Throwback pictures! The beautiful present moments from the past!

Magnificent views of the Kochi city skyline with the beautiful lights clicked during a boat ride back to the city from Fort Kochi some months back well before the onset of the pandemic! Throwback pictures, indeed! While browsing my portable hard drive today I spotted these beautiful pictures and decided to blog about the wonderful time we had then after spending a beautiful evening exploring the streets of Fort Kochi enjoying vegan food and Sunset at the beach. 

Never thought the tough times would last like this! Missing those beautiful days and how true people say 'enjoy the present', that is the only time we have control upon. But memories are sweet, something to cherish. We can re-live that gone moment, and these pics are meant just for that!

Hopefully, a vaccine will solve this crisis for the whole of humankind so that we all can go back to the good old normalcy. Come what may, we all have to fight and defeat the enemy and eradicate this menace from the world asap! 

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My You Tube Channel

Well, I hope all of my blogger friends are aware of my YouTube Channel which I started some time ago. Thank God, all the videos are getting a lot of views and the subscribers are also increasing.

Please feel free to subscribe to my channel and continue enjoying the videos!

My channel link:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Rajiv5577

Here are some of the videos that have become popular!

Thank you for the support😊 

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The Pavilion at the Cabral Yard - Kochi-Muziris Biennale visit, and evening tea at the Bench Restocafe

The Cabral Yard, one of the venues of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale is just a few yards away from the Aspinwall house, the main venue. The yard is a huge plot surrounded by a compound wall that comes alive during the time of the Biennale. It goes back into its natural state with vegetations growing and as of now, there are no structures built permanently.

The Pavilion is a  creative installation by the Anagram architects designed temporarily at the Cabral Yard which consists of a dome resembling a 'Koothambalam', the apex is simply beautiful! Koothu is an ancient and popular traditional art-form where the main artist performs a certain dance like moves at the same time narrating stories with humor, mostly from the epics,

The concept of this installation is wonderful. Designed in such a way, an easily removed structure erected respecting nature and when the Biennale will be over the structure will be removed and the yard goes into its natural state until the next Biennale. Numerous programs take place during the Biennale here.

What fascinated us is the apex of this magnificent pavilion! Of course, there are iron beams all around somehow e get the feel that these are submerged into the wooden poles, the sky, and natural light illuminating the interior! Marvelous! I was thinking about how beautiful it would be here with moonlight embracing the yard and a star-studded sky visible through the roof! 

It was a very sunny day and we were tired already.  On the way to the beach, we spotted this beautiful cafe, the Bench Restocafe.

 It was refreshing to enjoy a cup of tea after a long and tiring walk!

The bread and butter sprinkled with balsamic vinegar was yummy.

Lemonade with soda!

I do not think anyone would disagree with the fact that Biennale is getting better and better over the years. Fortkochi is witnessing a steady inflow of people from all over the world and the star attraction is Biennale!

http://www.kochimuzirisbiennale.org

http://benchrestocafe.com

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Churros: a lip-smacking dish

During our recent visit to Mumbai, we happened to do some shopping at the Infinity mall in Andheri. As we headed to the food court over there, we spotted this Churros kiosk and decided to try the lip-smacking snack.

A churro is a fried dough pastry. Using a churrera, a syringe-like tool, the dough is squeezed into hot oil and fried. Then powdered sugar is sprinkled over it and the dip commonly used is hot chocolate.

It is said that the recipe was brought to Portugal from China and various modifications are prevalent in different parts of the world. It is a common dish in Spain. More info in the Wikipedia…

This is an amazing dish! Those who love chocolate would surely love this snack.

http://www.infinitimall.com/Dining/Kiosks--Cafes/The-Churro-Co

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Nando's restaurant at the Orion mall, Brigade Gateway, Bengaluru

Nando's chicken skewers, pita, and salsa

Nando's is a popular restaurant chain in India. The above dish is their chicken skewers, pita bread, and salsa. Yummy! The chicken was soft, tasted perfect! The salsa dip was awesome. Bread baked to perfection; what more we could expect after a tiring day walking a lot during our last visit over there two months ago. Whenever we visit Bengaluru (Bangalore) we make it a point to visit the Nando's at the Orion mall, Brigade gateway. 

I like a lot clicking pictures of this lake and the scenery here. The reflection of this magnificent tree and the nearby building always fascinates me. I have already blogged about this mall and other shopping malls in Bangalore before. Click the link at the end of this post.

Orion mall is a popular shopping spot in Bangalore. It is a great experience sitting in the open space overlooking the lake. If you visit here sit here for some time and enjoy the scenery all around!

Nando's cappuccino

Orion mall at the Brigade gateway!

http://www.orionmalls.com

https://www.nandosindia.com

https://magnificentdewdrops.blogspot.com/2013/07/shopping-malls-in-bangalore-south-india.html

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Leopold cafe Mumbai - a place to be...!

I don't think Leopold cafe needs any introduction. This is one of the oldest cafes in the city of Mumbai frequented by the visitors and the natives alike. Anyone visiting Mumbai would have at least strolled in front of it. These pics were clicked from the first floor of the cafe. There were no seats left on the ground floor when we went there the other day during our visit to Mumbai and we got seated upstairs.  

It was really fun watching these boards on the walls of the cafe. The ambiance was wonderful; the crowd awesome!

This cafe was opened in 1871. The Gateway of India, The iconic Taj Hotel are all close to this cafe. There are numerous small shops around here where you can shop. Never miss this place if you happen to visit Mumbai! The cafe is a very busy place!

2008 was a very traumatic year for India. Mumbai witnessed the worst terrorist attack in 2008 that involved important spots like the Taj Hotel, Mumbai CST, and this cafe also was also targeted. So many people were shot here. Life must go on; we must move forward beating all odds. The cafe re-opened within a few days after this tragic incident.

This is nachos with cheese sauce. We did not order any alcoholic drinks. Milkshake, regular tea, lime juice, and hot chocolate were yummy! They serve Continental, Chinese, Indian dishes, drinks, and cocktails so no-one will be disappointed spending time here. Everything yummilicious!

Yummy milk-shake!

Yes, they are getting better and better as days go by!

Check http://www.leopoldcafe.com

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Phoenix Market City, Kurla, Mumbai - a stunning mall

Phoenix market city is undoubtedly one of the best malls in Mumbai. In my opinion, a visit to Mumbai is never complete without a visit to this wonderful mall. There will be something over there which will make you happy whenever you visit and no one will be disappointed!

There are so many outlets in this mall, national and international brands included. The mall is so huge and it will take a lot of time to explore here fully.

A world of services, literally!

The food court is also very huge! Looks like there is something that suits everyone's palate. Even if you are not an art-lover the artworks you see here will captivate one and all!

We were fascinated by the fabulous artworks on display here the other day we visited. The above sculpture can be seen upon entering the mall. It depicts a raindrop engulfing the human form symbolizing a human being's relationship with the elements of nature. We, humans, are also part of this universe and like all other elements of Nature, we too are interconnected with everything on this planet. Like a raindrop falling on us and getting spread all over our body mother nature embraces all of us soaking in her loving tranquility.

This is an amazing art installation which attracted us. This awesome art was conceptualized by Gauri Khan, the celebrity interior designer. With about one lakh crystals embedded on metal frames, two beautiful elephants were created that were mounted on a rounded platform along with blossoming lotus flowers and lamps. Their anklets and garlands were also decorated with shining crystals and the mighty elephants were holding beautiful lamps on their raised trunks announcing the arrival of the festival season during Deepawali (The festival of lights). A beautiful concept and a wonderful art installation! Great work!

The mall announced the 100-day festival during this time with discounted sales and attractive prizes for the shoppers. A portion of the proceeds will go to the NGO Meer foundation women and kids.

The vibe everywhere over there was positive and uplifting! A must see spot and if you are visiting never miss the artworks!

Please watch the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbWO1sqcDIM

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One hundred and nineteen deeds of sale - art by Sue Williamson

When we speak about slave trade the common image that pops up in our minds is the plight of the Africans who were taken to western countries for hard labor. Slavery and slave trade dominated during the period of colonization which served as a perfect platform for all forms of suppression, oppression, and torture. Slavery was present almost everywhere in the world and our country was also a popular source. Exploiting the ignorance, lack of unity, and soft nature of the unfortunate people who lived in the third-world countries the so-called traders who visited initially for the valuable resources slowly turned into invaders mercilessly looting everything and transforming the natives into slaves. Only those communities who were fierce like the cannibals and the hunters resisted this social attack highlighting the fact that use of force is always required for survival and lack of it results in invasion and suppression. The invaders resorted to the use of force, violence, and weaponry to rule the natives silencing all sorts of resistance. The cultural peculiarities, soft-hearted nature, and lack of unity forced the real owners of the land to live in the shadows of the invaders blindly obeying them.

It is easy to miss this very important artwork by Sue Williamson which consists of some clothes hung to dry outside the Aspinwall House, the main venue of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2018-2019. In the courtyard facing the backwaters, you can some clothes hung on a rope that is supported on bamboo poles. Getting closer you will see names of people from Cochin (Kochi, Kerala) written on it who were taken as slaves to Cape Town in the 16^th century by the Dutch! This was a very shocking experience! Could not believe that our own people were also taken as slaves to other countries for hard labor! Were these their own names or been given to them by their sellers? Those people captured as slaves were forced to shed their identity and were treated like cheap commodities! They were no longer considered human beings. 

Sue Williamson has collected the details of some of those from the sale deeds archive in Cape Town who had been taken away as slaves from Cochin (Kochi) to Cape Town and printed them on linen. She deliberately put them in mud symbolically representing slavery, brought them here and washed these clothes in the laundry. Those mud like oppression and hard labour get washed away symbolically being brought back to the home country and now they are now exhibited as her artwork overlooking the backwaters.

Slavery or chattel slavery in the true literal sense might have been abolished in the world but can we deny its other forms like bonded labour, forced migrant labour, sex slavery, and human trafficking non-existent? Modern slavery is often associated with poverty. Lack of proper societal infrastructure, no law and order, economically weak status, and poor educational facilities lead to modern slavery. There are arguments in the history that slavery existed everywhere in one form or the other from time immemorial. If we remain non-vigilant it will raise its ugly head within no time. It is our duty to ask questions, find out the source of the products we purchase, and about the labour that had been used for its manufacture.

Sue Williamson's 'One hundred and nineteen deeds of sale' is a fabulous art. Please do not miss this if you happen to visit Kochi-Muziris Biennale.

Check my post about her another art installation here titled 'Message from the Atlantic seas' https://magicalpresent.blogspot.com/2019/01/art-is-powerful-medium-for-personal.html

A video is also posted https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GEB8yr-TgM

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East India Street Cafe - a popular hangout in Fort Kochi

East India Street Cafe is a very popular hangout in Fort Kochi. Located at the Calvathy Bazaar Road within walking distance from the Fort Kochi boat jetty this cafe has become famous for mouth-watering delicacies and as a place where you can click beautiful pictures. The above dish is fish and potato wedges served with an awesome sauce with lemon, lettuce, and tomato slices on the side. The fish was cooked well and the potato wedges were tasty. Super-yummy😊

The interior is designed beautifully with many articles on display. The London telephone booth is a very popular space for taking pictures😊

                                                            God Ganapathy and Holy Buddha. 

                         A beautiful artwork when you enter inside the cafe at the patio.

Chicken fried waffles with potato wedges, vegetables, and a honey dip! Yummy😊

Green tea, lemon, and honey

Fort Kochi is fortunate in having such wonderful cafes and eateries. Everyone will find what they like here without much effort. Check my post about another very famous cafe where you can enjoy art while sipping cappuccino and tasting super-yummy dishes https://magnificentdewdrops.blogspot.com/2014/04/art-and-food-brilliant-combination.html

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Ocha - a powerful artwork by Mr. V. V. Vinu: Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2019

Artist Vinu V. V, in this amazing artwork named ‘Ocha’, depicted the marginalized sections in the society in the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Casteism, migrant laborers, the oppressed and the suppressed in the society, and all the people who have lost their voices to claim their rights are being represented by the different wooden sculptures exhibited here. Ocha in the Malayalam language means voice, and without a doubt, those who visit this installation will understand the message this awesome artwork is trying to convey.

Oppression and suppression still exist in the modern society in one form or the other. Modern-day slavery, casteism based practices, the creation of marginalized sections, and exploitation of poverty are some of the menaces we all are aware of. Voicing the concerns, fighting for the rights, right to being considered as a human being on par with others in the community are still not so easy in the modern world despite the scientific progress, technological advances, and democratic practices.

This art by Mr. Vinu V. V conveys a strong message which should be considered as an eye-opener of some of the serious issues the society faces about which everyone should devote some time to think of.

Hats off to this wonderful creation by this very talented artist. All the very best!

Visit http://www.kochimuzirisbiennale.org

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