Fragrance that lingers!

Every home as some memory attached to plants and flowers! We had a 'Hibiscus' plant that my mom had planted when she moved into our house first day after my parents had got married in 1976. So that plant was an quintessentially a 'senior' in my house, much earlier than even me and sis were born. Mom used to water it carefully, prune it and when a flower bloomed, she would offer it to Lord. Ganesh. Ganpati is usually offered red colored flowers and it is said that hibiscus (jaswand) in marathi is his favourite flower:) She would use the leaves to make make some oil mixture which was supposed to make your hair even darker! Then we had this flower 'Sayli' that was pink in color. The meaning of 'sayli' is 'delicate' Truly, the flower was so pretty that one would never want to remove it from the plant. We also had some 'button roses' planted. But, it was too hectic to take care of it. Didi and mom used to regularly add fertilizers but they since we lived on the ground floor, probably they did not get exposed to whole lot of sunlight. When one plant died, mom never planted any other rose plants. My dad used to always bring flowers for mom whenever he came from work. He would get three 'gajras' for my mom, sis and myself. They both loved wearing those flowers. I would somehow not like it, coz I always wore skirts or frocks (of corz when I was a kid) and wearing a gajra on skirt..was errr..too 'vernacular' and I still think so:) They looked gorgeous on salwar kurtas and sarees!! I would never understand what was the need for him to get it like everyday. After all after the fragrance goes off, its waste! [So what I thought]. But then as I grew up I realized that mom would in fact wait eagerly to see which flower my dad had bought for her [he always got white flowers: Mogra, Chameli, Juhi ] Although, I agree I love the fragrance of these flowers and I bet these flowers are much more romantic than a boquet full of roses! I remember, whenever we went to Dadar ( a town in Mumbai), she bought packets of these 'white flowers' from the huge 'Phool market'. She used to even make 'gajras' and distribute it to her friends and building walas:) Weaving those was indeed nice, so what I thought. So I learned to weave it too. And even now, I have not forgotten it. Wonder what it is about flowers, which has a 'feel-good'factor associated with it. So why was I tempted to write about this! Yesterday, I was walking across the street when I saw thic 'cute chinese couple' walking hand in hand. The girl stopped and took a look at a small white flower growing on a plant. Of course, I did not understand what they both said. But, the next instant, the guy took one tiny flower from the tree and put it on her EARS. Of course coz her hair was straight wth no clips or bands to hold her hair;) But the expression on the girl's face was PRICELESS!! As said by Albert Schweitze, " In the hope of reaching the moonmen fail to see the flowersthat blossom at their feet" How long has it been that you have 'smelled' the roses?:)

Thats my friend!

I was watching Dil Chahta Hai for the nth time. The cameraderie between Sid, Sameer and Akash is a treat. In the initial stages you kinda think "Is this for real"? And then as we get invloved in their 'picture-perfect'lives we realize that their lives is just like ours. Full of fun, playful bantering, damage act and finally damage-control. Thats life. Thats the life of friends. No friendship is complete without the usual arguments and bantering. Some times its playful and sometimes the play gets farstretched! Akash who is always the playful, flirty self, who believes that he can get away with anything without anybody getting back at him. Sameer, the confused and 'regular' guy!Sid (Akshaye) who is usually the calm composed of the lot and idealistic. All the three different yet pals. After all people need not be smiliar in order to be friends! Until one day, Akash steps on that spot in his sensitive heart that their friendship nearly comes to a standstill. And each one moving his own way. Sid confesses about his love for Tara, who is 10 years older than him to his friends Akash and Sameer. When Akash playfully mentions "Tere se umar mein badi hai. Experience bhi hai. Ash kar le' [Not sure of the exact lines. But something on similar lines.] Acc to Akash, that was a 'harmless'comment. And he so did not anticipate being hit by the calm Sid. But what Sid says is something that justifies the whole act "Akash, dosti mein bhi ek hudd (limit) hotee hain. Jise humein kabhi paar nahi karnee chahiye' This is something that every Akash needs to be reminded of. Although, friends need not be judged but they do not realize that they know where it hurts the most! We all believe that friends absorb everything and sometimes forgive too. Akash had crossed that limit the moment he uttered that sentence! Sometimes its one word, some times its one sentence and sometimes its a bundle of events that leads to 'break-up'between friends! Later, due to circumstances they drift apart and then reunite towards the end! But life is not Bollywood:) [For some people] and things sometimes go wrong and we never resort to blame games and the only attempt that people do is to 'communicate and resolve' but just like a clothes which get torn, and even after you try to mend it..the cut is still visible! I do believe that it lies with each person invloved into making a relationship that how much he is willing to bend and let go off the dust from the shoulders in order to make it work! And it is never a one way traffic! Two people need to 'believe' in a relationship in order to take that 'step' To accept that differences exist in realtionships and that one friend need not 'approve' of the others ways! Like, after the title track when all the three guys are sitting on the edge and gazing at the ships in water. When one of them says 'Ek din shayad hum bhi apne apne raaste nikal jaayenge'[Again, I do not remeber the exact lines. Not that I care]..True enuf, its quite possible that in midst of 'oceans of friends' who will stick with you, who will be there 'just around the corner..Like how it happens in the last scene when Sameer says to Akash "Kahan hai tu.. kab mil sakta hai" and Aakash says "Aaj, abhi, isi waqt .. just turn around " That is what a friend is to me! One who would not question, why you have hurt and who is to be blamed. But one, who irrespective of what has happened in the past, respects the friend who made the move and assures of his ubiquitous presence! [P.S:-The views expresses hereof are purely mine and what my beleif is]:)

Summer of yesteryears

It was hot that sunday afternoon! 105 F to be precise! Sultry as hell..and sweaty in Omaha! I am a hot coffee person always. But that day, I was tempted to try a new drink by 'Starbucks' called as "Tangerine Fruit Blend". It was OK. Though it tasted good, it was full of ICE SLUSH! That just anesthesizes your nerve! Then me and Wolf were talking about how many different kinds of simple yet exotic drinks we got back in India. Ideally, the summer coolers! Mumbai, with its hot and humid climate offered a vivid range of 'bhaiiyas'always ready to provide the tired due to sweat office n school goers with some refreshing drink! Few which were the top in my list include: Gola: Dont know the other slang for this. But this was a ice candy stick dipped in sherbets such as orange, kala khatta, some red sharbat!! topped with rock salt and lemon..WOW! With the bhaiiyas sweat included..it tasted yummiee..(OK! that was gross:D) Secondly, Mango Lassi: ROYAL drink and none can ever match the taste of 'Alphonso mango'. I recollect: One of my friends was coming back from India and carried some alphonso mangoes in his suitcase while coming back to US. Although its illegal (I suppose) but he managed to. The customs people asked him what it was. He said they were 'raw mangoes' and when he finally opens the suitcase, 4 mangoes were misssing!!!! That shows even US people love to eat INDIAN mangoes.So what if they were illegally bought!!!! Nimbu Juice: The drink of the poor. Affordable and a thirst quencher. Topped with salt and freshly squeezed!! Im sure Lemonade mein woh baat kahan:)) Jaljira:Made out of cumin, lemom juice, mint, rock salt! Totally cool!! Then comes this Raw Mango juice called as "Panha" in marathi. This recipe is summed up here. One drink that I used to wait for my mom to make and I would finish it off in less than a week!!! Lastly, Falooda: Man..that huge glass was always filling. With some strawberry essence, icecream, and some vermicelli..and god knows what all. But, it tasted divine! Those were the summers of India. Hot yet special in its own way. Although USA has a blend of fruit juice and Frappucinos to boast about, these refreshing drinks will hold a special place forever!

Vegetable medley

I have been trying to make this commmon Mumbai Street Food (Pav Bhaji) for so long!!!!! I have always been lucky to find friends who make it awesomely well and I never had to bother to make it at all:)) But, suddenly I got this wierd craving and as I drove back home after a tiring completion of a deadline..I was suddenly excited on having friends over and treating them to pav-bhaji. I recalled: Yes, I have Onions, Capsicum, Caulfilower (which I had bought last wk to make Gobi Manchurian) but Sigh! for all the grilling that I went through..Mera hi manchurian bann gaya..:)) Yep..I had carrots too (which I had got to make carrot halwa) ha..but lets not get there either:)) I had green peas and french beans too.. What else..what else... Ya right...I need some 'Pav'(bread) as well.. So I stopped at a grocery store on my way: Picked up two packets of Buns, some tomatoes. Some really fresh Cilantro (coriander) . There is nothing that smells as good as fresh cilantro...:))And I was on my way back.. I decided to take a nap..and then at 7:00 PM..I called up two of my buddies.. "hey..whats up?? Me making Pav-bhaji..Tujhe aaneka hai kya??' So there is this saying in marathi..that goes "Je je fukat..te te paushtik" [which means"What ever is free..is healthy"] Ha! and my friends here believe in this adage quite strongly. They agreed to join me! I started to cut mah veggies and put them in pressure cooker. Then came the time to chop in potatoes as well!!!!! I looked in the same place in a small shelf where I usually stock in my onions and potatoes. And I realized that there were no potatoes! THERE WERE NO POTATOES:O I mean...its very rare for me to not have potatoes at home! I mean..isnt potato the most veratile veggie ever?? I especially love potatoes in any form, shape and size!!! Well, I dont mean anything here..except for the fact that sometimes we take the availability of some of the things for granted! Some things or like in my case..potatoes. Which I knew..I will have it in my kitchen. So much so that..even the thought of buying it never crossed my mind. And I had to stay without making pav-bhaji:( Coz a day comes when You just CANNOT do with your 'easily available' veggie:)

Blowing my top off!

This is going to be a hardcore rant! So if you people are here for a good read, please exit the browser now! I walk in to my office, get myself a cup of coffee and start working on my computer. An hour later, I checked Google News and to my utter shock saw an article about 8 Mumbai blasts! My eyes popped out and I wanted to make sure this was for real. So I clicked on each and every link I could find and read about what happened for two hours straight! Finally after I thought I had enough information, I started getting angry. I was freakin' pissed at what had happened. First of all, I'll state the obvious - innocent people were killed and injured. Secondly, what was the Indian govt's initial reaction? "We are calling a 'high-level' meeting which will be attended by the Home Minister, CM of Maharashtra, the Railway Minister and others" said the PM. OK so what exactly is a 'high-level' meeting? You will see. A couple of hours after the 'meeting' the PM makes an announcement to the media. He says "Indians are a peace loving set of people and I am sure people will not take law into their hands and solve this issue peacefully". What the hell is wrong with this dude? Just because we have been silent all these years, these goddamn terrorists keep attacking our cities. You have to fight fire with fire! Why does India boast of their vast military if they don't wanna use it? What purpose does it serve? If blasts rock Indian cities, there should be a counter attack on terrorist camps. Blow them apart. Convey a stronger message. And after the blasts, the railway minister announces that he is going to make a trip to Mumbai. What the hell is going to do there? The dead sure don't want to see him. Why would the injured want to? If he is so concerned, coordinate relief efforts and spend that first class air ticket money on the relief efforts, whatever negligible amount it may sound to you! Get people to hospitals! Rush them to hospitals! This is just a portion of the rant I wanted to type out. I know it's not going to serve any purpose. And yeah, this is not ROS writing. This is her friend Vikram Kulkarni and I forgot my password to my blogger account so I borrowed her password. That's another thing, I hope Blogger dies!! I have been emailing them to send me my password since morning! They still haven't done that. OK... message to the PM of India... please retaliate now!!! let's not be sitting ducks anymore!!! it's high time they got a taste of their medicine!!!

Whats goin on??

I dint have anything on my mind for a blogpost and its not even going to be a post I guess. Just one of those days, when feel like writing something. Be it any thought..happiness, sadness, pain, joy. Just something to unleash.. There have been people asking me what I did for the 'supposed' long weekend! Hold and behold..I have no clue that we even had a long weekend! I wasn't excited about being with friends on my birthday. Although, I could have managed to get some time off to atleast go for a dessert. There were fireworks on 4th of july. I was satisfied by merely looking at a few crackers that were being bursted from my balcony. I did not even go close to a mall to check on the 4th if july sales. I have surprised myself several times in these few days. Surpised at my own thinking, my own confusion, my own direction in life. Sometimes, its good to look at the 'lighter'side of life..thats why PhD comics helps me bring a smile on my face. Maybe somewhere someone went/is going through what I am right now. Probably, I have just had too much of 'America'

Gifts gifts gifts

Mark Twain once said 'Age is a matter of mind. If it doesnt mind, it doesn't matter' So I had a nice birthday. I cut two cakes but I am still 26:)) This one being my favourite chocolate cake!!! My labmates celebrated my birthday in the lab:) Also got a beautiful card that said 'No matter how strange or fun..we (labmates) wish the very best for you' Thats indeed true. Work place is always a medley of different types of people! My friends came home at midnight and bought this beautiful cake. I only like chocolate cake with no icing..and I hate white cakes..but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this one indeed had a chocolate cake, beneath! Amongst the gifts that I received, this one from Wolf totally cracked me up..Trust him to come up with this innovative gift idea:) He bought this Kitchen Apron for me, along with a card that said 'To appreciate the marvellous cook inside you'. It has the photo of a woman in the 60's and this apron was a tribute to women. WOW..Thanks my dear:) But there are some gifts, which usually go unopened for the fear of getting them stained. My friends presented me with a Crystal Goblet:) 'Goblet of Fire' Hahhaaa Guess, I will have to have my juice in this now:) OK..for allof you, bring your wine..I will provide glasses:P Always wanted to own a 'Mikasa'crystal bowl. And then there are some things which are always best received as gifts.;) This card sent to me by three friends whom I have never met but people who are amazingly cute and full of life! This card was MY FIRST gift this year! Presented by Vik, Slain and Shiji! The three cute cartoons totally represents them. If u can enlarge it, the captions are witty and hilarious! Vik was the one who posted it and was annoyed to know that it came to me on 4th june (which he thought was my birthdate). Nevertheless, wishes are wishes irrespective of when you receive it. Its the goodwill that matters:) Thanks people!!! And thank you all for your wishes too:) Finally, my kitchen has all that it needs, sirf khana pakane wala chahiye:P

Turning into a new leaf

I have attained a milestone! Hahaa..no I dint do the 200 mile race or got an award:) Completed a quarter century on planet earth. Now yet to scale another quarter century. Yep..I give myself 25 more years:)) [Have my own reasons];) Although, birthdays arent that special for me anymore, for reasons I am unable to understand. I see people inviting their friends home and having a huge party..but I stopped doing that since I turned 10. Main reason being that since my birthday falls during monsoon and I absolutely detest monsoon in Bombay, I myself did not like celebrating:)) But, birthdays have always been a family occassion for me. Mom would buy me brand new clothes and we used to go to temple to thank god for whatever he has given me in that year. Along with a sumptous meal made by mom. The only thing that I savored was 'Payasam'. And she made it in such a way that I tried mastering that art..only to find that I failed miserably. Most of all being, phone calls..I dont know..but I am pretty particular about my folks calling me on my birthday. In college, we were 5 friends..and they would have a competition (just like Girl from Ipanema and The girl who sold the world have one;) as to who will be the first to call:) For the umpteenth time, my sis calls me at 12 o clock midnight (India Time). Actually, it doesnt surprise me anymore, coz I wait for her call during that time and thats when I actually think its my birthday! So then she says 'WOW..dint realize you were 26!" 'Hope you grow up (mentally) now:D Thats the best compliment I have received so far:)) One of my friends R..with whom I practically lost touch with after college and whose birthday falls on 30th June..sends me an email without fail. Its been so long and we never exchange any correspondences all through the year but I know I will look for her email on 2nd July! And today, as I set out of the house to visit the temple, I had a strange feeling..Its practically the only ritual I have carried with myself from India:) as far as birthdays are concerned. Its not about family celebrating together, no payasam cooked by mom and yeay! no new clothes either:)) I have realized that the only thing that makes me look forward to birthdays are phone calls, emails and that ceremonial mid night cake! I am particularly happy that my phone was continuously ringing beginning 12..The first caller (surprises) was Navdeep! I felt sheer embarrased that I assumed her to be one of my closest pals and started talking in marathi and when she confessed it was Navdy..I assumed she was fooling me..and said no..U sound like 'Sayesha' U cant be Navdy:O But yeah..she does sound like a sweet girl:) Followed by Vikram (Idiot! openly asked one of my friends what my birthdate was:O) Then, Wolf..who actually sang a birthday song for me..That was so sweet, my dear..then Wolf's sister..another darling who remembered to call me! This morning, I was greeted by another sweet 'teenage baccha' Rohit:) I sometimes wonder, what makes people connect instantly..I kinda waited for couple of people whose calls I expected but was disappointed:) I dont mind agreeing to that! And I actually did not expect navdy and Rohit's calls coz I knew they did not have my numbers but were very sweet to fish it for me:) The whole day, I am happy that even though am working today..there are many friends who bought a smile on my face..few of my friends and Thanu being the last one:) These things make my life! And today, I start this journey hoping that I continue to get goodwill from everyone:)