3 cheers for Bappi da. and 6 beers.
Early morning yesterday got this message, "Bappi da sings Mother India we are your Cheel-rain" from some enthusiastic friend celebrating the Independence day from dawn. Guys, heard that song? If you are a Bappi da fan, you're in my club. Will post my rendezvous with Dada when I find that article.
Neways, I, one of the Cheel-rain of Mother India, was stopped five times while returning from office on the night of the 14th, for Delhi was on high alert, like it always is. High alert, some mishap, and then "daring Delhi" or "Mast Mumbai". The standard media formula.
Let me ramble a bit. Just before leaving office, I got this mail chastising pseudo secularists, and saying India is the most tolerant country, for 85 per cent of the people are busy mollifying the 15 per cent. The direct implication is that only Hindus and Muslims make this country, the rest are just sauntering around. Anyways, the powerpoint presentation is amazingly designed, an archiver's delight. The mail hails "Dr Pravin bhai Togadia". Doctor and bhai together, not bad at all, the bhai who doctored Godhra 2002?
During the day, all that remained open was policemen's bleary eyes trying to nab the "security threat" and MNC eateries donning the Indian flag, mostly in the shape of kites. The flag that flies global. Children selling 10 flags for 5 bucks were shooed away at the red light by a cigar smoking biker wearing a tiranga bandana.
What's the point going back 49 years in time and remembering the blood that oozed out of independent India. In dependant? With two nations buying arms forever from the big daddies, and Yamuna getting drier and murkier? With the big daddy's nuclear secrets being sold out to petty non existent states by some cash strapped offiicial....These secrets are like those gossips which you whisper saying, "Don't tell it to anyone"...
What's the point?
Ventured out to the IIFT dhaba for some hot paranthas at night. IIFT and dhaba, another paradox, but our learning needs to be unlearned--it's a world of oxymorons and paradoxes, they are like shoe and feet. So my usual khaana peena at the dhaba is parantha and "colding" but yesterday I decided to experiment a little more. On the menu were "Sexy paneer", "Step Potato", "Step Tomato" etc etc. Now , "colding" is usual but the other three were intriguing to point of the peril of cat's life. Paneer can't be either sexy or an aphrodosiac, had so much of it in college, that i can only say testy rather than tasty things about it. Being a true potatophile I ordered "step potato", which could be what... potato dish made step by step, or in the shape of steps, or a step brother of potato like the brocoli-gobi equation. The imagination ran wild for 20 minutes, when it turned out to be "stuffed potato". I tipped the "bhaiyya" for being so truly Independent in writing his menu!