Back to the grind

  • | Saturday | 20th July, 2019

What really struck me was that politicking is a dirty word the world over. Everybody just wants to get on with their lives and to hell with the rest of the world. All of them are highly qualified professionals, mostly ‘dawcterrrs’, bankers and IT professionals with impeccable American accents. Since severe FOMO had set in, I made it a point to go to as many events as possible. The sit-down dinner he curated at Alloro, the Italian restaurant at The Ottera in Electronics City, was impeccable.

Rubi Chakravarti By Express News Service Good morning, Bangalore! Yes, I missed you too! Sharing my weekly dose of shenanigans and observations with you guys almost became a habit. I admit there was a wee bit of FOMO (fear of missing out), and so though I was away in the US, I was avariciously keeping tabs on what was happening back home. Our politicians never disappoint! They made sure I was kept in a constant state of embarrassment while I was abroad. Jai Hind to social media! What really struck me was that politicking is a dirty word the world over. Politicians are shamelessly self-serving, unreliable and predictably untruthful. But what never ceases to amaze me is the gullibility of the common folk, their trust in their elected representatives and the ability to forgive and forget their transgressions. Sometimes it comes as a sense of relief that things are no different elsewhere. Every country has their blinkers on, and sometimes I feel there is a massive sense of vulnerability with the mass that has class. Everybody just wants to get on with their lives and to hell with the rest of the world. The people who protest against bigotry, environmental damage or personal freedom are deemed as radicals. Sigh! Same-same, no difference, as they say colloquially! The people of Indian descent in the US rule the roost. All of them are highly qualified professionals, mostly ‘dawcterrrs’, bankers and IT professionals with impeccable American accents. The longer the drawl the better adapted they are. The ones who I met had fabulous homes, stretch limousines or private jets. As a race, no one can beat an Indian person’s adaptability. We fit right in! We celebrate the host country’s national holidays, go to ball or soccer games (that we may or may not understand), educate our kids in the best universities, and throw out the trash… not on the road but in designated areas! As actor-comedian Vir Das pointed out, ‘Indians are the white people of brown people’! Except for the major cities, most of Middle America, like us, is conservative, religious and traditional. I was thrilled to meet a couple of people from namma ooru too. Though they were totally Americanised, their eyes lit up when they heard our local dialect. My best friend from college, Geramin Labrie, with whom I stayed, is a case in point. Gregarious, successful, generous and hugely popular, she single-handedly managed to draw in a huge crowd for a fund-raiser for which yours truly performed. A painter and a cook-book author, she could whip up the most succulent pork chops and spicy Indian fish curry with equal ease. Her gal pals from Phoenix could switch from a mid-western drawl to a rural Punjabi dialect in seconds. Every time I leave the US, I leave with a twinge of regret. If only it didn’t take a damn 26 hours of travel, I would visit more often. Back home I was missed! I got a slew of ‘save your date’ for when I came back home. Since severe FOMO had set in, I made it a point to go to as many events as possible. A mere lack of sleep was not keeping me down! The funny thing is that I have had better Italian and Greek food in Bangalore than in either Italy or Greece! I put it down to a ‘tweaked’ palate. A touch of spice never hurt now, did it? Kripal Amanna, the founder of The Food Lovers franchise, is a formidable force in the hospitality world. His adherence to quality, presentation and service of food is almost legendary. The sit-down dinner he curated at Alloro, the Italian restaurant at The Ottera in Electronics City, was impeccable. The ambiance, the attention to detail and his choice of guests were, in one word, ‘Favaloso’! It was well worth the trek to ‘Neverland’! It’s great to be back. Till next week. Ciao

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