Golu 2012 - The Sundal'O Sundal Times

Navaratri wins hands down for my most favourite festival ever. It promises good food, enough holidays, pretty dresses, noisy (okay, and nice) people coming over and gorgeous golu. We always aim to have the best golu in town. That is how the theory of continuous improvement was taught to us. My mother and her team (me, the brother, household helps aka multitalented divas) wholeheartedly aim to get more besh-besh than the previous year. We start the planning process so early that we can plan a wedding in free time.True story.

Golu 2012. This is only a part of it. We had other arrangements around the living room. 

My mother’s ever growing appetite for pudhu-pudhu ideas never helped. There was a time she insisted on getting the entire ramayanam and we played along too. We went ahead and bought a couple of sets to support the idea. That is how the ravanan durbar happened. Another year, we were high on ramyanam and hanuman came home lifting sanjeevani et all. Over the nine days, loads of loud talking happened on how the next year would be and we conveniently ( thank god!) packed the ideas along with bommais into dabbas.

Golu 2010. The first one, I ever missed.

Don’t blame us. The truth is, golu is more than just an arrangement of dolls.  It is the stage Shakespeare spoke about; except this one is at a tambrahm’s place with extravagant amounts of sundal, filter cofeee and lambodara. Times like those, I realise there is a director Shankar inside every one of us.  When I was about eight, my mother got into this huge mission to dress me up every evening in a different costume. (did anyone think of a Shankar padam song, now. Comment it out, please) Me, being the chamathu ponnu and the narcissistic camera obsessed poser gave her the least trouble and was very happy to parade around. The idea was to have guests sit for “golu shows” with me and my cousin sing, dance or say suklambaradhaaram.

Golu 2011. This picture is my favourite. One of the kids :(

After some dog years went by, we went the intellectual way. Do not mistake me for the inquisitive child, I was more of the i-ask-tough-questions-terrorise-juniors kinds. We had laminated sheets talking puranams installed near dolls and made any brat below my waist length to answer questions. Once, me and my brother awarded one pattani to a child for pronouncing “dhritarashtra” correctly.

I tell ya, we really did it!

With all the emphasis on innovation, the families also get creative with sundals. Someone served sweet corn and peas sundal and another wrapped sundals in news paper for a beach effect ( please do facepalm and say ada, raama). My mom’s motto of devotion, prayer is clearly not cooking a dish so we do not have daily sundals at my place. However, thanks to crusading maamis and home-hopping, there is never a dearth of it during the season. I absolutely suck at this ritual of visiting homes during golu. I know it is all fun to drape in shiny stuff, but when you do the same thing for nine days, every year for twenty years, it totally fizzles out. Especially, when they serve oosi pona sundal or payasam-style tea. Me and my brother devised a ritual to behave at a golu such that everyone is happy.

·    Stare at the golu for two minutes.

·    Make a mental note of the pramadham features and try very hard to find ways to get it done in next golu. (brother skips this step)

·    Compliment loudly on something normal. Mostly stuff like..oh maami, the thoranam is just perfect or these dasavatharams are so lakshnam. (brother usually over acts for extra sundal here)

·    Evaluate sundal; this is an expert process of tossing exactly three lentils and analysing the kara-saram levels. If it meets expectations, continue with rest. If not, politely ask maami for plastic cover and dump sundal with a sheepish smile. Everyone assumes you are packing it home and is happy.

·    Get into vehement protests to the oru paatu paaden ma..and start intently concentrating on the sundal or the park. Here, I wish to record that I have NEVER sang at a golu. Even during my paatu class days. Thank you.

·    Get the pink plastic dabba or the 10,000 km well-travelled pachai blouse bit and make exit. Oh, don’t forget to take some kumkumam.

The ritual worked perfectly for us, with minor deviations when one golu had a PS2 set up and another gifted geometry boxes.

This post will end with one of my favourite pictures of the season. The brother with his shiny new SLR has taken fantastic photos. This is a small sitting area in the living room, now refurbished into a mini krishna-leelai set. There is also a raavana’s durbar to the far left. I had to miss posting pictures of the national integration set, the village and the dessert because this post has become super long!

I hope you are all having a fantastic navaratri there. Mine is mostly office, home with strangely, some sundal for lunch boxes. Have a festive time, and look all pretty. I am only a little homesick. Curable with copious amounts of payasam-tea.

Note: If you are interested to know the spiritual significance of Navratri, please read this post by Chitvish.

P.S : I had italicised with an idea to provide a glossary. Now, I fear that will run to a post. So feel free to ask ( and not assume) if you do not get a word. I appreciate it, truly.

Rainy Mornings. Instagram. Long Forgotten Tag

The world has few reasons to wake up on a Friday and go to work. This post had to go up last friday. Since the weather was adorable and office work was pretty terrible, I had to let it sit over weekend.

These reasons vanish when Mom is at home and offers to make hot pongal if I decide to stay. Yet, I grudge and drink my cereal to move on. And  no, I did not regret it. How else could I click such pictures ? :) 

Water always calms me down. In all its crazy, myriad forms ( and that was the first time I used the word myriad in a sentence! yaay)

This picture was taken below my apartment. The place opposite is a forest. I mean, a park that looks like a forest. There are forest walking trials but sadly, no animals. ( I am joking.I cannot even stand dogs)

And this picture is my personal favourite. I tweaked a lot with Instagram and really pleased with the effect! It is also my mobile wallpaper now. If you are on Instagram, you should totally follow me at archmirch for some interesting stalker/spam material. Entertainment guaranteed.

P.S : archmirch is my ambitious attempt to turn into a hot looking babe soon. The word mirch does not indicate the nature of pictures shared. The pictures are safe for all ages.

P.P.S : I forgot the tag yet again. Uma, Keirthana and Sumitra - do not kill me yet. I love you all.

India Trip, FRIENDS and some pics!

I really hope some of you missed me. Let me assume at least half a dozen of you kept checking this page ( yea right, who am I kidding). The India trip was as always, awesome. I came back sulking and carrying loads of pieces of home. At times, I wonder when I will ever grow up to leaving home in grace. Gah!

On a totally unrelated note, I just got done with watching all 10 seasons of FRIENDS for the second time. I literally went from the first episode and thanks to it, my sanity is still around. Less than a year ago, I had never watched this show and took every possible opportunity to claim how I never did. So, how ya doin’ ?

There has been a crazy post of mine in drafts. I am spending this useful Sunday to revamp it and publish it. Before that, I will leave the post with some home pics.

Good Morning, Chennai

Morning walkers. Besant Nagar, Chennai

                                                        

The beauty of Varkala

Bajjis, anyone?

                                                        

104 Amar Chitra Katha Books now!

The Noises from Window

I live in an amazing apartment that has a view which can send a chemist to write poems. This picture was taken a few months back by my then roomie, a self-taught photographer, the computer software writer, and a walking body shop advert. With such a view to wake up almost every morning it would be gross injustice if I don’t blog about it.



And yet, the inclination to blog came in a step-up conversation (quite literally, on the steps from the bus stand to valley) with the next block model, info - techie Nadia. Considering this place is home only for another fortnight, I am tempted to write this.

I am no poetess so this is not a poem. And there are no men, or bad people so it is not one of my “I will crib, it’s my blog” posts too. I hear noises from the window. The beautiful window and the out of notes noises. Of course, jazzed with humor for you.

Noise from the Window – 1
Random chatters in mandarin, hinglish, tanglish and screams, squeals always in mandarin. To me honestly – mandarin, cantanese, chinese sound the same. I can vaguely distinguish bahasa, but I don’t hear much of it here. We have amazing experiences of hearing a language and I have played this little game with myself to guess what it is. After a minute of intent listening ( read : turning off laptop volume, stopping dreaming and listening), I realize it is a faint mix of tamil and english with a garnish of Malayalam in it. I have no offences, but this game is very time consuming. Especially if it is an Indian language.

Noise from the Window – 2
Loud Vehicles, not like the ones in this pic. The yellow fellow seems to be a quiet little thing, but actually there is a lot of vehicle noise here. It starts by 6 am ( thank for not asking when I woke up so early), and goes on at least till about 11 pm. Its 2.52 am now, and I hear a car speed by. Got no clue on who goes around in this forest area, but yea we hear noises.

Noises from the Window – 3
This one is a Sunday special. Thts when NTU decides to mow the lawns. Honestly, almost every day is like a post 11am wake up here. So, a 8 am manual mowing noise uproar is criminal. It hurts kids. I am hurt with it.

Noises from the Window – 4
Fights – all types of them. I know how chinese couple fight and make up, I know that indian girl who walks in tall skirts with her flowery guy ( intentionally messed up) and talks in coconut languages. And of course, the friendly Big Indian fight. Actually, we are not fighting. Just talking. Mostly on how the chicken gravy was uncooked at Can 1. It just sounds talibanish.


This is where He does the jing chak( Nunchaku) thing!

Noises from the Window – 5
Numchuks. It was about three months ago when I first heard this on one of my night alones here. It scared the wits out of me. I heard the sounds, and immediately asked Aunty Google - “ whts a jingchak” and got some quirky results. Two dinners later, as I was rambling on it – a friend LOL’ed and said thts a “nunchaku”. Whatever. We do not like the jing chak sound it makes. Not even if Bruce Lee used it, or it is the Kung Fu thing. Did I mention, I have a thing for Kung Fu..more on it, later.


Noise from the Window – 6
This could land me in trouble if the girls one floor below get to know I am sitting above their head and hearing their sagas. I better, not write on it.

And you thought, I live in a tranquil place, din’t you?




Photos from Revathi Kanduri and the Idea from Nadia, both linked on this post.

Unnamed

Drops of rain platter on my window
The sounds, the sights and the splatters in a row
Makes me fill a page with letters
Hear me out, write as earth smiles, as a pond bathes

Seeing it all, my heart glows in thrust
As it fills up a dying thirst
If seeing can make it shine
Will living in it make it rain

Oh screen of waters, the shower of poems
The smile of clouds, and scarf of drops
As the bridge connects skies and earth
My heart connects with its warmth
I hear her fill my heart, with drops
Not of tears, but to drown my fears
Came down as a loan from the skies
I feel with it my sadness flies
May be a short moment, until the rays pierce
But I live with the hope, thou shall wet me again/img/blank.gif
Until then, I write her praise
And wait for a drizzle so benign

Extremely inspired from - here and here and ofcourse, this! Photo Courtesy - The Roomie

Akshay Vohra made my day, by reblogging this poem on his blog. Lots of untitled poems on his blog too! You can find it here. Random acts of Kindness :)

Kodak!

This loner was found one monday morning near the pudina pot. We rescued and placed it on a attai dabba, also strew some grains around. After about 45 mins, his mother came around, pecked it and flew off in a nano second. The only remain of that flight was this frightened photograph! Bliss of living outskirts :-)



Marapachi. It is a tradition to keep these wooden dolls during golu. In my home, they are there at the foyer. Paati dressed them up recently, and I took little stitching lessons :-)

My pudina, thulasi, vendhaya keerai are all ready to be clicked- with some wow facts. Next post, that is!

Joy of Photographing

I am loving to capture moments, more so those aha special views that seem to look so beautiful over a camera lens. Here is one. A very ordinary picture of corn and paneer on the kitchen counter, the day I made pizza. The corn toppled on the paneer...and here it is.

Biscuits, Bakes and a Truth

As you all must be knowing by now - I bake. And I don't stop at that. The long resigned research analyst in me does a lot of studying on each and every ingredient. There is practically nothing, that I don't google on. But, then there are a gazzilion things that google does not show. Like it does not tell you that most biscuits you buy have eggs in them!

Here is my bourbon and custard-jam biscuits.

The Bourbons contain one egg yolk and the custard jam contains half of a egg. I am not a non-egg eater, but I try and avoid them unless it is impossible to make without it. The biscuits were very tasty and did not smell or taste eggy. But, the fact remains that we the consumers of store bought stuff do not know that most of them contain eggs. I may sound like I am making a big fuss - but to non-egg smellers/touchers like my paati, this is a very big deal. I am wondering now how the green symbol comes. May be I am wrong. May be they really dont use eggs. But, yes from my limited understanding(read: buying all biscuits on store, and trying atleast 6 variations) most of them contain. Milk Bikis, Digestives, Rusks are safe. Anything that gives you a very crisp exterior but makes you bite into it at ease does.

Another revelation - Now, prepare to hear the worst. All breads contain vegetable hydrogenated shortening. And most store bought breads contain egg. I have tried tasting a eggless, butter used bread and a egg used, dalda used bread. The latter tastes just like store bought. Also, when you try and buy the so called brown bread it is not wheat, as the ingredient list says. It is maida, with probably a portion of wheat. I know, that is the way to make brown bread but I have my own doubts if they use a full portion of maida and brown it with caramel. But, that is just my doubt.

We have been using Vanaspathi for decades. Later, they found it is completely transfats. From a google generated lead - When vegetable oils are hydrogenated under conditions of optimal temperature and pressure in the presence of a catalyst, the liquid oils are converted into semisolid and solid fats. This hydrogenated fat is termed as vanaspathi. Paati and CV say, Poori turns best in Dalda. Now, Dalda is not such a big thing to worry about - but I just thought I should let you know. Most restaurants use vanasapathi.So do all pre-packaged mixes. The soups which call just for a boil, The cake mixes that say in a minute, and THE 2 Minute Noodles - all of them do.

By the way - the pics are

Bourbons
Custard Jams
Caramel Cake

I am in glee!

Actually double glee. I have been rummaging through some old cookbooks from a old book store, and found over 10 priceless copies of 1965-1980 printed US library discard books. I spent so much time thinking which one to do, and I did this first.

This is a oatmeal-wheat-date muffin. The recipe originally has eggs. For all those who need eggless bakes, substitute one egg with one tablespoon flaxseed powder mixed with two tablespoons water. Healthy, Eggless Muffins.

So yaay! No more thinking eggless bakes taste little less good. This one is awesome, with honey, walnuts et all!

Update : I tried the same recipe with brown sugar and whole wheat. Still pretty nice, though not very spongy on texture.

Kids and Sevai.

People love cute children. Kids with pink bands, and lollipop smiles. Kids who walk thatka pothaka and talk in gibberish. Kids who say ABCDJKLMWXYZ always. I love them too. Most of the times, we fondle the baby, kiss at least twice in five minutes and try to maintain hand contact with the baby. At least, I try to.



We have always liked cute children to play with. And we appreciate them open heartedly. But, how many of us do the same with well mannered children? I know of a wonderful child in my apartment who is very good behaved, talks politely, thanks every time for a cookie and puts garbage only in the right bin ( Now, that's very very disciplined). He belongs to the East of India, but sings vada mapillai and speaks in suthama tamizh when asked in tamizh. I have alwways told his mom, that S is the best ever behaved child I have come across. This snap was clicked last week when we both made sevai together.I think we should learn to appreciate more ( that's a separate post by itself), but we should really know to do so to such sweet kids.

This is Shreyas:-)

And when pongal happens at home...

Kannu follows. I am inspired to share some pictures, from this post of Anu. The vazhaipazham, vethlai and manjal are homegrown. I was insistent on starting a garden last year. But, never had the skills for it. Thanks to paati's sustained interest, we now have a "at least 10 fruits a month yielding" guava tree, vazhaimaram, ginger, manjal( been growing it just for pongal) vethlai (betel), pasala keerai, vendhaya keerai, kothamali, karuvepillai and lots of sembarithi, rose and one kutty watermelon creeper. I am really looking to grow more veggies over this summer. That pazham is a ilaki, and is very tasty. The vazhaithandu literally melts in the mouth, with no strings (naaru) in it. I am so proud of myself today!

:-)

Jam Rolls!
Mango Kesari!
Vanilla Buns
Khara Buns
Cinnamon Rolls!

Stuff that has been filling my weekends! Dedicated to Chitra Ma !