The Versatile Blogger Award

Wow, what have I done to deserve this?  A second award?  My co-bloggers are indeed very kind to me.  I have to thank Nityakalyani for this prize. Thank you so much Nitya.

One condition for accepting the prize is that one has to give 7 reasons why you are justified in accepting this.  I would like to be outright honest here and admit that I am not averse to accepting awards.  That is my primary reason for accepting it.  (Take it before they change their minds).  Anyway, since I also have to satisfy the pre-condition, here goes:

1. My blogs are mostly humorous.
2. I am not averse to some reflection on social, philosophical and spiritual topics.
3. Occasionally when the mood takes me, I enjoy writing a bit of poetry / limericks.
4. I have been adventurous enough to try my hand at fiction.
5. How can I forget to mention my favourite hobby - EATING of course, and consequently writing about food and cooking.  
6. My latest addition to my repertoire is Nature Photography.  Of course, I still have a long way to go in getting anywhere near perfect.
7. I have also opened my account in blogging about my travels in a very simple way.

Whew, that was a tough one.  Trying to say more than 2 things about myself is always a challenge.  Oh, well, I managed 7 today.  Maybe another good reason to allow everyone to believe I am versatile.  

Now coming to doing the honours.  I would like to pass on the award to:

• Mira Murli who never ceases to amaze me with the variety of  skills she exhibits in her blogs.  She has been a source of tremendous inspiration to me and has helped me with designing my blog.

• Surya Prakash, a colourful butterfly, who brings colour into the lives of all her friends and who is extremely creative.  She too, like Mira has helped me with my blog.

• Nityakalyani for being such a dedicated blogger.  The sheer variety of her blogs, her crafts as well as her writings is highly commendable.

• Sudha Kailas for the amazing elegance and grace she brings to the jewellery she makes.

• Usha Srikumar for her eye catching Tanjore paintings as well as for her writings.

Sunbird songs

Looks like I am in luck.  I have always loved looking at birds, but never really spared much time or attention to the different varieties that inhabit my surroundings.  Put it down to lack of time, too many preoccupations or just no particular reason.

Suddenly I find myself with a lot of time on my hands and a fascination with my camera.  And as if the whole universe decided to connive in my favour, a whole lot of new birds are arriving in the colony.  It just happens that all these factors - availability of time, a peaceful mind, arrival of new birds has suddenly spurred my interest and shall now try to get to know more about the ones that present themselves to me.

I don't think it would require any great stretch of imagination to believe me when I say, it is a real treat to rediscover Nature in all her glory and to derive joy out of these simple pleasures handed out on a platter to me even as I sit inside the confines of my home.

So here is one of those musical as well as optical treats that I revelled in yesterday.  This is a purple sunbird.

Liebster Blog

Yippppeeeeeeeee!  I am so delighted to receive the Liebster award from a fellow blogger and dear friend Nityakalyani.  

The word "Liebster" means favourite and this award is meant for upcoming blogs with less than 200 followers.

Thanks so much Nitya for this award.

Give Nitya a pair of knitting needles and there is no stopping her from coming up with the most imaginative and fascinating creations.  Or read the little pieces from literature that she shares.

My choices for the Liebster award are:

1. Surya Prakash from http://riyakathir.blogspot.in/   This young lady is recently married and discovering the joy of converting a house to a home and brings a tremendous amount of originality and creativity to her efforts.
2. Limerickwala http://limerickwala.blogspot.in/  This is a unique collective effort of a group of people who enjoy writing their thoughts in 5 lines of verse.  Limericks are typically nonsense verse, but the topics of these limericks vary from nonsense verse to the most topical.
3. Padmavathi Krishnamurthi of http://allthoughtswidenwonderful-padmavathi.blogspot.in/ .  This very young lady indulges in humour with a subtlety and refinement that belies her age.
4. Mira Murli of http://my-hobby-lounge.blogspot.in/ .  She is a real powerhouse of talent.  We share a common weakness - FOOD.  Whether it be blogs on recipes, art, travel or snippets Mira never ceases to amaze.
5. Sudha Kailas of http://sudhaoutofthebox.blogspot.in/ - the newest member on the block is another amazingly talented lady.  Her proficiency at jewellery making is remarkable.  Each piece of art is more eye catching with her and she has only herself to compete with.

Surya, Limerickwala group, Padmavathi, Mira and Sudha

Looking forward to some wonderful blogs from you.

Please accept this award by copying and pasting it to your blog, linking back to the person who gave it to you and pass on the joy of receiving this award to 5 of your favourite blogs with less 200 followers.

The elusive visitor

For quite a few weeks now I have been hearing all sorts of new bird calls that I have not heard before.  Our housing complex is in the pathway of flights taking off and landing at what was the old airport.  I wonder if this is the result of the airport being moved out of the city - more varieties of birds making their appearance.

Of these, one bird in particular has a very loud, throaty call that resembles the croaking of a frog.  It is fascinating to hear them calling to each other in a very conversational manner from one tree to the other.  Although they sounded very close at hand, I was not able to spot them for quite a while.

Then one day I saw a blur of green whizzing past and thought it was a parrot.  A few days later, I spotted a dash of green on the branch of a tree outside my window.  I looked - and there it was - but it was no parrot.  It had a strange combination of colours which I had never seen before.

When I posted the picture on a site and asked if anyone could identify the bird, I was told it was a white cheeked barbet.  Kudos to the person who could identify the bird from such a hazy picture taken in such bright light that the picture did not do justice to Nature's art.  The position of the bird did not allow me to get the right colours of the beak etc.

Well, today finally, I managed to capture one of these birds which keep darting from tree to tree, hardly sitting in one place for too long.  This bird mercifully perched itself in full view and gave me a very good pose which helped me get its colours in their fullest glory.

From my balcony

It is amazing to be able to see such birds right in the centre of a major city.

Travel to Mahabalipuram

I guess a drive from Bangalore to Chennai may not exactly be the most original or exotic drive in the world, but this was the first time I went by road to Chennai. Although I have visited Yercaud and Yelagiri by road in the past many years ago, when the highway was just built, this was a different experience altogether.

We (hubby and I) set off at a fairly reasonable hour - 8 in the morning (a good, sound sleep certainly enhances the experience of a long drive). We hit the office going traffic near the Madivala market. But that was not too bad. We were at the head of a traffic jam, so were not too badly hit. We drove quite uneventfully down to Shoolagiri where we stopped to fuel the car as well as ourselves   . The road was pretty good, the weather bracing and the sun not too hot. 

The road was dotted with boards warning drivers to drive slow. These boards on the road merit a separate blog by themselves. The warnings are very clear. Apart from warnings, they are a good source of amusement while drivingalong. (Unfortunately we did not stop to photograph them ).

"Truck lay-bye" 

"If you drive, don't drink. If you drink, don't drive" (no nonsense there - very clear) 

"Be careful, big pothole ahead (was imagining boards in Bangalore saying "Be careful, short stretch of road ahead"! )

"Fast drive is last drive"

But the winner was a board which said :

"Safety gears are between the ears"  

We must give it to whoever has put up these boards - the engineers????? In which case they must be a pretty gifted and creative lot.

This reminded of the boards along the Jammu-Srinagar highway which I had seen in 1977. They were very catchy - so much so as to stay in my memory (which is siftier than the sand on a beach) after so many years. They read

"This is not a race or rally, drive slow and enjoy Kashmir valley", "Drive slow, your family needs you". 

I remember dad and myself reading all these boards along the way and enjoying ourselves.

From there on the highway was undergoing 6 laning right upto Krishnagiri, so we had to drive carefully.

The drive was so beautiful, that we missed the turning to Chennai and went straight down along the Salem highway for about 30 kms with BH wondering why the road was so green - apparently after the turn near Krishnagiri, it is quite barren.

Well, we had all the time in the world and the scenery was far too beautiful to regret the loss of time and extra drive. In fact seeing that the road led to Kanya Kumari, I secretly wished we could abandon the previous plan and drive down to KK. Anyway, neither of us is given to such sudden whims, nor did we have so much time to manage that. Anyway it was a great pleasure watching the green environs around - a real treat to the eye. Distant hills, coconut groves, a lake with birds dotted the way all along.  Well, a lesson learnt there - the journey is an integral part of the holiday experience, getting to the destination another part of it.  (What is any story without a moral, eh?)

Eventually we made our way back to the right turning leading to Chennai. What a drastic change in scenery. Amazing to think that just a few kilometers away and the scenery could be so markedly different. 

After that the drive was pretty routine. We stopped over at Vellore for refuelling (our own tanks that is ) and then carried on. I curled up on the back seat for a while to rest my petulant back and slept till we got to Sriperumbadur. (The road was pretty bad compared to the beautiful highway till Vellore). Got up in time to see the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial on the way. (Seems so unreal to think of him getting blown up so violently). Anyway, after that it was pretty slow going with huge Hyundai trucks trundling along one after the other. (One of them had "Garib Rath" written behind it as if to convince potential robbers that they did not have any precious cargo aboard" It would be nice if all the Garibs in our country could have Hyundai cars.) 

Reached Chennai in the evening to find the weather very pleasant and bracing.

Went two days later to Mahabalipuram. Personally was not so enamoured by the ECR - may be the heat and my travel sickness coloured my perspective in a deep shade of grey. 

However after reaching Mahabalipuram, had a wonderful time playing on the beach, walking through the water along the beach, gathering sea shells. There was a particular kind of long, conical shell which was plentiful, but unfortunately all of them seemed to be inhabited with some sea creature. So listened to hubby dear (for a change) as well as to my conscience and returned to the sea what belonged to the sea. Was lucky however to find one single one which was abandoned.

We did not go to the Shore Temple, but walked up close along the beach and got some nice pics. Was surprised to see so many people swimming in the sea and wished I had gone prepared for one myself. Well, good reason to go again.  

Had a wonderful buffet lunch at the resort there (Continental, Mexican and Indian dishes). Then while the seniors (hubby, my cousin and her husband)  relaxed post lunch, this not yet so senior went back to play in the water, messed around and eventually very reluctantly got out to go back home.

Science and the scientific spirit

Of late I have been preoccupied with a lot of interesting phenomena of the paranormal kinds. I would go to the extent of admitting a degree of obsession with these topics, my favourites being Near Death Experiences (NDEs), Out of the Body Experiences (OBEs), Rebirth/Reincarnation.

Do I believe in these? If I have to reply very honestly, I am very intrigued, evidence which is being published seems strangely convincing, but if asked for a yes/no, I would have to say "I don't know". I would like to believe in it. I want to believe in it. My personal leanings would be towards belief. However, that is entirely besides the point. 

Any attempt at discussions with most people leads to one of two answers - a total belief (largely based on religious convictions and/or based on available evidence) or an outright denial. It is only a handful of people so far who have said "I don't know - maybe, may not be".

I have nothing against the people who disbelieve. My only arguments are against their reasons which are essentially the same as for a question like "Is there a God"? It would be, there is no "proof" orno "evidence" for such a phenomenon. They would go out of their way to give some neurochemical explanation to shrug off the evidence based on case studies which is being published these days. Never mind the fact that their explanation does not necessarily disprove the phenomenon. Does lack of evidence or proof constitute valid reason to negate a theory?

I wonder: why is it that we can accept mathematical equations which are "empirically formulated", but not other evidence. (I might be absolutely stupid, but frankly an entity like "pi" whose value is 3.14 to me appears to be empirically fixed. Where did they dream up the value from? The level of mathematics I studied in school/junior college did not give me any explanation on how it was derived. And I am sure it is the same for anyone whose field of expertise is not mathematics. But we have accepted this value "empirically" nonetheless and got through school quite uneventfully by accepting it as it is. Is there any "proof" for this value? There might be, but my level of knowledge in the field or the lack of it does not let me understand it. 

On what grounds can I refute studies which are published by leading psychiatrists or experts in the field? What is my level of expertise in this area)? 

Fair enough, one wants to think of possible alternative explanations - neurons are triggering all over the place, the person is in an altered state of consciousness - be it due to medication, trauma, level of suggestibility of the subject - whatsoever. But what is the harm in accepting that the other side may also be true? That there are many things we do not know and may not know for centuries to come, that there could be a dimension beyond our comprehension, beyond our ability to prove? 

The earth was spherical even before it was proved to be so. (How many people lost their lives because they said it was)! The earth did rotate around the sun even before someone came along and proved it. Until then anyone who said it was not the sun that rotated around the earth was accused of heresy with "grave" (pun intended) consequences. Gravity existed even before the apple landed on Newton's head. The proof came only later and then only on a chance. If that apple had not decided to fall off the branch on Newton's head, there is a possibility that the existence of gravity may not have been discovered for decades or centuries. Would that mean there was no gravity? Our ancients talked of "prana" and "vayu". How did we accept the existence of these without the proof?

Looking at the flip side of the coin, what makes an organization like NASA spend so many billions or trillions of dollars on launching space missions looking for life on other planets? Why don't they say, "We have never seen any such creatures so far. So they can't exist"? (Ironically all this goes on while "rationalists" try to claim that sightings of UFOs and extraterrestrials are fraudulent and reported by highly suggestible people). Isn't this a contradiction in terms of "science"? You spend so much of money trying to find life on other planets, but when someone says they have seen or photographed unidentified spacecrafts, you say it is rubbish. 

That there is no proof of NDEs or OBEs or of a "God" (definitions of "God" could vary and which definition is right or wrong is not the point of this discussion) does not necessarily mean that they do not exist. It only means that we do not have the means today to prove or to disprove their existence.

The very spirit of science demands that we approach any possibility with an open mind. And all such possibilities are valid unless proven to be absolute, incontrovertible impossibilities.

SantaBanta Jokes -- The New Hospital Wing

SantaBanta Jokes -- The New Hospital Wing

Thevile Anante Taisechi Rahave

I suppose all of us wake up sometimes with a tune playing in the mind, which then keeps playing like a scratched CD. Today I have woken up to the tune of "Thevile Anante Taisechi Rahave, Chitti Asu Dyave Samadhan". (A strange thing - the mind. One never knows what it churns up, when or why - am not complaining today though. It has started my day on a blessed note.)

This line used to feature in one of the bhajans my neighbours used to sing every Sunday morning. This is a famous line by Sant Tukaram of Maharashtra (see below)

This is one of the most beautiful one liners by Tukaram. It contains the simplest and profoundest truths of life and means "Be as the Lord meant you to be, Let there be "Samadhan" (satisfaction, contentment) in your mind.

Look at babies. What do they want? What do they ask for? Do they want wealth, fancy clothes, fancy toys? All they need is for their hunger to be appeased. Finito.

What happens as they grow up? They see so many people with so many things that take their fancy, they want everything. Covetousness (the desire to have something one does not have) takes over.

Dissatisfaction and discontent faithfully tag people everyday of their lives. While I can understand people who are really poor, living in abject conditions being discontented, ironically it is these very people who appear to live contentedly with what little they have. How many times have seen little kids on the streets, smeared with dirt and still laughing and smiling, sometimes even through their tears? It takes very little to make them happy. As people start acquiring more, the greed for more is born. Even within the working class, aspirations rise in direct proportion to living conditions (of course, one cannot deny that the reverse also holds true and is also necessary for them to have a decent life style. Let me clarify here, this is not to say that people should continue to live in poverty - everyone has a right to live well). It is the definition of "living well" which is the question here. I somehow wonder at the dissatisfaction born of sheer greed in people who already have everything one can wish for and more than can use. Strangely enough, it is the very people who have power and who classify amongst the richest in the world who keep chasing "more".

How much does a person need? The fact is we can travel only in one car at a time - it does not matter if we own 50 or 100 cars. We cannot use all of them at one time. Try stuffing in more than you need, even your stomach will protest. You can only wear one set of clothes and one pair of shoes at one time. For all her collection of shoes this rule held true even for Imelda Marcos and all she got at the end was to get hauled over the coals. We need homes that can accommodate us and our loved ones. Do we really need 60 storey buildings with helipads, parking lots and the works? The question is are people satisfied even with this? Soon they realize the vastu of such homes is not suitable and set about building another such monstrosity.

And the greatest irony is after earning all this wealth - by means fair or foul - people lose their peace of mind. Then starts the quest for "spiritual gurus" - often people who are as fallible as their shishyas - a classic case of the blind purporting to lead the blind.

Reminds me of a lovely poem which brings a lump to the throat every time I try to recite it.

The Miller of Dee

There was a jolly miller once lived on the river Dee,

He worked and sang from morn' till night,

No lark more blithe than he

And this the burden of his song, forever used to be

"I envy nobody, no not I, and nobody envies me"

Thou'rt wrong my friend, said Old King Hal,

Thou'rt wrong as wrong can be

For could my heart be lithe as thine

I'd gladly change with thee

And tell me now what makes thee sing

With voice so loud and free

For I am sad while I am king beside the river Dee

The miller smiled and doff'd his cap

"I earn my bread" quote he

"I love my wife, I love my friend, I love my children three

I owe no penny I cannot pay

I thank the river Dee

That turns the mill, that grinds the corn, that feeds my babes and me"

"Good friend" said Hal and sighed the while

"Farewell and happy be

And say no more if thou'dst be true

That no one envies thee

Thy mealy cap is worth my crown

Thy mill my kingdom's fee

Such men as thou as thou are England's boast

Oh miller of the Dee".

Sant Tukaram (1608–1650) was a prominent Varkari Sant and spiritual poet during a Bhakti movement in India.

Sant Tukaram^[1] was born and lived most of his life in Dehu, a town close to Pune in Mahārāshtra, India. He was born to a couple with the family name "More", the descendent of the Mourya Clan (Āmbile) with first names Bolhobā and Kanakāi. In accordance with an ancient Indian tradition, Tukaram's family name is rarely used in identifying him. His real name is Tukaram Vhilhoba Aambe. Rather, in accord with another tradition in India of assigning the epithet "sant" (संत) to persons regarded as thoroughly saintly, Tukaram is commonly known in Maharashtra as Sant Tukaram (संत तुकाराम). He is known asBhakta Tukaram to South Indian people.  (Source:  Wikipedia)

The Ritual of Eating

After a very long time, I had the good fortune this morning of eating phulkas directly off the fire.  Being a foodie at heart, but a healthy eater by practice, I normally avoid using butter or ghee.  But the piping hot phulkas brought back of those eaten in my childhood with home made ghee on it.  A foodie cannot resist such temptations, but making a concession to healthy eating, I liberally smeared two phulkas with Nutralite (manufacturers are you listening?  You could consider giving me a small percentage off your sales for voluntarily promoting your product!!!!!) and ate it with piping hot mixed vegetable gravy (cauliflower, capsicum, potato, peas, carrot, beans and soya paneer).

To say my soul was touched would be an understatement of the day.  "Annadaata sukhi bhava" automatically sprung to mind.  It was a sudden reminder of the original meaning and sentiment behind these seemingly simple Sanskrit phrase which is so loaded with gratitude and fulfillment.  When I said it today, it came from the bottom of the heart and I really understood not only the literal meaning, but also the full contentment and joy that brings out the blessing for the one provides us food.

Talking of which I was also reminded of a Marathi prayer which we are taught to say before every meal in childhood.  It goes:

Vadani kawal gheta naam ghya Srihariche
Sahaj hawan hote naam gheta phukache
Jeevan kari jivitva anna he poornabrahma
Udarbharan nohe janije yadnya karma

This is a prayer which reminds you to remember the Lord when taking every morsel of food. It says, taking the name of the Lord while eating makes eating an act of offering or a "havan".  Anna (or food) is the complete God principle which bestows life on the living.  Remember eating is not just an act of filling your stomach, it is a yagnya karma.

If we were only to remember this everyday, it would help us to respect our stomachs and bodies and offer good, nutritious and healthy food instead of just overloading and stuffing ourselves silly.

It reminds one to sit quietly in one place in a happy frame of mind with family and/or friends and eat every morsel of food with gratitude to the ones who helped put this food on your plate and with consideration for the body which needs it as fuel.  Treat your stomach with due respect, not as a dumping ground.  Treat the food which you get with the same respect.  Don't waste food.  There are many who are not so fortunate as you.

Let us first thank God for having given us rains that helped the crops, the means to buy our food, the farmer who sowed the seed and harvested the crop, the bread winner who earned us the food and the one who toils in the kitchen to put the food in edible form on the table.  

Ayurvedic Rice

Of late I have been craving to eat something different - something that is tasty, easy to make and easy on the stomach. Besides, a constant topic of conversation on chats with my friends these days is "Food". Also being a member of the group "Foodies" on Facebook, it is always pictures of food, discussing menus, drooling over the simplest of dishes .......

As I snuggled under my blanket this afternoon, I closed my eyes and pictures of a simple, colourful, healthy rice floated to my mind's eye. Voila - a recipe was born. OK, you might say, what's so new about it? Just that I have never made it before, my mom has never made it before and I don't remember eating it anywhere else either.

Of course any recipe has to have a very fancy, "in" name.  So here it is "Ayurvedic rice".

So this is the recipe:

Ingredients:

A.

Half a bunch of corriander
1 small leaf of ajwain
3 curry leaves / kadipatta
1/2 green chilli
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1 tsp of udid dal
1 tsp of jeera
1 kashmiri / bedgi mirch
1 small piece of tamarind (to taste)

B.

1 small carrot
4-5 beans
A handful of sweetcorn
6 cashew nuts
1 tbsp chana dal
Salt to taste

Method:

Cook 1/2 katori of rice. Allow it to cool.

Fry the udad dal, kashmiri mirch and jeera and grind it to a fine paste with the remaining ingredients under A. Don't make it too wet.

Heat a tablespoonful of oil in a kadai. Fry the chana dal and cashewnuts in the oil. Chop the vegetables diagonally and add them to the oil and cook lightly with salt and a bit of water. Once the veggies are fully cooked, add the rice to it. Add the paste and salt to taste. Mix well. Close the kadai and allow to cook further for a minute or two. Remove it from the fire and serve.