A nod to Indian flavours
As you step inside Ishaara you are greeted by an atmosphere brimming with warmth and inclusivity. Located at the Phoenix Mall of Asia, Yelahanka, Ishaara is a space where communication transcends language barriers. Ishaara, which means ‘gesture’ or ‘sign’, stands for its name where the staff is speciallyabled, their faces beaming as they effortlessly communicate with expressive gestures.
“I wanted to do something which not only generates value for me but the community as well. At Ishaara, we employ staff based on their ability and not on their disability,” says founder Prashant Issar.
Crafted meticulously by designer Minnie Bhatt, Ishaara encapsulates the charms of a tropical oasis, with a rustic greenhouse highlighted by natural veneers and handcrafted terrazzo flooring.
Attention to detail is noticed in every aspect as even the Ishaara logo resembles the word ‘smile’ in sign language with the respective names of the staff mentioned on their personalized tshirts. The menu is thoughtfully curated with sign language depicting each dish to help the guests communicate with the staff.
The food in Ishaara is an ode to rich Indian flavours, with dishes that take you on a culinary tour through the streets of Lucknow and Delhi, where each serving tells a story of its own.
We started with their entre, Chandni chicken tikka,
adish from Bahadur Shah Zafar’s time. Instead of a traditional metal skewer, the use of a wooden skewer gives a nice smoky flavour balanced well with spices such as the Thalassery black pepper and hung curd.
Next up, we go to the streets of Lucknow to try their mushroom gulawat kebab; instead of the traditional minced mutton base, the mushroom base served with cream curd should be a musttry from ₹1800
Ishaara Butter Chicken
None their vegetarian options.
We then tried the Ishaara lamb dori kebab, a blend of fineminced lamb and kakori masala, elevated with a symphony of aromatic herbs, showcased tradition and innovation in a plate.
For the mains, we tried the Goa green chicken curry, a flavour bomb in your mouth with the use of fresh mint, coriander, poppy seeds and of course, the star ingredient — Goan vinegar.
When we talk about Indian food how can we forget butter chicken? The Ishaara butter chicken was hands down the best butter chicken that I have tried in a while; the pulled boneless tandoori chicken pieces tossed in a tomato makhani sauce created an intricate tapestry of flavours. Served with the classic garlic naan, it should be your musttry from the Ishaara menu.
Finally, to satiate our sweet cravings, we were served sitafal and fig ghewar from the bazaars of Rajasthan. The crispy light ghewar topped with warm sitaphal rabdi with crunchy bits of pistachios and almonds was a perfect end to our culinary voyage.
Kathputliyan
Theatre Group (KTG) will stage, Ek Actor Ki Maut. Directed by theatre actor, director, playwright Zafer Mohiuddin, the play was originally written by Croatian author Miro Gavran and adapted to Hindi by Saurabh Srivastava.
“It is about two actors, Akshay and Ira, who develop a bond while rehearsing for a charity show,” says Zafer in his baritone, from Alliance Francaise. “Akshay is a struggling actor, while Ira is established with a successful career spanning 40 years. Akshay invites Ira to act in a play, and Ira reluctantly agrees. The play explores Ira’s love for theatre, and the emotions the two actors go through as they share aspects of their lives.”
Zafer plays Akshay while Kavita Agarwal plays Ira. “The play is also a conversation between the medium of theatre, film and television, and how many use the theatre as a stepping stone for film. For instance, though NSD was
Intense emotions
started to propagate theatre, actors train there to seek a career in films. Ira is also guilty of the same while Akshay, however, believes in theatre.”
The play, says Zafer, posits the theory that an actor dies when he exits the stage.
Zafer started off as an architect, but discovered his passion for theatre and became a playwright. Though he has done voice overs, advertisements and films, Zafer has stayed deeply rooted in theatre since 1979, when he founded Kathputaliyaan Theatre Group
Ek Actor Ki Maut Zafer says is a serious play. “I travelled to Delhi recently and a visit to NSD is a must with every trip. This time, while I was there, I bought 20 plays and one book was this. The subject hit me so hard that I immediately contacted the playwright, sought his permission and we started working on this play.”
The theme engulfed Zafer. “It is an intense play with no form of stylisation, and a lot of dialogue. It is a serious discussion between two senior actors with long, meaningful, powerful silences that are crucial to the play.”
Zafer says the play was initially staged for an intimate audience and this is their first public show. Kavita has been with Kathputliyan for the past three years and has also worked with other theatre groups.
The play will be staged on March 24, 3.30pm and 7.30pm at Jagriti, Whitefield. Tickets on BookMyShow.