A Kannadiga Restaurant all the Way

Travel, on business or for leisure, is always an opportunity for the taste buds to explore new cuisine. The challenge of entertaining an out-of-town guest in Bangalore reminds me of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, “Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink”.

Not because of any dearth of water (though it is not rare to have flooded roads and dry taps) but because while there’s enough fare from around the world: Spanish, Japanese, Korean, French, Italian and I dare say, even German, when a visitor asks to sample local food, it’s not an easy wish to fulfill. I love entertaining people at home but it’s not always possible to invite someone for a home-cooked Kannadiga meal.

There are specialty restaurants like Karavali at the Taj Gateway which do coastal food but this is not the food in the average local kitchen as Bangalore is not on the coast. Dakshin at ITC Windsor comes close enough at a pinch but not if you want to be out of the five star ambience.

It’s absolutely galling when visitors perk up at the thought of an Andhra meal. I do not want to be a bad neighbour and undoubtedly the spicy cuisine at Bhima and Nagarajuna is good, but honestly, it is not Kannadiga food. It would never do to take anyone to the dime a dozen Darshinis and Sagars with their stereotypical soda-infused fare either. The generic masala dosa does taste good but they are not a great choice and clones of such restaurants abound in many places in India.

Topping the list of must-eat-at for local flavour is undoubtedly Mavalli Tiffin Room aka MTR. Still in the original building that it is has occupied from 1960, near the main gate of Lalbagh, this institution is unique and has a zealous following of people who have grown up here.

The day after our local IPL team, the Royal Challengers Bangalore were outclassed at the finals by the Chennai Super Kings, I found succour in oota (meal) at MTR. I posted a photograph on Facebook and was not surprised that the most number of ‘likes’ and comments were from expatriate Bangaloreans. The very sight of the delectable fare adorning a simple plate was enough to evoke the taste and scent of the meal, wafting my friends back to this city. For gourmands, I share here the highlights of the meal kosambri, kootu, saaru and godhi payasa.

The family-owned restaurant, which was first started in 1924, is today run by the dainty Hemamalini Maiya. For the faint hearted who baulk at the thought of waiting for more than an hour for a table, the good news is that there are now five full-fledged outlets across the city. In the not so very distant past, there were brief experiments with frozen food that were reheated and sold at outlets. The intention was to retain quality control while keeping up with the concept of fast food. The concept tanked and the memory of the frozen food is a challenge that the new outlets have to dispel. 

Legions of people in India and abroad open up a packet of the MTR condiments and ready mixes almost daily. This business now belongs to the Norwegian company, Orkla Brands which bought MTR Foods from a branch of the family after the company split. But whether it comes from a packet or is freshly made and served by smiling local waiters, the truth is that the taste of MTR is the authentic Kannadiga taste. 

 -Sandhya Mendonca
(Sandhya Mendonca writes a weekly column 'My Bangalore' for Oheraldo)

All Bangalore is a stage

All of Bangalore appears to have become a stage, and men and women are busy making their exits and entrances in a host of interesting venues, which in turn, play many parts themselves. 

There’s a surge in theatre activity in the city with a motley fare to satisfy theatre-goers, though one doubts that anyone could afford to be choosy, considering that pickings had been slim for a long time.

Stand-up comedy that has you rolling on the floor, theatre with a cause that makes you ponder, plays stretching for 2 hours or those that are just 10 minutes long – we are getting spoilt for choice.

Bangalore has very few conventional auditoriums – along with the violin-shaped Chowdaiah hall, there is the charming Ranga Shankara, the Alliance Francaise, a couple of state-owned smaller places and the brand new Jagriti. These venues do not suffice for a variety of reasons; Chowdaiah is too big and expensive, Ranga Shankara has a long waiting line and so on.

The solution for performers has been to take theatre out of the box and move it to venues like lounges and nightclubs. Opus, Bacchus, Kyra and B flat are some of the popular entertainment spots that offer a sprinkling of theatre along with a regular line-up of music gigs. 

I was delighted to accept an invitation to join the cast of ‘Together in the City’ from Anita Mithra, founder of the brand new theatre initiative ‘Tortilla’. We debuted with five short plays (10 -15 minutes) staging a show each at Opus and Bacchus recently and we are all set for another show at B flat. These are performed with minimal props and simple costumes. 

Mithra feels the time is right for theatre that is “Intimate, inclusive, entertaining, fresh, innovative, and most of all, accessible”. Such experimental theatre is exactly what both Meghna Vakada, of Bacchus (Madira in an earlier avatar that I had helped launch) and Aarti Rao of B flat have been waiting for. Vakada says, “Spaces like ours offer an intimate interactive experience. While the clubbing crowd comes in through the week for music and dance, we attract a wider profile of customers for stand-up comedy and theatre”.

While B flat’s raison d’etre is music, Rao, a popular Jazz singer herself, is all for the use of the space for experimental theatre. “Bangalore has a cultural sensibility superior to that of other cities; this comes from exposure to global influence and a diverse musical education that makes people open to theatre too”, she all but croons.

My friend Ashish Sen’s ‘Play On!’ recently got a specialty cancer hospital to help them stage ‘Shadow Box’ in an attempt to sensitise the public and demystify the big C. On the face of it, the subject of the play is not typical supper theatre fare, yet, says Sen, “Judging by the reaction (at the five star hotels where the show was offered along with dinner), it strengthens the case of good theatre for good causes impacting the audience”.

 It’s not easy yet to match Bombay where plays have a run of 30 to 40 performances; Bangalore does not sustain more than three to four shows and the costs of production remain daunting.

At myriad venues, there’s hope of sustaining the surge in Bangalore’s theatre scene. Far more groups than ever before perform a lot more plays and there’s a lot more original writing too, all of which make for an exciting theatre environment.

 -Sandhya Mendonca 
(Sandhya Mendonca writes a weekly column for Oheraldo)

Banga-Bloom: The garden city is full of flowers

All of Bangalore is flaunting orange, the colour de jour, as the magnificent Gul Mohurs are in full bloom.

Against the glare of the blazing sun and the harsh overhang of ongoing work on the metro, summer still holds beauty in Bangalore. Denizens of other cities flee to the hills or distant lands to escape the heat but, for us, there is no such impetus.

Each day provides a visual treat with a profusion of flowers in delightful colours preening themselves along the dusty dug-up roads. While we mourn the giant trees that are felled to further the cause of development, we take heart that “the poetry of the earth is never dead” and seems to hold out graciously against the machinations of man.

Researching the history of Mysore State for a book, I found that the origin of the wonderful green bequest from our forebears could be traced to Hyder Ali, who seized power from the Wodeyars in 1763. He created the royal pleasure garden in Bangalore that later became Lalbagh and was assiduously nurtured by his son Tipu Sultan. A charming revelation was that the Tiger of Mysore’s emissaries were required to bring seeds from the lands that they passed through.

After Tipu’s death in 1799, the Wodeyars were restored to the throne while the British built up their presence in Bangalore which subsequently became the capital. The British brought their concept of formal gardens here and were delighted that the mix of tropical climate and the coolth of the high plateau was conducive for trees from the Mediterranean (the Cypress), South America (the Cerrado) and Australia (the Hoop and the New Caledonian pines).

Among the botanical experts sent from the Kew Gardens in London was the German Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel whose services were requisitioned by the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar in 1908.

That marked the beginning of a long and lovely courtship of the city with Krumbiegel taking up the task of several gardens across the city. Perhaps his most lasting legacy was the introduction of the flower shows at Lalbagh.

The shows that are now held to coincide with the Independence Day and the Republic Day, allow the best of Bangalore’s horticulturists to display their green fingers. Public and private companies vie with each other as much as housewives who leave no leaf unturned to reign as the queens of green.

To paraphrase one of the state’s most respected bureaucrats, the late TP Issar, “Winter, spring, summer or fall, Bangalore’s blossoms follow a splendid sequence that keep the city pretty”.

While the blue mauve Jacaranda dominate November and January, the early blooming yellow Tabebuias catch up and burst out in fully glory in February- March. Soon the magnificent Rain Tree with its pink puffs that resemble flounces on a little girl’s frock, the Mango and others follow suit.

It's summer now and our skyline is alight with the vibrant hues of the Gul Mohur (May flower). A delicate contrast is the Pink Cassia – entire trees are covered with these spectacular blossoms. With the rains already blowing in, we will soon smell the heady Champak (Indian magnolia) and Mallige (jasmine).

The long low bungalows and the vast expanse of their gardens that characterised the Garden City have yielded to apartment blocks but nobody it seems is immune to the city’s genealogy of green. My friend Sriram Aruvamudan and his partners run ‘My sunny balcony’ that creates cosy green niches in the smallest of spaces and vertical gardens. Space is no constraint as long as you have the will to be green.

Resources: ‘The Raj Bhavan Karnataka Through the Ages’ is a limited edition book that we published and perhaps, if you asked very nicely, can be obtained from the Raj Bhavan, Bangalore. http://rajbhavan.kar.nic.in/

TP Issar’s ‘Blossoms of Bangalore’ is sadly out of print.

A book on Krumbiegel 'Whatever he touched, he adorned' is available at 1.shanthiroad@gmail.com

Check out: http://www.mysunnybalcony.com

- Sandhya Mendonca (Sandhya Mendonca writes a weekly column for the Herald Goa)

Book release of 'The Raj Bhavan Karnataka- Through the Ages'

It was a chilly evening outside, but the guests gathered under the sparkling chandeliers of the Raj Bhavan's Banquet Hall were full of warm wishes on Monday, December 20 as the moment arrived for the unveiling of 'The Raj Bhavan Karnataka- Through the Ages' by His Excellency Dr. H.R. Bhardwaj, Governor of Karnataka in the presence of distinguished guests. Seen above are Sandhya Mendonca, Managing Director Raintree Media, Dr. H.R. Bhardwaj, Governor of Karnataka, Prof. Sandeep Shastri, Pro Vice-Chancellor Jain University and Mr. G.V. Krishna Rau, IAS, Principal Secretary to Governor of Karnataka (l-r).         

And here is the team behind the book: Antony Anjee (event photography), Asha Thadani (principal photography), Mishta Roy (design) and the editorial team, Rajagopal, Raghunandan, Aditya Mendonca and Remuna Rai and Sandhya Mendonca (clockwise from bottom left) with the Governor.

 

Follow links to local press coverage of the book launch and reviews of the book:

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/122293/down-memory-lane-raj-bhavan.html

http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/18/stories/2010121850960200.htm

http://www.mybangalore.com/article/1210/coffee-table-book-on-raj-bhavan-presents-interesting-facets-of-history.html

Another feather in our cap!

How many times have you driven past the gently curving walls of the Raj Bhavan and wondered at what’s inside? Now here’s a book that gives you a rare glimpse in to the premises of this august institution alongside a walk through the historical highlights of the state.

                              

 

“Although I was in some measure prepared to receive this communication, yet when it came, the sensation it produced in me was inexpressibly distressing and painful… more so as it conveyed the intimation that your departure from the country was to be without a personal interview with me and without the last interchange of a friendly farewell.”

- Maharaja of Mysore state, Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, in his farewell letter to Commissioner of Mysore Sir Mark Cubbon [1861] who built what is now known as the Raj Bhavan in 1840  

Excerpt from ‘The Raj Bhavan Karnataka – Through the Ages’, the latest in our prestigious portfolio of classy coffee table books.

Liberally sprinkled with colourful illustrations and photographs, some from archives and most that were specially commissioned, the elegant 200 page book is an eloquent and cogent account of the growth of Karnataka from the days of the Kingly fiefdom, through its rise as the progressive Mysore State, the British Raj, until it became Karnataka. Leaders who influenced the state’s history from Tipu Sultan to the Wodeyars add relevance to the book, as do the illustrious personalities who occupied the post of the Resident from the days of Mark Cubbon to the present incumbent His Excellency HR Bhardwaj.

The book is a product of diligent research, composition, writing and editing by the Raintree Media team and is backed with scholarly contributions from guest writers like Suresh Jayaram, art historian and Vijay Thiruvady, Trustee, Bangalore Environment Trust.  The book is designed by Mishta Roy, illustrated by Jai Iyer and Baadal Majumdar and photographs by Asha Thadani and Antony Anjee.

Charting the birth of an institution as hallowed as the Raj Bhavan is a challenging journey. Poring through the misty pages of history, shining light on obscure facts and threading together a readable story that is relevant to a contemporary audience was an exercise that we found thoroughly enjoyable.

  

Page Turners & Us

One of the few good things that's happened on poor battered MG Road is the Kannan building which has been rebuilt to retain the lovely colonial flavour of many old buildings that existed there until characterless concrete blocks came up. Many solid brands such as GK Vale, Lawrence & Mayo and Jamals are back at their old locations within this building. A most welcome addition is a newbie book store - Page Turners. Cosy and warm, it goes up two floors and tries to afford the quintessential Bangalore experience through the many books on its shelves and a compact performance space to boot.

Our books - Best of Bangalore, Best of Goa, Best of Chennai and Allen Mendonca's seminal novel Sentinel House - adorn the shelves along with the works of other literary luminaries like Girish Karnad, Amitav Ghosh and a host of Penguin authors from across India.

We highly recommend browsing in Page Turners to book lovers - a store dedicated to books, books and more books - no tacky 'novelty' gift items and sundry merchandise here. Thank God and young entrepreneur Abishek Laxminarayan for this.

Journey into the world of the written word

If you long to tell a story in your own words but have been unsure about how to go about it, here’s your chance to learn how.

While most writers have a natural flair with words, telling a tale is a craft like any other. And like any craft, it can be learnt. With a little effort and application, your inclination to be a writer can become a reality.

Raintree Media, Bangalore’s premier boutique publishing and content company, is offering a short story writing workshop for aspiring writers who want to make the creative journey into the world of the written word.

This workshop will guide you in choosing a theme, working a plot and completing a story which will be published as a compilation of the stories of all participants at the end of the course. Each participant will get 50 copies of the book.

Mentored by Sandhya Mendonca, Editor -in -Chief of Raintree Media, the workshop is conceptualized in an easy to handle on-line module.

Start date: October 1*

Duration: 8 weeks

Course Structure:

1. Personal Introduction & Interaction:

2. Online help and mentoring: Weekly updates, with personal supervision of progress by the Editor and interaction with the Editorial team.

3. Completing the writing: 6 weeks

4. Editing/ Re-writing/ Review: 2 weeks

5. Conclusion: Books and Certificates of completion will be handed out to each brand new author.


Open to:

The workshop will be in English and requires participants to have a reasonable command of the language.

Age group: 18 +

Cost: Rs.20,000/- per participant

NOTE:
a. Participants might be required to write a language ability test before enrolment.
b. *The course will start when 10 participants sign up.


To enroll, please mail: raintreemedia@gmail.com with the subject line: “I want to be a writer”.

Co-ordinator: Remuna Rai – T: 8095115592

Raintree Media now member of CII and FIP

We are proud to announce that Raintree Media has now become a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and The Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP).

CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organisation seeking to play a proactive role in India’s development process. The CII membership means that Raintree Media will now have access to publications and reports on a wide range of subjects, directory of members with company profile, monthly and quarterly journals - a development that we hope will help us in our goal of achieving excellence in everything we do.

The Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) is the representative body of publishers in English, Hindi and other regional languages from all over India, representing more than 80 percent of the publishing industry. All the leading publishers of the country are its direct members, other publishers being represented through various local associations. As a publishing house, Raintree Media is proud to become a FIP member and the recognition comes as a huge boost to our efforts to excel in this field.

To light the fire or kick the butt

The eve of World No Tobacco Day (Sunday, May 30) turned out to be a fun-filled laugh riot at Casa del Sol. Smoke Signals (frequently mistaken for a play when in fact, it is a heady mixture of quotes, short stories, speeches, limericks, jokes, songs and anecdotes that are destined to burn a hole in your stomach faster than any cigarette) was performed to an enthusiastic crowd by the Madras Players who walked in looking like Cherokee Indians from the plains of Native America.

The opening note from the bull horn played by Bangalore's Alan Rego set the tone for the rest of the evening which started with the song of Hiawatha. Without any vestiges of preaching, Smoke Signals takes the audience through a mad trip, replete with the conversation between Alice and the caterpillar that smokes a hookah (Alice in Wonderland) and a chewing gum that comes alive and chews a little boy (a short story by John Steinbeck). Mithran Devanesen, whom Bangaloreans will remember for his Mamma Mia! and Midnight Hotel, and his young protege, Sharanya Nair, brought alive the crazy wonderland of Lewis Carroll, while the stalwart, PC Ramakrishna, gripped everyone's attention with his baritone rendition of King James's speech and Steinbeck's story.

Alan Rego, sporting a mohawk and holding a peace pipe, sang Smoke gets in your eyes and Smoke that cigarette, both of which set the audience tapping their feet. His joie de vivre was instantly contagious and soon, Sharanya Nair stunned the crowd with her soulful rendition of It's a wonderful world, accompanied by Alan.

With another great event decorating our cap, thanks to Casa del Sol and the ACTS group, Under the Raintree is growing every day, with more artists showing interest in these creative ventures. We are only too thrilled to have had the opportunity of presenting such great talent to you all. Until next time, as the Siwash Indians used to say, peace be with you.

"Must read" says Open magazine review of Sentinel House

The reviews keep coming in for Allen Mendonca's Sentinel House. Here it is in Open magazine's May 14 issue.

Best of CEO Expo

The CEO Lifestyle Expo that took place from April 30 to May 2 saw great brands and companies showcasing their best at the superb KTPO Trade Center in ITPL in luxe Whitefield. And when we talk about the best, it goes without saying that we were there too, with the Best of series of  elegant business atlases in a coffee table book format.

CEOs and high-fliers are now eagerly awaiting the release of the next in the series Best of Mumbai Vol 1and Best of Bangalore Vol. 2 which will roll out shortly. If you would like your company to be featured in this premium series, do write to us or to gvpind@gmail.com

Best of Bangalore on display at the CEO Lifestyle Expo