I love standing in a circle and having everything come to me. Sort of like that ‘Does the universe revolve around you?’ line I hear so often. So when I go to my favourite neighbourhood, the girls and me expect all our favourite things to be in one place. Sunshine, summery cocktails and good food.

Et voila! The French Quarter Bistro sprung up. Designed by Renu Mistry and run by Omer Basith, this beautiful li’l bistro captures the spirit of French Colonial food (Cajun, Moroccan and other brilliant influences). From the roof with transparent tiles, to the newly opened bar-counter, this new restaurant sure knows how to put the charm back onto a street that’s almost lost it.

I opted for the Plat Du Jour for lunch. A soup, a salad and a main course. The French Onion soup was one of the better French Onion soups I’ve had in Bangalore. Then came the Roast Chicken and Asparagus salad, which was bursting with freshness and health (”I better eat more of this then”). The other dish worth a mention here is the beef tenderloin. One of the most succulent dishes I’ve had in weeks. And I lingered on, skipped dessert (though I eyed gal-pal’s cheese-cake) and settled for a freshly ground cup of black coffee.

Sigh, what a Frenchy afternoon. Now if only the spa and the bookstore next door were open. And so we sighed and we lolled around in the dappled light of that near-summery day.

The French Quarter Bistro. 298, 100 Feet Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore 560038. Tel: 080-42171998, 42171999. The Plat Du Jour costs Rs 250 (non-veg) and Rs 200 (veg). Sunday brunch: Rs 1199 (non-veg) and Rs 699 (veg). A la carte menu also available.

Three months to the day after the horrendous terror attacks. A moment of remembrance. A minute of silence. Three events that heal through art.

Tonight, a performance of the hugely successful play When God Said Cheers pays special tribute to the 26/11 victims and heroes. The brilliant Tom Alter plays God while theatre director Cyrus Dastur hams it up as Man. Sitting in a bar, discussing the intricacies of life, they argue about things like the futility of fighting, especially in the name of religion. Sombre stuff, but it’s executed with a light touch. And I could sure do with some laughter right about now.

Especially after my visit to the exhibition Bearing Witness, where 72 pictures, shot during and after the attacks by 48 news photographers, were selected from among thousands. These brave camera-artists put their lives at risk to tell the stories that emanate from these powerful images. Most powerfully evocative is my beautiful CST station looking ghostly in the aftermath of the shootings — with broken glass, blood splatters, abandoned shoes and luggage lying around forlornly.

And I can barely wait for next week, when I can view the works of 75 artists including Riyas Komu, Baiju Parthan, Akbar Padamsee and Laxman Shreshtha who have created unique canvasses to raise funds for 26/11 victims. Called 1×1 India, which refers to the size of the works, the show has been organised by Anupa Mehta and Sapna Kar and will even feature two quilts designed by Krsna Mehta. I’m keen to see how their minds have interpreted the nation’s trauma.

A mighty metropolis remembers… and salutes its own spirit. Take a bow, my lovely Mumbai.

When God Said Cheers: Tonight at the Mumbai Times Cafe, Magnet Mall, 5th Floor, Off Linking Road, Opp KFC, Bandra (W); 7.30 pm. Bearing Witness: Until tomorrow at PL Deshpande Kala Academy, Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabhadevi; 10 am-9 pm. 1×1 India: Until March 3 at Olive, Amateur Riders’ Club, Gate No 8, Mahalaxmi Race Course, Tel: 40859595; 12 noon-7pm. Entry free for all events.

Free as a bird. That’s li’l ole me. The very thought of someone dictating my dress code or telling me what to think or how to be, sends a delicate shudder up my spine. Which is why I so admire free-thinking, spirited women — even if they are ‘parde ke peechhe’.

I took my (imaginary) hijab off to Marjane Satrapi when I saw ‘Persepolis’. And when I heard that Tasveer was displaying the work of Shadi Ghadirian in saadi Dilli, I simply had to hoof off to Vadehra. Shadi, by the way, is a top contemporary Iranian photographer who grew up in post-Revolution Iran. The subjects of the 42 works on display are Iranian women, but the themes are universal.

Take the stunning series ‘Like Everyday’. Women have pots, pans and steam irons for faces; one heck of a clever way to say how totally we are identified by the domestic appliances we use. Now that’s what I call hitting the frying pan on the head!

The tension between tradition and modernity comes through beautifully in the series ‘Qajar’– I loved the one of two women posing decorously, their bodies and faces completely covered. The photographer pokes gentle fun at the censors through the coloured images of women in Western dress — their ‘illegal’ bits (read uncovered heads, bare arms and legs) — rudely blacked out with marker in the ‘West by East’ set.

Shadi’s subjects may be faceless, but they tell eloquent stories. And these stories are told and retold all over the world. In ‘Slumdog’ season where hope triumphs over adversity, the images I want on my walls are the ethereal, delicate ones from the series ‘Be Colorful’ — ‘forbidden’ colours shimmering beneath the haze of anonymity. Now all I have to do is learn how to say ‘Jai Ho! ‘ in Persian!

At the Vadehra art gallery, D-140, Defence Colony. Ph: 24622545. Timings: 11 am till 7 pm. Sunday closed. On till March 13.; Curated by Tasveer. www.tasveerarts.com. Call Pooja: 9871381167.

I know, I know you must be tired of hearing about V-Day doings. But one last one, I promise, and this one’s with a twist! This time around, my boyfriend promised me the moon — candlelight, wine and dancing — and then didn’t show.

I did what every girl does: sulked, pouted, and gave him an ultimatum. And then I did what a Trendy girl does. I decided to buy my most favourite person — me, not the BF — a gift.

I could have chosen from the latest fragrances to hit the market — Azzaro’s Twin, Bvlgari’s Green Jade or Britney Spears’ Believe, but I gave them the miss and decided to go a few that have always made me feel cherished (Psst: He got them all for me!)

Ralph Lauren’s Romance: Ultra-feminine, makes me feel spirited and shimmering. The fragrance — a sensual blend of velvety woods, and seductive musk, marigold, yellow freesia and chamomile oil — celebrates falling in love.
Best for: Evening wear
Rs 3,900, 50 ml

Estee Lauder’s Pleasures: Umm.A blend of lilies, peonies and jasmine, this one’s truly one of life’s simple pleasures. It’s like wearing a bunch of fresh flowers — white lily, black lilac, karo-karounde blossoms and baie rose — bursting with the fragrance of rain. Makes me feel irresistible!
Best for: Daytime wear
Rs 3,200 for 50 ml

Thierry Mugler’s Angel: I’m not an oriental fragrance person but Angel with its heady notes of vanilla, chocolate, caramel, bergamot and honey is sweet and sensual. And I absolutely love the star-shaped, sculpted glass bottle — like the fragrance, it’s glamorous, sensual and a work of art.
Best for: Night outs
Rs 3,800 for 50 ml

New fragrances may come and go, but these ones — timeless, classic romance stoppered in a bottle — continue to be my faves. I’m guessing the BF will take the hint and go on a replenishing spree before next V-Day!

Available at all departmental stores.

My best pal and I, watching the Oscars together, swooned when we saw Freida Pinto walk the red carpet in her royal blue Galliano gown. Ditto with Marisa Tomei’s edgy one-shouldered Versace dress. “How I wish I could lay my hands on designer labels, right here in Bangalore,” I thought aloud.

“You mean you haven’t discovered Necessary Evil as yet? And they’re having the best sale ever!” my bud exlaimed.

Ahead of the sale, which starts today, we discovered designerwear in sleek silhouettes, beautiful fabrics and timeless styles. Fashionistas Megan and Tarun, the brains and eyes behind the store, source the clothes from sophisticated global brands like Hayden Harnett, Velvet, Alice + Olivia, Splendid, Ella Moss, 7 for All Mankind and Paige. They even assist with individual styling and wardrobe consultancy.

In adjoining trial rooms, we went into raptures over the Paige Premium Denims, which totally lived up to its “best butt” claim thanks to amazing fabric and a perfect fit. As we paraded our jeans and showed off our never-so-pert-before bottoms to each other, we felt we could give JLo a run for her dollar.

Still hungover from the beautiful Oscars ceremony, I found myself developing a soft spot for Milly, which has been worn by actresses such as Thandie Newton, Anne Hathaway, Beyonce Knowles and Mischa Barton. I loved a black dress that came with a stone-studded neckline — so of-the-moment, yet so classic.

My best bud chose a cream Alice + Olivia dress embellished with coins, a steal at half-price, over a Velvet dress in pristine white, which was marked down a cool two grand.

Red carpet, here we come.

Necessary Evil. 1157, 12th A Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore. Tel: 41638757. Timings: 11 am to 9 pm (Tuesday to Saturday) and 11 am to 6 pm (Sunday). Upto 50% off end-of-season sale starts February 24. Discounted prices start at Rs5000.

The thing I like best about clubbing in the city is that I can just blend in with the babepack and have a riotously good time without anyone playing spoilsport. I think it’s important that I still go out and paint the city pink so that women all over India can follow my example.

Since I’m taking my fun so seriously, I thought I’d do a bit of homework on tonight’s special at Bootleggers. I know I went there the last Tuesday to catch a bit of the excellent stand up comedy act I told you about. But I’m thinking that after tonight, I’m going to be seeing you at the same place, same time, week after week. They’re kicking off Bubblegum Mafia nights every Tuesday, especially created for women of the world like us.

Like Carrie Bradshaw and all her Sex and the City friends, we can have a girls’ night out and start the revels with some slurpilicious Cosmopolitans. They’re on the house, presumably to go with the house music on tap. Then we’ll go for a mite of mysticism and some girly giggles over forecasts by tarot reader Pooja Sharma. And can a babe bash ever be complete without some super shopping opportunities? Luckily, there are some very exciting things to put into my hip, new XL-bag. Flip-flops in funky fuchsia from Flats. Custom-made bangles to match my new slippers. Aromatic soap in cutesie shapes from Soap Opera. Zany zombie-print tees from Potato Zombie. And although I’m not so sure about bra-fitting sessions in a pub, that’s exactly what Lace — the Lingerie Club has organised for the ladies who live it up.

No prizes for guessing where the bubblegum mafia will pop up next!

Bubblegum Mafia Night on Feb 24, 9.30pm onwards at Bootleggers, Shop No.3, Pipewala Bldg, Street no 58/70, 4th Pasta Lane, Colaba, Mumbai; Tel: 22020455; Entry free.

The first question first-time visitors to our house usually ask is: where did you get that from? That is a plate, made of plain terracotta, which has our names on it. It’s a perfect example of what the material can be fashioned into — a simple tool, both functional and elegant.

A friend had got the name plate made-to-order on one of her frequent trips out of Delhi, leaving me intrigued as to how it was done. Now I can, at a fabulous exhibition which is showing over a 100 potters. ‘Maati, An Exhibition of Contemporary Terracotta’ gives you a delightful sweep of objects and objet-d-arts made out of the humble ‘kumhar ki mitti’ — terracotta is what’s used to make your gharas, suraahis, flower pots, and diyas.

It’s been organised by the Delhi Blue Pottery Trust ( yeah, that very same place where we all fetched up, when we wanted to learn how to throw a pot, and bore back our first vase with pride: I still have mine!), and the exhibits are imbued with the free spirit of its founder, now-deceased-but-sadly-missed Gursharan ‘Daddyji’ Singh. It’s now run by son Mansimran Singh, who’s ‘Mini’ to everyone, and carries on the pioneering work of his father.

The potters have come from all over the world — Australia, France, England, and for the first time, Turkey and Indonesia: these are studio potters who’ve been invited to work with terracotta, and they bring to their pieces a cultural sensibility all their own, as well as a wonderful global feel.

Specially eye-catching is the work from Indonesia, based on the theme of Ramayan: there are face-masks, with finely etched portraits of Ram and Sita. And Dashamukha aka Ravan. See the potters at work. Attend lectures, slide-shows. Or simply wander around, looking.

I come away elated. Clay, mud, earth — the most elemental of things — make me that way.

Maati, An Exploration of Contemporary Terracotta, at the Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Center, Ph: 011-43663333, Timings 10 am to 8 pm. On till Feb 27.

There was always a Buddhadeva Bose peeping out of sundry bookshelves in our house when we were growing up. But I actually got to bond with him years later — and that was because of my mother. She loved the works of Bose’s writer-wife, Pratibha, and it was my job to go looking for her books in Bangla book shops — all strangely dusty — across Delhi. Multi-faceted Buddhadeva (1908-1974) — novelist, essayist, poet, short-story writer and translator –and his wife were the first couple of Bengali lit.

All this came back to me when I found a neat little book lying on my desk a few days ago. ‘My Kind of Girl’, elegantly cloth-bound with a pink and grey paisley motif. It was a translated-into-English copy of Buddhadeva’s 1951 novella, ‘Moner Moto Meye’, its cover designed by Sabyasachi (yes, the same guy who does those gorgeous threads). I began flipping through the gilt-edged pages, and couldn’t let go till I’d finished.

Four middle-aged strangers — a bureaucrat, a doctor, a contractor and a poet — are sitting in the waiting room of a railway station. It’s a cold December night, and the sight of a newly-wedded couple prompts the men to share the warmth of their own stories of love and longing. The contractor recalls Malati, the professor’s unyielding daughter. The bureaucrat remembers Pakhi’s kisses on a moonlit night. The doctor talks about his wife, Bina, and her love for his old friend, Ramen. And the poet. Ah, the poet.

It’s beautifully written and produced (I would get it just for the lovely retro jacket), as alive today as it was back when it was written. Barring a few minor inconsistencies, the translation is nuanced. And almost nothing in lost.

This is a book you have to read. And now — while love is still in the air.

My Kind of Girl, by Buddhadeva Bose, Random House India, Price: Rs 350.

It was just that kind of stuck-in-the-middle Wednesday. One weekend a distant memory, the other too far away. Work was settling into a tedium, when a colleague whispered, “Want to wake up?”

Before you could say good morning, we were at Zoe, a resto-lounge tucked away in a quiet lane of Indiranagar. Bright and peppy, its bistro-like interiors injected immediate life into our day. No-fuss, all-fun was the unstated motto of this casual-dining restaurant, and it carries over into the eclectic menu: Sourced from Italy, Turkey, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Spain and Greece and elsewhere, the food is fine-tuned to Indian tastes without compromising on original flavours.

We started with the spicy lamb chimichanga and mushroom fritters (mushrooms stuffed with chicken and cheese served with beri-beri sauce). For the main course, I decided to go in for a well-cooked Moroccan lamb. The batter-grilled chicken piccata that followed was marinated in mustard and herbs and served with tangy caper sauce — a delish whole meal in a dish.

Even as I filed away that reference for a future ravenous-for-lunch day, my colleague was chomping her way through a Greek salad with a touch of feta cheese and a superb Fish D’Casa, a grilled fillet of pomfret topped with spinach and cream sauce.

Zoe doesn’t serve alcohol — we certainly didn’t need any more temptation! — but we did enjoy a chilli-cilantro mocktail. And for pud, we split a Blackout, a sinful layered chocolate cake.

We staggered back to office, but the short walk did us good, and we were buzzing the rest of the day. So much so, our boss has offered to host our weekly meetings at Zoe!

Zoe. 3169/H, Opp, Bangalore Public School Service Road, HAL 2nd Stage Bangalore 560038. Ph: 41538088. Meal for two: Rs 1000.

I’m a busy girl, always on my feet, whether I’m getting work done or having fun. And I enjoy nothing better than pampering my tootsies, whether that means comfortable shoes, creamy pedicures, and long barefoot walks on the beach or dew-flecked grass.

So when I came across a place that promised to send my feet to heaven and back, I was overjoyed. It meant taking a walk down Bandra’s charming little Pali village, climbing up a short flight of marigold-flower decorated stairs until I found myself in the cool, quiet and cosy Metta.

I played a quick game of chess with myself in the waiting area before I was escorted inside. Chattai curtains, little clay chimes hanging from the windows, sunlight streaming in and marigold flowers dotting the edges of the floor space put me at ease immediately. And after I lay down on the massage table, I drifted off as a talented masseuse soothed my tired feet with strong fingers and reflexology moves. I was gently awakened so she could go to work on my shoulders and head, her discreetly checking every now and then if the pressure was just right.

I opened my eyes and stretched, feeling like a new girl, fresh with more energy and relaxed enough to take on the world!

Besides not costing as much as the swish spas for such a wonderful experience, what made the deal even sweeter was knowing that I had done my good deed for the day. Metta, meaning ‘kindness’ in the ancient Pali language, is run by Jenny Figuerido, who has trained and employed seven hearing and visually handicapped individuals from the National Association for the Blind to be expert therapists with a truly evolved sense of touch.

I sure glad I ‘metta’ all of them!

Metta: 53, Suravi House, Above Toddlers Academy, Pali Village at Pali Naka, Bandra (W); Tel: 98707-19923; Price: Rs 200 for a half-hour massage and Rs 300 for a one-hour massage. All massages cover foot, back and head. First-timers pay only Rs 200 for a one-hour massage.