What a Summer !

I was visiting Chennai last week.

From an average of 34 deg C in Mumbai, the increase was to the extent of some 8 deg C in Chennai ! While I am not a newcomer to Chennai, it was made clear to me (by my relatives and friends) that I had landed in what was the “Agni” week of the Chennai Summer. “Agni” means fire !

The simmering heat during the peak sun was barely bearable, but the worst thing was that the electricity board cut off the power supply to residential premises for some two hours every day – different parts of the city have the power cut at different times of the day. In my house, it was from 2 PM to 4 PM. In some areas, it was from 8 to 10 AM and in most other areas, it was from 10 AM to 12 Noon. You can imagine the torture when you are at home or office and the air conditioner stops working !

I noticed that most residential premises have invested in a unique contraption – the “inverter”, which provides electricity during the power cut for a duration of 2 to 4 hours (depending on battery capacity and the number of rooms/lights/fans to be covered). The approximate cost of such a device is some INR 12,000 (USD 220) for addressing the needs of the living room and one bedroom (an approximate estimation only). So, in Chennai, a family has to invest in such devices, import water (as water supply is equally erratic) at high cost, pay for inflation in fruits and vegetables, pay one of the highest prices for petrol in the country, suffer the heat, and still sustain one of the highest real estate prices in the country !

This is not to complain – Chennai is far better organized than most metropolitan cities in India, has better quality roads, is in the process of completing the metro rail network, has a booming IT (Information Technology) economy now supplemented by a fast-emerging automotive industry, has a conscientious workforce, and is challenged with much less crime than other States of India. In devising its model for development of the State, the Tamil Nadu State comes only next to Gujarat. So, overall, the situation is good and should improve vastly if the State Government manages to fix the power situation and continues to provide incentives to the manufacturing and IT industries.

But, can we buy the weather ? Of course, not. The prudent thing is to ensure continuous power supply to both residential and industrial customers across the State.

Now, I am back in the 32 – 34 deg C Summer in Mumbai and surely, I did not feel the heat wave during the day though it was slightly uncomfortable if one is over-dressed !

Welcome to the Summer ! Enjoy it with cold buttermilk and fresh juices !!

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan

28th May 2012

Mumbai

Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin

You must be wondering what does that mean ?

It is a famous Japanese restaurant chain present in several countries around the world.

Here I am talking about the one at the ION mall at Orchard Road in Singapore.

First, what is Tonkatsu ?

According to Wikipedia, Tonkatsu (pork cutlet),is a Japanese cuisine invented from cutlet. It consists of a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet one to two centimeters thick and sliced into bite-sized pieces, generally served with shredded cabbage and/or miso soup.

I did not go for the pork, but went for the chicken. The sticky rice with the fried chicken is absolutely delicious and you must try it. First of all, I love the Japanese sticky rice, and the Curry Udon that I have had in the past in Japan always entices me a lot. It felt like almost having a curry dipped rice dish when I tried the Udon in Tokyo. And, it did not have any meat at all !

But the same thing now with chicken is simply outstanding. I am sure that there are actually many Japanese restaurants in Singapore which serve this kind of food. But this one at ION is good and worth trying.

The sticky rice here was not so sticky, it was glutinous all right, but tasted good with the chicken curry. It was served with miso soup and ginger on the rice. Easy to eat, nice when you are slightly hungry and goes well with green tea.

Overall, this restaurant was a new find for me, and I am sure I will visit again during my next trip to Singapore. Remember, one has to queue up in the evenings, but I can tell you it is worth the try. Japanese restaurants take the pain out of ordering by showing colourful pictures of the dishes, so you got to just point and order ! Enjoy the food !!

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
7th April 2012
Mumbai

Manori Adventure

The family decided to take a journey to the small strip of island called Manori off Mumbai with the primary purpose of checking out “Juice Adventures”, which is an adventure park located on Manori island.

The website of Juice Adventures was interesting and I had received an offer from someone couple of months ago to see the place. So, I was inclined to go. We called the place and the person who attended to us spoke very good English – I am always partial to any stranger conversing in good English and that too, a person in a remote corner of Mumbai who is expected to speak only in Marathi or Hindi.

So, the expectation was that this is kind of a well-known, cosmopolitan kind of place, serving the well-heeled folks from Mumbai.

I will come to that point soon. But before that, it is interesting to see how Mumbai manages its nice coastlines. We took a car ride of almost an hour for a distance of some 15 Kms, which is not unusual in Mumbai. Once we reached the Malad-Mudh Ferry point, there was confusion – the only respectable ferry ticket booth loudly proclaimed that they issue tickets only for the Essel World (which is a large amusement park), and when we asked them about Manori, they directed us to check with the ferry operator in another side of the beach.

The beach itself was dirty, jammed with taxis, auto-rickshaws, peddlers, tourists, hawkers, and what not……..the point was that there was no organized way in which the ferry terminal was established to serve any kind of customer who wanted to spend a day off. No body really cared, and there was no single agency monitoring the whole place and servicing the people. The place was crowded, noisy, and like any other tourist location in India was dominated by touts. I don’t see why such practices should continue in what is one of the best locations in India for a scenic ride in the sea.

In any case, we found our way to the ferry which takes all of 7 minutes to cross a narrow patch of sea for INR 14 per person (I thought we could even cross it on foot ! Ha Ha Ha !!). The ferry had no safety provisions, no lifeboats, no life jackets, and no guards. Does that sound unique or strange ? No, it doesn’t in India, unless you own your own yacht or speedboat.

The funny part is that the operator of the ferry loaded anyone who can pay – he even had several horses in the ferry and many motor bikes. It was India and its unique way of operation in all its essence. One cannot complain, just take the ride if you wish and pray that nothing untoward would happen.

So, there we landed at Manori. Juice Adventures was located within 3 minutes from the ferry terminal. There was a good reception for us, as we had made enquiries at the reception by calling beforehand. The person in-charge of the reception gave a good explanation of the facilities, and we were convinced it was worth the trouble of the car + ferry ride with all the attendant experiences.

My son enjoyed the rope exercises, the ATV ride, the Sumo fight, the archery, and especially the zorbing (which I thought was not like the one in NZ on the hills). We liked the place though it was not fully operational with all the games that were mentioned on the brochure. They opened only 3 months ago, and I think it would be better to wait for another 3 months before a visit which can derive full benefits from Juice Adventures.

The thing that I could not fail to notice is that there were no other visitors except us on a Saturday mid-morning, which was rather surprising. There is hardly any such adventure place in Mumbai, apart from the well-established Essel World which does not have some of the adventures featured here in Juice Adventures.

Overall, we enjoyed the place, but instead of the 5 to 6 hours we had allocated, the visit to Juice Adventures was over in about 2 hours. That is bad business given that we would not stay for lunch at their place !

Well, my suggestion would be to wait till about June and then make a visit to Juice Adventures.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
11th March 2012
Mumbai

DFS – A better deal in India

This was surprising to me.

Shopping at DFS (Duty Free Shops) at the international airports in India was neither useful nor pleasurable from time immemorial, as the shops were not consumer friendly and used to stock things which were not really in demand. The shopping on the India side when you land from overseas was usually ignored by tourists, especially the Indian tourists. Any comparison with overseas DFS shopping did not make any sense at all. Further, the prices in Singapore or Hong Kong Airport DFS shops were much more attractive.

How things have changed, and how things are still changing !

Now, the Duty-Free Shopping experience on the Indian International Airports such as Mumbai and Delhi has improved significantly. There are many more things to shop for, and the shop attendants are hovering around trying to help. Of course, the infrastructure is not comparable as the shops in India are much smaller and are not gleaming reproductions of Singapore shops.

But, the fact is that almost the same things are now available, and at cheaper prices. I don’t know how, I thought stuff should cost more since Indian Rupee has depreciated by some 10 to 15% over the past three months.

The Singapore Changi Airport prices for wines for example, are much higher, and given that one has got to multiply by a much higher exchange rate, the price in Indian Rupees is really high (by more than 20 to 30%) for similar wines. I think the whiskeys are slightly cheaper on the Singapore side, though I did not buy any whiskey. I roamed around the DFS Liquor Shop at Changi for quite some time, and then decided not to purchase, as I came to the conclusion that the prices are higher than on the Indian side.

I still found many folks on my flight carrying stuff from the Changi Airport DFS, but probably they have not done their due diligence, or they are buying non-liquor things which are not readily available at the Indian airports.

As I rightly guessed, the Mumbai International Airport DFS had some very good wines (and many whiskeys and other liquors) and I picked up couple of Australian wines for USD 22 less a discount of USD 4 ! I had to pay in USD, but that was fine. At the end of the day, I know that these wines are more expensive in Singapore and very expensive in the usual wine shops of Mumbai out there in the city.

The pity is that they allow only two bottles of duty-free wine (and just one bottle of whiskey), so one can enjoy only for a short time !

Welcome to DFS experience in India, and keep some USD change while arriving back !!

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
21st January 2012
Mumbai

Pondicherry Sojourn

I spent couple of days at Pondicherry in the earlier part of this week, and always think of the timing of that visit given what happened during the later part of the same week !

You might have read that Cyclone “Thane” hit Pondicherry and caused extensive damage !!

Which is really a bad thing, and I just so narrowly escaped. Not that anything much would have happened, but it was a big cyclone causing destruction and loss of life in the Union Territory of Pondicherry and Cuddalore (which incidentally I passed through on the way to Chidambaram).

I don’t recall exactly when I had visited Pondicherry in the past, but I am sure that I atleast visited once. It was a nice cute town, and it no longer is one. I found that the town had become similar to any other small town of Tamil Nadu which is congested with narrow roads and heavy traffic. It was also dirty, and had hardly any pavements.

The only area which is really good-looking and neat is the “phoren” area of the French Quarters, with nice yet narrow lanes and beautiful houses. The French built a town of their own, and now the rest of the town is messed up. The French area still appears to remain intact. I really liked that area, and walked around a bit. It is located close to the rocky seashore as well, though one does not feel the effect of the sea in the leafy bylanes.

The Aurobindo Ashram is located in one such lane. There are several small and well-established restaurants in the area, and you can find a number of domestic and international tourists walking around. One important thing I noticed is that the whole area was a bit silent as compared to the rest of that noisy town. May be the Ashram culture of silence is percolating down to the lanes and the surrounding houses.

The hotels are rather expensive, the decent ones cost USD 100 or above per night. Anything at four star or above is not less than USD 200 and at this time of the year, the rates are shooting up towards even USD 400 ! I stayed at a nice place which had a three star rating, and there was simply no rooms available anywhere else. Looks like this is really a tourist town.

The family wanted to go to Chidambaram temple and so we drove to that town via the Cuddalore route. The small town of Cuddalore was horrible, with no decent roads – it was full of potholes and it took more than 25 minutes to cross the town across a distance of less than 2 to 3 Kms.

I also noticed that when you enter Pondicherry, there is a road permit charge of INR 300 if you are on a tourist car with a Tamil Nadu number plate coming from the Chennai side, and there is a toll fee of INR 32 when you cross over into Pondicherry. The same charges did not apply (there was not even a toll booth) when we re-entered Pondicherry on the way back from Chidambaram-Cuddalore, though Cuddalore is in Tamil Nadu.

The archaic road permit fee is an anachronism and should be discontinued. There is no receipt for the payment and probably they issue a stamp on a notebook kind of document. Why should crossing within India from one state to the other be taxed by the government ? It does not make sense.

Overall, my conclusion on Pondicherry is that it might be OK to visit once just to see the Ashram and take a boat ride in the Chunnambar backwaters. And, may be have some good meal. But, beyond that, I do not see much reason to revisit. Well, I forgot to add that liquor costs much less than in other parts of India. I had a good bottle of red wine which costed just INR 600 in a restaurant, which would have costed me not less than INR 1,600 in a Chennai restaurant.

In any case, it was a peaceful visit (without the cyclone effect) and relaxing – and the family enjoyed it, though it was just for 2 days. At the end of the day, that is what matters, right ?

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
31st December 2011
Mumbai

Hot Winter

I live in Mumbai which is a constantly “challenged” city.

It has a number of problems which makes living difficult for its denizens. However, it is also the most creative and professional place in India as a whole. The competing cities only specialize in certain areas or certain industries, none of them have the vastness and the depth of Mumbai.

It is also a fact that the city has a constant flow of immigrants and huge number of slums around the city. There is huge shortage of space and so it has the maximum premium in the country. Traffic is just short of horrendous and the infrastructure is creaking under the heavy weight of a growing population (of people and vehicles).

Over the past couple of years, the city has also been affected by global warming of sorts. We are in December now, and the day temperature has persistently stayed well above 30 deg Celsius. Today the maximum temperature is reported as 34 deg Celsius and the minimum is 24 deg Celsius. Forecast for the next 10 days is the same, and this is far higher than the usual temperatures in December. As I was travelling on the roads today, I could feel the heat which was more penetrating as the body’s expectation was different.

What do you call this phenomenon when the temperatures are at least around 4 to 5 deg Celsius higher in what is supposed to be winter season ? Actually there is no winter, it is just it should be a little less hot than normal !

Delhi is having its real winter, with temperatures at 10 deg Celsius lower than those of Mumbai. As we enter January, the day temperatures in Delhi are likely to be in single digits.

What we are experiencing in Mumbai is nothing but the impact of global warming. The impact of the sea and the winds has changed over the past few years, leading to higher temperatures.

It is not a great thing, and could be harmful in the long run as the sun’s harsh rays are going to have a bad impact on our skin. What can be done ? I haven’t seen much of a commentary on this phenomenon in newspapers and that concerns me.

So, we at Mumbai are having a “hot winter”.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
4th December 2011
Mumbai

No Comparison

There is absolutely no comparison.

I am talking about the oft-invoked comparison between two great cities in Asia – Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay) and Shanghai. They are the commercial and financial capitals of India and China respectively.

I was in Shanghai the past few days, and the manner in which the city has been built out over the past decade or so is simply outstanding and truly amazing. It appeared to me that the government and private builders collaborated to really build out what has already emerged as one of the greatest cities of the world. The plan behind the global appearance of Shanghai was evident as one drives around the city. The amazing infrastructure of the city with neatly laid out roads and pavements, and world-class highways and buildings, the neatness of it all, will impress even the most developed country. And, all this has been accomplished in just about a decade or so. The magnetic levitation train from Pudong International Airport to the city and the beautifully laid out river front are examples of what can be achieved with true determination, patience, grit and commitment.

It is easy to brush away this stupendous achievement pointing out the government’s overarching powers in China to do what they please, and the complete lack of public discourse on topics of public interest, and non-availability of means to fight the government. I also used to believe in such factors as aiding the development of China in no small measure.

But, the fact is that today Shanghai has shown to the world what a vision combined with ambition can do to the DNA of a proud people and “old” society. Citizens are apparently proud of what Shanghai looks like today – like many other super cities of the world, but better in several aspects. They have a fabulous airport, the mag-lev train I mentioned earlier, one of the world’s tallest buildings (and another taller one coming up), fantastic road infrastructure, and gleaming hotels with good service.

I noticed how two women in late forties were cleaning a lane which had overgrown grass and stuff thrown into the grass. One of them was cutting the grass and aligning the grass to the edge of the lane, and the other was picking off the waste from the grass and throwing the same into her hand-held basket. I guess they were municipal workers, but they appeared to have pride in the work they were doing to keep their city clean, and there was probably a serious commitment to their work.

Compare with Mumbai. I am not going to write anything which will hurt people, but Mumbai will never look like Shanghai. Mumbai has its positives, but its infrastructure negatives overwhelm positive impression that a visitor would be trying to build upon. I did not see a single crater or a shaky ride on the roads of Shanghai, but we all know the state of roads in Mumbai. To prove my point, just try to take the exit road from Mumbai International Airport to get out of the airport complex, probably the first impact on any tourist, and then tell me if you are happy with the ride. I recall Mr Jeff Immelt, Chairman of GE, telling a business forum in Mumbai sometime ago about the great opportunities in India, but also asking the government to fix the airport access roads.

Geography of a city matters, but what is more important is a drive and true passion combined with a maniacal execution focus to convert Mumbai into a truly world-class city. We cannot just show the insides of five-star hotels to our guests and impress them. Let us understand that global investors make constant comparisons in their minds. Forget the investors, we as local inhabitants truly deserve a Shanghai out of Mumbai.

Till there is a focused execution plan, Mumbai will continue like what it is today, with improvements hardly getting noticed. For a complete transformation, look at Shanghai.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
16th October 2011
Mumbai

Karma, an Experience in Montreal

Probably you thought that I am going to write about Karma, or fate, and how one’s karma is determined at the time when one is born, etc.,

Not at all. I do not believe in fate anyway.

This is about a restaurant dining experience that happened to me at the West Island area of Montreal in Quebec, at a restaurant called “Karma” – see
“Restaurant Karma”

I know that usually Indian cuisine is considered a bit exotic and the real quality and taste is lacking in Western countries. For this reason, I normally avoid going to Indian restaurants overseas (except in Singapore of course). So, I was surprised not just with the quality of the food and wine at Karma, but also with the great ambience, decor, and service. It turned out to be a truly amazing and enjoyable dining experience last evening.

Couple of things puzzled me though – the restaurant is located some 35 Kms from Montreal downtown, in a faraway place called West Island. It took me approximately an hour and 20 minutes to reach the place via Metro and bus. While there was absolutely no issue with the Metro, the bus ride was confusing and the driver was not speaking English. The Pierrefonds location is quite far away from the Cote-Vertu Metro Station – I felt occasionally that I have lost my way !

The second thing was that the economics of the restaurant would be difficult to ensure its continued sustenance. While it is surely a pricey restaurant, I do not see how they can be profitable. The place and decor looked impressive and expensive – I should also mention their unique Zen style washrooms. The restaurant’s exclusivity does not capitalize potentially on a wider cross-section of the upper middle class clientele that could have enhanced its image and income. Further, it would be too difficult and expensive to replicate the restaurant elsewhere.

So, was I surprised when I learnt that the restaurant is going to be closed in a couple of months ? It is sad and a real pity to let this restaurant go away. It is a truly lovely experience, to be enjoyed at least once a year !

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
2nd June 2011
Mumbai

Character of a City

My Mumbai friends used to tell me often that “Mumbai has charmed them in ways other cities have not been able to, Mumbai pulls them into its DNA irrespective of where they are from and they become part and parcel of its local culture”.

While I have not really taken into that kind of charm that easily, Mumbai does inflict an influence on any visitor in more ways than one. Especially South Mumbai. One gets a positive sense of the moving culture and business-like approach in Mumbai, that one would not be able to get that easily in other cities of India.

Montreal in Quebec province of Canada, and the second largest city of Canada (after Toronto), is one such city. Recently I spent some time in Montreal, which is a rather nice city. It is French-speaking, but is also bi-lingual, so no problem in getting around with people. It is a beautiful city with French influence all over the place.

The architecture is reminiscent of an European city, with modern buildings interspersed with old architecturally radiant structures which attract attention. Montreal is easy to get around, most people can walk, take a bike, or ride a metro. It is a well-laid out city with good urban planning. I enjoyed walking around the city, though the weather in May was not helpful – it was cloudy and occasionally raining, with temperatures as low as 9 deg Celsius, a rather low figure for summer.

I could not see many Asians, except in the university areas. But I could see several Asian restaurants. The food scene in Montreal is as lively as its culture, with a great variety of cuisine available. I had the opportunity to enjoy a selection which was absolutely delightful.

I also noticed that shopping in Montreal was not as expensive as in other North American cities, and even living costs were lower. Grocery shopping was not more expensive than it is in India today ! That was a surprising discovery. Ofcourse, it goes without saying that the supermarkets were much better organized and had a wide variety and selection of stuff as compared to India. Organic produce appeared to be popular !

Will publish some photos in due course,

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
28 May 2011
Mumbai

Lavasa – a first impression

Lavasa is a hill city in the Western Ghats of India, approximately an hour and thirty minutes drive from Pune, and approximately four hours drive from Mumbai. Lavasa has been heavily advertised over the past couple of years, and I had been surprised opening a copy of the Time magazine and seeing a beautiful ad on Lavasa.

Controversy has plagued Lavasa of late, with the Ministry of Environment of Government of India stopping all construction work at Lavasa due to the potential damage to the fragile and rich environmental ecosystem in the Western Ghats.

There is no construction going on currently. But I did not see any major evidence of damage to the environment. The Dasve town is neat and the roads are pretty, for a change (as compared to other hill stations in India). The lake front has been done up quite well, and there are many eating places in an alfresco fashion laid out nicely along the water front.

I liked the place, though the weather was a bit warm. The infrastructure has come up quite well, and if the vision of the developer is allowed to be fully implemented, I have no doubt that a world-class hill city would come alive in its full splendour in the next couple of years.

Please take a look – “LAVASA” , and “VISITING LAVASA”

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
30th April 2011
Mumbai