of an impeccable whisky. His search ended in a blend created by James Mackinlay, of the second generation of the Leith Scotch Whisky blending family. Being a keen angler himself, Walter Millard named the whisky ‘Black Dog’ in honour of his favourite salmon fishing fly used in the Spey and Tay rivers of Scotland since the early 19^th century. Thus was born the ‘Black Dog’ whisky!

Now a whisky that old and so carefully blended needs a lot of respect and cannot be diluted with soda or cola but has to be had neat on ice if need be. The label on the cover of the bottle states that this whisky is a blend of fine whiskies from all the regions of Scotland – Speyside, Islay, Highlands and Lowlands, each matured for a minimum period of 12 years creating a bouquet that captures all the flavours of Scotland, giving Black Dog its very distinctive flavour and taste.

The bottle is opened and the golden liquid carefully poured on ice in the glass for the tasting. Here I would 

like to mention what the Tasting Notes are as per the makers of this whisky, followed by my observations.

Colour : Amber, with Golden highlights.

Yes – agreed

Aroma : Robust malty, mellow woody, complex yet delicate aroma of sherry and vanillic sweetness with whispers of soft peatiness in the background.

Could definitely get the woody aroma. It was heady.

Palate : Beautifully rounded, heavy body, pronounced malty, mellow woody, fruity sweetness with teasing light warm peat.

A heavy body with the soft peatiness of a good scotch lingered as I sipped it, to my delight.

A whisky that can help you warm up with someone or maybe just chill with friends.

Overall a fine whisky to sip on, whenever you feel the need to unwind after a stressful day or to share with friends to celebrate something special!

Cheers!

The MRP in Mumbai for a 750ml Black Dog DeLuxe aged 12 years whisky bottle is Rs.2200/- as listed.

Cheers!

   

Kudos Mumbai police!

Day before, got a call from the local police station asking me to present myself, with my credentials, for my newly issued passport verification. Was surprised at the courteous caller and I was joyous when I actually went there, got over with the process in exactly five minutes! If in a dream, let me sleep.

To read amazing Flash Friday 55ers or to showcase yours please visit the fabulous g-man

Lewis Hamilton cometh!

Lewis Hamilton is coming to town and I am not going to leave the slimmest opportunity to get into his car for a lap! I am 59 now and yet so many things to be done before I say Bye! So Speedfest it is for me!

Shall ensure Lewis will get the total Indian experience when he takes me onboard and hears the choicest abuses in Hindi when he is busy scaring the shit out of me! Lewis will have the most memorable lap of his lifetime with me! He will keep visiting India for more!! Trust me!!  Get me onto that seat! Quick!! It is the Vodafone Speedfest dammit! 

Reissuing a passport in India

Getting a passport issued/reissued today is no longer a torture. The process is streamlined and very user friendly.

I submitted my application online, got an appointment at a Passport Seva Kendra, where I submitted all necessary documents and got an acknowledgement, all within four hours, in comfort!

Passport will be couriered home in a fortnight!

Update: Received the passport at home in 6 days from the day I submitted the documents!

To read amazing Flash Friday 55ers or to showcase yours please visit the fabulous g-man

Nokia Lumia 800

I had the Nokia Lumia 800 on a trial basis for a few days to check out its 8mp camera. The results of the camera are on my pages from http://365project.org/magiceye/365/2012-06-07 to http://365project.org/magiceye/365/2012-06-18 albeit with a bit of tweaking in crop and contrast.
My opinion - It is good for macros and landscapes. The zoomed pictures are noisy. Does not handle light very well. Not good for low light photography.
Overall impression about the camera - Not impressive at all. 

Calling all Mumbaikars

In an endeavor to support a vibrant art and cultureto beautify the city, Tata Housing Development Company Limited; India’s fastest growing real estate developer takes the initiative to design the first longest wall painting activity in Mumbai –The Mumbai Wallbook. On 20thMay, THDC is encouraging  Mumbaikars to express their love for the city by designing different facets of their dream city in colours at Tulsi Pipe Road.

Around 500 artists will be putting up their imagination with the theme ‘Design Your Dream City’. The activity will be judged by eminent artists from the Industry.  Speaking about their association with the Mumbai WallBook, Mr. Rajeeb Dash, Head of Marketing at Tata Housing said, “We are very happy to be associated with the Mumbai Wallbook project and do our bit to design the beautification of the city by promoting this event. This is an initiative to  redecorate the defaced city walls, with beautiful themebased paintings by professional painters. This provides Mumbaikars  an opportunity  to express themselves as well as project a positive message to the society through art and what they desire their city to look like.”

The Mumbai WallBook is an attempt by Tata Housing & Brand Promotions India Pvt. Ltd. to bring professional, amateur and budding artists on the same platform to showcase their skills and create a record for the longest wall painting.

Artists can participate individually or in groups.

Event: Tata Housing presents The Mumbai Wall Book

Location: Mahim & Dadar on Tulsi Pipe Road, Mumbai

Date: Sunday 20^th May, 2012

To know more about the event and for registrations please log on towww.facebook.com/tatahousing   or contact 08652675485, 08652674816

Twitter Hash Tag: #Mumbaiwallbook

Winter tease

When the temperature in Mumbai dips to 20C we say it is winter. Since it stays for just a week, no blankets are left unturned. For the past few days though, winter has been playing games with us, teasing us. There were times last week when the temperature dipped, but rose again only to dissappoint. 

To read amazing Flash Friday 55ers or to showcase yours please visit the fabulous g-man

Rainy day in Mumbai

The gloom sets in

As the clouds weigh down

But then the minute the rains come down

The earth is drenched in happiness!

There is a feel good ambiance

That spreads cheer

As the children frolic in the puddles

And lovers frolic in love

While the lakes that supply water

Heave a sigh of relief

To read amazing Flash Friday 55ers or to showcase yours please visit the fabulous g-man

Mumbai monsoons

The heat charred the skies

Which then melted

And poured, after the

Thunder and lightning.

The rains pulled down the

High summer temperatures

And brought the aroma

Of fresh moist earth.

Heavenly it is, the ambiance,

For a singer to burst out in song

And the dancer to do a jig

The monsoons have arrived!

To read amazing Flash Friday 55ers or to showcase yours please visit the fabulous g-man

Mumbai monsoons

The monsoons seem to have finally arrived in Mumbai. After the torrid summer heat the intial reaction is relief as the mercury drops and there is a general feel good ambiance all around. But like everything else this too is transient and the moods start going in various directions.
The lovers love to snuggle up to each other under one umbrella, holding onto each other tightly and walk along the seaface with waves crashing on the parapet.
The children love to get wet in the rains despite the danger of falling ill and being reprimanded by their parents.
The taxi and auto drivers are happy too and look forward to some heavy rains which would disrupt all rail traffic so that they can make hay while the sun hides!
The motorists and motorcyclists are on guard to ensure they don’t skid on the now slick roads. The first rains always cause a few to crash and bang due to the fine skidding mixture formed by the dust and water on the roads. Once that is washed away by subsequent rains, the dust in the air also is reduced by the heavy moisture and driving and riding becomes fun again with the cool air blowing across ones face.
Manoeuvring in the crowds with an umbrella is an art one has to develop in Mumbai. The umbrella has many uses in Mumbai. It can be used in self defence from gropers and pickpockets and also as a shield to protect oneself from dirty water being splashed by passing vehicles apart from the heaven sent rain water.
Corn on the cob is found being roasted and sold like, well, hot roasted corn cobs at almost every corner. And then there is also the ubiquitous chaat wala where the hot ragda patties on a wet evening are a must.
The time is also right to sit at the window with your companion and watch the rain and listen to the mesmerising pitter patter endlessly while munching on hot kanda bhajjis (onion pakodas) and sipping hot chai.
All Mumbaikars are happy that the rains are here and fervently pray that it will rain enough to fill up the lakes that supply water to this wonderful meglapolis.
Once the rains have poured their hearts out for a fortnight the mood swings and how!
Will post about that when it happens!
Till then Happy Wet Days!!

Who killed Hemant Karkare?

Karkare, Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte and Inspector Vijay Salaskar were killed by terrorists near Cama hospital on the night of November 26 when they were chasing terrorists. Who is responsible for their deaths? The Government or the terrorists?
As per a report on CNN-IBN, the bullet proof vest worn by the slain Chief of Maharashtra’s Anti Terrorism Squad offered no protection to him. The autopsy report says there were eight bullet marks on Karkare's body: four on the top of the right shoulder, one in on the back of the right shoulder and three on the right chest. One bullet was found in his left kidney and another in the right of his liver.
Apparently, the samples of the vest had failed trials at a police firing range. Yet they were procured and somebody laughed all the way to the bank.
This is the result of almost all government bodies who float a tender for supplies and select the cheapest product – quality be damned, as long as it is to be used by somebody else.
And now the vest worn by the hero is ‘lost’. Nobody can find it!
How sad is that?