• Met Anand after 3 years, at the Hyderabad airport. Have know him since the mid-90s, since the engineering days, our friendship fueled by some common passions (quizzing, tennis). Morever we were neighbours for quite some time (4 years I think), at Wanowrie Road, Pune Cantonment. Always nice to catch up with old mates, even if their speech pattern now resembles that of a Brazilian Soccer commentator. Mostly talked about family and common friends.
• 21st being a holiday(on account of Bakri ID), scooted off to Bangalore. I arrive and see that the city is under a Shiv Sena-BJP sponsored bandh. Some white suited shaman by the name of Benny Hinn is holding a mass "faith" healing scam, and the Hindu zealots are objecting to it. The usual quota of buses are burnt, and the public places are closed down.
• Drive down to Mysore, pick up some rosewood & sandalwood mementos, see the Mysore Palace, bird sanctuary, Philomena's Cathedral. Stay overnight in the lcoal Country Club , great lodgings and food, with swimming pool and gym, and all at dirt cheap prices. Finally my 15k Club membership fee seems justified .
• Saw Page3, and National Treasure. The bangalore cinema halls are ridiculously overpriced, especially compared to Hyderabad. Coming to the movies, National Treasure is good timepass, seems like a takeoff from the DaVinci Code. I think Nicolas Cage has beaten Tom Hanks to the punch. As far as Page 3 is concerned, its well made and straight to the point. Lots of beautiful people, betrayals, holy and unholy alliances, glamour parties, people swinging both ways, all in all a realistic snapshot of the so called Page 3 life. Konkona Sen , Boman Irani, Sandhya Mridul shine among a powerful cast.