Rangoli and Kasuti Embroidary

A form of embroidery in Karnataka, it is called Kasuti there and means same as kashidakari or embroidery. It has also been desiphered as art of cotton thread and hands. The art was practiced by ladies of Maharashtra and Karnataka specially in Dharwad and Bijapur. The embroidery gives an exquisite effect to the soft furnishings.
I simply love the geometric patterns. Especially when Kasuti is done on Ilkal Sarees or dress materials, the effect is awesome. Ilkal sarees usually use a darker background on which this emobroidary is made using shades of Red, White, Yellow and Blue to get the desired effect.

There is a strong resemblance between kasooti and Rangoli motifs, only that rangoli is done on floor at the doorsteps of houses and temples and Kasooti on fabric with needle and thread. The similarity of the motifs can be because both the things are done by the lady of the house, one as a religious ritual and another to occupy her after the household chores. The pattern is never drawn on the cloth. The design remains in the mind and is recreated on the cloth directly with the needle and thread.

Mutter & Capsicum Poha - My own recipe

Folks, it is not everyday that I get to experiment in the kitchen. But today morning, when I was actually struggling to find a different dish that I could make, I stumbled upon this idea.

I tried it out and got rave reviews from my family members. So, thought of posting this very quick-n-simple-to-make dish for benefit of others.
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Ingredients:
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Frozen Peas - half cup (safal or any such brand)
Capsicum - 2 medium sized ones, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
Onions - 2 large - chopped length-wise
Thick Poha - 3 cups (do NOT soak in water)
Oil - 2 TSP
Turmeric - 1 TSP
Chilli Powder - as per taste & spice desired - I added 1.5 tsps
Salt - as per taste
Grated Coconut, optional
Coriander leaves - finely chopped for garnishing.

Method:
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* Boil frozen peas and chopped capsicum together until done (microwave for 7-10 minutes), drain all water and keep it aside
* In a kadai, pour 2 tsp oil, add chopped onions, turmeric, chilli poweder and salt.
* Stir fry until onions are done
* To this, add boiled peas and capsicum and continue to stir fry for next 3-5 mins. This is to ensure peas and capsicum soak in the masala
* Add the dry poha and mix it well.
* Pour water into the kadai (little less than needed to submerge all the poha)
* Cover the kadai with a lid and keep the gas on medium flame and let this cook for another 8 minutes. In between, keep opening the lid and mixing the poha properly. Else, the poha at the bottom of the kadai might get over cooked and the ones at the top may be raw.
* Once poha is sufficiently cooked, garnish with freshly grated coconut, chopped coriander leaves * Serve hot

Funniest Bike Learning Experience

Let me tell you the story of how I learnt to ride a 2-wheeler.

I fought with my dad and made him buy me a Hero Puch - first 4-stroke 2-wheeler to be launched. And I did this in rebelling against all well wishers who asked me to buy a gear-less vehicle.

Anyways, I finally had my bike and I was proud as a peacock. I got the "balancing" right. In order to practice riding, I used to take the vehicle out early in the morning.

One early morning, I set out towards Jnanabharathi Campus to practice my bike riding skills. I headed towards this as I knew vehicles were less and roads were good and decently wide...
Half way towards my destination, I had to negotiate an very uphill left bend.

Towards the left of the road were few huts and a huge garbage dump. One little kid was sitting near the garbage dump answering nature's call... (Now, don't say, sheesh, why is she writing about all this here... just wait until you read the entire story !!!)

I saw it from a distance and continued to ride towards the bend. As I was nearing the bend, I saw a bus coming from the opposite direction. I had not expected this. I got really scared. I was so busy thinking how I should work my way towards the left bend; that I did not observe the muddy patch.

Within no time, my bike skid off the road and I fell off slightly away from the garbage dump...5-7 feet away from where the little boy was s(h)itting!!! Next instant, I saw this little guy jump up and run towards the hut...

In 2 seconds, I realized that what had happened. Here was this little guy sitting peacfully by the road side. And there I come and fall couple of feet away from him... He was so scared that he actually thought I was falling on him... and he ran away...!!!

I found the whole incident so hilarious that even as i got up rubbing my wounds, I was laughing so loud... people gathered and started wondering whether I was in my senses :P

I am dead sure, this little guy, has never sat by the road's side to answer nature's call ever again :P

This is the most hilarious incident i can recollect associated with my bike riding experiences.

To end the story, I realized, riding a bike was tough. So, as i abandoned my bike, I resolved to drive a car when i started earning. That was when I could afford to buy a car...I could not ask my dad to buy one for me... Thankfully, that dream has come true :D

No...No more of such accidents!!!

Impact of Childhood Incidents

It seems wierd as to how some incidents in your childhood tend to impact your life or shape your persona.

My brother was a 5 years old kid. I was 12 years and in my 7th standard. One saturday, I was doing my biology drawings. He came running and snatched my pencil sharpner knife. Since he was small and the knife sharpner was really sharp, I was scared that he would hurt himself. So, as an immediate reaction, I tried to snatch it from his hand.

And Lo!!! In that tussle, the knife gave a deep cut on his finger. Blood oozed out and he started wailing.

My mom, who had just about returned home from office, came running. She saw all the blood and without understanding the background screamed at me and said:

"Vidya, instead of fighting with him every day like this, why don't you just kill him once for all".

She was very angry. And I was deeply hurt. My mother, whom I loved so much, had made such a statement. She had not even tried to find out the fact that I was actually trying to save him from hurting himself...

That was the LAST MEMORY I have of my brother. I "switched" him off from my mind. And that was the last day I spoke with him.

From that day, to the next 15 years, I did not talk to him. I was totally indifferent to him and his upbringing. To the extent that, I don't remember or recollect any image of him growing up or in his teens.

Although, I do talk to him now... I don't have that closeness I should ideally have with my brother.

Brother, this is not your fault. It is just a decision I made when I was small owing to this incident. I know I have been a jerk and I take full responsibility for doing this. I am hoping I will improve and do something about this at least now...

Father's Day

My father quit his banking job to open a restuarant. When he was in Bank, he had set time. He would leave home 8 a.m. in the morning and return by 6 p.m. However, with the change in occupation, demands on his time rose. He started leaving home by 6 a.m. and return by 10 p.m.

I had so many complaints on him. He did not come to school to pay my fees - made me pay my own fees even when I was in 2nd standard. He never asked me how school was, what I was doing at school, what were my grades, what i need to study, what should i do and what i should not do.

The only time he actually intervened was when i had to decide on what college i wanted to study after completing 10th. His choice was one close to our restaurant and i loathed that college. And the fact that i had to study in that college eventually, increased my resentment towards him.

My list of complaints just got lengthier......

But yesterday, on Father's day, I was out attending the Landmark Forum. The coach of the forum was talking about our relationships with our parents. One statement he made touched a chord and opened a whole new world of possibilities.
"Your parents did what they did for you. And to the best of their abilities. How much have you acknowledged that?"

Tears started flowing down my cheeks. I had never never thought from this angle. His working hard was to provide food, clothes and shelter to us. How could a simple thing like this not enter my head all these years?

Nonetheless, I consoled myself "Better late than never". I called up my dad from my cell. I told him:

"Annu, all these years you have worked so hard and done so much for us. You made sure we are educated, we went to college and earned masters degree, you are so proud to see us now, successful in our jobs... and yet, we never have thanked you enough. I want to acknowledge you for everything you have done for me till now. You are a very good father and I am proud of you."

Confused Desis to Confused ITEs (ITEs = Information Technology Engineers)

During mid 90s, several software engineers quit their plum, high-paying jobs because they could not stand the work pressure. Any typical day, people were expected to put 10-12 hours of work.

After couple of years, there was a new wave of perspective that swiped the software industry - work/life balance became the new HR mantra for employee retention. Things seemed to improve. People were again happy and proud with their jobs. IT grooms were again talk of the matrimonial market.

However, despite providing good benefits and all fancy facilities, software engineers are truly not a happy lot.

In the recent 15 days, I have heard so many incidents where software engineers have talked about being frustrated, read reports about suicides etc.

Last week, my neighbour who is a practice head with a top IT company in Bangalore was telling my hubby that he was getting really frustrated and is considering leaving this field for good. In fact, he has taken a baby step towards this and has already started teaching at a local near-by college.

My hubby has been singing the same song for the past 10 months - "I want to do something on my own" And each time I ask him "what do you want to do?". He has no answers. He is just wading in the dark.

Yesterday, I was reading in a blog where the blogger, a IT engineer himself, wanted to do something different than IT.

Today morning, I again read in the papers that a software engineer working in Bangalore boarded a Hyderabad bus. He went to a temple there only to consume cyanide and kill himself.

I am confused. I fail to understand what is happening. Is this the next wave of different kind of brain drain?

Are these subtle alarms that we need to take heed before this becomes a pandemic?

Collage Competition - Fun at Work

As part of the Fun at Work month, we had a "Collage Competition" at Office today. I am posting few pictures from the same.

The topic was "Festivals & Celebrations" - and guess what each team concentrated on in their theme? - FOOD, ofcourse :D

Title of this collage -------- "The FOOD Festival"


Topic of this collage --------- "Food & Illness"

Title of this collage -------- "Festivals, Celebrations & Food"

Hudugi Noduva Karyakrama

My sister wanted me to remove this blog as she feared someone in our family circle might read it and get offended.

So, dear sis, Thy wish is my command

To Mr X with Love :P

When I drive to & from office, I am like a horse - concentrating ONLY on the goal of reaching
office/home in record time. I seldom crane my neck to observe people or things unless it is toooo obvious. Leave alone hunting for handsome hunks...

Yesterday on my way to the office, I saw this motorist coming in the opposite direction. And something on his face caught my attention. That was the first time in the last 12 years my gaze had actually stopped on some guy's face for more than a fleeting second. This guy fitted my description of "handsome" - now-a-days this word is very personalized.

I drove through after that "more than fleeting glimpse" of that motorist. But there was a grin on my face as my memories took me back in time. Suddenly I remembered this particular guy on whom I had major crush during school days.

I was in 10th standard, and there was this college going dude who used to take the bus from the same stop early morning 6.30 a.m. And I used to feel terrible about not being able to draw his attention on me. He used to be very well dressed and smart. While I was really fat, wearing white school uniform and well oiled plaited hair :(He used to board the same bus and would get off at the same bus stop as me. This gave me 30 mins time to line marofy him.

Those days, I used to own an orange colored kashmiri jacket. And to me, it was the most fashionable item to wear. So, in order to draw this hunk's attention, I started wearing that jacket. I would even put my hands into its pocket to appear stylish....

Not that this tactic helped... he never gave me even a second glance.... i had told about him to 2 of my close friends at school and we had nicknamed him Amir Khan. He had the same hair style as Amir Khan in QSQT.

This continued through the year with NO results. And there I used to wait week after week seeing him from a distance and observing his style and stance. How casually he used to wait there with one leg folded against the wall behind him....

Well, this is where the story ends !!!

I am actually unable to understand why seeing this motorist actually brougth forth memories of this guy... but it definitely was a very niiiiiice feeling to revisit the bus stop and catch faint, fading glimpses of this unknown person.

Janeyagiru Nanna Mallige

Janeyagiru Nanna Mallige
Nee Hennagi Bandiruve Illige...

How True....
There was a time when I used to scoff at this song. I hated this song, may be it was a phase of denial!!! But today, when I look back, I almost agree with that song... Times change... We grow up and our mindset changes ....

Small incidents that happen in my day to day routine reminds me of this song:

Every day, as I travel to and from my Gym, I observe several ladies plucking flowers from others' gardens. When I see this, I have a strong urge to yell at them

"Hey, what is the meaning of you plucking flowers from someone else's garden? Do you know how patiently they might sowed the plants, watered them and waited for them to grow and flower? They do all the hard work and you take the flower?"

But the only reason why the words don't come out of my mouth is because this seems to be nature's well accepted logic.

Look at the little ones of birds - eggs hatch, mother feeds the young ones... the moment they learn to fly.. they are out of the nest.

I kind of more liken this to our daughters - we give birth to them, look after them so lovingly, make sure their feet don't know thorns, their eyes don't know tears ... and see them grow tall and beautiful... and yet one day, they leave you behind to be the brightness of someone else's home.................

Sigh.....

Dose - Chutney

I had made yummy Ragi - Rava Dosa Today. My own recipe :P

Before you guys roll your eyes... it actually turned up very yum.... i had a bite and the gastronomical juices drowned me.

Eeee Dose gu Chutney gu yenu bandhavo?
Eeee Dose gu Coffee gu yenu snehavo?
Nodalu mohaka
Saviyalu Daivaka
Yenu Maayavo......???

Talk about food getting poetry out of me ;)

Joggers Park

Every day morning, I walk down to my Gym located 5 mins from my house. On my way, I have to cross a park. Several grannys, grandpas, uncles and aunts would have already started their routine of running, walking or jogging.

In the 2-3 minutes that I take to cross that park, I have observed that there are several kinds of people that constitutes the early jogger set:

1. AG or Aunties' Group - Usually group of 4-5 ladies who are 50+ years. For this group, walking is just a reason to catch up on gossip. I hear them say "Avathu nanna sose yenandlu gotha...."

2. UG or Uncles Group - Group of 8-10 guys ranging from early 40s to late 70s wearing trendy sports outfit including a sports shoe walking briskly debating on IPL, World cup, wimbeldon and local politics. Jovial bunch taking a dig at each other... its fun to watch them

3. HW - House Work Group - The Husband and Wife pair who use this time to discuss their daily problems, plan for their home, kids, future.... seems more like brooding session than exercise session. I wonder whether few rounds around the park really helps them de-stress?

4. Yippee Bunch - Flexing muscles or bulges this bunch goes round the park with equal elan. Hep with a MP3 or Ipod stuck to their jogging suits, they are in their own world. Seems more like they want to show-off themselves to other Yippee Guys/Girls that go around the park. Quite interesting ;)

Overall, it makes me really happy to see us waking up to a healthy mindset. It is exciting to see I have so many people for company

On all cold and wet days, I used to be so reluctant to get up from my warm, cozy bed. But seeing so many people following the routine judiciously gives me the energy to drag myself out and head to the Gym :P

Call it Motivating Factor !!!

Which way is HOME?

Old is Gold?

Incident # 1

An aged (75 years) widower is staying with his son, daughter-in-law and grand-son. The widower cannot see and hear properly owing to age. Friday he was very upset with this DIL and Son for not changing his dirty bed spread. He must have had an argument and unable to take this any further... decided to walk out of the house...

He came back in 30 minutes, took with him some cash. Next 2 days, nobody heard any news about what happened to this grandpa. Nobody was putting any efforts to find out where he was, whether he was well...

Saturday late evening, the son received a call from a stranger. The stranger said "Sir, there is an old man sitting here in a park. He gave me your number and said he was your father. Apparently the money he had with him was swindled by few boys. He does not have a penny on him. He does not seems to have eaten anything nor slept over the last 1.5 days... can you please come and take him?"

The son went and brought him back on saturday night. The old person was dilirious and down with throat infection. Apparently he had stumbled and fallen in the park.

What must have the father gone through while requesting the stranger to phone his son?

Incident # 2

A son takes his mother to a distant relatives house. After the visit, he got up to go. He turned to his mother and said "I am leaving you here... I dont want you to come back to my house - ever."

Incident # 3

The son is on a visit to his home town. His mother calls him into a room and tells him "My son, I have been living with your brother for several years now. But he is saying he will not take care of me going forward. Can you please provide me with a shelter somewhere?"

The son, who has his own house in a metro and has sons himself - all very well settled, does not respond.

Incident # 4

On a Saturday morning, a granny, diagnosed with breathlessness problem is hospitalized. Doctors at the hospital are unable to figure out what's wrong.

She is able to walk, talk and all vital signs are fine but complains of breathlessness. Her children organize for an ambulance to take her to a bigger hospital (Apollo Mallya). All kids, grandkids are with her. They all have taken permission or leave to be with her because they all truly love her. It is a Saturday.

She has severe back ache. She cannot reach her back herself to soothe the pain. So requests her daughter and grand daughter, who are beside her, to help her. Daughter and Grand daughter are very happy and more than willing to help out the dear mother and grand mother.

As both of them start massaging her back, her eyes fill with tears... Grand daughter asks her "Anama (paternal granny in konkani), why are you crying?"
She responds "I heard that they are getting an ambulance to shift me to a bigger hospital. I am feeling very sad for the amount of hardship I am giving to all of you. I wish I could make it any more easy"

The grand daughter's eyes filled with tears - Even in pain, her granny is thinking about the hardship she was causing to others while forgetting her own pain. Grand daughter's heart salutes her granny.

Granny passed away same day mid night from Brain Hemorrhage...

WHAT ARE WE DOING TO KEEP OUR AGED PARENTS WITH US? AND TRULY HAPPY?
When all they have in their hearts is good wishes for us - their children?

Injections and Pain

Saturday was my daughter, Aditi's innoculation day. She got a booster shot.

We were at the clinic at 8.30 a.m. The doctor we took her to, gave us 2 choices (its a consumer's world !!!):

(a) local booster injection - very painful - Rs. 700
(b) phoren made booster injection - very LESS painful - Rs. 1800
Which one do you want? (as if we have a choice.......humph!)

My husband immediately said, we will go with Option-a (without consulting me, the little one's mother)

And by the time I realized what was happening, in went the locally made injection.

Doctor warned us that she would go through immense pain and fever bout for 2 days.

On our way back, I brought this topic for discussion:

I (to my husband) - why did you go for the local injection?
He - I thought it was cost effective. Eitherways, injections bring in pain
I (said heroically) - Its okay... how long can we protect her from pain?

May be I spoke too early.

By noon, the pain she was undergoing was clearly evident. Her plight was unseeable to me. She was crying in pain each time she wanted to move her left leg (on which she received the shot).
She was also running high temperature. Although, she was bearing it herocially, my heart crushed seeing her in this state... what made is worse was her inablility to tell us what she was going through.... she is still learning to speak at 1.5 years ...

All said and done... parents are parents... we want to shield our kids from pain and suffering as much as possible.... so, i resolved to go in for the costlier injection next time ...

To hell with money.... I don't want my daughter to suffer like this... I don't want to see tears in her beautiful eyes .... I want to see her happy and smiling always...