How I knew the answer to the Five Crore Question

Q. Which colonial power ended its involvement in India by selling the rights of the Nicobar Islands to the British on October 16, 1868?
Options:
a) Belgium
b) Denmark
c) France
d) Italy.

This was the question posed by host Amitabh Bachchan to contestant Sushil Kumar which could make him the winner of the top prize in Kaun Banega Crorepati (Indian Version of the famous “Who wants to be a millionaire”). If Sushil Kumar quit, he would end up with 1 Crore (USD 200K). If he got it wrong, he would fall down to Rs. 160K (USD 3200). Well, we all know that Sushil Kumar got the answer right and made history by winning 5 crores (USD 1 Million). 

Forget Sushil Kumar, would I have got the answer right if I had been there in his spot? ….Don’t we all play this imaginary thought game at home and try to see if we deserved the 5 crore or not?

Here’s what happened yesterday (2^nd Nov 2011): I finished work early and decided to spend some time with my three year old son Aryasiddh. Just as I was thinking what to do, he brought me a copy of Tinkle comic book (dated March 2011). I opened a random picture story for him and began narrating:

Once two cranes were talking to each other that the Emerald Islands in Nicobar were so beautiful and there were plenty of Coconuts and fish there. But then one of them remarked that the conditions were so hostile that most would not survive in those islands for long.

A crow overheard them talking and thought these cranes are foolish and hence may not survive in Nicobar. But crows were much smarter and would survive in this land of Fish and coconuts. So, the crow went there with a boatful of tradable goods.

The islands were occupied by pigs at that time. The industrious crow found that the pigs had lots of fish and coconuts but needed linen and tobacco. So, he set up a profitable business and prospered. As time went by, he started inviting his friends and relatives to come settle in Nicobar and soon there was a huge colony of crows in Nicobar. Their numbers were increasing and they looked to become the new masters of the Nicobar Islands.

But after a few months, a dangerous fatal fever started spreading among the crows. The crows searched far and wide for a remedy to this fever but none could be found. Their numbers started dwindling. The crows convened an emergency meeting and decided that the cranes were right. Outsiders could not survive on this island. The locals were used to the conditions and hence were safe. With this, the crows left Nicobar, never to return again.

Well. The story is over (some of these children’s stories end abruptly and you got to leave it at that and I am fine as long as my son is not complaining). I know you are impatient and wondering how that answers the 5 crore question.

At the end of the story, there was small footnote and I happened to glance at it before I closed the book. Here’s the footnote:

“ This is a fanciful tale to explain why there are no – or very few house crows in Nicobar. But “Nicobar Fever” as it is called did deter human colonizers , especially the Danes, from occupying the islands in centuries past. The Danes made several attempts to colonise the islands, all of which failed because of the Nicobar Fever”

You can imagine my surprise that when I was watching the TV just two hours after reading the story to my son and the question was presented on the TV screen for 5 crore rupees. I shouted Denmark even before the options were put on the screen.

I think this sort of a thing happens to us all the time. There are so many times when I learn a new word which I never knew of before. Then suddenly, I see that word being mentioned everywhere.

Coming back to KBC, looking back, I can now appreciate why Slumdog Millionaire was such a great story (credit to Vikas Swarup for writing it). As for the movie, I have been critical of Boyle in the past because of the “negative portrayal of India” especially to the outside world. Again, that is a subject of a much bigger discussion not intended today.

To win the top prize in this competition, you do not have to be the most intelligent person on earth. First, you have to be lucky enough to be selected for this (remember in our country, this literally means a one in billion probability). Then you play the fastest finger first and beat 10 other contestants to it. Then, you should be lucky to get 13 questions which you know about. After that, some basic knowledge, a logical mind and a gambler’s instinct will take you to a million.


We can ofcourse extrapolate this even further. The toppers in school exams seldom make it to the top in life. Okay, kuch zyada ho gaya. No filosofizing. 


Another observation is that this is a second guy in India to have won the top prize (the first was Harshavardhan Nawathe in year 2000) and who is preparing for IAS entrance exams and hence seems to know everything.....I am curious about the syllabus of IAS entrance tests now....In any case, if you pass, you become the under-table crorepati and if you fail, you can try your luck at KBC. OK, all you honest IAS officers, don't start getting red....we only speak from our experience. 

Anyways, congratulations to Sushil Kumar for his bounty and wish him safety against the many new “friends and relatives” who will suddenly be surrounding him. And yes, I do REALLY know him from childhood and we were "langotia" friends. Only he does not remember now. :-) 

A slice of Indian History in a Bangkok restuarant

On my last visit to Bangkok in June, after a very busy day, I went to my favorite "Coco's Cafe" at the Novotel Lotus (now Bangkok Lotus). From my previous visits, I knew this place used to serve a very nice Indian buffet with live singers churning out old popular Ghazals. But because of the Thai Elections, the tourist traffic was virtually non-existent (except some brash new-money Indian types, who suddenly want to become globe trotters but need some basic training in etiquette, more on this later) and hence the restaurant had stopped the buffet service. Also, I was told the musicians had gone back to India and the restaurant was finding it difficult to hire new ones. 

Since I am a vegetarian (yes, the proper vegetarian, No meat, No fish and No Eggs type), the options can be very limited in Bangkok. One can choose from either an Italian restaurant (thankfully, Italians have a good veg menu), order a Pizza or go to a 'Regular' Thai or Chinese restaurant and  break your head trying to get some vegetarian food from them. 

The Basilca Pizzeria is the best option just across from the Lotus but I decide to be a little more adventurous and explore a bit. Just as I started walking, I spotted an Indian restaurant called Himali Cha Cha in one very quiet bylane of Sukhumvit. 

I went inside and found the restaurant had a very good ambiance (hmm, must be pricey...). I ordered a drink and asked the waiter for a recommendation for curry. He seemed a bit lost and sent the owner of the restaurant to take my order. I asked him which was the signature dish of the hotel and was told that this place did not have a signature dish but rather the food was like home food ("Ghar ka khana"). Since the portions were too big for one person, he suggested to give me only one bowl of dhal,  half a curry, Garlic bread and some complimentary rice. He said this will give me satisfaction of having tried different things but also not spend too much money or waste the excess food. I was quite impressed as this attitude is usually lacking with most restaurant owners. 

I leafed through the menu to learn that the owner-chef Mr. Himali (now deceased) was once the cook for Lord Mountbatten (the last Viceroy of India). I was intrigued and wanted to know more. Mr. Himali's son Kovit was only too glad to share the history with me. I must warn you that the story is quite filmy and may have been exaggerated a little by Kovit (we Indians love masala and hence a little exaggeration is quite acceptable in our culture).

The First Course: Garlic Naan and Vegetable Kurma Curry with Sliced Onions

Himali was a young lad from North India wanting to make it big in Bombay like all the other young men of his age. Most were enamored by Hindi films and came to Mumbai to become filmstars (so little has changed in the last 60 years, I wonder!!). So, he took the train to Mumbai and landed in the back streets of Colaba. He would stand alongside others outside all the famous studios and try to talk to the film personalities so that they could SPOT him (the next superstar). He soon realized that it would be impossible to get a break in movies. So, he settled for a job in a restaurant as an assistant to the chef. One day, Nehru (yes, The Jawaharlal Nehru) went to the restaurant and was very happy with the meal and requested the restaurant owner if he could take the chef to his home as his personal cook. The restaurant owner did not want to let go of his chef and instead offered to send the chef’s assistant Himali with Nehru. Nehru was told that Himali was talented and with a little training, he could be a very good chef.

Himali was with the Nehru household during the freedom struggle. Mahatma Gandhi used to be frequently jailed during this time. To avoid any sort of poisoning, all the meals for Gandhi in jail were prepared in the Nehru household and sent through the boy courier (who else but the trusted Himali). Kovit also mentions that you can see a small boy carrying a tiffin to Gandhi in the movie on Gandhi (I have seen the movie umpteen times but frankly don’t remember this part).

Second Course: Dal Fry and Jeera Rice

The Mountbatten family was very close to Nehru (oh, we all know that old story of Edwina and Nehru). Once, after a very good meal (cooked by who else), Lord Mountbatten asked Nehru that he wanted Himali as a Birthday present from Nehru. Our dear PM could not refuse and thus Himali started working for the Mountbattens from that day on.

After Independence, the Mountbattens offered to take Himali with him to England but Himali did not want to migrate to London. So, he started working for the various Indian embassies abroad (because of his friendship with the many diplomats and politicians). He worked in many different places around the world serving the Indian ambassadors. Finally, he decided to open his own restaurant in Laos. There, he also fell in love and married a Thai lady and started his family. When communism came to Laos, the family sold all its assets in Laos and moved to Bangkok, Thailand.

They now own 2 restaurants in Bangkok.

Dessert: No room for dessert now, I am full

Kovit Sarkar is Mr. Himali's son. So, he is half-Thai and half-Indian and married to a Filipino woman (a truly international family, no maybe a truly Asian family is more apt). He looks after this restaurant while his wife manages the other one (personal attention ensures the food is always the same taste and quality, I am told). The wall had some of his family photos. He looks Thai but can speak good Hindi. He says he loves Hindi movies and thinks that his father’s story has all the ingredients to be made into a Bollywood movie.

I must confess the restaurant food was not spicy and simple (literally like Ghar ka Khana). But the combination of the food, ambience and the story made my otherwise dull and lonely evening in Bangkok interesting. 

Ok, I started.

This is it. I had to do it. Have been thinking of writing a blog for sometime but always put it off for later. But this being a lazy Sunday with nothing much to do, I decided to make a start.

Since this particular blog  has no particular objective but to serve as an outlet for my musings, I had a difficult time thinking of a suitable name. Finally, I decided on "This and that". This reminds me of Jerry Seinfeld and his sidekick George who decide to make a television series about "Nothing" in particular. Or even take the example of the recent Bollywood flick "Zindagi na milegi dobara". I know the film will be a big hit because of the fresh stylish look (of the actors as well as the topography), the youth appeal, non-filmi dialogues (like real people talking) and all that.  Its good as long as it goes but at the end of the movie you do feel cheated a bit. I mean, whats the plot? I think Zoya Akhtar has tried to make a watered down version of her brother's "Dil Chahta Hain".

Since I see that the flavor of the season is "Nothing" in particular, I think my blog may find some interest here and there.

Keep watching this space.