Breakfast @ MTR's

One Sunday morning, my husband and I decided to have a walk in Lalbagh and then have breakfast at MTR near Lalbagh. My mother-in-law was visiting us at that time and she too joined.

We reached there at around 7.00am and strolled around for half-an-hour. My mother-in-law is a sugar patient so she couldn't walk further. We then went to MTR.

I had heard a lot of people making it a routine to go to MTR after going to Lalbagh, be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It sounded like a must-visit place in Bengaluru and I wasn't new here. Hence, I had a strong urge to go there. We reached there by 8 o' clock. As we ascend the steps, we can see black-and-white pictures of eminent people in the 50's/60's who visited there. Gives an authentic feel to it, right? But, but. All the glory stops here. At the entrance we are told to wait as no table is available and one of our names is entered in the waiting list. Well, waiting for a few minutes is no big a deal. After all, it is a popular hang-out and we had experienced the same at Vidyarthi Bhavan, Gandhi Bazaar.

There are 2 waiting areas and both were half occupied when we entered. We waited for 15 minutes as told, our name wasn't called. Twenty minutes passed, thirty. We passed our time by chatting about mundane things. We also joked that it would have been better if we'd enlisted before going to Lalbagh. At 8.45, my mother-in-law started cribbing about the delay and suggested that if we had left for home, we could've had made some dish quickly. I don't mind a late breakfast, but I was hungry after walking. I could understand that being a diabetic, she couldn't control any longer. My husband was standing at the entrance while we were seated in a corner, so that he could enquire every now and then. Meanwhile, an entourage of about 10-15 people came and we heard one of them telling another in their group that they had reserved seats for 7.30am. This called for another comment by my mother-in-law. We were called around 9.15 and I was so relieved that I wouldn't have to hear any more of her nagging and all my hunger died away.

The surprise doesn't end here. As we entered, we noticed that quite a few tables were empty and yet we were ushered to an inner room which had an entrance to another adjoining room. We were seated at a table that could seat around 10 or more people and yet we were the only ones there, albeit, 4 more joined our table after 15-20 minutes. Why did they make us wait for so long when there were so many empty seats? Anyway, we ordered. Those who ordered Masala Dosa had to wait for another half-an-hour. Further, there were only a few waiters to serve. After such a long wait, we expected that at least, the food would be special. The only good thing was the pure ghee that was served in abundance along with almost every dish. The prices were not too high, not even as much as Adiga's.

Well, it was a unique experience. It was like waiting in the queue for a darshan of the Lords at Tirupathi and/or Dharmasthala. But even such waits end in satisfaction of having a divine darshan. I wouldn't want to suffer such waiting at the cost of a simple breakfast. However, based on the fact that a few people didn't show any frustration at the long waiting time, it can be an ideal place to have food if you have all the time in the world.

A review of the 'Immortals of Meluha'

With the last part of the trilogy being published shortly, I bring my review of the 'Immortals… '

A combination of mythology and history. That is the power of fiction. This book, in gist, portrays Lord Shiva as a human being, a tribal leader in the Himalayas who comes upon the Meluhans, who lead him to his destiny of being a 'Mahadev'.

The Meluhans belong to the Indus Valley Civilization, are law-abiding, sincere people living in a crime-free society. They have planned-cities which are built as fortresses. They lead ideal lives by the motto of 'Truth, Duty and Honour'. As to 'immortals', you must find out for yourself :)

The book is an easy read, even for the uninitiated. The language is quite simple. Amish Tripathi has given us our very own, Indian fantasy world. Places are personified by just a mention of the meaning of their names, like Meluha - the land of pure life, or Srinagar - the respected city. The story also delves into Philosophy, as Shiva, though he is a brave warrior, is in pursuit of truth, righteousness and justice. One small drawback may be that the humour is not that terrific, though a few laughs are guaranteed.

All in all, this novel has a huge potential for a Bollywood movie with the backdrop of the mighty Himalayas and other beautiful locales like Kashmir and the Dal lake. The 'saviour' hero is a great dancer and involved in a difficult love story. And there is a lot of action, in as big as a war, albeit, with swords and spears. (News is that Karan Johar has already bought the rights of the book.)

In its sequel, the plot only thickens. Of course, new and interesting characters (as well as creatures!) are introduced, though not as we know of them from mythology.  Mysteries are revealed. Dangerous paths are trodden. It's an interesting journey of finding what is good and what is evil as against fighting the evil. I'm left wondering what could possibly be there in the last part, 'Oath of the Vayuputras'.