OUCH ! POTATO !

"The demand will be met.Aloo shedho it will be for lunch ,"said Nayaki unto herself.Its been a long long time since she had met her own demands.Nayak was stepping out for his morning walk.
A delighted Nayaki beamed and stopped him."Oh ! Can you please lend me a ear ? I am so excited,"she said.Heeding to her request,he sat down on the sofa in the living room ,knowing pretty well that she would be unleashing a tall story..

"I am going to have boiled potatoes for lunch today,"she exclaimed with a sense of elation.

An inexpressive spouse was unmoved.He just said.."So ?"

"Just to keep you informed,that the lunch menu will have boiled potatoes without their jackets,"she went on to say.."Please! Please can you buy 1 kg of potatoes on your way back from your morning walk ?"

Expressing his displeasure ,he retorted..."Potatoes are a big NO and you know that very well.But since you insist and also because plain boiled potatoes are harmless,I shall get them for you.Only on the condition that you promise ,you will not fry them."

Nayaki was pleased and sensing her happiness ,Nayak committed a grave mistake once again....a mistake he keeps repeating but fails to learn from them.He quizzed her..."Why the sudden craving for potato my dear?"

and that was it.She started spinning a yarn and he started yawning...

"Oh ! My Dearest ! The Goddess of writing must be immensely pleased with me.She appeared in my dreams last night.A slim dusky complexioned goddess with fashionable ear plugs,a slimmer smart phone in one hand and a Mac Book Pro in another,draped in a papyrus Saree which is in vogue today,walked down the winding stairs from inside what I could make out must have been a heritage library...

Bespactled in a pair of thin variluxed rimless glasses,very much ' IN ' these days,attached to a long trendy 24 carat golden chain that held on to the frame,she pulled the Saree pallu on to her front and kept walking down.All along I was admiring her svelte figure and the crisp drape.The patterns on the Saree were grids ,down and across with cryptic clues painted in Indian Ink.The Saree was digital I guess.From afar ,as I solved the clues ,newer ones appeared and all of a sudden the patterns changed,Oh! my beloved."

Amazed at the advancement in technology,to my bewilderment the designs kept changing.As I stared,the format moved to a blank ruled Note pad .Glaring at me from a distance,she made signs,indicating me to start writing .I pointed my index finger towards the note pad and started writing in thin air."my dearest.

Over the years,from a joint endeavour by the index finger and the thumb,with the aid of lead,chalk and ink ,you know that as a writer,I have slowly evolved from being bifingered to being decafingered.Shaking a leg has been so much easier, than shaking a lone finger in thin air.I was doing just that.Can you imagine."

Making signals to continue,the Goddess pointed at the address bar ,that ran across the border of the Saree.The intricate designs on the border baffled me.Small solitaire stones sparkled and she smiled at me as if to say."The net is working.You can point,shake ,flip and search."

I looked to my front,to my back and then I looked sideways.The corridors were empty.I stood on a landing unable to move.By now,she was just a step away from me.I admired her dark ebony tresses plaited in a single braid..Must be a computerised image make over ,I mused at the muse.

Dear Goddess ! Bless me that I may have the fodder I need.Endow me with clarity to contemplate and express. I prayed to her fervently...Aren't you pleased with me my dearest ?"

"So be it dear child ,"saying,she had swayed her arms lovingly over my bowed head...

Waking me up from my deep slumber,she blessed me.Caressing me ,she kissed my forehead and
said...

"Its Six AM dearest blogger.Go peel some potatoes and then think."

The Prodigal Nayaki Returns !

"Shree chakra raja simhasaneswaree,shree lalithambikaye bhuvaneswaree.".crooned Kannamani inside the puja room on the second floor of 178 Rash Beharee Avenue...Vijaya,she cried out..".Uppu kuzhakkattai poornathirukku elimminchambazham pizhiya marunthudathey." Seree Amma.aracha.Ulundhai vega potturkken.Marakkamatten,"...solii Vijaya went about her Aadi Friday chores.."..Vijaya ! do not forget to add lime to the urad dal filling for the salt modaks," a devout and pious Kannamani called out to Vijaya.Yes Amma I shall remember to do that ,"replied the dutiful daughter-in-law Vijaya.

You can never think creative if you do not work hard remarked a friend.That set me thinking...Oh really ? I mused...and creativity in any form finds its way out thanks to the positive mind set of the individual,Right? I added.It also depends upon the number of funny bones and that varies from individual to individual.While some are endowed with a surplus,many ,I am sorry to say do not have even a single one.The friend smiled and nodded in agreement.

I am not surprised when people crib and complain.Life is not a bed of roses,not even for the Gates ,the Birlas or the Ambanis of the world....An individual falls,stumbles,rises,reaches desired heights ,fails at times and tastes success at times.In this journey he undergoes pain ,and when he strives hard the best things he receives are not served to him on a platter...No never...He chooses to hide his pain and moves on.As he moves on,sometimes on thorn ridden paths,he picks up the roses too and makes Happiness a habit.He is happy being himself,lost in admiring his possessions and striving hard towards a reachable goal.He is plain happy ,laughs away his woes and the positivity in him makes him feel extremely good.The side effects are positive and that set me thinking again.

Growing up in a joint family has its advantages and it's share of pinpricks.Atleast it prepared me to live in a joint family .Growing up in one was exciting should I say ? Living in another has been a greater challenge.As I step into my fifteeth year of existence , next year,and look back....Whoa!..I grew up in a joint family and the upbringing lasted for 25 years.Its been another 25 years and whoa! I am still growing.The state of enlightenment still eludes me and I am happily ignorant.Whoever said that ignorance is bliss ,would be happy to read this.

Kannamani had chalked out her Aadi Velli plans.Kuzhakkattais to be made and Ma vilakku to be lit was on the top of her agenda..Vijaya,she called out to her obedient daughter in law.Please make all the necessary arrangements.It was Saturday and Aadi Friday was a week away.Times haven't changed much for today's Nayaki.Saroja chalks out plans and executes them.Citing bossy pressures,Nayaki feigns ignorance and she is excused....Anyway Nayaki is a fantastic helper.She takes care of all the
running around and the odd jobs as Saroja painstakingly makes small yummy Kuzhakkattais.

In the early sevenths Chokkanayaki was a silent spectator.She was amused .Intha Kannamani Patti Vishnu sahasranamam sollarangala illa oray Kuzhakkattai maava ariaithu ariaithu Kuzhakattai bhajanai panrangala ?" ( Does this Kannamani Patti chant the Vishnu Sahasranamam or does she recite the Modak Chant repeatedly?She wakes up with Modaks all over in her body and mind," baby Nayaki chuckled.

Vijaya used to narrate to her kids tales from the Panchatantra and the Jatakas.With a mischievous glint in her eye and a naughty look on her face,she would ask her grandma..".Kannamani Amma ! Kuzhakattaikku kannu undo dee ? Does the modak have eyes?
Kuzhakattaikku kathu undo dee?Does the modak have ears?
Kuzhakattaikku Vaay undo dee?"Does the modak have a mouth ?

Po Kuzhakkattaikku Vaal Undu..
.Unakku Kuzhakkattais kidayathu,
"Go ! Modak has a tail.You will not get modaks to eat,"saying Kannamani would admonish her,only to reward her later sumptuously.

It was great fun growing up in such a family in the midst of a parabhrahmam grandfather,a grandma whose thoughts were always with the hidden provisions ,genius uncles ,unpredictable aunts , gem of parents and a calm and composed brother.

I saw my mom work tirelessly always with a smile on her lips.When I was five years young,I realised the secret behind her smile.The Iyer family despised sulk.It must have been really tough.She was just
21 when she entered the family.An Osmania University graduate,slowly she adapted beautifully to the needs of the Tambong family.She was my youngest uncle's first tution teacher.He doted on her
then.He dotes on her till today.

You may be wondering why I am saying all this ?...We love to complain about the weather,about the government,about the roads,about the transport and declare that but for the road blocks,we would be much happier and more comfortably placed.I agree,but citing such circumstances,one tends to become more lazy.

Grandma had a knack of keeping herself and the others busy.She was good at delegation.Granpa would ask every day..".I am going out for a walk.Do you need something? " She would reply immediately..."Please buy I kg coffee powder,I tin Ovaltin,I kg of Soap powder,6 Sunlight Bars and Two packets of Sandalwood Incense."Grandpa knew very well that she had a store stocked with daily provisions and soap items.He never questioned her but faithfully walked out and returned home
empty handed mostly.

Then it was her turn to give him a piece of advice and move on.The argument would last for a few seconds and life would move on normally.Visitors to our home were always welcomed with a mixed fragrance of incense,camphor,face powder ,Coffee and detergent.We had ample stock tucked away in all corners.

Water was scarce.To be honest there was no water connection and no taps either.Mom used to get water for the daily puja rituals and cooking from a hand tubewell on the ground floor.We lived on the second floor and I remember she used to carry pots of water several times during the day.I have never seen her complain.

Transfer of blame is a sign of weakness.As human it is natural to have negative and positive feelings.Here I wish to stress that it is important to understand that just as moments of glory are temporary,we need not live under a perpetual fear of the unexpected ,unexpected I say because all that is good is what we expect and desire.Its the worry of uncertainty,the possibility of untoward incidents that we constantly think may happen,that paves the way for negativity to make an easy entry into the sub conscious mind.All that is fed into the sub conscious mind is certain to happen sooner or later..

This and more gyan was repeatedly fed into the young minds by a stern Chandru.The octogenarian uncle is a self made man.He plays bridge every day,writes columns in newspapers ,moves around in
public transport,walks a mile every day and makes sure that everyone around him wears a smile always.

"Idling and Negativity breed ill feelings and robs the individual of basic reasoning skills,and instead of appreciating all that he is endowed with,he is always dissatisfied citing innumerable excuses,"he would say.......He spoke to me a few days back and said..."Hey lazy bones.I stumbled on a web site"Live Mocha.in"........

That's my uncle....He will take the horse to the water...and there ends his efforts...He will expect a feedback.So I have decided to devote a part of this weekend on Mocha..

Today the 1st of August 2014 is another normal Friday.Planning and prioritisation keeps Nayaki cool headed.The First Aadee Friday witnessed the Ma Vilakku celebrations and Kuzhakkattais were devoured last Friday.....Ofcourse I did remember to add lime to the ulunthu pooranam.....It was Yummmmmmm...

Celebrate Him Every Moment !

Insulin dependant and outrageously independent,

sometimes accomodative but mostly arrogant,

highly egoistic,he will not hurt a soul,

blame it on the octa age,he thinks he is the authority sole.

He decides the menu and is a vociferous debator,

you are not mistaken,he is a noisy spectator.

He will poke his head in all matters and give his advice valuable,

and also say “Take it or leave it,”Isn't that quite commendable ?

He has more reasons to complain than to be content about,

yet once upon a time,he would never engage in a verbal bout.

His life revolves around a small unit and so he is still possessive,

his loved ones mean the world to him and so he tries to be assertive.

He needs tender care and all that he craves for is attention,

Come sit and talk with me is his only expectation.

“I have been there,done all that and please do not interrogate,

I am aware, sweets are taboo ,I may not be reminded,”he’ll reiterate.

He will go out for the morning stroll,empty handed,

and return with a little lad in tow, and a purse disbanded.

Shocked family members will shriek in utter disbelief,

Oh ! the pantry is already bursting with fruits and greens,they wail in grief.

Undeterred,with a wry smile he will move away from the scene,

Make himself comfortable and switch on the time machine,

Now he needs an accomplice or somebody who can lend a ear,

listen to tales bygone,his achievements and about his career.

He is on cloud nine with friends and relatives around him,

Can you please buy a magnifying glass for me,the figures appear dim.

“I am unable to browse the internet,”he will plead “please have mercy on me,”

These are his favourite catch words to whomsoever he happens to see.

I am fortunate to still have a father and a father-in-law around,

The chains of affection,though overzealous, I am bound.

I cry , I fight , I squabble , I argue hopelessly , endlessly with them.

I can never see eye to eye with them , in my realm.

Yet ! I know the very next moment , they will come back to me,

I need to listen to the old boring tales,same requests and in life how one should be,

Their’s is a life of purpose well lead,well accomplished and satisfying,

and mine of being able to cherish the now with them every moment ,so gratifying…

A Weekend is near ! Phew !

Lack of motivation ! huh ! how dare you complain ?
As the undisputed queen of words you no longer reign.
I can hear a shrill voice urging me to work hard…..
"Go slog in the kitchen ,miss the bus and carry a placard,
Say ,"Dear friends,I am a wee bit absent minded."
"Words that I have lost track of ,I now,search for them instead."
“What have I been consuming of late ?” I wonder,
In the interests of my dear friends, I do repeatedly ponder,
I have duties to fulfil, commitments to oblige and a tradition to uphold ,
I shall now keep a watch on my daily events as they unfold.
"Tap !Tap ! Tap!Knock ! Knock ! Knock !who’s up there,everything all right ?"
A sweet voice replied,"Excellent ! Just a few Grey cells turning pure white."
The distress signals have been sent to a panic stricken recipient.
Intimidated not as yet , she vows to blabber in phases intermittent.
She cannot find the server at Chokkanayaki .express .in ,
Unable to load leaves from memory,she wails from within.
Her network is secured within walls and free movement though permitted,
Should she now think of moving out of her comfort zone, as the voice insisted ?
Could this be a new beginning and indication of better days to come ?
or should she carry on mundane, wait for superannuation and the gratuity handsome......

I WILL BE AN EARLY RISER ! WILL YOU MAKE ME A MINISTER DEAR PRIME MINISTER ?

"No ! I am no longer gonna be here,whispers," Umes.

"In the present scenario,what then brings you here ? "a friend was inclined to know.In the pretext of a grouse,let not your decision be impulsive,"she set forth explicitly.

"The universe is new, " Umes responded with a sly grin ."Buddy ! change is constant ,transformation is an indicator of growth and better days to come. I tread slowly towards that goal ," so Umes spoke.

"Are you allright ?",enquired the friend.

"In pursuit of a vision,for the cause of a dream,I abdicate from my online duties here right now.It's likely that I may seem to have gone bonkers,but could I let go of this perfect offline opportunity ? I shall act in pursuance of the promise,"Umes said with a naughty glint in her eye.

"The message has been conveyed,so I believe that would lead fellow comrades to arrive at the right conclusion regarding my decision.He has been sworn in as the PM of our country.He who has miles to go ,promises to keep , requires a powerful work force for building a strong India."

"I have responded to his request and  confirmed my whole hearted participation in the uphill task process,"pronounced Umes, grinning from ear to ear.My busy schedules will take me far far away from procrastination....

"At the close of a memorable day,a sparkling Raisina is jubliant,the banquet service is over and what else can Umes say tactfully...

Inimitable Umes :-)

CHALO DILLI CHALO !

This is pure fiction…an imaginary situation..

Nayaki : Ma can you please make me some Theplas and Dhoklas please?”

Vijaya : Now what’s  up with you dear girl ? she was surprised…

“Nothing really ! “I said ,”but  could you give me the recipe please,”I begged fervently…

“Well ! If I do make it ,how do I send it to you ? “Mom said.”Why don’t you get it from Mansukh or Gangotree?”

The mother daughter duo were chatting away merrily..Nayaki in Chennai and Vijaya in Bengaluru…

Nayaki was quick to come up with a justification.”The need of the hour is home made Shrikhand,Theplas,Dhoklas and with mangoes available in plenty,I wish to try and make Aam Shrikhand too,”

“That’s perfectly ok,” my mom replied…”Its not very difficult,”she said and went on to dictate the recipes over the phone.I took down the notes ,thanked her and told her.I am in the midst of an important office meeting,I will come back to you later."

Before she could even question my haste,after being in conversation for nearly half an hour,I had hung up abruptly…

Later during the evening,a tired Doc returned home .With a beaming smile I offered him a hot cup of ginger tea and home made onion pakoras..He was immensely pleased..

He loves to watch news 24X7..He prefers to listen to the soft spoken Pronoy and as he watched NDTV ,I broke a piece of news to him.

”This is regarding home front budgeting I said.””If you do not mind,can we please stretch the purse strings this month to accommodate saree purchases and a comprehensive package at Naturals ?"

He was unmoved.

I repeated..”I would like to buy a couple of silk cotton sarees ,some matching accessories and also fix an appointment at the beauty parlour.”…

His gaze was fixed at the screen and probably as always he must be in awe of Pronoy,I mused or perhaps,he was just trying to ignore.”…Nevertheless….…

I was determined too to put forth my proposal and get it approved.I reiterated….”I hope you can hear me. Can you please spare Rs 50,000/- immediately ?”

This time the numbers did not fall on deaf ears and he asked me…”May I have the privilege of knowing why you need this sum urgently ?”..

Not wanting to get into the details once again,I told him…”I am expecting an invitation.You will be invited too.As guests to a high profile event,I think we need to prepare ourselves for the occasion and put our best foot forward.”…

” Huh ! “ he replied…and may I know the event please ?”

“Oh !“I will let you know as soon as I book the air tickets,”saying I smiled and walked away in a hurry,leaving him to be in solace,in the presence of a suave Pronoy.The curry was burning on the hob..

Late night after dinner, I called up my mom once again…”I will be trying out Shrikhand and the methi theplas tomorrow,”The last date for sending the entries is the 24^th of this month.I will be leaving on the same night,”I told her.

“Where are you off to ? “ she enquired….

Before she could complete her sentence I was putting forth several questions regarding our ancestry, family links etc etc…

Angrily she retorted…”Why are you blabbering ? Why do you need all these details ?You are mad.You will drive me crazy,”

“No Ma ! Calm down please.I assure you, that you are blessed with a gem of a daughter.I have just been sanctioned Rs 50,000/- .I am full of  joys of the spring.I do not have many days left to plan.I intend purchasing a couple of silk cotton sarees and Muthu my trusted tailor will complete the stitching work within 24 hours.I plan to leave on the 25^th of May.I am on cloud nine dearest Ma.”

As I was speaking to her, a faithful consort watched with curiosity.To repeated enquiries,I was atlast also replying properly.That was perhaps a consolation…

“That’s the invite to the swearing in ceremony of our new PM.I am off to the much talked about ceremony of 2014 ,”I announced with great jubiliation.

“Have you received the invite.? my dear, she asked me.”

”Not yet Ma…but expecting it any time now,”I grinned…

”How can you be so sure ?,”she said…

”Pretty simple..The PMO office has started sending out invites and I believe that the list has taken many by surprise.I am waiting to be surprised too.Last also heard that entries have been called for an International level Gujarati cuisine competition and the best recipe in each category.will be announced a day before the swearing in ceremony.The winners are going to be invited too and will be felicitated in a glittering ceremony,.I am keeping my fingers crossed Ma.”

The better half was smiling and even as the smile could translate into guffaws,I asked my mom….”Ma ! just one more clarification ?”…Any idea ,whether Nirmala is by any chance related to us ?”…."Who Nirmala ? Nirmala Seetharaman ?"

 Who else ? I chuckled…I am informed that she is in the panel of judges for the Cuisine Competition….Simply asking…:-)

Ophthalmologist rendered speechless, indebted to the Tambong in his life retires to the comfort of his Eye clinic.Rs 50,000 saved is Rs 50,000 earned.Mid Summer May Madness is taking a toll on Nayakis thought process and Ma is on a roll!

OF RICKSHAW WALLAHS,A SUDAMA,A CITY OF JOY AND A CRAVING FOR SATTU !

Always barefooted,he was a good samaritan and a friend.He was our Bahri wallah,he was our dhobi .Highly energetic,with daddy long legs,he swept,he mopped ,he sang and he danced.He was a tall,thin, frail looking,dhoti jangiya clad Bihari with big eyes popping out of their sockets,prominent cheek bones and a portruding collar bone.He had an oval face with sunken cheeks.He was extremely lean,almost akin to a skeleton draped in skin.

I miss him today,I remember the aloo parathas and the phulkas that he used to make for us.We had a mud chulha at home and Sudama Kamkar was the roti maker.Winters were fun,when we used to sit around the tandoor.He would make rotis/parathas/phulkas one by one and hand it out puchka wallah ishtyle...Sigh ! purano shei dhiner kotha....aar jeno phireyo paabo na.Shei juger kotha rup kotha holo !!!!!!...bochor paaliye gelo kinthu smaraniya aye ghatona gulo phirey phire aashey,chokher shamnaey....aar berolo moner kotha ,chokher jol dhiye.....(Translated...Sigh !Stories of the days gone by and time past that will never return have now become fairy tales.Years have flown by.Memorable incidents are repeatedly replayed in front of my eyes.Expressions of the heart now find their way through tears.

Grandma Kannamani had an aweful Hindi/bengali accent.She could never pronounce his name properly.Yeh ka naam hai thomara ?...Kormar ? Korima ? Kurimakar ?....she would blutter and we would howl with laughter.One fine day,the name Korima stuck to him.He was Korima to friends too.He belonged to Siwan dist,chapra zila.I recollect this fondly,because I used to write letters in Hindi, on post cards to his family members Radha Hamaar joruwa,Ganesh hamar bituwa and Kusum hamar bahuwa, on his behalf..

He was in Kolkata with us for nearly four decades and accompanied us on our vacations down south.His diet was staple sathhu...the sathhu aatta,so popular amongst the rickshaw wallahs.I vividly recall now, the rickshaw wallahs,huddling around a tube well or a Gonga spring,singing and enjoying the Satthu meal....Sattu parathas with curds and yummy achaar was a full meal.

Sattu atta is roasted gram flour and a popular wheat alternative amongst Biharis.Known for its several health benefits for all age groups,regular consumption of Sattu helps in being energetic and also improves stamina.A balanced diet,it is ideal for those involved in heavy work and also for those ,whose nature of job requires them to be seated for several hours.

This was Korima's secret for being fit and highly energetic.
 
Korima  loved the Sattu parathas with Sapan ghee fried green chillis and aam ya lal mirach ka achaar.....I want it now !