sangli bhadang

its impossible to make a trip to sangli, in western maharashtra without being asked to get back some bhadang - a snack made from humble puffed rice and spiced up with peanuts, dry coconut shavings and sometimes some garlic and curry leaves. our family favourite is this one - gadkari bhadang - its sweet, hot and all kinds of tasty. can be had just as is or with chopped onions and coriander.

slow food...

just because you are a driver is no reason to eat on the go...remove chappals, open dicky, unpack tiffin, fold legs, eat, drink, pack, close, wear chappals. may all our meals be slow, enjoyable and mindful.

learnings

and for the bigger interruptions in the path of of life, you just have to wait and let them pass.

the giver

and like the tree

she lived.
giving comfort,

shade, clean air,

fruit, a home.

she gave to all,
to rich, to poor -

she gave,

to good, to bad

unreservedly,

wholeheartedly.

she lived,

happily, giving quietly,

she died.

giving quietly.

good enough!

aaji, i once asked my granny,
do you think this dress is too good (expensive)?

"what is more valuable than ourselves?
nothing material is too good."

words of wisdom from my grandmom.
how i wish i could talk to her today.

instead of hiding my real self like
a thief stealing from life,
i'd walk proud and strong,
not being ashamed to be me.

i'd always be good enough.

ajanta caves

crafted with love and care and patience. the stone pillow too has been softened with faith to form a soft cushion for the buddha's sleeping head. the ajanta caves were a joy to behold. to think they were forgotten for centuries together before being discovered...the caves are surprisingly well maintained, with eco-friendly buses leading upto them from the car park below.

usha uthup - an original

had usha uthup, one of india's leading singers asked for advice from a pr person before launching on her singing career, no doubt she'd have been advised to dress the part. slim down, wear western clothes...here she is 40 years later. herself. in sarees, flowers in her hair, bangles on her wrists, rocking it like no one else.

truly an inspiring original!

the paithanis

the paithani is a much admired, historic weave from maharashtra. festive, opulent, bright and celebratory. and expensive. orignially, they were made using pure gold thread for the embroidery. the designs are painstakingly converted into the final form after days of labouring by highly skilled weavers. nowadays, a lot of them are made on power looms, making them affordable to a wider range of women. here are some from a recent gathering. the purples do seem to be the most popular.

work is worship

we were taken to a corrugated box factory yesterday, as part of a course i'm doing. the bus meandered through the garbage and slums of goregaon east industrial galas to stop before what looked like an overflowing gutter. we had to dodge through dirty water and waste paper to make our way to what looked like one machine in a hut. that lead to another little room, and yet another machine, towards yet another room and yet another machine - there were rooms and machines to cut, stick, fabricate, crease and print boxes.

the workers were listening to religious music, oblivious to all but the task at hand. the young man running this operation was guiding them with such dedication and devotion. to quality and to the job at hand. work is worship. it was humbling to say the least.

rain

blasts again
mumbai weeps in pain
in the pouring rain

eight year old gears for school
tests today
spells *julry* wrong again

big pain
small pain
the rain pours down again
and again and again

sari tale

oh, oh cringed the cream kanjeevaram, shrinking into the corner, longing for the days of yore. i knew i'd only meet bright plastics...

ice gola lips

ice gola lips. rangeela indeed.

Real Beauty

"Beautiful" he said to his shy, young bride in the morning, when she was fresh out of the bath drying her wet, long, jet black hair with a towel.
"Yuck" he said in the evening, when he found a strand of the self-same hair in his dal.

"Hmmmm" he had replied, not taking his eyes off his laptop, ten years later, when she asked if she looked "OK" to attend the party.
"Beatiful" said their seven year old, emphatically. "Mama looks beautiful".

"Beautiful" she had said when the sun rose over the hills on their holiday in the mountains.
"Can't bear this sun" she said suffering the mid-morning heat on their trek, reapplying her sunscreen.

Beauty...depends so much on the right time, right context and right mind.

sugarcane juice

sugarcane juice vendor - a lot of people love this sweet juice spiked with a little lemon - some of us would agree had we not seen how it was made :)

balanced diet

and this is how i balance my diet - icecream, mirinda and pineapple.

the sari

love this sari. bought for my brother's wedding. from kalaniketan, juhu. not conservative, not blingy. silk and cotton - gold and silver. love.

travellers

wise words

morning bliss

mysore coffee + italian mocha express coffee maker = instant bliss

revelation

who is a blogger who doesn't blog? a non-blogger!
who is a writer who doesn't write? a non-writer!
shocked as she was with who she wasn't, she hit the keyboard and hasn't stopped since.