Good Times and Bad
I must admit till I got this news yesterday, I was a happy bunny. I was stepping out after a long while and was happy to attend some niche and different events at places I am comfortable in. It started off with our very exclusive (by membership only) Bangalore Wine Club soiree at my favourite restaurant, Le Cirque at the Leela Palace. It was great meeting up with old friends and enjoying the superlative food and wine in its precincts. Sometimes some people whisper that I may be a wee bit 'toffee-nosed' but, I am unapologetic about liking the finer things in life and I know I have worked my derriere off for these privileges!
I was thrilled to be invited to a rendezvous, at the beautiful Taj West End to launch celebrity nutritionist, Rujuta Diwekar's latest book, The Commonsense Diet. The hall was packed with our local celebrities and socialites alike, keen to hear her in conversation with Chiki Sarkar. The guests were eagerly waiting to engage with her in conversation and pop the magic question; 'How to be buff without being too tough?' The discussion was insightful, funny and informative. What followed was a scrumptious dinner hosted by the hotel which would definitely not aspire to make any of us who partook in the feast into a 'size-zero', like Kareena Kapoor was when she followed Rujuta's diet!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
3 days ago
- Mint
Viral Video: Chess champion Gukesh enjoys dessert platter on Air India flight; pilot Laxmi Joshi pens heartfelt note
Air India earlier celebrated the presence of Gukesh Dommaraju by offering him a special treat on board. Pilot Laxmi Joshi shared a video of the occasion on Instagram that has gone viral. In the viral video, the defending world champion was seen enjoying a special dessert platter. By the looks of it, the beautifully-arranged spread included chocolate pastries topped with white chocolate dots. A mango mousse cake garnished with a cherry and whipped cream seems to be there. A bowl of mixed fresh fruits, featuring pineapple, papaya, dragon fruit, and kiwi, was served. Bowls of creamy rasmalai, delicately flavoured with saffron, were also served. 'Had the honour of flying the World Chess Champion, Gukesh. Whether in the skies or across the chessboard — focus, strategy, and humility always triumph. Here's to young legends making India proud,' Joshi wrote while sharing the video. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Laxmi Joshi was a part of the Vande Bharat Mission, which flew repatriated Indian nationals. The mission transported essential supplies, including vaccines, hazmat suits and other medical supplies. Joshi has 1.3 million followers on Instagram. Social media users reacted to the Instagram Reel, which has gained 3.3 million views so far. 'Nice gestures of you all crew members (The very simple gestures are often the ones that have the biggest effect),' wrote one of them. Another wrote, 'His simplicity and humbleness speaks alot about him.' 'Excellent lovely honouring the chess champion,' came from another. 'This is how all our champions should be treated!' exclaimed another. One user posted, 'Exceptionally Grounded personality. Wishes for making nation proud. I wish you hearty success for future challenges.' D Gukesh earlier won the rapid section of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour tournament held in Zagreb, Croatia. The 19-year-old defeated America's Wesley So in the final round in 38 moves using white pieces. Gukesh finished with 14 out of 18 points, placing first. Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda came second with 11 points while Norwegian Magnus Carlsen stood third with 10. Indian player Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu shared fourth place with Fabiano Caruana, scoring nine points. This event is the third leg of the 2025 Grand Chess Tour, which already had tournaments in Poland and Romania. Upcoming tournaments will be held in the USA in August and in Brazil from September to October.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- The Hindu
Rujuta Diwekar's cookbook Mitahara spotlights seasonal dishes from her kitchen
Ever since I have been following celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar's work, I have wanted to ask her one question: 'do you eat out?' 'Growing up, no one really ate out. The first time I did, was when I was in Class VIII. Eating out to celebrate wasn't really a concept then. Even today, I eat out only when I am travelling and opt for regional delicacies. Dal khichdi tops this list and is available world-over,' says Rujuta, who has been promoting eating home food, and championing local, seasonal produce for years. A philosophy she has carried forward in her debut cookbook, Mitahara (published by Dorling Kindersley). The book, Rujuta writes in the preface, 'aspires to help you explore the full potential of something as simple as khichdi by cooking it at home and not having it delivered to you from a cloud kitchen. It aims to remind you of the forgotten wisdom of eating in sync with the seasons'. As someone who discovered the joy of cooking during the pandemic, Rujuta says she never prioritised cooking in her early years but the lockdown changed things. 'It was a journey of self discovery and adventure. I discovered that cooking isn't a menial task; it is creative, engaging, and entertaining. Cooking is a life-saving skill, and making a meal for yourself is the OG form of self love and self care,' says the wellness expert who started with dishes like khichdi, usal (a spicy curry made from sprouted legumes), batata (potato) bhaji, and puris. 5 combinations for everyday eating Rice/puran-poli/bajra roti with ghee White butter with ragi dosa/ragi roti Use dals and peanuts in chutneys, podis and eat them with idli, upma, etc Buttermilk/chaas with jeera and salt, especially after a large meal Use besan to make bhajjias and pakoras with rare gourds that are wild, uncultivated During this time, Rujuta writes that she 'woke up every day longing to cook more', and this newfound love was why she agreed to work on Mitahara. 'I did not want to write any recipes for weight-loss, or anything that did injustice to India's culinary wisdom,' she says. With Mitahara, Rujuta has taken a seasonal approach to recipes, and primarily features Maharashtrian dishes that she grew up eating. Think vangi bhaat, bajra raab, thalipeeth and loni in winter; dahi poha, kokum saar, aamras puri in summer; ukadiche modak, narali bhaat, shewla bhaji in the monsoon; and also dishes like amboli, ambe dal, and besan cheela that are consumed when seasons change. As a child, Rujuta says she grew up eating only dishes that 'had a name in Marathi'. 'My mother would bring home fresh vegetables from work every evening, and this is what we cooked with,' she says, 'I am a fourth-generation working woman in my family. My mother, ajji (grandmother), were all working women who were always interested in our good health, and making food that was light and nutritious. The recipes were diverse, tasty, and did not take up too much time.' With Mitahara, she gives readers the freedom to play around with the recipes. 'Cooking can be a breeze if you let go of the checklist, food pictures, or recipe. If you did not remember to put in an ingredient, it probably was not important to begin with. Allow this book to be your framework. Then take over, put yourself in the dish and, only then can you truly own it', she writes in the book. 'When you cook, and share recipes, you begin to realise there needs to be room for everyone's choices and the need to compromise. Only then can we thrive as a society. If we don't encourage this in our kitchens, we will lose out on our culinary heritage. A dish is yours only if it has a bit of you,' Rujuta says. It comes as no surprise that Rujuta does not have Swiggy and Zomato on her phone. She often refers to cooking as a classical art form, and also mentions how cooking styles change when people change. 'Earlier, I would make my rice and usal separately. Over time, I made it together as a one-pot meal. I also realised that not all ingredients go together,' she says, adding that legumes such as moong, lobia (black eyed peas), chawli (cowpeas), etc make for great one-pot meals. Lastly, Rujuta says apart from cooking, there is no bigger joy than feeding others. 'It allows women to be seen and appreciated. Cooking is a skill that comes with practice; less technical and more experiential.' So, what are you cooking today? Priced at ₹691, Mitahara is available online
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi: In this age of AI, it's important to verify information
Suchitra Krishnamoorthi faced online criticism after sharing an unverified post about an Air India crash survivor, leading to an apology and deletion. She acknowledged her error in judgment, emphasizing the importance of verifying information in the age of AI and social media. Currently, she is focusing on adapting her autobiographical play, Drama Queen, into an audio experience. Suchitra Krishnamoorthi recently sparked online chatter when she tweeted about the Air India crash survivor questioning the authenticity of his version. She later deleted the post and apologised. Speaking to Mumbai Mirror recently, Suchitra shared the story behind the retraction. 'I initially saw it on a senior columnist's wall and assumed it was authentic. I made a mistake; I should have verified it before posting. Of course I apologised immediately,' she said. She added, "We all make mistakes. I said sorry, it was an error of judgement. I do realise that in this age of AI and social media, there is a lot of misinformation floating around. It was a big lesson for me. It's very important to verify everything from various sources." On the career front, Suchitra's focus right now is on her autobiographical play, Drama Queen, which she has turned into an audio experience. 'Transforming my play into an audio experience felt like a natural next step. It allows listeners to immerse themselves in the story in a whole new way. I wrote Drama Queen originally as a stage play in 2013 and had been performing it all over. After my mother's death, one-and-a-half years ago, I had wound up the play because I found it a bit painful. And then my publisher suggested creating it for an audio platform. It's a great way to keep memories alive, keep my work alive, so I jumped at it. It is a new platform, something I've not explored before."
