सोनपरी

वो नीली आँखें बंद किए,
गुलाबी चुनरी में लिपटी हुई,
ज्यों फुलों के बिस्तर पर ,
सो रही थी – एक सोनपरी ।

चाँद सा उसका वो मुखड़ा,
खिल रही थी एक सादगी,
अपसराएँ ज्यों शरमा जाती,
शांत सो रही थी, सोनपरी ।

लहराते रेशमी, बाल उसके,
लालिमा भरे, गाल उसके,
चाँदनी में ज्यों नहाती,
अल्हड़ सी सोई सोनपरी ।

वहाँ सुंदर कोमल, हाथ उसके,
नगीने की अंगुठी, साथ उसके,
हथेली से मेंहदी झाँक रही,
सौन्दर्य की पर्याय सोनपरी ।

गुलाबी पंखुरी से होंठ उसके,
लगता था -अभी हँस पड़ेगी,
चंचल मन छुने को मचल जाता,
पर अभी सो रही थी सोनपरी ।

सुराही सी उसकी ग्रीवा ,
ज्यों कलाकार की अपनी कृति,
मोतियों की माला इतरा रही,
करवटें बदलती जब सोनपरी ।

रेशमी लहँगे की झालर से.
पाँवों के पायल अनायास हिलती,
कोमल कदमों की मल्लिका,
सपनों में खोई थी सोनपरी ।

P.S. : Since long back I have been planning to write such a poem, finally the idea got a shape after reading Juneli’s short story.

Red vermillion

Yesterday,
She was,
an another girl,
A black girl.
Today,
She is a lady,
Of her home,
Looking fairer,
Than ever.

She is changed,
She is glorified,
With golden necklace,
And dozen bangles.

She smiled,
Just for a while.
She has started,
An unknown journey,
Of million miles.

Everyone sends her,
The wishes,
Of the same smile,
And lifelong colour of,
Red vermillion.

Making Myself Smart

I am a small town’s ordinary guy, looking khalis XYZ… stumbled into this corporate world. I am writing it, as I want to look smart.

Today, Reebok logo sneaks out from my shoes ! To mention, I took care of that logo while purchasing the shoe as it should be seen prominently. My grandma will laugh aloud, if she hears the price. But I have to buy that one here for so called my feet’s comfort and of course a show off !

While walking, I do take care that my branded jean’s logo sticker reflects itself from my butt. Levis Strauss will get at least one compliment from my colleague. I preferred to change my specs and replaced with newer frameless ones, from the showroom of Lawrence and Mayo. My T-Shirt declares that – I am imported Nike. I walk composed with effervescence of some fine deo into the air around, as girls like them !

With so many self learnt tricks of looking smart, I learnt the art of saying “Hi” after widening my lips.

I am trying to adapt the metro culture here in Bangalore.

Though I am a avid lover of movies especially thematic ones, since last one year in Bangalore, with such nice multiplexes, I still have to enter some hall. May be its going to be 2 years that I have been to a cinema hall. Blame not still having allocated money to be spent for my dear-friends or not having sufficient time on weekends. I do wish to go, but when my own people will be around here ! Funny, is not !

Its my personal preference that, my real life activity partners and friends don’t even appear in the friend list of Orkut, whoever there are, better to call them acquaintances. Some of them never registered even there.

Keep reading, now to confess, few days back, I did asked one of my expert classmate, what is flirting ! He laughed a lot, and gave me some tips. I wished, had I learnt them earlier. Similarly last year I asked another friend, what is dating. What girls and guys do in dating ? Shy… I felt while I asked the question. Though I don’t want to appear dumb, but wanted to know, as small towns doesn’t give much opportunity to learn this art/science of knowing the opposite sex better !

In metro, these lessons seem necessary for majority of smart junta. Experimentation / time pass / natural need of sharing emotions, and of course, knowing each other may be basic purpose of dating. Though after writing this post again, I may not fit the dating frame. So I sit on net with my eyes wide open. Now in the orkuted world, I went through many the profiles and found these are the things, which ‘turns on’ the people and are needed, as per today’s open culture.

Anyway in real life, as not matured enough, I miss a bigger circle here, and hence the scopes of enjoyment available, as I didn’t learnt the art of occassional cocktail parties, flirting, making fun of silly action of others and to show off my branded butt.

On last sunday, my hopping into the popular book stacks at Landmark, gave me the conclusion that – there are tallest stacks of the books – “Five Point Someone ” and “A night at Call Center”. I have long back finished them off. Well written ones. Near by other stacks of books are APJ Abdul kalam’s national dreams and personality development books (that I rarely read). I have been given enough diet of life leading Sanskrit slokas in childhood only.

And the whole episode of these different popular book stacks suggests the changing pattern of life style of Gen-X ( hence reading ).

Fast food is everything – be it literature after using less and less brain to understand it, add fun to life, and dreams of a golden India, and fastest personality development methods – yes there are countable number of methods to develop the personality. Cook well and serve them – ready to eat and digest.

Worth to mention here, body hugging t-shirt and jeans girls are looking smarter than small town shy salwar-kurta girls. Cool and S*** – two words can be used to flirt with girls here ! I do feel envy of pairs, hand tied at the restaurants. Have to scold / make fun of some one – use F***.

The fact is this culture is trying to attract me and I am trying to be myself – mixing up two blends. The perfect cocktail. Even if, have I been blessed to be in that circle with all joys, I could never been happy at the end of day.

To me are the blessed points, as I am happy and content with myself and a job – that I really love to do, my creative hobbies and my real activity partners here / net.

For the instances of look, I started to write, I do wish I would have been happier, if I could walk into my Bata Jubilee  leather sandals, and unknown company’s jean’s sticker covered with my kurta with natural giggles, and do participate in some cultural groups around and feel, Yeah I am doing something for my inner satisfaction !

Hope, I do look smart !

Music for Life – 2 (Ghazals)

सुबह सुबह इक ख्व़ाब की, दस्तक पर दरवाजा खुला देखा,
सरहद के उस पार से कुछ मेहमान आये थे,
आँखों से मायुस थे सारे, चेहरे सारे सुने सुनाए,
पाँव धोये, हाथ धुलाए, आँगन में आसन लगवाये,
और तन्दुर पे मक्के के कुछ मोटे-मोटे रोटी पकाये,
पोटली में मेहमान मेरे, पिछले सालों के फसलों का गुड़ लाये थे ।

आँख खुली तो देखा घर में कोई नही था ।
हाथ लगाकर देखा तो तन्दुर अभी तक बुझा नहीं था,
और होठों पे मीठे गुड़ का जाय़का अब तक चिपक रहा था
ख्वाब था शायद ख्वाब ही होगा
सरहद पे
सुना है कल रात चली थी गोली,
स़रहद पे कल रात सुना है – कुछ ख्वावों का खू़न हुआ है ।

The preface of the song इक पुराना मौसम लौटा – in Marasim.

Year 1999, the one day in Air Force Station as a frequent guest of my friend, Subhash, from Haryana. And on a afternoon, I was lying comfortable on the bed. Subhash told me to hear a new cassette he bought and put it in the cassette player. I had listened only few lines. And it was enough capable to vibrate the dormitory. And the heavy solemn voice of Jagjit Singh, and so the waves vibrated my soul, leading it to somewhere. The Album was Marasim by Jagjit Singh.

Haath chute bhi to rishtey nahi choda karte..was the one of Ghazal there, and yes, where is Subhash today, I don’t know. He may be with his children at some air force station. And his memories are still with me. The connecting string to him everytime is Marasim.

I took out the lyrics leaflet out of the cassette. I read the urdu composition of Gulzar. Though at home, Pankaj Udhas was only to bring ghazal’s emotional touch and worth to mention “Ghunghru tut gayi”. And I think its real vibration matching airs around us that, I got friends with common interests, where ever I go.

And the ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh had an existence in pictures and timeless ghazals. It was a bliss to see the maestro performing at the live function here in Bangalore. Though organiser could have arranged the live performance in an efficient accoustic hall, hence to bring out the minute details of her unique style of fluctuating the vocal cord, that is audiable in the CD sound system at home.

Later on I heard about the private life of the maestro, when they lost their son, Vivek agee 21 years, I was really shocked, which can never be compensated to him by all his acquired fame and satisfaction. Whenever I hear Jagjit & Chitra singing together, I wish, may not God make any absolutely perfect couple, if there lies such a great pain to suffer in the completness. The couple’s dedication towards music is great, even after pain they tried to share the pain of lakhs of his fans with few more albums.

With due respect to his private life, I do wonder the reason behind of his unique rendition of inner human feelings in the air. And this is one way one can understand and share the pains of others. These poetic rendition comes out, when there is some untold, unknown pains lies within.

Ghazals have quite different essence and style than song. The choosen words of poetry, the weaving style to bring out feelings is the first lyrics expertise. Then the rendition, who delivers with a voice, that must have deep feeling of abstract 6th sense apart from all forms. To me hearing the poetic recitation of Ghazals proves to be the best thing for the solitory moments.

These are the companion of those feelings that waves into the sea of thoughts. Thoughts of relations, those tied forever, those broken up, those which could not be tied and all those which still binds the world with invisible strings.

P.S.: More than 6 years passed off and Subhash was out of touch, and the day I had finished writing this post, Subhash found me on Orkut after a lot of search. Is it just a coincidence or something unexplained ever !

Smoking is a healthy custom !

Have you ever seen Bidis used as agarbattis ( incense sticks) ?
Or have you ever seen fishes smoking like our ‘Khan brothers’ in movies ?

Yes I saw it at Calicut beach and captured the moment for a pukka evidence. Here in the picture you may see a boat with one fish smoking smartly on the wood and other lying on the floor.Smoking Fish

On the same wood block I sat for sketching 2 hours ago, before the boat went into the sea for fishing. The black old fisherman with one company took the boat into the sea and came back with big fishing net entangled with big sea crabs and several variety of fishes. They took this specific fish first out and lighted one bidi and then put it into this poor fish’s mouth. A fish uses its gills and mouth to breath. And a bidi is securely placed in its mouth, in its normal process of breathing, it became smoking. It seems to enjoy bidi. No jumps of the fish or any movement.

The poor fisherman is at least honest to his agarbatti, unlike we corporate civilians who use smoke ( oh sorry fragrance ! ) of Chandan and Mogra to offer God and enjoy the smoke ( again sorry, Oxygen! ) of cigarettee for enjoying self. For the fisherman as per customs , it may it be a aggarbatti offering to the Sea God.

Anyway the fish remained alive for long and enjoyed the smoking like all my friends, who prolong the tea time with smoking . Who says smoking shortens the life ? See the other non-smoker fish thrown down in the little water at boat’s bottom water left the world early and could not see his friend smoking so nicely.

What strange customs we do have in India as well as around world ? I was equally surprised to see costly liquor bottles offered to Gautam Buddha at Tibbetan temple. Anyway these customs are being followed since ages and deeply entangled with faith. These are all lovely customs around us, many of them can be adpoted, if one wishes !

Anyway its a beautiful world, that can be observed only after travelling wide.

Dividing Cauvery Water

Today, some violence seemed to have occurred in some sensitive parts of the town. The issue has been so called unfavourable decision towards Karnataka, by Supreme Court’s on distribution of the Cauvery’s water among four states.

Last time in 1991, on the announcement of such decision the riots occurred, taking several lives. Hence today, thousands of police personal are deputed in some areas. Though I could not see any affect in my locality and even far around. Life is as usual to my eyes.

Cauvery OriginI have seen the origin place of the Cauvery river, the Tal-Cauvery hills, from where Cauvery originates. Before seeing this, I have seen only the Ganga, the Godavari and the Mahanadi with their mighty existence. On first sight of the Cauvery, I could not believe that the comparatively narrow river can be of such an importance. Being the rivers on hills, though flow rate is high, but width is quite less. Now presently, instead of measuring its length and width of a river as a geologist, I would like to call her as lean – thin mighty mother of four states’ farmers.

The mother is prayed, at the origin. People take holy water from there, calling it Dakshini Ganga (southern Ganga). The mother comes down with all joys and the willingness to meet her children to Cauvery in hills, in the rainy seasonfeed them. And down the line, among children it needs division, as if why she can’t feed all her children to their satisfaction!

The materialistic world, with more population, with human drawn boundaries in between stands the capital of Karnataka, Bangalore – with all its glory. Here emotions mostly flow in the binary computer bits within the outdated hardware of equally senseless political system.

I know these issues need practical approach to solve, not a poetic language of mine. And at the same time, I do wonder, how much practical and objective decisions, think tanks at centre make. I am not sure of the political , social and economical outcome of this decision and feel equally helpless to suggest them with some (surely unheard) alternative!

And I feel at this moment is, there lies the crave for fulfilling exponentially increasing needs from the mother, than the mother holds in her bosom. Until there is an unwillingness to know about her limitations,we selfish children may suffer more. The mother always gives her best, coming down from the hills, to the children herself. Everything can be resolved if we can really talk the matter among we so  called intellectuals, out of those our drawn state boundaries. I am not sure, whether I will be able to taste the water, when the Cauvery’s water gets mixed up with her tears, on these sad occasions !

Her Marriage – The Dance of Life

This narration again goes to my sister, as she is so special to me. May be there are some traits of the woman, set as benchmark of excellence, though unread and unexplainable; my instinct keeps me away from most of the Bangalore’s highly materialistic girls.

The evening was not hot at all. But seeing her dance practices, it seemed that it was like a mid summer evening. She was perspiring with sweat, after so many rounds of dozens of dance swirling around her feet.Her payals used to set the neighborhood into vibrations. Though she lamented some times that why didn’t I learn table to that level. If I could have accompanied her, with the beats, she could have better coordinated her foot falls.

“Dada, I completed all rounds without stops.” And she was very much optimistic about her 6th year’s courses in Kathak despite really limited resources in the small town. And why not, her Lasik operations gave her a new look to life again. The weekly classes, by her Guruji, who used to come from Raiganj, she attended attentively, as well as cleverly, a trait mandatory in artistic learning. At the end of her weekly classes, I had to go for escorting her, in late evenings. . No matter, when midnight touches, she used to note down the all theoretical parts of dance, in her diaries, because she had to return back the book to someone.

That time with a perfect composure of a classical dancer, after all sweating out, her wheatish complexion appeared brighter and more confident, which is skin deep.

After she completed Sangeet Prabhakar in classical dance, her only wish remained, is to continue the education under some competent guru, with a guru-shishya parampara at some good place. Other option, she had been chosen that, she will learn Shahnaz Hussain’s beauty courses, and start her own entrepreneurship.

She has been artistic. And if literally to say, inclination towards arts subjects. Math remained the major obstacle in her career. Though she tried her best, but in fact it needed spoon feeding sometimes. During her secondary school exams, she got some trivial tips to solve problem from her favourite teacher. And I enjoyed the role as, I knew well, where she misses ‘the connecting links’ between a problem and derived solution.

Dreaming is a stepping stone, realization of the same is bliss. We didn’t have resources or someone well connected to metros to find out the details of scope for her.

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And her years passed off teaching the neighborhood girls Kathak & painting , and engaging herself in free bridal make up services only in well close relations.

But there was a time, when we had to see the scopes of hers to find her day of bridal appearance. Her marriage searches started off. Newspapers were scanned for matrimonial ads. Ma emphasized that as she gets dressed in her best in functions and Durga Puja. Might she can draw in someone’s attention !

Its told, in our side unless the father’s sandal’s sole erases out, getting a groom is not possible. But this time, having her ultimate faith on me, I have to share the roles as well as decision with Baba.

Nights of ours just spent exploring all the possible scopes to us. Never we slept before 11 pm. It appeared as if we are desperate to send her out somewhere unknown. Family members’ opinions and discussions went on.

I think in these times, Ma’s duties increased to keep pushing Baba for efforts of groom searching. And endless were the talks of Ma-Baba, sometimes taking shape of arguments. Though Baba averred me as always taking Ma’s side, I managed their opinions, and derived the common thread between their opinions !

I made a presentable bio-data of hers as the best girl in the world. And next tasks were getting some of her snaps. Really difficult task one ! There were some of hers snapped in the local studios. And we started to search her best appearing snap, where everything looks perfect. Even the plates of saree, fingers well arranged, long hairs displayed with decency – and we got some picture perfect snaps. But among around 10 selected snaps with varied angles, we could choose out only two – in those she looked more beautiful. The interesting thing was both of them were snapped on our roof, not in studios! These snaps were snapped by our photographer, Vilash uncle, who came some day on her call, and everything went unnoticed to us until snaps bills came to Baba. Rest all hundreds of bucks spent in studios could not bring her natural smile in artificially painted studio backgrounds.

And this side, whenever I used be in journey for possible approaches, I had to but a weight on my heart. From the day, she appeared into our house, she had been lucky for the family in many more ways. And the fact is, from the day she left us; we became almost dispersed family and unable to manage the same. And it wouldn’t be same ever again, unless such a pious soul again enters our home in any form.

With every possible negotiation talks, there were budding hopes, dreaming castles and sudden or slow melting of the same too.

One of them is worth interesting, when Ma wanted to buy the groom !

Without going into details, I would like to mention, her two line statement to the mediator over phone was, “Why 5 lakhs, I shall give 7 lakhs to Mr. X , for his handsome engineer son. And as I might have paid such a pretty sum, he has to just leave his son, and he will be only ours forever! ” – she smiled back on the customs again.

And our children union, we needed some smart gossips to just pass off the time.

In our children arena, we calculated the good grooms available on that day. Suppose there are 100 Hindu guys to be married, in our contact. As we have managed till now a teetotaler culture, so seeing the habits of current generation, 70 will be out in screening test only. In rest 30, 10 guys will be already committed as Bengali girls are smarter to catch up job holder guys early, 10 guys will be searching for paper ad type beauty queens. In rest 10 guys, 5 will seek for professionally settled girls in preference. So there are only 5 guys for us in 100s. In rest, 5 we have to choose out one who will give her full opportunity to fly high. But where is 5’s and who is the last one, who will accept her, as she is.

Outside home, in the practical battlefield front, while meeting parents and guys, I knew how to evaporate the ego (be it mine or others), how to bring out their suppressed humanity, to start a genuine relation. And used to return home with bundles details to be talked till late nights, about people and their opinions, ideas and future preferences.

From our relatives and friends at home, many proposals came positive, some of them looking so great that, we can’t even dream off. Some places, she needed to be prepared to make compromise a lot. But as Ma have decided early that, we wouldn’t ever tell no to any guest. Let everyone come, respect the guest with your best and leave the fate to the Almighty.

The mantra worked well. One day in Tata Indica, came 5 guests. The guy, his sisters and uncle and friend. And we were prepared for a customary bride exhibition function (which I disliked most ). But this time by courtesy of the guests, they turned that into a casual homely talks.

Like others, they too departed and before departure the guy did our formal pranaam with manner and shacked hands with us (and with my sister too) and waived hands high with a wide smile, while getting back into the car.

Omen was well read.

Next Sunday, his parents, or better to say that the parents of the smart, fair and tall guy, accepted well the choice of his son, whatever she was, whole heartedly.

They invited us for their verification of house, business etc.! I predicted about, down to earth father-in-law, if the dream like day was going to be true.

After a minor verification by my parents, they decided to move ahead. Though I was told several times, but I was not willing to verify, and I was very much confident on the confidence of the guy and had chosen him out in the first glance only, as I had meet several other prospective grooms too.

On 21st day of their visit, his Tilak (Aashirwadi ) was done, as they wished . Marriage day was fixed. There was a gap of 4 months between his tilak and marriage. And the girl’s aashirwadi was not done, as if still she was free to move.

Ma & PinkyThe hazy snap of Ma & Pinky right here is taken out from the video clip, before we were to depart for Aashirwadi. Her fingers are still coloured with red alta, she just applied around Ma’s feet. Hope her fingers are dry :).

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It was again another Saturday evening after one month of Aashirwadi. The to-be groom’s parents were at our home for some homely talks regarding marriage arrangements.

In the same evening, I received a call of my good friend, who was at home in vacations. He is a well placed professional in a reputed MNC in UK.

Sister was well noticed and well appreciated by his mother, much before, but never expressed clearly that to us. And undeniable fact is, on her face, she carries simplicity and a natural smile that’s obviously appears on the faces of many the small town girls or those who come from small towns.

Though we too thought some times to make a proposal as best relations never expect those bits of ego, but we could not approach them, as they might fall in ( prime ) dowry group as the status of groom and Ma’s unwillingness to promote this system. Other thing, we were not sure, as how much they will be able to give wings to fly, to a girl, as per her wishes, born in a Bengali culture.

He holds a command affection with me, and told that along with his parents he was coming next day. I scented his voice and purpose. I told there are guests related to her marriage at our home. He heard the news of negotiations of my sister are going on. And at the same time, he confirmed whether aashirwadi of her’s is done or not.

And as planned they were at our house next morning. And I respected them a lot, since last 10 or more years he has been like my brother and of course his parents like my own uncle-aunty.

But seeing the guests already present there, as early bird, they were really calm and the situation left me in real life dilemma. Their eyes were clearly hopeful still. And when luck brings to many things together, we are unable to decide whom to hear; heart or mind.

And it was our turn to decide. Whom to choose, if possible?

One with such a good qualification, a pay-package enough to raise the eyebrows of most of today’s girl’s, good looking NRI and best aspect was known to me since more than 10 years with all nitty-gritty of the personality.

Other with a B.Com of Kolkata university, an entrepreneur as well as a small tea estate owner. He does not have a pay –package, but earns hard worked profit, may be not comparable with a heavy NRI pay-package. The only concerned thing was, his past record and current actual status still unknown. How he may turn out for her in future, was not known to us. And visiting UK so easily, will be dream for him at least.

Houseful of guests. More lucks at home !

With opportunity of so many guests at home, varieties of Bengali cuisines were being served. And desperately, we needed a private talk among we family members that time, for a decision, if possible again.

And kitchen is the ultimate place of ours for such moments. I had to decide to an extent and I already decided something in my head.

I called sister in a another room. And told her – “See this is a once in lifetime chance. Your future is depending here. May your luck is giving you the better, that you deserved. About that guy I am sure and as well as for my friend, I am much more sure. Both’s parents are here today, and both of them want you with all the respect.”

“Dada, what ever you are telling that’s correct. You are thinking better for me. But now I am committed to him, as you people have done his aashirwadi too.” – She tried to make me understand.

“His is done, but your aashirwadi is not done. You can decide again, it’s a chance of UK, and best of out of this life, we could never think off, and a family that will be caring for you ever. You can fulfill all your dreams there. ” – I kept trying to convince her.

“Everything is fine. But he was the first to chosen me this way. I have talked with him too after aashirwadi. How I can think off leaving him alone here, and go for UK.” – She was moving her eyes away from me.

I recalled about her dreams of growing high with my best possible logic.

And she was undeterred and tried to avoid hearing my suggestions further. She hurried off to kitchen to help Ma.

Alone I was left in room. I was not pained at all. I was a proudest brother on the Earth of having such a sister of mine.

This coincidence of coming another guests with a prospective NRI guy, spread into guy’s family afterwards. And there was created a beautiful impression for a girl, ready to embrace her.

Before this day, at her to-be in-law’s house, I have seen her photo, that we sent for proposal, had been framed beautifully and kept on a single table between two newly bought flower vases in the drawing room. I never imagined this !

And she got married with best possible arrangements and best possible reception at their end. Though for us, we do prefer a very simple traditional Bengali marriage, but for her, I kept all our principles knowingly away for her dream day.

And she still receives the best care from her life partner, for the sacrifice she did or commitment she showed.

Her in-laws village is 35 km inside the national highway, but a well developed one with all facilities. However I can console my self, its worth to say, the place is never a chance to grow her talents, as she dreamt off. But the good thing is that , every one is flexible to let the couple reside in Darjeeling’s down town, where the guy have runs own business.

Willingness never dies. Creativity can’t be hidden. After few months of marriage, there was a day when in her neighborhood of in-laws house, a young girl wanted to learn classical dance from her. And happily from home, she carried her payals with her. And she started her one- student -class for just sake of little fee and engaging the time. And the neighborhood must have again started vibrating in payals’s sounds in the in-laws house. The vibrations , I could hear it here too.

“Dada, I have danced a lot yesterday, though my legs pained a bit.” – next day she was telling me over phone.

Exploring Kerala (3) – Handicrafts

Kerala is rich in Handicrafts too. My Kerala tour was really good in all terms. I was able to spend considerable time in Uravu shop for handicrafts. I bought many coconut and wood crafts to my satisfaction. At the counter, when the purchased items were arranged at one place, a small cardboard box was needed to pack them up and needed a specialWooden Handicrafts of Kerala care in return journey.

I knew my purchases, hence spending support their efforts. And to be frank, when the bill was presented to me, I requested them for making it to some round figure. Its worth to say that they reduced it a considerable themselves more than what I expected. Hope this money (including more), I shall spent for those crafts again for those wooden pair of elephants some day!

Almost every place of India has some indigenous natural products. For our local area, we have Jute of best quality for handicrafts. And Kerala is rich in coconut, wood, forest (dry) flowers and stones. Since generations lasts, they have learnt the method of processing, refining and giving them a shape of elegance.

From a whole coconut with fibers they can make a cute elephant, flower vases and so many other items. There can be whole description about the usefulness of coconut fibers for making handicrafts. The Bamboo trunk, they use for making a whole variety of table top items as well as wall hangings. But after seeing the bamboo craft, I felt NE Indian craftsmen are better in indigenous Bamboo craft work. There were whole range of spices and paintings too for sales.

When the fortunate enough people, work in sync with underprivileged ones, filling up any unnecessary gaps, with helping hands and clean soul, social economics prospers.

I enquired about the shop and they gave their visiting cards and information booklet. All these social initiative were taken by Uravu. Now with my inquisitive tendency, we discussed about their efforts. I shall like to personally see their tribal crafts processing sometime in future.

Exploring Kerala (2) – Traditional foods and drinks

All the south Indian marriages till now I attended, are simply quite different than north Indian ones, and thats true regarding lunches too.

On the auspicious occasions, there are no non-veg items on menu. Foods were cooked with minimum spices. Thick small rice ( but tasty), sambhar, rasham, chutney, mazziga and at least 8 types of unnamed (boiled type) sabzi’s, papads and of course the famous banana chips. Finishing touch was with kheer in cups and ice-cream.

I was satiated, as I expected something different than north India. As I love variety in everything of life, I was pleased to have the meal with hundreds other there on a banana leaf.

The Kerala is a state with a good traditional knowledge of Ayurveda. Everywhere the water that was served to drink as normal drinking water used to be lukewarm and coloured pink or yellow or colorless sometimes. Customary, they prepare drinking water after boiling some herbs in it and cooling them down for drinking. The herbs ( I bought it later, its red wood type actually ) make the water coloured after inducing medicinal properties, appearing as if rose leaves extracts were diluted. And there is a slight specific herbal aroma in water. Though I drink a lot of water and that herbal treated water I took more than normal litres during my Kerala tour, the effect was better than packaged ones of Bangalore.

The main point about Kerala food is coconut. Though sometimes I failed to recognised the medium of cooking but most food items are cooked in coconut oil including egg curry and non-veg items. But the best thing about food is, for sure, cooked well and tastes well ( as per taste buds of my team there). Its difficult to find any trace of aroma of coconut oil that we find in coconut hair oils.

Over the head there one can find hanging thousands of coconuts everywhere, on the roadside – one can find broken coconuts drying in sun.

The climate in mid january is as if the climate of march-april in north India. Days and nights were warmer than Bangalore. So there was abundant in number of the shops, selling salt water boiled amla, carrot, mango, ber, anaras in glass pet jars. People buy them in considerable amount. For me two amlas were more than enough for my sensitive tooth. And that was a natural way for them to beat the heat in summers, I think !

Cofee and tea is mostly served unfiltered in one glass with an additional glass to pour and sip. The black coffee / tea many people prefer to sip after the dinner.