Posted by Divvya

If you’re ever hungry in Calcutta, be sure to check out my favorite hangouts!

Zeeshan: The roll hub of Calcutta. Try the veggie and chicken versions, filling, yum and a super bang for your buck! 17, Nr Park Circus Tram Depot, Sayed Amir Ali Ave, Circus Avenue, call 033-66343397.

Lake Kalibari: Best aloo dum, bhel puri, sharbats and kala khatta this side of the Hoogly. Kolkata South.

Gautam’s: A long drive with an almost empty wallet? Gautam’s is the place for you. The huge menu offers everything from steamed momos to cheese rolls and crispy chili potatoes, but the hot chocolate and cold coffee are my favorites. Duttabad, behind ESI Hospital (Maniktala), on Salt Lake Side of E.M. Bypass.

Momo Plaza: Over 20 different kinds to choose from –chicken deep fried momos and steamed mutton ones are the most popular. I also really like the Tibetan decor. 2A, Suburban Hospital Road, Rowland Row, call 033- 22878260.

Kim Ling: Get a taste of “authentic” Chinese food in the city’s Chinatown, Tangra. Chilli babycorn and Szechwan noodles define the spicy nature of Calcuttans. 13 South Tangra Road, call 033-23298923.

Balaram Mullick: This mishti doi is the best way to earn brownie points with locals, and the rosogollas take about 5 seconds in to melt in your mouth. 2 Paddapukur Road, Bhowanipur, call 033 - 24869490/24540281.

*Divvya Haralalka is a Kolkata native, future Bollywood star and current intern at the bpb office. He starts college in the States this fall.

Posted by Kanika

Waking up has never been this terrifying - a shaving blade slices through coarse hair; strong strands of dental floss look like they're ready to tighten their grip around your neck; a coffee machine is pressed down; blood oranges are gutted; a gleaming knife pierces flesh-coloured meat; an egg breaks; ketchup splatters; a fresh white tee takes you straight to the morgue.

This is the brilliant opening sequence (watch it here) of the gloriously gory Dexter, a TV show that I’ve recently committed my 10 - 11 pm slot to (surprise I can keep my dinner down). If we are what we watch, then the 18 year-old office intern and I are currently killers. But we have our reasons.

This Dexter discussion made me think of other TV shows that have super opening sequences. See below for extra credit.

Community (watch here)

Currently my daily upper, this one begins with a fun song - At Least It Was Here - by Indie rock band The 88, with actors names appearing in a paper chick chock game. Give me some more / Time in a dream / Give me the hope / To run out of steam... this is my happy cue.

For more awesome TV show theme songs see The Sopranos, Frasier and Gossip Girl.

The Simpsons (watch here)

How fun is it that every episode’s opening sequence is altered at the end with crazy things happening when the family gets to the couch.

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Posted by Mansi

Everything hurts.

Sixty minutes with Suraj, my new and no-nonsense kickboxing instructor (call 9821266281, Rs 500 per class - recommended by the very svelte Anoop Gandhi of Bonobo), and I am decimated, demolished, reduced to rubble. I don't know how people do this three times a week.

I'm terribly lazy - my idea of a fitness regime is skipping breakfast and sticking to a bowl of soup for dinner if we've been particularly debaucherous at the bpb office, which is often the case.

All of us have different ways of mitigating the number of meals we have to eat out for reviews etc, as well as the cupcakes, fries, dips, sodas and Silk bars that make regular appearances to corrupt our work day. Please feel free to try any or all, and suggest your own in the comments section:

KP: Hauls a home-cooked dabba from Bandra to Cuffe Parade every day and almost never abandons it, no matter what we entice her with. She also plans to take up yoga again (Sonal Ahuja's class at Clay Wellness Centre, Bandra, call 65812444), although she can eat whatever the hell she wants and never put on an ounce.

DH: Worst. Eating. Habits. Ever. Drinks almost a litre of Coke everyday, loves cheese and chocolate. Maintains her tiny frame through belly dancing lessons ( Veve Dance Academy, call 9820455580) and regular performances on "Sheila Ki Jawaani" at the bpb office.

SM: At 24, takes full advantage of her killer metabolism, and tones her legs through skyscraper heels, which she wears even for a twenty block walk across town. Ate only cucumber slices for a full day because she felt like she was getting fat. Oh, to be young and foolish again.

Speaking of the young and foolish, we have a battery of interns at the bpb office over the summer (including the abovementioned SM), and you'll be hearing from them on the blog. Stay tuned!

Posted by Mansi

Ten minutes of stillness - that's what I gave up my ticket to the Greatest Game Ever Played (also known as the WC '11 final) for.

I decided to visit the Golden Temple during a random and completely unrelated conversation that took place amidst sweating bodies, showers of tinsel and a we've-run-out-of-booze crises. I followed through on it two weeks later because I was searching for something that a lot of my friends seem to have found in Amritsar: a sense of contentment.

I didn't find it. Not while jostling for entry into the inner sanctum of the stupendously beautiful temple, not from the quiet corner on which I sat alone, willing to suspend all disbelief, watching the sun rise up over the glimmering walls. The promise of it, however, was palpable - I felt like a kid who could see the blanket on the top shelf of the closet but was unable to reach it. I'll just have to go back and try again.

I was in Amritsar for only a night, so didn't have time to visit the famous dhabas, but I stayed at a super pretty haveli which had been turned into a hotel - Ranjit's Svaasa. The Ista Hotel is also a good option. If you're visiting, try and attend the Lowering of the Flags ceremony at Wagah Border, around 10 km from the city, a pure distillation of Indo-Pak rivalry and national patriotism. It gets really crowded, so ask your hotel to arrange VIP seats.

Nam Le's The Boat was my reading companion on the trip, a collection of ferociously intelligent short stories from a first-time Vietnamese author. It's a little hard to get your hands on but you can buy it on Flipkart, or just borrow it from me.

Last week, dear reader, was extremely harrowing for this Scouter. To make sure it didn't leak into a much needed beach break in Goa, my friends decided to declare the beach as the Land Where Nothing Bad Ever Happens. So as long as I stayed between Candolim and Ashwem, everything would be fine. Was it any wonder that I never wanted to come back?

Abetting this idea of a 'hood of good was the O Hotel, where we stayed. It is bright and clean and new, with lush zen gardens, a super spa and pretty enclaves hung with chandeliers and candelabras. It's also a stone's throw away from Candolim beach, and extremely reasonable - Rs 5,000 for a big, airy double room that comes with a fornication chair, a fun rain shower "ideal for couples" and a huge window between the bathtub and main room, if you would rather just watch. Exciting water sports, indeed.

The pool could be bigger, especially for such a sprawling property, but it's actually not as bad once you get in. The only problem is that it shuts at 7 pm (our 2 am swim needed much brainstorming and misdirection to pull off) and they don't serve drinks or food in the area. Ask nicely, though, and you may score a beer.

Other Goa updates: Bomra's, the popular Burmese place, is closed for the season; Miriam Strehlaus is shutting her store for good; Nine Bar still makes you feel like you're 16 years old; and Thelassa is on top of it's game.

You can find more pointers on this kick ass Goa list, bible to what may be the happiest place on earth.

Posted by Kanika

bpb attended the last leg of FICCI FRAMES 2011 and came away with a head full of things: Gandhiji, 3G, journalistic ethics, Bollywood debutantes, Wong Kar Wai, Hugh Jackman, cute writers, the app economy, how to sell Playstation to parents and more. Here's a recap of our visit to the media and entertainment convention through tweets.

bpb is tweeting live from FICCI Frames 2011. #ficci

We first picked The Future of Electronic News over Karan Johar's Rise of the Debutante and Creativity and the Gaming Industry.

CEOs of Star News, CNBC Awaaz, TV Today network talk about the impact of electronic media on news channels. #ficci

Couldn't resist popping into KJO moderated rise of the debutante. Kiran Rao, Ranveer Singh, Vikramaditya Motwane are speakers.

On international filmmakers they're inspired by, KJO picked Wong Kar Wai & Kiran Rao said something vague abt avant garde world cinema. #ficci

Panel members at Creativity & Gaming Industry (most fun talk so far!) agree on one thing - all Indian mothers hate Grand Theft Auto. #ficci

Playstation country head shares story- Son's status: I'm friends with my dad on FB. Wtf! Dad: What's Wtf? Son: Welcome to Facebook. #FICCI

Hungama's Neeraj Roy promises not to make the 3G and Its Possibilities talk "boring" and steer away from "geeky conversation". #ficci

How can India go from Gandhiji to 3G? Find relief for "digital constipation"? Creative jugad & better networks says panel. #ficci

In 2 years, TV apps will be in a place where phone apps are today - Mr Chowdhury from IBM global. A bpb app for your Sony flatscreen?

Huge applause for man in audience who tells Reliance spokesperson that content providers need a bigger share of earnings from mobile networks. #ficci

bpb is at FICCI Frames lunch with a cute script writer. Almost makes the insipid noodles taste okay :)

Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta talks about reporting then and now with aids from 1983, Ms Gandhi & budha sant (old monk).#ficci

Editor Shekhar Gupta speaks of The New Yorker's legendary fact checking & nytimes.com's new charge policy. Great talk!

Facts have no caste, NGOs spread more lies than govt, Delhi is the most insensitive place - Shekhar Gupta (Indian Express). #ficci

Celebrity spotting at FICCI: Sonakshi Sinha, Ken Ghosh, Ranveer Singh, Karan Johar.

bpb finally leaves FICCI for friends. And what, miss finale dinner with Hugh Jackman? Ah, we'll just rent X Men this weekend! # ficci

Posted by Mansi

I write this post, dear reader, from the bowels of remodeling hell. My personal purgatory, complete with a four poster Portuguese bed swathed in faded sheets, hideously pea-green wall and enormous shoe rack. Until recently my bedroom - now, no one alive can sleep there without getting nightmares.

The only thing that's stopping me from running screaming (apart from high-inducing paint fumes) is hope that with enough creativity and steamrolling, I'll be able to whip the space into what I had initially planned, which is a room straight out of a grand old house in Havana. Or at least what I imagine a grand old house in Havana would look like (I haven't visited Cuba yet, a gaping hole in my life that I aim to fill soonly).

Said room is also envisioned to house some special objects, things that I have collected and been gifted and occasionally stolen, as well as products I am yet to source (this impulse has been greatly amplified by Orhan Pamuk's Museum of Innocence, which I am currently reading and would recommend only for those who have the stomach for self-indulgent, maudlin love stories).

I will chronicle the best of these objects in two separate lists (see below). PS: I'm actually getting organized. Is that a snowball I see?

In Stock:

Pair of psychedelic, life-sized giraffes, bought a couple of years ago at Turquoise, a cute little home store in Bandra. (Moving, stay posted for details on new location).

"After School", an illustration of my favorite things: music, friends and summer, sent all the way from New York.

Antique ivory telephone that's been around my grandmother's house since I was a baby. I whacked it in the name of nostalgia.

Cane swing, painted lipstick red on an impulsive Wednesday with the help of my oldest, dearest friend. I think I still have the color in my hair.

Caricature from a 2004 trip to New Orleans. Those were good times.

Antique "almari" with two toned carving and blue enamel handles. It's pretty and glossy and reminds me of the truffles at Vosges, New York. I could eat it up with a spoon. (Raj Antiques, Mahalaxmi, opposite the Race Course).

Wrought iron light fixture with a sprig of mistletoe, Christmas present from Kanika Parab and her most substantial contribution to my love life. (Fluke, Bandra).

My mother's incredible paintings. It's a good thing I have these, since she never passed me her talent.

Kick-ass bose speakers, tons and tons and tons of books.

To be sourced:

A sleek, compact record player for a vinyl collection I am yet to build.

Lace curtains

Three foot long blown glass cylinders that I can fill with buttons and screws and wooden scrabble letters and use as legs for my dressing table.

A standing table mirror

Jasmine plant

Blue chandelier

***

Any suggestions on where I can get these would be much appreciated.

Posted by Kanika

It’s so much fun when you don’t expect it – a Sunday afternoon drink. Champagne none the less.

Yesterday, two fun people came over with a bottle of bubbly to celebrate, well, nothing at all. Or maybe the occasion was that ‘twas the day after Saturday and a whole lunch, six flutes, a siesta and movie away from Monday.

Either way, we didn’t care. We popped the cork and bought out the flutes, a surge of bubbles tickling the afternoon into laughter. Those happy hours giggled up many things, but just one that’s of use to you dear reader – whisky flavoured cheese. Bought from Nature’s Basket and placed on the table, the hunk of cheese looked remarkably similar to Cooper’s chocolate fudge. Or walnut cake, someone pointed out. But really, it combines two of a lot of people’s favourite food and drink. Cheese marinated in whisky...need I say more? Try it. It goes great with chilled champagne or white wine on a March Mumbai afternoon.

Cheers!

Available at Nature’s Basket outlets across the city, Rs 250 for 100 gms.

Posted by Kanika

I like to think of my friends as loaners. Loaners of all things lovely – book recommendations; gizmos; favourite holiday destinations; and seemingly frivolous, but ultimately valuable advice. This month, a bunch of friends ended up letting me in on their favourite things, leaving me in a big pile of debt. IOU guys.

A Super Cool Pen Drive that Folds up into a Bracelet and Puppy Linux

Loaned by: Vish

Uploaded on to this pen drive are a whole bunch of Oscar films I missed watching (The King’s Speech, Fighter), Classics (Love in the Afternoon) and TV shows I’m waiting to watch (Curb Your Enthusiasm + new seasons of How I Met Your Mother). What more can a girl ask for?  Also, an introduction to the awesome, free Puppy Linux operating system.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Loaned by: Mansi

A gorgeous novel about writers who love, lovers who write, fathers and sons, brothers and sisters, girlfriends who want to be just friends, youth, old age and death. All this written with smart, art and and a whole lot of heart.

Lagavulin

Loaned by: Aalok

A sexy, smoky single malt introduced to me by this generous friend one Saturday night. Almost makes up for the jokes he cracks at my expense.

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Posted by Mansi

How is it that I was walking down a snowy street on the Upper East Side one morning, warmed by a big breakfast of eggs and chocolate chip pancakes, and less than 24 hours later scarfing down a pizza at Trattoria in Cuffe Parade?

I've been traveling a fair bit this past month - Hong Kong and New York, Delhi and U-Tan - and wondering about its emotional consequences. Doesn't the extreme movement across time zones, across weathers and languages and histories and cultures, elicit some kind of psychological toll on us? Placed in different geographies, don't we become different people, think differently, want different things? When I'm in New York, I am more fearless, more liberated, indulging in behavior that Mumbai-Mansi would never endorse. When I'm in Bombay, I'm more blase about practical issues like my health and my bank account, rent and routines. To transition from one to the other often takes me longer than the duration of a non-stop flight.

These differences are in part because of my divergent experiences while living in these cities, and also influenced by the individual characteristics - or cultures - of Bombay and New York. I was at an interesting event a couple of days ago, organized by the Asia Society and addressing multiculturism, where government representatives of Canada and Singapore talked about the phenomenon in astonishingly structured ways, as if it were something that could be controlled by a policy memo or town hall debate.

But as Parmesh Shahani, moderator of the event alluded, isn't multiculturism more amorphous than that, expressed through the hip hop music and Bollywood movies, books and art, Twitter and Facebook? Isn't it, in many ways, a done deal? Can culture even be defined by national boundaries (if my trip to Delhi was any indication, I don't think so :))?

And in this day and age, which person, city, piece of art is truly mono-cultural?

Incidentally, the event was held in a lovely space that belongs to Jnanapravaha, an arts organization that's doing some super fun events in the city. More on that in the weekend guide, out tomorrow!