Feb 14th is one of those days a lot of us look forward to. Valentines Day is right around the corner and Taj Gateway is throwing a party at their somewhat new club Swirl. They are bringing in one of the pioneers of nightlife in Bangalore, DJ Clitus. For those who DONT look forward to Feb 14, we strongly suggest going to the party, grabbing a few extra drinks and tease those lovey dovey couples.

Starting his DJ career in Bangalore some 13 years ago, Clitus is one of the few remaining DJ’s around that experienced the dance revolution throughout all its stages as it progressed in Bangalore.He is also currently the only DJ in India who exclusively plays his tunes on vinyl’s, as he believes that no form of digital recording can reproduce the true sine waves required for the true effect of music on the dance floors.

DJ Clitus has a pedigree of experience, making a lasting impression on clubbers everywhere with his uplifting funky sounds, peak time progressive sets.His mixes take elements from across the spectrum of funky, vocal, electro, Latino, tribal, and progressive house and create a harmonious melting groove. He is known across as one of the best live mixing Dj’s currently, including a set of scratching over the tracks playing.

The way his understanding of both melody and momentum can tease, taunt, and en-trance a dance floor before unleashing a record that will have people not just leaping up and down but bursting with emotion. The best DJs know that Dj’ing is first about being able to read the crowd and then being able to tap into that human experience and take it on a journey. Clitus has always been noted for being a master at this and it is this universal appeal that he has tapped into that has established his strong fan base.

A food fest that offers you the best continental, North-Indian and ‘naadan’ delicacies; we are talking about ‘Bubble in the Rain’ food fest happening at Taj Gateway at Marine Drive. You would be treated with nothing lesser than ‘awesome food’. The food fest is entering its sixth year, and this time too, the chef and his crew are ready with some lovely delicacies.

The latest addition to this year’s ‘Bubble in the Rain’ is the new ‘Thattukada’ which serves you authentic Kerala dishes including our beef curry, Puttu and Kadala, Kozhi curry, and more. And if you are tired of them, and change in your palate is what you are looking for, you have good news. From Italian starters to North Indian dishes like palak paneer, butter naan, dum aloo kashmiri and more, make sure you check them all out.

Desserts are bliss with fig and honey cheese cake, blueberry mousse and your favorite ice-creams to top them all. The buffet comes at a price of Rs. 1000 per person. ‘Bubble in the Rain’ food fest concludes on the 23^rd of June 2012.

Now you know where to drop in, if you are in the mood to indulge in tasty food.

Walking to my bus stop in the morning is an experience in all that is quintessentially Kochi. I hug the side of the (pavement-less) road and rather large loose stones skitter away under my feet. Since this is the monsoon season, heavy-duty road resurfacing is underway. Essentially, it happens the same way every year. Slap-shod temporary fixes make the road briefly bearable, before it breaks down again into the network of ruts and holes big (enough to be caves) we are used to. Luckily for me, it didn’t rain last night. So the road isn’t actually a lake.
Since it’s still pretty early in the morning, there’s not much traffic on the road except for the occasional line bus, whooshing past uncomfortably close to me in a chaos of clattering and belches of smoke. They rule the roads, and no one else dares challenge their supremacy, lest they be squashed to pulp under merciless wheels.
I turn left at the junction, and am greeted by the sight of a traditional chaaya kada, an old man with a newspaper under his arm and his mundu tied up around his waist, waiting for his hot steaming, frothy tea. The man’s an expert: he juggles two grimy glasses in an elaborate dance as the liquid rushes madly from one glass to another, its gleeful flow seemingly reveling in the joy of the morning.
The city’s barely awake yet, although there are a few enthusiastic young cricket players on the ground, shouting at each other to catch ‘it’, as the birds sing merrily in the trees overhead. Later on, they’ll probably head for school or work, but right now they’re simply lost in the joy of the game.
I carefully skirt a (pretty large!) mound of rubbish that seems to have built up for no other reason than there was no dustbin there. Maybe more people would heed the request on the ‘Use me’ if there actually were more ‘Use me’s around!
I finally reach the bus-stop, and slip a coin to the homeless man who habitually waits there in the morning, and who’s become something more than an acquaintance. He helpfully tells me when I’ve missed the bus, for one, and that’s what friends do! On the opposite site of the road, the elegant marble façade of an exclusive jewelry store is somewhat marred by an old lady in tattered clothes. She, too, is begging.
And really, there’s no better way to explain the paradoxical heart of Kochi, of rich and poor, of driving rain one minute and stifling damp heat the next, of dinner at the Taj or chaat on the street, of the rare Mercedes nosing through the throng of Marutis.
This is my city, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.