I am on a roll yet again.It's an extended weekend and rightfully my time to go on a memory trip.It's been more than three decades since I left my city of joy for good.Yet ! as one says,you can move a Bong out of Kolkata,but not the Kolkatan out of her.
So when I woke up today morning,as is the usual practice daily,I pondered on the menu .You may be wondering what this has to do with a Bong gene in her.Well ! I literally break my head everyday,trying to bring in variety in the meals.I wonder how,but a frankie popped up in my mind today morning and OOreee Ma ! I was thrilled.Kolkata holds the patent for the rolls,that we now know as frankies...
I grew up in a traditional,rather conservative Tambrahm joint family,where it was the practice to wake up early,drool over the finest coffee and get back to the chores in routine fashion.It was unthinkable to drift away from the routine,no matter what.."Vedi kalambara ezhunthu,vasa perikki thudaikunam...nallaikku vera oru veetukku marumagalaga poga vendiya irrukkum..Ipadee somberee yaga irukka kudathu !"..Mom would say.."Wake up,clean the courtyard.You will have to serve as a daughter in law in somebody's home someday.Don't be so lazy,"...Mom would say...
Grandfather V.Krishnamoorthy worked in Bihar;I grew up with my uncles and aunts,and in this blog of mine I wish to portray a typical day in the life of a TamBrahm.,over the decades...
1960's till early 1970s- Grandmother Kannamani ,selected the choicest coffee beans,roasted and powdered them at home.The coffee grinder was a must in every household.So a typical day always began with decoction coffee.Before going for a bath,she would soak the rice , pulses and tamarind ,boiled rice for idli,and thuvar dal for sambhar/rasam...With a hymn in her lips,and a grim look on her face,she would go about her work..A thugaiyal /chutney was a must every day and peels of vegetables formed the main ingredient.
With a chant in the background,the main cooking done ,she would place a small stool in front of the grinding stone and sit down to grind the rice and urad dal separately manually.After an hour or so,the rice and the urad batter would be mixed and transferred to an aluminium container.The green saree Kannamani ,as she was popularly known in close circles, would head straight to the ease chair in her room.This was her everyday routine.
The family was big and so the stone rolled daily.Mom took care of the sundry work,a part time maid cleaned the vessels, washed the clothes and mopped the floor.After lunch,it was usual practice for the women to browse thro Tamil magazines,Ananda Vikatan,Kumudam and Kalki were the favourites..After a short afternoon nap,it was time to plan the dinner menu..That was fairly simple.All that they had to do was prepare rice once again.The left over morning made Sambhar or rasam ,would be carried over with chutta appalam,if lucky.They listened to music ,AIR,Vividh bharati ,the menfolk went to South India Club every day and the children went to bed by 9PM...
Late seventys,80's and early 90's -The day still began with the special coffee,the coffee grinder still occupied a place of pride in the kitchen ,the home had an electric mixie now,and the routine was quite the same, monotonous,except for that, the kids were growing up ,were demanding more variety and utensils had been upgraded to stainless steel.The elderly women had no choice but to relent...
The little ones went to school and on their way back stopped at the local churan ,kool, jhal muri ,roll ,singada and puchka stalls.They were quite obedient too.So they headed home and also partook of the rasam sadham and curd rice.Dinner was a little elaborate,because the family now preferred parathas and chapathis The ritual of having idlis,pongal,upma,dosa for breakfast continued unabated though,with a few additions.Luchis ,bread and eggs were included in the breakfast menu.
Dad was the official chef when it came to cooking the eggs.A small corner of the verandah,overlooking RB Avenue was allocated for this purpose.He had a small saucepan ,a container,a cup,a couple of spoons ,bowls and plates kept aside for the Royal Egg Meal.I must tell you,he made the best omelettes,bulls eye and scramble for us.Later,though I gave up on eggs completely.It was a doctor prescribed diet and Dad wanted the best for his children.So I was an eggetarian long back but never a non vegetarian..
The women stitched,knitted,painted and crocheted during the day,went shopping once in six months,attended concerts,dramas,once or twice in a year,went to theatres to watch movies regularly,listened to Vividh Bharati and went to bed every night listening to Binaca geetmala,S.Kumar's kee filmi muqaddama,and Aap Ki Farmaish...They watched Chiching Phank,Hum Log , Buniyaad and Sanbad on Doordarshan and the children played in Triangular park every day.
Late 90s,2K to 2011....Television has grown by leaps and bounds,thanks to Ekta and her kin.The coffee still rules,The Tambongs still drool over the A & B plantation bean combo,the coffee maker adorns a corner in the pantry and is now indispensable.The manual coffee grinder is valued as an antique and adorns a corner of the living room.The table top grinder churns out idli/dosa batter as and when required and the conventional South Indian breakfast dishes continue to be hot favourites. Lunch is an elaborate affair during weekends and simple,when stuffed into a lunch box.Variety rice/chapathis is now more popular for people on the run .The net is working and Social networking has begun..
2012 onwards...Online surfing goes hitech,television goes digital and Apps have invaded the galaxy.To be on the move,one has to be appdated.An app to wake you up on time,an app that measures the heart rate as you run,and more apps in the future perhaps to keep you constantly aware of being aware of how fit you are ,where you are, where you should be,what you should be wearing,why you should be doing this and not that and God knows what not.......
The breakfast menu has more variety with brown bread,oats,muesli and cornflakes lined up in a counter,next to the dining table.Milk is fat free.Fruits,nuts and salads are the starter's kit to a dieting regime.Stay hydrated,they say and the fitness freaks shun salt and sugar.Lunch is light and dinner is lighter..
But all this and more will not deter the 60s and 70s born Tambong. With personalised menus,life in the kitchen has taken a new turn.All that she has to do now, is to oversee the requirements and ensure a steady supply for the new whatsapping gen..Even as multi demands are met easily,she will not miss the early morning jog and the headlines.All throughout the day she remains tech friendly,makes purchases and pays bills online,transfers cash ,visits the local boutique regularly ,checks her mails every hour and logs in to FB at the end of the day,but because a friend has advised she will abstain from the use of computers atleast two hours before bedtime.Now its upto her to fix the bedtime..Godmothers are luxury , robots have taken over and housed miles away from her city of joy,she continues to keep the Bong spark alive.
Mustard oil finds its place in the conventional monthly provision list. Jhaal muri as a snack is a great hit in a rather conservative Tambrahm family,that have adapted to a crazy Tambong's requirements.Chapathis/phulkas/rotis/nans/kulchas and Veggies prepared with shuktho mashla have found way into the hearts of the Tanjore Iyers.The aroma of the Vethakuzhambu and Milagu rasam lingers even as the fame of the Laker aloordhom ,Puchka and Churmur continues to spread far and wide....
