Author: Archana

Once a Physiotherapist now a Wordsmith. Field Botanist. Bonsai. Proud Indian. Fauji Wife. Doting Mother and Mother-in-law. Devoted Grandmother. Reluctant Cook. Happiest on a road less travelled. 60s are the new 40s ;-)
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The First 20

Finally I achieved crossed this milestone. No I have not just crossed out of my teens, nor is it a weight loss target!!
Today I could cycle 20kms which included three steep inclines. I had turned back several times after 15/18 kms and this seemed like a huge barrier. Why 20? I don’t really know, seemed like a round figure and a good place to start. Does it mean I will take up long distance cycling? Time will tell.

It was an exhilarating drive to say the least.

However some unexplainable points that beg a mention:

  • Why do people walk on the roads when there are perfectly good and clean footpaths provided by our PMC? This allows dogs to treat footpaths as their personal fiefdom.
  • Bougainvilla or palm fronds that look so beautiful along roads are a huge hazard. How? The branches are usually always hang out so much that they hit our face as we cycle past on the edge of the left lane.
  • Stray dogs are a threat as they tend to chase cyclists : ( I faced one such incident and have no wish for a re-run. I usually slow down to a crawl when I spot a canine from afar much to the anger and disappointment of my fellow cyclists!

If one can manage to overcome these barriers, its a great exercise. Try it. Get on the road early so you avoid traffic.
I certainly do not adovate cycling as a mode of transport to office or shopping as of now. Too many issues- time consumed not to mention you would arrive sweaty and dusty for work and difficult to carry around your laptop and other accessories so much a part of the new age office set up.
Cheers!

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As Much as You Can

While the Thali system of lunch or dinner (Maharashtrian/Gujarathi style cuisine) has been around since my childhood, a more general Indo-western style buffet is fairly common in Pune now. I am sure that must be the case in other parts of India as well.
Here is a list of some buffet’s. Most of these are in the range of around Rs 500/ per person as of now.
Seasons at Aundh offers a buffet at Flavours. This is an excellent offering the best part being for those who dont want to gorge on the full menu can opt for smaller combos of only Soup+ Starter or Soup+ Starter+Sweet – at a lower rate of course. The meal includes a soft drink/beer and coffee to end the meal. Obviously the offering may change from time to time and what I have written is what we have enjoyed. The restaurant is not very big but the decor is simple and stunning. Valet Parking available.

Barbeque Nation at Kalyani Nagar (behind Dass Showroom) and also at Balewadi. Unbeatable for its starter range that is served sizzling right at your table. The pasta, chat and seafood counter is a good change. Beverages are to be ordered (and charged) separately. The staff works tirelessly, smilingly as you try to pause between courses to give your digestive system a breather… The sweet counter offers its delicacies in small bite sized portions. An excellent idea me thinks.
My suggestion- visit for lunch so you can do full justice. The chain of restaurants is present across India, check out the one in your city and do book a table to avoid waiting outside…

FoodLink: at ICC: We have not yet visited this place but has got some good reviews. These are priced lower.

Nawab in Camp: Opposite Poona Club. North Indian Food- mainly Lucknow style.

Puran da Dhaba at Pride Hotel: Dhaba style food. The restaurant is decorated like a Dhaba (obviously no air conditioning). Mehendi is a plus but bangles (choodivala) and the astrologer will serve you at an additional charge.

All Stir Fry and Not Just Jazz By The Bay at E-Square on University Road also offer soup/salad/sandwich buffets. Different combinations (at different price points) are available. Worth a dekkho. We have not yet sampled their offerings.

In addition most hotels offer seasonal specialty themed buffets ranging from Christmas or nation specific food etc. Check the Pune dailies for whats on offer when you feel like eating till you drop.
If you know of any more such buffer spreads do let us know.
Eat As Much as You Can!!
Cheers!

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Time will tell

This evening the Rajya Sabha voted to pass the Womens Reservation Bill 186-1. Once passed in the Lok Sabha (and subsequent Presidential seal) the new law will reserve 33% seats in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies for women.

Having finished work early I decided to watch House proceedings on DD. By then most of the disgraceful behaviour of our ‘Honourable’ members had been dealt with. Click here to read an account in the Times of India. I was impressed by their oratory skills of members across party lines, my mind being thoroughly prejudiced with the usual ‘give and take’ evident in the political arena. Of course some took the opportunity to wax eloquent on ‘achievements’ of their parties in respective states particularly about women’s upliftment.

Wading through all these layers I learnt some aspects of the bill that were cause for concern. They are:
1. The reservation for women comes at the expense of reduction of reservation for other sections. Many members objected to this (particularly BSP whose members walked out just prior to the vote as they wanted this clause amended).

2. The reservation will be on a rotational basis. This means a different constituency will be reserved for each election. This means the elected member or other potential contestants are not sure that the area they nurture will be available for them to contest.

In his replies the Law Minister mentioned something about passing another bill to sort out the reservation issue further. I am not a law student nor an active follower of political jargon hence may be mistaken in this part. As I understand these are grey areas of the bill and have to addressed by all parties – probably by another vote and more scenes of the kind we saw for the past two days.

In upcoming days, the Lok Sabha’s Bill of Fare will include this bill. Obviously there will be more spicy stuff dished up as political parties try to score points, sulk or try to arm twist the ruling coalition.
I am not really sure reservation is the answer to womens’ woes in India. Reservation will not change the attitude and mind set that encourages, supports women in politics, business etc.
Only time will tell.

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Targets

With my defence background, I think ‘target’ obviously must refer to something hostile that has to be got rid of. Or from my childhood it probably was the dart board where the aim (target) was to hit the center.

Now the corporate world has given the word ‘target’ a totally new meaning. Obviously every business activity has to have a goal so why not the word target? So we have targets for revenue, sales which seems perfectly justified.

Interestingly I found that HR personnel also have ‘targets’. They are to ensure sufficient number of ‘quality’ personnel are recruited (Click here to read one such ad). What is worse is that companies often want people with only a couple of years experience for this job, I know some that use fresh graduates for this purpose… Once into the company the ‘target’ becomes a resource but still remains a ‘target’ for potential head hunters…

Click here to read a Times of India article about how prized IIM recruits are ditching PSUs for higher pays elsewhere.

The by now ubiquitous vans lurking to heave off our vehicles from ‘No Parking’ zones also have ‘targets’ (also seen in the new HDFC bank ad meant to show that their ATMs give fast cash withdrawal) That will explain why a vehicle from an approved parking zone may be towed or carried away – just so the contractor (yes- this service is often out sourced) can meet his target of collecting sufficient number of wrongly parked vehicles every day!!

So does that mean home makers too now set targets on themselves? They do set ‘targets’ for their children (marks to be scored, prizes to be won) or husband (better pay, ‘phoren’ holiday for the family) so why not for themselves.
What may they be?Any ideas?

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News Flush…

Before you think that its a typing error in the title “Flush” instead of ‘Flash” let me tell you its not…
Here are two interesting news related to toilets that may have missed your keen Internet surfing eyes.

Click here to read a news item on Yahoo News about how unhappy Japanese women flush wedding aspirations in a temple loo! The article describes how women visitors to the Mantokuji temple, write their desires on a piece of paper that is flushed down the toilet. The temple has two squat toilets – the white one is for women who wish to cut ties and the black one for those who wish to strengthen ties. Read the article here for full details…

Here’s another…
This news describes a disposable toilet that can even be a fertiliser. The article describes plans of a Swedish businessman to produce a plastic bag that is biodegradable and that can be used as a single use toilet. This bag can then be buried in the soil where the waste is broken into fertiliser by chemicals in the bag. Click here to read this innovative and absolutely practical solution that is sure to be immensely popular.

This just proves the point that everything in this world can have more than one, its up to the user to find it.

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Top of the World!

Recently we visited Dubai. The first question most people who came to know of our travel plans was “Why Dubai” our answer “Why not?”
Its a perfectly good place that sought tourists (no one can ignore full page ads of the Dubai Shopping Festival each year), not to mention various TV channels that described the Burj Al Arab or the Palm Jumeirah that I wanted to see it for real.
To take advantage of early bird pricing, we booked well in advance and then began the wonderful pre-holiday period where one just dreams of what one will do, eat, see, feel, smell, sense and spend!!!

This rosy setting was shattered ‘cos soon after our booking the world looked askance as the Dubai financial world faced another huge crisis in November 2009! That set off another round of Q&A for us- are you sure you want to go etc etc.

Undeterred we went ahead with our plan and had a wonderful holiday, that was everything that we had wanted it to be and more. The weather was excellent, people helpful, malls wonderful with HUGE discounts (no one will complain when seeing 75% off in major global designer brands). The city is truly an engineering marvel as the authorities have not only built up a comfortable habitat amidst the desert but also constructed various superlative structures in the world. All this has to be seen and appreciated. The best time to visit is of course the Dubai shopping festival when you get excellent deals on various airlines and the city is fully geared to receive tourists. So if you have missed it this year, put it down in your diary for 2011 now itself.
MY tip: Don’t shop till you drop spare some energy to go out and enjoy the sights!

We returned totally happy, refreshed and had still not gotten over our holiday mood when we read the news that the Burj Khalifa was shut for visitors! We were lucky to have been to the Top and having visited, this seemed a real sad news. Hope the problems are resolved soon and many more can go up and enjoy the unbeatable view of Dubai.

Here are a few photos of the breathtaking view from the Top!
Enjoy!

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What is it with Vampires?

I recently read all four books of the Twilight saga series by Stephanie Myer. I was terribly impressed not only with the story line, characters etc but with fundamentals that the books advocated via its characters for youth. Namely: looking after parents, taking up a job to support your studies, studying, a NO to premarital sex (of course the reasons here were quite different but none the less!),
I also watched two movies based on the first two books and this made me into a vampire fan!
Visit the author’s site here for more details about the movies and books.

While channel surfing last evening, I happened to catch a movie called Love Bites on MGM. I had missed the initial part but within a few minutes it was quite clear the movie was about a 300 year old vampire- Zachary and a young city girl- Kendall. No gory stuff as people that Zachary bit actually seemed to enjoy it!! They probably turned into vampires but that bit I was not clear about… Kendall decides to help Zachary turn human again and helps him adjust to the modern world. The movie has strong romantic overtones despite two ‘villains’ namely Dwight (Kendall’s ex flame) and Nerissa (a female vampire from Zachary’s era). Kendall and Zachary are in love and she is pregnant with his child. Just a day prior to Zachary turning human the story takes a twist.
This is a link to the story: http://www.thatbmoviechick.com/reviews/lovebites.htm

From what I read up on the Internet, this movie seems to be made in 1993. Of course vampires have always been a popular movie subject but usually always the ‘bad guys’. However seeing these movies, has me wondering if their stock is on the uptrend now??
With Adam Ant as the vampire in Love Bites and Robert Pattison playing the cold but dazzling hero in Twilight and New Moon, I guess vampires may be losing their ranking as villains!

What? You havent read the books or seen these movies??
Then you know what is to be done this weekend… Visit burrp!tv here to know when Love bites is to be screened next…
Ciao!

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Annual Fruit and Vegetable Show

The Pune Municipal Corporation organised its annual fruit, flower and vegetable show at the Sambhaji Park recently. In view of the recent explosions at German Bakery in Koregaon Park, public participation was less enthusiastic. Every year the organisers go the extra mile to decorate the Park in a unique way. In fact, one will not recognise Sambhaji Park in the Show to be the same as the one seen all year round.

This year, the entrance and walkway thereafter was bedecked with orchids, anthurium, gerberas and carnations in many different colours. A deer created out of sphagnum moss was a lovely look alike to a real one. With Shiv Ratri being round the corner, the organisers had created a ‘shiv ling’ of flowers. The backdrop to the imposing statue of Shiva (NOT made of flowers!!) was … more flowers of course with a layered border of pansies, salvia, balsam etc.

Behind they created a landscape depicted a river, trees etc. and in front of it a flower train…

Other than this the show had the usual displays (all wonderful) and a superb display by the Friends of Bonsai.

If you missed the event this year, here are some photos. But keep track of the newspapers next year, and its a not-to-be missed display .
Cheers!

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Expressway to….


Recently I travelled on the Mumbai-Pune expressway at night. This road has been a boon to people in both cities. When it was first operational the wide multi lane concrete super smooth track seemed something straight out of a ‘phoren’ country. Lanes reserved for heavy vehicles each with their own toll both, helplines (thankfully never had to check if they worked!!) some landscaping to soothe the eyes in the blazing summers, well lit and ventilated tunnels just to name a few.

Traffic too seemed to be following the rules.

Things have considerably now. Most infrastructure mentioned above continues to be fairly respectable. Its humans who no longer want to cooperate.

We were returning to Pune at midnight. The journey to Lonavala from Chembur was a nightmare. Firstly the traffic was choc-a-bloc- partly due to some road repairs. Thereafter trucks and other heavy vehicles were travelling in lanes not meant for them. They were all over the road instead of their alloted lanes. So we had four lanes of trucks, each vehicle bigger than the one on its left. Lets say the one in the slowest lane moved at 25kmph, the next one could be container carrier trying to overtake this one at 27kmph, the next lane had a huge tanker also in the ‘race’ and moving faster at 28kmph. The supposedly fastest lane had a huge trailer carrying steel cables that jutted out from behind (and without lights) and trying to win this unscheduled event.

This left other ‘smaller’ passenger vehicles with no option but to slow down and follow them- something not many drivers did. Instead they chose to move to the shoulder of the road, and move slalom style between these behemoths to get ahead.

We tried to get our driver to slow down but if we finally did make it ahead, there was yet another truck three-some or four-some in their own private race. Our driver said this is a normal occurrence daily particularly between 12 midnight and 3AM. Traffic thins out thereafter.

Yet another danger was drivers falling asleep- I know ours was… Despite having been on the expressway road often, this was the first time I actually felt threatened and insecure.

We read of several tragic accidents on the expressway many may be avoidable. So whether you are driving yourself or are driven by your driver or you are in a hired vehicle please take all efforts to stay awake and keep the person at the wheel awake. The person in the front passenger seat MUST NOT doze off. This was the only time I was grateful for the blaring music in the car stereo- helped keep eyes open…

If traffic situation is common knowledge, surely the concerned traffic police must know too? What are they doing? Errant truck drivers must be punished for ‘playing’ with their own and others’ lives. Its better to arrive late than not arrive at all.

This is the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, not the expressway to the other world….

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The Head Turner

I was firmly convinced that a pair of wheels was not something that would get people (mostly males) drooling and go into raptures about transmission, ergonomics, frame design etc. Many men and women are known to swoon and covet motorised two/three/four or more wheeled vehicles but a two wheeler that is powered purely by raw muscle power to my jaded eyes seemed a bit too low on the hierarchy of transportation means to elicit such reactions.

But that’s precisely what is happening! Before much ado let me clarify that I refer to the humble bicycle. Society in general has branded it as a poor man’s vehicle something that a student will eagerly discard in favour of a motorised version. As time goes by the number of wheels increases along with the horsepower to propel them.

Looking for an alternative exercise I was cajoled into trying out a cycle. For a lark I went ahead and surprise surprise I am enjoying bit. After the initial phase of muscle burn and DOMS I enjoyed the wind in my face, the speed and the taste of unbriddled freedom. We usually cycle out in the early hours when roads are infested with exercise fanatics- either walking, jogging, or on their way to the gym.

I noticed a strange phenomenon. As we cycle past, people actually stop to look at our vehicles. This includes those in ‘superior’ wheels, the youth and baby boomers. Initially I assumed it to be another version of eve teasing but realised soon enough that it was my cycle that was drawing attention not me! Just to confirm I sent out a PYT (pretty young thing) on my cycle and got same results.

This is Economic Times article describes the launch of a cycle that costs Rs 2.4 lakhs at the 2009 Auto Expo in New Delhi. That’s one baby that will surely draw plenty of wolf whistles.

Bottom line: If you are looking for an alternative to your cardio workouts, try cycling. Combined with the bike’s head turning potential you will not only burn calories but your morale will get a good boost too!
Cheers!

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