Hello everyone,
I need funds to keep my cat kingdom going. I have not had a full-time job for more than two years now because of which the going has been hard.
I have started a fundraiser on Milaap. “Little drops of water make a mighty ocean”. Even small contributions will help in a long way.
The following is the link to the fundraiser:
Thanks in advance!
Can any long-time inhabitant of the Garden City imagine the annual cake show without the iconic Nilgiris brand name? Well! I found it hard to believe. Looks like the prized Nilgiris name is on its way to becoming history. Last year, I was in for a shock when I realised that their supermarket on Brigade Road has closed down forever. Once upon a time, I was a frequent visitor at this most sought after supermarket in the city. It wa a beehive of activity selling all kinds of grocery items. This was when I worked at an office in the vicinity of the grocery hub. Back then, I wouldn’t even have thought they will close down one day. No visit to Brigade Road would be complete without a round of shopping at the Nilgiris Supermarket. The Japanese cakes that were available at the cafe in the basement were my favourite. I just loved it when the butter in the cake melted in my mouth. The feeling was magical. The taste of these crunchy ‘yummilicious’ cakes still lingers in my mouth. Sigh!
Now coming back to the Annual Cake Show. I noticed the absence of the famous ‘N’ name only after I landed at the venue. I must say, I was taken aback.
Except for the missing ‘Nilgiris’ name, there was not much of a change in the proceedings. The colourful cakes on show were reminiscent of the cakes in the cake shows of the past.
Unlike in the past editions of the show, I decided not to carry my DSLR. There were two reasons: The first one being the cakes barring a few, would all be enclosed in transparent cases and therefore not a shutterbug’s delight. The second reason being the slew of bouncers employed at the venue to maintain a hawk-like vigil on the crowds especially DSLR users. Strangely, they were okay with mobile photography.
The star attraction at this year’s cake fiesta was a mammoth replica of the Sacred Heart’s Cathedral at New York.
I found the sugar re-creation of an aquarium amazing.
Mamma Polar Bear in a Santa avatar and her baby were head-turners.
An ashram scene was eye-catching:
The Ashoka Emblem looked perfect. There was not a flaw in sight.
This Christmas tree looked avant-garde.
The intricacy in this creation of what seemed to be a depiction of a Greek goddess had me awestruck. Have a look:
The sugar cobra had me hypnotized. Don’t miss the majestic eagle perched on top.
Wow! Look at this eclectic collection here:
Look at the swans and look at the jewellery! This structure obviously has a deep meaning.
Visitors were star-struck by these beautiful mythological figurines. It is hard to believe they are cakes!
I couldn’t quite figure out what this is. 🤔🤔
The cake show had something in store for car enthusiasts too!
Look what we have here! Quite mind-blowing!
This cake version of a gaming console looked catchy.
An element of romance here in this creation called ‘Checkmate’.
These creations had me thinking. I couldn’t figure out what they illustrated. 🤔🤔
On display was also a pretty wedding cake.
And look at this one:
This grandiose elephant cake grabbed a lot of eyeballs. Don’t miss the elaborate work on the howdah and the cake idol of Lord Ganesha inside it.
And wow! Just look at this sugary re-creation of a stained glass painting!
Another wedding cake? Your guess is as good as mine!
The steam engine looked cute!
As a fitting tribute to the Nightingale of India, the organisers created her cake avatar!
In about 45 minutes, I was done. I next stepped into the adjacent shamiana where the annual consumer fare was on. It was crowded. Entire families had thronged the place. Not wanting to stick on for too long, I just browsed through the stalls. The food court was abuzz with lots of foods, stalls and people. There were live counters galore selling chaats, popcorn, fried food, ice-creams, sweet corn, beverages and more. I finished my day with some grub and ice-cream and left the arena on a sweet note.
Potpourri 