Mundane Musings

A few years ago, during my first visit to Europe , I admonished S for harping on about India whenever he got conversing with the locals. He was unashamedly singing praises of our country and at every opportunity he let people know what his country had to offer; never once falling on the poor country spool that I have generally heard people talk about really. I was the one feeling embarrassed I realized. The foreigners or locals in this case, were lapping it up genuinely and in some cases like our host in Brussels, were also vehemently agreeing with S.  And by the time we made our way from Paris to Belgium (Brussels and Bruges) I admired this genuine love for his country and his desire to keep up his faith in it. He was not willing to put down or malign our country without any basis and there was never a certain casual dismissal of  our country's achievements or our rich culture. Our expressive National Flag There are many reasons why I love S, but that trip reminded ...

We spent a better part of yesterday afternoon at the Farmers Market (Santhai ) in Nungambakkam, organized by SunnyBees . This was a first attempt by the organizers and from the response it got, I think they would be motivated enough to host it again. Here’s a quick low-down on what to expect if hosted again: This initiative by Sunny Bees, which is a chain of grocery stores that I believe sells fresh produce, is for farmers and customers to meet without the middleman. If that were the case, I don’t know what SunnyBees' role is here. The farmers showcase their produce for us to buy, but most of the billing is done by Sunny Bees. That brings me to the produce. I must say, most looked very fresh and lovely. There were strawberries from Mahableshwar, apples from Kashmir, oranges from Nagpur and the like. Potatoes, onions, beans, coriander leaves, mint leaves, gourds etc were also for sale. Almost all the produce was fresh, considering some had to travel from as far out...

All it took was a well taken photograph published in a widely circulated newspaper...a picture of a grinning girl in chef's whites holding a trophy with confetti flying all over her and an equally ebullient group, to end the month long suspense that kept me glued to the idiot box come rain or sunshine. All it took was that one photo, published before the actual episode got aired on TV. Talk about raining on a parade. They had given a spoiler alert in teeny tiny letters instead of blazing it across the newspaper as good folks should do. MasterChef Australia 2017 I wanted to tear the paper apart, but you don't live on earth for 39 odd years without some maturity kicking in. So I folded the offensive piece of recycled pulp as calmly as I could and tried to look for the silver lining. Yeah, Ben was not going to win MasterChef Australia 2017. It was Dizey...dear old Diana who was going to walk away with the coveted trophy and prize money. Now that I knew the results, the o...

Nutshell by Ian McEwan My rating: 4 of 5 stars Nutshell - Ian McEwan What a marvellous conceit this book is. It tells the story of a woman having an affair with her brother in law,and of the two plotting something sinister. Only, the story is told by the most unexpected narrator - the foetus of the unfaithful woman. And far from being gibberish the language and tone of the narrative sways to the other end of the scale - it is eloquent, astute, perceptive and exquisite. How can the author get away with this you wonder? Right from the first part of book.. ."So here I am, upside down in a woman. Arms patiently crossed, waiting, waiting and wondering who I'm in, what I'm in for" we understand that this is no ordinary narrator. He is sharp and he peppers his monologues with exceptional opinions about things in life which he has experienced second hand through his mother's womb. "I'm hearing pillow talk of deadly intent and I'm terrified by...

I had a tough time choosing a title for this post, as everything short and interesting seemed to suggest a list of books of 2017 that I had read. Though this title is unassuming, the books that are listed here are not. 2017 was a great year in books for me, especially due to the Goodreads Reading Challenge . The Challenge gave me a sense of direction and discipline in choosing and reading the books for the year. I completed my target of 22 books, which I sneakily brought down from 24 when I realised I wouldn’t be able to complete on time, only to overshoot the target by exactly 2 books. Here are a few recommendations for interested souls :D Of the books I had read in 2017, the stand outs were: Room - Emma Donoghue Wild - Cheryl Strayed Anne of Green Gables - L M Montgomery Rules of Civility - Amor Towles A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman Our Souls At Night - Kent Haruf A Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood Some books inspire, some bo...