Wednesday, December 29, 2010

അങ്ങനെ ഒരു യാത്ര

കേരളത്തെ ഗോഡ്സ് ഓവന്‍ കണ്‍ട്രി എന്ന് വിശേഷിപിച്ചു അഭിമാനിക്കുന്നവരോട് എനിക്ക് പുച്ഛം ഒന്നുമില്ലേലും ഞാന്‍ എന്റെ നാടിനെ പറ്റി ആരോടും ഒന്നും തന്നെ പറയാറില്ല . കപ്പേം മീനും ചമ്മണ്ടിം കഞ്ഞിയും, പരാടയും , ടോഖ്ല്ലയും ഒരുപോലെ കഴിക്കുന്ന എനിക്ക് ഇഷ്ട ഭക്ഷണം ഇന്നും കേരളിയ വിഭവങ്ങള്‍ തന്നെ. ഫ്രൌദ് മല്ലു എന്ന് സ്വയം വിശേസിപിക്കുന നാടില്‍ ജനിച്ച പല മിടുക്കന്മാരേം മിടുകികലെകാല്‍ എന്റെ ഭാഷയേം, സംസ്കരതെം ഞാന്‍ വളരെ മനസിലാകിയിരുന്നു , ആദരിച്ചിരുന്നു . പക്ഷെ ഞാന്‍ ഇത് ഒരികലും ആരോടും പറഞ്ഞിട്ടില്ല. ബഷീരിനേം, മുകുണ്ട്നേം നെഞ്ചോടു ചേര്‍ത്ത് കഴിയുമ്പോളും ഞാന്‍ എന്റെ നാടിന്‍റെ സാഹിത്യതെം, ചലച്ചിത്രങ്ങളുടെ ഇന്ടെല്ലെക്ടുഅല് സ്ട്രീകിനെ കുറിച്ച് ആരോടും ഒന്നും പറഞ്ഞിട്ടില്ല. മറ്റു നാടുകളുടെ നല്ലതിനെ ഞാന്‍ എന്നും മാനിച്ചിരുന്നു .


അങ്ങനെ ഉള്ള പാവം ഞാന്‍ രണ്ടു ദിവസം റോമ നഗരം കാണാന്‍ രണ്ടു സുഹൃത്തുകളുടെ കൂടെ ഇറങ്ങഗി തിരിച്ചു . ഒരുത്തന്‍ ഒറിയാ മറ്റൊരുത്തന്‍ ബെന്ഗാളി . ട്രെയിനില്‍ കയറിയ നിമിഷം മുതല്‍ 'ദി ബെസ്റ്റ് ഇന്‍ ഇന്ത്യ ' പറ്റി വിടല്സ് തുടങ്ങി . രസഗുല്ല സംസ്ഥാന മധുര പലഹാരതിനുള്ള ബഹുമതി നേടിയതും അതൊരു അര്‍ഹിക്കുന്ന സമ്മാനം ആണെന് ആദ്യം പറഞ്ഞു . അതെ സമയം ദോശ ദേശിയ ഭക്ഷണമായി ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതല്‍ വോട്ട് നേടിയത് ദക്ഷിണ ഇന്ത്യകാര്‍ വോട്ട് ചെയ്തെടു കൊണ്ടാനെനും സൌത്ത് ഇന്ത്യന്‍ ഫുഡ്‌ ഈസ്‌ ബാദ് എന്നും പറഞ്ഞു നയം വ്യക്തമാക്കി , പായസം ഒരിസ്സയില്‍ നിന്ന് ഭാരതം മുഴുവന്‍ സഞ്ചരിച്ചതും , ഒരിസ്സയിലെ ഭക്ഷണം ലോകത്തിലെ തന്നെ ഏറ്റവും മികച്ച ഭക്ഷണം ആണ് എന്ന് കേട്ട് എന്റെ കണ്ണ് നിറഞ്ഞു. എത്ര കൊടുങ്കാറ്റു വീഷിയാലും തെങ്ങുകള്‍ വീഴാത്ത ഒരിസായും, പരിപ് കറിയില്‍ വറുത്ത മീന്‍ തല ഇട്ടു വയ്കുന്ന ബെന്ഗാളി വിഭവവും , അവിടെ നിന് ഉത്പാദിപിക്കുന്ന നോബല്‍ ശാസ്ട്രനജന്മാരും ,ജന ഗാന മന എഴുതിയവന്‍ ബെങ്ങളി അന്നെനും എല്ലാം കേട്ട് ഞാന്‍ ഒന്നും ഉരിയാടതിരുന്നു . മഹാന്മാരുടെ നാട്ടില്‍ നിന്നും വന്ന ഈ ബുദ്ധിരാക്ഷസന്മാര്‍ റോമ നഗരത്തിലെ ഒരു വഴി കണ്ടു പിടിക്കാന്‍ പെട്ട പാട്‌ കാണേണ്ടത് തന്നെ ആയിരുന്നു . എന്നിട്ട് മാപ്പ് നോക്കി വഴി കണ്ടു പിടിച്ച എന്നോട് നാടോടികാടില്ലേ ഒരു മാതിരി ദാസ , വിജയ കോമഡി പറഞ്ഞു വലിയ ഉപദേശങ്ങള്‍ ഓതി നടന്നു.

ഒരു മതവിശ്വാസി ആയെന്നോട് ക്രിസ്തു ഫ്രൌദ് അന്നെനും പളികലെലം റബ്ബിഷ് അന്നെനും 'Michaelangelo യുടെ പ്രതിമകള്‍ 'സാഡിസ്റ്റ്' അന്നെനും നല്ല സ്ഥലങ്ങള്‍ നിങ്ങളുടെ മാര്‍പാപ്പ 'Basillica' ആകി മുടിച്ചു എന്നും ആരോപിച്ചു

കൊഞ്ഞന്ന്നം കാട്ടുന കുട്ടിയെ സഹിക്കുന്ന പോലെ ഞാന്‍ അതും സഹിച്ചു .

കേരള ഗവണ്മെന്റ് മൂരാച്ചി അന്നെനും കമ്മ്യൂണിസം ഇടിഞ്ഞു പൊളിയുമെന്നും എന്നും ബ്ജ്പ് കി ജയ് എന്നും മണ്ടന്മാര്‍ എന്നോട് പറഞ്ഞു.

ആഗോഷകരമായ എന്റെ റോമ യാത്ര ഇങ്ങനത്തെ രസകരമായ പുതിയ കാഴ്ചകളും അവയോടൊത്തുള്ള പുതിയ അറിവുകളുമായി പുരോഗമിച്ചു.


ഒടുവില്‍ ചൈനീസ് കാരുടെ ഭക്ഷണം കഴികന്നം എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു മൂന്ന് കിലോമ മീറെര്‍ എന്നെ നടത്തി അറിയാത്ത സാധനം എല്ലാം ഓര്‍ഡര്‍ ചെയ്തു വാരിവലിച്ചു തിന്നിട്, അവര്ക് അരി വയ്കാന്‍ അര്രിയില്ല എന്നും കുറ്റം പറഞ്ഞു .

എന്നിട് അവര്‍ എന്നോട് ചോദിച്ചു നിങ്ങളുടെ സംസ്ഥാനതുള്ളവര്‍ എങ്ങനെ എല്ലാ ഇടതും എതിപെടുന്നു.



മന്ദഹസിചോണ്ട് ഞാന്‍ പറഞ്ഞു "ഞങ്ങള്‍ ആരേം ചരിത്രം പടിപികാറില്ല , പിന്നെ പടിപിച്ചേ തീരുനുല്ലവനിട്ടു പണി കൊടുകാതെ പിന്വങ്ങരില്ല
പായസം ഒറിയ കാരന്റെ ആയാലും ഞങ്ങള്കത്തു വിട്ടു കാശ് ആകിയാല്‍ മതി , കൊടുങ്കാറ്റില്‍ തെങ്ങ് പോയാല്‍ ഞങ്ങള്ക് പുല്ലാ ഗള്‍ഫ്‌ തെങ്ങും , എണ്ണയും മോനേ ഇന്ഗോഴുകികൊലും . പിന്നെ വഴി നോകാനും ജീവിച്ചുപോകാനും ഞങ്ങള്‍ കുഞ്ഞില്ലേ പടികുനത് കൊണ്ട് എല്ലായിടത്തും എത്തി പെടുന്നു എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു ഞാന്‍ എന്റെ എളിയ സംഭാഷണം നിര്‍ത്തി

അത്രേം പറയേണ്ടടിലയിരുന്നു എന്ന് പിന്നിട് തോന്നി പക്ഷെ രണ്ടു കൊടുകന്നം എന്നുള്ള എന്റെ ആഗ്രഹത്തെ ഇറ്റലി ജീവിതം മരവിപിച്ചതിനാല്‍ രണ്ടെണ്ണം അടിച്ചിട്ട് തെറി പറയാനാകാതെ വിതുമ്പി ഞാന്‍ റോമ നഗരത്തോട് വിട പറഞ്ഞു കൂടെ ഉള്ള കഴുതകള്‍ രണ്ടായി പിരിഞ്ഞതിനാല്‍ തിരച്ചു വരവില്‍ ഒറിയ ചരിത്രം മാത്രം പഠിച്ചു . I pod , പുസ്തകം , ഉറകം എന്നീ മരുന്നുകള്‍ എല്കതായ്പോള്‍ അടുത്തുള്ള Mexico യുവാവിനോട് സംസരികമെന്നു വെച്ച് അപ്പോള്‍ ഒരിയകാരന്‍ അവനോടു ഇന്ത്യ ചരിത്രം പറയാന്‍ തുടങ്ങി.

അവന്റെ സംഭാഷണം ഇന്നും എന്റെ കാതുകളില്‍ മുഴങ്ങുന്നു


'ആദിയില്‍ ഒറിയ ഉണ്ടായി , പിന്നെ അത് ഭരതമായി . ഭാരതം ഒറിയ കാരന്റെ ലോകം ആണ് എന്നോകെ എന്തൊകെയോ മണ്ടത്തരം പുലമ്പി കൊണ്ടിരുന്നു . പാവം Mexico കാരന്റെ മുഖം നിസഹായമായി എന്നെ നോക്കി .

എനീകു തന്നെ മനസിലാകുന്നു സുഹൃത്തേ ധൃവങ്ങല്‍ക അപ്പുറം നമ്മുടെ ലോകങ്ങള്‍ എങ്കിലും ഇങ്ങനത്തെ ചില സാഹചര്യങ്ങളില്‍ ' We are victims of ethnocentrism ' ആരോടും മിണ്ടാതെ കിട്ടിയ സമയം ഞാന്‍ ഉറങ്ങുനതായി നടിച്ചു .

ഒരികളും രസഗുല്ല ഇഷ്ടമല്ലാത്ത എനിക്ക് ഇന്നി അതിനെ വെറുക്കാന്‍ വേറെ ഒരു കാരണം കൂടി .

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Chronicles of cooking- Part 1

I suddenly realised amidst my cooking that I have never shared anything about this passion of mine on this blog. I turned off my gas stove and here I am ready to share my innermost passion. To think of how I wrote more than 160 posts without touching this topic amazes me but then we all fall short of words when we want to express something we are very passionate of. Hence except for the slide show on the blog which shows food pics you would not come across any posts on food.

I fell in love with cooking at the age of 3. My mom and dad always supplied me with kitchen playthings and I would imitate mom. Dolls never fascinated me infact I would dismantle the dolls and use their legs and arms to make my make-believe chicken and Lamb dishes. So after a point mom quit buying me dolls. I would powder thermocol sheets and make rice out of them and break brown bangles to use them as garnished onions. Yellow lego blocks were fish fried to me and I was so obsessed with my small kitchen.

I still remember making coffee for dad in my pink cup and saucer and each time I insisted dad taste my empty cups he would remark " No sugar , Not strong enough" . I was always amused by mom's kitchen and many of you would agree with me that Indian kitchens are very colorful.

The first task mom gave me in her kitchen was to peel garlic and onions. I was 9 years old and delighted at the privilege. Very soon I realised it was a boring task and demanded to be promoted to higher tasks. But I always made it a point to make my sister who was younger to me to peel garlic as an initiation to cooking though her initiation lasted for a couple of years.

When girls of my age played hopscotch I learned to cook. And from day 1 I fell in love with the process. My dreams and make believe games were not a reality. The kitchen was my chemistry laboratory, my botanical garden. When at school I learned of vitamins and their sources I never remembered understanding them the way I did with mom.

Many of my friends thought I was mad some other thought mom made me do all the house work and I lied I enjoyed it. Many others told me I was missing a lot an average teenager should be doing. However I enjoyed mastering a skill and a hobby that was to remain with me forever.

I have friends who tell me they cant cook and everything they do ends up as a blunder. But I find cooking therapeutic , a cathartic activity. Many advise cooking as a stress buster. I agree.

I could go on and on about this passion of mine but I got more posts in future for that. For now here is a little recipe for ardent chefs.


Fenugreek seeds curry

Fenugreek seeds- 100 gm
Onion- 1
Tomato- 2
Green Chillies- 4
Coconut scraped- 1
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Salt
Oil

Soak the fenugreek seeds for a day and throw the water away ( if you are diabetic drink the water) Leave the fenugreek seeds for a day and they will sprout. Now add the chopped onions and green chillies to heated oil in a pan. When they are brown add turmeric and chilli powder followed by chopped tomatoes and salt. Add little water and make a thick gravy. Into this add the sprouted fenugreek seeds. When its cooked add the scraped coconut.

This is a very healthy dish especially for those suffering from diabetes or prone to diabetes.

I have always loved the smell of fengreek seeds hope you do too.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas


MERRY CHRISTMAS


This is our first Christmas and we are thankful to Lord for it. We wish all our family, friends, near (we miss all who are not with us this day) and very dear ones a very beautiful Christmas.

P.S. That's our first Christmas tree as well and there are loads of gifts under it too. We wanted to put a pic of that too but we have a non-disclosure clause with Santa. Once we open them we would put them. We are waiting anxiously for Rudolph and the Big guy.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Animals are beautiful people

I have been trying to write this post for so long that if I would have waited any longer I would have become as old as I was young when I first saw this thing. To say the least, it’s a cocoon. And I was really surprised at the detailing that went into creating this little thing. It was usually found clinging to shrubs, made of dried stems of the same shrub, I guess, and glued together with a high tensile gossamer like substance. I used to like the dexterity with which the thing was made: neat piles of dried small stems, of equal length, held together in a cylindrical fashion, with space for life inside. The cocoon was not stationary but kept moving from branch to branch. I used to wonder if this thing was made on the ground, using the dried branches fallen on the ground, and then carried upwards or was it made on the shrub itself, but then it would be difficult to pluck dried branches and glue them in mid air. Whatever be the method, the execution was perfect.


More often in the struggle to prize this thing open I used to squash the insect or caterpillar inside. Many of these were sacrificed at the altar of my curiosity though I was never able to see the whole life cycle of the insect: how it got there, how it made this cocoon and who flew out of it eventually.












So when I found it again at Moni’s convent recently I was filled with joy, similar to finding a childhood toy in the attic. I went through the whole exercise of opening it but found nothing inside. So this lucky one took wings before it could meet me or its end. I took a few pics to share it here. So if any of you have any idea of what this thing is then please let me know.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Bridget's Candid Confessions - Part 1

Hey,

I am Bridget. I am called so because I am cute and chubby and confused. I speak aloud and upset a lot of people. I got no track of people moving in and out of my life. I cant differentiate between my friends and enemies. That's also because my friends are all jerks well .... like me. We all love food and I end up fretting over the gained calories. I hate men especially when they eyes pop out when they look at my ##%@* .

My best friend is a guy and the stupid has been lying to me for the past 7 years about his birthday being on the Nov 1st when it's actually the 2nd. He ended up lying to impress a female who asked him if his birthday wasn't on the 1st of Nov like hers. The sad part of the story is hers was on Nov 7th and she was lying like him. Compulsive sick liars I must say. lets call this guy ' compulsive liar'

I hate my looks. I got grey hairs way too early in life and my hair is wavy black. I love my glasses they are 'red' and I am a communist. I love to read and talk (I talk to myself all the time).
I suddenly realise all my good friends are men and they are weird.
I love this friend of mine who is a 'compulsive abuser 'always labelled the 'womaniser'. He talks shit and that's his mask. Girls hate him ( well he says I ain't a girl). He is twice my size and yet calls me a fatso. I get fed up having coffees with him and watch him gawking girls.

I love my boy friend yeah I got one. He is a 'compulsive loner'. He can read and watch movies whole day long and I guess he was a sloth bear in his last life. He hates being among crowds. He loves eating alone, sleeping alone, playing alone to the extent I feel invisible. But I don't need him to respond I could just ventilate for hours the only reason why we get along well.

You would not want to hear about my girl friends coz they are not super cool as you would expect. There's the 'compulsive eater' and 'compulsive lover'. Compulsive eater has just one aim in life GAIN WEIGHT. I wish I could lend few pounds to her. She eats butter and drinks ghee yet remains as thin as a stick. when she does not eat she watches movies. She has renounced the world and is mostly dormant.

Compulsive lover has the same old problem. She is either smitten , or infactuated,or haunted or bored with love. Her temprament varies from day to day. In one moment she is the staunch feminist and in another a devoted lover. At one moment she is The career woman and the very next moment a docile wifey type. She is as confused as me and messy. I often find stuff I lost months ago after a year or two when she cleans her room. Never have I seen anyone dwell in mess like her but she is hilarious.

I love my life with these three guy friends and 2 girl friends and 5 cats and three dogs and their stories which becomes my own.

Friday, December 10, 2010

Asha the great

Asha my sister is a bundle of wits . Even today you could be taken for a free ride if you talk to her. She has made our childhood eventful with umpteen blunders which she thought was fun and has pained my mom like anything. She also was very imaginative like any child for her age and have irritated me and amused people with her wonderful stories. Every time she wanted something and you denied her she would cook up stories of having received an oracle from Mother Mary in her dream and the person who denies her would be severely punished. She often managed to get her things done through Mother Mary and her oracles. The fact that she really beleived that others beleived her made me angry because I could outrightly see that people just had fun out of her. But ignorance is bliss and Asha never realised she was taken for a ride maybe that was the most beautiful part of her.

One such afternoon as we were having lunch Asha began giggling at the table. Mom who sense d something wrong to happen asked Asha to shut up. She was not easy to be shut up so she giggled even more making my aunt ( dad's brother's wife) ask what it was that made her giggle. To this she replied it was something connected to the aunt. Mom sensing the danger asked her to finish her food. But the aunt persisted that Asha tell all of us what about the aunt made her giggle. She then turned around and looked at all of us and asked with all her gesticulations as if she had reached the climax of a movie " Shall I tell you all?" There was no stopping her so I was silent and I am sure mom might have made a silent prayer that she speak something sensible. Asha still continued like a skillful storyteller " Do you all want to know why I giggled?" "Yes", said the aunt. "I visualised you like someone so I giggled", she said. The suspense was building up and now my uncle who loved my sister more than me , coaxed her and said " No more suspenses, whom does your aunt resemble?"
She burst out like popcorn from an AK-47 rifle and said " You look like a Gorilla haaaahhaaaahiihiii".
My aunt froze, so did my uncle. Mom got away by asking us all to finish our lunch and clear the table. I looked at my aunt, I could not decipher how she felt. I never understood what embarrassment could mean at that age but I am sure she must have felt something like that. As for Asha she cleared the table with the satisfaction of a standup comedian.

N.B- She does not joke any more but can slaughter you with her janshatabdi speed in conversations

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Random thoughts

Now this is what I call 'suicide'. You got tonnes of work and you keep procastinating and for no reason out of the blue , you blog. Well no wonder this blog was named catharasis :P But to be frank I have never ventilated in the true sense ( and yet people tell me I am too candid)
Well Its a beautiful morning in Chennai after the rains, clogged toliets and worms around. Finally clothes dry and that is a respite for us hostellers.
The food is horrible and I am having my secret potion which makes me eat less ( No I wont share the secret even if you kill me) and I hope to lose weight ( No wonder Sony calls me Bridget , I look like her these days).
My hubby the humble 'Who' is buried under the weight of his commitment to his office ( obviously they pay well) and his pretential commitment to me ( I don't pay him sadly)

We haven't concocted ( that is a favourite word of mine) anything worth for our friends to read but we hope to do it soon.
I am well ..... you know...... propounding grandiose theories.... seriously that's what we do in the IIT :) well some day I''ll share my theories to you all . I seriously am in a writers block phase not on the blog but on the research front. My mom tells me to just get it onto paper. I got no heart to tell the poor woman its no story writing I do here.

But I love my life, I get loads of time to stop and reflect and ponder about what I am doing. I still have not joined the academic race. A part of me hates myself for it but then again if my sanity is preserved by this decision be so it.

I really should be pretending to work . Till we get some meaningful post ciao !!!!!