Komala's Thali

I am always game for Komala's Thali. Sambar, Avial, Rasam, 2 sabjis, chapatis, rice, raita, papad, pickle, buttermilk and a sweet dish - it's a veritable treat for anyone who is looking for a simple home-cooked meal. It's easy on the stomach, tasty and yet, very healthy (if you leave out the fried papad, mountain of rice and ghee-soaked chapatis!).

The last time I ate there, the thali came with a desert that I hadn't yet tasted - a kheer made of Chana Dal (Bengal Gram) and Sabudana (Sago), which, if the net is to be believed, is called SenegaPappu Saggubiyyam Payasam (I rather doubt it if I ever will be able to remember that!). I liked the dish so much that I Googled for it after coming home. I found a recipe at Sailu's Food.

I followed it faithfully except for the low fat milk. Since I don't believe in anything low fat, I substituted it with regular full fat milk. :-) The result was a tasty sweet concoction that's going to be my favorite for the lifetime!

I wasn't brought up in exactly Prince Sidhhartha style. But during my formative years my griefs and miseries were more or less similar to that of any upper middle class child of that time - pressure to perform well in academics, restrictions on what you can and cannot do, having to eat brinjals or cabbage for lunch/dinner etc. There was no concept of weekend trips to malls as there were no malls. A long trip was possible only during summer holidays and would be confined to maternal grandparents' place in Belgaum.All this meant that though I was aware of poverty I wasn't exposed to the stark realities of it.

Even when I started working, I don't remember paying much attention to the slums that occassionally came into view during daily travel. And you rarely think about something that you don't notice.

But these days, the story is different. During my daily travel by train or cab I seem to notice only the hardships and grind of human life. As the cab rattles along the many potholes that pass for city's roads, I cannot help but notice the shacks that are constructed haphazardly alongside, people lying on makeshift beds late in the morning, unattended children playing in dangerous proximity to a busy road and women taking care of daily chores in unimaginably tiny areas. Sometimes when I am coming home by train, I see some lady in her late 50s selling snacks in women's compartment. I wonder how she manages to get off one train and into another when all I can think of is going home as soon as possible and relaxing a bit. When I am done reading the newspaper I sit there watching my co-passengers and see women catching up on some missed sleep, some staring into space - their faces lined with tension and worry. Some are pouring their heart out to a friend - in person or on phone, usually it's about a husband or mother-in-law.

Is this all that is left in our lives, I wonder. And then I hear someone laugh. Maybe it's the same lady who was complaining about her in-laws a couple of minutes back. Now she is laughing as if there is no worry in the world.

As I look at her, I remember something and I fish out my cellphone. I once again read an SMS that a friend had sent a few days back:

If one day, we all are allowed to put our troubles on a table & exchange.....

For sure, after a few moments.....

Everyone would silently take his own & leave.......

अर्ज किया है......

करीब इतना रहो की रिश्तोमे प्यार रहे
दूरभी इतना रहो कें आनेका इंतजार रहे
रखो उम्मीद रिश्तोंकें दरमिया इतनी
कें तुटे उम्मीद मगर रिश्ता बर्करार रहे

तेरी महिमाकी छाया तले कालके रथका पहिया चले..........

गणपतीबाप्पा मोरया पुढल्या वर्षी लवकर या

This one came as an SMS:

Life has so many great options but you don't have to pick what seems to be the best.
Just pick what makes you happy and it will be the best.

Easier said than done, what say?

Handwritten Newspapers

Ever heard of a handwritten newspaper? I must confess that I hadn't till I came across Mr. Osama Manzar's article at http://origin-www.livemint.com/Opinion/XYRX4lhL7OsfX0tWZz8dSO/A-handwritten-paper-gets-a-voice-online.html. Even if you don't have time to go through the entire article, I would urge you to take a look at http://www.deendalit.in/. It's definitely worth a look and more.

Grey's Anatomy

I was addicted to 'Criminal Minds' (Mon-Fri, Fox Crime, 10pm) but it so happened that I had watched one of the episodes and so went channel surfing that day. I landed up at Star World which was airing Grey's Anatomy. I watched the episode and have been hooked to the program ever since.

Why, you ask? Well, there are 3 reasons! Dr. Shepherd!Dr. Shepherd!Dr. Shepherd! He is so handsome that he is practically edible. Of course, I haven't liked that he has gone back to his wife citing marital vows and ring. Didn't he know that he had a wife when he started dating Meredith? Sounds rather hypocritical, doesn't he? On top of it, he is not leaving her alone. What a jerk! But then you cannot be mad at such a handsome man for long, can you? ;-)

Jokes apart, this show has made me realize both - why I wanted to become a doctor and why didn't I become one. I wanted to become a doctor because the profession actually lets you make a difference somewhere, in someone's life. You are saving people's lives, relieving them of pain and suffering. What can be more noble than that? And yet, on the flip side, you are responsible for a human life. That's a huge responsibility. Plus there is dissection! That's what made me make a beeline for the Engineering college. :-)

So there IS a fourth reason why I watch Grey's Anatomy every night. Nope, it's not Dr. Shepherd again.. It's just that I love shows set against the backdrop of the medical world. It reminds me once again of what I could have been but didn't become.