Mohali.in

Chandigarh and Mohali residents recall another Indo-Pak match,in 2005. Outside the stadium and across the city,Indians walked up to visitors and fans from Pakistan inviting them home to share food and lodging. Not just atithi devo bhava,it was also a chance for people to trade stories and accounts of a time when there was no border to divide them into two.

Meanwhile at Hotel Mountview

Once upon a time it was Hotel Mountview at Mohali where the teams stayed. As the Men in Blue practised,chefs and the staff would be on their toes. Not this Wednesday though. “We miss those times. Providing hospitality to the cricketers was a part of working here,” says Jagan Chaudhury,Banquet Manager,Hotel Mountview. “Be it Sachin Tendulkar’s favourite crabs stuffed with spices,or Shahid Afridi’s chicken biryani,our restaurants always provided the choicest of dishes.” Players may have deserted the hotel but not the fans. Rooms in Mountview got sold out long back and the hotel’s clientele this Wednesday will include the rich and famous (Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi is expected with wife Sharmila Tagore).

What Will the Boys Eat?

At the Taj Chandigarh,where both cricket teams are staying,chefs draw from recipes from both sides of the border. “No LoC in hospitality between neighbours,” says Taj GM,Anil Malhotra. Dera,the Indian restaurant,has a spread for the Pakistanis — a mix of Lahori,Amritsari and Gujranwala cuisines. He lists mutton tar korma,gilafii kebab,ulte tawa ke paranthe with galouti kebab,amchoori bhindi,subz ka korma,and kafan,a Lahori naan,phirni and kulfi as the hot dishes. There’s also a special and light Chinese menu of steamed chicken,prawns,vegetables in black bean sauce et al for the players. “Low-fat,low-sugar,cooked in olive oil,the instructions are many. And for security reasons,the dishes are tested in a microbiology laboratory and only after the report is passed,are these served to the players,” adds Malhotra.

Radio Gaga

Radio City RJ Simran Kohli is charging head-on with the city’s top bosses and CEOs,asking them on air to officially declare Wednesday as a holiday. “This is a historical event,” she says,“It’s not everyday that India and Pakistan are in a semi-final match in the World Cup. Kaam ke liye toh sari zindagi padi hai!” she says. Kohli was chided by musician Daler Mehndi,on air for propagating a “Delhi bandh”. Undeterred,Kohli persisted,and managed to convince a lecturer at an electrical engineering college in the city,and the CEO of Hero Honda.