Mohali.in

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. “The dishes are a fine blend of Peshawari and Lahori food,” says Malhotra. He lists mutton tar korma,gilafii kebab,ulte tawa ke paranthe with galouti kebab,amchoori bhindi,subz ka korma,kafan,which is 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 lab and only after the report is passed,are these served to the players,” adds Malhotra.

Meanwhile at Hotel Mount View

Once upon a time it was Hotel Mount View 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 the best possible hospitality to the cricketers was a part of working here,” says Jagan Chaudhury,banquet Manager,Mount View. Be it Sachin Tendulkar’s favourite crabs stuffed with spices or Shahid Afridi’s chicken biryani,our restaraunts always provided the choicest of dishes. Players may have deserted it but not the fans. Rooms in Mount View 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).

Tickets,by God

That’s what fans seem to be saying,as black market rates rise high. Sandeep Kapur,producer,Naughty @ 40 (Delhi),says,“I bought a ticket for Rs 1 lakh. The actual price was Rs 10,000. I don’t mind forking out such a huge amount since this is a once-in-a-lifetime match. Four days ago,I was getting an offer to buy the same ticket for Rs 10,000,but since India was not in the semi-finals at that time,I did not buy the ticket.”

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-Pakistan are in a semi-final match in the World Cup – kaam ke liye toh sari zindagi padi hai !” Kohli was chided by musician Daler Mehndi,on air,for propagating a “Delhi bandh”. Undeterred though,Kohli persisted on,and managed to convince a lecturer at an electrical engineering college in the city,and the CEO of Hero Honda.

The Memory Album

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.

Flying High

The Ambanis,all 30 plus family members in tow,will land in Chandigarh in their private aircraft while Aamir Khan is expected to arrive on a chartered plane. There is also a request for 35 private aircrafts to land at the airport for the match,since Mohali does not have an operational airport.