Walking through Music in Munich

2008
08.08

Walking through Munich, I was really impressed with the live music that keeps flowing from different corners. Here are two such pieces. (Thanks Sanjeev, for helping me edit the video and upload here).

Marienplatz: Marienplatz is Munich city centre. A very beautiful city where old architecture is retained for new buildings. It is indeed an experience to walk between them listening to music, stopping over to window shop, watch a few street performers and see the colourful Farmers’ market. My colleugue Lorenz who took us around the city told me that, the singers who perform on the street, are chosen by the authorities everyday. Here is one Asian music group and a European. Listen to them!

Unalbe to show flash video

Englischen Garten: Englischen Garten is a sprawling landscape and beer garden, so called in contrast to the well-pruned French gardens. I went there on a sunny evening, the best time for sun, music and beer. Listen to this troup!

Unalbe to show flash video

A Delicious History

2008
05.15

Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors by Lizzie Collingaham, Vintage Books 2005.

A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors

Food and writings on food always fascinate me. Be they food served on table or recipes and scholarly documents I read. Anything to do with food, other than cooking it myself! That is how I came upon this book, surprisingly not in the History section of the bookstore, but in the Recipe section! The mix was too heady and appealing not to pickup – spice, gossip, culture, history,
Indian history through Indian food.
It was a birthday gift from my colleagues that I was suppossed to select myself. Thank you friends!
Read the rest of this entry »

Bitter Chocolate - Read this Book

2008
04.22

Bitter Chocolate by Pinki Virani. Penguin.

Bitter Chocolate Cover

I had read a few reviews of the book before I picked it up in one of the book festivals. I had only sociological interests when I heard about the book, but when I picked up to read it finally, I was more a parent.

The book is about Child Sexual Abuse in India, as the subtitle says. But what the book has in it is not just information. Once you read this book, you cannot just glance over newspaper headings like 8 yr old raped by uncle. It hurts you. You cannot ignore your daughter’s silences. It beats you.

Bitter Chocolate is extremely bitter. A very apt title.

Read the rest of this entry »

Weekend Getaway to Horsley Hills - Again

2008
04.09

Horsley Hills. Andhrapradesh. ~150 km from Bangalore. 1265 m above sea level. Cool and pleasant.

We went to Horsley Hills again on a weekend. So I thought I should be adding more to this entry.

This time, we were three families - 6 adults and 5 children. So, age group range: 3 months to 34 yrs.

And Horsley Hills? Moist. Flowery. More beautiful.

Horlsey Hills

A Summer Morning. Photo by Deepak.
Read the rest of this entry »

A Warangal Trip from Hyderabad

2008
04.02

Warangal. ~150 km from Hyderabad - Ramappa Temple, Pagala Cheruvu, Kirti Toranas of Kakatiyas, Thousand Pillar Temple.

Kirti Torana
We had gone to Warangal quite long ago. I was not a frequent blogger then and did not write about it.
This was a trip I enjoyed a lot. It was not planned, no rooms booked and totally out of the blue.
We were: Ratheesh, Bindu, Sanjeev, Nisa and myself. All of us had our own reasons to get out and travel.

Read the rest of this entry »