Summer Holidays

I keep going back in time to try and relive some cherished moments. I very often wonder whether I'd do the same after 20+ years about the present day..... I wonder what I would think about... there seems nothing so special about the current life. Well....I'll ponder about it some other day.

I am going to be writing about my summer vacation during school, those 2 months of all play, no books, no exams, and no rules. I am sure each one of us has a long story to weave about this one.

We (amma, brother and me) visited my maternal grandparents every year for more than a month during this time. Our other cousins with my aunt came there too. (we called my grandparents ambu ajji and dada and often referred to the home simply as ajji mane)

As my grandparent’s house was adjacent to another close relatives’, more cousins, second cousins, aunts & friends used to join in. In short, it was one huge unending party.

Ajji mane had a huge garden with 2 large mango trees, a jackfruit tree, mulberry plant amongst many other shrubs, plants, trees -small and big. As it was the season of the mangoes, there were at least 2-3 days spent in getting the mangoes plucked, picking them, sorting them and sharing them with neighbours, friends and relatives. Then came ajji's turn in making delicacies with mango one wouldn't have thought of.

Once the mango activity died down, my cousins and I settled down to play games which are both indoor and outdoor. Most often we used to play carrom board (reminds me to tell you that my colleagues in the UK had never heard of this game!), cards, Chinese chequers amongst traditional ones like kunte bille, chowkha baarah, pagadi and more modern ones like badminton and cricket - needless to say that we used to pick the sport either looking at the time of the day or when we had a bad fight on the previous game and had to start something new to forget and move on.

It also used to be the time of torrential rains, you know when it gets really hot, it tends to pour it down on a certain day. Those days were great fun! Play in the rain and have bhaji's in the evening as a treat. I remember this huge tree outside ajji's home which had big orange flowers covered with a shell that resembled a boat, we called it the boat tree (no points for guessing this one). The rains used to bring this down and we loved playing with these in the rain making little rivers out of pathways. 

Ambu ajji was one of the best cooks and the most hospitable people I have ever seen. 

Every night we gathered around her for her numerous stories - the likes of Ramayana, Mahabharata, aesops fables and panchatantra. While she told us the stories, she fed us our dinner by giving us Kai thutthu ( she made balls of rice and each of us get a piece of it in a round robin basis, we carry on doing this, on most occasions until the food runs out - while I write this, I can't help but chuckle at my description in English!) - Of course we ended up eating much more than we would have if it was served separately to us.

The other activity was getting Mehendi on our hands (the western world calls it henna art - something that makes me grin every time I hear it!). My dear mom was the artist, we all got to pick a design from a little book and take turns in getting it done. The next morning's activity was sorted as we spent time comparing designs, the shades, and colour of the patterns on our hands.

Those were the times when TV meant only DD with one movie every week. So, the luxury we received was to rent a VCD player for a few days and rent tapes to watch every night and during hot afternoons. It used to be a mini cinema hall as about 25-30 people gathered in the tiny living room to be a part of this occasion. I had my first Hindi lessons watching the classics ....sangam, shree 420, khamoshi to name a few.

Dada, as we fondly called my grandpa just loved children. Every evening he used to take all us kids out for a stroll either to LalBagh, Bugle Rock, Hanumanthana betta or Gandhi Bazaar ( there is no place like south Bangalore). He often resembled a pied piper with children following him. The evening stroll with him also came with treats in the name of ice creams, roasted peanuts or chocolates.  We used to be thrilled.

In between all this, I came up with this idea of holding entertainment programmes (EPs. A show we put up and have music, plays, jokes, monoacts, quizzes, dance and drama in it. I am quite proud of this little activity which I started. Age-wise, I was bang in the middle of the crowd, the older cousins thought I was too young, however, the younger ones thought I was the big sis they could look up to - I adored the attention. So, I got my younger cousin sis and my brother and we three formed our little entertainment company.  We did, if i recollect it, around 9 such EPs and it was a huge thing, everyone liked it....I wish I can get my hands on the feedback forms which we had asked all to write. 

It was a simple life, with simple aspirations; so generally, we always had a good time. Those days are never going to come back and I guess our next generation will somehow always miss the joys in simple things.  I cherish those days - it was called Summer Holidays for a reason and we made the most of it. 

British Summer

Well.. I would want to call it London summer than British summer....but I tend to like titles which are standard phrases....call it a mind-block to creativity!

This is my third summer in the UK, but I suppose this has been the true 'British Summer' experience I have had. I would like to pen down a few thoughts about the same, some things that we have done to enjoy the sun which is such a rarity and some general things that people here tend to do.

The clocks were set forward by an hour on the 28th March this year, however the 'Summer' took it's own sweet time and arrived late June - early July (where we stand now). The days are long - its daylight almost until 10:00pm which gives us ample time to do stuff, the night just doesn't seem to start and it also ends quickly...however, the party is on all day.

For starters, the first thing we notice is the change in clothing, people get less formal, less of 'all black' clothing, sun glasses - all sizes and shapes, colours - in clothing, women tend to sport the 'Gladiator sandals' which mainly is open footwear in a roman style (which you get to see in movies showing that era), lots of linen clothing, camis, shorts, skirts.... varied ranges, sales everywhere!

It's the time for sports, Wimbledon comes with its old glory, it's time for enjoying it at the venue if you are lucky enough to have tickets, the less lucky ones end up either queuing for ground tickets/re-sales ( I spotted people carrying flyers of 'tips on queuing for Wimbledon' or just settle for Murray mount to watch the game on a big screen. It's the time to enjoy fizzy and Strawberries and Cream. One can typically see the women dressed in pastel shade dresses with straw hats, men in their finest linen suits - it's all about class.

It's also the time for the Royal Ascot- the horse race, the British Grand Prix, many get into playing Golf too. This time it came with the added bonus of the World Cup Football - though London and the country was disappointed with the early exit of their team, the atmosphere was brialliant.

It's those times when there are concerts everywhere, in parks, in the squares in the city, screening of films in places like somerset house, theatre - it's back to the shakespeare's world at the Open air theatre and the Globe Theatre.

It's ideal to make a trip to the beach towns - We took a trip to Brighton, being closest to London, It's got a pebble beach - perhaps the first one that I saw! The pier has games which take you back to your school days, the cafes, pubs and bars are full of life. The 'Lanes' of Brighton are just so mesmerizing.

We also have spent time playing tennis - Thanks to the free courts - we dont need to play to pick the ball more than hitting it! We also had been cycling around Richmond Park - imagine spotting 100+ deer at a time while you are biking in the park. It was very peaceful.

Food is different now - it's all about healthy food - salads with various dressings, summer berries, smoothies and juices. There's a lot on the other end too - Ice creams - literally everywhere! Pimms cocktail - looks so pretty with all the fruits and tastes great too! And when you have had enough of this there's Sangria anyways.

It's the time for Barbeques- wait for that weekend which is hot!!! , house parties, water fights at the parties and lots of fun!

Overall, this is a time when people get out in the open, plan stuff, do stuff and generally it's a happy mood, a 'feel-good' day everyday!

The Music of Rain..

I tend to get caught with a topic while blogging (i.e. when I do blog!!!) ... when I write about coffee I am drowned in it, when I write about travels, I am lost in it and now that I just wrote about Rain.... looks like I am going to get drenched in it.

On a lighter note this time, with an attempt not to write the part 2 of the previous tale....is about this song...which I consider as one of the best songs written and picturized describing 'Rain'...It goes Rhim Jhim gire saawan .. sulag sulag jaaye mann...bhige aaj is mausam mein, lagi kaisi ye agan....

.......Many years ago, I heard this song from my room while my mother was playing this on her favourite stereo in her room... I loved it instantly. It was the Kishor Kumar version of the song (which I thought was the only one), I remember playing it over and over again to learn the lyrics.....it was a simple song.... no heavy lyrics, not the greatest tune yet had an ease about it, seems like he has sung it so effortlessly....it definitely has a feel good factor...It used to take me back to a rainy day and my own imagination of having a good time.

However, I saw the video of the song much much later and well! It was a female voice, that of Lata Mangeshkar, but the video bowled me over.....I loved it all over again.
Today, I love both versions of the song and the videos, however the one which is picturized in the streets of Mumbai with the Rain is the closest to my heart and remains as one of my most favourite videos... it makes me feel happy and doesn't fail making me smile.

The Tale of a Rainy day

Ask anyone whether they ‘Like rain’ and more than 90% of the answers would be ‘Yes, I like rain, I enjoy rain, I love rain’- I am surely one who falls into this category – sipping hot coffee with friends, eating hot spicy food and chatting along while you hear and smell the rain outside is something I would always rejoice! However there are a second set of people who could add on the fact that Oh! It’s so messy after it’s rained; I don’t quite enjoy getting drenched in rain when I have to get to some place or if I am in a hurry. There are also a third set of people who says ‘It doesn’t affect me, I am not quite bothered whether it rains or not’ and so on.

Rain can mean different things to a lot of other people too. For the office goer’s it would mean a nuisance if it rains just at the time they need to leave home or leave for home from work, for the school kid, it’s a joy who can play in the puddles, get the clothes and shoes wet, perhaps very heavy rains can also bring them an unexpected holiday; For the street vendors, it’s a blow on their business, as it might force them to close down the shop for the rainy day. For those who have organized an outdoor activity, event, a function it’s a cause of tension – what if the shelter is not good enough, what if people drop out of the plan of attending, what would happen to all the food, where can we make alternate arrangements, for the sports freak especially a cricket fanatic, it would be a missed game, a missed day of fun, on the other hand for the person whose home is the very street, he would be swept off from his home.

For most of us accustomed to city life, it doesn’t quite matter whether it rains on not as much as the farmer or that individual who is dependent on it for his day to day life. For them, rain would be a blessing; they would pray for it and would be overjoyed and relieved that it did rain. Of course, we city dwellers might get to realize it only when it’s too hot, or there are too many power cuts, the cost of vegetables are way too high and when little issues creep in. It would be out in the news and can also become a topic of discussions – especially when you are with a group of people who you are not acquainted with.

It’s interesting to see the turn of events when the skies cry…. You can see the dogs on the street just running at a slow pace trying to get shelter, but also at the same time not quite bothered about getting wet, the cows who remain so unmoved from their positions, birds flying from tree to tree….On the other hand, you can see the vendors hurriedly covering their cart full of things, women running to get the washed clothes hung outside (which had almost dried up until this happened), old men/ladies retiring with a cup of hot coffee/tea by the window sill, kids trying to sneak away and play in the rain, a group of friends talking about having hot fried food and coffee at their favourite restaurant or café and monkeys hanging from a Mango tree and trying in their so many human like ways to cover themselves…these could be amongst many other things you might have noticed.

The smell of rain is a much loved thing to most people who enjoy rain, the smell of mud, the smell of the garden – the washed leaves of trees, plants and flowers – all of them looking clean and green, the smell of hot corn on the cob, the smell of hot spicy food by the street where people who wanna have a quick grab, the people coming out once it has stopped and having a chat together, the noise of the street businesses resuming, some people working on cleaning up the havoc caused by it, everyone getting back to their activities…….The after effects need not be always good….if one doesn’t pay attention while walking along the street, they might end up with a shower of mud and rain water, the slippery roads can be quite horrible, the flies in the evening is the most and the only annoying aspect of rain that I remember. It can also be in the news or the next day’s morning paper if things have gone pretty bad…..Nonetheless, the whole cycle ends and routine begins again until the spell of rain starts the sequence of events on yet another day… a morning of shower, an afternoon of quiet rain, an evening of heavy rain, or a downpour at night…..

Winter Wonderland

Winter was here...the month of December is for many reasons the best month during the winter, it's festive with Christmas around the corner, the New Year's would soon follow, lots of holidays, celebrations everywhere, gifts, decorations, partying, less work and all things nice. On the other hand January is the most dreaded month - all celebrations over, no more holidays, festivals for a long long time....Just as we wait for January to get over, the weather reports say that the Winter progresses into February and we just start the countdown of 6-7 weeks of winter remaining....

On the night of Feb 2nd and the early hours of Feb 3rd it was a complete Whiteout. UK experienced the heaviest snowfall in 18years; it was my first major one…. There was 15cms of Snow settled -clean and white.... all around us. It gave us all a playground of a different kind, everyone forgot of the ongoing economic crisis, about work, about all tensions.... and played like kids...
Having listened to the song from the past few months - it was indeed 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland'....
Take a peek at some of the shots I could capture….

National Gallery @ Trafalgar Square


The garden in our Courtyard


Streets of London


The Big Ben as seen from Trafalgar Square


Icing Sugar on the Houses of Parliament & Big Ben