The crossword mornings...

It was again that time in the morning, which Geetha waited for everyday. It was that time, which she held on to so possessively! It was hers and hers only, she thought selfishly, not to be shared with anyone, even her dear children. In all these years of marriage, she had never felt this close and this connected to Madhavan. She smiled tenderly! and looked at his photo in her purse. oh! how handsome he looked even today, as he did all those years back. 

 She still remembered clearly......... The year 1965, she had been newly appointed as stenographer at the Accounting firm. She had been so unsure of her dress, behavior, her body language etc.. The day had begun with a visit to the Krishna temple. After taking bath, Geetha had dressed in a Parrot green cotton saree with a darker green border, and then loosely plaited her hair. As she was to leave to the temple, her mother had come and given her a small length of jasmine flowers to keep on her hair. "Geethukutty" she had said, "today is a big day for you, pray to 'bhagavan' that he blesses you with all the wisdom ad patience for your journey ahead". Her mother had been her strength all through her life. Even after the early death of her father, all the uncles, aunties had decreed that she be married off early. Her mother had been firm, like a rock through that storm, she had unwaveringly told everybody that just because she did'nt have a father, it did'nt mean that her mother was also dead. " I will decide the right time for her to get married, she is barely 15 now, i want her to be independent, before marrying her off". 

Throughout Geetha had been scared whether her mother would buckle under the combined family pressure, but she come through for her............as she thought earlier, her mother was her rock. 

Geetha, looked up at the clock in her living room, yes, it was time. It was exactly 10:00 'o'clock. This was the time she had been waiting for. Quickly she grabbed the day's edition of Deccan Herald, pencil and an eraser, and began the crossword of the day. She eagerly scanned all the 'across" and "down" clues. She smiled to herself, as she saw familiar words appear. She thought, 'OH! How pleased she would have been, if Madhavan was with her now. She sighed! This was getting more difficult each day. She was used to doing the crossword only with Madhavan. This was their most cherished moment of the day since he had retired from active service life. Both of them would sit on their custom made teakwood swing and gently sway on it sipping filter-coffee. In the background you could hear faint strains of T.R Mahalingam's flute recital, Madhu's favourite. They would squabble over who was faster and whose vocabulary more richer. It was bond that was built over time. Now seeing her inability to carry on with this simple task made Geetha sad, and wonder how she come to be so dependant on Madhu. She hadnt been like this before!! Again her mind drifted to the old days. 

 Her mom had walked with her to her office. In today's world, the girls were so self confident and self assured. She, Geetha, had been petrified to leave her cocoon, her mother's presence, and to spend so many hours away at an unknown place...... Her mother had placed her hand on her head and blessed her before leaving home, asking her to be strong and brave. She had left her at the gates of the company, making her feel like she was starting school all over again! She still remembered taking those trembling steps into that alien place, seeing all new faces, wishing desperately she had not ventured into this. Then she thought, this is what her mother had wished for her and this is what she would do. Walking inside, she noticed the neat interiors, the well-cushioned sofa, the receptionist, all the cabins, and the number of people already at their desks. Immediately she felt a sense of belonging there as she wasn't the only girl who was to work there. 

She was placed as assistant to Mr. Raghavan.... He was in his mid sixties, and she remembered thinking her appa's age. He immediately put her to ease, making her feel relaxed talking about his family and kids etc. Geetha felt it was good start to her career, and she began with her duties. On the course of her work, she became more familiar with her co-workers and in particular with Mr. Raghavan and his family. His wife Saritha was the most sweetest lady she had met. She treated Geetha like her own daughter and she was often invited to their house for various functions. It was one such occasion that had brought Geetha to their house. It was Deepawali and all over people had decorated their houses and their streets with flowers and kolams. Geetha felt everything was so beautiful. She was dressed in a light blue Kancheevaram pattu with a gold border, jasmine in her hair and kajal in her eyes. As she walked she could hear the faint tinkles of her silver anklets. She was feeling at once beautiful and shy. As it was'nt very often that she dressed up like this. As she stepped into the house, she bumped into a man. As Geetha got her breath back, she took a look at the person she bumped into and she noticed that he was a very good looking young man. Tall, dark and you guessed it very handsome. Seeing him stare at her, made Geetha blush. Before either could say a word, Saritha was there to introduce the two of them." O! Geetha, i see you have already met Madhavan, He is my brother!". Geetha pleased to hear that, then she realised that she had been staring at him too long, and turned away. As she did, she noticed that there was a small twinkle in his eyes, making her smile too. She felt like it was their own private joke!! She had felt an instant connection with him. As the day wore on it was evident that he felt the same way. 

 

The very next day, Saritha was at Geetha's house with a large tray having flowers, fruits, a silk saree etc...Geetha's mother had been overwhelmed seeing all this, as she immediately understood, they were asking for Geetha's hand for Madhavan. She had tears in her eyes, as she had blessed both. That had been 27 yrs ago..............how time had passed. Madhu had been the most doting husband, and a great father to their 2 children, Ramaa and Chandru. Though Ramaa was abroad now with her own family and chandru in Delhi, they had been a very close knit family, until....... That thought brought Geetha crashing back to reality. With a pang she realised that she had no interest in life without Madhavan. She felt a small tear beginning to run down her cheeks, and had to stop the cry before anyone heard her! "oh! how long am i going to be like this?" she asked herself. " take a grip on urself, you cannot break down like this, you have to be strong for your children". With that resolve, Geetha walked back to the room, She asked the sister, " Is it ok for me to come inisde now? Has he been bathed and changed?". The sister, looked up from the frail old man on the bed, who had silver grey hair, a twisted mouth and hands that were hanging listlessly on the side of the bed. She smiled re-assuringly at Geetha and said as she left, " Your handsome is all done and waiting only for you". Like she had been going for the last 6 months, Geetha made her way slowly over to the side of the bed, sat down and spoke to Madhavan." Madhu, how are you today?? ", seeing no response, she continued, "you know, i was waiting eagerly for the nurse to finish today, guess what?. Today's crossword has a lot of words we used to do long while back. Remember, how you taught me new words, back then?? its all here, in today's puzzle". Looking at Madhavan she could see some movement in his eyes and she felt like his hands were twitching to grab the pencil from her hands and do the puzzle him self! This was the only way she knew, that would interest him and maybe motivate him to pull himself from the edge of death. The accident had left him paralyzed on this right side and with speech defects. The doctors had warned her not to expect any fast improvements, but had encouraged her to talk to him everyday and try to make him feel as much relaxed as possible! Hence, it was with a heavy heart, that Geetha spent each day with the crossword, hoping against hope that one day her Madhu would come back to her. As the nurse peeped in the room, she could hear Geetha talking to Madhavan, " What is 6 down 'child's bed (3) letter'???.......

Today i am in a pensive mood. Mind is full of chaotic thoughts. I cant seem to catch hold of one particular thought and process it. Usually there are times when i feel this dull tension in the pit of my stomach, and i would have been too busy to pause and take stock of my feelings. Then as it grows within me, i realise that my mind has been nagging me to slow down and think what is it, that has been bothering me..... It is exactly what happened to day, rather now, to be precise,..... im feeling really tensed or i should be more accurate, as if there is something i have missed doing .... so like always, i sat down, n thought.............. Then i realised that its due to the fact that i am supposed to book tickets to go to Mangalore next weekend. The travels guy had told me last month that its too early to book then, to come in the beginning of this month. I had made a mental note to do the same, and promptly forgot all about it. 

See the amazing powers of our mind, it was mental alarm of sorts!!! if i had been too busy to think it through, then i would have missed this real important thing..... This is not just a one time incident, it has happened to me lots of times, when i have kept wondering what it was that was tensing me up.... then sometimes as late as a day later, i get to the root of the matter!! In a world that is ruled by technology and gadgets of every kind to do our work, we underestimate the power of our mind. The human mind is the most complex computer there is, even then we prefer the mechanical kind. 

When i see my son, asking me all these questions, i can literally see the wheels of his brain 'whirring' away, but on an older person this is not the case. The reason being, we tend to put our super brains to rest and depend on the mechanical brain to all the work. how do we re-use our brains again and keep ourselves mentally agile and fit? Im sure there must be multiple exercises that the good doc can prescribe for us, but then again these will require some type of machine or other to aid us. I have been thinking bout this a lot and realised simple tasks that we do daily can help, prod the brain out of inactivity. 1. When ever we do any calculation small or big, so i manually using the good ole brain! 2. Make it a point to memorise any numbers that come your way on everyday basis, like : phone nos, tally the groceries etc. 3. The best way is to learn the tables all over again, and make it a point to go beyond what was taught at school. so lets all try to be younger at mind along with our bodies!! heres cheers!! to a better future with agile and alert minds!

We live most of ours lives without thinking or dwelling on mundane things which are some of the most profound truths of ours lives. For instance, the freedom to breathe, we take it for granted, till one day we are confronted with a situation that makes us realise how blessed we were to be able to breathe!!

similarly, we have the freedom to choose! anything, be it our career, our life partners, our goals, our character..... every person has the freedom to chose, but we prefer to blame others, situations etc.

I have realised that no matter what has happened, who ever had gotten involved, ultimately its me and me only who is responsible for each and every action of mine. Maybe there were catalysts, but still the final action that was taken was mine and mine only!

Oh! to be far from the madding crowd!

Amid all the chaos, the heat, work blues, ppl ppl ppl....... me heart yearns to get away from it all. Somewhere i can literally let my hair down, feel the wind through my hair, and sigh at the sight of the waves lapping at my feet. The moment when i can lie down and close my eyes and listen to the music thats playing only in my ears. when i can soar through the sky and drift aimlessly..... The perfect vacation needs detachment from all things that hold us down, physically as well as mentally. The exact moment when you want to lie down on the sand and close your eyes is not the one you want to be worrying about babies, food, accomodation arrangements etc. 

The perfect vacation is when when i have a good book in my hand, one that doesn't distract me, so engrossing that all around sounds are muted..... The prefect vacation is when i have my fav music playing all around me. The notes flowing over me, so that i feel the emotions that the singer is feeling..... The perfect vacation is when i dont have to gross over my looks and can be in what ever condition i prefer to be..... The perfect vacation is when i am inspired to cook elaborate meals at a languid pace with no guests peeping over my shoulder to smell and inhale the flavours..... The perfect vacation is when i can sit on my terrace and feel the rain drenching me all over and feel the stress seeping out of me..... The perefct vacation is also when i see my son playing with his favourite bubbles and i see my hubby having the time to jump to his tunes... and i hear their laughter resounding all around me... That is my version of a perfect vacation or holiday..... tell me yours.....

Masoor dal Paratha

Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour for the parathas as per your requirement.
For the stuffing:
Masoor dal - 250 gms.
Onions - 2 large. finely chopped.
2-3 green chillies finely chopped.
Coriander powder
Turmeric Powder
Chilli powder
Salt
Garam Masala
Kasoori methi / fresh corriander leaves.
Lime juice.

Method:
1. Make regular dough using the wheat flour. Make required amount of balls and keep.
2. Soak the masoor dal overnight. Cook it in an open vessel with a pinch of turmeric. When the dal is just cooked but not sqashed removed from fire, drain and keep.
3. To prepare the stuffing, heat oil in a wok / kadai add the onion, when its golden brown. Add green chillies and fry.(ginger is an optional ingredient). To this add the cooked masoor dal, and all the powders and salt.
4. When a nice aroma starts to come switch off and add Corriander leaves and 1/2 tsp lime juice, mix n keep.
5. Roll out a 4" size roti and place a spoon or 2 of the stuffing, bring all the sides together and make a ball. Roll out the paratha slowly and slow cook on your tawa with a little oil.
6. Serve with yogurt and your favourite mango pickel.

Aubergines bangali style!!!

Small purple brinjals : 1 kg
Thick Yogurt : 500 gm.
Oil for frying
Masala powders:
Turmeric prd
Coriander pdr
Garam masala prd
salt
sugar
pepper
roasted jeera pdr.

Method:
1. Cut the brinjals into thin ringlets. Put them in a tray and sprinkle salt and turmeric.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the brinjal ringlets. fry until golden and completely cooked.
3. Heat another pan / wok. Make sure that the pan is on low flame as we are going to heat the yogurt. when the pan is warm, add half the yogurt and stir. make sure that the yogurt dosent break. Add salt, sugar, jeera, coriander, pepper and garam masala prds. stir agian.
4. Pour this into the bowl containing the remaining yogurt. stir in the brinjals and garnish with coriander leaves.

Baingan bartha

Ingredients:
One big Eggplant ( it should be nice and firm and a nice glossy skin)
1 onion large finely chopped
2-3 green chillies- slit
2 cloves garlic optional.
1" piece of ginger, chopped.
2 Tomatoes chopped.
1 cup thick yogurt.
salt
turmeric powder
chilli powder
garam masala powder.
Method:
Wash and wipe clean the eggplant. Brush oil all over the eggplant. place it over the flame on the gas stove to char the skin. keep turning all over and make sure that all sides get done well. once its done, put the eggplant immediately in cold water. peel the skin and blend the flesh part coarsely.
Take oil in a pan, add jeera, onion and fry. when the onion becomes golden, add the ginger and greenchillies. fry.
Add turmeric pdr and salt. Now add the yogurt, and fry for few minutes.
Now add the roast eggplant. cook with the lid closed on the pan for 10 mins.
Add chilli pdr and the tomatoes. cook till done. add a teaspoon of garam masala, and garnish with corriander leaves.
serve hot with parathas or rotis.

Penne with spicy tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

500 gms Penne pasta

500 gms Roma tomatoes (if u dont have those then

5-6 large regular tomatoes will do) - finely chopped

2 large red onions - finely chopped.

1 bunch spring onions or celelry.

1 cup skimmed milk / white wine.

crushed or ground pepper.

2 tsp of paprika.

10-12 fine black olives.

5-6 cloves of garlic - crushed and chopped.

extra virgin olive oil / or any good quality vegetable oil will do.

salt.

fresh / dried basil.

dried oregno / italian seasoning.

Parmeasan / mozzerella cheese.

Method:

Take a large vessel with lots of water (pasta needs lots of room to breathe) and salt and oil, and bring to a boil. Add penne to it and kepp stirring occasionally. Approx 8 mins later the pasta will be done. It should be al-dente - have a bite left in it... drain and keep aside. save some of the cooking liquer for later.

In a large bottomed pan, add a large glug of oil, garlic, onions, spring onions. and fry. then add the tomatoes and celery. lastly add the olives -chopped. keep frying.

Add salt and pepper. paprika, oregno,basil and anyother spice of your choice.

when the sauce starts to cook down, add either 1 cup milk or a dash of white wine.

once the sauce is nice and creamy , add the penne into it. adjust the sauce adding the cooking liquer.

serve hot with a topping of cheese.

happy eating.

Ladies finger crispies!!

Ingredients:
Ladies finger : 1 kg.
Onion : 2 large. (finley sliced)
Besan : 2 -4 tbsp
Coriander pdr : 2 tbsp
Turmeric pdr : 1 tsp
Chilli prd : 1 tbsp
Garam Masala : 3 tbsp
Dry jeera prd : 2 tbsp
Salt : to taste.
Oil : a generous glug.

Method:
Slice the ladies fingers very thinly in a diagonal direction and keep aside. In a large vessel, apread the sliced ladies fingers and add all the masala powders and the salt. then add the besan, and mix it with your hands. Lightly toss it so that all the masala and the besan coats the bhindi. keep aside for 15 mins.
In a pan add the oil, add finley sliced onions and fry. add salt, and little chilli prd. when the onions are sufficiently browned, add the ladies fingers. fry and cook over low flame, until done.
Note: if your not concerned about fried items, then you can do deep fry also. in that case leave out the onions.
Serve with a squeeze of lime or lemon juice and garnish with corriander leaves. great combo for rotis or even rice and dal.

The perfect holiday!!!!

I am sure we all have wanted to go on that perfect holiday!!! and are forever in search of that elusive destination, that has all on offer. Wonderful scenery, great food, climate at the same time dosent our pockets in a big way. mmmmm..............i did it!!!
really, i can honestly boast of one such place, thats simply superb!! and no, im not just saying to prove a point. the husband and I decided to mark our 5yr anniversary by going on a much deserved holiday. the last time we took time off was,............well. that was a long time ago.
Literally, before the bulge and the baby. this time around it was not just as a couple, we would be going as a family!! what a change in profile. it changed everything. from the kind of place, activities that we could go.. ofcourse! we had to think of the lil one. and so, the great journey began, starting with us-3, then we added the in-laws ( they too needed a much deserved break from baby-sitting), and then wait............... we added unlces, aunts and cousins too. I know, it seems like a big fat indian holiday. but before u rule away our holiday plans, let me assure u that though the husband had the same apprehensions too, it wasnt all that bad, infact i wud say that it was a super-duper holiday!!!
well, we went to this beach resort on the konkan coast- "sai vishram". It was picture perfect. Beautiful beaches, lovely food, great service etc. Sai vishram is 160 kms north of mangalore. there are lots of buses that can take u directly there from bangalore. We got there on the evening of 1st may. It was pretty late to get a good view of our lodgings, but, mmmmm........ we felt the breeze As well as heard the waves. Our lodgings were actually "tents" on the coast. Literally speaking the beach was 50 feet from our tents. The tents, itself, was a quite large and well tailored, with windows that had the mesh sewn on them. It was simply beautiful, the sound of the waves lulls one to sleep instantaneously!!
The next day i was up at dawn to savour the moment and the scenery too. i wasnt disappointed. the view that i had was breathtaking. the lawn in front of our tents was fresh green carpet grass covered with flowers. there was a burst of colours and greens. as far as the eye cud see it was green, green n green. all kinds of trees, bushes, shrubs and grass. coming from a concrete jungle it was indeed breathtaking. i took a huge breath, wondering in all that beauty and serenity. it felt exhilarating at the same time a little sad that these sights were so rare.
we take our lives so seriously that we do not take time to enjoy all these small things that can actually bring so much joy!!!

Food- Recipe

Spicy green chutney!!
Hey for all u food lovers, here is a super simple recipe for a hot n spicy chutney. It goes with almost anything....... from dosa, idly to parathas n poories. its superb to taste and easy to make.
so do try it out and let me know ur opinions!!!! happy eating!!!
Ingredients:
Raw (Green) Tomato - 2 (cut into big pieces)
Green chillies - 5-6 ( depending on how hot it is)
Onion - 2 (Medium- cut into big pieces)
Garlic - 5 to 6 cloves.
Fresh corriander leaves (cilantro) - a large handful ( chopped)
Fresh Curry leaves - a large handful ( chopped)
Salt and 1 tsp of sugar.
Oil - a few teaspoons (any vegetable oil or even olive oil is ok.)

Method:
In a pan add a few teaspoons of oil, and fry the tomatoes,onions and green chillies. When they are almost done add the garlic. Fry for another minute and switch off the stove. Once the above ingredients are cooled, add the rest of the ingredients along with the fried stuff in a food processor and grind to paste.
In a pan add some more oil and add the ground paste and fry for a few minutes. when done, let it cool and put in jar or box and store.
Tip: Frying the chutney after its ground helps in 2 ways. One it reduces the spicyness and it preserves the chutney for a long time.

Food- restaurant review

Mugen- oriental cuisine.
This oriental restaurant boasts of 3 types of cuisines. Primarily Thai, but also lesser known authentic chinese and even indonesian cuisines. In search of something different to eat when you are fed up of fast food, south indian darshini and north indian food.. we chanced upon this restaurant on 100ft road. Very discreet and almost missed noticing it.
The interior was very pleasing, if a lil too much red, but then its the signature colour, so cant complain. The seating was very well laid out, even though one got the feeling that the tables were a tad too close, we had the required privacy through out the meal. we didnt even notice our fellow diners, that says something!! The music was very soft,and we could converse easily without our neighbours overhearing.Coming to the service, it was top notch. as is the custom the hostess was very authentic and looked the part, but the waiters were very desi, but that didnt take away one bit from super service.
Now, the food. Being a vegetarian, its very evident that unless the food measures up we cant recommend it. so ill say it was a super meal that we ate there. The maitre'd was very helpful without being pushy, helped choose dishes what would suit our palate, asking our choices beforehand. He even went to suggest a dish that wasnt in the menu to suit our choice of main courses. The food was excellent and very well served. Mugen also has a bar and does serve most liqueur.
On the whole its very nice restaurant, if u want to go somewhere for some quiet conversation and good wholesome food. i wud recommend the pad thai. it was superb and the helping was just right. On the wallet factor i would add that its a tad expensive. For a couple having vegetarian food it cost us 1200/- without drinks.
but on the brighter side, its a perfect place if u want to take ur client, GF etc.
Mugen.............................worth checking out for the food.!!



Mugen Restaurant
Phone:
080 41481414 9945300004
Address:
2011, 3rd Floor, The Black Pearl, 100 Feet Road , Indira Nagar , Bangalore- 560038

What a rainy afternoon translates into????

                Its gathering clouds overhead......

 

 The wind is blowing into a crescendo and leaves are flying everywhere. Rain is thunderingly interspaced with mindblowing lightenings. Oh! what a rainy afternoon!!

What does one do on a day like that?? 

The best option is to cuddle with a loved one, be it a partner, baby, or even a pet. Snuggling, cuddling, and hugging is the best remedy for any blues!!! For all those who are already feeling down (not having any of the above for the cuddling n snuggling) here's another object that will not differentiate on caste, creed, or sex.... all are welcome................to read a great book! 

Yeah! a great rainy afternoon needs a great book, a wonderfully soft sofa, a nice wrap, one great cuppa hot coffee, and last but not least some sinfully junk food, what do u say??? nothing like it, i declare........ do post your thoughts on that!!