Dear Friends,
Travelled to Trivandrum to attend a marriage.
Went by Jet Airways noon flight. Asked for a window seat to enjoy the sights on the way.
Until we flew along the eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, it was mostly dry with a few green fields here and there and waterways were not many.
After half hour into the flight, suddenly there appeared mountains and peaks of white snowy clouds. Some were gray and heavy with rain ready to pour the bounty on earth anytime. Down below, one could hardly see buildings which were far apart. I guessed we had crossed into Kerala.
As we neared our destination, there was a blanket of coconut trees and the banana plantations with tiled houses or buildings under them. The multi storeyed ones stood out like sore thumbs. Looked like humans were taking the hint from those tall trees to grow vertically indicating land was becoming scarce here too, where manufacturing industries are far and few in between. Kerala's economy thrives on tourism, Ayurveda, other service industries like hospitality, medical tourism, etc.
On my return journey I took the Chennai Mail which took us through the length of Kerala. We passed through Kochu Veli, Veli, Chenganaserri, Kottayam, etc. It was noon and through the hot sun those gray clouds would shed some rain here and there making the air cool as we went by.
At Kottayam, which happens to be my mother-in-law's birth place, felt a sting in my eyes as tears filled in. It was her most loved place. She would regale me with stories about life in this place though I had never set foot there till now. Maybe one day I shall land at Kottayam where her ancestral lands are tilled by her brothers' families till date. Her eyes bright and happy as she would recount those boat rides on the backwaters flowing beyond their backyards! How her father would ferry the produce of coconuts, rice husk and other agriculture produce in boats from their lands far away. I asked her soul to bless all our families from wherever she was right now.
I bought cashews, jackfruit chips, banana chips popularly known as the nendram varuval, some appalams and papadams which are made locally. The flavors are so very different from what we get in Tamil Nadu.
This trip would not be complete without a must visit to the famed Ananthapadmanabha Swamy temple. Its housed in a huge complex. Mahavishnu is reclining with Mahalakshmi by his side and other deities in attendance while he rests serenely with his right hand holding a lotus, almost touching ground where lord Shiva represented by a lingam is consecrated. Brahma, the creator rises from Mahavishnu's navel is present too. The holy Trinity are in attendance to hear out the devotees wishes. The reclining figure cannot be seen as a whole since its a huge carving. There are 3doors and the devotees have to pass in front of each door to view a section of the lord.
May Mahavishnu bless us all with good health, peace and all-round prosperity.
Mahalakshmi.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Attics - A place where lost things could be found!.
Dear Friends!
Finding things in a most unexpected way while rummaging through our attic takes us back in time about things and people associated with it.
We rarely find time to go through boxes, bags, etc containing these. At times we forget we have such a place at home where things are just put away for sorting out later which time never comes!
A few items are worth a mention while on this topic. Electronic gadgets which no longer work, vessels which were passed down from an earlier era having sentimental value, clothes which can never be used by anyone anytime except to provide fodder to moths and the like, books which no one has any time to glance leave alone read! Costume jewelery, which if kept for five more years could well be sold as antique pieces netting a fortune, maybe. :)
So it is a mission to even think of sorting these with the hope of organizing or discarding at least a few from the lot. Well if we do come to this stage and get down to serious work, we could get distracted as we stop by to remember the people who lovingly gifted us on special occasions, now collecting dust. Such items go back into their slots yet again for one reason or the other.
The best thing about this exercise could be to find the certificate or document which we thought was lost forever or some precious photographs which meant so much for those strong memories of happier times or a hand written letter by a dear one praising us for a good deed....
Should we continue to keep or just discard what we don't use anymore is a million dollar question evading an answer for centuries otherwise all these museums, antique and curio shops may never have existed, of course not to forget our very own private little museum or antique basement shop right at home. :D
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
Finding things in a most unexpected way while rummaging through our attic takes us back in time about things and people associated with it.
We rarely find time to go through boxes, bags, etc containing these. At times we forget we have such a place at home where things are just put away for sorting out later which time never comes!
A few items are worth a mention while on this topic. Electronic gadgets which no longer work, vessels which were passed down from an earlier era having sentimental value, clothes which can never be used by anyone anytime except to provide fodder to moths and the like, books which no one has any time to glance leave alone read! Costume jewelery, which if kept for five more years could well be sold as antique pieces netting a fortune, maybe. :)
So it is a mission to even think of sorting these with the hope of organizing or discarding at least a few from the lot. Well if we do come to this stage and get down to serious work, we could get distracted as we stop by to remember the people who lovingly gifted us on special occasions, now collecting dust. Such items go back into their slots yet again for one reason or the other.
The best thing about this exercise could be to find the certificate or document which we thought was lost forever or some precious photographs which meant so much for those strong memories of happier times or a hand written letter by a dear one praising us for a good deed....
Should we continue to keep or just discard what we don't use anymore is a million dollar question evading an answer for centuries otherwise all these museums, antique and curio shops may never have existed, of course not to forget our very own private little museum or antique basement shop right at home. :D
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Hope or Greed?
Dear Friends,
I often wonder about the expectations and hopes writ large on the faces of TV game shows' participants. Some are lucky to hit a medium jackpot but most are not that fortunate to win prize money.
Winning and not winning. There is a fine line dividing the two yet so many emotions pass through the mind in a split second of its occurrence. We feel extremely happy and lucky when we win and feel God has let us down badly if we lose! Our minds always want us to be happy and successful. We are never able to take failures or losses in our stride. We curse God, others and very rarely ourselves when we don't make it. The day we are able to see both success and failure with the detachment it deserves while continuing to do our karma we will continue to feel this way all our lives.
Like the wise say there's a fine line between a genius and a madman, so also there is a fine line between winning or losing in the game show called life.
Take life as an adventure.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
I often wonder about the expectations and hopes writ large on the faces of TV game shows' participants. Some are lucky to hit a medium jackpot but most are not that fortunate to win prize money.
Winning and not winning. There is a fine line dividing the two yet so many emotions pass through the mind in a split second of its occurrence. We feel extremely happy and lucky when we win and feel God has let us down badly if we lose! Our minds always want us to be happy and successful. We are never able to take failures or losses in our stride. We curse God, others and very rarely ourselves when we don't make it. The day we are able to see both success and failure with the detachment it deserves while continuing to do our karma we will continue to feel this way all our lives.
Like the wise say there's a fine line between a genius and a madman, so also there is a fine line between winning or losing in the game show called life.
Take life as an adventure.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Affection and respect makes everyone happy!
Dear friends!
My mother has just returned from a visit to Hyderabad where she went to sign for 2 years the pension register at the All Saint`s High School.
She is 83 years old now but is prompt in matters of duties like signing for her pension. The travel part is the most difficult for her as age catches up on her. Being the elder she is, she has had her fair share of fall and fractures. Hence our apprehension about her travel though one of us accompany her for these past 4 or 5 years.
This time my eldest sis took her. After the work was done, both went to my sis's friend who was her class mate in B.Tech. He and his wife were such gracious hosts to my mom and my sis. My mom was served food with respect. She was talked to with greater respect. They gifted her with two lovely cotton sarees that Hyderabad is so famous for and sought her blessings. For them it may have been something normal they may follow for all elders but for my mom it was such a happy meeting. She has never been to their house earlier.
Don't all of us like the respect and affection from others? Whatever the shortcomings of the surroundings or offerings, they are all easily forgotten when we attune ourselves to the true affection and respect which is showered on us in some places by some people. It is a pleasant time which may never be forgotten so easily in our entire lifetimes.
The gift of sarees or material things, the offer of good food is welcome any day yet it is the treatment of guests by hosts which linger for longer time in our memories.
Cheers to such lovely hosts.
Mahalakshmi
My mother has just returned from a visit to Hyderabad where she went to sign for 2 years the pension register at the All Saint`s High School.
She is 83 years old now but is prompt in matters of duties like signing for her pension. The travel part is the most difficult for her as age catches up on her. Being the elder she is, she has had her fair share of fall and fractures. Hence our apprehension about her travel though one of us accompany her for these past 4 or 5 years.
This time my eldest sis took her. After the work was done, both went to my sis's friend who was her class mate in B.Tech. He and his wife were such gracious hosts to my mom and my sis. My mom was served food with respect. She was talked to with greater respect. They gifted her with two lovely cotton sarees that Hyderabad is so famous for and sought her blessings. For them it may have been something normal they may follow for all elders but for my mom it was such a happy meeting. She has never been to their house earlier.
Don't all of us like the respect and affection from others? Whatever the shortcomings of the surroundings or offerings, they are all easily forgotten when we attune ourselves to the true affection and respect which is showered on us in some places by some people. It is a pleasant time which may never be forgotten so easily in our entire lifetimes.
The gift of sarees or material things, the offer of good food is welcome any day yet it is the treatment of guests by hosts which linger for longer time in our memories.
Cheers to such lovely hosts.
Mahalakshmi
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Ugadi - Telugu New Year 2010
Dear Friends,
Today is the Telugu New Year.
Though I am not a Telugu yet we do celebrate it as I was born and brought up in Hyderabad.
Memories of mangoes flooding the market, the maamidi pachadi we used to make and relish on this day comes to my mind.
This single dish has four tastes - sweet, sour, bitter and salt.
It is a must to have this on a new year's day as its believed that our lives have all experiences and we should not shy away from any of those.
mangoes are sour.
fresh neem flowers are slightly bitter.
jaggery an ingredient used to make this dish is sweet.
salt is added to balance all these above.
there are chillies - popularly green chillies are preferred as it imparts a unique taste to this sweet sour dish.
mangoes are cut leaving the seed out.
oil in a pan is heated and a teaspoon of mustard and methi seeds are spluttered, some green chillies and a teaspoon of fresh neem flowers are suated for a few minutes.
then we tip in the mango bits, add some water, a pinch of turmeric, salt to taste and allow it to cook for a few minutes until mangoes are all done.
then we add 3 or 4 tsps of crushed jaggery.
if one wants to thicken it, rice flour is dissolved in water and batter added.
this then is the beginning of the basant season - a season of colors and flowers all around. spring time it is. the weather is just right. not too cold nor too hot.
this also marks the beginning of the basant navaratri where the goddess is prayed for well-being of all.
another must have is the chitra annam.
which is cooked rice mixed with a spicy tamarind paste with roasted peanuts.
its very popular and is served as a divine offering at most temples including Tirupathi.
then there is the sweet dish is actually a sweet indian stuffed bread.
the stuffing is usually jaggery, coconut, cardamom or any other ingredient as per family traditions.
the bread dough is made and rolled out. the sweet stuffing in then filled in and the bread flattened into roundels to be cooked over a hotplate using clarified butter or any preferred oil.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
Today is the Telugu New Year.
Though I am not a Telugu yet we do celebrate it as I was born and brought up in Hyderabad.
Memories of mangoes flooding the market, the maamidi pachadi we used to make and relish on this day comes to my mind.
This single dish has four tastes - sweet, sour, bitter and salt.
It is a must to have this on a new year's day as its believed that our lives have all experiences and we should not shy away from any of those.
mangoes are sour.
fresh neem flowers are slightly bitter.
jaggery an ingredient used to make this dish is sweet.
salt is added to balance all these above.
there are chillies - popularly green chillies are preferred as it imparts a unique taste to this sweet sour dish.
mangoes are cut leaving the seed out.
oil in a pan is heated and a teaspoon of mustard and methi seeds are spluttered, some green chillies and a teaspoon of fresh neem flowers are suated for a few minutes.
then we tip in the mango bits, add some water, a pinch of turmeric, salt to taste and allow it to cook for a few minutes until mangoes are all done.
then we add 3 or 4 tsps of crushed jaggery.
if one wants to thicken it, rice flour is dissolved in water and batter added.
this then is the beginning of the basant season - a season of colors and flowers all around. spring time it is. the weather is just right. not too cold nor too hot.
this also marks the beginning of the basant navaratri where the goddess is prayed for well-being of all.
another must have is the chitra annam.
which is cooked rice mixed with a spicy tamarind paste with roasted peanuts.
its very popular and is served as a divine offering at most temples including Tirupathi.
then there is the sweet dish is actually a sweet indian stuffed bread.
the stuffing is usually jaggery, coconut, cardamom or any other ingredient as per family traditions.
the bread dough is made and rolled out. the sweet stuffing in then filled in and the bread flattened into roundels to be cooked over a hotplate using clarified butter or any preferred oil.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Funny, Honey, Money, Sunny!!
Dear Friends,
Funny is life and how it turns us inside out as we grow older and wiser?! with all the experiences it teaches us. Life is an adventure if we treat it like fun.
Life is serious when we think about the responsibilities we have to undertake towards our commitments both voluntary and involuntary.
Life is happy when we move ahead as we grow. Meet with success. When we prosper. When our near and dear ones make us happy and when they do well in their lives. We wish at times that these happy times never end at all and just continue forever!
Life is sad when we have to take up new responsibilities in our lives. Most of us come to love the comfort others offer us - both physical, mental, financial and moral and wish it never ends its flow. It is human nature to become lethargic and get used to being in a state of limbo in life with such feelings.
But is life all about being in limbo just to feel ok? We have to take those first steps in any matter to move ahead. Whether we are right or wrong we have to keep moving with some action plans for our lives. Along the way we will learn to fall, to get up, to balance ourselves and the courage to take the next steps even if there be doubts in our minds about success or failures ahead. Never mind the result just keep moving and soon life will teach you how to balance through good people guiding, helping at crucial times. But it is us and our minds which have to be strong to take those crucial and initial steps to move on in life. We get help when we start helping ourselves. Help is never continuous and it is better not to expect it from others all the time. If we get help then consider it a bonus in life. This way the mind knows that the action has to start from within ourselves and no amount of pushing by others has helped anyone in this world.
So I do think life is funny :)
Honey!
Its sweet. Too sweet! Honey means so many things to so many people depending on age and circumstances.
Its the nectar which the bees work hard to collect. So many thousands of worker bees to fill a bottle of honey. Is life not funny when you think its the hard work of others which gives a sweeter taste! We bottle this up and spoon feed ourselves from time to time to enjoy bliss.
Honey can be that someone who is special to us. It is an endearment for the one we love beyond ourselves. Its such a nice feeling to be in love. Its a commitment of our deep feelings for another.
Life will surely be dull and listless if there is no honey to bring in the sweetness in our lives.
Money
We make something of our lives, earn money and hence get a certain status in life. The gradation comes from our minds. Others praising us when we do well and disapproving when we don't do well is one aspect every individual goes through. After all we live in a society and others opinions do matter until we reach a certain comfort level with money.
We work to earn money. We make plans and have goals in life to reach. Money is a powerful motivator in everyone's life. The having of money and not having enough can make that big difference to our lives all the times until we are alive.
But how much money can make that difference to our lives is a moot question which even we ourselves cannot give a steady answer to this question as we grow older.
Money!
for what are we struggling so hard. i feel we should enjoy basic comforts instead of always thinking of saving on small basic comforts while letting big money go away just in no time. its difficult to earn money and more difficult to keep it safe for our use and more and more difficult to use it on ourselves.
we should tell ourselves that we have to enjoy basic comforts of life instead of always thinking of controlling money spending. instead we should think how we can earn better or more to lead a good life. i know today's topic is just this :)
Funny is life and how it turns us inside out as we grow older and wiser?! with all the experiences it teaches us. Life is an adventure if we treat it like fun.
Life is serious when we think about the responsibilities we have to undertake towards our commitments both voluntary and involuntary.
Life is happy when we move ahead as we grow. Meet with success. When we prosper. When our near and dear ones make us happy and when they do well in their lives. We wish at times that these happy times never end at all and just continue forever!
Life is sad when we have to take up new responsibilities in our lives. Most of us come to love the comfort others offer us - both physical, mental, financial and moral and wish it never ends its flow. It is human nature to become lethargic and get used to being in a state of limbo in life with such feelings.
But is life all about being in limbo just to feel ok? We have to take those first steps in any matter to move ahead. Whether we are right or wrong we have to keep moving with some action plans for our lives. Along the way we will learn to fall, to get up, to balance ourselves and the courage to take the next steps even if there be doubts in our minds about success or failures ahead. Never mind the result just keep moving and soon life will teach you how to balance through good people guiding, helping at crucial times. But it is us and our minds which have to be strong to take those crucial and initial steps to move on in life. We get help when we start helping ourselves. Help is never continuous and it is better not to expect it from others all the time. If we get help then consider it a bonus in life. This way the mind knows that the action has to start from within ourselves and no amount of pushing by others has helped anyone in this world.
So I do think life is funny :)
Honey!
Its sweet. Too sweet! Honey means so many things to so many people depending on age and circumstances.
Its the nectar which the bees work hard to collect. So many thousands of worker bees to fill a bottle of honey. Is life not funny when you think its the hard work of others which gives a sweeter taste! We bottle this up and spoon feed ourselves from time to time to enjoy bliss.
Honey can be that someone who is special to us. It is an endearment for the one we love beyond ourselves. Its such a nice feeling to be in love. Its a commitment of our deep feelings for another.
Life will surely be dull and listless if there is no honey to bring in the sweetness in our lives.
Money
We make something of our lives, earn money and hence get a certain status in life. The gradation comes from our minds. Others praising us when we do well and disapproving when we don't do well is one aspect every individual goes through. After all we live in a society and others opinions do matter until we reach a certain comfort level with money.
We work to earn money. We make plans and have goals in life to reach. Money is a powerful motivator in everyone's life. The having of money and not having enough can make that big difference to our lives all the times until we are alive.
But how much money can make that difference to our lives is a moot question which even we ourselves cannot give a steady answer to this question as we grow older.
Money!
for what are we struggling so hard. i feel we should enjoy basic comforts instead of always thinking of saving on small basic comforts while letting big money go away just in no time. its difficult to earn money and more difficult to keep it safe for our use and more and more difficult to use it on ourselves.
we should tell ourselves that we have to enjoy basic comforts of life instead of always thinking of controlling money spending. instead we should think how we can earn better or more to lead a good life. i know today's topic is just this :)
Monday, March 8, 2010
2 Seconds To Happen But Years To Recover!
Dear Friends,
On Saturday the 6th March, I got a call at the office that my husband had met with an accident and was at the hospital. We rushed there. Since the accident occurred on the road an ambulance was called and he was admitted into the Royapettah Government Hospital for the first aid. But the decision to shift him elsewhere to a private hospital was our own. By evening he was shifted to a private hospital where he was prepared for an emergency surgery on Sunday.
His knee cap had fragmented and blood clots had to removed along with the broken bones.
We soon learnt that there was no need for any replacement of the knee cap or inferior as they referred to that bone and still he could walk normally within a month or so. Even with all this pep talk I could see he was in great pain and doubt whether he would recover so fast.
This accident happened when he was about to board a bus which moved too fast for comfort and he fell down as he lost his balance. His left knee had hit the road and borne the brunt of his weight.
All such things happen inside 2 seconds but it takes weeks, months and maybe in some cases forever to heal or come back to normal.
I know of the case of a woman who had put the pressure cooker on the stove.
The valve had burst with a big noise and the starchy water from the rice inside had dripped down to the floor. The lady wanted to turn off the gas so she rushed to the kitchen and fell on the slippery starch and in a second she was on the floor with a broken hip bone. Even after several years now, she's in pain and cannot move normally though she does all the kitchen work by herself.
Why this hurry and what will happen within those few seconds if we are late to respond? These are accidents because we are not aware of what to look for to safeguard ourselves?
Never rush for anything even if it is something very very urgent. go about your work in a calm manner. If you are going to miss this bus due to some reason wait for the next one. Do not board a bus which is in a hurry to leave you behind anyway. Some bus drivers here drive the bus for their own sweet pleasure and not for the public which pays their salaries.
Prayers for my husband and many others who suffer physically from accidents, to recover fast. May god give them enough courage to bear the pain and may they heal in double quick time.
take care.
Mahalakshmi
On Saturday the 6th March, I got a call at the office that my husband had met with an accident and was at the hospital. We rushed there. Since the accident occurred on the road an ambulance was called and he was admitted into the Royapettah Government Hospital for the first aid. But the decision to shift him elsewhere to a private hospital was our own. By evening he was shifted to a private hospital where he was prepared for an emergency surgery on Sunday.
His knee cap had fragmented and blood clots had to removed along with the broken bones.
We soon learnt that there was no need for any replacement of the knee cap or inferior as they referred to that bone and still he could walk normally within a month or so. Even with all this pep talk I could see he was in great pain and doubt whether he would recover so fast.
This accident happened when he was about to board a bus which moved too fast for comfort and he fell down as he lost his balance. His left knee had hit the road and borne the brunt of his weight.
All such things happen inside 2 seconds but it takes weeks, months and maybe in some cases forever to heal or come back to normal.
I know of the case of a woman who had put the pressure cooker on the stove.
The valve had burst with a big noise and the starchy water from the rice inside had dripped down to the floor. The lady wanted to turn off the gas so she rushed to the kitchen and fell on the slippery starch and in a second she was on the floor with a broken hip bone. Even after several years now, she's in pain and cannot move normally though she does all the kitchen work by herself.
Why this hurry and what will happen within those few seconds if we are late to respond? These are accidents because we are not aware of what to look for to safeguard ourselves?
Never rush for anything even if it is something very very urgent. go about your work in a calm manner. If you are going to miss this bus due to some reason wait for the next one. Do not board a bus which is in a hurry to leave you behind anyway. Some bus drivers here drive the bus for their own sweet pleasure and not for the public which pays their salaries.
Prayers for my husband and many others who suffer physically from accidents, to recover fast. May god give them enough courage to bear the pain and may they heal in double quick time.
take care.
Mahalakshmi
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