Piku

I watched it... I loved it. I watched it again, I enjoyed it. I watched it yet again and laughed and cried like it was the first time and I happen to watch it once more and I didn't want to leave the comfort of my couch and the movie for anything else. 

From the time I have penned this line down I have watched it a few more times and have not felt anything different to what I have written....

Some films do that to you and Piku was definitely one. I have a few more movies like this which make it to the special list. This movie is ( was- as it's taken me months to finish) so fresh in my mind that the thoughts had to be penned down. 

There isn't really a reason why I loved it, perhaps there are one too many or probably the truth is that  I can end the explanation in saying the simplicity of the story did it for me.

In a world that's so consumed by whats the next big thing happening in one's life, the every day simple messy routine of life is beautifully captured in this film. It makes me yearn for that lost comfort of plainness, of being direct, of simplicity in everyday life and to an extent in my parallel life of movies... of good old Hindi movies. 

Everything about Piku confirms it's my kinda film. I'm a total sucker for simple life moments. Routine can be boring to many, but I can put my hand on heart and say I am comfortable, cozy and happy with routine and in fact the lack of it sometimes can be disturbing. I just crave that feeling of surety that a routine brings.  The routine in a common man's middle class life in India is totally relatable to my memories and that is precisely what I got out of Piku. 

I adored Deepika Padukone, yes! I am a fan of hers and for reasons more than one. For a start, I do believe she can act and there couldn't have been a better person for the role of Piku. She carried it out with ease, she was real and her body language throughout the film fit the character to a T. Though you think of it as a role, as a character - there was definitely an element of 'this can be anyone of us' which she kept alive through out the movie. The character of Piku was practical yet emotional, irritable yet lovable, demanding yet soft. The writer could not have painted a better picture of a person in that situation. 

Irrfan and Amitabh are in full form with their performances. Who ever cast these 3 key characters has got it bang on. 

I loved how modern the setting was - the conversations, the style of life very rooted, very Indian and yet open and modern. How I wished  my family was like that! I loved how Bhaskor just openly says 'there are many reasons for me not to like you' to his sister-in-law.  Does that really happen in a family? I am sure we can start a WW4 if that was said to anyone at mine!

The film also captures a family living in a different city where the culture, the language, the attitude of people is different , just slightly different for the spark, the perception in the society. No matter how far you go away and adopt to a new way of life and living, the roots always pull you down. That comparison that you make, the pride that your home, your hometown provides you a level of comfort and joy that is unmatched for anywhere else. 

The movie is constantly evolving and throwing something at you non-stop. The story can be a one liner, but the number of aspects of day to day life that it connects and reaches out to cannot be summed up. Whether it's about parents being selfish about what their children should do for them, or being the open-mindedness of a parent to let go and treat their child as an adult who can make decisions of their own, the clash between the members of -in-law families and the detached love and affection people have in nuclear families are well etched in the story.  There is something to relate to in every other frame and so this movie, though a movie,an art of fiction rubs a warm sort of feeling every time I watch it.

If you haven't watched it and if you are one who gets mushy on simple life's day to day moments and mundane-ness go watch it!

I follow 'Foodism'

A very common Sunday of mine starts with a nice warming cup of coffee followed by a good south Indian breakfast - either a simple home made uppittu (Upma as it's known) or dosa or most likely a visit to SB, Saravana Bhavan has been our new friend for Sunday breakfasts, one that's almost a brunch. 

We just returned having had our fill on this grey-is-the-colour-of-the-day kinda Sunday. I have made myself another cup of tea - well, the weak type where the tea bag goes in with loads of hot water and a dash of milk which I shamefully call tea but is a lazy substitute for it. 

Well, I am that person who thinks about what I'm having for lunch and plan for dinner while sipping my morning cup of coffee. I am quite a foodie and off late I see that this is getting into more of an obsession. 

Today will be slightly different, with a tummy that's so full and a nagging ache in the back, it will be a day when I would give my kitchen and myself a rest (at least for the first half a day) and try to re-live the foodie moments on this page.  

I believe in eating at least one freshly cooked meal every day and that constantly motivates me to try something different. 

And the more home sick I get, the better is the food - in my humble opinion.  

My mind automatically travels to those days we went to 4th Block Jayanagar for no rhyme or reason but definitely returned with a tasty palate. 

So while I was pondering over the thoughts and memories, I thought my home-sickness had reached it's highest best when I clicked this pic - the joy of filling up the little containers of the masala-dabba which I termed 'South India in a box' defines my upbringing and deepens my roots and connects me with the food I cook. 

Home-Made is the bigger yearning than anything else. So I tried giving a go at quite a few things - the itch to get it done was huge and in all this I have enjoyed the journey. 

The Iyengar bakery craving is something that might never stop - when the simple masala toast and congress kadlekai  which is ideal with the afternoon tea made my mouth water, my kitchen ended up witnessing it. 

It's weird how my mind switches from I-have-to-eat-healthy-NO-MATTER-WHAT and I-don't-care-about-the-calories-IT-HAS-TO-BE-TASTY!  So, I see myself in making strange concoctions of a kind to fill me up  - some work, some don't.

The healthy being a carrot-ginger-Orange juice drink which I picked from the 'Joe and the Juice' bar which names this drink aptly 'Go-away-Doc'.  This coupled with cherry-tomato bruschetta went down a treat.

The unhealthy being my 2-cheese Macaroni which was a random craving on another day which had to answered.  Tried the mascarpone cheese which was a good creamy add to the nutty cheddar. 

A home-made (yes! I go again) guacamole for the nachos one evening as having the nachos served at All-bar-one was what my taste-buds demanded this weekend. 

 Though I have seen myself giving a try at cooking different cuisine, I am probably better and most comfortable in cooking Indian.And I can say that in the past month or so that my kitchen has made it's way to the 'Paratewali galli'. I am pretty much stuffing my chapati dough with whatever I get my hands on. Can you see that just to give the authentic 'Gobi Parata' a twist, I mixed brocolli to it? 

One of other paratas being this which is a food-blog I follow and enjoy!  

Retail Therapy these days is heading straight to the 'home' sections of any store and I am so excited to have picked a couple of utensils, some kind of kitchenware and of course a stop over at the groceries which sums up my shopping trip almost every single time. 

My most favourite shops have now become the food and grocery outlets - going to Tesco or M&S food gives me unspeakable joy while I spent a couple of hours at a cloth store and got completely bored and irritated. 

Lastly, some of the food blogs have made me drop everything I had got my hands at reading and if you happen to be someone who enjoys browsing through ForestFeast is highly recommended as it beautifully combines food, photography, writing and painting with the most key ingredient 'Simplicity'. Having given more than a recipe a try, it is my hot favourite now. 

I have no patience in waiting for my food to be photographed -my food travels from my pan to the plate and into my mouth with not enough time for this step called 'presentation', though some may say it's important, it's not high on my list at the moment - so pardon the crappy photos on this blog. 

Cheat's Cookery - Potato Cutlets

Well! According to me this isn't cheating, but having known so many people back home who prepare every component of this dish at home I'd resign to calling mine cheats cookery as many things are shop bought in my case.

Ok....now that I have got my foreword out of the system I'll write about my potato cutlet saga. 

All I wanted to prepare for the evening meal was a simple aloo jeera with a few spices - cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, some turmeric and salt to taste and serve this as a chunky potato side dish. What I however ended up with were overboiled potatoes and so it was a masala mash that ended up with in my pan. It also was extremely spicy - you see I love spicy food so much that I went a bit over board this time.

I thought of making cutlets out of these immediately and chopped a whole lot of onions, carrots, got my peas and ginger mince ready. After the prepping up I decided to make it with just the potatoes and not add anything else - mainly coz the quantity was so much that it would have been enough for 6-8 people.

Ingredients:

Potato mix- 

Potatoes - boiled and over boiled works just fine!

Jeera powder

Chilli powder

Cumin powder

Turmeric

Salt to taste

Seasoning - oil, cumin, mustard, asaphoetida 

Coriander 

Chutneys to serve (the cheat factor) 

Green chutney - mother's recipe's Bombay sandwich chutney has got me completely

Date & tamarind chutney

Sweet chilli sauce - not a great option but my cutlets were so spicy that I thought. It would help.

Prepping the Cutlets-

Corn Flour - 2tbsp (add water to thin it)

Breadcrumbs  (the cheat factor)

How I made it:

I made nice big patties out of my potato mix and dunked them in corn flour, rubbed them against bread crumbs and toasted them on either sides and voila! My cutlets were ready.

How I enjoyed it:

I served them with all my chutneys and as it still was extremely spicy I finished it off with a dollop of curd/yogurt. This made a perfect anytime snack, I had one during tea, another as my evening snack and couple of them for dinner.

The Artiste & The Commoner

I have been blessed, lucky and fortunate to have been able to witness some of the finest musicians in concert and before my memory fails me I want to record some experiences that's left me totally mesmerised.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I do live and breathe music and my family has been a huge influence in me being this way. 

I remember going to my first concerts by accompanying my grandma to fort high school where the annual ramanavami functions were held. As a kid, the hot pop-corn and the prasada at the end of the day was what I looked out for, but the enthusiasm that ajji had in the music and the excitement she used to show did make me think that I was witnessing something great. The likes of Bhimsen Joshi for his brilliance in Hindustani classical and bhajans, Balamurali krishna, the epitome of classical music, U Srinivas on his mandolin, Kunnakudi Vaidhyanathan on his violin, kadri gopalnath on saxophone, amjad ali khan on sarod amongst other icons. I didn't really understand the scale at which these musicians played and what great icons they were.  Today, I reflect back thinking how fortunate I was to have had a chance to be a part of it all. I have attended a few other concerts in India which I will pen about some other time. 

Living in London, I do have a better exposure to the music of the world however my heart yearns for the Indianess in the music. I keep looking out for any concert that happens here and have been really privileged to have had a chance to see some live performances. 

I am so insignificant to be writing about some of these huge greats, however thrilled that I am to count my blessings here I go.  This might be a completely utterly boring post to read so I don't blame you if you skip it. If you have nothing else to do why don't you read on.... 

Shri Ravi Shankar - This was at Barbican and literally the last 2 seats that I managed to bag. How thrilled was I when I got the tickets delivered. He was 90+ and had a whooping 9 decades of performing on stage. The sitar was so much a part of him, with ease he played, he sang while he played and was full of zeal. I had goose bumps for most of the time. It was sheer magic. After the concert, the entourage stepped out of the stage, but the standing ovation did not stop. Just when we thought it was done we see him peeping through the curtains and waving at us. How cute was that...such a small gesture from a great man. 

Ustad Zakir Hussain - This too was at Barbican, now the sound of this place makes me think about out of the world things, remember the experiences and mesmerize over it. What a live wire performance that was. He mentioned it would be a subdued show as there was a death of his mentor, about to cancel the show he remembered the words the 'show must go on' and was up on stage to perform. Can't imagine what a usual show would be like if this was a mellow one. He rocked it, master class for sure. Some highlights were how he co-ordinated the rhythm of the tabla with all other forms of music on the stage which included a folk musical instrument from Afghanistan. Can't wait to get a chance to see him again. 

Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - I was tracking him to see when his next performance was like no tomorrow. The minute I knew there was one, I just had to have the tickets. The show was held in the O2 arena - the scale of the concerts are accentuated by the venue to start with.  He walked in, sat down, said a hello and started. With the thrill of the harmonium, his hands moved the way the voice flowed. The tour was called the Voice from Heaven and it sure was. He sang non-stop for more than 45mins. The style being Sufi, Qawali, it was like being taken back to an old world like being in a mehfil e raat. His accompaniment was his family on stage who not only provided the background music, but heightened the master's voice further. 

Raghu Dixit - Oh My God! (well! I had to say it the way Chandler's ex-girl says it). One of the loudest, clearest and in-tune voices with anything this man brings on stage. Pure rockstar effect! The brilliant colourful attire to the poems and notes from the folk world and and to top it he sings Kannada songs and makes it sound so cool and easy. Two back to back concerts, one at Reading for the Kannada Sangha (with the most awful sound system ever) and the other at the Crawley mela (don't ask me where this place is). One man who re-defines rock music,  adds a namma huduga local feel to the international star that he is.

Indian Ocean - After thinking a 1000 times whether to book or not to book, I did it and it was worth every second of my life to have been a part of this brilliance. The show was at IndigO2, the smaller arena at O2 and we were really close to the stage. It's music that's composed and played from the heart and that touches your soul. Again, the folk music feel to fuse with the western instruments with notes from the great saints and words from the divine texts, it elevates the music to a level of its own. Not a minute of boredom, got entertained, learnt something new and fell in love with their music all over again. To top that we travelled back on the same (last) train with them and chatted along. Such a simple bunch of people yet geniuses in what they do. Can't wait for another chance. 

Atif Aslam - I booked this show in the O2 as Sonu Nigam was the key performer. Sonu Nigam didn't turn up so it was Atif all the way. What a powerhouse he was. I was completely bowled over by the performance, his voice which is known for all the Oooo o oooo's and Aaaa aa aa aaa's was worth every penny. He did total justice to his time and gave us a brilliant flavour of his talent using up the other artiste's time. 

Hariharan & Shivmani - I booked this mainly for the latter. What a drummer. He produced music with just about anything - the 40+ drum set that he had, jingles, wind chimes, water with gejje(anklets) and even a suitcase. It all seemed to be in completely harmony. He kept me on the edge of my seat all through. Hariharan perhaps has one of the smoothest voices I have ever heard. His mastery over the classical tones was clearly seen, I just couldn't buy in to the fusion element. 

Salim & Suleiman - The show was at Apollo Hammersmith and I didn't really know what to expect. They are music directors and not quite singers but well what does my little brain know about talents of the other human. They were a great bunch together and the music was enchanting. Benny Dayal's singing and the moon walk he did on stage was a definite highlight.

Bombay Jayshree & Shubha Mudgal - This was the first concert I attended in London on a cold Winter's evening at Southbank. A Carnatic & Hindustani music jugalbandi. The control each has on the classical music is surreal and the  merger of the two forms of music and to hear the notes weave in and out of the other was brilliant. There weren't too many instrumental accompaniments, the other highlight was the superb tabla player. I was a tad disappointed that Shubha didn't sing any of the bollywood songs I so loved and enjoyed (yeah.... I know, I know.. such a saddo to wish for Bolly flicks in a classical concert). Well.. Mathura Nagarapathi from Raincoat is so so beautiful, it just qualifies to be anywhere. 

Sonu Nigam - He came back! After missing him in a series of concerts that happened here was a chance to get him live at the Wembley arena. I must admit that the first 45 mins got me quite bored as the choice of songs he picked were not really what I liked. He does not have a strong, loud voice - a sheer comparison after having listened to Atif Aslam, Raghu Dixit and others. The second half of the show however was simply superb. He did an audience choice for a good part of the hour and sang many requests from the crowd (whatever he could lay his ears on as people went mental). His unplugged version of 'Abhi mujme kahi' from Agneepath was very touching, I had tears in my eyes. I really like it when a singer sings a soft melody with all seriousness. Something more mindblowing was his little son running up on stage and singing the same song and Kolaveri di. The innocent voice coupled by child pronunciations was out of this world...tears flowed down again. 

Shaan - This was a part of the BBC Proms that are held at the Royal Albert Hall every year. I was thrilled to know an Indian artiste was performing. Shaan was entertaining, peppy , however it seemed to miss the X-factor that WOW effect what I look for in a live concert. It was good, nevertheless.  

Music is essential

Music. There isn't a day that goes without listening to it, looking for it, learning something new and humming along. Both my grand mothers have been hugely into music, one was a tabla player and the other is a violinist. One was into light music, folk music, inclined towards hindustani and the other is consumed by Carnatic, knowing the theory and technicalities behind the ragas, Swaras and their meaning. Neither of them could take it to a higher level, to the next level. 

My grandma has had a huge influence in the type of music I enjoy and the love for it. You know....there is always something you pick up from your grand parents that you'd only realise much later in life.

We have been a household who enjoys music of all kinds. My parents  enjoyed classical, western and filmy music. My mother is what makes me so totally immersed into hindi film music. My dad had introduced me to some of the western music, ABBA to top that list. Oh! How lucky was I to be surrounded by most forms of music all through my childhood.

My fondness, interest and attachment to music grew. I made a feeble attempt to maintain a blog which breathes music, never really did justice to it....trying now to bring it back to life by writing about it more.

As I go through life's chores, the boredom of my mundane activities, I want to desperately learn, look out for music. The Internet world does make it so much simpler, Google it, YouTube it and you have it there.

There is a crazy urge to better my understanding and totally lose myself into the vast world of music. What would I have done without it?....I don't have an answer and I can't stop questioning myself.

So long as there is life, there will be music or should I say.....so long as there is music,there will be life in my living.

London Diaries - Market Hop - Borough Market

If there is one thing that I constantly think about other than near and dear ones is 'Food' . I have mostly been a foodie, I enjoy the sight, the thought, the smell, the taste of food and experimenting with it so much that I often think about what I want for lunch and dinner while sipping my morning coffee. Yeah....I know what you're thinking. Pathetic!  

I have used the word 'craving' so many times that no one gets any ideas about it any more. (You know what ideas I am talking about....A 30+ year old, being married for a while now...Yes, That!) 

London is best for its markets (among a few other things). I read somewhere that there are more than 150 markets in London alone. One of them being Borough Market is synonymous with Food and for those who know the Foodie in me will know exactly why I drool over this place and what makes me write about it. 

This place was what made me wish, for the very first time and I admit it that I was a Non-Vegetarian, that I ate meat. The place did not succeed in making me one, but I (not so secretly anymore) wish that I could taste it all!

This market has a lot of character. It sits in a very miss-able spot under the train tracks of the London Bridge Station, beside Southwark Cathedral. The entrance to the market is through small alleyways or a staircase which looks like it will take you down a conservatory. 

I'm sure guide books about London would give you a much glamorous description of the setting and I'll spare you from that.

Most of the Vendors there are either farmers, people who own small businesses - cottage industry-like, people who are passionate about food and who wanted to convert their home-recipe to a commercial venture. Basically,it feels like everyone there enjoys food and the buzz about it. 

It's hard to say which section of the market is better... The stalls selling varieties of cheese, pickles, olives, oils, cakes, chocolates making you stop by to have a taste. The grocery section laying out a vibrant display of fresh fruit & veg, some of whose names I wouldn't know or wonder how one would cook them. The fresh food market selling a variety of cuisine...raclette, falafel wraps, burgers, pies, Paella. The wine section with its vast display of booze from the vineyards of the old and new world. I don't know what I love the most about the place. You might have noticed me conveniently missing the oyster bars, the sea food section, the hog roasts and the barbecue stalls here. 

It's a brilliant way to spend a Saturday morning/afternoon,though the place can get pretty crowded. Of course for me,  I don't mind the crowd, it's just people like you and me who makes the crowd, isn't it? 

I'd love to take anyone who visits me here to Borough.... Not everyone would get the hoo haa about it, but you know you just need to be a food lover. London does offer many such unique markets but this definitely tops my list. I probably have a zillion pictures I have taken of this place saved across 3 laptops and 2 hard drives, being too lazy to pick, sort, select and upload I have chosen some random ones to give you a feel for the place. 

If you are in London, do yourself a favour and visit Borough Market on a Saturday (sunny day would be great, but not worth waiting for it in this city) ....you won't regret the trip! 

The collage is a view of most of the sign boards. I ended up going there on a day the market was closed and I could read all the boards and quotes on the walls which are otherwise covered by the stalls. 

You got to have the Borough Market Chocolate Brownie or any other sweet pastry or cake for sure here

Nibble on a piece of cheese or two

Taste a chutney, pickle, jam or mustard...something....

And pack some goodness back home..

Bridging the Gap

I like bridges and this post is all about the why and where and the what about it. 

I admit it's a bit silly to be writing about 'these are a few of my favourite things', but here we go.

I have always been fascinated by bridges. Somewhere in all the travels around India I figured out my love for it....from simple pleasures of walking across a foot bridge to being on a train and hearing the rattling sound while crossing the bridges, to throwing a coin from the bridge to the river beneath,  there was something that excited me about the engineering marvel in every bridge.
Every person who has spent some good time with me and have been at a place where there was a bridge would know my craze for it.
I don't have many pictures of the bridges in India, a visit to Calcutta is pending and I wish for it some day to see the Howrah. But here are some of the others captured by me.

Bosphorous Bridge, Istanbul - The significance of this bridge is that it connects mainland Europe to mainland Asia. Yes. We don't want to talk about borders and countries and communities,but that's exactly what a bridge does - fills the gap!

 Pont Alexander III, Paris - Just like cakes can be decorated, this bridge reminds me of decoration - beautiful street lamps, the many sculptures on either ends; it's perhaps the most decorated bridges I have ever seen. It's a transforms completely when lit. 

 Rialto Bridge, Venice - One of the most picture perfect bridges It's just so cute...for the lack of a better word. It also has little shops on either sides - guess a very Italian way in constructing bridges in yesteryear.

 Tower Bridge, London - My note on this cannot do justice to how pretty this looks, both by day and night.   It's one of the most beautiful sights in this city and watching it go up is a sight in itself. Can't stop clicking pictures of this. 

 Ponte Vecchio, Florence - It may come across as a very dull bridge, but the beauty lies on either side of it while crossing it, a pedestrian bridge lined with jewellery shops. Very Unique. 

Palladian Bridge, Bath - The guide notes mentioned that there are only 3 such bridges in the world. 

Kapellbrücke /Chapel Bridge, Lucerne - A footbrige which has a diagonal twist along the river. It's also got many paintings all along the interiors and the row of flower basket makes it unique. Never seen anything like this before. 

I now wish I had clicked a picture of every other one I have visited and I am holding myself from putting up every bridge in London here. I do love crossing bridges and I wish there were such bridges between human hearts and minds. Everything would have been so simple. 

Filmy Chakkar

I hear myself saying this every time I watch a few movies, which I choose to talk about in this blog.  

I am no different to the many Indians who love watching, talking, reading about Bollywood films. I owe my love for this genre of films from my parents who in their days were huge movie buffs. My mom is one even today. My father fondly teased her and termed her the 'film encyclopedia' and she always loved the attention we all gave her for the knowledge (wink) she has. 

I won't write about the 100s of movies that I like and don't mind watching over and over, but these are always on my mind when I talk about good movies.....so here we go...

The ones that make me laugh like its a new joke - Golmaal and Choti Si Baat- couldn't choose between them as they are equally good to me. Golmaal is brilliant! A moustache is used to weave the story through and the turn of events depicted is simply hilarious.Choti Si baat shows the simple characters of life.....I'm sure most of us have been through a day when you love someone but just can't gather the courage to mention it. This sensitive feeling is so comical in this movie that it makes me laugh everytime I watch it.

The ones that make me sob and cry as if it's my own pain - Anand and Masoom. I think I can write a whole article about Anand....hard to mention if it's the dialogues, the music, Rajesh Khanna's acting, the simplicity of the characters or all of it that makes me watch it over and over again....everytime, I have a tear in my eye. Masoom - really hard to describe this one. The pain that goes through a little child when he is not accepted by his own father is heart breaking. 

The ones that leave a void every time I watch it - Deewar - Circumstances can make anything out of anyone. It's not being good or bad, doing the right thing or wrong, sometimes as a person, we don't have the control on the flow of events in life and this movie shows that at every stage. It leaves a dent in me and I really feel for Amitabh's character. Don't remember how many times I have watched it. 

The ones for all the lovey-dovey stuff - QSQT and Maine Pyar Kiya - Well....how can the girl in me me run away from movies like these? Totally adore these two out of the zillion such romantic, cheesy films that bollywood churns out every year. Both these films had a few things in common - fresh faces at that time (good looking too!), lovely songs, the happiness, the pain that love stories come with and a small act of bravery when 2 people love  - all this might sound soooooo damn filmy, but I admit that I like it for these reasons and none else.

If you haven't watched any of these already  - I recommend it! 

Dear Mr.Rahul Dravid

Today is Rahul Dravid's birthday and I cannot believe I have never written about him until now.He needs no introduction and so I won't bother giving one here.

My upbringing was surrounded by the 3 cricket fanatic men in the family, my grand dad,my dad and my brother. We have spent many a day and night watching cricket - live, highlights, replays, tapes, on the news, basically anywhere Cricket was shown. I would admit I wasn't always happy having no control over the TV or the remote to watch what I wanted until Dravid happened.

In the time when Sachin was the highlight, the star of the game, everyone's favourite - I adored Dravid. There are a few reasons why I started liking him. To start with, he was from namma Bengalooru, he was fairly good-looking (blush blush), he had this I am a level headed serious guy with a no nonsense, not kiddish attitude to him and of course he was the saviour for many a games that India played- the wall who put the team in a respectable position and kept our hopes alive for a win. When everything else failed Dravid was there. 

The more I watched Cricket and understood the strokes, the skills, I was proud of how talented Dravid was and how good a technique he add ( I won't write more about this coz I don't want anyone to start thinking about Mandira Bedi here).

As a typical teenager who had a crush on someone, I started working on being the best fan ( at least I can term myself that!) Dravid ever would have.  I created a scrap book with every single picture I could get my hands on and a cut out of every interview that ever got published in those years. How did I manage that? A few ways- I had a deal with our local librarian that I will buy every sportstar and sports world after 2 months for 50paise ( money was something I didn't have all the time you know), I collected pepsi crowns from outside little stores to make it a 50 or a 100 and exchange it to postcards, posters that were given away. I had also pestered every cousin, friend, uncle, neighbour I could, to collect ' anything Dravid' that they came across and give it to me.

I am a bit embarrassed to say that I was a bit of a stalker too. My cousin ( another Dravid fan -of course not as big as me) and me went to visit Dravid at his home in Indiranagar only to meet his dad which was a tad disappointing. On an other occassion I went to watch a Ranji trophy match ( were told that we didn't need tickets )- Karnataka vs Goa( yeah! They have a team!) at KSCA only to know that you do need to have a ticket to get to the stand closest to the dressing rooms. To our luck we see Syed Kiramani coming out of the club entrance....went up, spoke to him and we have his pass to enter the stadium....we sat just 2 rows from the dressing room- I don't remember what happened to the game - guess we won.

One of the closest encounters I had was at the opening ceremony of the new wing of the table tennis academy that my brother used to go to and Dravid was the chief guest. My dream did come true....however, all I managed was 'I'm a huge fan of yours' and 'good luck for the upcoming series'. 'Shy' got the better of me. But, I was happy!!!!

I was however heartbroken (a bit of exaggeration won't hurt here, will it?) when he got married, though I was happy for him. As the days went by I continued on being his fan and carried on working on my scrap book and my Dravid wall in my room until slowly the girl in me grew up. I admired him and respected him for the player that he was and carried on being his fan in a 'sane' way.

I would admit that people who knew me did know I had a huge crush on him through my school years, I was a FAN of Rahul Dravid and he was my most favourite sports person. 

Years passed and one day last year I received this random parcel at work (totally unexpected) by a friend of mine (who shares the same birthday as Dravid - wow!) and it was a gift for me - the very book that was released, an autobiography of Rahul Dravid ( This is one of the most thoughtful gifts I've received). Needless to say I liked the book, I would definitely not be the correct person to talk to if you are asking me for a review of the book. In short, I liked the interviews and the chapter by his wife the best.

So....here we are with Dravid retired and commentating these days. Oh! I so like him in whatever he does!! 

Of course I still miss seeing him playing in the Indian Team and every time we buckle in a game a thought goes by wishing he was there to save us! 

And no matter where I am and what I do the girl in me who adored Dravid will always be alive.

A Beautiful Proposal

'Name a song that is your favourite' - That's quite a hard thing to do for most of us. The first thing one might say is 'It's hard to pick one, I have so many favourites'.

It's not any different with me, though; if I am really pushed to give an answer it's got to be either Rhim Jhim gire saawan (which I have blogged about before) or O mere dil ke chein (which I will be blogging about now).

I know what you are thinking - 2 songs! That’s not fair. Come on, I can have a choice of 2 amongst 1000s that are good. I like this song for the usual things - the music, the lyrics, the tune, the picturization and of course Kishore Kumar.

The song is where a boy asks the girl to be his for the rest of his life. The simplicity of the song is brought out in the lyrics which are more like the boy making a conversation with the love of his life asking her not to be scared, asking her to hold his hand and telling her that she means the world to him.

All this sounds a bit too cheesy isn't it, but honestly... that's what the song is all about and that's what makes it beautiful.

In its picturization, Tanuja has portrayed the shy girl who has just been told how special she is.  She has just been lifted off her two feet by the proposal. She is happy yet scared; she's over the moon but remains grounded to understand what her man is saying. Rajesh Khanna shows how eager he was to have her home and share the special feeling he had towards her.

This song makes me quote one from the book Shantaram 'Any Indian man will tell you that although love might not have been invented in India, it was certainly perfected there'

It's incomplete if I don't post the song here.

Cheat's Cookery - Pita Bread with Sides

I do enjoy different cuisines and though many of them seem bland when compared to the masalas which make a big part of the spicy Indian food, I enjoy trying and tasting food from different places. However, when I give it a go in my workshop, it does have an Indianized feel to it.

Moroccon/Mediterranean food is something which caught onto me, mainly for the reason of trying something different and secondly that it is definitely healthy. I tried the same at home and the result is what you see here - try it when you can on a day when you are not in mood to eat too much or when you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen

Ingredients:
Pita Bread/ Flat bread
Oil
Hummus - Plain would do, I used Caramelised Onion Hummus
Peppers - red and green
Onions
Sweet Corn
Green Chillies
Ginger
Crushed Red Chillies
Parsley - dried too can do
Butter/ Margerine
Extra Virgin olive oil
Coriander - Of course - nothing is complete without this!

Steps to prepare:

Step 1 - Side dish
- slice onions and peppers length wise
- Steam/ microwave the sweet corn
- Chop green chillies and ginger
- In a pan, add some oil, add the ginger and green chillies, then add onions and brown it.
- Add the peppers and sweet corn and saute it for a while until cooked
- Sprinkle some crushed red chillies and saute it for a couple of minutes
- Garnish with freshly chopped coriander


Step 2- Hummus
- Add the Hummus on a plate
- Add a splash of olive oil on it
- Sprinkle some Parsley and Crushed Red chillies

Step 3 - Pita bread
- Smear butter/margerine on the pita bread and toast it on a flat pan until warm/cooked

Serve the side dish along side the hummus and the hot pita bread.

The Joy of Finding Things!!!!!!!

A few days back I was on leave for a couple of days. I thought it's high time I do some good to my cupboard drawer...poor thing wasn't cleaned in years.... this section of my cupboard was like a treasure (as I call it!!!)...had many things..... but didn't know what it actually contained.

As I started doing the cleaning, the only thing I had in mind was to dispose off all the unnecessary things, all the junk I have been collecting for ages!!! But what actually happened was quite different....I found so many things which are such a sweet remembrance of school days, college days, times spent with friends, cousins. It took me down the memory lane and I saw myself going back and re-living each incident.... every small detail of it!!!!

Isn't it lovely to find things like this??? Small things.... it brings back the smile on your face. As I went digging through my little treasure......I found a whole bundle of surprises...be it the autograph book where all our school teachers have left a note for us as we leave school and step into a new world, be it that autograph book which contains the signatures of our favourite Cricket fans/movie stars, the movie tickets-which happened to be the first movie I watched with friends way back when at school, or the pencil sketch which I had got done at some exhibition, a caricature of myself!, the old chocolate wrappers, some money in the old wallet that was used long back, all the ink pens, the phone book, the birthday greeting cards, well…........the list would go on.... each one of this brought with it a pleasant memory and recalling them brings so much joy!!!!

..... One who would have come so far reading this might wonder why have I put it all up here?!!??

.............It's just the excitement in me that just couldn't stop me from penning it down......all the fun I had as I discovered each piece from my den...