Mum’s The Word

Zara haske, Zara Bachke. Yes I am in Mumbai. And I love it already. The crowd, the struggle, the travel, earphones as extensions of everyone around you, the food, and of course Matunga where I stay. My office is two stations away from my place. Matunga to Parel, cross the bridge and exit via Western Line, take a share cab and there is a huge line for it everyday. But it moves fast since one cab takes in 4 people. Get off the cab, buy breakfast — I still haven’t set up the kitchen. Lunch is either from Alankar or Kutumb Sakhi (a group of Marathi women who cook and sell food at affordable rates). 
Going on road is painful, now that all the ‘mandals’ and ’societies’ are trolleying up life size Ganpati idols, and then there are special buses that travel to hinterlands of Maharashtra for all those who go ‘home’ for the festival. So train’s a safe bet.

It’s the same routine in the evening — I take an office shuttle or a cab to the station. I go over to the Parel side take a train and walk around the market and reach home. Dinner’s either in the ‘world famous’ Cafe Madras or the multi-cusine Garnish.

So that’s my life in Mumbai. So far so good. All said and done I miss the Delhi office and my colleagues (More on that later) I suppose one can’t have the cake and eat it too…

Bourne Sanction and Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

I just love the sight of an upturned book next to my pillow. There is always at least 2 books next to my pillow that I am simultaneously reading. And just before I crash, I decide to flip through the pages of the book I want to finish reading first. One of my recent reads includes Bourne Sanction by Eric Van Lustbader. As always Jason Bourne is trying to find and fight his identities. Parts of it keep coming back to him. And when he thinks he has almost found the Webb in him, the Bourne bit takes over and reiterates the fact that he will always be a Bourne and not a Webb. Interesting read. I don’t want to get into comparing Ludlum and Lustbader as I read Ludlum eons ago. But if you are a fan of the Bourne series (both books and movies) you will like this book. And you just can’t help imagining Matt Demon as Bourne all along the book. And as I was reading it, I realised just how technology blends in easily with mysteries and thrillers and how books were written when these technologies – chips, flash drives, internet, bluetooth — did not exist at all.

And that brings me to the other book I read recently. The paperback version of Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This was Shaffer’s first novel. When Shaffer passed away in February 2008, her niece Barrows took up the task of completing the novel. Juliet Ashton is a war correspondent and is tired of covering the events around World War. She receives a letter from a farmer Dawson from an island saying he has a book that once belonged to Ashton thus starting a series of correspondence between Dawson and his fellow islanders and Juliet about the literary club they have on the island. And then there is a parallel set of letters being addressed to Juliet’s mentor, friend and publisher about what she has discovered about the island and her relationship with Dawson. A little bit of history, some good hearted humour, tonnes of generosity makes this a good read. And of course the unusual nature of the title makes you want to pick up that book and get it over with! If you are an observant reader, you will even learn how to make a potato peel pie.

Kitchen King is Back

 The cook is back. Mr A was supposedly on a 15 day-leave which got dragged to 25+ days (this was to be expected). Well, the good thing is he is back. And I feel like celebrating!! Imagine cooking in the June heat. Phew. It’s not like I don’t like to cook or I don’t know how to. I do. But on a daily basis, nah! Not my cuppa.

The thing is we depend on him for everything – shop for vegetables and groceries (once a while), wash clothes and of course cook. He even knows a bit of plumbing. Essentially Mr A is our lifeline. And we just can’t do without him.

Mr A is quite a number among our friends and relatives. Those who visit us from outside Delhi is completey besotted with his cooking. And whenever they call us, there is always a nostalgic reference to what they ate when they were at our place, obviously cooked by Mr A. Whether Mr A’s coming to work regularly is the among the first three questions that my mum and Ma ask in a phone conversation. This question could mean several things. More on that later. But yes, what he has prepared, or about to prepare is always a mandatory question during a conversation with friends and folks who have known him.

And so, this morning I called several people (who knew how tough it would be to manage without Mr A) to say that the cook is back. And there was a chorus of sighs!

Reviving My Blog

It’s been ages since I wrote here. But I plan to get back to blogging. At least one a week is my resolution. I am not sure whether to begin from where I left off or to start afresh. The latter is easier I suppose. I just got back from Mumbai and I simply liked it for what it is. Will finally wrap up things and move there around August. And  yes it’s Mumbai that has sort of inspired me to revive this blog.

Hoping to be a regular!

What Can I Say?

Modern Luxor, Egypt around or way before 1300 BC

 

 

Delhi, 2008

Book For Thought

This happened about three years ago. I was new to the city. Looking for work. And time to kill… loads of it. My only escape was books. I had reread everything I had with me. That’s about a carton (hmm… say, a 29-inch TV carton) full of them — I had a tough time convincing everyone that I had to carry my books — all of it — wherever I went.
Well, what next I thought. Knocked on my neighbour’s door one morning with an unusual request. “Do you have some books you could lend,’ I asked. My neighbour with his half open eyes stared at me for a while.

I have to give some introduction here about my impression of Delhi. People here don’t know the concept (read benefits) of a library in a residential colony. Forget a library, even a stationery store is unheard of in most colonies. There will be grocers having  maybe a stack of notebooks and some Reynold pens. At least, that’s how it is in the colony I live in. I voiced my concerns to the mesh uncle — a Tamilian, who instals mesh for windows and doors. “See madam, ‘douwn’ South, people give a lot of importance to education. So, you have one small stationary store for every lanes on an average. Up north people get money through house rents or their flourishing businesses. Most families (read well-settled) don’t think education is mandatory. So, only if there is demand, there will be supply,” he analysed. There was some sense in what he was saying.

Coming back to the neighbour, he said he had some books. I was both surprised and happy. Such good luck comes by very rarely, I thought. Imagine a Delhi-ite having books in his/her house. Then he lent me a couple of them. One of them was this strange title ‘Many Lives Many Masters’ by Brian Weiss. The neighbour stressed to surely read this one. (Of course I would). ‘Many Lives Many Masters’ was one of the most strangest, spookiest books I had ever read — basically how a psychotherapist, the author himself, heals his patients using past life therapy.

I won’t say the book changed my life or any such thing. But it was surely different. That it was based on real life incident freaked me out even further. Well I read it, reread it…phew. And then after a couple of weeks, I returned the books to the owner. He had his eyebrows up in a queer way, ’see, didn’t I say this was different and interesting?’ sort of expression. “Yeah, yeah, I know what you meant then,” I told him and went back to knocking more doors.

 

Book Zone_ The Conch Bearer

For a long time I have been wanting to write on books. Now that it is a small part of my job too, I thought, well why not blog about it. This is one of the recent books I read. The Conch Bearer by Chitra Divakaruni is an ideal book for children. Chitra, according to me, is India’s J.K. Rowling. (Although, Chitra is based in the US now). I recently even watched the movie The Mistress of Spices – adapted from Chitra’s book. Good book, good movie. The Conch Bearer is the first of the trilogy of Brotherhood of Conch series. Now this book was written way back in 2003 but published and released in India only this year. The other two in the series is yet to be released here. Meanwhile I am yet to read Chitra’s latest novel on Draupadi –The Palace Of Illusions. If you are sick of the campus literature that’s hogging the limelight these days, Chitra’s books are a good bet. Anything more on the author and her books, it will start sounding like a plug. Aren’t u guys glad that I am back. Back with a blue this time

The L-Class

I know I haven’t been writing at all. And I am terribly missing the whole fun of writing. So many things are going on right now, but that’s no excuse for not writing. I just hate reading newspapers these days. It’s not fun anymore. I prefer reading washingtonpost.com, businessweek.com, telegraph.co.uk these days. Mint is a good paper. Indian newspapers these days are full of accidents and crime. If that’s missing then there’s the overdose of luxury related news. I mean what the heck, who can afford a Rs 10,000 Manolo Blahnik shoe or a lakh and a half LV trunk. I would much prefer a ‘price on request’ label than seeing the rates with more zeroes than India’s population (ok that’s a little exaggerated figure). Having said that, these pull outs are talking points while chatting with friends and colleagues.

 

Lazy weekend in Jodhpur

We just got back from a two day trip from Jodhpur and realised we could have done it in one. Although there is nothing much to see, there are loads of eating joints one shouldn’t miss. When I surfed the net for Jodhpur, I really didn’t find much. We hired an auto rickshaw and asked him to take us around. I guess it’s Jodhpur through the eyes of a rickshawwallah. And here’s my mini guide to the place.

Where: In Rajasthan, overnight journey from Delhi and take only Mandor Express, the only train that perhaps reaches the city on time

Legend: It is believed that Ravan’s wife Mandodari was from Jodhpur, which is why Mandor Express and Mandor Gardens a Lodhi-garden like park in the city (a town really).

What to see:

Umaid Bhavan, only part of it is open to tourists. Good interiors, the king has many achievements to his credit. Beautifully done palace. Felt like a queen walking through the ornate corridors and halls. Entry is Rs 15.

Mehrangarh Fort: Don’t take the elevator, walk. You can see the blue city from top. Supposed to be 500 ft above the ground. The terrace bedroom is breathtaking and so are the stone studded and gold-plated cradles. Don’t miss the Palkis and elephant seats. Take a guide. It’s Rs 150 for 4 people. Even if you are just 2 they charge the same. Entry to the fort is about Rs 20.

Jaswant Tada: On the way back from the fort take a deviation and you will find this place. Supposed to be a Taj Mahal like structure — the samadhi of King Jaswant Singh. Quiet and serene place.

Where to eat: Priya Hotel in Nayi Sarak. Rs 100 for two people. For sweets go to Pokar Sweets next to Priya and Janta (superb place) opposite Priya. Mishri Lal Lassi centre at the end of Nayi Sarak near Clock Tower is popular for Srikhand-like Lassi. Mirchi wada is mind blowing. Also try mawa kachori with sugar syrup. Opp this lassi centre is Mishri Lal tea centre that sells masala garnish for tea . At 10/- a packet it works wonders for a sore throat (add a pinch of this powder to the tea that you drink). He also sells tea powder. If you feel a little bit generous, treat yourself to a pool side dinner at The Park (Rs 600 for 2!!) and order Spinach curry, the chef’s specialty there. And of course Rajasthani Ghatta is available everywhere.

Shopping: Tripoliya bazaar for dirt-cheap bandhini sarees, National Handloom for all sorts of Rajasthan related stuff, Mochi Bazaar (15 min from Nayi Sarak, 20/- in auto) for jhootis, Swasthi Gate is another area with some good shops. Area around the clock tower for everyday stuff.

If you need any more info let me know.

S:)

Too many holidays and nothing to do

Deepavaliya shubhashayagalu… A good three-day weekend. And nothing to do. I feel completely useless. I read a few chapters in the books I am reading. Cleaned the store room… ah! what a good feeling that gives. And of course tolerated noise and smoke thanks to Delhi’s fetish for crackers. I wish someone could host a workshop on what to do during extended weekends if you don’t plan to travel anywhere. At least a ‘things to do’ list. I wish I could go to Bangalore though. But tickets don’t come cheap these days. My best friend has gone to Bangalore, it’s her first Deepavali after marriage. I am sure she will be so busy, she won’t have time to breathe. Some stuff I could have done, but I didn’t

1) Learnt to use the “semi-automatic” washing machine (yeah, yeah I know it’s easy and all, my mum says that all the time)

2) Updated my blog (which I am doing now)

3) Do research on a few topics I plan to write on

4) Catch up with old friends (I promise I will call them before Monday, this Monday)

5) Dust my treadmill and start using it.

6) Check if the heaters are working now that it’s getting more chilly by the day

7) Get my DVD player repaired (haven’t watched anything except for our wedding CDs. Can you believe it?)

Take driving lessons

9) Shopping

10) Shopping again