My latest book is The One Who Swam With The Fishes.

"A mesmerizing account of the well-known story of Matsyagandha ... and her transformation from fisherman’s daughter to Satyavati, Santanu’s royal consort and the Mother/Progenitor of the Kuru clan." - Hindustan Times

"Themes of fate, morality and power overlay a subtle and essential feminism to make this lyrical book a must-read. If this is Madhavan’s first book in the Girls from the Mahabharata series, there is much to look forward to in the months to come." - Open Magazine

"A gleeful dollop of Blytonian magic ... Reddy Madhavan is also able to tackle some fairly sensitive subjects such as identity, the love of and karmic ties with parents, adoption, the first sexual encounter, loneliness, and my favourite, feminist rage." - Scroll



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16 September 2012

Delhi night, Bombay feeling

So, I went to Blue Frog over at the Kila near Qutub for the first time this weekend. I hadn't been going so far, because a) I'm a Bombay loyalist and b) it's just so damn far. I know it's meant to be always crowded, but seriously, how do people do it? People like me, I mean, who drive themselves, or take public transport when they feel like drinking, and you (by which I mean I) can't drive in heels, so you have to carry a pair of chappals which you very unattractively have to change in the car, while the valet guy is waiting patiently, or not-so-patiently, because he sees you have a small, beaten down old vehicle and that normally doesn't get him many tips?

But, I manned up, took a rickshaw to my pre-drinking location, got into a friend's car from there and off we went. I was wearing a dress I bought recently at an export surplus place--this dress actually--which I love, because it's decent enough that I can not carry a "modesty scarf" (Delhi girls, you know what I mean) and pretty enough that I can look dressed up at drinks or a brunch. I also was wearing this pair of Taramay shoes, which I'm going to totally plug here, because I love her and I love the shoes and they're much preferable to heels, because you know by drink four you're going to take off your heels anyway and walk around barefoot.

[I've become rather "into" clothes recently. I even spent real money on a dress a bit like this one by Masaba, which I have been wearing everywhere, so I can get my money's worth. Except mine is a shirt dress, in orange with green cuffs. (I can't find the image of it online, which I suppose is a good thing?) Designer clothes are lovely, but I love the bang for your buck you can get with a good export surplus shop. Three for the price of one!]

Right, there's my totally self indulgent clothes update. Apologies. Onward!

Blue Frog Delhi has none of the coolness of the Bombay branch, it's nice enough, I suppose, but the inside section was kind of lame, too sound-stage-y feeling, not the big space-pod feeling that the Bombay one gives you. There's also a separate section outside, with another bar and another DJ, which is where everyone who actually wants to talk and not freeze, stands. But, expensive! Rs 1900 for two glasses of wine? Oh. My. God. I don't know if I would go back. (Although, their house wine is Jacob's Creek, which is a bit better than the usual Sula swill.)

But I had forgotten the one thing about clubs--they are for single people looking to hook up. My friend and I were unattached ladies, sitting talking quietly to each other, doing a little dancing, hanging out with other friends--and we were like scam magnets. One man actually came up to us and said, "Are you free?" ("No, very expensive," said my friend.) Also, can we please retire two things about men: 1) "How do I know you?" as a pick up line. It's really old. And boring. I don't know you. and 2) SHORTS. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, YOU ARE IN A NICE PLACE, STOP WITH THE COTTON SHORTS. YOU ARE NOT AT YOUR "FARMHOUSE, DARLINK." Also, while I'm doling out unsolicited advice, Delhi girls, I'm really glad you're embracing the curly and leaving your hair alone, but we need to talk about how cotton > Lycra. Promise.


A real Bombay evening ensued, because we went off to Shiro after that. There, Delhi pleased me a little bit. Despite being in the fairly impersonal banquet hall type setting that is the Hotel Samrat, Shiro over here is--much like the Bombay version--full of massive Buddha faces and fake waterfalls and high ceilings, but better music (I'm partial to any kind of remix of Somebody That I Used To Know.) slightly cheaper drinks, and all in all, a more convivial feel than Blue Frog. The crowd might have been younger, and it was, I think, I'm not one hundred per cent sure, because someone handed me a full glass of Jaegermeister, which I drank to be polite and then all bets were off. Yuck. I can still taste it.

So, if I had to go clubbing in Delhi, I'd basically pick Shiro. They have a massive cover charge I believe, but if you know someone who knows someone (which we did), you can dodge it. On the other hand, seeing as I spent close to (or more than. I deleted all my ICICI text messages out of guilt the next morning) 4k this Friday night,  a cover charge would have been pretty much the same thing. Drinking is expensive if you're doing it as a lifestyle choice, but Delhi turned out to be pretty fun at night. Plus, if you're public transporting, the guys at Hotel Samrat will very kindly call you a local taxi, which was nice and safe.

PRO TIP #1: My only advice to battle the next morning's hangover: two bottles of water before you go to bed, even if you feel full and sloshy and like you're going to puke if you drink any more.

PRO TIP #2: Never engage a chatty rickshaw driver, because he will not, then, shut up and will then start asking you all sorts of questions about your personal life just because you answered a perfectly innocuous statement about the weather.

PRO TIP # 3: Carry cash so you can keep track of what you're spending and not have a MILLION texts the next morning, which you open with great excitement only to find it's your bank stalking you.









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1 comment:

  1. So, will you share your favorite export surplus haunts in Delhi please?

    ReplyDelete

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