Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Brunch
Memories Of Holidays Past…
That’s all we have to sustain us as we stay closeted at home this summer
This is usually the time I would be heading out to holiday with my husband, escaping the worst of the Delhi summer. But like all of you reading this column, we are currently homebound, with no prospects of venturing out further than the neighbourhood market for the foreseeable future.
Even if international flights were to resume this month or next, I can’t see myself donning full PPE gear to vacation at some scenic destination. Not that the rest of the world is holding out a welcome banner for us Indians – given that we currently rank third in the list of nations with most infections, we are, for all practical purposes, international pariahs. And the few countries that would take us in would insist on a 14-day quarantine, which is about the length of the average vacation.
Of course, there is always the possibility of vacationing somewhere within driving distance of our city. Agra and Jaipur come to mind but, honestly, who would want to drive a few hours to another equally hot destination, and become prisoners of their hotel rooms rather than their homes? You could drive to the hills but most states are asking for a fortnight’s home quarantine, which doesn’t exactly make for a memorable vacation.
So, it’s time to face up to some tough, incontrovertible facts. We aren’t going anywhere this summer. We have to stay home and make the best of it. And my way of doing that is to dwell in the memories of holidays past, so that I can satisfy my wanderlust in my mind, if nowhere else.
Here, in no particular order, are some of the holiday memories that have sustained me as I continue to isolate within my home.
Japan: This was the most magical vacation ever. The night we arrived in Tokyo was the day that the sakura – as the cherry blossom is known as in Japan – flowered. The next day, along with what seemed like the rest of the city, we headed for the central park to feast our eyes on this magnificent sight. The Japanese have a name for this activity; they call it hanami. And as we mingled with the locals amidst the blooming cherry blossom trees – which took in every shade from white to a deep pink – we truly felt part of the inner life of the city. In those transcendent moments, it was easy to forget that we were just tourists and come to believe that the city, and its beauty, belonged to us as well.
Every summer, London turns into India central with everyone making their way to this city
Spain: I know that everyone raves about the energy of Barcelona and that the stately beauty of Madrid has its fans as well. But while I love both these cities too, when I sit back and dream of Spain, it is Seville that comes into view. The shimmering gardens of the Alcázar and its magnificent buildings – familiar to Game of Thrones viewers as the Palace of Dorne – had an almost unreal beauty to them as we wandered through in a veritable daze. And it was from Seville that we drove a couple of hours to visit the legendary Alhambra, the castle built by the Moors, in Granada. We were so blown away by its magnificence that we ended up visiting it twice!
Mercedes has given its flagship GLS SUV the ultimate accolade by calling it the ‘S-class of SUVS.’ Yes, the S-class limousine has for long been the benchmark for luxury cars, but is comparing it to a high-riding SUV taking things a bit too far? It’s more a sign of how far luxury SUVS have gone – to a point where they can genuinely compete with their limo counterparts. But SUVS by their very nature have some inherent disadvantages compared to sedans. They sit high off the ground so they aren’t as easy to get in and out of, and their beefy suspensions don’t offer the same plush ride. But these minuses are outweighed by the pluses, which have made SUVS a rage .
SIZE: XXL!
The ideal SUV is one that melds the status, comfort and luxury of a sedan without compromising its core attributes. So, can the GLS achieve that?
For starters, it delivers the desired visual impact. The GLS is the Mount Everest of SUVS. The XXL size of the GLS points to an equally large cabin and, in fact, space is this SUV’S raison d’etre. The new GLS gets a powered middle-row seat, which glides forward with the touch of button to give you easy access. But in terms of space, the new GLS actually has a wee bit less of it in the third row. That’s because with this new model, Mercedes has sacrificed third row room for an even more spacious middle row.
ELECTRIC DREAMS
In its aim to be more like an S-class, Mercedes engineers have focussed their attention on the new GLS’S middle row, which can be slid back (with electric motors of course) by 100 mm to offer limousine levels of space. The seat back is huge, has soft pillows on the headrest and also reclines by 30 degrees, but even when fully reclined, it’s not quite the lounge-like experience you’ll find in an S-class.
Flip down the centre armrest to access a removable tablet-controller to play around with things such as the 64-colour ambient lighting, media and radio, but it’s up front where you have two 12.3-inch screens with Mercedes’ latest MBUX infotainment system.
The list of gadgets is pretty comprehensive, which includes a 13-speaker Burmester sound system, a 360-degree camera, intelligent seats that can guess your height and adjust the driving position accordingly and a ton of cloud-based apps that can be accessed via the on-board E-SIM. And making all these tasks easy is a new Ai-guided voice assistant, which works quite well.
The GLS 450 petrol doesn’t deliver the same punch but is more refined than the diesel
DIESEL WINS!
The GLS comes with a petrol and diesel option (both identically priced at ~ 99.9 lakh) and it’s the GLS 400d diesel, which is actually the nicer of the two engines. First, it’s so smooth you can’t tell it’s a diesel but what seals it for me is that long surge of torque, which endows this 2.5-ton SUV with sufficient pulling power to make light work of any traffic situation. The GLS 450 petrol doesn’t deliver the same punch but is even more refined than the diesel, and its hybrid motor is better for driving in stop-go traffic. But that’s not really the place to enjoy such a large SUV, is it?
On the highway, the GLS feels like a rock, but uneven roads can unsettle the ride, which gets a bit bouncy through potholes and broken surfaces. In the city, the gargantuan dimensions make parking in tight spots tricky.
Though not quite the S-class of SUVS, the GLS is a great flagship Mercedes-benz SUV. It’s got strong performance, imposing looks, and a luxurious and spacious cabin. If you want (and can afford) one Mercedes that does it all, the GLS it is.
Himmat Shah’s work is characterised by his longterm engagement with materiality and texture, as evidenced by his work with terracotta and bronze. Shah’s versatility with materials and strong artistic language is present in this work from his Head Series, which I have had for 12 years.
The strength of the work and the technique that the sculpture employs were defining factors when I acquired it. The work is emblematic of Shah’s studies in the series, encapsulating his mastery in the sculptural form while attesting to this artistic exploration of more philosophical and abstract themes.
The bronze heads are studies of masculinity and materiality, simultaneously abstract and totemic in nature.
2. HIMMAT SHAH,
(2004)
positions the subject’s body at a distance, either showing the full body or from the bust. The photographic quality of the framing of the young subject is evident in the unnatural close-up of her figure; however, Komu complicates our expectation from the work by highlighting the painterly aspects of the work. The innocence captured in the portrait is heightened with the reflectivity that the subject of the painting seems to hold.
I acquired this striking monochrome portrait from Nature Morte. Begum Hazrat Mahal was the second wife of the Nawab of Lucknow, Wajid
Ali Shah, and a leading figure in the agitation against the East India Company during the 1857 mutiny. The painting pixelates the traditional profile of the Begum in a very modern form. It recalls digital art, which is rendered in the medium of watercolour on paper. Watercolours were often used to make broader colour fields in paintings. The artist presents the portrait of the revolutionary leader in monochrome, using the visual idiom of distorted pixels that come together to form the image to hint simultaneously at a historical figure in a thoroughly contemporary manner. The work exudes the sheer power of its subject.
(2007)
Avinash Veeraraghavan is a contemporary artist whose work draws from the visual language of popular culture and digital imaging. Realm of the Senses is an embroidered work, done with glass beads on black silk and organza. The diptych shows the image of a woman in bondage with a mouth gag, contrasted deeply with the resplendent glass beads on dark material. The work primarily uses cream and skin-coloured material that is contrasted with the dark of the organza, with a lustre on the work that is enhanced by the use of black beads. The materiality suggested by the artist’s use of black silk and organza immediately reminds one of luxury and pleasure. The use of glass beads to render the image of the bound woman highlights the sadomasochistic themes of the work.
10. AVINASH VEERARAGHAVAN,
(2012)