Rajeshwari Sahay

A Royal Weekend in Rajasthan

Blog, India, Indian Food, Indian Travel, Luxury, restaurants, Taj Hotels, Travel

“How would you like to spend a weekend on the estate of the royal family of Jaipur, just across the fence from the erstwhile residence of the late Maharani Gayatri Devi?”

I wasn’t sure. It is May and temperatures are soaring in Jaipur. Who goes to Rajasthan in the summer?

But Jaipur is also just a short 4 hour drive/train journey away from Delhi, much closer than going to the hills and very easily doable on a usual two day weekend.

With these thoughts in mind, I accepted an invitation (one that I had proactively asked for!), from Taj SMS Hotel Jaipur. It turned out to be one of the best weekends I have spent in a long time!

When most of us think of Taj Hotels, we think of luxury, opulence, heritage and an almost unaffordable tariff! While the last bit is true for most Taj Palace properties, the hotel chain also has many smaller and affordable options like the Vivanta and Gateway properties. These are great if you’re looking to spend a special day with your family/partner/friends, a comfortable if not entirely luxurious office team retreat, a venue to celebrate an occasion like a wedding/engagement or just a relaxed weekend you may have saved up for.

The Taj SMS Hotel Jaipur is located in the annexe to the Rambagh Palace, the erstwhile residence of the royal family of Jaipur and now the uber luxurious Taj Rambagh Palace Hotel. Also known as the Taj SMS Convention Center and Rooms, the hotel used to be the guest house for the Rambagh Palace, housing the visitors of the royal family. Now it is a small boutique property with 21 rooms, a swimming pool amidst lush green lawns, a cosy restaurant and a large Convention Center to host events. The banquet halls are named after various forts – Jaigarh, Nahargarh, Ranthambore, Kesar Bagh. The hotel is centrally located close to the railway station, City Palace, Hawa Mahal, Patrika Gate and all major tourist attractions and markets – well within a 10 km radius.

The staff make sure to treat you like royalty and effortlessly live up to the “Atithi Devo Bhava” practice from the moment you set foot in their premises. I was greeted by Mr. Jitendra at the front desk who arranged for lovely genda phool garlands, a small teeka and a chilled drink of khus khus to ensure a warm welcome. Keeping with the weather in May, they periodically bring you cold face towels and sherbets.

I was taken to my room which was large, spacious, beautifully decorated with a small private balcony overlooking the garden and the swimming pool. The interiors of the room were aesthetically chosen keeping in mind the visual cues of Rajasthan – bright colors, antique furniture and paintings of traditional dancers, musicians and warriors – all three quintessential Rajasthani vocations.

Mr. Jalpreet from the marketing team of the hotel escorted me on a tour of the SMS Convention Center and narrated to me a brief history of the Palace and the guesthouse. The hotel is partly under renovation and will have a brand new events venue soon.

The staff of SMS Hotel organised a lot of wonderful activities for me – feeding peacocks, a traditional magic show, a rangoli making session, an evening by the poolside, a cooking session with the head Chef and a wonderful tour of the Rambagh Palace. All of these activities are included in their package and are not additionally charged for.

Ms. Cheshtha from Rambagh Palace took me on a memorable tour of the palace lawns, rooms, restaurants, history of the Maharajas, the courtyards, the ballrooms, the swimming pools which are now part of the Jiva Grande Spa and the royal culture of Jaipur. The Palace complex including the SMS Hotels are home to over 200 peacocks and it is a truly grand experience to watch them unfurl their feathers every five steps of your walk. The environs have been especially maintained to conserve and foster the peacock population – again a symbol of traditional Rajasthani culture. Rides can also be enjoyed on vintage cars and horse buggies belonging to the royal family. In the evening, one can participate in the traditional decorations of the Palace – lighting lamps, diyas, floral decor and rangolis.

During the palace tour, I also got a great insight into the life and work of Maharani Gayatri Devi, an icon and a diva, revered and loved by many. It is truly a surreal experience to spend a weekend in the premises of a palace which was till very recently until her demise, her home. Having been a great fan of the Rajmata, this was the highlight of my stay.

I especially enjoyed my dinner at Steam, Rambagh Palace. It is a restaurant created inside a restored Victorian era train. The engine and compartments house tables and couches which make for a great dining experience. They serve Lebanese and Continental food and the keema kulcha was especially delicious. Fun fact they also have Zomato Gold (1+1).

Back at the SMS Hotel I found some beautiful tokens in my room – a complimentary foot soak with sea salt and rose petals, a box of earrings and cufflinks, a wooden peacock figurine and jars of traditional Rajasthani kachoris and jaggery sweets. Everything was accompanied by thoughtful notes and trivia about Rajasthan and the history of the palace.

With best compliments from Taj SMS Hotel Jaipur

5 Reasons you need to plan a staycation at Taj SMS Hotel Jaipur:

It is closer to Delhi than any other destination at any time of the year
Be prepared to be treated just like royalty at under 10k for two for 1N/2D
Enjoy activities, experiences and authentic Rajasthani tradition, culture and cuisine (all included in your package!)
You don’t need to step out of the hotel for anything, you will be thoroughly pampered throughout the stay by the most humble and wonderful staff
Enjoy the privileges of Rambagh Palace at a fraction of it’s rate – a holiday full of luxury, culture, history and delicious food!

Unlike many other hotels, the SMS Hotel serves your complimentary breakfast buffet in your room and this was a blessing for me because the activities of the previous day had left me exhausted. I must leave a special mention for the crispy bacon in their breakfast, one of the best I have eaten. The staff had organised a special cooking session with Mr. Shailendra, the chef. This was my last activity for the weekend and undoubtedly the best one!

Breakfast in Bed at Taj SMS Hotel, Jaipur

Mr. Shailendra belongs to a family of traditional cooks who have served the royal family of Jaipur for generations. He has personally cooked for Maharani Gayatri Devi and shared with me some of her favourite dishes. At a nicely set up cooking kiosk, he showed me how to make traditional Rajputana Laal Maas – one of the best mutton preparations of India. He whipped up a delicious preparation from scratch which was then served to me with piping hot chapatis. He also gave me a hand written recipe to take back home with me. (This was a complimentary session on behalf of the hotel!)

Session with Chef Shailendra at Taj SMS Hotel, Jaipur

Raw ingredients of traditional Rajputana Lal Maas

The staff at SMS Hotel was like a family hosting you at their home. Mr Magan, the duty manager has been associated with the hotel for over 30 years. The peacocks on the property all recognise him as a friend and assemble every evening at the lobby to be fed by him. While I was checking out, he packed me a small box of the jaggery sweets which were made at their kitchen and which I had especially loved. All the staff members including Mr. Rahul, Mr. Shailendra, Mr. Nitin and Mr. Nagendra were extremely hospitable. While serving meals, they stood with me while I ate and spoke about various topics like the history of Rajasthan to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, all the while making sure I was well fed and taken care of.

Everyone came to see me off just like when you visit your friends or relatives.

Thank you Taj SMS Hotel for inviting me, it was a wonderful collaboration. We mostly hear about the unparalleled human values and hospitality of the Tata Group and the Taj Hotels, I got to experience it first hand. I look forward to many more such partnerships, creating many more beautiful memories and most importantly forging some lifelong friendships!

Thank you to the exceptionally wonderful team at Taj SMS Hotel Jaipur

Johnson’s Lodge – A little paradise in Manali

Blog, India, Indian Travel, Manali, Travel

On my recent trip to Manali, I stayed at a magical property, one of the prettiest in the hill station – Johnson Lodge. Located between the Mall Road and Old Manali, it’s the perfect place to stay, especially if you’re looking to explore Manali on foot. The cafe and bar serves delicious food, I loved their English breakfast with eggs, sausages, bacon and mushroom. The cottage rooms are super comfortable and we got fresh logs to light up the fireplace. In the summer months the staff even arrange a bonfire outside in the garden if you’re in a large group. There’s a cosy little spa in the corner, inside which lives Tango – the adorable cocker spaniel at Johnson’s.
If you’re looking to visit Manali at any time of the year, this place is a perfect ten on location, rooms, activities and most importantly food!

The Johnsons Cafe and Hotel next door is also a great option to stay as well as eat at. Post a ten minute walk from the hotels towards old Manali, one can find lovely little stores selling Kinnauri and Kullu shawls and traditional Himachali woolen handicrafts. On the other side, the Mall Road is hardly at a distance of a few hundred meters with its iconic Chinese Tibetan restaurant Chopsticks.

The room tariffs at both the Johnsons properties are extremely affordable at under 4k for 2. If you book the cottage which can accommodate upto 6 people, the tariff is about 6-9k.

I will write more about food & activities in Manali in some of my future posts.
Happy traveling!

Kochi – The Gateway to Kerala

India, Indian Food, Indian Travel, restaurants, Shopping

After a hectic but wonderful two days in Pondicherry (coming up in the next few posts), I was very excited for the next leg of my holiday – Kerala. Munching on delicious vadas picked up along the beautiful East Coast Road, I scrolled through some last minute suggestions on Things to Do in Kerala, as we sped off to the Chennai Airport for our flight to Kochi.

We almost missed the flight, thanks to underestimating morning rush hour traffic in Chennai, but the mismanaged over congested Chennai airport ensured an inevitable flight delay, much to our relief.

Two hours later, I was huddled in my window seat looking down at the beautiful Nilgiris and winding backwaters as we commenced our descent into Kerala. The Cochin International Airport is a charming building, red roofed with a distinct colonial influence in the architecture. The journey from the airport to our hotel in Willingdon Island was long but covered most of the newer parts of urban Kochi. With shopping malls, commercial buildings and even an emerging metro rail service, Kochi is akin to any other nascent metropolitan city in India.

We checked into the Trident hotel in Kochi, a beautiful new property, lush and cosy with a pool between gardens of palm trees. Willingdon Island is a quiet and serene artificial island also home to the Port of Kochi and the naval base. Apart from the Trident, a few other hotels are also located in Willingdon Island. The Fort Cochin Seafood Specialty Restaurant in the CGH Earth Casino Hotel serves delicious preparations of crab and squid. There is also the majestic Taj Malabar with it’s popular restaurant Rice Boat serving varieties of meen moilee (traditional Kerala fish curry) with portions of fresh catch of the day! It is a lovely spot to spend an afternoon by the Arabian Sea over local food and glasses of peach Bellini!

Fort Cochin Seafood Specialty Restaurant, CGH Earth

We were visiting Kochi during the opening week of the Kochi Muziris Biennale, the largest contemporary arts festival in South Asia. Fort Kochi is the venue for this popular event and that’s where we spent the majority of our time in Kochi.

Fort Kochi is the older part of the city reflecting the various cultural influences that have shaped Kochi over the centuries – Chinese fishing nets, Portugese churches dating back to the 1600s, the Matancherry Palace built by the Dutch and the quaint Jew Town with the synagogue and spice shops. The Biennale is hosted at various venues scattered across Fort Kochi with its focal point at the Aspinwall House, a trading warehouse of the erstwhile East India Company, now a sea-facing heritage building.

Cafes, restaurants, art galleries, bookstores, libraries, backpackers hostels, colonial hotels all form part of the vibrant bustling landscape of Fort Kochi. Some of my favourites were the Kashi Art Gallery & Café, Fort House Hotel, Old Harbour Hotel and the Mocha Art House Café Jew Town. Princess Street in Fort Kochi is a must visit for literature aficionados if you’re looking for old bookstores and reading rooms. There are walls with art and quotes from Albert Camus even!

A bookstore in Princess Street , Fort Kochi

One of the most fun things to do in Kochi is the ferry ride. There are regular public ferries connecting the three islands – Ernakulam, Willingdon Island and Fort Kochi. We rode the ferry from Fort Kochi to Vypeen island in just 3 rupees! If you are looking to spend an evening with chai and banana pakoras on a silent seaside, the Puthuvypu Lighthouse beach in Vypeen is a lesser known alternative to the popular Cherai beach. It is a fifteen minute auto ride away from the Vypeen jetty.

The ferry ticket from Fort Kochi jetty to Vypeen Island

There is a lot more to Kochi which we could not cover in a span of just two days, but it is the perfect gateway to Kerala! In my next post I will write about our adventures in the backwaters of Kumarakom and Allepey. Happy reading

Beyond Wazwan – A Culinary Trail in Srinagar

Indian Food, Indian Tea, Indian Travel, restaurants

‘Those who don’t believe in magic, will never find it.’

You have to believe in Kashmir, to really be able to make a trip to the famed paradise on earth. And rest assured, you are going to find magic. After a multitude of discussions around buzzwords like ‘security’, ‘curfew’ and ‘terrorism’, I spontaneously booked my Delhi-Srinagar tickets one morning. I had always been fascinated by Kashmir, having read and watched so many fictional and non-fictional stories from the Valley.

The Sheikh-ul-Alam Airport in Srinagar is like any other Tier-2 airport in India. As one walks out of the airport, posters of iconic Bollywood movies that were shot in Kashmir welcome you. On the drive to our hotel from the airport, I eagerly looked out of the car window, scanning the landscape. This was a city torn by war, propaganda and violence and yet there was something distinctly friendly about it. Some of the buildings looked destroyed and uninhabited. There were CRPF and paramilitary troops stationed along the roads painting a somewhat formidable picture.

Yet when we checked into our hotel, a small yet nicely done property by Four Points by Sheraton, we were greeted warmly by the staff. Here we also met Syed Aaved, our guide who would drive us through Srinagar and with whom we would eventually forge a beautiful friendship.

Our trip to Kashmir was marked by a superb culinary trail, much beyond the traditional wazwan, roghan josh and the like. Srinagar pleasantly surprises you with many quaint and lovely cafes, restaurants and eateries, some of which I have tried to document in this blog post.

Winterfell Cafe

Hotel Paradise Complex, Boulevard Road, Opposite ghat no 5, Srinagar

Located on the banks of the Dal Lake, this Game Of Thrones themed cafe is a real delight for every GoT fan. The passage that leads to the cafe is lined with sigils of all our favourite houses. The interiors are well inspired by George R.R. Martin’s universe, complete with an iron throne. They have the usual cafe fare in terms of food. The Winterfell Cafe also plays host to a lot of events promoting arts and culture in Kashmir.

Books and Bricks Cafe

Iqbal Park – Gogji Bagh Rd, Opp Amar Singh College, Iqbal Park, Wazir Bagh, Srinagar

Popularly known as the first all American diner in Srinagar, this is a cosy cafe with bare brick walls lined with bookshelves and pages from old books. We called for hot chocolate with fish and chips. The cafe was bustling with young students and tourists, enjoying wood fired pizzas, coffee and conversations around books.

Ahdoos Restaurant

Residency road, Regal Chowk, Raj Bagh, Srinagar

Located in the heart of Srinagar, Ahdoos restaurant is a perfect pit stop for authentic Kashmiri cuisine. They have a wide variety of Kashmiri dishes on the menu to choose from. The iconic restaurant has been a part of Srinagar’s landscape since 1918. Located on the banks of the Jhelum river, this is a great pick if you want to enjoy some waazwaan in an open air seating.

Chai Jaai Tea Room

Mahattas Studio, 1st Floor, The Bund Road, Munshi Bagh, Dhanibuoy building, Srinagarrinagar

Just about fifty steps away from Ahdoos, this is one of the most popular and #InstagramWorthy cafes in Srinagar. The aesthetically done up interiors – white furniture, teal and pink walls, vintage photographs of Srinagar and a multitude of tea tins – make for a very charming experience. We ordered Uzbek Naan with Keema and Chai, a delicious meal. They also have a good collection of iced teas, popsicles and coolers on their menu. Check out their Instagram page for more.

Imran Cafeteria, Khayam Chowk

BBQ street, Khayam Chowk, Srinagar

Located in Old Srinagar, close to the Hari Parbat, Khayam Chowk is a paradise for meat lovers looking to devour some non-vegetarian Kashmiri street food. Lined with hawkers cooking kebabs on charcoal ovens, this is a bustling area with a lot of options to choose from. We went to Imran’s, one of the oldest establishments at Khayam Chowk, now an air conditioned restaurant on the first floor, with a balcony overlooking the entire street. They serve sumptuous barbecue platters with various kinds of kebabs, dips and accompaniments like the Kashmiri flat bread lavasa.

Cafe Same Place

Northern Foreshore Road, Near Health Center, Srinagar

Situated on the banks of the Dal Lake, close to the Kashmir University, this is a simple open air garden cafe with a phenomenal view of the Dal. Frequented by students, they serve light snacks and beverages. We spent a lazy Sunday afternoon here munching on shawarma,chicken popcorn and coffee.

Vivanta Dal View by Taj

Kralsangri, Brein Srinagar

This is a beautiful property built on an elevation. overlooking the city of Srinagar. They have an open deck with a stellar view of the mountains and the lake. Apart from the view, we especially loved the Kashmiri Rajma and Mutton Rista with rice at their restaurant.

Srinagar has many more culinary delights scattered across, which we could not cover due to paucity of time. However, if you are visiting Srinagar for the first time and looking to explore the food landscape in the city, this is a pretty exhaustive list of places to check out. These vibrant spots in Srinagar work well to clear up certain preconceived notions many tourists bring with them. Amidst all the markers of an insurgent past and much beyond the cliched Shikara and pony rides, Kashmir is home to many contemporary and eclectic spaces and a buzzing youth culture.

A Drive to Malshej Ghat

Indian Travel

Weekends are precious and rare and must be full of new adventures.

Thanks to a surprise discount from Zoomcar, we spent a lovely Saturday driving to Malshej Ghat, located approximately 150 kms away from Mumbai. The best time to visit the Western Ghats is definitely the monsoon season, but we were not deprived of the stunning beauty this place had to offer.

We started from Mumbai at 8 AM. The Zoomcar pickup is at the Domestic Airport terminal, located on the Western Express Highway, a well connected spot in the city. By the time we reached Thane, we needed breakfast. We stopped at a small cafe called Everyday Anday, serving delicious preparations of eggs. We ordered for Masala bhurji and Spanish omelette, alongwith tea and hot chocolate. Everything turned out to be sumptuous!

The drive from Thane to Kalyan was quite turbulent – bad roads and bottlenecks. After battling much traffic congestion, we finally began our road trip on a beautiful road winding through the western ghats. This stretch, almost 70 kms long, is the primary way to Malshej Ghat if you are driving from Mumbai. As we drove further, we found gazebos and points to halt at for some stellar views of the Ghats.

By afternoon, we had reached a resort called Saj, By the Lake at Malshej. The property is still under construction but they have a cheerful garden restaurant, clean and plush, serving decent food. It is nestled between the ghats and a beautiful lake, with strategically placed swings to enjoy the view.

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Beyond the resort, a narrow bumpy road leads to a lake, a picturesque solitary spot. There were no tourists or vehicles around the lake and we spent a lovely afternoon amidst the golden fields, ducks and the massive expanse of water. Malshej Ghat is also home to numerous waterfalls during the monsoons, which we missed out on, unfortunately.

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We began our journey home at around 4 PM, literally driving into the beautiful sunset as we were driving westwards. A perfect breezy travel playlist accompanied us on our memorable journey, along with no internet coverage, a much needed disconnect from the humdrum of our regular lives. If you have a vacant weekend looming up, pack some friends, uno cards and good cameras into a car and head to Malshej Ghat!

In Retrospection, Ahmedabad

India, Indian Food, Indian Tea, Indian Travel, restaurants

I had never lived on my own. I had never lived outside Delhi.

Until I moved to Ahmedabad in the summer of 2015 to pursue my post graduation.

I arrived with a baggage of Gujju stereotypes – sweet food, only vegetarian restaurants, no beer or chicken, “kem cho, maja ma” jokes and practically no real knowledge of the city or it’s culture. I was pleasantly surprised as all these preconceived notions soon dissolved as I explored Ahmedabad over the next two years.

Ahmedabad is not all about dhokhla or dandiya. The city radiates positive energy, amidst all the char-rastas, khao-gulleys and the super-efficient BRT lanes. It is clean and spacious, warm and accepting. I always enjoyed the drive from the airport to my college, because it mapped the breadth of the city. The airport opened into the green cantonment area driving through which was full of mixed feelings every time. Majorly, I missed my trip back home but there was always a sense of excitement for new adventures to come.

Picture source : Wikipedia

The Uber skimmed through the older parts of the city very quickly. One of the fondest memories of there is of course, Manek Chowk. It is crowded, dirty and possibly home to every type of water-borne infection. But if you’ve lived in Ahmedabad and not eaten at Manek Chowk, you haven’t really lived in Ahmedabad. My favourite item was a super unhealthy grilled sandwich, for which one had to first battle a hurricane of humanity.

Picture Source: Indian Street Food

The Riverfront built alongside the Sabarmati river is one of the new additions to the city’s urban landscape. It is a long stretch of lawns and pavements, with provision to sit beside the river. At night, the lights of the city are reflected in the river, giving off a vibe akin to Marine Drive in Bombay. The promenade is always bustling with friends, families and fairs. One of my most memorable evenings in Ahmedabad was at one such fair at the Riverfront, sitting on a giant wheel and watching the city lights.

“City of Stars, Are you shining just for me?”

Ahmedabad isn’t a very big city. It is comfortable and cosy and has it’s moments.

The Ellis Bridge over the river crosses into the newer parts of Ahmedabad. One of my favourite places is The Project Cafe in Vastrapur- a small bungalow converted into a cheery yellow-blue cafe, with art and curios and great food, albeit vegetarian. Some great memories were shared here, over many cups of hot chocolate and green tea.

“Life is a beautiful ride” The Project Cafe, Ahmedabad

Picture Source : Tripadvisor

A Gujarati couple far away in the United States decided to quit their well paying jobs and come back to their family in Ahmedabad. Thanks to their homecoming, the city was blessed with a bakery called Buttercupp. They bake the freshest and most delicious cupcakes every morning and are almost always sold out in a few hours. Every occasion in hostel was incomplete without a batch of cupcakes from Buttercupp. Bad days were never so bad, because they had one simple cure – a trip to Buttercupp for their Double Dip cupcake!

Picture Source: City Shor

A canopy of twinkling lightbulbs marks the Food Truck Park on SG Highway. It was started almost a year after I moved to Ahmedabad. Always buzzing with young people and experimental cuisine like jamun shots and cheeseburst pizza dosa, this place was a universal pick for eating out at night. The Arabian Knife counter was one of the best shawarma fixes in the city. Just an aside, the Food Truck Park was a very poor choice for secret dates, because you would almost always end up bumping into someone you knew!

Picture Source: Twitter

Ahmedabad is charming – a city that blends history with contemporary quite effortlessly. The Cafe Natrani, situated at Mallika Sarabhai’s famous Darpana Academy is a lively open-air space, somewhat reminiscent of the Prithvi Cafe in Mumbai. They serve perfectly made tea in cups that remind you of home. If you’re looking to spend a quiet, beautiful evening in Ahmedabad only interspersed with the sounds of a buzzing fan, Cafe Natrani is where you’ll find a good memory awaiting you.

Picture Source: Imagala

In retrospection, living away from home for the first time, became an easy experience in a city that let you be who you were. Amidst all the food and fervour, one of the most significant emotions that I associate with Ahmedabad is that of truly being free of constraints – personal, professional or social. There was a certain innocence about the city that delivered memories worth a lifetime and expected nothing in return. While living in the mellow pace of Ahmedabad, you savor your time here and cherish it when you’re gone.

Books & Bombay – Trilogy, Lower Parel

Indian Travel, Uncategorized

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of Library”

There is something about books They are inanimate, yet so full of life – at times much better company than humans. If you grew up reading books, befriending them and loving them, you’re bound to have been much happier than most others. A good book can help you sail through the roughest of seas, one page at a time.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Raghuvanshi Mills compound in Lower Parel, Trilogy is a true delight for every bibliophile. Upon entering the compound, one is greeted by a series of high-end interior design studios, making it a seemingly unlikely place for a bookstore. However if you ask around a few times for the Mercedes Benz service center, you’ll find an unassuming flight of stairs leading up to this magical haven.

In the times of grand sales on Amazon and Flipkart and a rather insipid device called the Kindle, the smell of a bookstore still manages to charm many readers. Of course, we prefer that some of our favourite books were not quite so heavy on our pockets. Trilogy is a beautiful bookstore-library that provides one with easy access to numerous genres of paperbacks, hard-covers, coffee table books, art manuals, comics, photo-books etc. The front area serves as the bookstore with shelves full of neatly arranged books for sale.

Towards the back is the larger library collection, filed under various genres and sub-genres. Pastel coloured post-its with catchphrases guide you through the shelves. In the middle, a long wooden table with chairs around it makes for a comfortable space to plonk yourself down for a leisurely afternoon with your book. A couple of speakers play some mellow jazz music as the large windows filter in the right amount of sunshine to light up the place.

Ever since I moved to Mumbai, I had been hunting for a place that could provide some meaningful solitude in this maximum city. Back home in Delhi, I generally frequent the Full Circle bookstore and Cafe Turtle on weekends. But surprisingly, Trilogy turned out to be a much larger and lesser crowded space, with chairs, cushions, a library and a soulful kind of silence all under one roof! It is just perfect if you’re looking for a cozy afternoon with your favourite read and some soothing music! Located a hop,skip and jump away from the multitude of cafes that Lower Parel has to offer, in case a cup of coffee is on your list!

Details about their subscription fees and membership charges can be found here:

Welcome to Trilogy.

In the City of Nizams

Indian Food, Indian Tea, Indian Travel, restaurants

When someone mentions Hyderabad what is the first thing that comes to mind? Biryani, of course! But for young millennials Hyderabad brings to mind the India offices of tech giants like Google and Facebook. Unlike it’s close cousin Bengaluru, Hyderabad is an uncluttered new territory for the technology industry to explore. The new city, also called Cyberabad is slowly growing into a mini Indian Silicon Valley with young professionals, upbeat restaurants, spacious nightclubs and a cosmopolitan vibe.

Recently, over a weekend I visited Hyderabad for the first time. The airport is located outside the city, similar to Bangalore, thus making arrival a hassle-free experience unlike in Mumbai, where the waiting time for an Uber sometimes exceeds the flight time. The Outer Ring Road which connects the city to the airport is a stellar drive, considerably reducing the time taken to cover the long distance. Three of my close friends work at Google and live in the relatively newer neighborhood of Gacchibowli. Their apartments are plush palaces, a stark contrast to my matchbox sized one BHK in the heart of Mumbai, where I pay more rent than all three of them combined. I was surprised by the level of acceptance the neighborhood extended towards outsiders, especially north Indians. It is a common bias we carry with ourselves, whenever we travel down South, but with the advent of a professional culture and the IT boom, the outlook has become remarkably inclusive! In comparison, a metropolis like Mumbai is still quite resistant to well educated young working professionals and their lifestyle.

On Saturday afternoon, I insisted on some sightseeing. My friends protested that Charminar and the Old City was too crowded, so we decided to visit the Taj Falaknuma Palace. Located atop a hill, the erstwhile palace of the Nizam of Hyderabad now converted into a luxurious property, offers a scenic view of the city. We drove to the palace from the gates in a golf-cart. The palace gardens are beautifully landscaped with marble installations. If you’re looking for a lavish yet memorable experience in Hyderabad, Taj Falaknuma would not disappoint you. Make sure to book yourself a table at their restaurant before you visit though!

I was quite eager to explore what a Saturday night in Hyderabad is like. We went to the Zero Forty brewery in Jubilee Hills. It was a vibrant three-storey space, bustling with millennials, home-brewed beer and good music. Unfortunately that weekend the cops in Hyderabad decided to clamp down upon all nightclubs and shut every possible place by midnight. We headed back to the apartment and ordered in.

On Sunday morning I was ready for my quintessential taste of Hyderabad – the Biryani! I had been told multiple times that Paradise was quite overrated as is the case with most chains that over brand themselves. So we went to a lesser known gem called Shah Ghouse- a basic dining hall, serving delicious biryani, at super pocket friendly rates. INR 180/- was all it took to satiate two rather large appetites. For dessert, we chose an odd-sounding joint called Pappa Roti, which turned out to be quite delightful! (Don’t judge the place by the font used for it’s branding.) They serve an unusual Malayasian bun with a variety of toppings to choose from. We ordered for the Lotus Biscuit topped bun, it was delicious! The buns are soft and crunchy with dollops of butter filling. The topping was not very sweet and just the perfect complement to our bun.

Following our sumptuous lunch, we picked out a place called Autumn Leaf Café in Jubilee Hills for tea. It was barely 2 kms away, so we decided to walk through the posh neighborhood instead of booking an Uber. The hilly terrain in Hyderabad adds quite a lovely touch to the landscape of the city. We walked through palatial bungalows, rumoured to house many famous filmstars including Prabhas from the Bahubali franchise. The weather in Hyderabad was extremely pleasant making the walk quite enjoyable.

My last stop in Hyderabad before I flew back to Mumbai was the Autumn Leaf Café – a beautiful, quaint place in a residential area. A spacious bungalow has been converted into a vibrant outdoor café and shop for indie textiles and curios. The place was buzzing with an eclectic mix of people. The tea we ordered was served in a rustic steel kettle, adding to the charm of the place. A great way to spend a Sunday evening, before the Monday blues kick in!

Hyderabad is a beautiful city, with good food and good fun! It is still not as mainstream as Delhi, Mumbai or Bengaluru and that is probably what makes it an easy breezy alternative to these hectic paced cities. It is becoming increasingly cosmopolitan, embracing people from various parts of the country and offering to young professionals a lifestyle they can love – swanky and affordable!

Chai at Chhota

Indian Food, Indian Tea, Indian Travel, Uncategorized

My incurable penchant for a well made cup of chai takes me to various places around the country – restaurants, cafes, tapris, theatres and even the famous late night cycle-wallas in Mumbai. But a cup of tea that can never be forgotten is the Chai at Chhota.

MICA Mudra Insitute of Communications is an eclectic space on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, buzzing with creative ideas, frisbee games, avant-garde graffiti and the latest Ed Sheeran music. It is of course a B-school, where I happened to pursue an MBA. But it’s so much more!

It is a place where you learn, that profits don’t drive businesses, but ideas and innovations do. It is a place where you understand that your team matters more than your targets. It is also a place that makes sure that for every 4 AM assignment submission, you have a cup of Double Chai by your side at all times.

Everyone who has studied at MICA, has loved it or hated it, has had an indispensable relationship with Chhota (191). Some of our everlasting friendships were forged at Chhota, on the charpais under the lanterns over Double chai or Cold coffee. Breakfast was undoubtedly the best meal at MICA, consumed by the least number of people.

For the majority that arose after 9:30 AM, Chhota was the first word we uttered every morning. A meal never eaten at leisure, chai had instant accompaniments like samosas, poha, cheese vada-pav ready for everyone who chose to utilise the first five minutes of the morning lecture at Chhota.

No one really woke up to the world, before a cup of chai at Chhota.

There was also a large population of Cold coffee loyalists, but chai always emerged as a clear winner – on sunny mornings, rainy evenings and cold, winter nights which were quite unnatural to Ahmedabad. I wouldn’t say that the chai at Chhota was anything remarkable in terms of taste. But then, a cup of tea is never really defined by it’s ingredients.

It is always about the vibe and the story around it – some of them expressed, some of them felt and some of them just fondly remembered, standing with a cup of imported tea , in the pantry of an air conditioned glass building, at the helm of a densely crowded metropolis, looking backwards on an open space with wooden stools, painted tyre swings, a couple of hungry cats and the smell of independence.

The Grown-Up Jeans

Uncategorized

Last weekend, while rearranging my wardrobe at home, I stumbled upon a pair of dark blue, low-rise Levi’s Diva jeans. It was one of those moments, where all you need is a single physical cue to step back into time and reminisce fondly. As I ran my fingers through the slightly faded fabric, I recalled a decade-long journey shared with what happened to be my first pair of Levi’s jeans, ever.

It was the eve of my thirteenth birthday, an iconic one for most millennials. This would mark the beginning of high-school heartbreaks, hormonal earthquakes, acne outbreaks and the like. Growing up in urban India, in the early 00’s , Levi’s was a jeans brand that symbolised a rite of passage. Getting your first pair of Levi Strauss jeans would impart a sense of independence, thrill and confidence. It finally felt like adulthood was approaching, one stylish pair of jeans at a time. Teenage was this grand countdown to becoming an adult and I had already decided that I wanted my first pair of grown-up jeans to celebrate it’s advent.

I walked into a Levi’s store with my dad in one of these swanky, new malls that Delhi was just warming up to those days. I tried on a few and finally picked this particular pair of low-waisted jeans. For a year or two, it became one of those favourite pieces of clothing, reserved only for special occasions and written about in my diary at night. As teenagers, we always had some iconic clothes , which we would wear repeatedly on birthdays, festivals, school functions or some such event. Looking back, these pieces of clothing would immediately be associated with fond memories.

Low waisted jeans soon became unfashionable and were replaced by paradoxically uncomfortable skinny jeans. By the time I got to actual adulthood, cheaper alternatives like black leggings had ubiquitously replaced a pair of jeans. But last weekend, I realised that I had only mentally and socially outgrown my first pair of “grown-up jeans”, and that now even a decade later, I can fit into them perfectly.

Wearing an old pair of jeans is akin to drinking a well-made cup of tea – there is a large amount of nostalgia blended with a serving of warm, fuzzy, happy memories freshening up your mundane life!