It took me almost 4 months to actually publish my introduction and this second entry - both were written around February 8th, 2011. I'll try and write up and post things that occured in the past 4 months, but for now, here's a snippet from February.
Find below a brief description of my experiences since that conversation with my friend, before I turned 30. Evidently, that’s plenty of reason(s) to celebrate!
What: All day sailing trip Date: Jan 26th, 2011. Location: Alibaug (Ferry ride from Gateway of India) With whom: Mono and Jig Cost: Rs. 4200.
Aquasail () organizes a day picnic of sorts to experiment with a wide range of world class yachts, kayaks and windsurfing equipment. We just showed up at 10 am at the Gateway with a change of clothes and the rest was taken care of by the extremely professional team. We were taken on a private, albeit slow ferry to Mandwa from where we walked about 10 minutes to our base camp, were treated to a sumptuous breakfast and then directed to the beach!
Being a hyper active person, I personally enjoyed the wind surfing sessions the most since they entailed mind/body coordination and balance just to enable an upright standing posture. Perhaps, the sailing requires a few more sessions to truly understand and appreciate.
Highlight: The instructors are professional sailors, attracted by Shakeel and Zia (owners) to Bombay from Turkey, Poland and England just for the season. Young, energetic and truly world class they make the experience worth every penny!
What: Tiger spotting Date: Jan 29th, 2011 (weekend trip). Location: Pench, MP (3 hour drive from Nagpur) With whom: Spunk, Khoz, Hit man, DJ and Tun V.. the tiger troopers! Cost: Rs. 17,000 incl flights.
Junglore ()our trip planners had all our bookings, safaris, meals, transport etc. planned for us. We were driven to our tented resort on Saturday morning and after a hearty Indian meal we went on our first jeep safari. Pench is home to about 33 tigers and we were eagerly anticipating a spotting which didn’t occur on our first drive. However, the mystique of the forest, the sounds of nature and the magical backdrops of trees and ponds make for an enchanting 4 hour drive through the dense forest.
We had time for 4 safaris and managed to spot a tiger and tigress on separate drives making the trip even more memorable. Early morning safari began at six am and the evening one at half past three. After 7 pm, you retire to the luxury of your tent, open some bottles of scotch or merely gaze at the brilliantly lit up sky.
We also did a property tour of the Taj resort there, which budget permitting I would strongly recommend. Designed by decorator Chris Brown from South Africa, it boasts 12 uniquely designed rooms each with an attached open terrace and outdoor shower area.
Highlight: A 20 second tiger spotting, where the tigress came down to a watering hole, waded through the water, sipped some, walked out and rested in the shade and roared thunderously before disappearing into the dense forest.
What: Jeffrey Sachs lecture Date: Feb 4th, 2011. Location: Trident Hotel rooftop With whom: Gaarg, Rajwade, Pooja. Cost: Free. Sponsored by FICCI.
Humble, eloquent, charming and congenial are words that come to my mind when I think about my first impression of this stellar economist who holds a BA, MA and PhD from Harvard.
The talk began with his theory of convergence, stating how the developed world is growing at about 3 percent and the developing at about 7, and this growth will lead to massive output and wealth creation in the next decade. He estimates world GDP to double in 17 years. He believes convergence began in 1947 with the end of imperialism in many parts of Asia and a renewed focus on education in many parts of the world. Given the growth momentum, we strongly lack sustainable business models as weather patterns around us have demonstrated. Quote: “The environment is not a slide show. Sustainability is the triple bottom line.”
He constantly brought Gandhi into his speech, quoting him fervently and mentioning several times that he adhered to Gandhi’s philosophies and that they were relevant even today. He seemed to be a balanced liberal in that he believes in the need for corporations, endorses their mission of making profits etc. but does not like their involvement in policy making and government. He believes that the Republicans are controlled by BIG Oil and the Democrats by Wall Street through campaign financing, lobbying etc.
He is very pro taxes and quoted Justice Holmes by saying, “Taxes are the price of civilization.” A strong proponent of the Nordic countries social model of high taxation and high welfare benefits he urged the Indian government to increase taxes.
Most people in the audience were social activists, journalists, students or ardent admirers of Jeff Sachs, hence the lecture as eloquent and detailed as it was did not reach a new audience. In that sense it was like preaching to the converted.
Highlight:
1) During the Q & A session at the end, Mr. Dani (representing FICCI) asked for the last few questions saying that the talk had already gone on for too long. This remark set of a series of grunts and a young man stood up and said, “For a man like Mr. Sachs no amount of time is too much. We could spend all day listening to him.” Needless to say, he was a foreigner and received a round of applause from the audience!
2) As an eminent economist, Sachs challenged the notion of measuring a country’s development through increase in GDP. Instead, he presented the notion of measuring social wellbeing, staying that a healthy economy should focus on nourishing and developing human wellbeing.
What: Rugger Revue Date: Feb 4th, 2011. Location: Bombay Gymkhana With whom: Gaarg, Rajwade, Amit. Cost: Rs. 500 for non members.
Short acts of “attempted” comedy presented in skits and video recordings. Jokes were subpar. Acting mediocre and sound simply awful. Perhaps knowing the club member personally would have helped but as an outsider the humor seemed tasteless and centered around a single topic… yes, you know what I’m talking about. Rahul Bose disappointed me with his gay Bengali art Director act and Cyrus was loud and full of words (noise) as always. Eventually, harrowed by the performances I made a dash for the exit before the show ended. Easily skippable.
Highlights:
1. The beautiful lawns of the gymkhana made for a great venue.
2) Delightful to see my dear friend Pinky on stage. Having known her since she was a teenager, I was impressed by her stage presence and ease of delivery. Definitely someone to look out for on the Bombay stage space…
What: Jagjit Singh, Zakir Hussain and Hari Prasad (Tridhara concert) Date: Feb 5th, 2011. Location: Shanmukhanand Auditorium With whom: Family, Pooja, Prat, Tun V. Cost: Ranged from 3000 to 300.
The Maestro turned 70 and what a celebration it was! The concert opened with Zakir and Hari Prasad mesmerizing the audience with their melodies and then came the man with the golden voice on stage. He will felicitated by both musicians and the audience. The organizers had made an Audi visual for him in which Gulzar said, “Sung in Jagjitji’s voice, I begin to like my own lyrics.” And Javed Akhtar exclaimed that, “Kisi thake hue musafir ko kahin dhoop mein chalet chalet chaav mil jaati hein. Aise hein unki awaaz.”
He began his brief performance with Hoshwalon ko khabar and after 2 more ghazals was joined by the other 2 Masters on stage for a spell binding jugalbandi. They had a cake cutting ceremony at the end and Jagjitji received the bestest wishes and a standing ovation from a packed auditorium; but who would expect anything less!
Highlight:
1) Hari Prasadiji continually played “Happy Birthday” on his flute teasingly and complimenting Jagjitji on how young he looks.
2) Zakirji entering stage with fistfuls of roses and showering them on Jagjitji as a mark of respect.
What: McDowell Derby Date: Feb 6th, 2011. Location: Race Course With whom: Mono, Jig and Abby Cost: Free for members
The most pretentious and wannabe event I have attended this year. I recall going to the derby 6 years ago and being awed by the magnitude, energy and the sheer glamour of the event. Now, it seemed like a hot and sticky affair, still packed with eager gamblers and wanna be seen folk but it definitely seems to have lost its cache. The food and drink was overpriced, the crowds of people make it impossible to redeem cash in case of a victory and the walk from our car to the main entrance was extremely painful. Easily skippable.
Highlight: None.
What: Sunidhi Chauhan live concert Date: Feb 6th, 2011. Location: Asiatic Steps, Kala Ghoda With whom: Gaarg Cost: Free
Highlight of the year event! Sunidhi Chauhan entertained the audience with her unabashed latkas, jhatkas and her insane voice! She churned out nonstop hits for 2 hours, sans intermission and the cheering and clapping kept pace with her energy. Over 3000 people gathered on the Asiatic library steps and despite the elbow jabbing and sweat bogeyed the night away to hits like Sheika ki jawani, sajnaji wari and desi girl. The ultimate performance from the Queen of live performances.
Note: If you ever find out that she is performing at a friend’s friend’s cousin’s wedding, don your comfyiest wedding outfit and gate crash the party! Worth every bit of shamelessness ;)
Note: If you ever find out that she is performing at a friend’s friend’s cousin’s wedding, don your comfyiest wedding outfit and gate crash the party! Worth every bit of shamelessness ;)
Highlight:
Sunidhi’s rendition of Beedi Jalaile was the showstopper. Exemplary voice modulation and even more legendary crowd cheering!
What: Kapil Sibal lecture Date: Feb 7th, 2011. Location: Tata Theatre, NCPA With whom: Ruch, Rajwade, Amit Cost: Free
Pure politician speak. The Stephen’s and Harvard educated Minister provided a bird’s eye view of the state of education in the country stating that of the 220 mn children in schools in India, only 13 mn go to college. He tried to entwine the notion of political democracy with education, endorsing more choice for students through increased number of institutions, courses, semester system, entry of foreign universities and focus on research. “Democracy is not about politics. It is about freedom in the classroom”, he declared. He presented an elaborate and eloquent account of the current state of the nation but failed to detail as many remedial measures of substantial steps his government is taking. Mr. Minister, we now understand that the problems are myriad. Hopefully, next time we hear you speak, you will have concrete solutions as well. There was no time for Q and A session and I overheard many students and groups express their disappointment for not being able to interact with the Minister.
Clearly, there is no dearth of things to do in Bombay. In a span of about a fortnight, I engaged in a wide spectrum of experiences, varying in scope and appeal. Sometimes, I feel that in thus frenzy of trying to attend so many events and ensure I don’t miss out on any ‘big’ shows, I fail to sit back and synthesize the experiences and continue to live, from one experience to another. Hopefully, this blog will necessitate adequate thought and structure so that I can relive the moments and the readers can savor the experiences, albeit vicariously.
Am taking the rest of the week easy and getting ready for my birthday weekend now. This is all the blogging I can do as I approach my 30’s. I am out of breathe and energy ;)
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