My name is Dhruv Shanker. I am a qualified chef and am popularly known as the Mad Onion Slicer.

I started my career with the Taj group of hotels and then moved on to a job with Club Mahindra Holidays. The job with Club Mahindra took me to quite a few scenic locations in India such as Munnar, Goa, Binsar etc. I had a blast! Had a pet elephant in Munnar, got tattooed in Goa and got chased by a tiger in Binsar.

I left the hotel industry about a year later and got sucked into the evil BPO vortex. I took up a job with the Dell Computer Corporation and sold computers, servers and software to customers, whether they wanted to buy them or not! I was pretty good at it and managed to have a good time there as well. I now work for one of the biggest dot coms in the world and continue to enjoy myself day in and day out.

I am serious about having a sense of humor. In my opinion it is the most important thing that an individual needs for survival. You may disagree, but don’t bother telling me. I’ll probably find it funny.

I believe that the greatest invention till date is the television. A true TV buff, I somehow find time to watch almost everything on the tube. I plan to make a show one day titled ‘Saas Bahu Banne Wali Hai’. Don’t ask me why. Just grab some tissues and watch.

My hobbies include climbing into my neighbor’s balcony to watch TV, waking up watchmen who sleep on night duty, borrowing traffic cones and sign boards without permission and planting fireworks under auto-rickshaws at night.

I am a huge fan of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and own a large collection of media and a very old pair of old boxing gloves. I also play a lot of pool. I won the Hyderabad Sudden Death Pool tournament in 2002. (I also entered the tournament the following year but was eliminated in the first round unfortunately. I had unwisely chosen to play with my left hand that year.) The other sports I am proficient in are Gilli Danda and a wonderful sport known as Maaram Peeti.

My role model is a man who has set an example for the world. Seemingly impervious to pain and with a brain that works faster than lighting (Yes. Lighting.), Batman is a person who has had a great influence on my life. One of my greatest achievements till date has been playing my harmonica loudly till my neighbor gave up on the sitar. I have a kitten named Puddington A. Shanker. She knows how to play Ludo. I also keep fish. I was recently certified in planted aquarium set-ups and am a pompous authority on a fish called the Betta Splendens – better known as the Siamese fighter fish.

This blog started out as a restaurant review site in 2006, and soon became a mashup of jokes, half-decent recipes and some MMA commentary. Amazes me that people still read this. Anyway, there’s a lot more to write, but I think this sums me up rather well. Drop me an email if you want to know more.

MAD ONION SLICING!

This is pretty much why I’m called the Mad Onion Slicer. This video is set to some very catchy Riverdance music, so I suggest you turn up the volume. It just might make you want to get up and tap dance. FYI, Tap dancing has nothing to do with faucets.