Mundane Musings

Those fairy tales always started with a "Once upon a time..." and ended with "And they all lived happily ever after." Happily ever after? How was that even possible? After the rush of emotions and passionate wooing of a loved one, 'a happily ever after' should be yours by right, but all those divorces don't vouch for 'a lovey-dovey don't want to look at the flaws happiness' life.  This pandemic and the myriad things it brought to focus, led me think about what happens to passionate love after the seal of marriage is affixed on it. My knee-jerk response of course would be that the mundane takes over. yes, the mundane. How does mundane look, you ask? Well let me see -  - work, because more often than not, you want to be able to give the world to the other - food, its preparation, planning and imbibing - bills, because they follow you everywhere - commitments - family, friends, relatives, acquaintances - the dinners and the lunches, weddings, pa...

 Until a month ago, one of our favourite rant, barring the Covid 19 ones, has been the muggy, sweaty, humid weather we have been facing in Chennai. It gave us a certain pleasure to wring the words out of our mouths and twist them into displeasure and scrunched up faces to make up for the rivulets of sweat running down our backs. When will there be rain? When will this terrible weather leave us? When will I be able to breathe through this thick fog that has taken residence in front of my nose? Some added a few colourful swear words to make up for the utter desolation.  The dull gray July skies Looks beautiful, but oh god it was so humid And now we have rains. Yes, it has been raining since Deepavali. As if regular monsoon wasn't enough to make up for the angst of the few months, the rain gods have showered this depression induced deluge down our throats to silence our ungrateful, wagging tongues. So yes, we are having a superlative weather - if you may call the cloudy sun-less ...

Every time in the past when I have suggested visiting Madikeri, it was vetoed down by my well travelled husband who thought there wasn't much to explore in the largely coffee growing area. But on our 10th wedding anniversary he decided to indulge me and we plotted a trip to Coorg/ Kodagu District.  We weren't planning on doing much there but simply rest and relax - two commodities that have been in short supply since Ana's birth. This was our first trip since the second wave of Corona and Karnataka which had a lower count seemed to be a safe bet. This was our second trip to of Karnataka, apart from the zillion trips made to the one and only Bangalore.  We also decided to do a road trip as our Kia Seltos had not been challenged since our trip to Wayanad last year and we were eager for our trip to Madikeri (Club Mahindra Resort) to begin! A reflective break  Travel route:  Chennai to Madikeri is a good 600+ kms and we planned to break our journey in Bangalore before co...

This is the story of a marriage of flavour, taste and textures. And the magic it makes on the senses. Yes a good marriage affects other people too :). I have been a big exponent of combinations, in my food I mean. After all why else would we make so many dishes in a meal? Not just for sight surely. If that aloo or aamras didn't go with pooris or that naans with dal makhni why bother making them together? Its because of the said marriage magic my friend.  And like any real marriage, there has to be a certain dance and flow of energies and rhythms to side step potential failures in combinations. In my plate on any given day, I would concentrate on the items that land up there and the play of texture and flavour they may bring about. I have mentioned that feeling in this post . This here is the popular South Indian swashbuckler Mr. Sambar and among the types of sambar, this guy is a stud - he is our Drumstick Sambar - I mean considering the various benefits of drumstick and its great...

 I can't start 2021 without paying obeisance to my father in law, who passed away on December 28th 2020 due to kidney failure. He passed away at a ripe old age of 90, almost 91. I knew him only in his twilight years, as I married S only when Uncle was 81. He was a distinguished man with his precise words and genial attitude which acted like a magnet to the people around him.  I remember him narrating interesting stories about their family during the 1900s and about the city with its myriad transformations. What made chatting with him so enduring is his remarkable memory and his choice of words. One could get a picture of the city or of his life at that time without the poetic exuberance. Every word spoken was measured yet descriptive.  When my own father passed away in 2008 rather unexpectedly, my grief was limited to myself with no knowledge of what was happening to my once alive father. My brothers and other male relatives conducted the last rites as per our customs and...

It's the last month of this trying year and a round up of my favourite movies that had helped me limp through 2020 is in order.  Below is a list of multi lingual movies that I enjoyed watching on Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar this year. Gotta warn you though, that some of the movies are old. Best Movies Watched Online in 2020 Patakha (2018)  1. Patakha (2018) - If like me you have somehow missed watching this movie in 2018, then do stream it on Amazon Prime and enjoy the tussle between two, might I say, patakha sisters. Vishal Baradwaj has directed this gritty comedy of two warring sisters who in their hurry for one up manship exasperate their loved ones and each other. Sanya Malhotra and Radhika Madan have delivered stellar performances which is aptly supported by Vijay Raaz and Sunil Grover. Must watch. Haraamkhor (2015) 2. Haraamkhor (2015) - Yes, I know I am listing movies this old, but the pickings are pretty slim among 2019 especially and 2020 movies in Hindi langua...

Three years ago when Ana kutti was starting Montessori and we parents were getting to know each other, I remember speaking to two other mothers on a warm, sunny morning. When asked what we did for a living, two of us promptly replied that we were working. I remember the third one had an impassive face as she looked back at our polite questioning glances. She replied that oh no, she didn't go for work, and that she was a housewife. I remember now how a short, sharp judgmental arrow shot through me. She didn't work.  Unfiltered thoughts crept up of news articles and visuals of a modern day woman, who generally was a smart business woman or a competent mid level employee, a surgeon or a cook. She not only juggled her job with her house but was also this wonder woman who was supposedly doing all this with a smile on her face. The modern working woman was kicking ass more than the limpid home maker. Of course my social grace came  over me and I nodded with a smile and a ready wo...