Food and Music

Today's blip is about yesterday evening. The moment we returned around midnight, I knew what I would blip today. Wouldn't miss mentioning (keeping a track of) this for sure.

The music concert featuring Zakir Hussain and Shiv Kumar Sharma on the tabla and santoor respectively was very good. They began with a simple raga which though beautiful and delicate did not exploit their talents to the fullest. The second piece, they indicated was only "mildly classical." I am sure both these ragas have influenced contemporary Indian music, since the tunes didn't sound too unfamiliar. One of the things I like about good classical music, be in Eastern or Western, is that they seem to be able to pluck a beautiful tune out of thin air with a certain uncanniness. Often, they are able to introduce unexpected and surprising notes or movements (which would otherwise sound out of place) into a theme, blending them in and adding much character. Only in the second piece was it apparent, when the Pandit on his santoor improvised to incredible limits. This kind of spontaneous improvisation can happen only when the musicians are themselves drawn into the music, when the music leads them and not the other way around. As the modulation, in both amplitude as well as tempo rose and the piece reached it's crescendo, it was amazing watching both artists play in perfect unison, as they have done over the decades. When I closed my eyes, I enjoyed the nuances and layers of the music even more.

And if that wasn't enough, it was announced that they audience could avail a discount at any of the restaurants at the Marriott. (In fact, the show was held at the hotel's convention centre.) We were getting really hungry and this was too good an opportunity to miss. S & I headed for the multi-cuisine restaurant called Okra for the dinner buffet. The variety was just staggering, both as far as Indian and international cuisines go. I think I spent the first few minutes taking a round to just absorb what lay ahead of me. All items were cooked to perfection and this surely was a problem of plenty.

Hyderabad is known for its Biryani. I've had it at the most expensive places, the most hyped and popular ones and even some of the local, traditional inexpensive ones as well. It's the third kind that make the best biryani. But the Chicken biryani I had last night beats them all, hands down. The subtlety and the taste was just incredible. It is highly recommended for anyone who has heard of Hyderababi Biryani and would like to try it out.

Finally came the dessert section, for which appetite seemed to get created almost magically. I lost track of everything and became a kid again. It was like a fantasy. Well, none of us carried our cameras since we wanted to enjoy the music. And though I think we should have had a photo to remember the evening by, I doubt if I could have brought myself to click anything. Gluttony had swallowed me and all I could experience was the food. And though we've often had more expensive meals, this will definitely be the best meal I've had in Hyderabad. Truly a dinner to remember.

Despite the almost 'giddy with joy' feeling, I'm sure an experience like this makes more sense in context than as an absolute.


Edit - First time I used Blip's "Edit & Upload" feature and my EXIF looks all garbled.