In Delhi for winter

I arrived in New Delhi today as a part of my winter sojourn and plan to spend four to six weeks here. During my stay here I will fly out to Kolkata for some events. For the past nine years now, I have been visiting Delhi during the winters. While in Delhi, I spend nearly 90 per cent of my time at the India International Centre.

I had an early dinner at the Aangan restaurant – the Indian outlet at Hotel Hyatt. Although this hotel is famous for its Chinese restaurant and its Italian outlet. In fact, both the Italian outlets in Delhi and Kolkata have made a mark, I was quite amazed and pleasantly surprised with the quality of Indian food at the Aangan. The food was much better than I could ever imagine and, as a hard core Indian foodie, I’d give full marks to it. The restaurant has a live music band that plays old Hindi songs and old classics.

Talking about food at the Hyatt, and if one is looking for the best Italian food in Kolkata, it must be at the Hyatt Kolkata. It is very popular in private parties too. In fact the very next day evening after I landed in Kolkata from Jaipur on Monday, I attended a party at the terrace of the Air Condition Market hosted by Manisha and Siddharth Rampuria. This private terrace is amazingly beautiful and it seems at every single leaf at the garden has benn given full attention.

There weren’t any cocktails or non vegetarian food as chosen by Mr Rampuria. The catering was from Hyatt and the cuisine Italian. From this terrace the lit-up Victoria Memorial looks so beautiful. It reminded me of a senior politician’s terrace in Budapest (Hungary) from where the imposing Hotel Four Seasons, all lit up, looked very much similar.

On Tuesday I also had lunch with the Ambassador of Peru Mr Javier Paulinich organised by Mr Gopal Poddar. He was in Kolkata to visit the Kolktata Book Fair and to release a book that was a Bengali translation from a Spanish historical work on Peru about the Inca Civilisation. I talked about my Machu Pichu trip several years ago and discussed the Latin American connection with Bengal. I met the Honorary Consul of Peru in Kolkata, Gopal Poddar, Honorary Consul of Chile in Kolkata, J K Saraf, and another Honorary Consul of El Salvador, Sharad Khaitan (pictures).

Yesterday I spent much of my time clearing up office work and then late at night went to the Shisha for the T2 birthday party. By the time I went to bed at 4 am, it was almost daybreak. The Delhi weather is fine, bidding adieu to the chill. The arrest of A Raja is the hot topic of discussion everywhere.

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