Kolad, Maharashtra - a beautiful hideout

The place is magical. A perfect getaway


Within driving distance from Maximum city, this is that unplanned break youv’e been looking for, a week-end hideout on short notice. If you are a nature lover then this adage for Kolad is true – Path to glory is always better than the destination. Various ponds, a deep blue river,  floating clouds in the vast expanse of sky, beautiful Sahyadri range in the backdrop, fresh air to breathe – and the best part? The less headcount! Mumbai, Pune residents prefer Lonavala as their getaway, while Kolad is for those who want to beat the rush and give people a miss.


The drive to our friend’s farmhouse was beauteous to say the least. The dense lush green captures the heart & mind & eyes- sheer heaven! 


Kolad is approx.. 25kms ahead of Pen, fromPanvel


This tiny village in Mahad is picking up popularity for rafting and trekking. Beautifully situated near the Sahyadri range, there are trek paths which are easy, not stony, slippery, steep or tough. Kolad also has a gushing Kundalika river, known for its fast flowing water, hence the ideal locale for river rafting right thru the year. The reason behind its fast flowing is the releasing of water from nearest dam. Another sport that seems to be high on everyones list is paragliding, which we lazy people missed, for over sleeping in the morning! .

If religiously inclined, thr is something there for you as well.

Given India’s social fabric, most families owe allegiance to the presiding deity of the particular village from where the family or ancestors originated.  In present times when many people have shifted to urban areas, it is difficult to keep this bond alive on a day-to-day basis, so people visit the local temple. Many Indians make it a point to visit their native place at least once a year, most likely the day when the deity’s annual utsav is held.  The weekend we were in Kolad, we witnessed a huge congregation of people going towards Tamhini for the deity Vinzai devi’s blessings.

If you aren’t as lucky as us to have a friend living in this village, fret not. There are beautiful cottages and tents available on hire on the banks of the river constructed to give the appearance of a home, where you can relax & camp; enjoy the peace and quite. It is the perfect place to stay for a group/ family to relax and unwind.


A final tip: ensure the spare wheel of your car is in working condition. Be prepared to be cut off completely at times as the mobile network is iffy in these parts. Kolad is lush green heavenly in the monsoons, so plan a visit in the rains. 

India rediscovered: The untouched Andamans

A person gets used to being alone but break it just for a day and you have to get used to it again, all over from the beginning ~ R Bach

Isolated, untouched and far from the madding crowd…the beaches is where we spent our max time, clearly looking to escape the world- couldn’t have asked for a better haven. Beach view villas, sun shimmering off the waters, coconut trees swaying in the breeze. An eternal love affair with nature, where harmony was alive in larger than life size.

Laid back, not partying (other than  some few spontaneous one’s we chanced upon) Andaman n Nicobars are a world class eco friendly destination. Spread across 500 some islands dotted like a pearl neckpiece in the Bay of Bengal, showing off hilly green topography, crystal clear water and silvery sand beaches. Our flight reached us to Port Blair a cosmopolitan harbor town, where, we snorkeled and spotted coral reefs of Wandoor. The magic of nature is so alive and dancing in this part of the world, that it lures you, to come discover it more.   

It rained through the first half of our trip, but the rest of the days we had glorious sunshine from 530am onwards. I don’t have the faintest clue why people say one must not watch the sun setting, ever, but here, in Andaman if you miss it, it’s like missing natures sublime miracle. 

The sun sets red and heavy, in a perfect blazing circle, dropping in slo-mo into the waters, the sky colours are so indescribable and spectacular! Glorious nature. And once the pyrotechnics get over, the stars came out one by one, the sky becomes diamond crusted shimmer. Such a must visit destination for the weary soul to bond with nature, once again.

I generally try to keep my distance from the usual touristy locales to avoid the hustling. So, true to form, our sea fare was pre booked and we didn't see no jostle to buy our tickets to make our way to Havelock from Port Blair. The boat ride had options of   air conditioned push back seats or sitting in the open deck allowing the sea breeze to embrace us completely. The waters of Bay of Bengal are a deep deep indigo, a color one seldom associates with ocean waters and India.   Infact the waters very often turned turquoise as we moved closer to the islands. Our appetite for the beach and the swimming ahead certainly whetted, if the weather Gods didn’t play temperamental...

Once at Havelock we made our way to Beach 5 ( by some quirky Brit identification system, all beaches in this part are numbered!) – and that was the beginning of an idyllic travel through Gods nature. Picture postcard perfect locales. The waters stayed low (mostly), one could walk in quite a bit, crystal clear, allowed you to gaze right upto your feet below. It was heavenly to swim in such calm waters. We treaded water, lazed and gazed around at the coconut, palm fringed beach - wondrous experience.

One of those sun filled mornings, I put myself to some use, saw the first light creeping in the sky, everything looked ethereal n silent. Not a soul stirred in sight. The beach, the sands, the waterline at the horizon everything had a washed up look. I sat there with my notebook and my camera on one such washed up rock allowing the water to lap at my feet gently, didn’t take a single picture, didn’t write a single word. It all happened inside the mind and heart and soul. I have no words to describe the sheer magic of that moment. Tinged copper water, bathed every part of the isle golden, can never forget it. There onwards dawned peace with myself, totally calm, without any war inside my head.

Beach#7 has been described by many as 1 of the most beautiful beaches on earth, there is no doubt on that, it takes your breath away. We walked on soft white sand along side the mangroves, found a spot in the shade of the palms to sit down for the day with loungers and sun deck chairs some distance away, if we wanted to be among the other guests on the beach. And all we did often was sit in quiet and take it all in. Just be. The water here has many shades- the white of the surf, its green at the shallow end, turquoise a lil further up and majestic indigo at the deep end. Never seen such colours before in nature. Beach 7 (Coral Island) is dotted with mangroves (some call them the jungles) providing sylvan surroundings for the adventurous traveler to spot the deer, peacock and many variety of exotic birds.   

Breakfast was always late and more often than not on the beach, nursing a fragile head, but that never stopped us from washing down bottomless brunches, with bunkam banter, countless sangria pitchers... 2012 reflected many promises

Days merged into each other, with better time spent on the sands and water. Evenings spent at a local pub with an eclectic crowd of varying nationalities. We had hired a bike, were free to move about at our own pace  and free will, through country roads tarred and non tarred. The landscape was dotted with thatched roof homes, cattle in the front yard, fields of green smelling of soil n grains in the sun with rains having washed it the previous night. The hay for the cattle pitched up like a mound, small ponds with water lilies, locals on mopeds n bicylces traversing long journeys. Cliché it may seem, but all these clichés came alive for me  - lost in a different forever 

One day I ventured into the high seas with the local fishermen in their country boat fitted with a diesel engine. Barring the fumes from the engine which are not quite conducive to existence, and the boat feeling like a paper boat on the waters rocking and lurching roughly, it was some experience; when the engine was cut off, and the boat swayed gently in the deep waters, while they threw their fishing nets to capture the days catch.

 A word on the threatened tribes of Andaman, the Jarawa.  These tribes migrated from Africa and today we have several hundred thousand Indian settlers living on the islands. The principal threat to the Jarawa’s existence comes from encroachment onto their land, which was sparked by the building of a highway through their forest in the 1970s. The road brings settlers, poachers and loggers into the heart of their land.

This encroachment risks exposing the Jarawa to diseases to which they have no immunity, and creating a dependency on outsiders. Poachers steal the game the Jarawa rely on, and there are reports of sexual exploitation of Jarawa women. Unfortunately Tourism is also a threat to the Jarawa, with tour operators driving tourists along the road through the reserve every day in the hope of ‘spotting’ members of the tribe. Despite prohibitions, tourists often stop to make contact with the Jarawa. When will India learn its lessons? These are an integral parts of our DNA, we need to safeguard and protect such tribes, and not use them for exhibiting merely because the tourists have the muscle power of money.

A word of caution to all those who depend hugely on their connectivity. The islands are not very conducive to mobile phone connectivity. The network always played havoc no matter which auto roaming operator one chose, so for calls the best and most reliable solution would be the STD booth or the hotel phones. 

My ask ... soak it in, when at Andaman, but, allow it to remain, untouched for generations to know the magic of nature here.

Colours of India- blue Jodhpur

Making our way from the highway to the hotel, we soon realized that Jodhpur is a dirty, dusty and noisy city. On reaching our hotel, Jodhpur signaled, royalty and resplendence. A pluralism am well familiar with.

The Mehrangar Fort, clearly is the main attraction in Jodhpur. Masses of red sandstone used in construction in the hey days, transported via donkey drawn carts, not human labour (as was in building the pyramids of Egypt and the TajMahal in Agra). To minimize human effort, yet achieving precision, the blocks of sandstone were fixed, using a remarkable technique of placing ice between the blocks. The ice melted, the blocks were moved or turned into position and interlocked with each other, so that there was no need for a binding material, such as cement. What do you call this method? Sheer Genius!

We climbed to the top of the fort and whoa! the entire expanse below was blue in colour – awesomeness. It is thought that Brahmins – members of the priestly class – first took to coloring their houses blue (indigo?) to signify their domicile and to set them apart from the rest of the population. In addition they did the house doors in pink, and shutters in green. It’s like walking through a painting:) However, soon, the rest of Jodhpurs population followed suit and coloured their homes blue too. History does not tell us which brave non-Brahmin was the first to do it, yet it happened and since that day the people of Jodhpur have steadfastly maintained this tradition.

The fort is stunning. Within the fort there are little temples and museums. We walked around the area getting lost in the labyrinth of climbing alleyways and twisting side streets, catching glimpses of everyday life. Even stopped at a local chai shop to have fruit bun maska and adrak wali chai, given coffee is alien to this land:)

Did you know Jodhpur is the land of cotton? A variety of handmade fabrics, quilts, bandhini, leheriya to spulrge on. In addition every hue, shade,colour bangles you can imagine. And jootis so many in colour and design- everything vied for the purse.


What marred Jodhpur for us, were the narrow streets of old town filled with dirt, dust and garbage that cluttered every inch of the way. Crowded lanes too narrow for even a small car. Wiser to hail an autorickshaw here. Cows, excreta, human unhygienic’s, all left us gasping for oxygen!

The silver lining literally -:) seeing a small shop hand craft ornamental silver elephants. A couple of men would take scraps of silver, and thru the handmade assembly line, turn the scraps of silver into beautiful jeweled elephants. I watched this thru the confines of my car and lost track of time, waiting for the driver to get back from his meeting with a relative with whom he had to exchange some goods.

Jodhpur has numerous ‘pols’(large gates) - Loha pol, Jai pol, Chand pol - The walls close to these gates have battle scars created by cannon balls. On one of the gates are a set of numerous small handprints which belonged to the wives of one of the Rajput leaders who was killed in battle. So many stories to dig out, so many anecdotes to narrate...

Jaswant Thada, is the traditional cremation grounds of the Jodhpur royal families. Sheer beauty in marble. The main memorial is built to resemble a temple. Its walls are made of intricately carved sheets of marble. The marble slabs have been polished till they have become extremely thin and translucent. This makes the monument glow from within when the sunrays fall on its surface

On speaking to a couple of foreigners, I realized the locals, were jostling for income. By conning tourists into submission to get henna (mehndi) for their hands, by selling them pre-packed stuff like a bed-sheet - which they later realized was torn and scruffy (when they returned to their rooms), By pre-reserving one kind of room online, at one rate, and on arrival of the tourists, downgrading them to another, on the pretext that the hotel is full due to priority wedding bookings or some such lameness. This short changing cannot be good for Jodhpur in the long run.

Some big differences between Maximum city and Jodhpur: non-existent skyline, easygoing attitude of the people, rickshaws don't have meters! Enjoy the colours of Jodhpur, albeit, with a wee bit of grimace, get Blue'd:P

A foodie’s dream: Surat

Before I launch into the dna of this city (which may really boil down to food) the one thing that will always stand out for me about Surat - is the warmth and simplicity of its people. Ask for directions or simply ask for a clarification on some Gujju word, the Surati’s will happily make the time to pause and explain - a novel Indian experience this has been compared to the bustling aggressive metropolises’ of a diversity called India.

Surat is prominently known for its textile market equally as also for "Bunder-e-Khubsurat” (a beautiful harbor) and of-course equally for being India’s largest diamond market. Prosperity thrives in Surat. The average Gujju is a hardworking, earnest guy who is hungry for more and wears his heart on his sleeve and works tirelessly.

What Surat lacks in heritage places and natural sights, it makes up for, in its business and industries (oil, energy, steel, petrochemicals), it is a city with peace and maximum prosperity. NaMo has every reason to be proud of his state (Surat very recently was voted the cleanest city). Other state chiefs indeed must learn a couple of lessons very soon from Surat!

Surat’s amazing road infrastructure of flyovers and bridges puts a city like Bombay to shame. A small airport where only one flight lands in the morning and one takes off by evening, may foolishly make you believe, is a sleepy town; Far from it. Surat has the heart and mind of an astute businessman who knows how to be ambitious and also knows how to relax and enjoy life. It’s so incorrect for Surat to be dubbed a tier two city!

If keen on seeing places of interest- there is Dandi, where India’s struggle for independence began with Gandhiji and the Salt Satyagraha. There is Hajira and Tithal showing off their beautiful beach resorts surrounded by the Arabian Sea. Gopipura is a small village famous for its Jain temples. And the Winchester Museum if you dig ancient collector items.

And now of cos food:) - Surat has been a memorable experience. In the backlanes of Muslim-dominated Zampa Bazar, stands a proud home , where Fatima Bibi stretches and stretches a flubber-like ball of maida, incredibly soft after four hours of kneading, until it covers the 15 ft by 12 ft space like a sheet of thin muslin. When the pastry dries, it is cut into 12-inch squares, combined with mawa (reduced milk), and baked. The result is: sagla bagla mithai, sweet but not cloying, and magically delicate.

This single family of bakers, headed by Fatima's husband, Mohammed Khalid Rafat, bakes for a community it does not belong to — the Dawoodi Bohras. No wedding is complete without sagla bagla, which travels to them wherever they live. Laughs Mohammedbhai: "We've made this 105-year-old recipe public. But nobody else can make it, it's hard work." As we leave his home, clutching mithai boxes he will not let us pay for, he nudges us into another room. Another flaky confection, I think. I find myself face to face, instead, with the wine reds, emerald greens and lapis blues of his antique glass collection—lovingly picked up, piece by piece, from the bazaar. Envious!

With seven out of ten diamonds in the world cut and polished in Surat, can we really leave without sighting The Rock? We find ourselves in a huge bungalow, chatting with Uncle,nephew, niece team, on the top floor running their diamond empire. A collection so vast, the mind boggles.

The soul of Surat has to be its mouthwatering food - Surati’s are crazy foodies. Surat is essentially a vegetarian place. Here reside people who do not even consume eggs and then, there are the Jains, who do not consume anything with onions and garlic in it. There are very few restaurants offering non vegetarian food.
For all you non veg food readers I assure you the food here is so delicious you will not miss no non veg one bit, I promise you.

You have the regular fare from Bombay(buttery paranthas, pani puri, chaats, pav bhaji etc) but what I’d recommend is skip the regular fare and discover the local cuisine!

The yummy silk Khaman, the delectable ice Gola, the variety of Handvos, Locho, rasawala Khaman, the ‘sweets’: smooth Ghari, Laaris, Ghooghras(hand made plain flour dumplings deep fried in ghee with minced milk mawa, embellished with dried fruit and nuts, with a hint of cardamom) O! and not to forget the ‘Nastas’: crispy Fafda’s, crunchy Jalebis, freshly baked Naankhatais, butter Khaaris, Cholafali, Khakras and Theplas -- I can wager a bet no one will be able to select a teeny weeny portion and say “bas/enough” to one dish. Surat entices you to overeat!

A unique thing about Surats eating style - people flock to eat out of home. So much so they pack a picnic hamper on a Saturday, Sunday evening, come to a side walk haunt, spread their mats and sheets and eat together in a big group. Very flower power generation-isq ;) This is some experience - sitting on the wide footpath, under the shiny lights of surrounding malls with cars zipping past. This is a strict don’t-miss if you are visiting Surat. Tho must confess I didn’t do this. (would I have? Hmmm not sure:)

Just a word more, before I sign off, a word about driving into Surat on NH8 - A nightmare! The highway is under expansion, is reduced to 2 lanes. It took us forever to reach Surat despite us breaking free at many spots! Added to our woes were the poor (really bad!) drivers almost all from GJ, all along the Highway! NaMo, Can you please instill a sense of good driving in your citizens as a favour to mankind?:)

Uniquely Sweden: random thoughts that stir the memory

Swedes carry really, (really!) large shopping bags. First time I saw it, I cracked up

There are sooo many women with baby carriages. Out on the streets, it looks like...a NASCAR race of baby carriages:) The café exteriors, look like stadium parking lots for these carriages:)

The road rules are not for bucking as we realized. We had to cough up 300 (Kroners) for a speeding ticket, roughly a $40-43 - bummer!! Lesson learnt! But am glad we bucked the law by a HUGE margin heheee

We saw daylight till 10pm, this is the land of midnight sun after all

#LeRouge, a restaurant and bar, we visited was like stepping into French fin-de-diecle. Classic French and Italian menus, where tradition is more important than trendiness. No Swedish minimalism at this bar!

Bought a beautiful silver dolphin from the beach side silver shop. Somehow reminded me of Goa:)

Saw some uniquely talented street side performances. Sipping a coffee at the bay filled with sleek yachts, boats - watching these performances by the roadside-Life:)

In Sweden the right of way is for Dogs, Cows and Cycles first:)

Swedish women don't change their surnames when they get married.

Side-streets and kerbsides are filled with flowers in bloom, almost feel like they are there by design!

One big downside, people push you in the malls and even the cafés and don’t apologize!

Besides blonds and bikes, Sweden is known for great wine. And also for fresh ginger orange marmalade's, great coffee and cheeses, croissants…I got back some of these goodies..:)

Village in Sweden

Old Town, Sweden

Old Town is the original Stockholm. It is the oldest part of Stockholm, also called GamlaStan. A place filled with stunning views, picturesque streets and historical sites. A place where you won't tire of your camera or your abilities as a photographer.

On this island Stockholm began – and never changed. Medieval streets and buildings create an atmosphere where time stands still. Transforms and becomes almost fairy-tale like at night. All sightseeing trips of Sweden start right here in Old Town:)

This is a living museum of old Swedish life and culture that used to be. Some of the buildings have always stood where they do today, others were carefully taken down, moved to their current location in today’s Stockholm, and reconstructed exactly as they had stood in Old Town. The result is an authentic old Swedish town center.

Almost all the buildings are used, as shops, coffee houses, etc. There must be a gazillion cafes all along Sweden, but more concentrated in Old Town. Many buildings and shops are occupied by people continuing traditional Swedish crafts and occupations. We found people strolling around in old costumes, more than happy to be stopped and asked about the town and life in "the old days" - this is a place in a million! A place to fall in love with:)

We visited an old schoolhouse, just as it was shutting, but the lady insisted we come in. She then proceeded to give us a complete guided tour, explaining how people were taught, what they were taught, how in fact some of the brighter pupils then had to teach younger ones. We must have delayed her for quite some time but she didn't mind at all.

There are a lot of unique things to see when visiting the Old Town. Set up during the 1300 century, today there are about 3000 people living in the old city. During the summer the neighborhood is invaded by tourists that wants to enjoy the special atmosphere that only Stockholm's Old Town can provide. We were happy to be amongst this potpourri of people from all over the world at this time.

After some point we deviated from the tourist flow and walked the outlines of the medieval alleys. Sweden was a political power to be reckoned with in 1700 & 1800 century and its medieval charm today which is so cool, but back then most definitely was'nt. Inside, there still occasionally exist ancient vaults, and if you stop at Café Sten Sture in the middle of GamlaStan, like us, you can sip a yummy latte under them gorgeous facades:)

There is much to shop in Old Town, from furniture, jewelry, to browse the roads lined with artisan’s shops and cafés, be drawn into art, toys, Nautica, pottery, maps, to, printed things on souvenirs like mugs, key chains etc- clearly aimed at the tourists

We also visited a cathedral, Storkyrkan (the Big church) where crown princess Victoria married her Daniel last summer. The church was first built in medieval times, and has continuously been altered and rebuilt up to the present day. We took our time to listen to an organ concert in the majestic surroundings, admired the wooden sculpture of St George rescuing the maiden in distress, and also paid a visit to the souvenir shop with lots of “fair trade”-marked handicraft.

A tip: if you want to really experience history close on, and feel a pleasant frisson of horror at the stories of people who once lived, loved, committed crimes and possibly became ghosts to haunt castles and back streets alike – prolly you should sign up for an evening tour that offer horror stories that are guaranteed!:)

Swish Sweden

Swedes are gorgeous looking people. The fashion is ‘stand out’, the jeans tight and the tattoos, common. Chic and hip is how they turn out on the streets to walk their dog or on way to office. Swedes are über-attractive and what makes this sooo cool is their attitude – so calm and relaxed!

Stockholm is clearly (one of) the world’s most dynamic, creative and exciting contemporary urban scenes – leads in urban trends, which is very evident when visiting any furniture store or even a regular corner retail outlet, displaying a remarkable trendy taste. Not surprising the largest Ikea exists right here!

I was charmed by Stockholm, a very affectionate city. Equally very private! There were couples wandering everywhere, but didn't catch any smooching in the middle of the path (contrasting it to Paris). Swedes are shy and that’s what makes them even more adorable. They are shy of talking to strangers, shy of starting a conversation, shy if flirted with and shy of any public display of affection :)

It was very comforting to see Stockholm packed with children and young families. What stood out also was how involved the young fathers are with their kids. Apparently, Sweden is one of the best places to be a woman because of its extremely balanced women’s rights and opportunities. The Govt has instated what’s called, ‘The Daddy Quota”. This says that couples who have a baby must take a combined 450 days of paternity/maternity leave. Pretty cool, eh?:)

There is a richness of music alternatives that baffles, shocks and amazes you. Sweden loves its traditional music, as much as it does the rock and jazz! We had a super cool time in Gotland watching folk theater surrounded by a huge medieval market. It was fun seeing people dressed in medieval outfits, picturing the medieval mindset and time frame of damsels, merchants, war horses and knights in shining armor.

Sweden is a happy nation today. You can’t help but feel happy for Sweden, finally, her people have grabbed the brass ring for themselves. It’s their turn and it’s long overdue. Sweden lost nearly a million people to the United State in the 19th century. Will she lose many more??? Perhaps a few but it’s a good country now and one that values its resources in all senses of the word. Falling in love with Sweden is easy:)

Nawabi city or the Pearl City – Hyderabad

Hyderabad is a city of confluences. Modern flyovers/bridges cris-cross elegantly to settle amicably with ancient places of interest. One spot/scene stands out in this city for me - the Hussain Sagar lake with the gigantic Buddha in the center of water. Looks equally gorgeous by sunrise as it does by sunset when night falls. I have always unconsciously deciphered my hotel address from this iconic Buddha lake

Ninety percent of my visits to Hyderabad have been related to work and hence the prominent impressions I carry are that of glass chrome buildings, hi tech malls, whooshing past as I drive with my nose buried in my BB not noticing the noise and buzz, signaling a robust business growth

The bustling markets of Hyderabad overwhelm me. Like everywhere else in India, the bazaars are teeming with people and sellers - buyers looking to negotiate a good deal while the sellers use their best skills i.e. the art of persuasion! You feel guilty if you don’t buy and move on

When going shopping or window gazing, make sure you have enough time on your hands to enjoy the bargains of the market place be it silk, bangles, pearls or shoes. I have always been in a rush and hence have never done any justice to shopping in Hyderabad

Charminar has the famed Mecca masjid, one of the oldest and largest monument in the world, many centuries old

The Golconda Fort, used to be a strong large fortress, built at the site of the famous diamond mines of Golconda. Today it shows off an amazing acoustics system that allows the sound of a hand-clap to be heard right at its citadel 200 feet high

The Salar Jung Museum displays more than 35,000 exhibits, considered one of the biggest and richest collections in the world

I had always heard Dad speak about Hyderabad’s Nawabi culture. I quite never did put it together, till the multiple visits when I interacted with the locals and business communities, understood the nuances of the way of life in Hyderabad. The city prides itself in high culture, where the legendary etiquette (adab and tehzeeb) are indeed, even today, a way of life. The welcoming nature and the inherent simplicity of its people charm you straight away

Life in Hyderabad is graceful and slow-paced. It is the land where Urdu language dominated (besides Lucknow), rhythms were created on the 'tabla' and melody was born from the 'sitar'. The shayrana (poetry) and khushmizaji ( jovial nature) emanated from the rich tradition of wholesomeness sought from food

In the olden days Nawabi also meant the lifestyle of the rich and famous with an ear for music and the good things of life. Which encompassed the Kothas (large houses), the mehfils (group of men) and the tawaifs (dancing girls)

Nawabi food: As a vegetarian I hope I do justice in describing the delectable ‘Nawabi’ cuisine that adds such a unique character to the city. There are two kinds of experiences to be had in this city of Nawabs. The charm of the best street food you will ever find and the sophistication of a well served, royal 5 course meal in a top dog hotel that you savour and remember for always

The senses titillate while the taste buds dance to local ‘panipuri' in the Chowk area. The gheee idlis served by the babai, melt in your mouth accompanied with the delicious chutney that makes you unabashedly ask for more in Srinagar Colony

The flavours are borne from the usual 'zeera'(cumin seeds) 'hing' (asafoetida), 'pudina' (mint), lemon but the taste buds don’t stop demanding more. The floating kebab aromas to the much talked and discussed Hyderabadi ghost Biryani, ask a non vegetarian how (s)he feels about it- you will see him/her roll their eyes heavenwards as words don’t do justice to the food variety and tastes available in the city of pearls.

If it had not been my work, I don't think I would have ever discovered this city or appreciated the smaller nuances that make Hyderabad warm and special.

Grand Prix at Sepang, Malaysia

Putting aside the glamour that is associated with F1 being the richest sport in the world, Formula One exposes itself to be the embodiment of all things that define a competitive sport at the very limits of Man’s capabilities. Whether it’s the painstakingly disciplined level of fitness the 22 drivers have to maintain, or the commitment of 100's of people who labour all year round to design, build and maintain a set of monstrously fast cars that represent the absolute cutting edge of technology – it all comes together to form a spectacular season of ultimate sport.

This was my 3rd Live race. And a tad disappointing too. The Sepang stadium was not fully packed, the weather gods threatened rain but nothing beyond a few drops of drizzle, and most importantly a race not like many F1 races I have seen before!
So many pit stops for tyre changes?!? Baffling!

There were lots of individual battles, some surprises but overall disappointment for me. Two happy moments I took away from Sundays race was Felipe’s brilliantly fought lead at T4, T5 finally giving way to Webber at T6. More often than not Felipe loses his rightful spot in the sun because Alonso is the favored child of Ferrari. More aggressive, more steely, more competitive!

And the other moment - the fierce battle between Alonso and Hamilton. Actually any head to head becomes delicious because of the much acclaimed public warring of the past, between these two. Credit to Lewis who kept his lead. Alonso was all over Lewis’s backside, finally Alonso’s front wing touched Lewis’s back tyres, knocking off the front fender from Alonso;s car which forced him to pit, thereby losing a could-be podium… :(

I was so so disappointed with Ferrari’s performance - no Prancing Horse once again on the podium :( !! Since I can remember I have been a fan of the Ferrari, I thrilled and loved the races till 2009 when Ferrari dominated every circuit in the season, with a vice like grip, unshakeable was its dominance! But since 2009 ( Schumi's retirement) the races have fast started losing its charm for me, I don’t see Ferrari cars making it often to the podium!

Ok - back to Sepang, yet another horrific moment is etched in the memory. When I saw Vitaly drive off the circuit into the gravel with the steering wheel full of buttons and controls that had come off in his hands!! Imagine his feelings coming to rest alongside a signage showing '150 meters' to the next turn; bitter and ironical.

The good news (or bad?) from the Malaysian government communique is that, they are yet to decide whether to keep hosting the annual Grand Prix's at Sepang beyond 2015. PM Najib said he was happy with Sunday’s bigger crowd than usual – more than 100,000 – and sounded optimistic about the future. So we will know, in time I guess…

'Overall': what makes these races special - besides the fact that it is such a specialized sport ( don’t be mistaken – this isn’t a motor sport where cars simply go round and round in a circuit) - F1 makes the most of every competitive factor; from the characteristics of a track designed to challenge drivers’ and cars’ technical capacity and endurance, to the outwitting of rivals in race strategy or wheel-to-wheel in overtaking.

Also the fact that this sport is hugely (perhaps the only one) which is truly international, in every definition of the word “international”!! Drivers, work with engineers and technicians from varying cultural backgrounds. Life is dependent on language, trust and respect. And they all seem to thrive on it:) Now only if our daily world could learn from this – we as a globe would live more peacefully and harmoniously with each other

Here is wishing Ferrari better luck in Shanghai, hope to see a spectacular Live race in Noida Delhi in Oct 2011 of the GP, this season!