London - a city for all seasons

What does one do in London when you have some time free but the weather is bad? Plenty!!

I decided to meet my cousin John at Hyde Park where he was slated to conduct a tour..........luckily for me (and for him) due to the poor weather, there were not too many tourists to form a group. The Spanish tours on the other hand were absolutely packed. The weather being what it was, rainy and cold, it was better to stick to activities indoors.

We promptly headed to the Natural History Museum which is a beautiful building. There was a temporary exhibition that we were hoping to see - Animal Inside Out jointly hosted by the Body Worlds and the NHM. I had seen an exhibition of Gunther von Hagen's Body Worlds in Germany some years ago and knew that this exhibition on animals would be spectacular as well. The 100 or so plastinated animals and capillary specimens displayed the intricate insides and inner workings of the world's most spectacular creatures from elephants and giraffes, to cows and goats to octupuses and ostriches. It was a true anatomical safari of the natural world.

The beautiful Natural History Museum

Quite an imposing building

A specimen of the plastinated animal

Post that, John headed to meet a friend for lunch, whilst I decided to continue with my museum visit. One of the things I love about London is that it has a variety of museums and they are all FREE except for temporary exhibitions. So I proceeded to the Victoria and Albert Museum which is housed in a beautiful building as well. It is the world's greatest museum of art and design and has collections from different centuries, eras and dynasties. The few hours spent there were worthwhile but not enough. Hopefully I will return again.

I then decided to grab a bite and later wander the hallways of Harrod's and the food halls of Selfridges. I was lucky because there was an Irish festival at Selfridges and they were showcasing Irish produce and cuisine in the food section. I spent an enjoyable time watching the free cook offs and sampling the chocolates, biscuits, cheeses, salmon and beef.

Later in the evening, I met my friend Jo for drinks and dinner. We went to a trendy restaurant in the heart of Soho called Bocco di Lupo run by Jacob Kenedy. I can assure you that the food was excellent, the staff very helpful and the ambience relaxing.

This cuttlefish was mindblowing.

Still drooling over the memory of it.

The next day, I headed back into town to attend a play at the Old Vic - The Duchess of Malfi which is a Jacobean tragedy by John Webster. The performance was superb and I had a wonderful time.

So irrespective of the weather, one can truly find plenty of things to do in London and still enjoy oneself.

The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music has always been one of my favourite movies. So obviously I would not have missed watching the theatre format of my favourite musical.

I managed to get 2 passes and decided to invite my little friend Renee (Juanella's daughter) as she said Sound of Music was her favourite movie too. I think Raelle Padamsee and team did a fantastic job adapting it to the stage in Bombay. The talent on stage was uplifting and I particularly loved the way they integrated underprivileged children into the main performance. The Happy Home School of the Blind sang the Amazing Grace and in the play, they won the talent contest.

There were a lot of kids in the audience as well. Age was no bar with both adults and kids joining in the singing. Overall it was great and I had a blast.

A Disappearing Number - a review of the play

Last week I attended a magnificent play at the NCPA, brought to India by the Prithvi Theatre group and ofcourse co-sponsored by Kingfisher Airlines.

It is a play about the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan and his English mentor G H Hardy. It is a play within a play because there are multiple stories across different time zones as well as different locations. A pattern of stories links people across time and space - Ramanujan to Hardy, a contemporary mathematician to Ramanujan, a businessman to this mathematician, an Indian diaspora travelling freely across the globe.

And threaded through this pattern of stories and ideas are questions; questions about mathematics and beauty, imagination and the nature of infinity, about what is continuous and what is permanent, how we are attached to the past and how we affect the future, how we create and how we love.

I particularly enjoyed the extensive use of technology and the simplicity yet complexity of the sets. The subject matter itself is so complex that it demands to be viewed more than once. A true "Matrix" like play. Overall it was a superb production and one of the best plays I have attended in India.

The Passion Play at Oberammergau

I first heard about the Oberammergau Passion Play in the year 2000 and ever since I have wanted to attend it. Not an easy task as it is held every 10 years! Anyway this year, I decided that by hook or by crook, I was going to attend. And as I truly believe, if it is meant to be, the universe will conspire to make it happen.


As it so happened, I was invited to an Airbus seminar in Munich in June and it is from Munich that one goes to Oberammergau. The next step was to get tickets for the play. Unfortunately one cannot just buy them off the net. Instead one has to go through a travel agent or register on the website stating preferred dates. Once again, the universe conspired and sent me an angel in the form of Christina (my friend from Munich). She not only arranged for the tickets but also showed me the surrounding area of Bavaria over the weekend.

 The theatre in which the play is performed.

So what is so special about this play?

• The Oberammergau Passion Play is the result of a vow made by the inhabitants of the village that if God spared them from the effects of the bubonic plague then sweeping the region.
• They vowed to perform the play every ten years.
• It was first performed in 1634.
• It involves over 2000 actors, singers, instrumentalists and technicians who are all residents of the village.
• It is an extraordinary community exercise.

The play opens by focusing on humankind’s desire to find salvation and the hope offered through Jesus Christ. I loved the way they depicted the life of Jesus and interspersed it with vignettes from the Old Testatment.

Tableau - Jesus' entry into Jerusalem

Tableau - In front of the Temple

Tableau - The feast of the Passover before the Exodus from Egypt

Tableau - Scene from the Last Supper

Tableau - The violent attack at the High Place of Gibeon

Tableau - God calls Moses from the burning bush

Tableau - The betrayal of Jesus

Tableau - The Prophet Daniel in the Lion's Den

Tableau - The Crucifixion

The sets were colourful and beautiful, the singing inspirational and spine-tingling and the actors were brilliant. It was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life even though the entire play was in German.

Oberammergau is a quaint village where the most dominant activity is the Passion play. The play ofcourse is held in 2 parts with a 3 hour break in between during which dinner is served. Everything is so beautifully organised in the true German style of perfection. One has enough time to have dinner, walk around town, shop a bit, visit the museum and take lots of pictures.

A quaint setting

Typical Bavarian

Bronze sculptures everywhere

There was an exhibition of pictures of previous plays held. I found the sets and costumes quite fascinating.

The village is also famous for its woodcarving. The streets of central Oberammergau are home to dozens of woodcarver shops, with pieces ranging from religious subjects to toys to humorous portraits.

Oberammergau is also famous for its "Lüftlmalerei," or frescoes, of traditional Bavarian themes, fairy tales, or religious scenes found on many homes and buildings.

Getting there:


Nearest Airport - It is 95 kms from Munich or 75 kms from Innsbruck.

By train - There are hourly trains to Oberammergau Bahnhof from Münich, with a change in Murnau. The journey takes about 2 hours each way. All other major cities in Germany can be reached from Murnau, including Frankfurt in 7 hours.

By bus - There are about four buses per day from Füssen to Oberammergau (fewer in winter). The journey takes 1 hour 30 minutes. An unnumbered shuttle bus connects Oberammergau with the regional train station (RVO Regionalverkehr Oberbayern) at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, from which you can connect to other nearby towns.

By car - The easiest way to reach Oberammergau is by car, which takes about an hour on the autobahn from Münich. Take the A95 Munich-Garmisch-Partenkirchen Autobahn and exit at Eschenlohe. Road 23 connects the autobahn with Oberammergau.

Buying the tickets: Tickets to the play are usually included as part of a larger package comprising of accommodation and sightseeing in some cases.

Oberammergau und DER Reisebüro OHG
Geschäftsstelle Passion 2010
Eugen-Papst-Straße 9a
D - 82487 Oberammergau
Tel. ++49(0)8822-9231 -64
Fax ++49(0)8822-9231 -52
http://www.passionsspiele2010.de/

The Banana Leaf, The Alchemist and The Yellow Tree......

Yesterday, was a very interesting day.

We had our aunt, uncle and cousin over transiting from Goa back to their home in London. John, my cousin, wanted to have some dosas, so decided to take them for lunch to the Banana Leaf restaurant. At this restaurant, you get served literally on a banana leaf and the food, though vegetarian, is simply mouth watering. It is authentic South Indian food and honestly, one wants to order the entire menu.

My uncle had a thali which had at least 10 little servings of various different curries and vegetables. I think it was a good choice as you get to taste a little of everything. John of course ordered a special dosa and the rest of us had neer dosa and appams with vegetable stew, a South Indian Bhindi (okra) preparation and a dish called Pulissery which was made from mango, red pumpkin and drumsticks. We had some great buttermilk to wash it all down!

Later in the evening, my friends and I went to watch a play which was an adaptation of Paulo Coelho's book The Alchemist. It was extremely well done and did the book justice. I had quite forgotten most of the details of the book as I had read it quite a while ago. Watching the play brought back all the memories and the various important lessons that are communicated through the story.

When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.

Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure. You've got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense.

The secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better. Forget about the future, and live each day according to the teachings, confident that God loves his children. Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity.




The future belongs to God, and it is only he who reveals it, under extraordinary circumstances.

Life attracts life.

One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.


Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there.


People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them.



Every search begins with beginner's luck and ends with the victor's being severely tested.

Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place.



When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.

Post the play, we went out for dinner to one of the new restaurants in Bandra called the Yellow Tree. It is a small but cute place that serves continental cuisine. I must admit that whatever we ordered - lemon pepper prawns, prawn risotto, Bishop's weed chicken, grilled chicken and a ceasar's salad were all great. The desserts - apple pie and a bitter chocolate and apricot mousse were to die for.