GuestPost for DQ ;)

 DQ    has asked me to do a guest post for her space, I rummaged a bit for ideas. Nothing popped up except a book review - But "Ishithaa" is a space that I have come to identify with stories and a book review just didn't appeal to me.  It was only later in the day, in midst of usual "whats for dinner" whatsapp conversation that this idea of doing a "recipe" post stuck me - it allured to the foodie in me while the story behind it seemed apt for Ishithaa.  Read the story and recipe behind this pic here........

Go on ask Bhavya what DQ stands for ;)

A slice of Nalini's life ...

Take a trip along with me to late 60s into a temple town in Kerala....

In the town of Guruvayur, lived a girl 'Nalini' in her late teens. Just out of school, she was excited to start her college life. Her life was the idyllic  filled with the simple joys n innocence of a small-town 'temple town' life. She was bought up in a house full of strong ladies - her mom and two aunts as her father was a govt employee in the far away land of Andra(Ho! the distance of 1000 Km was indeed v far those days). Hers was the typical middle-child life - her mom had her hands full with the younger bro in  crucial class ten and the elder sister having given birth to the first grandson in family. So Nalini's time was spent frolicking with her maiden friends n pampering her little nephew - as picture perfect as it could get!

But(there is always a but) the good times didn't last - tragedy stuck n Nalini's father suddenly passed away! Our hardly eighteen year old Nalini had to become the bread winner of the family (Sister already married, Bro was still a school student). Overnight she finds herself in city of Hyderabad to take up her dad's job.

Now imagine being in her shoes - shes somebody who's never ever stepped out of Kerala, her medium of education (n well the only language she could comprehend) was Malayalam. This was the pre-TV, pre-internet era and her exposure was next to nothing! All of a sudden, she finds herself  in Hyderabad where  her job needed her to read n write Telugu, the food was a far cry from what her palette was used to n the room she called her house was smaller than the store room of her home back in Kerala....

Fast forward to 40 years later, Not only did she manage to master Telugu(thou the 40 years couldn't wipe the Malayalam accent :-P)  shes recognized today as one of the most valuable contributors in her department.

BTW 'Nalini' is none other than my mom :).

Ho what I wrote here is just icing on the cake - life threw many other googlies at her but she faced them all with her chin up - goes without saying that I never needed lessons on being a strong woman :).

Funnily thou, it took me more than 30 years to recognize my mom for the strong woman she is!

Written for As Beautiful As Your Work  as a part of Mia contest, for Womensweb

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - N is for 'Nalini'.!

The Tharvaadu Memories!

A blink-n-u-miss it hop n stop visit to ma home in Gvr @ Kerala! But the one thing tht won go off ma memory for sometime is the soul-satisfying trip to ma tharavadu(ancestral home) there... A place I got to linger around after almost a deacde... A home tht is almost dilapidated but still holds  my  happiest-n-most-precious childhood memories! Ha the joy of relieving them with ma hubbs, sis n little niece.........

The Memories  of stepping into the dark-n-dingy rooms that still holds the aromas of fav foods, Of long corridors where we cousins would huddle around my grandma as a Jackfruit was cut open (N the fight tht followed to get the bigger share), Of the ammi-kall(Grinding Stone) where the yummiest of the masalas were hand Pounded, Of the afternoons spent in picking the Mailanji( mehendi leaves) from your own backyard and making a paste n the best part of it all ~~ having ur cousin come up with magical designs that adorn ur hands, Of the Thulasi-Thara where the lamp was lit every eve as the holder chants 'Deepam Deepam', of the eve prayers tht were recited at break-neck speed to catch the next game of whatever, of the monsoon rains(rain in kerala hv a charm of their own), Of the  sooty kitchen where the food was prep over the firewood-coconut husks, of the afternoons spent in splitting open the cotton husks which made the fluffiest of pillows n beds........ Of knowing that you are loved ..... Haaa How I miss those days!



My Tharavade ~~  A place that holds  my  happiest-n-most-precious childhood memories



Lyrical Sunday - 2!

Ha dono if I ever mentioned this in ma blog here... while u may hv on n off seen the tag of 'guruvayoor' in ma posts... The place I actually hail from is 'Mammiyoor' which is a few meters fom guruvayoor temple! Now if u from anywhere in God's own country you would know that Mammiyoor is known for Shiva Temple!

Now now I come from a family which firmly believes that their day is incomplete till they pay a visit to the temples around... So goes without saying that a good part of ma vacations hv been spent in these temple grounds.... Two visits a day(morn n eve) was the doctrine then!  The eve part was at least a bit more 'Pleasurable'... the air is much cooler(Imagine walking a good one km bare footed in the hot sultry summer sun in kerala) n there was the evening 'Aarti' to look fwd to(Not tht I remember looking fwd to it ever)!

N in Mammiyoor the evening Deepaaradhana(aarti) is bought in with a prayer-song 'Samba Sadha Shiva....'.  Imagine  a group of ladies(with a few boys n an odd ben) singing this in chorus(Ma cousin used to lead this in her hey days)........... While during my school days I truly couldnt wait for it to get over n get out, today this very song brings along nostalgia n a lot of precious memories :). Here's the abridged version of the same....





Maha-Shivratri is the only reason I can think of for this devotional-nostalgic burst

R.I.P Uncle Pai!

This piece of news took me back to a few what I call 'Tinkle Memmories'... Now now if u were a child in 80s ur intro to world of books would be more often than not via Tinkle! N then there ofcourse was the famous Amar Chitra Kathas....

Come summer vacations we would be packed off to good old guruvayoor... which meant a daunting 24 hrs journey in train... Now truly Daunting isnt the word to be used... Thou it was the regular 2nd class sleeper n tht too in scorching hot summers, train journeys were always 'Fun times'......Haa the joy of eating those regular cup-cakes n Payam-pooris @ Palaghat(something like  ripe banana bajjis!! Ok we are digressing, so back to the topic.....



Pic Courtesy Google!

 The regular accompaniment in those train journey would be the good old tinkle(Tinkle Digest anybody??) :-D. N we (ma sis included) couldnt wait for the train to start to flip the pages...........Now why should the train start to read a book?? Well well u wouldnt understand those nuances :) Haa memories :) The stories of Hoodja, Supandi, shikari shamboo can still take me back to those good old days! This was one ritual that continued even when I outgrowed(supposedly!) the Tinkle days... Cause well thts the only book ma sis used to read (Continues to read...)

Another memory that continues to stand out is of one odd summer that I spent at home(instead of Gvr) n for the entire duration of those months ma daddy would bring home a copy of amar-chitra katha(courtesy a lending library) :).

RIP Uncle Pai... Thank you for brightening up our days... come to think of it the illustrations a good 20-25 years back can still given a run-for-money to any of the modern day illustrators!

Wordless Wednesday - 2

The story of the Grandfather Clock...

Yea Yea I know I promised it in the last post n here I am publishing it so soon... so unlike me! Now now after reading the story... dont u dare whimper n say its no story at allll!!!!

Now me no antique collector nor do I pride myself to be a person with taste in home-decor n all(Yea rt!).... But but ont thing I realized over 3 years (well its only post marriage tht I realized of even the very existence of 'furniture'\'home-decor' so to say... Until then they were just not my botheration) tht I do hv a definite favouritism for solid wood! Possibly ....v v v possible tht its linked to the lazy person I am.... wood generally is low maintenance u c as compared to glass n stuff!

So onto our clock story.....  A love affair with the clocks started on a vist to ma sis-in-law's place where I saw her  Cuckoo clock bought right from the black forests on her visit to Germany.... its exclusivity n origin kinda stuck a chord somewhere! But well a 'cuckoo' is an expensive affair so decided to settle down for a old pendulum clock... Have good old memories associated with it! Memories of summer vacations spent in ma grandma's place in Gvr.... where the tick-tick-tick of the pendulam was a a part - n - parcel of daily live... a sound I thus still associate with ma goood old home in kerala!

So tried doing some watch-hunting but well it went no-where... so just whimpered n settled down for a run-of-the-mill clock! But well the whim never died down.... so somewhere in aug when TOI published a article on a shop dealing with these we were more than excited n decided to get one rt for our anniversary!

But we being we dint save the paper nor did we remember the shops name... except tht its comm street! Ha but thank god for friends... Sab as usual turned out to be our saviour n b4 we knew both of u landed at the shop n man did I fall in love... Clocks of all sizes, shapes n most importantly ages.... from anniversary clock, cukoo clock, pendulam clocks made from good old Inida to Germany to UK... .......Love at first sight! Ofcourse these loves come with a  big cost to the pocket!!!

But wht the heck... anniv was round the corner n when u hv a hubbs who as usual is ready to be your partner-in-crime ~~ U splurge N here is what we ended up with ...... A good 75 year old German Made Grandpa-Clock :)

N now it proudly adorns the wall in living room... man do I love it! I love its looks n  the tack-tack-tack ring every 30 mins!

Edited To Add: Here is hoping n wishing tht this clock is a testimony to our life ahead! A life (long on hopefully!) .....one tht never stops ticking... one tht still keeps ticking after every ebb...... One tht is regal n royal(yea yea me a dreamer) like this One :-P

Haaapyy B'day AmmuKutti!

To Meeena Mema's dearest Ammuttii,

Happy B'day sweetheart! Hv a swell time at school today and a big cake cutting session post that! Sorry ammutii tht I couldnt the promise of being there with u today :(. Banes of a working woman :(!

So where do I begin.... 6 years back? I remember my first glance of u... u were a baby of 3 months then .... u were soundly asleep in ur cradle until the moment I n ur manju mema pop in...... we were a excited bunch who couldnt wait to see their dearest niece.... n 3 months was already too long a wait for us! N that moment is etched for eternity in ma memories......The baby who was asleep till then choses just that v moment to open her eyes n treat us with the most angelic of smiles......awwwww!!!

Ammuutti, U know how special n loved u r ! U r the apple of so many eyes! with ur innocent(n not so innocent) ways u hv so tightly wrapped ur muthu n babu maama around ur little fingers! The happiness u hv bought in all ovur lives n possibly the only reason of smile in ur mom's n grandparents life!

N u as a person hv grown into somebody with a definite personality.... no shooing u off thinking u just a 6 year old baby.... yeah right! U hv ur own v definite n clear set of likes n dislikes n there are no two ways abt it! Yeah probably u do need to get a little less tongue-tied b4 strangers ... but well tht is wht u r and prob as u grow older u'll grow out of it! But did I anyway hint tht u run short of words.... No dearie no, U speak 18 to a dozen... N at times the words that come out from there far surpass ur age :)

N the most treasured part for me? The v fact that I am ur fav-mema (Ho! U dont hv to tell me tht... I know it n declare it myslef... u given no choice in it u c :) Manju mena u say? I donno who she is :-D) ...... V imp to me considering the bond taht I share with ur amma n babu maama... thou we are first cousins the relationship we share is more than that! N its a happy sigh that I let out as I know that the bond is renewed for another generation with u... Touchwood N I hope n earnestly wish that it continues.....

Wishing u a life filled with happiness... grow up to be a smart young lady (like me :) ) n yeah go onto become a doctor or auto driver (ur current 'dream-job' is to study MBBS n drive a auto :-D) but just be happy n fill our joys with lots of happiness(latter part is V imp :-D)!

Love U Ammmutti!!!
Meena Mema!

The holiday that was!

Ha the trip for which I made some hue n cry is done with! A much needed 3 day (only) break!

Well after ages I hv had a trip to guruvayoor with no "To-Do" list - the past few were literally a race against time! So this was a breather in more ways than one!

So did I make a nostalgic trip down the memory lane? Not really - The home in kerala now is more of a modern palatial house fitted with all modern\western amenities! Frankly I donno if I would now survive in my good old summer home now - The bathroom there is situated a good 200-300 mts away from the home.... ROFL!! But as I was telling somebody the other day "Visiting this home is more like dropping in at any other house anywhere in India... its in midst of a ever growing concrete jungle....It just doesn’t capture the charm of my good old summer home"...... Nostalgic, dreamy but non-practical :) Ha but again the charm of relationships, the unconditional love that u know u can turn to any time of ur life just drives u there!!!

So what did I do there other than soaking in some good time with my little niece - hogged n hogged on Fish :-D! Well practically that is all I did - all the other items in my list including site-seeing(Blame it on rain!), Temple hopping(Whom do I blame? Myself????) all went for a dash! Also kinda opened my mind to the charm of small towns - how what would be non-descript hotel down a street in Bangalore is famous there, how a tailor shop which nobody would give a seconf look here is a 'landmark' there, how what would be described as a 'run-down' theater in Bangalore is classified as a "Luxury" theater there....... Ha a relief from the non-lit-artificial Bangalore!
So well until the next vacation......!!!!

Pitter Patter Rain drops.......

Ho yeap I love the rains!! Ha but in neat sub-clauses is added 'Provided I am at home with a cup of hot tea,, a novel n something yum yum to bite on'!!!!

Ha the memories rain brings... of the summer vacations spent in my ancestral home in Kerala surrounded by greenery…… The images etched of the rain washing away the green leaves leaving them sparkling green, of the beautiful smell of earth as the first drops of rain hit it.... yummmmmmm!! Just a recollection of this leaves me with a feeling of warmth n happiness! The helter-skelter running around armed with vessels of all kinds n shapes which are duly places under all leaky corners of the roofs to ensure u don’t hv a flooded house(considering the house is 100+ years old) Must hv been a tiresome job 4 the elders but 4 us as kids...It was FUN… esp for a city bred girl like me this was a treat!!!! Poverty does have its share of joys! N of course the delightful Rain-time games…….anybody remembers those good old days of letting paper boats afloat in the rain water n the silly competitions of whose paper boat goes faster all in company of indulgent cousins older to u!!!!!!!! Ha my dear home u r missed... What I wouldnt give just to spend another vacation with you!!!

Possibly why I love my new flat a wee bit xtra(frankly there is nothing great about it.... its just ur practical, fancy-free flat built by a no-nonsense builder....phew!)... bang opposite it is a convent n open plot filled with my fav coconut trees(u c its synonymous with kerala 4 me which is in turn synonymous with happy memories) and on those rare occasions like yest eve when am home n its raining cats n dogs.... simply sitting in the balcony gawking at the coconut leaves swaying in rain, allowing the breeze to caress your face as you inhale the fresh smell of earth.... Bliss I say :). Ha n not to forget to add the hot tea n aloo baji(courtesy my hubbs dearest). N Well well as u grow the delightful rain-time games continue to be a delight but well  games this time around are let us just say different :-p. U say the pic isnt so v appetizing... well beggars cant be choosers :-D