The World is my Playground

Eleven years after an adventurous ride I land again on this moon-land. January 18 th 2007, I distinctly remember that along with my colleague and media fraternity from Bhuj, Ahmedabad and Rajkot, we all crossed The Great Rann of Kutchh. Those were the days when there was actually no road on this No man’s land, no network, no food, no water. Only Army and BSF used to be the lifeline and support system. BSF post Vigorkot in 2007 Bachendripal and the team before flag off in 2007 No roads and our vehicles went past on bushy, sandy, and rocky terrain, leaving off trails and spreading the fine dust all across in the environs. Mission….. to flag off “First women’s Thar Desert expedition” lead by Ms. Bachendri Pal, passing by the Indo Pak borders. Since it was for work, I always wanted to visit this place again; especially after the ad campaign of ‘Khushboo Gujarat ki’ by Big B. This time it was again the same place, Rann of Kutchh and ...

Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram... Small is beautiful!! Brainchild of Anar Patel which is the he theme of second edition of Sabarmati festival, inaugurates today in Ahmedabad.  We all begin somewhere small, a humble beginning. The festival gives space, an equal platform to all artists, be from simple walks of life to the renowned ones. The festival is a showcase of events ranging across varied segments like Handicraft, Art, Craft, Music, Literature, Theatre, Dance, Cinema, Spirituality, Culinary Arts, Heritage, Awards etc. The event is a culmination of contributions from artists, citizens, institutes and academia all of which results into a living documents of cultural diversity. The attraction was various art installations by celebrated artists and students of renowned institutions giving out strong and inspiring messages. Asha Mandapa and her team from Ideal Academy created a larger than life Gandhi statue made out of glass and iron. Gandhi, known as Sant of Sa...

No cocktails or mocktails but this is about Tea Tales... We all know about cocktail parties and wine tasting sessions, let’s go on the other side of the story.. the same ingredient i.e. tannins yet served in a very different fashion. That too, a much required need, in a dry state probably!! Ahmedabad as a city is a tea loving place; one can spot kitlis at every 200 meters for the traditional black tea prepared with milk... which has now outgrown in different avtars ...just like fine dining places and growing cafe craze, the city is also witnessing growth of Tea junctions where one can buy and taste teas from across the globe and various concoctions prepared out of it, defining the drink completely in a different fashion so that you can fall in love with the entire idea of it. Kettlery, a destination for people who don’t even like the idea of tea will fall in love with it!! The hand-picked variety of teas range from the black, white, oolong and green tea... all these leaves ...

With evolving food trends, today’s era is of health conscious individuals, who are foodies, travelling and exploring yet health conscious. To impart the same mantra and spread awareness about lesser known facts and International trends, Malaysian Palm Oil Corporation organised a fun filled event at Ahmadabad. Trending or new trends... was the theme, so the participants invited for the forum were the new age bloggers, another emerging trend in the 5 th estate, were dressed in “ Retro”  - theme of party.   Dum Maaro Dum... Malaysian Palm Oil Council designed the meet in a very innovative fashion. Unlike the boring only business briefing sessions, entire gang of bloggers were made to move across in various restaurants, where we not only tasted some recipes made out of palm oil but also had to use our grey matter. The culinary journey started at Kbobs where,  Dr. Bhavna Shah, Country Head - Malaysian Palm Oil Council; India & Srilanka shar...

Dravida at Fern in Ahmedabad hosts Chettinad food fest. The fest is about serving authentic Thalis from Chttiar region of South India, which is apart from their elaborate South Indian Menu. This unique food festival features mouth-watering delicacies from the golden era of the Chettiars who believed in living life king size! Their traditional food was well balanced & flavoured which helped them to stay healthy & fit. The Chettinad cuisine is further enhanced by the hand pounded spices, a tradition from the past and Chef Gersome from Chennai with his team painstakingly prepares the delicacies in the same traditional manner. To retain the authenticity of food, efforts are put in to such an extent that shallots, black sesame oil and spices are brought in from South India, which hels imparting the exact flavour to the recipes. Traditional stone grinder is used to fully extract and impart flavour and right texture.. Such initiatives taken by any hospitality gro...

Sattvik, the name itself says it all.. A food festival organised and celebrated during peak of Winters in Ahmedabad witnesses overwhelming response from both participants and visitors. The success rate and growing demand for such festivals clearly implies that we are still connected to our roots, our origin, if exposed with light and knowledge.. we are open and respect our culture and our food habits just like being open and accepting to western food habits. Sattvik- Food Festival, entering fifteenth year is all about reviving the lesser known ingredients, pulses, millets, spices or any kind of food elements which are not much known to people or probably have lost their significance. Revival is the right term to apply, revival of our food which is seasonal, regional and good for health as it carries lot of hidden therapeutic benefits. Ragi & Beet Cup Cake After Revival comes the aspect of presentation to the new generation.. fusion is the right word. The fastest evolvin...