A Slice of Old Bangalore

Take a step back in time at Basava Ambara to rediscover the spirit of good old Bangalore amidst lush greenery, while browsing through handcrafted merchandise or relishing a bowl of fig salad, at an unhurried pace

It is a mad, mad city out there, in a hurry to get everywhere. Lost in transit are the days when Bangalore was all about being laidback and taking in life at a leisurely pace under leafy trees and jacarandas. And it is this missing piece that Basava Ambara brings back.

Located in one of Bangalore’s oldest neighbourhoods, Basavanagudi (which lent its name to RK Narayan’s ‘Malgudi Days’), Basava Ambara is housed in the outhouse of the Mahadevan’s 19th century heritage home.

Time stops for you as you stroll down the walkway engulfed by greenery, courtesy the garden store, ‘Hybiscus’, run by Anita Shah who travels across the world to bring together the very best garden products from hammocks and planters to the ceramic that is imported from Vietnam.

The path leads to Basava Ambara, set up in 2009 by Jaya Mani who has been a part of the art scene for 30 years with an interest in crafts and textiles. Back in 1984, Mani opened Gallery Dravidam in Delhi to promote south Indian artists. She moved base to Bangalore in 1997 and Dravidam promoted contemporary artists with a grounding in traditional arts. She hosts an art show in Delhi annually.

The first Ambara store took root in Indiranagar eleven years ago and later moved to Ulsoor, where it continues to draw a loyal clientele. Mani wanted to promote arts, crafts and weaving traditions through Ambara. The second store is larger and the product range includes furniture and children’s clothing.

You cannot ask for a better setting to browse through the handpicked selection of sarees, dupattas and stoles that have been sourced from over 40 suppliers but are not mass produced. Unhampered by the unsolicited attention of the staff, one can linger over the textiles, stopping to admire the paintings and art work by artists like Suresh Muthukulam, Ramesh Gorjala and JMS Mani, and battle (or not) a desire to splurge on the gorgeous jewellery, handcrafted leather bags, and the newest addition to the collection, laquerware lamps with silk shades.

It is a tantalising spread with brands like Rehwa, Terra, Bailou and Reeth Mumbai showcasing their exclusive merchandise. This November, shoppers can look forward to an exhibit and sale by Arnav known for its fabulous antique jewellery or an exhibition of traditional sarees by the Delhi-based Utsav.

The outdoor space, another rarity in Bangalore, is put to good use. Basava Ambara has hosted book readings like Shilo Shiv Suleman’s ‘Pampasutra’ and Pepita Seth’s ‘Heaven on Earth’, and looks forward to bringing in dance, music and theatre performances.

Once your shopping bag is full, you can retreat to the al fresco restaurant, ‘The Rogue Elephant’, run by Sheila Appa and Anand Chettur. Their Continental menu boasts of comfort food like Moroccan stew, classic Kolkata-style katti rolls and roast chicken. Wrap up the meal with a yummy banana walnut cake. Or quench your thirst with a glass of freshly-squeezed nimbu paani. Tucking into freshly cooked food, with Appa making the desserts herself, you feel right at home.

As Sushma Desai, a fashion designer, says, echoing Basava Ambara’s many clients, “A store in an old house is a brilliant idea. The old world charm is all encompassing. It makes you want to stay forever.” At Basava Ambara, ambience is everything.

By Anuradha Prasad/ Raintree Media Features/ www.raintreemedia.com

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For the love of chai

Tucked away in the midst of loud buildings, unobtrusive yet inescapable, is Chaipatty Teafe. Contemporary, familiar and comfortable, it is a home away from home

The night is young and the air is abuzz with chatter and laughter as those in the know gather at the cozy Chaipatty Teafe on 100ft Road, Indiranagar. Curled up on diwans, mats and muddas, with Coke Studio Pakistan playing in the background, folks tuck into Maggi and omelettes, sipping on piping hot chai.

With the city seeing a spurt of coffee chains in the past few years, Chaipatty Teafe comes as a whiff of fresh, tea-flavoured air that is catching on in the city. The 10-month old teafe is multiplying almost at the speed of bunnies. With two established outlets, a third one coming up on Varthur Road and two more in the pipeline, Chirag Yadav, the brain behind Chaipatty Teafe, is on a roll. He plans to cross borders by franchising outlets across India, with an eye on also setting shop in Australia, Dubai, UK and US.

A self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades and master of a lot more, Yadav says, “Thanks to my Army officer dad and my multi-faceted lifestyle, I have always been fascinated with various creative interests. I have been an art curator, a writer, a poet, a blogger, a cook, a lawn tennis player (played against Somdev Burman in school), an ambidextrous table-tennis and badminton player, and a chess player too. I have an engineering degree in Electronics and Communication, and a diploma in Embedded Systems. I have also been dancing the salsa for seven years now. I like challenging myself and am inspired by people like Richard Branson and Steve Jobs. I like perfection and have an insatiable thirst for achieving success. For now I am intent on getting Chaipatty to the top and making it a favourite brand for Bangaloreans, similar to Koshy’s and Airlines Hotel.”

Yadav was not impressed with the route most cafes, meant to be hangouts, were going. He says, “I was bored of what coffee chains were offering and what people were making of them, so I started Chaipatty. It is a teafe (tea-cafe) and not a cafe. We have focussed on making it a homely and approachable place that appeals to you with its simplicity whether in design, service or offerings. People call it a home away from home. It is like sitting in your backyard and enjoying home-made snacks and drinks.”

The teafe’s name, Chaipatty was coined over an Old Monk session at home and while it started off as an activity centre, it took the shape of a tea-cafe as soon as they zeroed in on the location. “The name was reminiscent of a ‘chowpatty’ known for its approachability as a hangout and of course affordability, and Chaipatty being what we wanted to be known for - a tea cafe,” says Yadav.

Unlike the fancy menus in most cafes, Chaipatty plates out dishes that can be whipped up quickly and effortlessly like pastas, omelettes and Maggi noodles. You have the choice of kullad chai and cutting chai, and you can opt for masala. Yadav says, “We do keep experimenting and adding new things every two-three months but still the whole idea is to be a healthy and hygienic cross between a college canteen and roadside tea-stall.”

The décor of the teafe, with its rustic setting and catchy wall art, has folks raving. A teafe fan captures the mood, “Chaipatty is like my bedroom with an open window to hear the traffic buzz by and have the luxury of simple yet finger-licking good food.”

By Anuradha Prasad/ Raintree Media Features/ www.raintreemedia.com

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You have come a long way baby

With the excitement of fast cars in the air, it’s the right time to remember a pioneering woman in the automobile industry.

 Karl Benz gets all the applause for inventing the world’s first motor car, he may well have faltered without the tremendous efforts of a sterling woman called Bertha who was the first person in the world to drive a car long distance. (Men, who scoff at women drivers, eat her dust!)

Bertha was a pioneer in another way too, she realised that products need the sunshine of publicity to bloom and she devised a brilliant strategy that generated worldwide attention and helped create Brand Benz.

Bertha Benz (née Ringer) was born on May 3, 1849 in Germany. In course of time, she grew up and was engaged to Karl Benz. In 1871, she invested in his business, enabling him to work on the long and costly process of developing the world’s first patented automobile, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen.


Bertha Benz - Pioneering woman driver and brand builder

 As an unmarried woman she was able to make such an investment. When she married him in 1872, the law of the time took away her juridical power to act. Luckily for the world, Bertha did not lose her will to think and act independently.

At dawn on August 5, 1888, she loaded up two of her five children, her sons Richard and Eugen, thirteen and fifteen years old, in one of the newly constructed Patent Motorwagen automobiles. Without a word to either Karl or permission from the authorities, Bertha drove 106 km (60 miles) one-way from Mannheim to Pforzheim, telegraphing Karl of her progress. She returned along the same route the next day.

She was the first person in the world to drive an automobile over a long distance. Motorised drives had merely covered a few km until then.

While her professed purpose was to visit her mother, Bertha’s real motives were far more crucial. Both Bertha and Karl had invested heavily in the automobile, but Karl suffered from a lack of confidence in the success of the car and would not consider marketing his invention. Bertha was sure that the invention would become a financial success if only the world knew about it sufficiently. She wanted to demonstrate the car’s usefulness to the people and also give her husband’s flagging confidence a much-needed boost.

Her journey was pioneering not only because it was the first long distance drive; it ended up as a test drive that showed the prototype car’s problems. She came up with ingenious solutions to the problems that she encountered.

She got a blacksmith to mend a broken chain, she had to get a shoemaker to repair the brake shoe and in doing so, she invented brake lining. She cleaned a fuel pipe with a hairpin, insulated a wire with her garter and had to refuel at a pharmacy. The car used ligroin (refined saturated hydrocarbon petroleum fraction similar to petroleum ether used mainly as a laboratory solvent) for fuel which was only available with apothecaries. Her experience led Benz to add an additional gear for climbing hills and other improvements.

Her trip created a sensation, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen got worldwide attention and the company got its first sales order.

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

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India fades to black

Metalheads across India are rejoicing as one of the world's biggest bands steps onto our shores to unleash their award winning , in your face music onto Indian audiences. Meet the four horsemen - Metallica!

As Gurgaon finds its place in Metal heaven, Bangalore is impatiently awaiting its turn be a page in heavy metal history.

Winners of nine Grammys and three Billboard Music Awards, Metallica, who performed at the F1 Rocks concert in Gurgaon, two days before the debut Formula 1 Indian GP, will find delirious fans from Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Cochin and beyond who look set to outnumber the locals at the Palace Grounds in Bangalore.

Who would have imagined that the biggest thrash metal band in the history of noise would decide on a concert in India? Those who grew up listening to the band as it took over the metal world in the 80s until crossing over to the mainstream music world a decade later, are thrilled beyond belief at the opportunity to be at the live gig.

Metallica

As part of the Sonisphere Festival, the monarchs of metal will take the stage before a crowd that's been in a feverish state of excitement ever since word filtered through the grapevine that they'll be doing their first-ever gig on Indian soil.

Their concerts are the stuff of legend - high-octane musical affairs that combine musical madness with brute force to provide an experience that lasts a lifetime.

“We have been planning this event for the last 10 months,” says Venkat Vardhan, managing director, DNA Networks, the event management agency that has brought Metallica down to play at the concert. “Logistically, organising a Metallica concert takes at least that much time because the band has extremely high standards.”

“Metallica insisted that every aspect of their uncompromisingly high standards be met to the last detail,” explains Vardhan. “They have flown in 36 tonnes of sound and light equipment for the show.”

There’s good reason for it too, because of the 19 million metal-hungry diehards who follow the band on Facebook, one million are from India.

After waiting for years, it’s time for all metal fans in India, to get together in a Mosh Pit and do some real head-banging. This will be the biggest concert in Indian Metal music history after the Iron Maiden shows.

Says the band, “At this stage in the game, there are very few places in the world that we have not dragged our gear and crew to , so that makes this show announcement extra special…..for the first time ever we will be visting India for two shows ! It’s about time, what do you say?”

Yes, Metallica, we can’t wait for the gods of metal to be here on our side of the world.

By Aditya Mendonca/ Raintree Media Features/ www.raintreemedia.com
 
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The sunny side of life

Bringing cheer to concrete-ised Bangaloreans in shades of green and vibrant hues is MySunnyBalcony

Fancy a lush green rainforest, a Spanish floral fiesta or perhaps an oriental Zen space? So what if all you have is an unexciting strip of balcony? Dial MySunnyBalcony (MSB) and sit back, for coming soon to a balcony near you is their pro-green team. Armed with ideas and gorgeous garden accessories like water features and customised pots, they will transform a dreary balcony or a spacious porch into the garden of your dreams.

MSB, started in 2009, by friends Sriram Aravamudan, Reena Chengappa, Athreya Chidambi and Shailesh Deshpande, is a one-stop shop for garden enthusiasts. Like all good things in Bangalore, MSB blossomed over caffeine and nostalgia. Despite coming from different backgrounds like IT and web designing, a common yearning to put the garden back in ‘Garden City’ spurred the four on. With backyards, a norm in old Bangalore, making way for high rises, Aravamudan (also a writer and music composer) sealed the deal with, “It is time to take the garden up the elevator.”

(L to R) Sriram Aravamudan, Shailesh Deshpande, Reena Chengappa and Athreya Chidambi

Before long, Chengappa and Deshpande dug deeper by studying a course in gardening. Aravamudan is an avid gardener and quite the pro, while Chidambi, a web designer, pitched in to set up the company website and collaterals. When they started off, Aravamudan’s balcony was a guinea pig of sorts for the project and now looks all the better for it!

“We first identified a set of reliable and relevant local vendors to stabilise our supply-chain and logistics. We also identified the do's and dont's for the company. For example, we wanted to minimise our carbon footprint as a company and as individuals as much as possible and use local vendors only. We treated the first six months as a pilot period, studying our target audience and market readiness for our concept,” said the team.

The MSB team waves their sunny wand in three steps: a site visit and consultation, garden design and execution. The team says, “Any space that receives even the tiniest bit of sunlight is a potential MySunnyBalcony space: a tiny unusable patch outside your front door, an ugly terrace on your roof, or even a back balcony in your high rise apartment. It doesn’t matter how high up or small your space is, we’ll work with it. We’ll also tell you what you can do and what you can’t. You’ll be surprised at the immense number of green possibilities that even a tiny space can hold!”

With many takers in the city, the gardens have spilled over from the balconies and branched out to cover corporate spaces and regular home gardens. They also have ‘Gift a Garden’ packages, customised potted plants and garden accessories for sale. Their mission extends beyond prettifying gardens and they can help you set up organic vegetable gardens in today’s space-challenged urban homes. Those who are up for DIY projects can learn the ropes at one of their Urban Gardening workshops. MSB currently offers online consultation for outstation clients and plan to expand their services in other cities too.

By Anuradha Prasad/ Raintree Media Features/ www.raintreemedia.com

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Where have all the letters gone?

“Pyaari Asha” begins, what else, but a love letter that set me off on a rambling walk down nostalgia lane.

Picturised on the beauteous Rakhee and Dharmendra, “Pal pal dil ke paas tum rehti ho” is a sweet song with a lilting melody composed by Kalyanji Anandji and sung by Kishore Kumar. I am particular about ensuring that due credit is given to the lyricist and I call my musician friend Ram Nagaraj to confirm that it was penned by Rajendra Krishan; Ram insists that the director should also get kudos for the picturisation and I am happy to include the name of Vijay Anand.

I came upon this song on TV and while watching Rakhee blushingly pick up the letter to read it over and over again, I was struck by the notion that letters written by hand, with ink on paper, seem more romantic.

It’s not the medium but the message, you might counter. After all, won’t the same words have the same significance whether you read it on paper or on a gadget?

We preserve emails and text messages too, don’t we? Hoard the nice ones, the funny ones, the naughty ones and especially the romantic lines to re-read? But honestly, when was the last time you scrolled down your messages to retrieve a feel-good message? The only time that I search through the folders is to locate a business mail.

We have all gone the e-way with wishes and condolences. I appreciate the ability to connect with friends and acquaintances across the world who send me good wishes. Emails and text messages seem a tad cold in comparison. They are brilliant for work, I could not think of going back to the days before instant communications.

My smartphone gives me inexpensive and constant access to people. Somehow, I feel that it has deprived us of the ability to truly connect. We spend so much time chatting on social networks and phones, that when we do meet people, we are unable to talk. Instant access is fun but not deeply meaningful.

Once in a while, while rummaging for something, I come across a hand-written note and I sink into the wonder of the moment. How vividly and warmly the memories come back!

And while I’m writing about letters, I have to add that my friend Prathibha Prahlad, the bold and beautiful danseuse, was recently honoured with the release of a Rs.5 stamp with her face on it.

Prathibha Prahlad's stamp

Winner of the Sangeet Natak Akademi for Bharatanatyam, she was pleasantly surprised when as a guest at a philately exhibition organised by Indian Postal Department in New Delhi, she was asked to release her own stamp. Prathibha is busy organising the Delhi International Arts Festival but more about that another day.

“The stamps are going to sell out now”, I teased my friend even as it struck me that I have not written a letter for ever so long. I must confess that I can’t recall when I last visited a post office or even the location of the nearest postbox.

I would love to know your views, so feel free to write to me; I would not mind an email either.

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

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Drum Maaro Drum

Bringing a smile on everyone’s face to the rhythmic beat of drums gives Vasundhara Das and Roberto Narain, partners at Drumjam, an inexplicable high

Singer and actor Vasundhara Das and percussionist and drummer Roberto Narain who started Drumjam in 2006 find that the magic they weave with their music is drawing people from far and wide.

When Narain started Drumjam, it was often mistaken for a jam making company, a far cry from the exhilarating drum circles that Narain facilitates. He says, “With 300 drums then to 20,000 drums now, it’s been a gratifying journey. We have performed across India, from Ladakh to Kerala. We hold events for corporates helping them in icebreaking, celebrating, communicating, unifying, healing or just having fun over drumbeats.”

Narain facilitates a DrumJam session

“Vasundhara is objective about things and has an analytical mind. She works on backend monitoring, coordinating the logistics at office and revamping our website. Though there is no fixed or defined role for either of us, we both know that one will fill in for the other whenever required. It’s a relief to know if I fall sick or want to take a break, the show will go on,” avers the Italian-born, Bangalore boy about his partner.

Narain adds, “She gives a different perspective on how I look at things by bringing valuable inputs to the table. In terms of visibility, Vasundhara is more of a people’s person. I'm the frontrunner when it comes to drumming, and she helps in coordinating with the marketing and administration, but each of us is involved at every step.”

Vasundhara Das

Das shares, “I partnered with Roberto to share my love for music with more people, no matter what age, language, religion, demographics they are from. Drumming together is a way to share our gift of music.

Five years back when he started the company we took some equipment on hire. The event turned out beautiful and we decided to make it bigger. A common refrain post every Drumjam session is the jaw-breaking smile on everyone’s face.”

“This was a path that no one had trodden before, so there wasn’t something that we could learn from. People have done it overseas, but not here. Roberto was initially confident of acquiring a lot of drums and I wanted to give it more time. I wanted to maximise and build on what we already had. But he had visions of growth,” said Das.

“At any concert I spend two hours on sound check and ironing out the technical issues. I look at logistics and handle paper work, making sure the right equipment goes to the right place, handle event coordination, check if all the teams are in place and talk to them at all levels. We do everything it takes to make a Drumjam event successful,” says Das who has acted in movies like ‘Hey Ram’ and ‘Monsoon Wedding’.

Narain and Das at a DrumJam event

Back after a facilitation training in Hawaii, with the godfather of drumming, Arthur Hill, a first for Das and the second for Narain, the drumming duo are elated and energised from their stress-free sessions. “I went to Hawaii for my facilitation in August this year and it was a very deep experience. We learnt about ourselves through a lot of drumming and singing. We also took out time for snorkelling and surfing,” gushes Das in her soft and fluid voice.

It is not an easy job, so what keeps them going? Das explains, “At the end of the day when we see hundreds of smiling faces after every event, we know everything was worth it. The most common feeling is instant gratification. And that’s why we plan to take Drumjam to as many people as possible,” says Das.

Agrees Narain, “We are now expanding to form community drumming which is therapeutic. We will soon take drumming to schools and colleges.”

By Namita Gupta/ Raintree Media Features/ www.raintreemedia.com

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Clash of the Titans

Rohini Nilekani’s ‘Uncommon Ground: Dialogues with Business and Social Leaders’ roots for more discourses within civil society on critical issues in the country

No, there was no explosive action with guns or swords but an intense exchange of ideas and perspectives that an audience of over 200 listened to in rapt attention in the sublime setting of the Taj West End dripping with chandeliers that hosted the launch of Rohini Nilekani’s new book, ‘Uncommon Ground: Dialogues with Business and Social Leaders.’

Nilekani wears many hats. She is a noted philanthropist, journalist, author and social activist. She founded and chairs Pratham Books which strives to cultivate the habit of reading in children. She also chairs Arghyam which has been set up to improve access to water and to ensure that the process is environmentally sustainable. Married to Nandan Nilekani, Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India and the former CEO of Infosys, her exposure to the corporate world and its workings combined with her own experience as a journalist and social activist, have given her valuable insights that paved the way for ‘Uncommon Ground’. 

Rohini Nilekani's Uncommon Ground book launch

Her show Uncommon Ground was aired on NDTV back in 2008 in eight episodes and the groundbreaking conversations between eminent industrialists and social activists like Mukesh Ambani, Sunita Narain, Sunil Mittal, Medha Patkar, Suman Sahai from the TV show has now culminated in a book published by Penguin Books India. Each of the thought-provoking discussions is preceded by an insightful introduction penned by Nilekani.

Nilekani says about her motivation to initiate these dialogues, “Uncommon Ground has emerged from my experience as a journalist, from my knowledge of the corporate sector as Nandan’s wife and also from the direct work in the social sector that I have been involved in over the years. It seemed to me that there were too many elements in our society that simply did not interact.”

At the launch of the book on October 13 at the Taj West End, Nilekani moderated a discussion between Jayant Sinha, Managing Director of Omidyar Network and Harish Hande, the Managing Director of Selco India and winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award 2011 for his work in solar technology. The discussion debated a range of issues such as philanthropy and whether it is distorting the market for the poor.

Jayant Sinha (L), Rohini Nilekani (C), Harish Hande (R)

Nilekani spoke about the need for people to distinguish between being citizens and being consumers; she stressed the need for people to be more of a citizen than a consumer who merely demands and ask ourselves what we do and how does it impact others.

“The onus always comes back to us,” she added.

Platforms such as Uncommon Ground are catalysts in the process of national development, provoking questions and ideas that when transformed into action leads to a better way of life. And as to how Nilekani plans to keep the dialogues going, one has to wait and watch.

By Anuradha Prasad/ Raintree Media Features/ www.raintreemedia.com

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Flavours of Fava

Popular fine dining hotspot Fava invites Bangaloreans to sample its Mediterranean Diet Lunch Buffet that promises to leave them asking for more

UB City Mall, a regular haunt for Bangalore’s young and hip crowd, is choc-a-bloc with open air eateries styled after European street cafés. Among the popular ones is Fava which attracts foodies not just for its delicious spreads but also for its warm and inviting ambience. Climb up the steps leading to this Mediterranean themed restaurant and you have a feast of delectable food to dig into!

Winner of the ‘Best New Restaurant Award, Lovers Food Guide, 2011’, Fava was established in January 2010 by the Avant Garde Hospitality Pvt Ltd (AGH), which kickstarted in 2008 in Bangalore with Abhijit Saha and Shruti Shibulal at the helm. AGH’s core business interests lie in Restaurants, Catering and F&B Consulting. A handpicked team of well-trained and highly skilled food and beverage professionals at AGH are responsible for the delivery of world class products and services. The menu at the ‘The Mediterranean Diet’ Lunch Buffet, that captures the exquisite Mediterranean flavours, is an instance of their expertise and discerning taste.

The buffet is inspired by the eating habits in the Mediterranean region which is known to be one of the healthiest ways of eating in the world. Mediterranean cuisine relies heavily on natural, unprocessed food. It stresses on the consumption of olive oil (which is their primary source of dietary fat), fresh produce, seafood and nuts, and bread and pasta while limiting meat intake. And just eating the right food is not enough, you also need to know what to avoid. These include artificial products, processed food and foods containing trans-fat. But what-not-to-eat is far from your mind, as you eye the healthy yet tempting spread before you.

The mouth-watering lunch at Fava incorporates these principles and offers healthy salads, dressings, fresh fruits, vegetables and a variety of mezzes. Cold cuts, cheese platter, assorted baked breads and soups further make up the spread. The meal ends with a selection of scrumptious desserts.

Vegetarian options for the main course include tomato, buffalo mozzarella and basil panini, six-inch spinach, gorgonzola, haloumi, mozzarella and parmesan pizza, and vegetable tagine with steamed rice, while non-vegetarian offerings include chermoula grilled white basa with ratatouille, and capers and pesto. Vegetarians can also help themselves to a plate of grilled cottage cheese steak with picada marinade and grilled vegetables. If meat makes you drool, try the the six-inch chicken, shallots, garlic and pistachio pizza. If this doesn’t convince you, there is also a 1+1 offer on all Four Seasons wines.

Chef Saha

Chef Saha says, “The diet in the Mediterranean regions is healthy and light. They use fresh and healthy ingredients like olive oil and herbs, making it ideal for a working lunch. Our lunch buffet leaves you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.”

By Aditya Mendonca/ Raintree Media Features/ www.raintreemedia.com

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Pedalling Onward!

Bangalore cyclists get a double shot of adrenaline – a ride with biking legend Hans Rey and India’s first bike store-cum-café

On a nippy October morning, a bunch of cyclists in Bangalore roused themselves with an itch to pedal. The occasion was a Hans Rey ride, courtesy Track & Trail.

A legend among mountain biking enthusiasts, the German-born Rey led motley groups of cyclists in three cities, including Pune and Delhi, throwing in enough tricks to wow the crowd and kept them, err, ‘hopping’ long after, as one participant Aman Puri put it, after learning the bunny hop. Another participant, Dhawal Patil says, “I rode the unridable (sic) with Hans Rey. It was truly biking and beyond.”

Han Rey in the lead

Rey closed the rides with a workshop and let the crew in on the tricks of his trade, his experiences as a professional cyclist and how he came to be one. “This was my first visit to India and I had a wonderful time in Roopkund doing downhill mountain biking. My rides with Track & Trail across Delhi, Pune and Bangalore gave me an interesting flavour of India and the evolution of cycling in the country. I was amazed to see the number of serious cyclists, and the kind of cycle stores here - some of the best in the world, including the newly opened café in Bangalore. India has huge potential for cycling, even mountain biking. In Bangalore, I found a perfect granite slab to show some of my skills,” said Rey on his India visit.

Cyclists with Hans Rey (in the centre)

In Bangalore, Rey also unveiled the first concept store of its kind in India, ‘Coffee & Cycles’ by Track & Trail. Track & Trail, owned by TI Cycles (part of the Murugappa Group), showcases performance bikes, sleek and built to thrill. Rajesh Mani, GM – Marketing, TI Cycles of India says, “We are proud to be the first Indian company to launch a brand concept store like Coffee & Cycles in India which will provide a meeting point for cycling enthusiasts and veterans to come together and share their experiences, expertise and explorations over a hot cuppa.”

Talking cycles over coffee

 The store, located in Koramangala, has a range of international brands like GT, Bianchi, Cannondale, Schwinn as well their own brand, Montra, which are hybrid road focussed bikes. You can take your pick from All Terrain Bikes, Mountain Terrain Bikes, Road Bikes and Hybrids, and take them out for a test ride if you please. Hybrids are ideal for commuting on city roads. The spacious store also services bikes, sells accessories, has a bike rental option for corporates and organises cycling rallies. There is coffee and snacks and biking magazines to flip through. “It’s a wonderful environment to wait in while my bike is fixed,” Dinesh Kumar from Chennai said of the place.

Coffee & Cycles

The timing for Coffee & Cycles store could not have been better. Cyclists, once thought to be a dying breed, have made a tentative comeback and are slowly multiplying in numbers. Environmentally aware, or simply for the sheer pleasure of working up a sweat, people are opting for the eco-friendly cycles. In fact, Bangalore can soon look forward to dedicated tracks for cyclists. Elsewhere in the world, specifically in Amsterdam, where cycles outnumber the population, cycle chic is all the rage.

Rey sums it up, “Track & Trail epitomises the cycling lifestyle, unwinding and pursuing the thrills of a ride on some of the world’s best machines and there’s nothing quite like a blend of bicycles, coffee and conversation to rev up and enjoy the ride.” Amen to that!

By Anuradha Prasad/ Raintree Media Features/ www.raintreemedia.com

Read the story on the Goa Herald on the link below -
http://74.127.61.178/herald//Details.aspx?edorsup=Main&queryed=9&querypage=30&boxid=42756515&id=1875&eddate=10/11/2011 

Of people and places

We have been criss-crossing the country for a publishing project; from Chennai and Puducherry to Ahmedabad with quick dashes to Goa and Mumbai. With more visits on the anvil, we keep our bags ready to go at short notice.

After a day of meetings, I like to walk around whichever city we are in, taking in the pulse of the place. People-watching is fascinating, not so much at airports or coffee shops – such places have a tendency to impose a homogeneity on their users. Observing a variety of people as they bustle about their business can tell us much about the nature of a city.

Puducherry

So it is that Chennai immediately gives a visitor the impression that it means business. Never mind the merciless glare of the sun, Chennaites are up and about, clear and confident about their work. In Ahmedabad, my colleague who hails from Sikkim, made a telling observation: she turned the tap on in the bathroom and the rush of water gave her the feeling that we were in a prosperous place.

Ahmedabad

We are a hospitable country but degrees of hospitality vary; in restaurants in Gujarat, the waiters exude friendly service without servility; in the southern states, there’s a take-it-or-leave -it attitude, in Delhi it verges from unctuousness to hauteur.

The experience of setting-up meetings reveals a lot about a business and its culture. It’s not as much the size of the company but the attitude of the people that makes a difference. If people respect their own work and time, they respect that of others. We sometimes find executives of big companies in cities like Mumbai displaying arrogance and aggression. Perhaps these are valuable traits and precisely what their bosses want from them to build their business. But when it is completely at variance with the carefully cultivated brand image of the company, it is a rude jolt. Fortunately such experiences are few and we have mostly good experiences with businesses run by people who are as interesting as the businesses they own or manage.

Beach Road, Puducherry

The attitude of the governments in various states comes across not just in the grand and expensive projects but also in small measures. Simply by banning movement of traffic in the evenings along the beachfront boulevard of the Beach Road, the government of Puducherry has won the hearts of locals and tourists. Now if only the tourists can keep their voices down, it would be a wonderful gesture of respect to the locals and to the magnificent Bay of Bengal.

I am writing this column from the patio of the wonderful Windflower resort in Puducherry; the beach is about a kilometre away but I can see it from where I am. There’s a stretch of backwater and the resort plans to take visitors across to the beach in modern catamarans but for now I trek alongside a fishing village to the sea and a stretch of clean, soft sand.

Fishermen casting their net in Puducherry

This is a rarity in itself as most beaches in Pondicherry are hard and rocky. There are a few fishermen, waiting patiently to cast their nets at the outcrop where the waves break. Tirelessly, they repeat their actions and I am caught up in the unhurried pace and absolute peace of the moment.

What impresses me most is the cleanliness of the place. There are no leftovers from picnics, no residue of fuel washing up to the shore from water scooters or ATVs. I say a fervent prayer for this place to stay as it is.

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

 

View the story on the Goa Herald on the link below:
http://74.127.61.178/herald//Details.aspx?edorsup=Main&queryed=9&querypage=23&boxid=53238890&id=1799&eddate=09/25/2011