Chitthi Aayi He.....

On a recent visit to my in-laws place, my FIL had bought down a file in which he had religiously stored the letters sent by his mother decades ago. My hubbs grandmother(from his father's side) had expired long before we got married...so thou I have heard people singing praises of her generosity, intelligence I could never relate to her. But this time as I read those letters I discovered a selfless, brave, practical woman....... a firm mother who advices her son to mend his ways so that he is no trouble to his wife (Her DIL), a warm n affectionate MIL who doesn’t differentiate between her Daughter n Daughter-in-Law, who believes that the maids should be given a weekly off (like any other profession)! N the thing tht impressed me the most??? The pride with which she signed each of her letter as "Mrs.P.N.Menon"..... A simple act but doesnt it show how proud she was of her husband...This is saying something considering her husbad was dead decades ago!!


But \ this post isn’t abt her...its abt the beauty of letters! The emotions that a letter brings about can it be bought out in am email?? Coming to that when was the last time we wrote down a lengthy email to your family\friend ...isnt it much easier to pick up your mobile or hop onto skype n talk for ages!! Yeap it makes the communication easier...we need not wait for ages to pass a news around! Can a email replace the good old inland letter? Well for all practical purposes it has but wht abt emotional purposes..... How many of us would preserve these emails?? Once read n replied staright they go into trash box..... n with it goes the memmories!! My mom still has the first letter tht dad had written to her.....A wonderful n invaluable relic isnt it!! Do I have the first email hubbs has written to me????


Today when my dad is no more all the memories tht I hv is all in my mind n may be a few pics! Isn’t it sad tht my child will never have a chance of knowing him better! Sad considering what a beautiful writer my dad was!


The best find in the lot of letters my FIL preserved...A letter written to my FIL on the eve of his marriage by his mother.......!!Imagine 40 years down the line when am well into my 60's...what bliss it would be to sit down n read a letter tht my dad had written to me on my graduation or wedding eve........ooph tht would be some trip down the memory line! Sad isn’t it tht we are depriving ourselves of these small pleasures in life!!



Here is bidding a sad good bye to our very beloved Inland Letter

N as with all things our own bollywood songs - Chitti Aayi He, sandesha aate hai capture the spirit of chitti beautifully.....

PS: The smart husband of mine reads the blog n here is his comment "Gmail is gonna replace your inalnd letter soon"......hmph Mr.Hubbs I dont think so......lets imagine the remotest of possibilities tht u dont delete mails(like tht is possible) would u share ur password with gen-next for them to read n relish the mails(Fat chance tht considering he doesnt share it even with me)!!

Happy Duserra All!

Here is wishing you all a v happy Dussera!

This pic is of a small statue tht I picked up 2 years back on a trip to Kolakatta....isnt she a beauty :)

Onam Visheshangal.....Onam 2009!

As promised in previous posts here I come to flood this space....Lemme start off with the easiest of the ones to capture...... Onam at our new home!

Onam was just one day after we landed at new home....so any before hand preperation was completely ruled out! The day before was spent in makinbg the house hospitable\livable......thou it seems mundane, today as I look back it has left me with a few sweet memmories of the time spent my mom...who else can u shout at just cause u r felling cranky n expect the person to take it in stride....who else but your own pyaari maa!!

The onam day started with poor m having to wake up at 4!! Ho yeah I was awake n kicking at tht time of the day.........Wht all things do parents make their litlle girls do....sob sob! But having a hot cup of tea sitting put on your bed this early in the morning is just pure bliss....hmmmmmmmmmmmm !Thnx to mom ofcourse....its again after 2 years tht am being pampered with a bed tea(save for the occasional short trips to hyd)! The other enticing propspect to waking up tht early was the early morning drive....the joy of having pleasent cold air blowing on your face as you zip along traffic free roads is just uncomaprable! N after reading the above few linesif u think am gonna get converted to an early bird...sorry no luck there! Am much happier sleeping away cosying up to my hubbs :-D

After this long sojourn a quick recap of the day...woke up early morn to a cup of hote tea(yeah tht is all we hv read uptill now in this long sriteup) n yeap yeap I had mentioned of a long romantic drive.....so now lemme break the bubble n confess that the drive was no romantic long drive....we were headed to the vegetable market.....ho ho ho!!! But again there is something soothing about the site of a buzzing market of fresh vegetables, fruits n flowers after being subjected day in n out to the neon-lit shopping malls!!

So after this vegetable-fruits-flowers-shopping we head back home after picking up my little niece n her mom!! Ho yeah nothing like a small girl to make ur celebration complete.....N drive u mad too especially in the chaos tht the house was :)

After this so-very-ordinary things of everyday we now get into the 'onam-mode',...of putting up a pookalam (Coutesy my cousin....much better than the amateurish work of last time hey).... n getting a yummy sadhya ready....My conributiond to Sadhya?? Made a yummy kheer couurtesy 'Ready-to-Cook' MTR kheer mix....hmm n for all of u laughing at this come on now its the spirit tht matters......

So this in a gist is wht Onam this year was abt......simple but warm n loving symobilc of the life we gonna start at our new home(hopefully)!!

The pookalam!

The yummy Sadhya

N the best part of Onam!!

Onam 2008...A quick Recap!!

Ho yeap u read the subject line rt.....This post is a recap of the last Onam...a good one year gone by now! But the magic of the first onam we spent together is so special (n so silly) tht it gotta be captured for posterity sakes :)

Before we dive into the subject a brief decko of us an year back(not that we are any better now)......We were this still-newly-married :-p couple both with no sense of responsibility or a Trace of domesticity.....cooking(at least the kerala.....not tht am good at any kinda cooking), traditions, poojas were all geek n Latin to us...But wht the hell we wernt gonna accet defeat for such a small hurdle!

Onam started the day before with us going flower-vegetable shopping. A word(or rather line) of praise for my hubbs here....In those days I was working in electronic city while my hubbs office was on banergatta road n poor fella drove all the way to my office to pick me upn then we drove back all the way to banergatta road n beyond for the shopping......those of u who know the distance n the chaos during peak hours will know wht am speaking of!! Now before u go "So sweet" I guess it was the prospect of my tantrums tht made him do it...Ho yeap it seems like am being this one big bully of a wife....huh huh!

So back to the subject we reach back home loaded with kilos of vegetables(ho ho didnt i tell u we were clueless). N then of course the hubbs of mine had to drive me around to different shops before I picked up a dress well after 10 in the night(after coaxing the shop keeper to keep it open for just a few more mins)......

Back at home it was time for pookalam......huh huh confession time again! Its the first time both of us were getting a hands on in putting up pookalam!! But of course the enthusiast in us start it up with lots of gesto n energy n after a lot of error n trial we came up with this! Pretty amateurish hey!!

N now comes the D-day...but D-day or not we wake up at our own Sweet time..... N before we realize its temple time which meant dressing up in 'Kasuvu-Sari'....n those of u who know me must be wondering 'Kausuvu Sari N u'...ho yeah the same thot ran thru mine!! But thank heavens I did a cover-up job which stood the test of time(referring to a period of 1 hour to visit the temple n get back :))

Ha tht accomplished it was time for some kerala cooking......ha ha h!! N tht meant frantic calls to mummies back home n of course recipes courtesy good old google! The end result...we came up with a full fledged menu starting from sambar, olan, erisheri, cabbage thoran, poolinji, payam, ooperi.....but was it palatable........lemme leave tht to u to guess!! N dont miss the beer mugs in the pic.....now tht made sadhya complete :)

So tht was was our first onam together.....clueless, amateur but complete...in a sense tht is exactly wht we are :)

PS: The bakras for the day were good old sabs-bins! But I gotta confess again...after this flurry of activity we were so drained tht we had no energy to play good hosts :)

The 'Great August Rush'

Ha n there goes the month of August.....N what a month it has been!! Starting off with the hubbs birthday, chasing against time to get our new flat ready , the hoard of relatives n guests, the much -looked forward to house warming, the anniversary and what better way to end it but with moving in into the new abode.....ho yeap thts some month!

N not to be left behind comes the month of September...Our first Onam together at the new home - pookalam, sadhya, Birthday of my sis(sad thing being she couldn't make it here thnx ????) and the short but beautiful trip to Nandi hills (N for those of u from B'lore wondering wht could be so gr8 about a trip to Nandi hills of all the places plz watch this space)!!

N the best of all is tht after 2 good long years of marriage I got to spend some quality time with my mom...well doesnt distance make your heart go fonder...

N but of course each of these deserve a blog in themselves...at least for posterity sake...so hopefully u gonna c a flutter of activity in this space....... The other thing tht strikes me as I writ this post is the fact tht when u hv so many things cramped into such a short frame of time the result is chaos...you cannot afford to sit back n relish each momment...its but a mad rush from one event to other!!

PS1: N for those who spoilt these beautiful moments in my life...just remember wht goes around comes around too (Did I get the line rt :) )

PS2: I know the post would have been complete if it had been sprinkled with a pic or two but the lazy buggers tht we are, we havent yet got around to do it!

Happy B'day Lion!!

Dearest Pravinaa,

Many Many happy returns of the day! What better time than now to tell you how special you indeed are.....

The best thing I love about you is the independence you give me.....The freedom to be what I want to be with no strings attached! Be it the freedom to cut my hair .... yeah tht means somethinggg BIG for me to picking me up from oddest of places to oddest of times (which translates to driving 15 KM to pick me up to go back to the place from where he started), to n but of course the yummiest of yummiest food u make :)

N not to forget your trademark one-liners n the 'Peter-Pan' in you...The kid in in you who refuses to grow up! (Sample this to relate to wht am speaking.....I happened to address him as "Man of the house"...yeah yeah must hv been to get some stupid thing done....n the instant reply he gives is "Ho no there is no man in this house"...Flabbergasted??? Well even I was n he replies in his typical goofy style "Am the BOY of the house not the man"!!!!). N of course the 'peter Pan' u hv in ur face when u lie or hv goofed up on something....

N yeap this year is all the more special considering we are starting a new phase in our lives as we enter our new home....... Here is hoping that this year holds many pleasant surprises n happiness for us!!!

~~~Meena


PS: For the uninitiated Pravinaaa is my hubbs.....N the name Lion is inferred but of course from his sun-sign. N the lines within bracket is for the you reader's benefit!!

The story of a 'T(ee)'!!

Ha I know whts running in your mind..."ooph!!! Are u in dearth of subject that u write a blog on T-shirt .....Come on Get a Life"!! Now before u make such unfair comments please read on......

No No No.....The post is indeed abt one of the many 'T' of my hubbs(for those who ha after reading above few lines must hv mustered some hope) n here is the pic on the 'T'...Not v impressed.....all tht I can say is read on.......... !






Hmm lemme start this one with a v interesting observation.....At our home my wardrobe is much smaller than hubbs.....I know, I know this is heights of injustice......N i deserve to take much more than a bow here...How abt a round of shopping...wht say???

Hmm so back to our subject, this T-shirt was picked up on one of our jobless weekends when we decided to go shopping.....picked up from one of these page 3 kind of exhibitions...Ho yeah there are 2 kinds of exhibitions...One visited by me kind of aam janataa n the other are the exclusive page 3 kinds!! N how do u pick out a Page3 exhibitions....v v simple!! One its location - either in a swanky 5-Star place which is ofcourse not frequented by aam-jantaas or its in a remote location accessible to only the chauffeur driven kinds n now for another hint .....U r bound to find people in 'funny' attires(Note the operational word is 'Funny' not Beautiful' or 'Flimsy') ofcourse the best of all hints...the 'price'!! Now having done this unrequited abusing let me tell you a few good things about this one we attended ~~ We got to see a few non-run-of-mill stuff (check this pic of a ash-tray we picked up from there...funky hey) and the best of all...we were treated to a odissi dance recital.....The grace of few ladies who must be in late 50's has to be seen to be believed!! Time 4 another confession.....I hv two left legs n cant dance for my life :(

Hmm now after all these diversions lets get back into our subject.......Here is this pic of the 'T' in discussion...BTW let me a confession...we(ho yeah i seem to be rubbing off on my hubbs too) picked this up thinking the pic is of buddha......N to imagine my hubbs(who is with all modesty v well read n knows the oddest of the things) too goofed up on it!!N so we go about convincing everybody .......all this untill he decides to wear this to office...BTW his office attire deserves a blog in itself.....Just to give u a sample.....U'll u c him attending a board meeting with a 'Hawaii' kinda shirt!

But courtesy my hubb's colleague we were enlightened abt this pic !! The pic is of Mahaveer Jain and each line is a mantra collectively called "Maha Namokar Mantra"written in 'Prakrit' language ! N to say I was touched, delighted is an understatement!! N for english speaking -writing here is the translation....try matching lines below to the pic!!

Namo Arihantaram

Namo Siddharam

Namo Airiaram

Namo Uvajhayaram

Namo Loe Savvasahuram

Aiso Panch Namokaro

Savva Paavpadasado

Manglaran Ch Savvesim

Padvam Havai Mangalam

Padvam Havai Mangalam

PS: Caption on yet another 'T' of my hubbs ~~ "Never argue with an idiot, they will pull you down to their level and beat you with experience"

Koshy's koshis kijiye

Koshy's needs no introduction for any true blue Banglorean. N for rest of the janata here is Koshy's for you...Wind back your memories to say a decade or two. How did the hotels then look like...More like current day Udupi hotels........Rows of straight backed chair n tables laid with the sole purpose of 100% space utilization.......with no concessions for comfort or aesthetics!! Add staid, plain looking walls n waiters dressed for the Raj era and we have just described the most happening n buzzing joint in Bangalore!!

Surprise huh?? So what makes this the hottest place? Food?? Well I wouldnt think so.....you hv 'n' no of other joints in city serving better value-for-money food!!

So whats the magic tht makes this place click?? Some (Like our dearest friend Mr.Binoy) believes tht its just over-hyped!! But well I dont think so...I hv been there twice n theres something abt this place tht drags you there! N if u ask me why.....the answer lies in in its magic to attract all kinds of junta - arty, intellectual, Page 3, tech junkies n the typical middle class!!! No other joint in the city will u c this mix-n-match of people.......restaurants usually tend to fall into two categories ~~ One where u go n hv a relaxed three course meal(the only catch being the wallet factor) n the other value-for-food joints generously peppered around the city!

But not at Koshy's ~~ Here u literally c the chapraasi rubbing shoulders with the page 3's!! Go on a evening when u hv nothing much to do n just observe the people around n trust me you wouldnt be disappointed! On one side you'll find a prim n proper elderly couple while on the very next chair you would fine a couple of 'stoned' teens n on the next you'll find a group of the 'Intellectual-NGO types' having a heated debate on the problems of the world n ofcourse in some corner you'll find somebody wearing a bemused expression lapping up all the happenings around :).

So next time you're in a mood for 'people watching' you know where to head to!!

ps: A few suggestions if u r heading to Koshy's ~~do not miss the photographs that adorn the wall....You'll get to c a few rare photographers of Good-old Bangalore! N dont forget to take along somebody who is from the inner circles of academic-NGO world n you can treat yourself to a live commendatory of the secret lives of people you'll meet at Koshy's!

A flavorable Memory

Confusing title hey?? Ok go on n read the next line below n u are all set to go:

We (Me n my hubbs of course) found this quaint, small, new eatery in Koramangala called '64 Flavours' n when we landed there(a little more than 3 weeks now) it was just 5 days old...so yeap we were treated like royalty! The place has this cool chic look abt it........stylish, minimal, contemporary!! (I loved their bathrooms) A brief deco on the place....I was given a lot of gyaan by their manager, so may as well pass it along! Place is run by 2 IT professionals with an aim to promote local music, art n food(they have these cool paintings by few local unknown artists)! N the significance of '64' in the name ~~ Well the year 64(1964) was significant in world of Rock Music plus the plot no of this place is 64 (anti -Climax hey)!!

Now to the crux of the place ~~ the food of course!! You are given a complimentary welcome drink which is supposedly an exotic concoction of their bartender......well if u ask my opinion it wasn't anything to write home abt......But my taste buds cant be trusted in all cases! We started with ordering a bottle of the favourite 'Corona' for my hubbs n a 'Bartender Spl' Cocktail' for me. But hey did I get lucky....... The bartender was supposedly waiting to show off his cocktail-mocktail skills an to be fair he did a very good job at it! N to nibble along, had ordered 'Mutton Dukkah' (simply translates to grilled mutton.......Ok may be am doing a gross gastronomic injustice here but well that is how it tasted) ...n the portion served was just sufficient enuf to nibble!! But Ofcourse they were exactly on mark as far as its effect on mouth n senses(eyes including) is considered! N then the main course.....we decided to share a plate of 'Prawns Mango Salsa' (Rice served with Prawns n a bowl of something like mango-chutney to go along with)...... N man were they yummy! Proof needed?? My hubbs loved the prawns...n this is saying something considering he just about tolerates sea food!

Hmm N didnt I mention something abt me getting lucky~~ well at the end of all this, the bartender brings along another concoction of his ~~ A strawberry with Basil leaf. The drink so well made tht each sip bought out the fine lingering taste n smell of Basil n man did I love it!!

All that was missing to make the experience complete is but ofcourse my favourite dessert section!! But I was in for a big disappointment as they havn't yet started dishing out dessert...their funda being they'll start on it once they are confident of doing a good (or make it lip-smacking) job there! Fair enuf...but v v unfair to me I tell you! (But considering I am not someone who would put up with such injustice in my life, ensured tht my hubbs treated me to a Corner House Ice cream )

So to sum it all up: a purrfect goal for ambiance, decor, music. A can-do-better goalie as far as food is concerned ~ cocktails n main course is purrfect goal but the starters portion can be bit more generous n ofcourse eating out is never complete without desserts. N to the big question of the wallet factor~~ well we were the early birds so with the inaugural discount the bill came upto 800 odd rupees!!

So in case u r in this part of town n waana chk out something new, drop into 64 Flavours for a A flavorable Memory!!

~~Happy eating~~

Another weekend passes by....

So there comes to end another weekend........last few weekends seem to be falling under a completely different bracket! While the weekends till last year would start as early as friday afternoon......googling to find the next dest'n around B'lore to be explore, a 2nd show and hitting the road on saturday! A constant fix on our bed-side table during those days were 'Times Good Food Guide', '52 Weekend get-aways from Bangalore" :). So much so that the weekends would be more straining than the weekdays......while my friends at work would be fresh n full of energy (if not excited) on monday morn I would be ready to hit the bed!! My energy then had a different curve low on monday and slowly raising till it hits the peak on a friday...he he he!! N not to mention the liberal dose of vacations tht were thrown in once in 2-3 months!! Actually we would hv been the perfect ambasadors for 'Alto'..."Next is what"(which incidentally is wht we own) n the perfect reviewers for Good Food Guide', '52 Weekend get-aways from Bangalore" :)
But surprisingly the last few weekends were different.......caught up on a 2nd show last week after ages!!! Its more about catching upon some movie on TV over a glass of wine(n a whisky\beer for my hubbs) and of course spring cleaning the house....U C we hv no maid now (Yeah guys u heard it right....me doing the household cleaning, sweeping all by myself...of course due credit given to my hubbs!!!) n the outing is limited to say a visit to shop to stock up groceries or at the max a visit to Brigade road!!! Yeap its relaxing in a way n am 'ready~ to~ go' on mondays!! N talking of 'Times Good Food Guide', '52 Weekend get-aways from Bangalore"...well gotta hunt for those books!

So whats happening? We getting matured n settling down or is it the wallet!! I hope not!! Me craving for one of those relaxing vacations where its just both of us far away from here.........

I know another of my 'Life is not so rosy Blogs' :(