Friday, June 23, 2006

Of Wild Horses and Orissa Fans

Nothing but wild horses could drag Sukanya Mohapatra out of Dilli Haat on Orissa Day.

The Bhubaneswar lass was mesmerised by all things Orissan. Be it palm leaf and tassar paintings, stone and wood carvings, handloom products, sand sculptures or the Pattachitra painting technique, Sukanya spent the better part of a day marvelling at products and cuisines from her home state.

And when the Gotipua dancers came out in traditional finery amid the ubiquitous pipli lanterns, Sukanya stared at them as if she longed to join them on stage. But she didn't. Perhaps it was the imposing presence of Cabinet minister Renuka Choudhary that deterred her. No matter, there's always next year.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Of Malaika Arora and Licence Trouble

It's not that Malaika Arora isn't a gorgeous babe and Indian men don't drool over her. But apni Malvika still hates being called by that moniker. And pray, what is the reason for this confusion?

Apparently, Malvika's driving licence mentions her name wrongly as Malaika - an error she hasn't been able to rectify despite several trips to the local traffic office.

And she's not amused by people referring to her as Malaika. Try it and see - at your own risk, of course.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Of Impromptu Alumni Meets and Seekh Kebabs

Debjit's daughter's annaprasadam ceremony in June turned out to be a sort of alumni meet.

Sure enough his relatives and family friends outnumbered us but it was a pleasure bumping into our former colleagues - Vandana Lalchandani, Mayank Bhardwaj and K Dinkar. Our office was represented by Aparna Nair, Malvika Bhatnagar and yours truly.

We reminisced over old times while munching on chicken legs and seekh kebabs at the impressive Flying Club near Safdarjung airport.

Sreejoni, in whose honour the entire ceremony had been organised, looked a trifle uncomfortable at being subjected to such torture.

But the veritable spread of dishes on the buffet table soon drew everybody's attention. And what a feast it was. We do hope Debjit invites us for his daughter's first birthday.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Of Wannabe Cooks and Expert Chefs

Wondering what Setuka Mahajan is up to these days? We'll let you in on a secret. She's learning how to cook. Not to find her way to a man's heart or impress prospective in-laws. She just wants to cook for herself.

So whenever she's free, Setuka runs off to her masi's place for practical lessons on whipping up lunch. The tips come in really handy when she's alone at home and hungry to boot.

And now that we have exposed her little secret, please feel free to blackmail her into cooking something for you.

Also ruling the cookery sweepstakes is Neha Bhatnagar who reportedly cooks the most delicious food on the planet. Colleagues swear by her sabzi and wait with bated breath for her to reveal her 'tiffin' delights.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Of Deceptive Smiles and Miming Skills

Beware of Sarvottam. People who think he's just a sweet, innocent guy with a friendly smile are making a big mistake.

Behind that grin lurks a talented mime artist who can drive people crazy with his antics.

In fact, the monotony of back-to-back classes at IIMC Dhenkanal had been broken by impromptu mime performances by Sarvottam.

A special favourite of his was the story of a student who fails his exams and commits suicide. Sources reveal there was nary a dry eye in the audience by the time Sarvottam wrapped up his Oscar-winning rendition.

Well, we think our office also needs some mime artists to pep things up and Sarvottam would be perfect to play the harried journalist.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Of Bangalore Trips and Driving with Devraj

Swaty will never go the Driving Miss Daisy way. The Bihari lass has just returned from a family trip to Bangalore, where she spent time learning to drive.

For five days, Swaty honed her skills on the road, taking help from a certain Mr Devraj, who we are told made her sing 'We shall overcome' every time they set out.

Devraj was eager to show Swaty the sights of the city and encouraged her to forget the clutch and enjoy her surroundings. So much so that Swaty turned the steering wheel left and right and then left again before realising Devraj had made her scoop out a perfect 8 on the sand track.

Even hubby Manas says he's impressed by Swaty's driving skills. And we think Devraj deserves a Hot Chocolate Fudge. Wotsay?

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Of Secret Weddings and Angry Colleagues

We never knew Prashant would do the vanishing act and come back to office a married man.

His wedding to Bhagyalakshmi in Bhubaneswar last month was an event few in New Delhi were aware of.

The Banking Correspondent had no explanation to offer except the very lame one that he didn't have enough time to inform his colleagues.

But we decided to give Prashant the benefit of doubt and listened attentively to his sob story.

According to the Orissa dude, it was so hot in the state capital that he got boils on the inside of his lips, which he says accounts for his silence on D-day. We, however, suspect Prashant was struck dumb by his bride's beauty.

His ordeal was made tougher still because of a community tradition that the bride and groom should not eat anything on the wedding day. Which meant Prashant, and of course Bhagyalakshmi, had to survive on water.

The marriage itself was pretty low-profile. Prashant says it would have been attended by more of our office chaps in Bhubaneswar had not the Budhia controversy chosen to rear its ugly head just as Prashant was getting hitched.

And what does Bhagyalakshmi do? Prashant is loath to give any details but he did let loose this info - She is doing her Masters in Sociology.

Well, although we haven't actually forgiven Prashant for not telling us in advance, we wish the newly-wed couple the very best for their life ahead.