Diwali = Delhi delights

For me, Diwali has always been, overwhelmingly, about food. And I have to thank my favourite city in the world - Delhi - for that. It was when I moved there in 2001 that I truly imbibed the taste of Diwali: ghee-soaked ghujiyas, raseela aloo and piping-hot puris, kachoris, peas samosas. My landlord and landlady would unfailingly invite me over to their place in the evening, where we'd burst some crackers and then settle down to eat - before indulging in a few rounds of card plays. I would be given generous dollops of festive fare on fine china plates, and as I ate, our house dog Chhoti would gaze at me with limpid, expectant eyes (I'd pass on some morsels to her - when the others weren't looking - and she'd snap those up gratefully). Fifteen years later, it's almost fitting that we celebrate the run-to to the Festival of Lights with a delectable food spread. some of the items are Delhi-inspired. Have a feast.  
Some more nostalgia. I remember watching Ram Gopal Varma's Rangeela in a darkened theatre in Calcutta with one of my besties, and debating whether Urmila's clothes (in the film) would spawn a new fashion sense. It did. For the first time, a Hindi film heroine seemed comfy in casual chic. RGV actually changed how millions of young women in urban India dressed. Soon after, he made Daud - starring Urmila again - and this time I had to leave the theatre in under 20 minutes. it was that bad. What's with this flip-flop man who gives us a stunner like Satya, and then flushes down his reputation with Aag? Meet the maverick.
The Iguazu Falls in Argentina beckons with its cascades in Travel. The enfant terrible of Indian fashion Rohit Bal completes 25 years in the industry. And we start a new page from this week: Talking Point. Trump, the Misogynist. Or is he?
 All this and much more.
Enjoy reading wknd. and have a great weekend.