Eating roti The hot weather did not deter my walking a little distance to take my usual afternoon rotis.

There are many who consider lunch as satisfying only if it includes rice. Rice reminds me of abundance unlike rotis. Abundance because the image of rice is one of countless grains whereas the rotis come in standard lots generally four ( or atleast that is how it is there at most hotels in and around chockanahalli). Rice always suggests excess whereas roti suggests less and I would like to believe that this is the reason it crept into the oft quoted phrase roti, kapda aur makan reminding you of the bare essentials needed for survival. However rice and roti share in common the issue of not being able to be consumed without using your hands. You have to get your hands sticky and necessarily get it washed. This is a ritual almost all Indians are used to and this is perhaps the subconscious reason why people prefer rice or roti as this signals that they have had lunch. The sense of completeness or fullness associated with eating rice or roti may have something to do with this ritual. Another reason probably has to do with the fullness associated with taking roti or rice. They come with other dishes. The excitement and surprise value lies in not knowing the dish which is going to be served as gravy or side dish for your meal. I dare suggest that we can also make out the ethical leanings of a person based on how he consumes roti. A person who believes in dharma or for that matter a follower of Kant might focus on the rituals associated with eating such as being on time or eating in a formal manner or even perhaps saying his prayers before his meals, whereas, a person who takes food without concern for formal mannerisms and is just concerned with satisfying his hunger is perhaps a consequentialist.

Weekend

Pub hopping Pleasures the genie in the bottle to tame the devil in you Trance forming

Meeting ground Catharsis

Spending a weekend can end being a complicated affair if you dont know what has to be done. The newspapers scream out numerous tempting choices. Music and dance programmes, literary fests, a visit to the museum where they have added another tiger or rare creature from another country, food fests etc. etc. are some of the items on the menu. Family deliberations on weekend outings sometimes partake the character of Parliamentary debates. The virtues of pub hopping are many and its vices few. After an exhausting week, a weekend pub visit can regale your spirits and compensate for any unhappiness you have been subjected to, during the weekdays.

The bewitching feel of a pub has its bearings in its dim lights and noisy as hell atmosphere.

If there were to be only one choice such as going to a pub, then it would be a very easy affair. But then life is complicated and comes with more choices than we need. Instead of agonizing over such choices I hav

Friday as usual did not disappoint. Had good fun yakking on various topics relating to culture-- right from pub culture to counter cultures. The dim lights, smoke filled atmosphere and light music added to the delight. The genie in the bottle soon started wreaking his magic and brought out the best in us. There is no gainsaying the fact that pubs do have a positive impact on society in more ways than one. For

instance, it has served to break down various boundaries separating people and this is of great significance in a recklessly diversified set up such as ours. An interesting poem in this regard is the one by Harvansh Rai : , , , , - - , , , , - , , , The key point : BAIR KARATEY MANDIR MAZID ,DOST BANATI MUDHUSHALA . The proposition that pub culture is against indian culture is difficult to bite simply because it posits the notion that certain cultural aspects are permanently fixed and do not change with time. It also brings out the issue of whether it might have been absorbed as part of indian culture if it had not been part of western culture. Viewing it as an aberration and therefore in some ways a 'counterculture' has its adverse impact on harmony and to some extent on intellectual progress. After all pubs are today's equivalent of the sylvan surroundings of yesteryears when people had the leisure time and space to meet and discuss. Besides Indian culture has always been an open and dynamic culture, constantly absorbing and adjusting to the times.