Explorer of Experiences

  The good folks behind Brooklyn Shuffle , Jimmy Hu and WTF! , now bring the nearly year-old The Bombay Bronx from Mumbai to Pune. This is an all-day bar where everything, from the interiors to the food unbridles the soul of Mumbai. Enter the bar, and it feels like you’ve chanced upon a set of a movie that is an ode to the maximum city. The Bombay Bronx is fitted with installations reminiscent of the city – take for instance the local train-style booth seating with train handles suspended from the ceiling, Irani café-style tables and chairs, a wall-sized painting of Amitabh Bachchan in his Deewar attire, tin fittings on the bar resembling the roofing of Dharavi ’s slum houses, train routes mapped out on the ceiling, lights fitted into loud-coloured dabbas and the neon signage of the iconic Eros theatre. Clearly, subtlety was not the brief to the interior designer. It is little wonder that we caught many wild-eyed walk-in diners taking a tour of the place before settling...

This is a picture of the Bhaktapur Darbar Square from my trip to Nepal in April 2012. Exactly three years ago. I was lucky to have visited this beautiful country and to have been witness to Kathmandu's wealth in terms of culture and heritage. As we speak, these centuries-old structures have been wiped out. The earthquake that so many feared for so many years hit Kathmandu on 25th April 2015. The death toll has been steadily on the rise and stands at 4,400 ( according to CNN ) and has left 8 million affected. As an economy which heavily depends on tourism, I want to encourage you to continue to maintain Nepal on your travel bucket list. Below, I recount some faded memories from my 2012 trip where I spent an overwhelmingly amazing trip touring Kathmandu and Pokhara.  I never anticipated Kathmandu to be the tourist-haven it is. We went shopping in Thamel, a thriving tourist hotspot, sipping on hot coffee along the way. April is peak season, so we found Kathmandu to be flocked...

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...

In this age of social media, no matter what the industry, it is in the business’ interest to have digital presence. Just maintaining presence for the sake of it is one thing, but doing a great job of it is another. Few other aviation brands are doing as good a job on social media as KLM is. Just browse through the airline’s global Facebook page . You don’t need to be a frequent flyer with the airline or a travel enthusiast or a plane spotter to enjoy their page. You simply and inevitably will enjoy it. And what is remarkable is that the brand’s social content has such a universal reach and appeal. Let us see what they are doing well and more importantly, differently. 1)       Beautiful imagery You would think seeing images of the blue KLM plane daily on Facebook would be boring. After all, the aircrafts look alike and the colours are the same. So what’s new? Well, they share some really magnificent pictures of their fleet fr...