… And a favorite song of mine from Silsila. Not sure, if it’s the beauty of the song, or if it’s the mystic locales, or the charming Rekha & Amitabh’s pair, which works. Once I hear it or watch it, I am bound to play it in the loop again and again and again…
Enjoy anyway 
I love the experience of reading books. It has always taken me to an entirely new world – towards the close vicinity of the characters in the book, and while reading I feel, I am one among them, perhaps a silent spectator of all that’s going around. Quite an uncanny feeling, but I love it nevertheless. Book reading is also quite fascinating, as every one, after reading the book, interprets in his/her own way.
So, in last two weeks, I was able to finish two books; in whatever time I could steal - Chokher Bali, By Rabindranath Tagore (Translated in English), and The Queen of Dreams, By Chitra Banerjee D. And I have already grabbed the next books i.e. Mitch Albom’ The Timekeeper ( book in my bag for commute time) and a classic titled, The Jewel in the Crown”(bed time reading).
So, very briefly let me write about the reading experience of the above two books;
Chokher Bali, as expected, turned out to be a very intense story woven around relationships. The relationship between a mother and his son, the relationship between the son and his wife, between two very close friends and likewise. Of course, deep down it deals with a very intricate issue of young widows in those early eras. Rabindranath Tagore, like I have said before, had a mysterious way of comprehending the deepest emotions going on a woman’s mind, how else could he have expressed them so naturally. The fiction crafted in this book is like a fluctuating graph, with its highs and lows, where in the beginning, the characters are introduced on a happy note, and then like a tornado everything gets tossed and turned and eventually everything calms down. Each character has a key role, so I could not pin down someone as a protagonist but yes, mostly it revolves around the lives of Mahendra, Bonodini, Ashalata and Behari. What’s important and noteworthy here is – the moral of the story – a young widow’s desires does not burn down with her husband’s pyre, and that, she is a human too. But, ultimately in a socially endorsed world, all that matters is the sins and virtues of a person.
Now, the other book. Well, I have read Chitra Banerjee‘s couple of books before, i.e. The Palace of Illusions and Arranged Marriage. Both were very good, however this book, The Queen of Dreams, though deals with something very thrilling, i.e. about a dream-teller, disappointed me. The book turned out to be a mix of so many things that ultimately I had to sit and analyse the crux of it, you know, the essence we all conclude after finishing a book - whether the focus was on the dream teller, or if it were a mother’s (the dream teller) relationship with her divorced daughter, or between the daughter and her ex husband, or if it was the dreamteller’s daughter and her father’s relationship… or about the cliche`d national crisis and its impact. The story definitely seemed to have different characters which were interconnected but in that attempt I guess the whole essence was lost somewhere. Certain things were intriguing like the Eliana, the man who practiced Tai Chi, and the man who was followed by the dreamteller, which led to an accident had no appropriate closure. The metaphors, used often in the book by Chitra were very creatively churned out though, and some of the perspectives of life in general, were good as well.
When there’s nothing much in the kitchen or the fridge isn’t stocked enough. When you just don’t feel like cooking luxuriously and all you want is a simple, one pot meal… then Khichdi comes to our immediate rescue. For me, Khichdi, has always been, one of my most preferred comfort foods of all time. I crave for it especially when it rains or when it’s slightly chilly, and I relish it absolutely hot, just off the burner. Khichdi, is also one quick meal, I prefer making it often, as it’s easier to cook after a tiring day, and turns out to be a considerably healthy meal, with a mix of veggies, rice, pulses, etc. I love making khichdi with lightly roasted moong dal and lots of vegetables like, cauliflower, potatoes, green peas, carrots, french beans etc. and serve it with mango pickle or red chilli pickle. Occasionally, I also make some fritters and crisp potato chips or papads to serve as accompaniments.
Moong Dal Khichdi
Earlier, at home, I remember, we used to have Khichdi on saturday nights, a norm that was followed for many years. Back then, there was no such thing called weekends. I guess, we used to look forward to Sundays, the only holiday of the week, so that was our simplest way to celebrate our joys. I made this khichdi, just the way my mom makes it – a pure Yumm! This has very little spices too, just some grated ginger, turmeric powder, salt and sugar.
One Pot Meal – Khichdi
What’s your favorite weekend meal otherwise?
This absolute love of my blog peers, friends, and family has been my biggest strength so far and will continue to remain so. They all have contributed immensely to my overall life – in some way or the other. It’s their well-wishes, care, I believe, has stood by me throughout – and that, has formed a strong protective layer and shielded me against all the evil things around.
Touch-wood! I feel blessed, profoundly.
Roughly, a month ago I visited this Kitsch Mandi in Bangalore, held at pebbles, and I witnessed a galore of handcrafted, recycled stuff. And, I loved it. Unique, quirky, and very creatively done.
Wall Arts – Framed Paintings
Quirky Posters
Some more quirky posters
Colorful Teapots, Lamps & Storage
For the garden and some sling bags
The Wheel
Live Band
Empty Frame Adorned with Fairy Lights
The Huge Banyan
At Pebbles
Artefacts handcrafted by Underprivileged Homes
Fridge Magnets and pen holders made of Bread
Newspapers with Block Prints for Gift Wraps
Wall Art
I enjoyed my tour there, and intend to visit again.
So, last weekend was quite something. After a long time, I got some time to unwind a bit. I went for a beautiful hair-spa and then met a friend o’er some delicious Mexican lunch.
I really don’t know why, but am just too addicted to Mexican food these days, and this new Restaurant, Habanero at Indira Nagar, Bangalore is just AWESOME. I guess, it was my fifth visit or so, yet, strangely it leaves me craving for more. For starters, Nachos is a HOT favorite with me and they serve it just right at Habanero – crisp and topped with fresh lettuce, olives, tomatoes, cheese, and some chives. When those nachos are eaten with sour cream, guacamole, salsa dips, they simply taste divine. For main course, I had tried the grilled chicken before – a neat portion served with some mashed potato or Mexican rice. This time, I tried the tortillas and tacos. They were great too – stuffed with beans, meat, veggies and rightly balanced with spices and condiments. By the way, the Wiki, says Habanero is a type of chilli pepper. The ambience~ is subtle, nothing exotic about it but fairly decent to dine in.
Crispy Nachos (habanero.in/gallery_bar.html)
Oh yes! The Mocktails are not to be missed – especially the Mojito, a mint flavoured drink. I can bet you would be forced to refill your glass…especially during these ultra hot summary days…
Mojito(habanero.in/gallery_bar.html)
That was not enough for the day. My friend and I headed for some quick shopping soon after that not so heavy lunch and in the evening met some more friends over chai and gupshup. That’s when Saturday-night-party idea was born. And, we cooked, we drank(non-alcohol), we hogged, we danced, and made merry. Later, the pleasant breeze and a brief shower added to the grand finale and thus the day-long frivolous affair came to a quiet end.
The following day, I was too tired to do anything at all. So, just lazed around and that’s how all the week’s stress was busted at my end. How was yours?
“The most important thing is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it’s all that matters.” - Audrey Hepburn
