Joss Whedon
“Humor keeps us alive. Humor and food. Don't forget food. You can go a week without laughing.”

XXIII | June 24, 2021

THE EDITOR'S NOTE

We are almost at the halfway point of 2021. The summer solstice is behind us and hopefully the worst of our recent afflictions. But enough of that, let us talk about the future - the hopes and dreams that fuel it. The concept of a future is perhaps what makes us humans giving us the unparalleled ability among all life to endure. One such story of endurance is a modern epic and Shackleton tells a story that matters the most.

We are not the ones to live in labels, that too when dealing with forces of nature that are beyond ethics, yet the saga as old as time, of good and evil, has a certain allure we cannot dismiss. Hemis Festival of Ladakh is a celebration of this. Closed doors are intriguing and some are pretty hard to pry open, we spy on the exclusive member’s only hotels from across the world, the most improbable places under our noses! Speaking of the improbable, even you could not make it to the Hemis Festival, Ladakh as a destination never disappoints.

Here’s to the future
Ashish

01 Stories That Matter

A deep dive into a story that's arcane, thoughtful, and sometimes humorous!

Shackleton's Voyage

History is written by victor they say, but we respectfully disagree. It is worded by survivors who leave invaluable lessons as legacy, beyond just the euphoria of glory. The world is a better place for it, be it the Zion movement or the uncountable number of refugees who tear away from their war-torn homeland in search of the promised paradise. Amongst such powerful narratives, one tale stands taller than all else.  

Embarking on a potentially history-making voyage, the Endurance set sail with Ernest Shackleton at the helm in August 1914. Although he and his crew were to escape the horrors of WWI, what awaited them tested their mettle far more. The continent of Antarctica was the destination, which Endurance never reached. Caught in the icy floe, Endurance was immobilized and had to wait out the winter in the unbearable cold of the Antarctic seas. By October 1915, the creeping ice had its toll on the Endurance, the wooden hull started to crack and water gushed in. Shackleton ordered his men to abandon ship, who until now had kept their sanity by an imposition of a strict routine.
“Ship and stores have gone — so now we’ll go home.” is all he told his crew with just three lifeboats on the unending expanse of ice and the Endurance at the bottom of the ocean below their feet. Shackleton realized that he had to become Endurance himself, ironically, the one that would not sink. He had to put up a brave front and exude energy so his crew would not succumb to hopelessness. What follows is the story of grit that is perhaps unparalleled in all of human history. Shackleton not just made it back to civilization but also ensured that not a single member of his crew was lost, two years after the start of the fateful journey of the Endurance.
Shackleton’s story is mandatory reading across the top universities and business schools across the world.

02 What You Missed When Grounded

The Hemis Festival

Every year the summer solstice brings joy to the cold desert of Ladakh and the people here shine through their many festivals.

One such is the 300-year old celebration instituted by the Hemis Monastery to celebrate the momentary victory of good over evil, or at least of summer over the winter in case of Ladakh, in the infinite saga.  

Lord Padmasambhava, founder of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism fought the forces of evil on his path to enlightenment and the Hemis Gompa Monastery, patronized by the then ruling Namgyal Dynasty of Ladakh instituted the festival which brings forth the best that Ladakh has to offer in an immersive and engaging display of culture.  

The highlights of the Hemis Festival is definitely the Cham, the dance of the Lamas, with masked dancers grooving the beats, it is contagious! The dances are inspired by and depict the many folklores of the region with Lord Padmasambhava playing the protagonist in many of them. The central courtyard of Hemis Gompa is the stage on which this festival of colour, music and movement is unveiled. The dance of the Lamas concludes with a message for the audience with a rather riveting conclusion with the dancers putting an end to an effigy of evil, made of dough.

03 Let's Get Comical

When you date a Physicist!

04 The Reel

Stories of Adventure and Survival

Vertical Limit

Movies are supposed to be suspensions of disbelief and Vertical Limit achieves perfection in this. The hanging-by-a-fingernail mountain-climbing sequences are spectacular. The cliffhanger is such a primal movie experience that it can turn the most sophisticated moviegoer into a writhing 12-year-old. 

Cast Away

Amidst a nuclear war, a plane carrying a group of schoolboys crash lands on a deserted island. With no adult survivors, the boys are forced to fend for themselves. At first, they cooperate, but when they split into two separate camps, one led by the pragmatic Ralph (James Aubrey) and the other by militaristic Jack (Tom Chapin), their society falls into disarray, leading to a disturbing examination of human nature and a chilling conclusion.

05 The Improbable

Exclusive Member's only Hotels

Exclusive and Desirable!

With a growing concern of privacy redoubled by the recent concerns brought on by the pandemic, the club-hotel concept is gaining ground again and they are going exclusive, members-only, 

by invite mode - making them bastions of exclusivity and privacy, in other words, improbable places to get to, even if just around the corner! Here we explore a few of them in India and away.

London’s The Curtain
London perhaps created the concept of a private members club, with every street having one. Inspired by this legacy, a new generation of chic and contemporary ‘club hotels’ are mushrooming everywhere, challenging and adding to the legacy of private clubs. One such is the stylish and sophisticated Shoreditch club called The Curtain. With 120 suites might seem like an easy place to get in, but looks could be deceptive.
Scotland's The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle
With 8000 acres of the picture-perfect Scottish Highlands countryside in private holding, The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle is as exclusive as it gets. The castle club hideaway has played host to some stellar weddings, including the modern-day goddess Madonna. A limited inventory of 21 guest rooms and 11 estate lodges, peg The Carnegie Club amongst the inaccessible, with a membership that is nothing short of a King’s ransom.
Budapest’s BrodyLand
Four venues spread across Budapest with some of the most exclusive and elite social clubs such as The Workshop, BrodyLand is the nouveau Illuminati with musical and cultural events never before seen at The Studios. BrodyLand’s four venues throughout Budapest: Brody House, an 11-room boutique hotel; The Living Quarters & The Workshop, 17 apartments plus a café/bar; The Writer’s Villa, 16-person heritage property; and The Studios, a cool cultural events venue. Yes, it is members only.
San Francisco’s The Battery
Can you imagine a hotel banning social media? San Francisco’s The Battery can afford to do that with an unending waitlist full of aspirants hoping to gain entry to the handsomely dressed private members club and boutique hotel. Of course, hospitality, attention to detail, warmth and care - making you feel like the emperor of the world is what makes The Battery the best place to stay in the Bay Area.
Soho House Mumbai
The Soho House are the pioneers of private member club hotels. Their latest offering in the buzzing city of Mumbai with the highest real estate prices in the world is the Kohinoor in the crown of Soho Houses global array of private members-only hotels.
Glenburn Penthouse and Glenburn Tea Estate
A throwback to the times of elegance, the Glenburn offerings, The Penthouse in the heart of Calcutta capturing the best of the colonial era and the Tea Estate hidden away close to Darjeeling offering an experience that is the envy of European vineyards, in a tea plantation are exclusive experiences a short flight away.
Nine Furlongs, Binsar
Hidden away within the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the few private estates, Nine Furlongs is the vision and dream of the British officials brought to life. A completely off the grid retreat, Nine Furlongs plays host to the creme de la creme.

06 The Thinking Owl

The loudness of a person's car is almost always directly proportionate to their self-importance.

07 Food for Thought

Love from South Africa!

Bobotie (South Africa)
/ba-boor-tea/


The national dish of South Africa is a delicious mixture of curried meat and fruit with a creamy golden topping, reminding one of mousaka from the Mediterranean.  

Perhaps there is a connection. The origins of the name and the dish itself are highly contested. 

For instance the origin of the word bobotie, the Afrikaans etymological dictionary claims that the probable origin is the Malayan word boemboe, meaning curry spices. Others think it to have originated from bobotok, an Indonesian dish that consisted of totally different ingredients. The first recipe for bobotie appeared in a Dutch cookbook in 1609! Whatever the origins, the fact that it has survived for centuries makes it a must-try dish!

The Recipe


  1. Ingredients : 2 slices white bread, 2 onions, chopped, 25g butter, 2 garlic cloves, crushed, 1kg packet lean minced beef, 2 tbsp Madras curry paste, 1 tsp dried mixed herbs, 3 cloves, 5 allspice berries, 2 tbsp peach or mango chutney, 3 tbsp sultana, 6 bay leaves, For the topping, 300ml full-cream milk, 2 large eggs
  2. Directions: Heat oven to 180C. Pour cold water over the bread and set it aside to soak.
  3. Fry the onions in the butter, stirring regularly until they are soft and starting to colour.
  4. Add the garlic and beef and stir well, crushing the mince into fine grains until it changes colour.
  5. Stir in the curry paste, herbs, spices, chutney, sultanas and 2 of the bay leaves with 1 tsp salt and plenty of ground black pepper.
  6. Cover and simmer for 10 mins.
  7. Squeeze the water from the bread, then beat into the meat mixture until well blended.
  8. Tip into an oval ovenproof dish. Press the mixture down well and smooth the top. You can make this and chill a day in advance.
  9. For the topping, beat the milk and eggs with seasoning, then pour over the meat.
  10. Top with the remaining bay leaves and bake for 35-40 mins until the topping is set and starting to turn golden.

08 The Travel Record

The Legendary Gossip Girl's Playlist!

09 Kitabu

Books you absolutely must read!

Deepak Dalal's Ladakh

Ladakh is the land beyond the Himalayas. On a visit to this remote, majestic outpost of India, Vikram and Aditya camp out on the lofty Changtang plateau. Here they meet a young Tibetan boy named Tsering. But Tsering is unexpectedly abducted and Aditya pulls off a daring rescue. Suddenly Vikram and Aditya are on the run. On the frozen plateau, often referred to as the "roof of the world", the schoolboys play a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with a band of mysterious determined men. 

Traversing the barren wastes of Ladakh, the story moves to the mountain-city of Leh. Who is Tsering? Why is he being chased with such fierce resolve? Discover the fascinating secret of Tsering in this fast-moving adventure tale. "Ladakh Adventure" is another enthralling VikramAditya story, set in a wonderous land of startling contrasts and magnificent mountains.




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