Sunday Luncheon @ Arpil’s

Arpil, one of my friends, got married in February and ever since he came down to Pune, we could not meet because of one reason or the other. I wanted to attend his wedding function and had got my tickets booked as well but had to cancel it at the last moment because of office chores.

This Sunday Arpil invited me for a Luncheon at his home. And it was his birthday as well that day, so it became lunch-cum-birthday treat. It was for the first time I met Richa, his better half. I had an awesome lunch and enjoyed the perfect hospitality. Sunday was made!

This post however is not about lunch. It’s about the gesture that Arpil showed. I am a fan of Arpil’s nature ever since the day I first met him at Bombay sometime in 2006. He is polite, down to earth and a person with clean heart who probably cannot hurt anybody.

Many of friends got married between last year and this year. Some weddings I could attend and some I could not. But till date nobody has taken pains to meet me post marriage as a couple, let alone inviting over a cup of tea! Life changes post marriage, agreed. And might be in this fast moving world, who takes the pain of inviting somebody to home? Gone are those days, though not totally. People like Arpil are still there!

Thank You Arpil and Richa for that wonderful lunch. And I hope to get such lovely parties more often ;)

God Bless!
Cheers!
Adi

Sandwiches, Pizzas and more…

For me visiting Mumbai is synonymous with giving a tingle to my taste buds. If you are a foodie, the city has lot of offer in its platter; from mouth watering street delicacies to relishing savories in the plush restaurants-the city has got choices of every kind. For me the recent visit to the city was great in terms of enjoying the food in every possible way I could. Though I was there for barely 24 hours, I made sure I tasted everything I liked-

Friday Snacks-Friday is the best day of the week after Sunday. I tasted the trademark Sandwich of Mumbai. The taste that could be found in Mumbai itself and not anywhere in the world. And this Sandwich taste best when you have it from a road side stall. Forget hygiene and all; just relish the taste! Next on the menu was Vada Paav. These days I avoid having Vada Paav, but how I can I miss that when I am in Bombay? Forget health; enjoy the aroma. Life is too short to worry about health hazard a single Vada Paav can cause. A cutting tea post that made it- the whole some snack. A walk around the streets of Vashi and an excursion to the Inorbit mall made my tummy ready for another round of snack. This time it was a plate of Paani Puri and a Barf Gola after that. Wow! I was having a Barf gola after ages.

Friday Dinner- A walk around the streets of Vashi made my tummy yelling for more. We had decided to have late dinner, when all our friends joined us. In dinner it was Tandoori Platter in the starters and Dal Makhani and Roti in the main course. Nice meal. I was just wondering how much I am eating?

Friday finally ended with a sweet Paan!

Saturday Breakfast-If you love South Indian dishes, Mumbai is the place to have it after the South Indian states. And if you want it cheap, try the Idlis and Wadas of the guys who sell it over bicycle. I had Idlis to fill my stomach and boy I had 5 ldlis for 10/-

Saturday Lunch- I had my lunch at INDIGO Deli-a very plush restaurant in the High Street Phoenix Mall, Lower Parel. It was bit expensive and had a little to choose from the Continental Cuisine menu for a veggie like me. We took assistance from the waiter who helped us in making choices. We had a Thin Crust Pizza and a wonderful dessert. The dessert was simply majestic. One of the best I had till date. One should visit occasionally these places to have a great fine dine experience; the ambience and the crowd just fantastic!

Post lunch, it was time for me say Good bye to Mumbai only to say Hi sometime again!

It was really a gourmet trip for me, I guess ;)

God Bless!
Cheers!
Adi

My Friend Ganesha

I have a strong relationship with the Ganesha of Siddhivinayak. He is my best friend. I always feel a sense of calm when I meet him. And if I am in Mumbai, there is not an iota of doubt that I would not go and meet him. It is an irony that I first went to Siddhivinayak temple when I had already passed a year living in Mumbai. Facts are sometimes more surprising than fiction. I distinctly remember that it was the year of 2007 when I first visited the temple. And the feelings are beyond the cocoon that words can give. It was a sort of attraction, a friendship that clicked instantaneously!

It was the day then. From that day onwards, I visited to meet my friend every Saturday. When I was leaving Mumbai, I was leaving not only the city I loved, but my best friend also, though he is in my heart, with me always. My occasional visits to Mumbai were never completed without meeting him.

I was in Mumbai last Saturday and as usual went to meet him. It was an experience in itself. The mind becomes so calm, so tranquil when I go there. I feel there is some magic at that place that attracts me.

Thank you my friend for being there with me, for me, always!

God Bless!
Cheers!
Adi

A walk down the memory lane

This weekend, from Friday evening to Saturday evening, for about 24 hours I was in Mumbai. Mumbai, the city I love beyond imagination. No matter where I am, the love for Mumbai remains the same as it was when I was there for the first time in 2006. Though Mumbai is hardly 100 odd kms from Pune, I hardly go there now days. Perhaps it’s my laziness that is reason behind this!

The reason for visit was to see off my friend Avinash, who was going to Dubai for his new job and had a scheduled flight on Saturday. I do not know when I would get to meet him next, so just decided to pack my bags and reach there. He had already flown in from Bangalore to Mumbai.

A visit to Mumbai always refreshes the memories of my 3 years when I was a resident there. And those memories are simply wonderful. The charm of Mumbai can be felt in its air itself, which probably is missing in any other city I have been to. The other good part of this visit was that I get to meet my old friends and my ex-Hexaware mates, Tushar, Amreesh, Denzil and Sunil after a long time. We had a party on Friday, and relived our old days, talks of here and there; this and that till late in the night. This gives another best part of Mumbai, no matter what the time of night is, the city never sleeps. No matter how much late in the night it is, just pick a rickshaw or Taxi and back home without any worries.

In this short span of time, I also visited my old and best friend Ganesha at the Siddhivinayak Temple. It would rarely happen that if I am in Mumbai, I do not visit to Siddhivinayak. Apart from this, had a great time in relishing road side delicacies also. I ate Idli, Wada Paav, Sandwiches, Barf Gola, Paani Puri and what not. I was behaving as if I have only few hours left to live.

But despite all this fun, there was a question spinning in my mind- Would I be prefer to come to Mumbai again? The answer instantly did not come YES and perhaps it was a NO! Surprising; but true. Considering the serene life style I am leading, I would not prefer to go back to the daily hustle bustle of Mumbai. You have to be on your toes, running always, faster than the time. Plus the climate which is humid makes it all the way not preferable to go back again. And yeah, I always have the choice to go for a couple of days and rock there.

But No matter what, Mumbai Rocks, as always!

God Bless!
Cheers!
Adi

The voice within!

Its 12am, the threshold between Saturday night and Sunday Morning! I am just about to doze off but not before jotting down a thought that just came to my mind. What is prompting me to jot down thoughts just now and not tomorrow? I guess it’s my promise to myself that I made few days back. Ever since, I made a renewed promise to myself, I daily open my blog and think on the ways I can make it better. When I say better, I do not refer to changing its looks but the content that I can share.

In short if I say, I feel more connected now and more inspired to keep it updated. Probably this is the thing that was within me when I started but gradually it started to dwindle. And what is this? What is this thing that is inspiring me? I would say that this is the voice within! A voice that supports you and inspires you to keep alive your passion. I know I do not write great, but then who says you have to be great to follow what you like?

God Bless!
Cheers!
Adi

Wednesday Hangouts!

Wednesday has become a hangout day for me. I along with my flat mate, Sanjeet, go and taste the food at different restaurants. Sometimes we are accompanied by other friends. For the past few weeks, we have tried all the restaurants in the vicinity of our locality. This gives me a break from my daily dose of cooking dinner for myself. I feel though, I get satisfaction from eating at home and not at a restaurant, but yes, the break is welcome.

Today we went to a Restaurant called as “Flavours” which is near to our house only. The food was in the category of “okay” and service was in the category of “slow”. The ambiance however was quite nice. Being a roof top restaurant, nice breeze was blowing, making it perfect. The slow service irritates you but sometimes proves to be a blessing in disguise. It gives you time to have a great conversation on any topic. And in this fast moving virtual world, that is really a big thing-Sitting together and having a conversation!

Had my meal to full and had a walk as well to digest it! Looking forward to a new destination next Wednesday :)

God Bless!
Cheers!
Adi

I believe

I believe in many things but the biggest of them is that I believe in God. And I am proud to say that I am on the side of the theists. If I take a wild guess, at any given geographic location or time, the theists would always outnumber the atheists. And it’s a fact not an opinion. My belief has only grown stronger and my relationship with God has only deepened over the period of time.

The belief, I would say started at very young age itself when my parents imbibed it in me. But it was not like that I believe only because they told me to do so. I believe because each moment I feel there is somebody who is taking care of me. There are events in my life that have proved that he is there, with me always, just like air.

Today is no special day. Today he saved me from a fatal road accident. Had I not applied brakes in a fraction of second, I would have crushed between two vehicles. It was probably the hardest brakes that I applied in about 1.5 years of time since I have been in Pune. And if it was not enough, I was lucky that I did not skid, else it would have been a disaster in such traffic. These are such moments when you have a tête-à-tête with death and then you realize that why people fear it so much even though they know that they have to have a rendezvous with it one day.

For a moment, I was shaking in every literal sense of word. I stopped my bike for moment, took a deep breath and then moved on. I hardly get shaky and unconfident when I am on road, but because of that close shave, I was just unable to drive the way I use to. Somehow, drove slowly and came back. And when I was back, I went to the temple inside my society premises, bowed my head and just said-Thank You, yet again!

It’s a matter of belief, either you do or you don’t. I opine, being on the do side makes life simpler and easier.

God Bless!
Cheers!
Adi