The Indian Sky | A Lifestyle, Travel and Food Blog

Truth be told, I am a serious homebody. Give me my bed, a movie and some popcorn and I’m all set for the night. So sometimes I really need to make an effort to get dressed and head out. And that’s why last Saturday I decided to kick this habit to the curb and paint the proverbial town red. I wanted a serious change from the over-expensive Delhi restaurants dispersed all over the city. A decent dinner here will empty my pockets leaving me munching on magi for the rest of the week. Nope. Not happening. Hours of online research landed us up in a tiny little place called New York Slice in Hauz Khas Village. Seriously, the place was completely empty the whole time we were there. The restaurant is a New York style pizzeria and offers great meal combos for two. The combo we choose gave us 2 giant slices of pizza, a basket of garlic knots and 2 cokes. The garlic knots were nicer than I thought, doused in oil and exceptionally aromatic. And, the New-York-style pizza slices were...

DO AS THE LOCALS DO Sights, sounds, smells, and taste—everything feels different to the touch in a new city. The language might stop you in your tracks and the sincerity of people amaze you. Moving to a new city is all about adapting, about cracking that language barrier even if you sound like an alien, and about believing that this will be your home for the foreseeable future. When i first moved to Mumbai, starry eyed, things were drastically different. The sounds were louder than what i was used to, the food laden with spice, and the city did not believe in the idea of sleeping at night. I loved it all! The local trains were a city in itself, housing a different language and a different subculture. Two days, and I was walking and talking (sometimes cussing!) like someone who'd been hopping off fast trains her whole life. I pretended. I stood in line and pretended like i knew what i was doing. And slowly i did actually know. I memorized all the routes, going over each ...

She never looked back. Her feet hit the gravel hard, the sound resonating in her ears like an affirmation. Her legs were tired and her body ready to collapse, but that made her push forward all the more. A few more steps and she would be just a few more steps away. Happy Monday! Image Source : Free People

In the spirit of embracing the sweltering heat that seems to have gotten comfortable in Delhi, I share with you an amazing drink that will cool the pants off you. (is that a phrase?). The beautiful orange colour was half the reason I was sold on this drink from the start. And the other half? The intoxicating aroma that wafted away from the freshly cut mangos. Seriously though, I wish you could smell pictures. Drool, aside. I love lemonades. They are the perfect way to keep heat at bay and energise your body. Add mango to that mixture and you’ve pretty much got a winner on your hands. The mango adds the perfect amount of sweetness and tart to the lemonade. Don’t add too much ice, or you’ll have a diluted watered down version of the drink. Sparkling Mango Lemonade You need 1/2 mango  1/2 cup sugar  2 cups water  4 lemons  Ice  Club soda Method Peel the mango and chop into small pieces. In a small pot, combine the mango, sugar and wat...

It’s Monday again. The friendless-Monday who brings along a box full of why-is-the-weekend-over feelings. Listen up pal, you’ve got to get your act together! So to add some sweet cheer to an otherwise dull day, here are some super sugar coated songs. My personal favourite, as always, is lemon tree by fools garden.  Happy listening…   SWEET TOOTH | MIXTAPE 08 by UnderTheIndianSky on Grooveshark

FIND FRIENDS.  Moving to a new city is substantially less scary when you have a friend along. Obviously, it does not take away the frustrating running around, but it does make things a whole lot easier. You'd want a friend when a broker calls you at a random hour to a random location, you'd need someone when your house floods because someone left the tap on and you'd especially need someone when you just want to laugh at a funny-annoying situation. It could be that one friend that moves in with you, or just someone you met at work..try and keep people closer when you're in a new city. I moved to Bombay along with a lot of other students from my batch. With everyone as lost as i was, it was easier to navigate things. I could not imagine getting used to the city on my own. I'd probably slip down the station stairs and no one would notice. (a long running inside joke with my first friend in Bombay!). So thank you those few first friends in Bombay and in Del...

Sunday's are supposed to be days of rest right? Days when weekdays come crashing down into nothingness. The perfect Sunday for me used to include a movie marathon, an inability to slip out of my pajamas, and some culinary feast that usually involves lots of chocolate. However, lately I've found myself with lots of to-do lists, traveling here and there, always in a mad rush to complete something. I know a lot of people that end up with multiple lists as soon as friday rolls around, and the weekend just seems like two days to pack in as much as you can. People to meet— gosh i'm so cool —and promises to keep. Doesn't feel like very Sunday-ish to me. So this week was all about winding down. Some much needed chill time. I can't even begin to tell you how crazy fun my weekend of nothing was. I had long baths and ate whatever i found in the house. I slept at odd hours and watched random movies at 6 in the evening. Here are a five things that everyone should make ti...

On a hot Sunday afternoon, when the sun was in all minds to burn us to the ground, we decided it would be a good idea to head out for a spot of brunch. I have been hearing about All American Diner for the longest time, mixed reviews, great breakfast, brilliant interiors and so on. We made our way through the beautiful India Habitat Centre, where the well-known diner was housed, only to come face to face with a massive crowd-in-waiting. Sigh. I guess everyone else had the same idea as us this Sunday afternoon. To be honest, we weren’t too impressed. The food was okay, nothing spectacular or decadent. We ordered a plate of Belgian waffles, a Pierre’s French Toast Combo and a Mixed Grill Non-Vegetarian Platter. For drinks, we ordered a berry smoothie, a cold coffee and a mango smoothie (I think!). The Mixed grill platter was the king of all and disappeared from our table in exactly 2 minutes. We didn’t particularly enjoy the waffles or the French toast, having had be...

Not so long ago, the Sultanate of Oman was just a tarmac road, one hospital, a handful of schools and a vast yawning expanse of absolute nothingness. With sand and gravel deserts punctuated by rugged striated mountains, crumbling villages, hundreds of ancient forts and watchtowers brushing shoulders with lush wadis—Oman offers a cocktail of sights to the intrepid traveller. Here, my camera would have found the perfect muse and I would have found the perfect companion. I would wander around trying to unearth the cultural gems within Oman while I stare at the postcard-perfect dunes or traverse through its ancient markets redolent of spices. 01.   A night on the dunes The rolling sand dunes of the Wahiba Sands vary from deep red to rich honey colour, stretching as far as the eye can see. This would definitely be my first stop. I’d just sit and take in the magnificent views around me, get off my ass and take an exciting dune drive, witness the much talked about desert sunset...