Holla vegetarians! The new eatery on your block is The Country House, off Elgin Road, though, beware, they say it won’t be long before there’s some egg and chicken on the menu.
“We wanted a good old-fashioned cafe for the city, so we revamped this 110-year-old house. We’ve maintained the antique-ness of it but also inserted some cool modern art,” said Vikas Choudhary, co-proprietor. “And we’ll also be selling paintings,” added Gaurav Poddar, his partner.
t2 dropped in for a cuppa at this old mansion and tucked in.
What: The Country House
Where: 4C Allenby Road (opposite Cream Centre)
When: 10am-10.30pm
What to expect: A wide range of coffee, tea and vegetarian fare, from sandwiches and burgers to risottos and pastas
Pocket pinch:Rs 800-plus for two
A musical holi prelude at cc&fc, with t2
Percussionist Subhen Chatterjee chatted with t2 on fusion music and more before taking the stage on Holi eve...
My Holi: Like the last 15 years, I will be in Santiniketan. That is my favourite place during Holi. Playing with abir and listening to Rabindrasangeet are so much fun. We are a group of 30 friends who celebrate together. All kinds of songs are sung. There I am not a tabla player, I become a table player!
F for fusion: Being a tabla player, my way of presenting fusion music is by incorporating different instruments. We have our original compositions. So it is a lot of hard work and not just impromptu jamming. These days fusion music means impromptu jamming. I am against that. That’s why people find my kind of fusion music interesting.
Desert Roots: I am always interested in giving nice names. Since the inception of my fusion band (Karma), my main aim was to showcase the root of Indian music, which is folk and classical. I thought Desert Roots would be apt.
The magic of the manganiyars: I have been doing fusion for the last 30 years with my band. I heard them in Rajasthan, when I was touring with Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhattji. These guys had come to the concert to hear me. After the performance they wanted me to hear them. I expected them to sing like every other singer but when Sardar Khan started singing… I was absolutely floored with his rendition and his knowledge about not only the folk songs but also the ragas. These guys are carrying forward a rich tradition of Rajasthani folk music. So I was waiting for the opportunity to do some work with them. Our first album, Desert Roots, was launched in 2013.
Reaching the youth: I should present my music in such a way that they enjoy it. It should be presented to them in an interesting and entertaining way. Sambit, my son, learnt tabla from me first and now he is a brilliant drummer. He has been a part of my band for the last 11 years. Even now when he is free he asks me to teach him.
CC&FC ushered in the festival of colours on Holi eve with desert tunes and more at Desert Roots, presented by CC&FC and partnered by The Telegraph. Percussionist Subhen Chatterjee (right) was back at CC&FC with his project ‘Desert Roots’ with the Langa Manganiyars. And the men from Rajasthan floored with their rendition of Gorbandh, Rumalio, Chaap tilak and Sawan. An instrumental jugalbandi — Seventh Heaven — was followed by singer Dipannita Acharya’s folk music. Ekti koli duti pata, Bihuti ahile, Chaal chaal, Bulle yaa and Indra vindra were some of the numbers she sang. In the packed CC&FC was Usha Uthup.
“It was fantastic. I have heard them all separately but for the first time I heard them together. So good!” said the Darling singer (inset).
Text: Malancha Dasgupta
Pictures: Anindya Shankar Ray
Gone viral: Raindrop cake
The newest Internet sensation is all about pretty food. The ‘Raindrop Cake’ is an intriguing dessert that made its debut in Japan as Mizu shingen mochi, and New York took it up in no time, making it its own with a stylish touch. The videos of the dessert went viral after New York-based chef Darren Wong made an interpretation of it at the outdoor food market Smorgasburg recently. This pretty-as-a-picture sweet dish is made with natural spring water or mineral water, combined with agar-agar (vegan gelatin) shaped into a clear ‘drop’ and served cold with brown sugar syrup and roasted soyabean powder. Yes, it’s as healthy as it sounds. But will Raindrop Cake debut in Calcutta anytime? And if it does, will it rock our love affair with Flurys and Kookie Jar?
Book of life: Sushma Mimani Nevatia (centre) launched her debut book My Canvas, consisting of poetry, prose and illustrations, at Oxford Bookstore. “The book is inspired from my life. My friends and family encouraged me to pen down my thoughts,” said the ex-student of Modern High School for Girls and St. Xavier’s College. “The book is so complex yet so simple,” said Devi Kar, the director of Modern High School for Girls (left). “It was a walk down memory lane to read poetry again,” said percussionist Bickram Ghosh. Pictures: Anindya Shankar Ray
Body art: Artistes from Gansu Acrobatic Troupe from China perform at GD Birla Sabhagar. The acrobatic show was organised by the consulate general of China in Calcutta to welcome the Year of the Monkey. The artistes put up a total of 13 pieces, combining strength and techniques.
