We lost everything.” When Sandeep Verma says this, it is no hyperbole. This was, of course, when Sandeep was better known as Sandy, and was the toast of Delhi’s cocktail circuit. He was the go-to for everything academic about alcoholic beverages in the nascent industry.
But nothing lasts forever. The story of Sandeep and wife Valerie is the stuff feel-good flicks are made of. More than a post-Covid ‘fall and rise’ story, it has lessons in a world where change, natural and technological, is throwing existential challenges at everyone around us. And perhaps, just perhaps, this story of picking oneself up after falling down, and holding close one’s basic tenets of human connection, could resonate in this post-AI landscape.
Their paths crossed while working at Mumbai’s Leela ages ago. Together, they ventured into one ambitious project after another in the heady post-liberalisation days of the late 1990s, when opportunities seemed endless, and theirs for the taking.
Their nouvelle venture was India’s first-ever school for bartending, Institute of Bar Operations, which they opened in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj. Along with a wedding and catering consultancy on the side, the couple also opened a jazz-themed bar in the national capital region.
“We had people from Berklee College of Music coming and performing [but] there weren’t too many takers for that kind of music,” Sandeep says ruefully. “Perhaps we were ahead of the times.”
While ‘Sandy’s Bar & Kitchen’ had to down its shutters prematurely, the bartending school was doing well. That’s when the Vermas decided to spread their wings.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 27, 2024 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 27, 2024 من THE WEEK India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Kashmir, Kashmiris need Delhi's trust
Of the 49 seats in the Kashmir valley, the National Conference won 42; the Congress, six; the CPI(M), one; the BJP, zero; the Jamaat-e-Islami, zero. It was a clean sweep for INDIA.
No sanctions on style
I was both thrilled and alarmed to be invited to this year’s Moscow Fashion Week; it’s slowly but sure-footedly trailing back to normal after the pandemic shutdown.
SECOND HELPING
Sandeep Verma and Valerie saw their ambitions crash. A beach-front cafe has been the saviour to their soul, and a roadmap to the future
Nobel tolls for Me
This, this is an abomination! The whole thing is rigged! It’s a disgrace!”
Despite AI, creating a tune still needs a human heart and philosophical mind
Two or three decades ago, it would have been unthinkable to get A.R. Rahman to agree to a quick interview, let alone have a leisurely chat after work.
DRAWS BE DAMNED
An attacking, high-risk approach could well become the staple of Test cricket
LIGHTS. ACTION
IF YOU ARE RISK AVERSE, GO FOR THE SPECIAL FD SCHEMES BANKS ARE OFFERING THIS FESTIVE SEASON
HEDGE YOUR BETS
MULTI-ASSET ALLOCATION FUNDS MAY BE A GOOD CHOICE FOR FIRST-TIME INVESTORS OR EVEN FOR THOSE WHO ARE LOOKING AT INVESTMENTS WITH LOW-RISK AND LOWER VOLATILITY
FASHION'S NEW MISSION
A memorandum signed by 50 BRICS+ countries signals the need for fashion to move away from western perspectives
Ratan was beyond honours
On the day of his passing, Ratan Tata was eulogised in the media as ‘India’s Crown Jewel’, ‘Living Legend’, ‘Ultimate Icon’ and so much more.
