Mundane Musings

 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...