Rajasthan! A side of India! That makes you feel Royal and Rich! A state that has the best Indian food and every hotel is a palace in its on way having an Modern or an old-world charm. This was a trip to Jaipur after a decade. And while the city did not seem to have changed much. The City surprising had quite a few cafes and restaurants opened up. The Patrika Gate, The Palace and the Hawa Mahal we’re so royal. The hotels we stayed at Raas Rajmahal were a modern luxury palace with interiors and architecture just like a palace. While on our Visit we visited some of the cafes & restaurants that had their specialities. Spice Court was our only stop for Laal Maas. Steam at Rambagh was an experience. Seated on a first-class coach in a train-shaped restaurant. The Indian platter were very good. They are also known for their pizzas. We visited The Johri at the Johri Bazaar. They are a pure Veg restaurant with amazing food and interiors. They are also a boutique hotel with about five Suites rooms each named after a gem stone.
Manak (ruby) is hues of pink, Moti (pearl) is white, Sona (gold) is yellow, Neelam (sapphire) is light blue, and Panna (emerald) is pale greenThe Johri is managed by Honawar Hospitality group that has cafes like Pantry & woodside inn that are popular in Mumbai. We also visited Bar Palladio & Shikaar Bagh restaurant & Bar that’s part of Naraian Niwas Palace an Instagramable destination and in recent times has gained popularity through web series. The interiors have been done up by Dutch designer Marie-Anne Oudejans has kept the essence of Rajasthan and Jaipur in the interiors. The space also has a few interesting designer stores in them that have a lot of Rajasthani elements to it.
Cafes that we enjoyed on our visit were The Curious Life Roasters, Half light Coffee Roaster and Town Coffee. Town Coffee also had a nice gourmet store to satisfy and to experience your home chefs skills.
Curious breakfast and coffee experience was something totally unexpected for Jaipur. Over the next two days we realised Coffee & cafe culture
Is huge here! Something that isn’t read or spoken about so much when you think about Jaipur!
Another thing that was good to observe was the cafes & restaurants had plenty of books on their shelves to read Curious life Roaster by the owner has an interesting story Neeraj Sheoran the owner & roster While working in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was introduced to coffee roasting and in 2015 began the Curious life Roaster in Jaipur. Half light by is a family-run neighbourhood coffee shop in Jaipur that has been there for the last couple of years..
Tamil in Tamil Nadu.Telugu in Andhra Pradesh. Kannada in Karnataka.Malayalam in Kerala. There are so many languages within a region in India. So you can imagine how many different stories and experiences one can read and learn about or learn from.
In the last six months and over the years since I started enjoying reading I have come across so many stories. sharing some of the ones that I liked reading.
Heat by Poomani
A story about a child committing an act of murder and how the family goes about this Act. A simple story written in a very intriguing way and this is the first time I read a book by a south Indian writer that has been translated From Tamil into English.
A book written nearly 40 years ago in Tamil and fairly recently translated in English.
Is a story that even more relevant today
Vekkai the Tamilian name of the book. That was Published in 1982, Heat is more than just a social document about caste dynamics. The book Is soon going to come into life in a movie by Dhanush.
2.Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag originally written in Kannada
A simple story about a joint family, where one person runs the household and all are dependent on him and how their attitude, lifestyle and things around them change after they have started doing well and are considered Rich!
3.Adventures of Feluda by Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was one of the authors/ Filmmakers who I had always heard about but, it Did not strike me about how amazing his books were until I watched Ray’s series on the OTT platform that the stories were much ahead of our times and fortunately came across the adventures of Feluda Vol.1 short story that are mostly based in Kolkata and keep you interested right until the end.
4.Devdas by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay originally written in Bengali and then translated
A story that has been adapted a couple of times in the Indian cinema and after reading it felt like it was the Indian Romeo & Juliet story that has been the base for most of the love stories that have been made in the cinema.
Devdas was another story written by a Bengali writer and you sense it’s Bengal that has been one of the states from our country that has been recognised not only for the Art & culture that it has shared with us. But even sports.
5.Rising Heat by Perumal Murugan
A story about Rags to Riches from a point of view of individuals who’s attitude change with money.Is a story originally Written in Tamil In 1991, by Perumal Murugan his first novel, Eru Veyyil.
Nearly 30 years later, the book appeared in English for the first time, in translation by Janani Kannan.
The story also captures the change from Rural environment to urban environment and the people around the neighbourhood they have moved too. A story that captures everyday life in India and the characteristics of the South Indians.
6.Poonachi: Story of a Black Goat by Perumal Murugan.
“Once, in a village, there was a goat. No one knew where she was born. The birth of an ordinary life never leaves a trace, does it?”
Goats are problem-free, harmless and above all energetic. A story needs narrative pace. Therefore, I’ve chosen to write about goats.
A story of a black Goat. A Goat that’s handed over to an old man from a stranger who doesn’t have much time to live.
The story of a goat who was the 7th goat from the litter. And how the goat becomes their life, their happiness & their sadness.
The Goat has more human characteristics than the human beings itself and is compared to a child when it’s growing up.
The regime is only deaf when we speak about our problem.
This a book written by Perumal Murugan after a long hiatus since his previous work had become controversial and did not want to write about humans but rather wrote another story having human characteristics.
Though it’s just 170 pages book. It’s very rich in text and literature.
The book talks about the problem, issues and challenges we face while they go to get the Goat Ears Pierced.
They think before speaking as whenever we talk about the regime, Its ears are quite sharp. But when we talk about our problems they don’t hear.
The book is easy to read and speaks about the relationship and bond between the old woman and Poonachi and how we humans like to control every being.
7.Moustache by S.Hareesh
A recent trip to South India made explore south India literature and here I found moustache to be an interesting title & a story to read translated from Malayalam to English… this book was a little slow to read and tiring on a few occasion.
But, it reminded me of Kafka on the shore style of writing ( Magical realism) when they were chapters of the crocodile.
This book also seemed and reminded me of Ravan with the way the character of moustache has been written & developed.
The unusualness and the stories that are written by South Indian writer are rarely found across India. And since the South Indian writers mostly about the region they are familiar with . This makes it interesting to read.
The author S.Hareesh has also written thr screenplay for Jalikattu a film that came in the limelight for the story and the awards it won internationally.
Moustache is a must read if you want familiarise yourself with the stories from Southern Indian.
8.Jasmine Days by Benyamin The JCB award has been modelled on the Man Booker Prize a prestigious annual award for English language books published in the UK.
A story about immigrants… Benjaymin actually known as Benny Daniel
Started publishing his book under the pen Name Benjayim.
Benyamin started writing when he moved to Bahrain for a corporate job and a lot of his stories are based on the backdrop of Bahrain & the Middle East.
Jasmine Days is a well written book that transports you to being there in the city and living the story as the writer keeps narrating the story. Jasmine Days explores too many characters and describes a revolution as if it’s happening during those moments. The book is bold in so many explores Religion, Politics and Humanity that the writer had to write another book ‘Al Arabian Novel Factory’ that was translated by Shanaz Habib who translated the jasmine days too that is originally written In Malayalam and titled Mullappoo Niramulla Pakalukal
9. Bankster by Ravi Subramaniam: I remember reading the synopsis in an article and wanting to read the book. I was sceptical though since I wasn’t sure the book would try out so good! And a few months later I met Ravi Subramaniam at a literature fest and couldn’t wait for what other books were in store. If you would like to know about Banking and their work this is it! I would like to read God was gamer next by Ravi Subramaniam.
10.Chetan Bhagat 2020 Revolution: The picked up the book from the library and this was the second book after three mistakes I had read from Chetan Bhagat one thing that I like about Chetan Bhagat encourages the youth to read. Simple Stories, are written in easy to read language for first-time readers and the stories are interesting too. If you would like to start reading fiction. Start with a Chetan Bhagat.
11.Jhumpa Lahiri Lowland: The book written by Jhumpa Lahiri is a book the backdrop is West Bengal and this book portrays the distance between leaving home and still having some roots back home when one settles abroad and the relations with the family. The book is written by the same author whose popular book namesake was adapted by Mira Nair.
12. Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh: A book that I did not know I would enjoy reading. A science, A story with myths and in one of its kind a Medical thriller. Written by one of the most prolific writers from India. Post-Calculata chromosomes and otherwise known for writing historical fiction books. Calcutta chromosome is his first foray into science fiction a novel that offers an alternate history of the discovery of a parasite that causes malaria. This is an fast-paced suspense thriller
13.Durbar Tanvleen Singh : (1984 Riots)
A book that I read more than six years ago.. Has been one of the best books on political reporting and Riots that changed India in many since 1984 and what one went through and how politics was the key in the whole issue.
14.Saboteur by R.V Raman
A Writer who I am came across after searching for the thriller writers from India and his two best seller “Fraudster” and “Insider” then are widely spoken about. A writer who has worked with KPMG and most of his stories are around corporate working. But Saboteur was one of the book that interested me the most as it was about an E-Commerce scam thriller. And it’s worth a read if you like reading thriller.
Tamil Nadu, was on my travel diaries for a while Now! Or for that matter travelling around India other than Mumbai and 2022 has been a surprising year that’s been inclining towards spirituality naturally.
Varanasi, An offbeat destination to celebrate your birthday!
Yeah! Right! But being born in Nashik! And having celebrated my 25th in Amristar. This shouldn’t be a Shock!
The boat journey through the Ghats witnessing the Sunset & sunrise was very calming and beautiful.
Birding chirping, Bird feeding, boat sailings and a cool winter settled in two luxury properties that had their charm & Views.
A short trip of eating three days food menu in 1 and a half days was very upsetting and unsettling to the stomachs of all of us.
Dharamshala.
Another spiritual awakening city in the Himalayas was the travel we went ahead with from Amritsar after thinking over all the possible travel plans around.
A five Day Short trip was two days of travel and three days of sightseeing. The hills have characters that set them apart from the other regions. And sharp turns and small spiral roads keep your head spinning around.
The quietness, stillness and kindness of the people out there are humbling. And something that’s difficult to find in larger cities across the country.
The landscape is all different around one country that speaks so many different languages and showcases the culture of each region that the south Indian region was the most Conscious about plastic. Everything was either brown paper bag, Plastic was replaced with metal cans and one Ltr water bottles were replaced with five Ltr’s. The hills here were much more greener.
While we were trying the Momos in Dharamshala we were enjoying Dosa, Malabar parathas and dark chocolates & ice creams in the south region.
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan we have been staying at many different hospitality group of hotels.
While some we choose for the location, Some we choose for the service, some we choose for the view or some for the deal they are offering. Rarely did we consider the food being one of the criteria when shortlisting the hotels.
Taj group of hotels are the best located hotels around the country. They aren’t necessarily very Guest service oriented though.
The Marriott Bonvoy group of hotels have a range of hotels under their umbrella and give you the sense of luxury and at many times are value for money.
The Oberoi Group of hotels… Nothing beats them. Their guest service are excellent. And they know what luxury experience mean.
The staff is friendly and warm.
ITC hotels… It’s one of the most underrated group of hotels but the food, Service and Guest experience makes it complete package hotels. But, it’s only their ITC hotel that offers true luxury and not the hotels that come under their Umbrella.
Hyatt : This group hotel doesn’t really come on your mind of hotels. Not even in the top 3. But, the hotels are beautiful and spacious.
The service is warm and though aren’t many in India..They should be consider when travelling north of India or Goa for a luxury experience.
Brij hotels:
Brijrama This was a new hotel we stayed at in Varanasi. It was a very heritage property that has been taken over by the Brij hotel group and have two hotels in Rajasthan and one in Raipur, One in Dalhousie to name a few.
The hotel staff was very hospitable and friendly. The location was right at the ghats making it accessible through road & through the boats…
All the experiences at the hotel have been first hand and not through people’s opinion or feedback.
There has been a complete range of beverages that I have explored or tried in 2021. One of the main categories was tonic waters a lot of interesting flavours of tonic waters I tried and some of them particularly tasted well as a beverage or with a spirit or as a cocktail. And certain brands also explored another subcategory of the huge beverage/ Cocktails. Edible garnishes and non-alcoholic drinks are a fairly new concept in India that struck well with home bartenders and drinkers during the pandemic. While another tonic water brand did also launch lemonades a nostalgic drink with a few twists. Other non-alcoholics took me by surprise the ginger beer & Grapefruit ginger beer. The other category that I explored were syrups and though it said natural taste. They did come out a little artificial in taste. Syrups are still something I haven’t seen so many Indian brands taking the plunge into. While Cocktail mixers were something a lot of brands we’re starting with. Some of them were readily available while others were only noticed because of their collaborations. But yes there are suddenly too many players out there in this segment. While 2022 I would like to explore more bitters and syrups that are available and made in India. Since there is a huge interest in the home bartending and cocktail experience in India. It may be because of travel restrictions or others were exploring new hobbies.
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