hazel irises

A very memorable piece from my school life.

Day 1 of class 2, is when I met this teacher, Rashmi Miss, who taught us Science and Bollywood songs. She was so beautiful that I used to think she was a distant relative of Karishma Kapoor. Deep set eyes with hazel brown irises that were full of life, sharp facial features and perfectly straight hair. She wore Vipul sarees, mostly. And there was this one saree in seaweed green and grey combination, chiffon I think. Every time she wore that saree, she paired it with a BIG silver oxidised cuff bracelet (I didn't know this fancy term back then and yet I admired it) on her right hand, styled her hair in a high ponytail. This image is etched in my memory. Oh, she had bangs too. Back in the day, we called it,'front cut'. On the days she ran late to work, her hair was in a simple braid or a messy bun.

 The class celebrated her,school management and other teachers,not so much(:-P).
Her handwriting was so beautiful that her style of writing stays with me even to this day. 
When she was not teaching us Science, she played Antakshari with us. And she made sure our Antakshari sessions ended with this song- हम होंगे कामियाब एक दिन, ओह मन में  विश्वास  पूरा है  विश्वास...It was so much fun when she was around.
I had the best six months of my life as a second-grade kid. I whooped with joy every time she called out my name or needed some help with class related stuff. She thought I was very responsible.

She was very expressive and most of her real-life stories had a punch of drama in them.
 She had a saasu maa kahani to share with her colleagues everytime her in-laws came over for a couple of days' stay.  My takeaway was she was not used to the idea of cooking for a group of people, basically.

Her house was further away from where I lived. So there were many occasions when she walked home with me after school.Along with me was my play home friend who also went to the same school. We were like cousins. So when the second-grade kid in me didn't know the Kannada word for 'cousin'  I used the words, "badige thamma" which translates to badige meaning rent and thamma meaning brother. Rented brother LOL...

And when I introduced him to her as my badige thamma, she cracked up. And, amused at my naivety maybe?
 I just can't forget this conversation.
*first facepalm moment of my life*

One day closer to the ending of our term, there were rumours that she was going to quit her job. I was shattered and didn't want it to be true. There was still so much to learn from her. Days later, she confirmed the news. Can you imagine the disappointment?? I wept buckets, just couldn't hold back. I could sense she was going to miss all of us too, but her decision was already made. I didn't know slambooks existed. And was pretty sure she didn't have a landline connection.

I got into a new school, new locality a year later. But kept going back to the old place with a hope that I could meet her. I later learned that she took some of my friends from my old school to a picnic. Obviously, I missed it.

I have no idea where she is now at this point in her life. Tried looking for her on every social media there is. Luck has never been in my favour.

As I recall this, I realize how much I miss her dearly and wish someday I chance upon her. Pretty sure she would find it hard to place me because 17 years since, I'm beyond recognition.

It was such a pleasure knowing her. The Marvelous Mrs.Rashmi!!!

My first Sandige project...

Sandige/Vadaam/Vadiyaalu
 (what is it called in your mother tongue?)

   Summer has set in, in #nammaBengaluru..... Bangalore was once called the "Air-conditioned" city in India. While the rest of the country wilted in the heat of the night, Bangaloreans would snuggle under the warm blankets!Past few years,the summers have been terribly hot. According the weather reports this is Bangalore's hottest March in 15 years!!
 No signs of rain yet. Bright and sunny days are perfect for making home made delicacies such as Sandige(Fryums). A crunchy side dish that goes well with your meal. Of course, you need to have someone lend their expertise to make these.... So, with some help from my neighbour, my amma and I decided to try our hands on this. We thought of making Sabakki sandige(Sabudana) because the process behind making it is pretty straight-forward(considering  it is our debut).

Ingredients

•   0.5 kg Sabudana/Sabakki soaked for about 8 hours.

•    5-6Green chillies, finely chopped

•   2-3 tbsp Jeera/Cumin seeds

•   1 onion,finely chopped (Optional)

• A large sheet of plastic(or cotton cloth) to dry the fryums

• salt to taste

Method- 

• Soak the sabudana in water for about 8 hours.
• Boil three times the volume of water in a  flat bottomed vessel, over a medium-flame.
• As the water boils, add in the soaked sabudana and stir continuously.
•  Add in the chopped onions,green chillies,cumin seeds and salt.
• Sabudana absorbs water,so add more if need be.
• Cook until the mixture becomes thick(medium-flame only. 
•  You and your squad will now spend the next couple of hours in your roof-top terrace.
  

While you are at the terrace with your dish-

Lay a plastic sheet on a flat surface. Spoon small circles of the sabudana mixture onto the plastic sheet.
And, you are pretty much done. The extra dosage of heat is what gives the finishing-touch. 
It  takes three to four days for the fryums to completely dry.  As they dry(and become more fragile), they tend to peel-off the plastic sheet. You need a bit of patience while transferring the dried fryums into an air-tight container.

That's that!Crispy sandiges are ready. A perfect snack over Chai-time(not if you are calorie-conscious)...Oh and yeah, I am a "chaivinist". 


Just sharing a couple of images in this post.

After the finisihing touch by the SUN!

Before the sun-tan....

Their world

Hold my hands, says the lad

Together, in the steps they trod

Neither  grief nor worry,

Pinning the innocent smile ,never in a hurry
 Of endless laughter,rising with every fall.

On river banks and parks the plesures  gathered
putting paint on paper isn't a success until the hands are slathered 

The cloud of memories treasured in the rear
lost in the hassle of life our minds always in high gear.

Mughal Gardens, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India.(April 2012)

Word Play

All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time.”
― Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet In Heaven.


“When you look into your mother’s eyes, you know that is the purest love you can find on this earth.”
― Mitch Albom, For One More Day  

“Each day has a color, a smell.”
― Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Mistress of Spices  

Aren't we all pawns in the hands of time, the greatest player of them all?”
― Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Palace of Illusions  

Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.”
― Robin S. Sharma, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari:

"What you resist persists, what you befriend transcends."
Robin S. Sharma, Cure for Fear.

“I've got the key to my castle in the air, but whether I can unlock the door remains to be seen.”
― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women  

“The life we’re given is on a thread, so wear it well.”
― Benny Bellamacina, The King of Rhyme  


 

We do not remember days, we remember moments. Cesare Pavese
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_life.htmRobin S. Sharma, Cure for Fear.

We do not remember days, we remember moments. Cesare Pavese
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_life.html