All posts filed under: Living

Published: “Letter from Bangalore”

Published by Anita

A piece I wrote for the magazine, “Vision – fresh perspectives from Dubai“, published by Touchline, October edition. It’s published quarterly in the English language, and has a print run of 60,000. It features reporting on business, culture and life in the emirate, high profile interviews with influential thought leaders, In-depth special reports and notes from different parts of the world. I did a piece on the cycling in Bangalore (my favourite topic!) and how, despite the lack of roads and infrastructure, enthusiastic Bangaloreans have sparked off a revolution on two wheels. Read the piece here — LETTER FROM BANGALORE.

Fun, curious and interesting facts about Kerala

Published by Anita

Just some notes from the road as we meander through Kerala on a 15 day trip with Kerala Tourism on the Kerala Blog Express taking in lots of sights, sounds, history, monuments, beaches and backwaters. So while the rest of the troop are in the thick of action sightseeing somewhere in Wayanad, I am enjoying a “do nothing” day at the pictureque and peaceful Vythiri Resort. And while I’m trying to make friends with the monkey who keeps dropping by, these are some thoughts that cross my mind on a particularly lazy day. Density and number of moustaches More often than not, Malayali men will sport moustaches. Most heroes and famous people/ politicians (seen on hoardings – haven’t seen that many in real life) all sport large, abundant moustaches. “Why” is a question that befuddles me and I haven’t gotten an answer from anyone yet. It’s also a fact that it’s not in vogue in the North. Coconut here, coconut there, coconut everywhere Has anyone taken a census of how many coconut trees there are …

Far from the madding crowd

Published by Anita

An account of our day out with the Chefs of JW Marriott, Bangalore at the First Agro Farm, Talakad. This is a guest blog post by Mukta Chakravorty, while the pictures are mine. What is the recipe for a perfect and memorable day? There may be many, but here is mine. Head someplace far from the city where you can reconnect with nature and appreciate the simpler things in life. Add to it some great company and fabulous food and voila! There you have it! So on Saturday, February 22, a bunch of us foodies, along with a group of extremely talented chefs of the JW Marriott, Bangalore headed to the First Agro Farm for a ‘Chefs’ Cook off’ session involving a taste of farm fresh food and an opportunity for the chefs to interact outside of their work environment. We had an early start and the crisp morning air helped drive away the remnants of sleep from the previous night. Chef Jolly, executive chef of JW Marriott greeted us and gave us an overview …

Getting physical: Things I’ve tried over the years

Published by Anita

So here’s a post about the kind of interesting physical activities I’ve tried over the years. I’ve left out what I consider more common activities like running, cycling and walking. And I must also admit, a bit sheepishly, that I haven’t really stuck to anything in the long run. And all this seemingly hard work, hasn’t exactly resulted in a super model figure. But the fun is in the trying, I have convinced myself. Shiamak Davar Dance Classes: So, this was a long time ago. When I decided I should learn how to dance. I do have difficulty moving my hands and feet in any organised form (which is why I’ve stayed away from aerobics!). But I decided to give it a go. It was a fun class. I was horribly out of sync all the time. But the high point was performing as a part of an annual function. In front of people. I have no idea what I did and whether my feet moved at all. But at least I can say, “I …

The 5 rules of engagement

Published by Anita

Actually, I thought I’d call this post, “matters of the heart”. And then I changed my mind. Didn’t want to sound too cheesy, right? Someone was telling me how I don’t write too many personal posts nowadays. And then I thought I should make some changes. I didn’t really intend this to become a food and travel blog. It just turned out that way. But that doesn’t mean I can’t talk about other stuff. Other interesting stuff. And vent. Yes – I need to vent sometimes. Get things out of my mind. Sometimes, I have all these things to say. But I can’t really find someone to say it to. Well – you know how it is. No one wants to sit around you sipping coffee and be lectured 🙂 And then I realized, I do have a blog. A place I can actually talk about things that I think are important. And hopefully, that you’ll enjoy reading too. So here you go. The 5 rules of engagement (in no particular order): a) Laughing We …

Suryagarh: Top 5 memorable moments

Published by Anita

In August, I got a chance to travel to the beautiful town of Jaisalmer on invitation from the Suryagarh resort. It was my first time in this part of the country and I must say I was pleasantly surprised with the experience. The rains heralded our entry as we reached the outskirts of the city. And then, we had a royal welcome as we were escorted to the resort, a few kilometres from the main city. Looking back at the trip, here are some of my top moments from the visit. #5 – Our royal welcome Fit for kings (and queens). A jeep adorned with flags with the Suryagarh emblem were waiting to escort us right up to the resort gate. They definitely don’t spare any effort to make you feel special and important. We reached after lunch, just as the sun was setting and we took in our first view of Suryagarh – fashioned on an actual fort – we we had to wait for a moment to drink in the view. Later, we’re …