Chateau de Baghdad - 2003
Mumbai, September 13, 002026.
I hit the pedal of the sleek six wheels that i drove. I had just gotten back from my live performance at the 25th 9/11 anniversary in NYC. The re-stored Twin Tower were a marvel of architecture, economic recovery, patriotic grandeur and unchartered financial risk-taking. The acoustics were phenomenal. Mumbai, was still a far cry, despite its sluggish march towards flyovers and sky-skrapers. But, the roads had improved and my 15 series beamer was now legitimately allowed to drive at the the speeds i was on.
I turned up the system. Sounded like "Highway Star", remixed. Not that it mattered, since the gig had been so good. I had done my version of Celine Dion's masterpiece, "My Heart will go on". Rock rendition, needless to add. The babes had gone wild and flashed enough breasts to fill a billion Penthouse center-spreads. My original, "The half blind king", got them in near frenzy. If it had not been for the moral police, it would have been gomorrah! The pedal scraped the metal, the rubber burned, the music blared. The engine beeped and flashed. "You are now on reserve fuel. You are suggested to refuel at the standard oil station." Feeling generous, i pulled into a european pump and beckoned the maitre d' of the gas station. It was known for the exotic vintage oils, it stocked for car freaks like me.
"What suggestions, you have for my beaming baby?" I asked.
"That totally depends on what she feels like, sir." He replied.
"To be totally honest," the attendant continued, " your car does look like she could do with a nice red bottle. A good one litre of Chateaux de Baghdad - 2003. Its from the first batch of oil that was pulled out of Iraq, and actually has the blood of civilians mixed in it." It sounded like a boast, but could as well be true, since a lot of civilian Iraqi blood must have flowed into the oil rigs in 2003.
"How much?" I asked.
"Its US$ 300 for the bottle, sir. But, I also have Chateaux des Tehran, 1995, Chateaux de Ambani, from the Kauveri basin and Chateaux de Georgia - both from 2008. The Ambani is said to have actual drops of the blood of two warring brothers in it and so is not cheap. In fact, it is priced at US$ 5,000 for a bottle."
One of my girlfriends was a distant Ambani relative (from the Mukesh or Anil side, i am not sure) and so i thought it might be in poor taste to fill my beamer up with a Kauvery 2008.
"Give me the Chateauex de Baghdad, I asked. 2003." I decided and beamed money from my retina to his. The transaction was complete.
I pulled the car over into the car-bar, and popped open the precious vintage. "Oh, Thank you, sir!" the car's automated gratification exclaimer beamed, delighted at my sudden urge to indulge the six wheel drive.
I uncorked the bottle of oil, and began to tank up my car. It reminded me of the previous night when I tanked myself up with similar looking wine, atop the re-built twins. It was filled with hordes of smiling tourists clutching onto their glasses - filled to the brim with a red, bloody and expensive liquid that came from exotic chateaus. It had the same heady, floral bouquet of murder and the fruity aftertaste of over-ripe bananas - much like the Chateaux de Baghdad that I was filling my hungry little ride with.
Nothing like a well labelled, bottled Red.
I hit the pedal of the sleek six wheels that i drove. I had just gotten back from my live performance at the 25th 9/11 anniversary in NYC. The re-stored Twin Tower were a marvel of architecture, economic recovery, patriotic grandeur and unchartered financial risk-taking. The acoustics were phenomenal. Mumbai, was still a far cry, despite its sluggish march towards flyovers and sky-skrapers. But, the roads had improved and my 15 series beamer was now legitimately allowed to drive at the the speeds i was on.
I turned up the system. Sounded like "Highway Star", remixed. Not that it mattered, since the gig had been so good. I had done my version of Celine Dion's masterpiece, "My Heart will go on". Rock rendition, needless to add. The babes had gone wild and flashed enough breasts to fill a billion Penthouse center-spreads. My original, "The half blind king", got them in near frenzy. If it had not been for the moral police, it would have been gomorrah! The pedal scraped the metal, the rubber burned, the music blared. The engine beeped and flashed. "You are now on reserve fuel. You are suggested to refuel at the standard oil station." Feeling generous, i pulled into a european pump and beckoned the maitre d' of the gas station. It was known for the exotic vintage oils, it stocked for car freaks like me.
"What suggestions, you have for my beaming baby?" I asked.
"That totally depends on what she feels like, sir." He replied.
"To be totally honest," the attendant continued, " your car does look like she could do with a nice red bottle. A good one litre of Chateaux de Baghdad - 2003. Its from the first batch of oil that was pulled out of Iraq, and actually has the blood of civilians mixed in it." It sounded like a boast, but could as well be true, since a lot of civilian Iraqi blood must have flowed into the oil rigs in 2003.
"How much?" I asked.
"Its US$ 300 for the bottle, sir. But, I also have Chateaux des Tehran, 1995, Chateaux de Ambani, from the Kauveri basin and Chateaux de Georgia - both from 2008. The Ambani is said to have actual drops of the blood of two warring brothers in it and so is not cheap. In fact, it is priced at US$ 5,000 for a bottle."
One of my girlfriends was a distant Ambani relative (from the Mukesh or Anil side, i am not sure) and so i thought it might be in poor taste to fill my beamer up with a Kauvery 2008.
"Give me the Chateauex de Baghdad, I asked. 2003." I decided and beamed money from my retina to his. The transaction was complete.
I pulled the car over into the car-bar, and popped open the precious vintage. "Oh, Thank you, sir!" the car's automated gratification exclaimer beamed, delighted at my sudden urge to indulge the six wheel drive.
I uncorked the bottle of oil, and began to tank up my car. It reminded me of the previous night when I tanked myself up with similar looking wine, atop the re-built twins. It was filled with hordes of smiling tourists clutching onto their glasses - filled to the brim with a red, bloody and expensive liquid that came from exotic chateaus. It had the same heady, floral bouquet of murder and the fruity aftertaste of over-ripe bananas - much like the Chateaux de Baghdad that I was filling my hungry little ride with.
Nothing like a well labelled, bottled Red.
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