Truely Paradise.

"Agar firdaus baroye zamin ast,

     Hami ast o-hami ast o-hami ast..."

"If there is heaven on earth,it is here, it is here, it is here..."

So said Amir Khusro, or some mention it was Jahangir. And it is not just them who were smitten by the breathtakingly serene and beautiful Himalayan state; I too was, am....

Everything comes to a stand still when you feel the cool breeze against your face as you wade through the maze of light green water hyacinths on the Dal Lake inside the tiny little bright coloured shikara. The spectacular view of the mighty mountains, few of which are snow clad; the thousands of Kashmiri willow trees that frame the waters of the lake; few dozens of common terns, kingfishers, pigeons that fly by or watch you from a safe distance;  a few playful ducks swimming over a corner near a houseboat, the magic of the setting rays of the sun that dance over the water to create a picture that's forever etched in your heart.

If there is something that snaps you out of this trance, it is the hurry of the hawkers from the local bazar (most of which are shikaras as well) trying to catch the attention of hundreds of tourists like me for that last big sale of the day.

It is nearly an year since I went on a 10 day Kashmir - Leh -Laddakh dream trip. But this is a mystical story that I can narrate a thousand times over. Each day is still so fresh. Each frame gushing out of my mind like those crystal clear waters of Jhelam, full of energy as it jumps over those mountain rocks downstream.

Ever since we saw pictures and travelogue from a friend, Kashmir was on our travel bucket list. We carried it around for 2 or 3 years before finally planning and booking one. We booked the same tour operator, followed almost the same itenary and place of stays as them.

Little did we know when we booked how adrenaline kicking this trip would turn out to be. A few days before the trip commenced we got to know that there would be curfew imposed on the day we land @ Srinagar. Both Raj and I grew anxious over the safety quotient. After all we were travelling with 2 small kids on our own to a place which is mostly reported by media about curfews , riots, stone pelting, military attacks , terrorists etc etc etc. My comfort and assurance came from good friends and very own kashmiri couple Shabnum and Zahid (my colleague). A lot of guidance on what to look out for, where to go, where not go, where to get medicines for the mountain weather and finally to trust and go by what the locals tell you etc. etc. etc.
It was also comforting when I heard my brother in law Ashwin mention he knew some 20 other people among his friends circle going to Leh (ofcourse  I omitted the part that they might be travelling from Manali and not Srinagar like us).

So after months of wait we took off on Jet airways on 10th of July to the Indian capital city.  The flight was smooth and arrived ontime @ Delhi. Rajiv had already booked stay overnight near to the airport to ease our travel back to airport early morning the next day for our flight to Srinagar. I did wish I had time to take the young boys on a patriotic social study tour, but since it was already 10 PM and the fluttering butterflies in stomach made me decide otherwise. So we all just had a good nights sleep.

At the airport the next morning, Gautham and Siddharth were super excited and repeatedly asking curiously facts on Himalayas. "Will we get to see the snow from the flight?". I could not decide if i was more nervous about the curfew or about the flight journey at that time. I could just mumble "Probably ... yes we might".

Air India Flight was full and on time. It was the season of the holy  amaranth pilgrimage and most of the flight had either local residents homebound or pilgrims from different parts of India.  I made my customary calls back home to parents and parents in law and announced that we were about to board and would call them back once we reach Srinagar. I informed them that we will be dependent on wifi to call them back and that we might not be reachable. Shabnum had earlier warned me that other only local postpaid sim cards work at Kashmir.

I sat beside 2 ladies , guessing it was mother -daughter pair in their later 70's and 50's. I was seated at the aisle corner with these two ladies taking window. On the other side Gautham and Siddharth were still grumbling and fighting over the window seat. The lady's striking green eyes and wrinkled hands, rosary on her finger tips , prayer chants....we exchanged smiles. I slipped into my own prayers.

One hour into the flight,  Gautham shouted " Amma look out, snowwwwww mountainsssss " followed by ""wow"" s which came from all 3 boys and me. :).  I don't remember seeing clear blue sky against the wings of the plane and below was what seemed like a carpet of mountains of all colours here and there, snow clad at their tips. In between there were valleys full of pine trees and then there were something that dazzled like diamonds.  Actually lots... It seemed like solar panels; and then we were almost landing when I found out that it was the window shields of houses.

Srinagar airport reminded me of TVM airport itself. Small, like you arrived inside a house. However,

as soon as we landed and got out of the plane, I knew curfew thing was serious. There were security all around. There was a little bit if delay to pick up and security check our luggage again. There was a separate counter for Amarnath Yathra pilgrims where was a lot of debriefing, group formations and checks happening.

It was interesting to note that mostly there were maruthi vans around for local taxi. Ours too was one. Our driver was waiting for us when we came out after picking up the luggage.  We asked the driver if there was some place we could freshen up and set out on our planned 3 day Leh bound drive. He told us that the highway was blocked due to curfew and we could not exit to Sonvar the same day and should find accommodation to spend the night at Srinagar. This further tensed both of us up since we didn't plan to stay at Srinagar; we told the driver so. He said he would arrange at his relative's hotel. Rajiv and I again exchanged a nervous glance before we just said  yes to the offer. We had no one but him to trust. So he took us to a small hotel by the side of Dal Lake. He comforted us not to be worried and that it is all normal. He assured that by early morning next day the highway would clear up and after 6 pm when curfew is up we can do some sightseeing around Srinagar. It was hardly comforting.

At the hotel we forced ourselves and kids to sleep for a few hours after a while of watching some cartoon ; the only one in some channel I don't remember. The only attender / owner of the house cum hotel served us a good meal. Just as Rajiv and I wondered if it was really a hotel a young tourist couple popped up from at the counter. Again, we settled to talk just through eyes. It conveyed all. Atleast for me!

The driver came by and mentioned that roads would be clear early the next morning and we should be ready as early as possible to avoid the Amarnath pilgrim vehicle rush on the highway. He arranged a small shikara ride in the evening starting from our ""hotel" which was somewhere in one channels of the lake.

Eventhough I mentioned earlier that it was one the most joyous part of the Srinagar stay I have to mention that it is occasionally so filled with stench from garbage, plastic and other wastes dumped over the water , esp. on the channels before you enter the main lake area.

But once you get into the main lake, you forget about it. The instrinsic carpentry on some of the wooden houseboats are simply marvellous. One thing that sets apart the houseboats of Kashmir from their sisters in Kerala backwaters is that they don't move. They are just parked by the lake side  and offer stay or fine dine. Few of them mentioned the movies that were shot there. On the other side of the lake you can easily Pari mahal,  shankaracharya temple over a mountain.

Siddharth was at  ease pretending to pick "sea weeds from ocean" where was Gautham was freaking out since we stepped into the shikkara. He refused to let me even move my fingers saying the balance of the "boat" will be lost. He calmed down after a while though soaking in the sight of duck, ducklings playing in the water. I was more than glad when we stopped at a shikkara chai vendor. I tasted my first Kahwa tea and it instantly grew fond of it. The aroma of the rose, cinnamon and the flavour and crunch of the dry fruits in tea is quite unique. Another vendor managed to convince me to pose in the Kashmiri attire and click a few snaps with it. We bought a sweater and looked through the beautiful Kashmiri fabric before heading back to hotel for a quiet and peaceful night's sleep after dinner at local dhaba. Nothing great to mention over the food. It was the nearest one to our hotel and the only one that had something vegetarian.

Day 2

Early next day morning, at 5 am we set off to Sonvar after calling back home from the drivers phone that we were all safe and sound at Srinagar. Once we exited Srinagar and were on the highway, Rajiv mentioned he was relieved. The tense part of our journey was over. Although all along the drive to Sonvar there were armed military on the ground every 200 mtr distance it felt safe. We spotted atleast 10 or 20 helicopters enroute carrying pilgrims to the base camps and returning.

After 3 hours drive with a Kahwa and water break in between we reached the "swizz" looking Sonvar. It only reminded me of DDLJ and nothing else.


TBC......

































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Life is nothing but cracking that nut!

മലയാളത്തിൽ ഇതെന്റെ ആദ്യത്തെ പോസ്റ്റ് ആണ് .അതിങ്ങനെ,ഇന്ന്,ഈ സംഭവത്തെ പറ്റി ആവണമെന്ന് നിമിത്തമോ ?

ജീവിതത്തിൽ ഞാൻ മലയാളം പഠിച്ചിട്ടില്ല . ഒരു സമ്മർ വെക്കേഷന് ഓടനാവട്ടത്തു  പോയപ്പോൾ അവിടെ കസിന്സിനെ  പഠിപ്പിക്കാൻ വന്ന ട്യൂട്ടർ പറഞ്ഞു തന്നതും , എഴുതാൻ  പഠിപ്പിച്ച "തറ ","പറ ","പന " ആണ് എനിക്കറിയാവുന്ന മലയാളം.കഷ്ടിച്ച് തപ്പി തടഞ്ഞു വായിക്കാൻ അറിയാം .
അത്യാവശ്യം KSRTC ബസിന്റെ ബോർഡ്, റോഡ് അരികിലെ കടകളുടെ പേര്,സ്ഥലം ഇതൊക്കെ ആണ് എന്റെ മലയാള ലോകം . നിങ്ങളിൽ ചിലരെങ്കിലും ഇപ്പൊ മുഖം ചുളിക്കുന്നതു  എനിക്ക് കാണാം . :)


അപ്പോൾ ഇതെങ്ങനെ എന്നല്ലേ?ഞാൻ ഇംഗ്ലീഷിൽ ടൈപ്പ് ചെയ്യുമ്പോൾ ഗൂഗിൾ അതിനെ പരിഭാഷിച്ചു സ്പഷ്ട മലയാളത്തിൽ പകർത്തുന്നു.അതാണ് ഇവിടെ സംഭവിച്ചത് .:) റെക്കോളജി ഭഗവന്മാർക്കു നന്ദി.ഭാഷ ശുദ്ധി ,ഗ്രാമർ ,എഴുത്തു മലയാളം ഒന്നും എനിക്കറിയില്ല .മാപ്പാക്കണം.ഒരു സുഹൃത്തിനോട് പറയുന്നത് പോലെ എഴുതി തീർക്കുകയാണ്.

പോസ്റ്റ് ടൈറ്റിൽ -അതങ്ങനെ കിടക്കട്ടെ. അത് മലയാളം ആക്കിയാൽ മൊത്തത്തിൽ കുളമാകും !!

കുറച്ചു ദിവസമായിട്ടു ഓഫീസിലെയും വീട്ടിലെയും കുട്ടികളുടെയും കാര്യങ്ങൾ ഒറ്റയ്ക്ക് മാനേജ് ചെയ്യേണ്ട സാഹചര്യമായിരുന്നു .ചിലപ്പോൾ ജോലി തന്നെ രാജിവച്ചു വേറെ എന്തേലും പണിക്കു പോയാലോ എന്ന് വരെ ചിന്തിച്ചു കൂട്ടി . എല്ലാവര്ക്കും ജീവിത തിരക്കിനിടയിൽ തോന്നുന്ന അതെ ചിന്ത.ഞാനും നാട്ടിൽ പോയി 10 acre തോട്ടം വാങ്ങി,അതിൽ കുറെ തെങ്ങും വാഴയും നട്ടു  നോക്കി നടത്തുന്നതാണ് ആരുടെ ഒക്കെയോ കൂടെ രാവിലെ തൊട്ട് രാത്രി വരെ വഴക്കിട്ടു കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറും നോക്കി കുത്തി ഇരിക്കുന്നതിലും നല്ലതു എന്ന് തീരുമാനിച്ചു .അല്ല ,അതാണല്ലോ എല്ലാരുടെയും സ്ഥിരമായ ചിന്ത റൂട്ട് . എന്തായലും ജീവിതത്തിൽ ഒരു വഴി തിരിവ് വേണം.

അങ്ങനെ ഒക്കെ ആലോചിച്ചു നടക്കുമ്പോഴാണ് ഇന്ന് രാജീവും കുട്ടികളും ഒരു വായികുന്നേരം എന്നെ ഫ്രീ ആക്കി പുറത്തു പോയത് . കുറെ നാളുകൾ കഴിഞ്ഞുള്ള ഈ "ബ്രേക്ക്" അതെങ്ങിനെ ചിലവാകണം എന്ന് ചിന്തിച്ചു .

ഒന്ന് സമാധാനമായി കേശ ഭാരം ചീകി തീർത്തു ഒരു നെയിൽ പോളിഷ് ഇട്ടപ്പോഴേക്കും ഒരു മണിക്കൂർ തീർന്നു കിട്ടി. അവർ തിരികെ വരുന്നതിനു മുൻപേ വേഗം ഒരു ഉപ്പുമാവും കൂടെ ഉണ്ടാക്കിയാൽ വായിച്ചു കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുന്ന ബുക്കിന്റെ ഒന്നോ രണ്ടോ പേജുകൾ കൂടെ വായിച്ചു തീർക്കാമെന്ന് തോന്നി.

അങ്ങനെ ഞാൻ ഉപ്പുമാവിന്റെ പണി പുരയിലായി. അറിയാനുള്ളതെല്ലാം റെഡി ആക്കി റവ എല്ലാം എടുത്തപ്പോഴാണ് തിരുമ്മിയ തേങ്ങാ ഇല്ലെന്നു ഞാൻ കാണുന്നത്. തേങ്ങാ തിരുമ്മണം. അതിനു പൊട്ടിച്ച തേങ്ങാ വേണം .
സാധാരണ തേങ്ങാ വാങ്ങിയാൽ ഉടനെ അത് രാജീവിനെ കൊണ്ടോ ജോലിക്കാരിയെ കൊണ്ടോ പൊട്ടിച്ചു ഫ്രിഡ്ജിൽ അടുക്കും . മലയാളിയായ ഞാൻ ജീവിതത്തിൽ ഇതുവരെ തേങ്ങാ പൊട്ടിച്ചിട്ടില്ല എന്ന് കേൾക്കുമ്പോൾ ചിലരെങ്കിലും ചിരിക്കും.വെട്ടുകത്തി ഉടയോഗിച്ചിട്ടില്ല.പേടിയാണ്.

ഇനി എന്ത് ചെയ്യുമെന്ന് കുറച്ചു നേരം ആലോചിച്ചു നിന്നു .പട്ടർ സ്റ്റൈൽ "arisi " ഉപ്പുമാവ് ആണ് പകുതി വഴിയിലായി നിൽക്കുന്നത്. നിർത്തിയിട്ടു വേറെ വല്ലതും ഉണ്ടാക്കിയാലും ഈ ചെയ്തത് മുഴുവൻ കളയേണ്ടി വരും. ഒന്നുങ്കിൽ അവര് വരുന്നത് വരെ കാത്തു നിൽക്കണം .അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഞാൻ പൊട്ടിക്കണം.

ഇതിനു മുൻപു താമസിച്ചിരുന്ന വീട്ടിൽ ഒരു മാർബിൾ കോർണറിൽ ഗണപതിക്ക്‌ പൊട്ടിക്കുന്ന പോലെ എറിഞ്ഞും തട്ടിയുമൊക്കെ ആണ് ഞാൻ  പൊട്ടിച്ചിരുന്നത്. ഈ വീട്ടിൽ അങ്ങനെ ഒരു ഇടമില്ല. സിംഗിൾ എറിഞ്ഞാലോ? തേങ്ങാ എറിഞ്ഞു സിങ്ക് വളഞ്ഞാലോ പൊട്ടിയാലോ പിന്നെ അതിലും വലിയ പുകിലാവും. വെട്ടുകത്തിയും തേങ്ങയും ഒന്ന് കയ്യിൽ എടുത്തു. ആകെ ഒരു വെപ്രാളം.  പരിചയമില്ലാത്ത കാരണം എന്റെ കയിലേക്കും വെട്ടിയാലോ. സെരിയാവില്ല .

വെട്ടുകത്തിയും തേങ്ങയും താഴെ വച്ച് ഞാൻ രാജീവിനെ ഫോൺ ചെയ്തു. ഉടനെ എത്തുമെങ്കിൽ കാത്തിരിക്കാം .പ്രശ്നം ഞാൻ മാറ്റിവച്ചു. പക്ഷെ അവർ വൈകുമെന്ന് രാജീവ് പറഞ്ഞതോടെ പ്രതീക്ഷ തെറ്റി.

അവർ വരാന് കാത്തിരുന്നാൽ, പിന്നെ ഉപ്പുമാവ് ഉണ്ടാക്കി കഴിക്കാൻ പാകമാവുമ്പോഴേക്കും ഒത്തിരി വൈകും.  വീണ്ടും ഞാൻ ചിന്താവിഷ്ട്ടയായി . സമയം കുറച്ചു കൂടെ ഉണ്ടല്ലോ,എന്നാൽ ഭാഗ്യയെ വിളിച്ചിട്ടാവാം തേങ്ങാ പൊട്ടീര് ചടങ്ങു എന്ന് തീരുമാനിച്ചു.അവളോട് സംസാരിച്ചു ഏറെ ദിവസമായി . കുറെ കാര്യങ്ങൾ സംസാരിച്ച കൂട്ടത്തിൽ അവളോടും  ഞാൻ എന്റെ തേങ്ങാ പ്രശ്നം നിരത്തി . പൊട്ടിക്കാൻ എളുപ്പത്തില് തേങ്ങാ വെള്ളത്തിൽ കുതിർത്തു വച്ചിരിക്കുകയാണ് എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ അവൾ പൊട്ടിച്ചിരിച്ചു.

എന്നെകാളും 4 വയസ്സ് ഇളയ കുട്ടി വെട്ടു കത്തി വച്ച് തേങ്ങാ പൊട്ടിക്കുന്ന അതിശയമോ നടകേടോ ,അവൾ ഫോണിൽ കൂടെ പകർന്ന ധൈര്യമോ? ഫോൺ വച്ചതും ഞാൻ ഗോധയിലിറങ്ങി. അവളുടെ ടിപ്സിൽ തേങ്ങയുടെ മൂന്ന് കണ്ണുകളിൽ ഒരെണ്ണം വേറെ തരമാണ് .ആദ്യം അത് കണ്ടു പിടിക്കണം.
അതിന്റെ "diagonally " എതിരായി ഒരു സ്ഥലത്തു തട്ടിയാൽ പെട്ടെന്ന് പൊട്ടും എന്നാണ് അവൾ പറഞ്ഞത്.

തേങ്ങാ ഉരുണ്ടതും ,അതിൽ "diagonally ഓപ്പോസിറ്റ" എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു തന്നതും ഒരു സിവിൽ എഞ്ചിനീയർ ആണെന് മറക്കരുത്.

കുറെ നേരം കണ്ണും ആംഗിൾ-ഉം തപ്പി ഞാൻ വളഞ്ഞു.പിന്നെ എന്തായാലും രണ്ടിൽ ഒന്ന് അറിഞ്ഞിട്ടു തന്നെ കാര്യേമെന്നു തീരുമാനിച്ചു വെട്ടുകത്തി കയ്യിൽ എടുത്തു.

ഗണപതിയേയും  ,  ദേവികളെയും (അല്ല,ഇത് അടുക്കള പണിയാണല്ലോ !)
മനസ്സിൽ ധ്യാനിച്ച് ആദ്യത്തെ വെട്ടു.  ഒന്നും സംഭവിച്ചില്ല. അതൊരു നല്ല ലക്ഷണമായി തോന്നി ഞാൻ രണ്ടും മൂണും നാല് തവണയും വെട്ടി. പിന്നെ വെട്ടോടു വെട്ടു. ഒരു പ്രാവശ്യം വെട്ടിയിടത്തു രണ്ടാമത്തെ പ്രാവശ്യം വെട്ടു വീഴാത്ത കൊണ്ട് തേങ്ങ കല്ല് പോലെ ഇരിക്കുന്നു.

എന്റെ വിശ്വാസവും ഉത്സാഹവും എല്ലാം മങ്ങാൻ തുടങ്ങി . ഇതെന്നെ കൊണ്ട് പറ്റിയ പണിയല്ല എന്ന് തോന്നി തുടങ്ങി .തേങ്ങാ ചിരട്ട ഞാൻ കൊത്തി കൊത്തി മിനുങ്ങാറായോ എന്ന് വരെ സംശയം തോന്നി.

രാജീവും ഞാനും സിദ്ധാർത്ഥിന് ധൈര്യവും ഉത്സാഹവും പകർന്നു കൊടുക്കാൻ പറയാറുള്ള സ്പൈഡർ ആൻഡ് ദി വെബ് കഥ ഓർത്തുപോയി.തേങ്ങാ മുറുകെ പിടിച്ചു എല്ലാ ശക്തിയും വെട്ടുകത്തിയിൽ ഒന്നോ രണ്ടോ വെട്ടുകളിൽ ഒതുക്കിയപ്പോൾ അവസാനം തേങ്ങാ പൊട്ടി.

36 വർഷങ്ങളും 10 മാസവും കഴിഞ്ഞു മലയാളിയായ എന്റെ ജീവിതത്തിലെ വഴി തിരിവ്! ഒരു തേങ്ങാ വെട്ടുകത്തികൊണ്ടു പൊട്ടിച്ചു. അഭിമാനമായിട്ടു പറയാം.

ആദ്യമായി പൊട്ടിച്ച തേങ്ങയുടെ ഫോട്ടോ എടുത്തു. സന്തോഷ കാണീർ വന്നില്ല എന്നെ ഉള്ളു. കഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട് പൊട്ടിച്ച തേങ്ങാ അരച്ച് ഉണ്ടാക്കിയ ഉപ്പുവമായതു കൊണ്ടാവാം ,എന്നതിന് കഴിച്ചപ്പോൾ നല്ല രുചി ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

പിന്നീട് ഈ സംഭവത്തിനെ പറ്റി ആലോചിപ്പോൾ തോന്നിയ കുറച്ചു കാര്യങ്ങൾ ആണ്...

ഒരു പ്രശ്നം വന്നപ്പോൾ ആദ്യം ഞാനതു മാറ്റി വെക്കാൻ നോക്കി. പേടി,അനുഭവമില്ലായ്മ ,അറിവില്ലായ്മ എന്ന മറയിൽ നിന്ന്  സ്വന്തമായി ചെയ്യാൻ കഴിവില്ല എന്ന്  ഞാൻ തന്നെ എന്നെ പറഞ്ഞു പഠിപ്പിച്ചു തെറ്റിദ്ധരിപ്പിച്ചു .എന്നെ ഞാൻ തന്നെ നേരിടേണ്ടി വന്നതാണ് ആദ്യം ചെയ്യേണ്ടി വന്നത്.

രണ്ടാമത്തേത് വയസ്ത്രയായാലും പഠിക്കാൻ അതൊരു തടസ്സമാകരുതു .
ജീവിതത്തിൽ പഠിക്കാൻ മറന്നവൻ ജീവിക്കാൻ മറന്നു എന്ന് എവിടെയോ വായിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട് .

നിശ്ചയിച്ചു ഉറപ്പിച്ച കാര്യം തടസങ്ങളും വിഷമങ്ങളും നേരിട്ട് മുഴുമിപ്പിക്കാൻ ശ്രമിച്ചതാണ് അവസാനം എന്നെ ഒരു തേങ്ങാ ഇന്ന് പഠിപ്പിച്ചത്.ആദ്യം കുറച്ചു ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടിയെങ്കിലും അവസാനം കാര്യം നടന്നു.

രണ്ടു വരിയുടെ ക്യാപ്ഷൻ ഇട്ടു  ഫേസ്ബുക്കിൽ ഇട്ടാൽ നാട്ടുകാരെന്നെ സിംഗപ്പൂരിലെ ഊളമ്പാറയിൽ എത്തിക്കുമെന്ന് തോന്നിയപ്പോൾ രസകരമായ ഈ അനുഭവം ഇങ്ങനെ എഴുതി തീർക്കാമെന്നു വച്ചതു.പൊട്ടിച്ച തേങ്ങയുടെ പടവും  ,വെട്ടിന്റെ രേഖകളും ചേർത്ത്.....

LIFE IS NOTHING BUT ...KNOWING HOW TO CRACK A NUT!!

People people everywhere ....not one familiar smile, Nor one kind glance!

People people everywhere ....not one familiar smile, Nor one kind glance!
Yes, sometimes it's very true that the more the crowd the more lonelier you are. And that is precisely where i am.
Everything around looks so shallow , hollow and fake. Far far away, in the struggle of their own lives  do they miss me too? Do they hear my silent call ?

To one of the most beautiful girls I have known

Dear Merlin

Yes, I still (choose) to spell your name incorrectly.

As i took my late night walk today, my thoughts were you and only you. Were you watching me as I thought how handsome daniel looked on his birthday? Did you walk with me as i thought how beautiful you looked in that yellow saree on your engagement day? Is this how we connect across this distance?

May you be in peace and joy wherever you are. May lots of love and heavens choicest blessings shower on Daniel. 

Murphy again

A door lock repair that has been pending for weeks, two faulty window frames, a wobbly coffee table, a leaking tap; a handyman who attends phone promptly, promises to come everyday and does not turn up; two small kids- one down with viral and other a fussy toddler; husband away; lots of cooking and lastly, freelance work.  Feel handsfull. 

"Born" Identity....

I was at the shuttle bus stand this morning with my mother in law. I saw another lady waiting for the bus as well. I have seen her often around the condo and she looked familiar. I have often wanted to ask her if she had a house in Bangalore. I decided today was my chance to do so.

Me: Aunty...by any chance do you have a house in Koramangala , Bangalore? ( I thought she was my old landlord's wife). 

She: No..I am a singaporean. I have been here for 40+ years. Long time....

Me: Oh!! Okie. You look very familiar... so i thought id ask you. 

Smiles Exchanged... 

She: Where are you from? Bangalore? 

Now this is a question I find very tricky. Born in kerala, married to a tamilian , settled at Bangalore. So where do I belong? I think to all of these and may be more. The time based logic that I have spent 21 years of my life in Trivandrum made me say " Kerala". Her face looked slightly confused, maybe she heard me speak tamil to my mother in law a while ago. I quickly added up "She is from Coimbatore". 

She: Aahhh ok.

She spoke in tamil to amma about her life, children and asked amma how she found Singapore. Amma replied with a "Yes...its good". The two ladies got chatting and somewhere down the line she asked amma...

She: You are a brahmin? 

My blood is already asking me how it matters. But I chose to be a silent spectator of the elderly conversation. 

Amma replied: Yes.

She: Iyengar?

Amma: No... Iyer.

Now I knew this was coming even before she asked.

She (now looking at me): You are also???

Even before I blinked my eye, amma stepped in and replied "Yes, she is also iyer". 

All I could do is return both the ladies a smile. Their world is strange.I do not belong there for sure. I do not understand the importance of being a Nair nor being an Iyer. Being either does not give me any more importance or value than what I truely am. I would like to teach my kids that there are two people...only two. The good and the bad. Nothing more....Absolutely nothing more. 

The land of the lord in gods own country

It is the land of lord Padmanabha ; soil of the travancore kings in gods own country.
The mighty arabian waves wash through the enchanting coast, plush green coconut trees deck up most of the land which is surrounded by seven hills.
Thiruvananthapuram, meaning "city of Anantha Padmanabha", known internationally as "Trivandrum", is the state capital of Kerala, and is located on the western coast of mainland India. If you are looking for a beautiful landscape, great food, mix of modern times set in a backdrop of medieval Indian architecture and a wonderful cultural experience; this is the place to be.

"lakshadeepam festival at anantha padmanabha swamy temple. Happens once in 6 years.

How to get there: Thiruvananthapuram International airport , the first in the state is located around 15 kms from main city and is easily accessible. It is connected well to UAE, Singapore and seasonal flights to Australia/ Europe too. The Trivandrum central railway station and bus stand are located at Thampanoor and connect the capital to all parts of Kerala and India well. The roads are great, but watch out for occasional potholes , esp during the monsoon season. The state is densely populated, so the highways are not really "freeways" to zoom through. They are narrow and there are just too many heavy vehicles using it. To commute within the city, there are auto rickshaws that are reasonably priced. Taxis are available from the airport, railway station and bus stand.

When to go: If you love the rains, the best time to go is during the harvest festival season. Onam, the main festival in Kerala, is celebrated between August - September every  year as per the local calendar. The city is decorated and there is a whole week of tourism promotional events that happen which ends with a grand procession. Spoiler Alert - Mind the rains and the crowd. Not for fussy travellers. October - February is usually considered peak tourist season. The native language is Malayalam, but the state is one of the most literate in India, so you can move around easily with English and Hindi too.

Where to stay: There are many 5 star beach resorts like - Taj , Poovar island resorts etc that a comfortable stay in world class facilities. For people who want to blend in with the city have an option of a good amount of hotels with accommodation within the city. One should think twice before booking secluded places and quite corners in the city. Homestays can also be tricky. With a sudden influx of labourers from other states in Northern India, the safety quotient of the city has gone down.

Places to see: The city has a good mix of places of historical importance, beautiful scenery and for relaxation. A typical tourist package would cover the below.
- Backwaters of Veli tourist village.
- Kovalam beach, hot favourite among tourists. This beach is one of the busiest during tourist season. It has some amazing beach shacks, resorts, traditional ayurvedic massage centres, local shopping centres etc.
- Shanghumukham beach - As the name suggest, the coast line is shaped in the shape of a conch.
- Varkala Beach.
- The Padmanabha swamy temple. There are some traditional rules followed here. Read up on some do's and don'ts before your visit to temple. For e.g: dress code. Apart from temple, there are lot more things to see and do at East Fort. Ramanayar Palace and KuthiraMalika palace museums have a good collection of antiques from the royal times.
- The city's zoo is a good picnic spot if you are travelling with kids. But do mind a little stenchy smell here and there.
-Sri Chitra art gallery. This is haven for the art lovers. They have a lovely collection of Raja Ravivarma paintings that are famous around the world.
- Kanakakunnu palace is the place where all the cultural festivities happen. It is the place to be during the harvest festival season. There are exhibitions, food stalls, traditional dance performances and a kids fair.

the lovely Kovalam beach.

What to Shop: Most tourists come for the traditional ayurvedic experience which is getting more and more popular. They come and get a full ayurvedic treatment, buy oils and consumables for a year before they head back. The next best thing that people buy is gold. Almost every street has a jewellery shop, but look for ISI mark 22 carat pure gold. It makes sense to buy it from leading jewellery shops such as Bhima, Malabar gold, Joyalukkas, Kalyan etc. The traditional off white costume with pure gold zari work , a cotton hand weave of kerala also appeal to the west. Banana chips made from raw banana fried in coconut oil is another must buy. The local shops at East Fort , Chalai bazar and Palayam market are good places to buy all of these. Brass antiques and khadi weave from SMSM behind the old secretariat building is quite famous.

Food lovers paradise: When in the capital, a must have is the traditional tapioca and fish curry meal. A wide variety of local seafood flavours are available at most of the restaurants here. Mubarak, a non vegetarian paradise is located in the busy streets of chalai bazar. There are specific hotels for pure vegetarians. One should look for chains of  "Aryaas, ananda bhavan, arya bhavan around the city. You can also get a decent North Indian, Chinese , Italian, Maldivian food around the city quite easily. One should also definitely not miss the late night food stalls, popularly known as "thattukada". The hot dosas served with sambar and spicy chutney is sure to leave your taste buds wanting more. While at it, do not miss the double omelet and end it with a piping hot cup of "chaya" (tea).

I am pressure cooked. Yes, thats exactly how i feel right now. How does one explain in a better way the water that is boiling inside the pressure cooker that is up on the flame with its whistle on- boiling hot, but no outlet to go. 

And while you are boiling, you are also cooking something. Technically everything seems to be good. Food gets cooked. Once cooked what do you do with the remaining water? Throw it away!! Yep... that is what I really am. 

DrumStick leaf and Cauliflower Curry

We had a big drumstick tree in our backyard at home back in Kerala. Every time I buy drumsticks and its nutritious green leaves for a couple of dollars I miss my tree which gave me all that for free! And to add to the woe when I buy these leaves from Little India they give a bunch full. To wash and clean the whole bunch picking only the leaves you get a masters degree in Patience.

Initially I had issues with storing it without making the leaves dry. What I now do is once I have washed and cleaned the whole bunch,  I wrap it in a news paper (not the glossy shiny one..the classic traditional newspaper) and store in refrigerator. It stays for more than two weeks without loosing moisture. Alternately you can even spread the leaves to strain water on a newspaper and then put them all in a box and store it in the refrigerator. Both these ways of storage have helped me a lot.

There is whole lot of benefit from their tender leaves. Read more on the below website on them.
http://smartwaytohealth.blogspot.sg/2013/01/drum-stick-leaves.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moringa_oleifera

Now I know that "Muringa" as its called in Malayalam/Tamil came from its botanical name or may be vice versa.
To let another secret out I am not a great fan of the taste of the leaf and I hate all stinky veggies which includes Cauliflower. So when I saw these two lying around in my fridge I wondered how I can cook it so as to entice me. Here is how I managed. Luckily it turned out tasty too apart from holding all the nutrition. :)

So to cook this curry what you need is

Cauliflower - half the flower. Cut and wash the florets neatly. Its one of the most insect prone veggies as well. Why don't the worms get put off by the smell? But then they eat is raw.
Green Peas - handful washed and strained. Fresh is always good and healthy. Stored ones would do as well. You can even skip it for this recipe. I just wanted it to be there along with the other veggies.
Drum stick leaves - whole bunch.
garlic -1 pod
ginger- a small thin slice.
1Tbsp pav bhaji masala
1tbsp garam masala
1 Onion diced.
Cashew nuts-a full cup ground into a fine paste with little water.

Fresh Drum Stick leaves stored in a box in fridge stays 2-2.5 weeks.

Make a tadka in pan spluttering mustard seeds, dry chillies and curry leaf. Add the onion and required salt to taste.Add a spoon of fresh ginger garlic paste and sauté till onions are golden brown. Now add the cauliflower florets and green peas. Add the pav bhaji masala and garam masala. Mix well and steam cook this for 5 minutes closing pan with a lid. Add a glass of water and add the drum stick leaves.Allow it to cook for 5-6 minutes. Now add the cashew paste. Mix well and allow the whole thing to cook for 7-8 minutes.
Add coriander leaf to garnish before serve. Goes superbly well with rotis/phulkas/any Indian bread. I think it  should go with plain white rice too.

cauliflower green peas drum stick leaf curry

It worked for me since my son would never eat the leaf when cooked with lentils or coconut. He does not eat cauliflower as well!
In this he could hardly feel the taste of the leaf so he actually ate all of what was served for him.

Berry time!

I am a freaking berry and grapes fan. I can sit and finish up a whole kilo all by myself. They are small, have this sweet and sour mix and are so nutritious being rich in antioxidants.

I love trying out new recipes and the festive mood just makes me experiment more and venture out into shores I have not sailed so far. I also got inspired very much by Devaki Mami's gooseberry jam while I was in India. It was more than yummm! Nutritious and tasty put together is rare combo. So when I saw this box of cranberries the first thing that ran into my mind is why shall I not try making a home made Jam this time? No added preservatives and colour et all. As usual for all my cooking adventures I pick up recipe from the net and modify it to suite my instincts and taste.

Here is an extract about benefits of cranberries from the following website.

"Cranberries have vitamin C and fiber, and are only 45 calories per cup. In disease-fighting antioxidants, cranberries outrank nearly every fruit and vegetable--including strawberries, spinach, broccoli, red grapes, apples, raspberries, and cherries!"
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/cranberries-year-round-superfood

What I did was plain simple. Got the dried cranberries to soak in about a glass of hot water for about an hour. Ground it into a thick paste. After that I simple boiled it in a pan gently stirring it on and off so that it thicken. I added just about two spoons of sugar to it while boiling. It is optional. I have fussy toddler at home and I felt the sourness standing out from the jam might turn him off. Once the sauce thickened I turned off the flame and let it cool. Store in an airtight glass jar in the refrigerator.

So yumm that its become my daily spread! Enjoy.

Home made Cranberry Jam

Ganapati bappa moriya....

Shamefully I have to admit the reason why I like the festival so much is that the prasad is modak/kozhukkata /kozhukattai. The rich taste of coconut and jaggery filling inside the rice/ wheat based outer covering is so mouthwatering! Hail Lord Ganesha! :)

Usually in laws make the traditional rice kozhukattai, vada and payasam as the offering.But the festival was falling on a Monday morning which meant that Rajiv had to go to work on time, Sid had school and Gautham had to be fed in between. So all my cooking tasks + the offering had to be ready by atleast 7.30 am. Also the fact that I like to experiment and try out newer things :P. So I decided that I will try the North Indian style fried modak which is wheat based.  Anything which has a jaggery inside works :)!

For any such day my management expertise has helped me. I knew I would not be able to cook rice, curry and a side dish + prasad before 7.30 am. So I planned my morning ahead and finalised the menu. It would be methi chappathis and lady's finger fry for lunch to keep things simple. That way I could really concentrate on the main item of the day- the Modak.

I googled and read a few recipe but decided to customise the procedure to fit into the time frame I had-2 hours. I woke up at 4.30 am (an hour earlier than my usual wake up time these days). To ensure that Gautham did not disturb me for the next 2 hours, the first thing I did was to feed him. After putting him back to sleep I was ready. Here is the recipe I followed.

Ingredients
-Wheat flour -4 cups ( I usedAshirvad atta)
-grated coconut- 1 full coconut
-Jaggery-1 big piece. I really dont know the exact measure.
  I would say approximately 1:1.5 ratio of coconut:jaggery to keep it sweet.
-Cardomom seeds ground into a powder

Procedure:
Kneed the wheat flour the same way as we do for chappati/puri. I usually put a tea spoon of oil while kneeding the dough to make it soft and non sticky.
In most blogs they melt the jaggery first and mix the grated coconut and let it cool for about an hour before rolling it into tiny balls to make the stuffing. I decided to deviate here due to the time constraint. I just broke the jaggery into smaller chunks and ground it into a fine powder in the mixie. In this I added the coconut and cardamom powder and mixed it well.
The next step is to roll out the dough into small balls the size needed to make mini puris. Spread the dough into a circle and place 1-2 Teaspoons of the jaggery mix over this. Fold the four sides of circle and bring the folded sides together to form a modak shape.

If all that sounded easy (like I felt too) the tricky part comes here. In a kadai, heat a little oil required to fry. Once the oil is hot, gently place the modak in. If the modaks are not well shaped or tightly closed while they fry they open up and the melting jaggery seeps into the hot oil. Make sure that the modak is closed tightly as sometimes the grated coconut that falls into hot oil tend to burst. Stay safe.
Once the modaks have a golden brown color around it is done and can be removed from oil.

With all modaks done and cooking complete I was on time for puja. After packing off hubby and Sid to school I sat down for some indulgence.  I hope our Ganapthi liked them as much I did. :)

Venus vs Mars

Being in a phase where we are managing a naughty toddler and a two month old infant , my husband and I hardly see any romance in the air. I guess every other couple who passed this phase would understand what i am talking about. So a couple of days ago, we got a small break with both boys tucked away to sleep. I grabbed my chance to tune into my favorite travel channel while hubby as usual logged into his laptop. Glued to our indulgences, i suddenly remembered this was our "couple time". So i gave the idiot box a pause, turned around to look at him and whispered "I love you!". Surprisingly he responds back ..."I do too...". We gave each other a good smile. He moved closer...and then...the moment stopped.
He showed me his laptop screen and said "See this, its India's latest missile..." ...or some other war weapon and is describing its design to me! .............well well well ...Where were we? :)

I could not but stop laughing and in my laughter he got my point as well thankfully! We both laughed for quite a while on that....but isn't this why they say Men are from Mars and Women from Venus? This is what our movies thrive on. We (XX) think onions and they (XY) deliver tomatoes. :) Applies vice versa too i guess.

An extrapolation of this is seen on the social media ....

An interesting observation that i have made in the last one week is that while most of the male friends on my network on FB are posting jokes about women drivers and their behavioral pattern,  the female section have been busy forwarding Brad pits mushy mushy blog about Angelina Jolie and their love!

Well, as far it is "Happys Endings" who cares where either of us come from anyway!

Indepedence day ?

I am not sure how I should feel this morning. Today I end a journey I began on Nov 18th 2002. Today would be my last day at my first job. Ironically, its Independence day!

I had just graduated and was preparing for CAT. Along that track, I had chosen to take a small diversion to attempt an aptitude test by Infosys on the previous weekend at Bangalore. The journey and skipping tests and classes at the coaching center for CAT,  mixed with my own carelessness  added to the fact that the results at mock tests in the coaching class for MBA was dropping. Dad was worried I was losing focus not concentrating on one thing. Still, I was glad I took that chance.

When I saw my name in the selected list I was first surprised! And then worried...I was so damn sure that I might not make it that I had not brought any of my books to prepare for the next step - the interview !  Luckily, I got my bible of electric machines - BL TEREJA in a bookstore close by. When I boarded the rickety BMTC bus of Infosys the next morning I noticed the people (employees) around me were quite disconnected! I mean... no one spoke to one another in the bus. Each one of them busy in their own indulgences - some on walk man, privileged few on mp3's, some reading newspapers , some engrossed in their books, the rest...happily sleeping off. I even mailed my senior in school who was already working with Infosys asking him how much a "ROBOT" he had become.

In the last 10+ years travelling in that same bus, I have become on of them...and I know the joy of tuning into radio to hear Vasanthi Hariprakash's "Good morning Bengaluru" ! Its as refreshing as the morning cup of tea. Can't give it a miss.

I was amazed at the "look and feel" of the campus  the first time I walked into the Bangalore DC for my interview. well if you think I remember anything about the actual interview ...I Don't! :)

On Diwali night, two weeks later when my mock tests were showing poor results, daddy and I sat down to discuss my future plans. It didn't quite end well like most of our discussions at that time. :) but a little while later when I showed them the invite email from Infosys , he was in tears! it must have been one of OUR family moment!

I remember the excitement when I boarded train to Chennai with daddy. My sister and I would fight so much all those years, but I saw the sorry tears rolling down those cheeks when she came to see off that day. My best of pals from college had also come (at various stations all the way through kerala) for a quick bye bye and to wish me luck. I felt glad to have such a grand see off, and sad moving away from my closest ones.

11 years from then, there has been many many keeping moments  Infosys has given me. A new city as my second home,  many new people, many different cultures, travel...a few friends who stood by me through good and bad, awesome roomies and last but not the least...a life partner! From a happy go lucky girl straight out from college, Infosys has groomed me into the person that I am today. And I do not think either of us messed up in this make over. :)
There have been bad times but no one sticks the rotten moments in their photo album.

Looking ahead, I don't know whether I will board the same train again, but this journey is for keeps. I am definitely going to miss a lot of things out there. Quite a lot! 

I took a break from the typing, I take a look at my 2 month old, Gautham, and he smiles and coos back at me. Brings the smile back on my face. A new journey begins...



PS: pardon the spelling errors and the grammar mistakes if any. I haven't had time to proofread!







 

Home Alone....

Sometimes its the best anecdote...at least it works for me. To burn out the stress, to think and to have time of your own...to rediscover the energy within. I believe that I am my best friend. There is no other person who understands or can solve my problems better than Me, Myself.

Of course there are buddies whom i rely on for almost anything under the sun, but then there are times when you find help yourself too! It is one such day...among many. May be , Mal was right when she said i love to brood and sulk and am a bit of a loner. When the doors shut, its just shut. No one but I am allowed in. But the brooding gives me way to think and to find the energy to fight back :) Gives my mind the tolerance to go on a little further.
Why does a familiar song come into my mind..? I walk a lonely road...the only road that i have ever known....ahaan ...ahaan.....mmmmmmmm

:)

happy easter!

I have always wondered why good friday is good for the world in most languages i have understood when the same day is christened "dukha velli" in Malayalam. :S Logical explanations invited. That is a huge contrast of emotions. One seems happy and merry and the other is so depressing.

Whatever be it, easter brings back old memories.

Falling on a sunday every year, me and my sister would happily skip mommy's breakfast for Annie aunty's and Susi aunty's  yummy appam and stew. My mouth waters even at the thought of the soft tender appams and the magical creamy stew that came across the common wall.  

I have lived in a mixed community which meant that i got the best of all religions :D. Onam meant we distributing payasam among our neighbors. Christmas and easter meant we get something from Annie aunty, and for Eid at least until Asha chechi was around in the colony we used to get a share of some yummy biryani. There was a feeling of togetherness and it developed the value of sharing- of not just food! Their love is so unselfish and giving. 

Looking back i was just plain lucky to grow up in such a surrounding. My kids might not have the same fortune. Neither my neighbors nor I represent the older generation. I only wonder how i best i can sow the seeds of these basic values in them. May the risen lord ignite all minds.

Blooms of Bayshore -Final

Just around the pond beside jade are many flowering plants. I have not been successful in getting the names of all of them, but what i do have is some snaps for record. Shall keep updating whenever i get more information. Readers can help.

The big bright yellow flowers near to the road stand out among them all. With a red background formed by Reuellia Elengans and its own dark green leaves, it gives a colorful mix.

yellow allamandas

These are the Allamanda flowers (kolambi poovu in malayalam). They are a common tropical shrub found in most gardens and wild in the tropical region. The flowers which are trumpet shaped come in various colors - white, pink, purple, orange and yellow which is the most common variety.

purple allamandas

Family : Apocynaceae. It is interesting that the white sap of these plants are medicinal. They have antibacterial and anticancer properties. But direct exposure to the sap may sometimes cause skin irritation, itches and can cause rashes. 

Creepy Daisy is another common tropical plant which has bright yellow flowers but are much smaller and typically used by gardeners as a ground-cover. As the name suggests they are partial creepers and grow as weeds.

creepy daisy

Their bright yellow flowers which bloom all through the year and in plenty attract a lot of honey bees. Just about every other flower had a tiny bee or butterfly resting on it.

busy bee on the daisy, wedelia trilobata

Family : Asteraceae
Botanical Name: Wedelia Trilobata
It belongs to the same family as that of the sunflower, hence the same petal arrangement and similarity in looks.
Rarely, in some traditional medicines, wedelia is used to treat hepatitis, infections and to clear the placenta after birth. Am sure we would not even dreamt that there would be something medicinal about this weed !!!

Near the pebble path beside the pool is a shrub with tiny lilac colored flowers hanging down in bunches. The more attractive part are the bunches of tiny bead sized bright orange seeds hanging all over the shrub. A well named plant , golden dew drops, attract a lot of humming birds into your garden if you have them.

Golden dew drops

It is also known commonly as Pigeon berry or Sky flower plant. If i read right, the flower is known Nilkanta in Hindi.
Botanical name: Duranta Erecta
Family : Verbenaceae

pretty lilac flowers of golden dew drops

Going ahead the curve beside tower jade is a blend of bright colored flowers commonly known as "Peacock flower" for their petal shapes and long pistils. Named Rajamalli in Malayalam, they come in shades of pink, bright orange with a mix of yellow and plain yellow.

pink Peacock flower

Peacock flowers and buds

Botanical Name: Caesdpinia Pulcherrima
Family: Ceasalpiniaceae , the same as gulmohar.

orange gultura

Rajamalli Poovu orange colored

Gultera , as it is called in Hindi, is the national flower of Barbados.

yellow peacock flowers

I couldnt stop clicking the vibrant flowers and have so many snaps of them, especially since it also had a lot of butterflies and humming birds hovering around.The birds were too restless and constantly moving around flowers that were in plenty. I managed to get a shot of a dragon fly which somehow chose to sit on a dry branch rather than the flowers!

dragon fly on a dry branch

4gms of extract from the root of this plant is also said to induce abortion in the first trimester....Yewww! :)

All around the condo scattered around is one flower and we have many shades of it too. "Rugmini" in Hindi and "Thetchi poovu" in malayalam, we have its yellow, red , pink and white varieties around the condo.

pink thetchi poovu

Family :Rubiaceae
Botanical name: Ixora

ixora flowers

The red flowers are most commonly used for worship. This along with tulsi leaves and a flower named "Mandaram" forms the favorite garland of presiding deity of the famous temple in Guruvayur, Kerala.

 techi poovu, red ixora

There are many more that i found, but could not find details about them. Have not found their names yet nor have i processed the snaps properly. So not posting them in this series. I am assuming the blog has been colorful enough already; hence choosing to avoid them.  If you find time someday early in the morning, do go out yourself to check out these vibrant lives around Bayshore Park. You would be surprised at how fresh and peaceful you would feel in their company!

Blooms of Bayshore -Part 2

Walking ahead near the promenade area we find the bright yellow and orange flowers. The Canna flowers are a common sight in parts of the world that receive plenty of rain. It is known as Canna Hybrid or Canna Lily. In my home land it is "malayalamised" and christened as "Kaana Poovu" or "Vaazha Chedi" since the leaves and stem resemble that of a Banana.

Canna Hybrid

Botanical Name : Canna Hybrid, Family : Cannanaceae. It is known i guess as "keli" in Hindi. The flowers are typically orange or red or a combination of these two colors with a slight mix of yellow here and there.

Purpose is mostly ornamental. But the interesting facts came out when i read more about these plants. Their seeds are used to make beads for jewelry. The rhizhome (swollen underground stem) is used for starch and in animal fodder. The tender shoots are used as vegetables and young seeds to make tortillas.
Some remote regions in India produce alcohol from this plant! WOW...dats some use i could have never imagined.
Some musical instruments like Kayamb are made from parts of the plant in a french ruled island named "Reunion", SW of Mauritius.

Another interesting fact is that in Thailand these flowers are popular gifts during fathers day. I wish i could post some better images that came out of photoshop but the blog allows only limited formats.

a variety of Indian Shot Flower / Canna

Now comes a flower that i have grown up with! Literally found in every other house in Kerala, its a standard tropical shrub. Different colors, different varieties... The Hibiscus flower of Chembaruthi in Malayalam. "Gurhal" in hindi if i am not wrong. The most common flower color being red, followed by white. I have seen pink, yellow and orange of these too. Rarely seen flowers that have double shades as well.

Chembaruthi Poovu or Gurhal flower

 Family : Malvaceae. The shrub is mostly used for ornamental purpose, but it has many other uses in my home state.

Hibiscus flower

Hibiscus and Bougainvillea are the most common shrubs used for landscaping on road partitions, on highways around India ...esp southern states.

One more snap of Hibiscus

I have a different variety in my house at Trivandrum which has double the petal layers and the pistil is smaller and thicker. We used to make garlands of the petals along with jasmine and other flowers in the garden for special occasions and pooja. The leaves of hibiscus are ground into fine paste and the green juice is sewed to make something called "thali". It is applied on the scalp to prevent dandruff. This also cools the scalp and is a big stress buster. Used in mostly all Ayurvedic hair treatments. Mom used to put couple of these leaves into the hair oil along with Tulsi and Neem leaves. 

to be contd...

The Colorful Blooms of Bayshore Park

We all suffer from longsightedness occasionally. Our eyes wander around things far off so much that  we often miss out of the beauty surrounding us completely. There is a saying in malayalam that goes "muttathe mullakku manamilla". (Meaning the jasmine in your own garden doesn't have an enchanting fragrance").

So today morning I set off for a stroll around Bayshore park discovering that fragrance. It was indeed a very refreshing walk. The air was clean after a rainy morning and the earth smelled fresh. My new DSLR gave me company while i went on a clicking spree.

I should mention two people on this blog. My husband for presenting me the DSLR i have been waiting so long for. We bought it last month to celebrate 2 birthdays (mine and his) and our anniversary.

Dedicate this series to one of my favourite teachers at school, the one who propelled us to look at the beauty of nature around the campus. My interest in life science (biology)  and nature has been because of him i guess. This series is for Mathew Sir.

Clicking was an easy job. But after that came the task of finding some details about each of these flowers and plants and a little this and that about it. Googling the names for some of them took long, then came the task of finding details of their botanical names and family. I hope that its come out clear and neat , the way i intended it to be. It has been couple of days of effort and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed preparing this.

Bayshore is famously green.  Being one of the biggest condos in Singapore,with lots of trees and open spaces. It is one of the biggest reasons that we moved in here - the open space and greenery, the trees and flowers , fountains, beautifully maintained.

There were flowers in all shapes sizes and color. Starting off on a series of blogs that will bring together the blooms i saw at Bayshore. Walk with me around the condo and have a look at the vibrant colors around. 

Straight out of the elevator and into the lobby , i was welcomed by the tender looking bright red flowers that bow onto the walk way near the taxi bay. I dont know their local names or the indian ones, but they sure look pretty.
Botanical Name - Ruellia Elegans from the Family : Acanthaceae.

Ruellia Elegans!... Elegant indeed.

 They are used mostly as ornamental plants. Some vareities of this family are medicinal but some others are known or suspected to be poisonous too.

slightly improved image of the same flower 

Their bright colors attract humming birds and butterflies. It is true as i could see couple of humming birds and dragon flies around. Could not get a click of that though.

Red flowers near the play area pond make a beautiful sight.

Walking down towards the taxi stand , there are these giant trees which give a typical rainforest look. They are all over Singapore. Most of the trees around the condo have their names kept in a board near by. All of these trees have parasite plants over them. Some are orchids (non flowering) and others are creepers.

Bougainvillias..opposite the shopping complex. Though they hang over the open canal with some slurry water, these flowers change the image and look of the place completely.

Bougainvillias or Paper flower

Botanical Name : Bougainvillia spectalis. These plants belong to  the family Nyctaginaceae.

 Kadalasu Poovu in Malayalam (Paper flower)

These flowers are mostly limited to their ornamental usage. They grow indoor also with limited sunlight and bloom all through the year. The sap from their stems sometimes causes itch.

to be ctnd....

the best of lullabies

Kannin vaathil charathe...kanna ninne kandotte?
Ennathoro mutham njan ...thannotte?
aararo...araaro...araaro...ariraro....

My latest like among the Lullaby genre in Malayalam. Sid likes it too and has this sparkle in his eyes when i play every time.

These songs are extra melodious. The one song which is my all time favorite and one that i have been singing for Sid from his first days is the one from the movie "Vatsalyam". I sing this almost every other day in the last two years and that too on demand. Goes like..

Thamara kannan urangenam...
Kannum Pooti Urangenam...
Achane pole valarenam
Ammaykku thanalay marenam
Ambili mamante kombilla kombane kayyiledukkenam...

The beautiful lyrics make is more meaningful , blend with K.S Chitra's gifted voice; the song is so mesmerizing.

There are other old songs as well...making a note of ones i have heard and can remember right now for people looking for collection.
---  Alliyilam Poovo...Mangalam Nerunnu.
---Kilukil Pambaram from kilukam
---Unni Vavavo from Santhvanam
---Ven nilavo chadanamo...from Pingami. Dont know if it can be classified exactly as a lullaby though.
---Paatu padi urakkam njan - from an old movie named "seetha".
---Unnikale oru kadha parayam - cant make my mind whether to classify this as a lullaby or a sad song :)
---alurangi arangurangi...from mamati kuttiyamma
---vaavavo vaave .... ente veedu appunte veedu
--- Rari rariram Raro..padi raakili paadi ..from onnu muthal Poojyam vare. G. Venugopal's amazing deep voice making it even more magical. Wonder why he dint come up as big a singer like others of his times.
---chanchadi aadi urangu nee...from makalkku. i wish it was a malayali singer rather than Adnan sami for this one.
---muthumani thooval tharam...from kauravar
---manasin madiyile from Manathe vellitheru
--- there is one in Pappayude swantham Appoos which i am not able to recollect. And its not olathumbathu. There is another song as well which is a sad lullaby.
Additions are welcome...


But the one song that tops all of these is of course what every Malayali must have heard and grown up in...
Omana thinkal kidavo...
Nalla komala thamara poovo..

The famous lullaby was composed by Irayiman Thampi, for the new royal baby,  who later became His Highness Swati Thirunnal Maharaja of travancore. No wonder the man was a art lover - famous for his passion for paintings, music and dance.

Changing times

For someone whose best company has been his laptop, mobile and internet; it was a pleasant surprise when he walked in home after a long tiring day at work with a bunch of roses for my birthday. Classic case of evolution i must say. From being geek to...whatever!
January is a month of celebrations for us. First the wedding anniversary, then comes my birthday' followed by his. All in adjacent weeks.