Operation Drive 2

Ever since I told BB that I plan to drive to work, he has been going around with a martyred look on his face which is intensified x2 whenever he looks at the car. Given my past history with vehicles I don't blame him. No, I have not been in any accidents or anything like that, its just that I have classic female problem when it comes to directions, judgement and speed ... and he imagines the worst. 

That said I intend to change history... rather rewrite my history so to speak and I will never get a better opportunity than now as the sole person in the house who has the licence and the will to drive. Also BB has only himself to blame for my new found resolve, the below exchange which took place last week has me determined to start driving, read on and see for yourself.

The other day we met a few friends and one of them goaded BB to let me drive the car.

Y said, "Come on BB, let her drive the car, pohoch jaayega yaar tu".

BB snorts, 'Yeah, pohoch jaayega, Powai Lake mein milega'. (we work in Powai in the vicinity of the lake).

X who was also part of this group, agreed with BB and rolled her eyes while pointing skyward indicating, "yeah, pohoch jayega... UPAR'.

A message to ya all, I shall drive... PERIOD.

Lucid...

Another offering from Krunal... enjoy...

Figure, what's going on
you'll be revealed in facts
you've lost the touch
the senses are still intact
caught in the whirlwind
you were lost in time
thought you'll say something
not sure if I'm
the dream is over
though it's stuck in your head
get over it my child
you are very much here in your bed
the scares are temporary
the shivers are too
the fear shall stay forever
only if you let it overcome you
look in my eyes
things are back to real
hold me if you want
tell me how you feel
once there was a boy
who ran in circles
the grass was golden
and the sky was purple
he beat the path
with his feet
waiting for someone
to come and meet
he ran and ran
but never got anywhere
he got too tired
and slept right there
he dreamt then
someday he'll break free
when he woke up
he was right here with me.

Satyavachan...

FB status update...so true lah, just the perfect line to describe moi!!!

"Once you get past my charm, good looks, intelligence and sense of humour. I think it is my modesty that stands out!"

 :-p :-p :-p

Operation Drive...

So BB (baby brother) is travelling on a project and for the foreseeable future I am going to have to fend for myself travel-to-office wise. I can assure you it is not something that I look forward to. After being spoilt rotten for over a year being, ferried around in the car with nothing else to do other than get on BB’s nerves by giving him navigational support (it is a well accepted fact that I am rubbish when it comes to giving directions and can get lost in my own back yard so to speak).

This being the case when I told BB that I’m intend to drive to work and will get myself a driver who will sit next to me while I practice driving, BB gave me a significant look which had ‘I-hope-the-Optra-doesn’t-look-like-a-Zen-when-I-return’ written all over it. Now the second part of Operation Drive is to find a driver who is of the category ‘jisske-aage-peeche-na-koi-ronewala-na-koi-ronewaali’, given the fact that I am even worse when it comes to driving and will needs someone who is willing to take risks of the jaan and maal variety. Check out this space for more on the travails of a lady driver. Hopefully I’ll survive and also master the art of driving on the Mars landscapish Mumbai roads well enough to be able to go to the airport to receive BB when he returns. Cheers!!!

Pandal Hopping!!!

The ten day Ganesh Utsav that is celebrated in Mumbai is one festival that I enjoy the most. During the ten days the city is transformed and every person seems to have a spring in his/ her step and "Ganpati baghayla chala/ Ganpati dekhne chalein" is the catch phrase on every ones lips. As a rule I try and see as many idols of Lord Ganesh as possible and if all else fails, on the last day you'll find me standing on the footpath along the route taken by the Ganpatis on their journey to the sea for immersions. As kids, my friends and I would stand on the footpath and watch the huge idols as they slowly made their way towards the sea. We would keep count of the number of idols we saw and then brag about it for days thereafter to the others who did not come with us.

Every year I just have to see the below three Ganpatis as they hold a special place in my heart and my social calendar can never be complete without a visit to see them. I must mention here that I've been visiting the below three Ganpatis since the time in the very, very, distant past when I wore short frocks.

Mhatarpada, Amboli

The Mhatarpada, Amboli Ganpati and I go back a long time; this Ganpati and the below Shiv Sena Shaka Ganpati are housed in  the lanes on the route we took to school, so everyday after school us kids would go pay a visit to the elephant god, not so much out of  devotion, as for the prasad of sugar cubes and peanuts that was distributed to all!!!

Shiv Sena Shaka, Amboli

I loved going to this mandal as they had the most innovative pandal designs, usually they would create a cave and devotees has to walk on stepping stones that were placed in a make shift stream. The streams would be complete with live fish!!! 

Andhericha Raja, Azad Nagar

The Andhericha Raja (Andheri is the part of Mumbai I call home and for my international audience, I'll clarify that Andhericha Raja means 'King of Andheri'. Truth be told the Ganesh Idols at this mandal always have the most mesmerising eyes, see pic below). Every year they create a replica of some famous temple and this year they have created a replica of the Dilwara Jain Temple, Mount Abu and to say it is breath taking is an understatement. I'll let the pics speak for themselves. Ganpati Bappa Morya!!!

Dal Makhani...

So, after a year I'm finally back to doing what I like most... cooking... and the recipe that has been on my list for a long long time is Dal Makhani... I got the recipe from here, but as usual made a lot of adjustments so the below is my version of Dal Makhani and it tasted fabulous... and one tip I can give you is, the more you cook it the better it tastes....honestly it tasted even better the next day. I think going forward if I want to serve Dal Makhani for lunch I'll prepare it the previous night :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole black lentils
• 1/2 cup Kidney beans
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 green chillies, finely chopped
• Paste of a 2 inch piece of ginger and 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp cumin-coriander powder (freshly ground)
• 1 tsp cardamom powder (freshly ground)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 tsp dried Fenugreek leaves ( Kasuri Methi )
• 3 tbsp butter
• 4 cloves
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon powder
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tomatoes (pureed)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup cream
• salt to taste and chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1) Soak the lentils and kidney beans overnight.

2) Cook them in a pressure cooker for 7-8 whistles (until it is quite mushy). Remove from the cooker and mash the lentils.

3) Heat the butter in a pan and add the cloves, cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, cumin-coriander powder,bay leaf, ginger-garlic paste, chillies and onions. Saute until aromatic and onions gets soft.

4) Add the Tomato puree and cook till the raw tomato smell leaves.

5) Add the lentil mash and salt and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

6) Add the fenugreek leaves along with cardamom powder, stir and then add the cream and cook for 5 minutes.

7) Add the tomato sauce and water and cook well.
8) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and a dollop of cream.

9) Serve with rotis or plain rice.

Heal

And one more from Krunal, somehow this one has touched a chord as it is a time of new beginnings for me as well... Enjoy...

Hush, the wind sings
listen to what it brings
the sounds from across
the dreams of whitewash
the darks are hues now
agonies are few now
the fever that was so high
is now receding
pick up the idle book
it needs a little reading
breathe deep into the air
breathe the scent it wears
let the trapped voice
break free and rejoice
open up your mind
leave the pains behind
open your ears
to the sweet silence
open your eyes
to dreams it saw once
move from deliriums
to ecstasy
let the inner tide rise
let it meet the sea
in the time of shudders
the vessels are porcelain
but don't you bother, boy
the slate is wiped clean
the doors have opened up
come out of the room
it's time to heal now
it's time to bloom...

Turning Point!!!

Well, my brother who has the lovely job of ferrying me to and from office was working late yesterday and I had to cajole a rickshaw driver to bring me to Andheri. Normally when I travel by rickshaw the good Samaritan hidden deep (really really deep) down inside me stirs from the Rip Van Winklish sleep and makes me offer lifts to people. Accordingly yesterday I offered a lift to someone who I am on civil hi-bye terms. When I say this I mean it is a someone I've known for a long time but isn't some one I would expect to chit-chat with and definitely not someone who would share life experiences and give me straight from the heart in your face blunt advice which actually makes sense. 

Come to think of it, it really makes me believe in the age old sayings "Never judge a book by its cover", "Don't believe all you hear", "God speaks to you through others" and last but not the least as my best friend once told me "Never Assume". For never in my wildest dreams did I expect this person to be so down-to-earth and capable of carrying a sensible conversation about anything other than self. I had the most interesting half hour conversation which has given me enough food for thought. I sincerely hope that in the distant future when I look back at my life, I can single out this conversation as "the conversation that changed my life for the better!"

Cheers to life!!!

P.S.- Just noticed this is my 300th post :-p (16th September 2012)

These Shoes...

Another gem written by Krunal and my personal favourite... enjoy...

Blisters on the sole,
and a bruised and battered soul,
A soft lawn will arrive
when you’ll throw away these shoes
but not now,
the stubborn shackles will break away
the hot tar road will draw to a close
the nerves beating to a rhythm
will soon calm down
but not now,
endure this twinge for a while
enjoy it rather till it lasts
your feet will soon breathe fresh air
once you throw away these shoes
but not now,
yes you’ll walk many miles
after you throw the shoes away
or perhaps you’ll fly, as wings will grow
and the flight will set free
but not now,
yes you have walked all this while
and now you are short of breath,
but this is the last lap
and you’ll soon breast the tape, finish the race
but not just now

the heart is full of hope
the mind full of aspirations
the thoughts are wakeful
and the freedom is at the doorstep
how can they hold the light
they don’t have the switch
the time is waiting
for you to reach
yes the shoes are hurting
and you won’t need them soon
but not just now my friend
not just now.

The Road to Leh...

Again this poem was written by Krunal, while he was visiting the magical and mystical Leh...Enjoy...

Driving on the land of passes
through the magnetic hills
across the silk route
into a rural idyll

climbing the higher altitudes
where the air turns thin
in a breathless space
the whispering wind grins

the cold mystical breeze
blows in my face
the road it moves ahead
in its winding ways

seeking for a utopian land
I ride the road to Leh
leaving behind the bustle
of encumbered days

the mists of dawn
glowing beyond the heights
spreading slowly across
the star filled skies

the turquoise spaces reflect
upon the calm waters
creating a scene surreal
marvelling the trotter

the prayer flags flutters
colouring the sky
high above a monastery
stands on the ethereal side

seeking for you there
I ride along the Indus
taking your name
in the moments of hush

Hey you!

OK, this post is by a guest writer, my colleague Krunal wrote this, I think its lovely, Enjoy...

Hey you,
why did you lose that light
look what you've become
trying to be right
once you had a vision
all that is lost in reason
the ship of fools you left
is now grounded
but the directions you were heading
were really bounded
Hey you,
you were a smarter one
look what you've become
running for the sun
once you had that shine
though you were in the firing line
the doors you closed
is now surrounded by vine
why do your eyes lie now
when you say everything's fine
Hey you,
why don't you come back
look what you've become
riding with the pack
once you had the grit
now you are a tamed misfit
the shackles you owned
could still be broken
speak out now
for the words are left unspoken...

Table Tennis...

Now that my knee, back and other sundry body parts which were on strike for the better part of last year have relented and I slowly limp (pun unintended) back to normalcy, I seem to have discovered a new found love for sports... to be more specific for Table Tennis.

To be honest, all my life I had a strange loathing for this game, for the life of me, I could not understand what joy people got by whacking a plastic ball onto a table with something that resembled a tiny frying pan. Also the rules were something that I never could get a grasp of no matter how hard I tried to follow the game...

for e.g.:

1) How did they keep track of the serve, to my mind it seemed like one person served till eternity

2) While serving the ball had to bounce on both the sides of the net, else it was out, and I just couldn't get the ball to bounce once...forget twice for i'm an avid badminton player and every time the table tennis ball came in my direction I hit it high into the sky and sent it sailing across the room (Again I play gully badminton, bring in RULES and I blank out)...

3) Ask me to watch a doubles Table Tennis match and normally I would bolt faster than Ussain Bolt to get out of the room where the match is being played... as I find the doubles rules even more enigmatic.

But then something happened last week and I'm now a convert. It all began when I moved teams, my new team sits right outside the room which contains the Table Tennis table. Now this room has become a hive of activity ever since my company announced its own version of the Olympics with three different indoor game events ( Carrom, Chess and Table Tennis) and staff are encouraged to take part is large numbers. Yours truly hasn't touched a Carrom Board or Chess Board in the past ten years and hasn't ever played Table Tennis  barring the few feeble attempts at mastering the game while in school which sorely failed... so taking part in any of the events was out of question, the sentiment being, "Better a Spectator than a Spectacle!".

My colleagues however took part in large numbers and I would drop in to see them practice and one day I confessed to one of the more avid Table Tennis players that I was at sea. He took it on himself to enlighten me about the game and as they say in the penny thrillers...something happened. I must say it was like the moment in the movie Matrix where Neo realises he is THE ONE and everything just falls in to place... I was hooked. A few tentative games later I was playing like one who played this game all her life and all I can say to anyone who wants to play a game of Table Tennis with me is ... bring it on!!!