Yours Whimsically – Part 3: Of malls and restaurants

The first mall opened in Bengaluru – Bangalore it was, back then – when I was in Class 4 or 5. My dad being a bit laidback and the mall being out of the comfort zone of places we frequented, it would have taken me years had it not been for my uncle, to first visit it. The sheer enormity of the place and the variety it housed held the Class 5 kid in wonder. The next day, in school, I “casually” mentioned it in a conversation with my friends. I had been waiting to see that expression of awe and childish jealousy on their faces and I was not disappointed.  Going to the only mall in the city was a status symbol and having achieved it in Class 5 was no mean feat. During lunch, I told them about all that I had seen in the mall, not without adding the creative inputs I was capable of back then! In a bid to appear knowledgeable, I interspersed the narrative with tidbits of information I had overheard during the conversation between my uncle and aunt. One of my friends added his inputs and both of us nodded wisely, without either of us comprehending what was being said. The rest of the group looked at us with amazement and placed the two of us on a higher pedestal – for that moment. We had had our moment in the sun! [I was bought a t-shirt. A red, round-collared t-shirt, I remember. Here is the weird bit – that shirt seemed to grow with me! It was bought in Class 5 and it served me till 9 or 10, god knows how!]

Years passed. Malls, fancy restaurants & eateries, McDs and CCDs began to dot the landscape of Bengaluru. My tryst with fancy restaurants began in P.U College (the equivalent of 11^th – 12^th). It was the time when ‘exploring’ new restaurants became the trend and ‘trying out new cuisines’ became the catchphrase. The group I was part of was keen on experimenting – Italian this time, Chinese the next and what not. (I totally appreciate their spirit!) Much as I would be amazed with the ambiance at each of these different restaurants, the menu full of fancy names would still mean naught! At those times, I would let others take the initiative and would (un)willingly be part of the ‘experiment’. I must say, though, that I seem to have caught on a bit of their ‘spirit of experimentation’ now. Being a vegetarian, I try to ‘experiment’ within the limited choice I have everytime we friends go out to eat. I have failed sometimes, quite disastrously even, much to my embarrassment!

We decided to celebrate one of our friends’ birthday in CCD. That was the first time I ever visited one. [Until then, it was my perception that only couples went to CCD. Since I didn’t have a girlfriend, it was out of bounds!] After having ceremoniously cut the cake and sharing a few clichéd ‘birthday jokes’ (selfies weren’t in vogue then!), it was time to place orders. I went with my friends to the counter with much swag. On looking at the menu, however, I fell silent. One, the items were overpriced. Two, I didn’t know what the difference was between an espresso and a cappuccino, not to mention the other items on the menu which made no sense! All I knew until then was coffee – “strong” and “light” being the only variants. Not wanting to make myself a fool in front of the few girls who were part of the celebrations, I stood there appearing to be studiously looking at the menu. Frankly, all I did was to listen very carefully to what my friends were ordering (they always seem to have more experience than me in these matters) and then place the same order, just playing around with the language a little bit (has been my strength always!) so that it didn’t appear like I had memorized their order. Some months later when I saw the movie ‘English Vinglish’, I was totally able to relate to the scene where Sridevi messes up while placing an order at a café.

Over the years, I have been to several fancy restaurants and quite often, situations like the ones I have just talked about have been replayed. I fail to understand the fuss over the ‘type of bread’ (what does it even mean?!) and ‘toppings’. I still cannot differentiate between a latte and a cappuccino. At some restaurants, I have even heard questions of ‘still’ and ‘sparkling’ water. I doubt if even those serving know the difference! Luckily, I have always had friends and other experienced people around to bail me out of such situations.

No. I do not hold anything against these fancy restaurants. In fact, I enjoy eating at these places. However, I find more joy in eating bhel puri or gol-gappa by the road than eating a 6-inch bread layered with stuff I hear for the first time at the counter! To me, telling the vendor if I want more spice or less spice is closer home than choosing ‘vegetables’ and ‘sauces’ that would go with my bread.

Visiting malls is now commonplace and no longer a status symbol. However, I find it more comfortable to go to shops in the bazaar close to my locality to buy clothes than to a fancy mall to buy ‘brands’. I find the bazaar more natural than the shine & gloss of the mall and I am referring to the people, not shops, in the two different settings! It is more fun to see people bargain over their purchase than to see them pay by card without a word.

One of the first things I do everytime I go back home is to go on a walk around the bazaar, listening to the crowds and taking in the sights. It gives me a kick of its own kind. Maybe I am attaching too much romance to such ‘old school’ settings. Maybe, it is just the way I am. 

Yours Whimsically... - Part 2

I am writing this while the idea and the event are still fresh in my mind. Some of this is a result of a very entertaining conversation with a junior of mine, who, for various reasons, has similar opinions on several issues.

I am a student in IISER-Kolkata (ironically, 50 km off Kolkata!). One of the few community - conducted celebrations is that of the “Basant Panchami” or “Saraswati Puja” as it is known here. One of my friends told me that this day is considered as the “Bengali Valentines’ Day” as well. May be, because it occurs close to Valentines’ Day. May be, because everybody is in their traditional best and (tries to) looks attractive! Naturally, the talks on the previous day centered on what one planned to wear and how to make the best impression. I bet that many dreamt of being complimented by their ‘crush’ and of a possible selfie as well that would make their day!

This is something I have observed during Ethnic Days over the years and I am sure you would agree. I am not talking of the selfies with pouts, duckfaces and a wide array of poses (and hashtags). The moment a saree is draped, girls with who we share classes look so different and mature (not to mention beautiful!). For a few seconds, it even becomes difficult to recognize them as the ones we have known for quite some time. (Accounting for the make-up applied is another story altogether!) While we men look pretty much the same in a tee-shirt & a traditional kurta, what magic a saree holds is difficult to fathom!

I was pleasantly surprised during lunch to see people who had not been involved in much apart from academic programs taking active part in serving and managing the crowd. (The food was awesome, by the way.) While a thought of volunteering to lend a hand did cross my mind, I decided against it as it might come in the way of the enthusiasm of those who were already there.  I derived as much pleasure in observing people as I did in eating, though.  

An amusing sight is to see some of the volunteers walk among people with an air of self-importance, appearing to do a lot of work while practically achieving naught, discounting the burning of a few calories! It is priceless to see tension & worry over nothing at all written on those faces. Unless that expression is assumed, how would you and I know that he/she is a ‘responsible’ figure in the entire team? Or maybe, it is all a ploy to capture the attention of the photographer or the ones higher up or, more importantly, the one(s) who they want to impress. To be frank, I too am guilty of having done this, while being at the lower end of the hierarchy! At some point during the entire day, all of them would have played ‘decision-makers’ and when they sleep that night, they will be proud of their deeds, even if it was something as ‘petty’ as having seated a single person on a chair that was waiting to be filled.

As a major in biological sciences, I have ecology & evolution as one of my courses. One of the core concepts in evolution is that of selection of mates. (Ask any bio-major and he or she can lecture you about this). The basic principle is that females choose the best males while males show-off & compete with each other. This principle is beautifully illustrated, like in no lecture, during the famed “dhunachi naach” (I hope I have spelt it right). Dancers perform holding earthen pots full of burning coconut husk. If performed well, it is a sight to behold! The dance begins slowly, with dancers warming up as well as the one on the beats. It gains momentum as the crowd builds up; more importantly, as ladies fill the arena. I have seen this for three years and am yet to figure out how this surge in energy occurs! The dance, hereafter, is punctuated with “aww!”s, flashes and increased heroics. While the number of earthen pots is limited, nothing prevents the crowd from breaking into an impromptu jig. It might seem too Bollywood-ish. All of a sudden, there is a ‘formation’ and everybody seems to know the steps. Whoever said that such things do not happen in real life was way off-the-mark! While I was in my first year, some of the seniors and batch mates did try to persuade me into one such ‘formation’, much to their embarrassment as well as mine. They have given up on me now, or so I would like to believe.

The celebrations have ended and even while sitting in the room, I could hear people cheering during photo sessions despite knowing well enough that the camera is only capturing photos and not recording! That only reminded me of the numerous times I have done the same while posing for photos in a group.

Many a fellow will go to bed tonight with a sense of satisfaction and achievement. I am sure that when they talk to their friends tomorrow and for days to come, they will have a fair amount of behind-the-scenes gossip to share and a chance to relive their moment in the sun.