Kabaddi, Kabaddi, Kabaddi

This was a surprise. A phone call from an aunt with free tickets to the premier of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) in Mumbai was not an opportunity I'd have missed. Although I don't completely understand Kabaddi (though I get the gist of it), it's a good way to spend a weekend evening.

The first match was played between Mumbai and Jaipur. Entrepreneur Ronnie Screwvalla owns the Mumbai team and Abhishek Bacchan owns the Jaipur team. NSCI is a huge complex. Once you step in, you get a feel of the Indira Gandhi Sports Stadium in New Delhi where I had gone last year to cover the Indian Premier Tennis League for my newspaper. We were fortunate to reach there as even though we had the VIP seats, the crowd began to swell as time went by. The place was teaming with celebrities; from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to Amitabh Bacchan (AB), Aishwarya Rai, Aamir Khan. Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sunil Shetty and many m
ore. Fadnavis was interviewed on the court about why likes and supports Kabaddi. Later, AB kicked off the proceedings by rendering the national anthem.

Soon, the match started and U-Mumba ran ahead. Just when it looked like the home team was running away with the match, Jaipur made a strong comeback and almost took away the match. But Mumbai retorted strongly and won the tie in a thriller. We didn't attend the second match, but al in all, was a fun-filled evening.

Chai in the Dining Car

Train journeys fascinate me. But none quite like the Deccan Queen (DQ). Especially the Mumbai to Pune leg. Years ago, I shifted my loyalties from the Indrayani Express (which leaves for Pune in the morning) to the DQ (which leaves in the evening). And even though Pragati Express leaves a good 50 minutes before- and reaches few minutes sooner than- the DQ, the Queen has her own charm. And I like the C4 coach particularly because it's right next to the Dining Pantry car. By the way, the Queen just got a refurbished dining car, with new lights, new seating, curtains and very swanky. The Dining car has been the DQ's highlight for years. It's half kitchen and half restaurant. The new dining car has two new wash basins as well. They had just introduced it days before my last visit, so the decorations were still on. That's also another reason why I love the DQ. Unlike other Mumbai - Pune trains, this one has a pantry car, so food is freshly prepared. Leaving home in the afternoon and walking into the Mumbai CST station that time- as also reaching Pune late evening and then crashing to bed after a delicious dinner- has its own charm for me, which I can't quite describe it, so let's not bother.

The DQ chugs out at Mumbai CST at sharp 5:10. I think it's the only train where the air-conditioned coaches still have wall clocks in them. And one of the very few trains that don't stop at Dadar. By which time, it picks up good speed, but not quite its top speed I think. The best part of DQ is when the staff from the pantry car starts coming in offering tea / coffee at first, followed sometimes by soup and then they take orders for evening snacks. Bread/butter toast or sandwich (you can order it with cheese), omelette, vegetable cutlets, chicken cutlets, baked beans and perhaps a few other items. My favourite: bread, cheese, butter toast and omelette. I wish they could offer chai along with the toast sandwich, so that I could dip my toast in tea and have it. But since preparation takes time, they serve the beverages first.

I like food that's freshly prepared. Other trains have readymade snacks that are already prepared in their station canteens. I don't like that and prefer to carry sandwiches from home on such trains. Onboard the DQ, the pantry staff is top rate; very courteous, hardworking and they are always running and on their toes to serve. There is this particular charming old man, who's the pantry staff, who I've been seeing on the DQ for years now. Fortunately, he was in charge of C4 this time, so we were well looked after.

I like to follow a pattern when travelling to Pune by train. Apart from my snack and what I must have all the time, I have to alight at Karjat station for some time. Here's where all trains heading to Pune- fast or slow, long or short- get a few electric locomotives attached at the back to push it up the ghats. The engines then detach themselves away at Lonavala (here again, I must step out briefly) and return back to Karjat for the same routine, all over again. Except for a few passenger and freight trains, Karjat is a technical stop for most fast Mumbai - Pune trains. This means that you can't buy tickets for Karjat. But the train stops there for technical / operational reasons. Which is also why, on return, most of these trains don't stop at Karjat because when the train comes down the ghat, it does not need locomotives to push it. Slower trains have a commercial stop here.

Karjat station is also famous for its vadas. I don't care for the vadas but I like the atmosphere of Karjat station. It gives a village station feel as there's quite a lot of greenery that surrounds it. Once the ghat section starts, I ventured into the new Dining car. Now usually, the dining car gets full at the Karjat station itself, as this is the best place any Mumbai - train can has to offer. You have your food, relax and enjoy the view the ghats. Especially in the monsoons, where you get see many waterfalls and beautiful scenery. I don't get a window seat, but since I am determined to get a seat, I wait patiently till I see an empty seat. Since I am full, I order just a cup of tea.

On the other hand, I wish I could have eaten my evening snack here, as they prepare all sorts of eggs (I saw someone eating fried eggs, sunny side up) and also serve us in glass plates and stainless steel cutlery. But I have my chai and enjoy the view as the train meanders its ways up the ghats, through the tunnels, over the bridges, some of them as old as about 50 years I suppose, occasionally honking and trying to speed as much as possible. I could hardly spot any waterfall because it hadn't rained in a long time. But the scenery is still beautiful. In just 30 mins, DQ chugs past Khandala and arrives at Lonavala.

At 8:30, we reach Pune in style. And into familiar surroundings. Past the Vaswani ashram, Dorabjee's shop, Kayani Bakery, Moledina Road, touching MG Road, East Street, the white-washed church and cozy cottages on the Napier Road, Pune Camp

My interview of Stan Wawrinka

Stan Wawrinka is in danger: from his hideous, chequered pink shorts.
If there’s something that can bring him down, despite beating the World No.1 Novak Djokovic to win the French Open earlier this month, it’s his choice of shorts. Last week, he put up a message on Twitter saying he will give away one pair of his “lucky shorts” to “a lucky follower” when he reaches 500,000 followers. We asked him if he was serious. “Of course, I’m serious! There has been so much talking about the shorts, so many people wanted to get one. There were also some funny cartoons in Switzerland. All of a sudden it was all about the shorts,” he said in an email interview.

I interviewed Stan Wawrinka, the French Open champion 2015 for Live Mint.

Here's the link to the story:

http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/vUthczokWpMdF9UsJLZ35O/Stans-the-man.html

End of the road for the Big Four?

"We’ve got teenagers and young guys coming now; I see change is coming,” says American coach Brad Gilbert over the phone. Gilbert has trained the likes of Murray, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Nishikori. “I don’t know when it’s coming but there is change coming. This is an exciting time for men’s tennis where we’ve got the older, established players, the challengers, and a good mix of new young players,” said Brad Gilbert. 

Men's tennis is changing. How long will the Big 4 continue to remain the Big 4? You have the challengers to the crown and then you have the young turks, under 21, who are potential leaders. My story in today's Mint on how the men's tennis landscape is changing.

I have also attached the graphics that wasn't carried in the story. But I am attaching the same here for my reader's reference. 

http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/L2pyk3ElzCsP6PAt8tWVgP/End-of-the-road-for-the-Big-Four.html

Flipkart Wish Chain advertisement

Arguably, the best advertisement in recent memory. And my favourite ad- I think- of the decade. The story is beautiful and told like a story. You may or may not like Flipkart, but the product positioning is brought out beautifully through the advertisement. Background music is lyrical and haunting, but in a good way, of course.

A Visit to the Rashtrapati Bhawan

There's something about Delhi that gets me. My love affair started in 2000 when I camped here for three and half months when I started my first job. I had got home sick by the end of that tenure, but not before I had some of the best time of my life while staying there. A day trip to Agra (my first visit to the Taj Mahal), new friends, countless movies, lunches and dinners; I had a great time back then. It's a place where I cannot stay for months, but an occasional visit- even once or twice or thrice a year- is always looked forward to. The affair continues. Safdarjung Enclave, ITO, Delhi Gate, Connaught Place, Janpath, Khan Market, Patel Nagar, Karol Baug, Tughlak Road, Lodi Estate....these are just some of the Delhi corners tattooed in my brain. All my life I have worked for publications headquartered in Delhi, so I've been fortunate enough to keep going there. Plus if you have friends there, all the more reason.

So after a massive delay of 10 hours and embarking to 45 degrees temperature at New Delhi Railway station, I quickly take my Uber ride to the Bahl residence at Patel Nagar. Metro station pillars are the new landmarks; only in India. You turn right or left when you come to a certain metro pillar; how convenient. Saturday is wasted but there's pretty little you can do in such heat, anyway. But a nice get-together with old friends and colleagues is enough to end the day on a high. A-glass-of-wine-and-beer high as well!

Sunday dawns and Rashtrapati Bhawan (the President of India's house) beckons. We have a walking tour to take at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. With effect from September 2013, the Rashtrapati Bhawan is now open for public through guided walking tours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Ofcourse, only a section of it, not the whole facility. Online booking is allowed but we went through a group that specialises in- and what I am told are brilliant- walking tours (Intach Heritage Walks conducted by Ms. Priya: email her at walks@intachdelhichapter.org) for historical places in Delhi. We meet her- and the group assembles- outside at one of the many gates to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Cameras, mobile phones, eatables are not allowed.

The tour starts and Priya hands us all over to a charming and very knowledgeable in-house guide. Only in-house guides can take you inside the President's palace. The flag at the centre of the massive complex was hoisted, which indicates that the President of India is in the country.  If the President is travelling abroad, the flag does not get hoisted. We went past the massive entrance at the outdoor seating area where our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and his cabinet was sworn in, in May 2014.

To start with, we were taken to the Marble Hall where, amongst other things, large portraits of past British Viceroys, Queen, King George and so on were there. A large replica model of the Rashtrapati Bhawan was also there. From there we went downstairs to the large kitchen and saw lots of gifts that were given by various foreign presidents and dignitaries to our Presidents, past and present. There were lovely crockery; tea pots, dining ware, cups and saucers and so on. We were told that although the President gets these gifts, they are not personal gifts. These are gifts that were given to a state head and hence the property of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

We saw the Banquet Hall that had the longest dining table I have ever seen. Chairs were not laid out, but if they are, the President's chair is at the centre and has the longest backrest to distinguish itself. We were told about the very elaborate butler system there was. There were lights at the higher ends of the walls, with different colours. A certain colour light, if switched on, signals the butlers to serve. Another colour acts as a signal for the butlers to clear up dishes. Downton Abbey, anyone? Earlier, the walls had motifs of guns. But we were told that one of the former President Pratibha Patil didn't like it. She felt that there is no place for guns in a dining room, and so the gun motifs were replaced with- if I remember correctly- floral motifs.

The President's library has some very old books. But the highlight I thought was the magnificent Durbar Hall where countless functions have taken place, including the ones where the civilian awards (Padma wards, etc) are given away every year by the President. Did you know that the foot of the statue at the front of the room is of the same height as the tip of India Gate? Infant if you stand near the foot of the statue and look straight, you'd be looking at India Gate. The Ashoka Hall was also quite impressive.

Unfortunately, the Government isn't doing enough to promote the tours of the Rashtrapati Bhawan. It serves as a very good history lesson for our children if they're exposed to such places. Rashtrapati Bhawan has two gift shops; one outside in the garden and one inside the building. The former was shut because it was Sunday (we took a peak and it looks woefully inadequate) and the shop inside the building was an embarrassment. No salesperson to attend to us, the fridge was empty and only a staff's personal water bottle was in there. That was a pity because it was baking hot outside and we could have all bought cold drinks or water. There were hardly any curious, T-Shirts, mementos, etc on sale. If this had been US or Europe, the shop would be full of tons and tons of interesting items, bearing the Rashtrapati Bhawan logo. People would be queuing up to buy something, anything from there. We need to learn how to market ourself.

All in all, a pretty eventful day, thanks to my friend Himalee who had the vision to book a tour here when she heard of it. We must not miss such opportunities. Do visit Rashtrapati Bhawan if you get a chance. It's a trip of a lifetime.

(Picture courtesy: Rashtrapati Bhawan website: http://presidentofindia.nic.in/rashtrapati-bhavan.htm)

Business class on Vistara

It's not even been a year since Vistara was launched, but it has already got me excited. This brand new airline, a joint venture between the Tata group and Singapore Airlines, has managed to shake up the industry after a long time. It may not have cornered many passengers yet from competitors, but it has shaken up things, especially the full serviced carriers.

This particular Delhi - Mumbai flight was my third by Vistara and the airline has already upgraded me twice. This time, they bumped me up to Business Class, up from Premium Economy class. Coincidentally, this was also the first time ever that I had been upgraded to Business class.

To begin with, cold towels were given to us, followed by lime juice. Newspapers were already there in our front seat pockets, but magazines were also offered. But in a two-hour flight, there's precious little we can do, especially in full-service carriers when 3/4th of your time go in just eating food. Anyways, there was a bloke in one row ahead who, right after settling down in his seat and taking several selfies and selfie videos of himself in business class, chose some 3-4 magazines!

The flight was full. But they managed to pack us in pretty quickly and we left about 10 minutes ahead of scheduled time. Very soon, we were given our dinner menu. What I wanted was not available, so I chose something else in continental non-vegetarian. It was not very tasty, very passable. Dessert was good; I chose kulfi. Food at Vistara is generally good as it is prepared by the Taj kitchen. Ofcourse for certain items, you need to acquire a taste. Perhaps, for my conti dish, I hadn't yet acquired the taste. No matter.

They later offered us a Samsung Galaxy Tab and Sony headphones for entertainment. I don't know whether Jet Airways offers a similar service for their business class passengers because I have never travelled by their business class, but I was very impressed by Vistara's idea of tablets as entertainment. Not much of entertainment was loaded on it, but it was good enough. As I said, how much of entertainment can you take in, on a 2-hour fight. I could barely reach the halfway mark of an episode of The Big Bang Theory, when we started to descend and the air-hostess politely came and requested us to return the tablets and headphones. By the way, that guy ahead of me- who was already sitting with three magazines- had also taken the tablet!