Explorer of Experiences

The silhouette of the iconic Burj Al Arab in the backdrop of this view of the Jumeirah Kite Beach Nervous, excited and tired; that was me exactly a month back as I lay in my warm comfortable bed at home with a view of my packed-to-the-brim suitcases. I was setting off to Dubai to begin a new chapter in my career and life. Here’s the count of the cities I have lived in - Lagos, Mussoorie, Pune, Melbourne, Mumbai - and now Dubai was going to be the sixth city I would spend a considerable time living in. I have to say, having moved around so much, relocating never became any easier. Buried deep, that nervous feeling in the stomach persisted in the days leading to my departure.  Happy to report, settling in Dubai was easy on me. Maybe it was knowing that I was just a two hour flight away from home, or that I was fairly familiar with Dubai courtesy four leisure trips to the city before, or that I already had some friends here, or that I was transferring within the same company,...

Where Else promises to be unique in Viman Nagar, a neighbourhood already brimming with so many eateries.   Four young friends came together to put their love for food and travel experiences in a melting pot called ‘Where Else’. This new café and bar is the brainchild of sibling duo Ardesh and Daisy Rustomjee and best friend duo Amritha Shrikumar and Sweta Jobanputra. These Viman Nagar residents have been firsthand witnesses to the rise of new eateries in their locality. With ‘Where Else’ they aim to fill in the void of a place that offers all-day breakfast and good quality indulgent food. We drove to the outlet in its first week of opening to find out if ‘Where Else’ is the place to be.   

For the uninitiated, the thali is the quintessential complete Indian meal. A traditional thali includes protein – dal , meat, fish, vegetables and salad; dairy –  kadhi ,  raita ,  dahi , carbs –  roti , rice; fat –  ghee ; dessert and a digestive drink – buttermilk,  sol kadi  or  kahwa . An Indian thali is a nourishing meal with the right balance of proteins, vitamins and carbs. Chicken Thali Maratha Samrat ,  Kothrud Maratha Samrat is the place if you want to expereince regional Maharashtrian flavours. Regulars swear by their Mutton Chops Thali where the chops are served with rich and spicy brown gravy and the Kalla Chicken Thali with chicken cooked in traditional  kala masala  which gives the gravy mild coconut flavor and a unique aroma. Served in moderate portions, the thalicomes with chapati ,  Kolhapuri-style red hot  tambda rassa  andcreamy white  pandhra rassa, biryani  and egg curry coo...

These book cafes make sure that Pune’s reading culture doesn’t die out. The rise in cafes dedicated to their love for books as much as food is a reassurance that reading as a passion is still alive. Pune’s bookworms have quite a few options where they can sit in a cosy corner and enjoy flipping pages of their favourite books while snuggling up to a hot cuppa. Pagdandi Book Cafe, Baner, Pune Pagdandi – Books/Chai/Café ,  Baner When you have a backpacker and a yoga teacher bringing together their entrepreneurial minds, what you get is Pagdandi. The cafe has a library, comfortable mattresses to sit on, a small cafe space and board games if you want a break from reading. Live acoustic jams, storytelling circles and open mic are hosted regularly to bring together a group of aspiring writers. Their  kahwa  and hot chocolate with marshmallows are highly recommended. You can also tuck in a bowl of hot Wai Wai while reading your favourite book. Cafe Nook Café N...

This article was published on The Punekar and can be viewed here .  I have been lucky enough to live in several cities over the past few years. Pune has been a particular favourite for me; I always feel home here. So I am always thinking about ways this city can be made more livable and more exciting!  1. Pop-up Restaurants Chef Gaggan If you’re a follower of the global food scene, you’ve probably heard of pop-up restaurants. Pop-ups are like wandering, nomadic restaurants and our neighbor, Mumbai, has seen quite a few of them over the past year. Case in point, Gaggan Anand of Gaggan fame (his eponymous Bangkok restaurant ranked 3 rd  on the World’s 50 Best Asian Restaurants list) set up a public tasting of his progressive Indian menu at Bandra-Kurla Complex. Needless to say, the city’s foodies were raving about it. Pune has a proud and flourishing food history too and we are sure there will be lots of takers of such pop-ups. 2. Dedicated Public Ope...

I wrote the following article for  The Punekar recently. The kind of response it got did not stun me, it was heart-warming. Right from the minute it was uploaded on the website, the article got an overwhelming traction. It received 75k+ views, was shared by 214 people and got over 2000 Facebook likes. I hope you enjoy the read! Link to published article here .  1. Not (Too Cool for School) Some of the wisest teachers live in Pune! Be it medicine, management or military, this metropolitan is ‘la maison officiel’ of education. 2. Love Thy Neighbour Pune is a mere three hour journey away from India’s financial and film capital, Mumbai. People living in one city actually commute daily to the other for work. 3. All The World’s A Stage  Home to the Film and Television Institue of India, National Film Archives of India and an advocate of Marathi theatre, Pune has been and continues to champion its love for performing arts. 4. The Weatherman Nestled...

The Groom's not-so-nervous-feet So I was in Bangalore and no prizes for guessing why! I was attending (yet another) wedding of course. But it is not everyday that you get to witness your Nepalese friend a.k.a Groom in a South Indian style dhoti, worn with what seemed like yards of pristine white cloth. With the '2 States' style wedding over in a day, I still had a free day to spend in Bangalore. It's a city I have been to around four to five times now, so I was keen on exploring a new facet of it. This 'Garden City' was facing its worst summer yet and boy was the mercury soaring. Glaring sun mixed with dust from construction sites mixed with pollution from the never-moving traffic made the most headache-inducing pot pourri. I still decided to brave the heat and venture out to make the most of my time. After a quick check on what Lonely Planet recommends to see , I grabbed a friend and headed out with a list of 4-5 places chalked out to visit. This w...