Grand (ThursdayTreeLove)

At the outset, here's Wishing All of You a Very Happy Healthy and Tree-mendous 2023. 

Today I have a (new to me) tree that I (feel proud to have identified) spotted in our recent cycling expedition in Assam. 

As we walked towards this beautiful waterfall (Yes, some walking was also a part of the cycling tour :-) ) the drooping branches and what seemed like dry fruit immediately caught my eye. 

The tree was very tall and its fairly thick trunk grew absolutely straight for quite some distance. The branches were too high to touch any leaf or branch. I could barely see opposite fairly large leaves and new ones looked red. 

Drooping branches

None of the locals seemed to know its name. 

F is for strawberry!

Its my fourth attempt at the April AtoZ Blogging challenge and I am writing about herbs.

How can F be for strawberry? Simple, because botanically strawberry belongs to a genus called Fragaria. The most popular recall for this yummy fruit is strawberries and cream... Supposedly a summer favourite. Strawberries are freely available in most Indian cities and they must be handled and stored with care. 

Punekars (folks living in Pune are fondly referred to by this name) are lucky as Mahabaleshwar is only a couple of hours away by road and it is a major strawberry grower. Come summer and we have strawberry festivals held in the city and almost everyone who visits Mahabaleshwar comes back kilograms of fresh strawberries. The Mapro Food Park is a major attraction especially for its Strawberry and Cream. Some farms encourage visitors to go strawberry picking. Besides jams, preserves, Mahabaleshwar farmers have made strawberry wine as well!

Getting back to our herb, strawberry is an introduced crop in India but some varieties are native e.g. Duschesnia indica, Fragaria niligerrensis . Strawberries belong to the Rosaceae family (Rose family). To see this plant one has to visit a farm or grow it in the garden. its not very tall and sends out runners that can give rise to new plants. The white flowers have a yellow centre. We did try to nurture a plant in a pot but it did not survive for long, obviously the habitat was unsuitable :(

Strawberry plant with flowers

Freshly harvested strawberries

Some other familiar foods from this family are apple, cherries and almonds! 

Its understandable if these images inspire you to head off to your refrigerator or the super market and get yourself some strawberries. 

I am heading to my kitchen for some strawberry crush to make myself a strawberry milkshake.
Cya around!

Merry Christmas!

An unusual Xmas tree made of newspapers seen at Maison Perumal Puducherry in Jan 2014

Nativity scene made with baked goods

The Hills Are Alive

My city is blessed to have many hills right within the city limits. Many have flat land at the top and one can walk for a long distance even upto 10 kms (depending on your route). This is especially amazing because this walk gives a feeling of being 'above' the city yet a part of it. In the city yet a feeling of being outside.

The hill overlooks Baner and Pashan and one can see the city skyline stretching as far as the eye can see

Any one who has been to these tekdis (hills) will totally agree with me. I had not visited the Baner Tukai tekdi and eagerly took up an opportunity to visit it.

Like most tekdis in Pune, this one too suffered from deforestation and must have been really bare. It has been the ceaseless and untiring efforts of Dr Garudkar and the Clean Earth Movement that is showing its fruits now. Here is a link to their website.The group has been active since 2006.

The almost flat top is perfect for long walks

Mismatched shoes - by design

Currently its the FIFA World Cup 2014 that rules TV time at home. Being hosted by Brazil, the live telecasts can be seen at some unearthly hours in India but football fans are not complaining. Ofcourse repeat telecasts are shown to suit those not willing to sacrifice their sleep but it means others at home having to give up their favourite serials. 

Since I could not fight the football fever, I decided to join in. As I was trying to learn the intricacies of a spectacular pass or a heroic save, I found myself admiring the fluorescent brilliant colours of players' footwear. 

Note: All images below are from the TV transmission on Six HD via Hathway cable provider.

Mentally I congratulated the company and its designers that had come up with these great uniforms for the players. Coordinating colours for the different teams and the accessories must have been a real challenge.... And that's where I spotted in some players had differently coloured shoes on the Right and Left feet.

Pink shoe on the right foot and blue on the left

April 2014 Rewind

April 2014. Its has been a very hectic month quite contrary to my expectations. I had signed up for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and picked a theme as well which meant I had to stay focused. If exercising can be tedious or boring then writing 26 different and interesting posts was even more difficult. I am happy to have completed the challenge but what a month. Besides the blogosphere there was so much happening all around me.

In India, the FX channel was broadcasting the popular US serial The West Wing. I began watching as I am a big Martin Sheen fan but soon was totally enthralled by the workings of the west wing and characters therein. It was the seventh season that depicted the whirlwind election campaign in the US.

Image from IMDb http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0200276/?ref_=ttep_ep_tt

Coincidently we in India to have ongoing general elections and I kept contrasting and comparing the styles, rhetoric of the politicians. I realised there were many similarities in election politics - effects of conservative voters, immigration issues, religious beliefs, minorities and so on. Of course The West Wing is a TV serial but it must be based on some facts. Ours is a very real campaign with real issues. We will not know our exit poll results till May 12, 2014 but for all of April we were  glued to the TV news channels, or on the Internet for updates and speeches and interviews. That encroached on thinking time for my blogathon...

April is also repotting time for my succulents. This meant having to take extra care of them post-repotting. The rising temperatures meant all house plants needed more attention.

This and more stuff had to be cleared off. And, no photos of my Jade and Adenium. They are camera shy!

Mess to be cleared after after repotting

Then there was the Pune Heritage Week happening here organised by Virasat Pune. Eight days of a brilliant reconnect with the natural, architectural, cultural, artistic heritage of this great city (Pune). I could not miss this opportunity to see and learn about places, things so close to me. I met people who had lived here for years but had never visited heritage institutes right in their backyard. There's a saying in Hindi "चिराग तले अंधेरा " (Chirag tale andhera). Loosely translated it means there is darkness next to the flame of the lamp.

Heritage building in Western Circle of Botanical Survey of India

Wordless Wednesday

Ticket Trauma

Sawai  Gandharva  Bhimsen  Mahotsava is a much awaited, annual musical festival in Pune. It’s prestigious for the artists performing there but from my experience getting tickets for the ‘chair’ can be something of a prestige as well. Not for the money, no… The ‘sofa’ seats are priced much higher.

The reason is the efforts that go into procuring the tickets. For some reason, tickets are only sold at a few select outlets in Pune, and as of 2013 there is no online option for ticket sales.

Seating is in three categories, ‘Bharatiya baithak’ (sitting cross legged on the ground- usually covered with sheets) ‘Chairs’ and ‘Sofas’. These are in increasing order of prices. 

Each sofa seats three people and those with well-lined pockets may find it economical but the ‘source’ of these sofa tickets is a closely guarded secret. Probably a single phone call suffices if you know whom to contact. A decade in Pune yet I am totally in the dark about ‘getting’ sofa tickets. Probably I need to change the social circles that I move around in… 

Quilling

I had heard about the quill but Quilling…. That was something strange. I learnt from my niece that it’s a kind of paper art wherein one curls thin strips of paper into little rolls that are then reshaped and arranged to make lovely shapes. Its fascinating to see almost lifelike roses and butterflies etc. Though quilling was new to me, apparently its been around for several hundred years, the 18^th century according to this article. That just proves I have a lot of catching up to do on the arts and crafts front!!

Jokes apart, one can create wonderful items that can be used to decorate gifts, create curios for our own home or sell them for some profit. Here are a couple of lovely products made using quilling techniques. 

Pencil cap made with quilling techniques

Earrings and Ganesh pendant made out of paper

 If you're looking for something new to try out, try this. There are plenty of books and websites to guide you. Who knows there may be a hidden world class quilling artist!

Green Living

Climate change, global warming, carbon emissions, melting ice caps are terms that suggest a looming apocalypse. Some time back, they just sounded like gloomy predictions of some scholarly people but now such changes have affected almost all of us. We all want to do something but many of us really do not know what is to be practically done so we can make a difference. The general advice is to lead an eco-friendly lifestyle with a low carbon foot print. So how does one go about it?

Using public transport or carpooling, using bicycles, opting for renewable energy sources (wind/solar), reducing electricity consumption, recycling waste (dry and wet) are some options that most of us have taken up. This article recommends reducing our online activities to save electricity.

What about our food? It’s often packed in reams of plastic which obviously does nothing to help our environment. It is transported from the farms to markets afar in distant towns or even abroad. So that carries a carbon footprint as well right?

Some experts suggest choosing local produce to reduce this effect. It not only encourages local farmers but local foods are said to afford health benefits for that particular climate. Buying fruits grown from distant Australia in Mumbai probably doesn’t sound a good idea in this respect. Several farmers do grow the ‘exotic’ varieties which can give us a taste of those fruits and vegetables without a major ‘carbon footprint.’ I found this website that lists fruits and vegetables that are most and least likely to have pesticide residues.

Khatta Meetha

Khatta Meetha or Sour Sweet is an unlikely flavour combination for some but one that many in India relish. Many of our foods (dals- lentil preparations, vegetables) all have both Khatta (Sour) and Meetha (Sweet) ingredients in just the right proportion that one is left wondering if the dish he/she just ate was sweet or sour!!

Lemon juice, Tamarind, Kokum, Amchur powder are usually added for the sour flavour and sweetness is afforded by sugar, jaggery etc. The sweetness kills the sharp tangy edge of the sour ingredient even as the same lemon makes a sweet dish wonderfully memorable.

Tiffin Tales

It has always been a mystery to me if a school Tiffin box and its contents really inspired excitement in its target consumer. From the hosts and expert cooks on TV cookery shows this certainly seemed the case. This sent me back to my daily morning tussle to innovate and put in something interesting (child’s requirement) and nutritious (my requirement) in the box. 

When my daughter was still in preschool, it was pretty smooth sailing. A sandwich/ fruits/ laddus or any other savoury stuff made (home or ready-made) sufficed. Once into full time school I had to give something more substantial especially for the lunch break. Obviously this meant some variety of roti (Indian flat bread) and subjee (vegetables) either separately or in a roll (to be called ‘frankie’ in a bid to glamorise the preparation) or all mixed and rolled together as a stuffed paratha (a form of Indian bread). The end product required the food to be kept dry or risk feeding books in the bag. Obviously it would be testing any child’s patience to expect him/her to eat dry roti/subjee six days of the week for years together so little ‘extras’ were always demanded. On days when the unfortunate bhindi (ladies finger) or karela (bitter gourd) found their way into the plastic box they had to be countered with ‘extras’ that were rated at the other end (high) of the scale like chips/ French fries/ chocolates/ cola in the water bottle etc. This of course had the rider that the vegetable could not be repeated for a couple of months AND needed a peace offering of a pizza for dinner. 

Have we really evolved?

After my daily tussle with completing home chores, the maid, telecallers and other invisible forces, I zoomed out of the house to make it to work on time. As my car idled in the choc-a-bloc traffic, my mind was in a spin. Though totally unrelated to the IT industry, current developments at Satyam had disturbed me thoroughly. What was worse was that it seemed only to be the tip of the iceberg of a widespread rot.

I remembered a proverb: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men”. The current incident is certainly not the first but for whatever reason we simply shrug off and move on. Some call it resilience or is it that we just don’t care? We are so preoccupied with our own needs and wants that nobody wants to learn.

We go about stoically as terror/scams/ Nature’s fury unfold in some distant place affecting somebody else. Why bother, I am not affected… What it is that must drive such attitude, such apathy?

Music Festivals: Dos and Dont

Winter is a beautiful season in Pune. Besides lovely weather, excellent veggies (I refer to their quality not price!), sales and exhibition galore, there are usually several cultural programs as well. Despite several artists performing throughout the year, the period following Divali is particularly busy. Music festivals both small and big mean a virtual auditory feast for music lovers! And these are not simple three hour affairs, but are spread over a period of 3-5 days.

Since 2003 I have attended several such 'utsav' because that is what they are - music festivals!  The audience obviously largely comprises die hard music lovers. However there is a small percentage of people who are present there simply to accompany their loved one who loves that particular music genre/artist or to
merely 'log' their presence at the event or youngsters (a rising number of them seen these days) who tag along with their 'group'. Prestigious events like the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen (the last name added from this year) attract Hindustani music aficionados from across the seven seas!

Music to our ears

Its been a long long time since my last post! And I have been shaken out of my lethargy by some really outstanding news, information that I would like to share with those who may not have already read about it.

Music lovers its time to rejoice again!

While we have been moaning about the demise of WorldSpace Satellite Radio, activities were on behind the scenes. This online article on VCC circle (http://www.vccircle.com/500/news/timbre-media-to-ring-in-%E2%80%98worldspace-radio%E2%80%99-once-again) has brought back the smile to our faces, cheered the heart and generally got most of us in a thoroughly upbeat mood.

A newly formed Bangalore-based company Timbre Media will soon start broadcasting music as we knew and loved on WorldSpace. Formed by a dedicated group of ex-WorldSpace personnel, the company will deliver music to us via the broadband Internet, DTH and cable. Their efforts are indeed commendable as they have gone great lengths to get this project off the ground. This is another article on the topic (http://business.in.com/article/tipoff/worldspace-radio-is-back/26912/1).

Of course this means we can now freely sell our old WorldSpace antennae and receivers as scrap as that equipment will be useless here. But who's complaining?

The joy of listening to uninterrupted ad-free radio is what most erstwhile-WorldSpace subscribers will willingly take up.
This is indeed music to our ears!
Cheers!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 1

Am I the right person to write about Harry Potter?
I have read all the books as avidly as any other tween right from about 2001 when we first encountered this bespectacled wizard in far away Chabua. This boy hero endeared himself to readers across India and was variously called Hari Puttar, Hari Pitre etc as the book was translated into local languages I am told, self included.

The shock of losing Sirius Black or the death of Dumbledore among other events in previous books was an intense piece of writing hence I was keen to see how such written imagery is actually brought to life on screen. It could be that I am biased but the written work generates profound emotions and images that can hold the reader spell bound and gets him/her back for more.

Ask any Potter fan about the number of times they have re-read any particular book. The answer is quite likely to be in mid single digits!! So to answer the first question, yes I have read the entire series and watched movies till date so surely qualify to write...

The recently released movie is part one of the final book. After a long long time I went to the theatre on the first day. I was a bit apprehensive thinking I would be sorely out of place amongst a roomful of kids but was pleasantly surprised to find that I was not the only baby boomer there. And the others were not escorting their young 'uns either. In fact there were hardly any school goers at all, most being in their early twenties. There was not much fan fare (Friday fever) that is the norm these days at a movie launch. The tickets were not exorbitant either which made the time out easier on the pocket.

The movie does justice to the book, the cast keeps up with the demands of the characters and keeps the audience engaged throughout.

Would I see the movie again - probably not but would I read the book again- yes certainly!

:)

Here are some links to reports of the movie. Use them as a guide but if you are afflicted by Pottermania then you will watch the movie any way...

Enjoy!

http://business-standard.com/india/news/latest-harry-potter-movie-casts-24-mn-midnight-spell/415621/

http://business-standard.com/india/news/harry-potter-pips-guzaarish-in-weekend-collections/415844/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11817593

http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_Review.aspx?id=568

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/masand-harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-i-is-thrilling/135413-8-67.html

For Netizens in Pune

The city is reeling from a battering by sudden stormy rain just as we start preparations for Divali. 'Buccha' (Milingtonia hortensis) trees are suddenly devoid of their blossoms, the flowers being prematurely driven to the ground by strong winds and rain.
Evening or night rain seems to be an almost daily feature. If you are stuck at home, are not interested in television soaps then what better escape than the Internet?
Here are some interesting Pune based organisations whose services you can avail without stepping out of your front door.

Let me clarify at the outset that I do not have any financial interest in any of these.

• Feeling hungry? Order meals from a restaurant of your choice for home delivery at Tasty Khana (http://tastykhana.in/). The site facilitates restaurant bookings, has hotel reviews to help your choice. Visit the FAQ page for all your queries. TK does not prepare the meals themselves but arranges to delivery food to your home.
• Want to assemble a salad? Order it at Green Tokri (http://greentokri.com/Home/tabid/37/Default.aspx). Register for SMS alerts to order your selection of fresh and tasty herbs and lettuce to be delivered at your home.
• Want to read but too lazy to go to a library? No problem? Join the library at Tender Leaves (http://tenderleaves.com/) and get books delivered at home.
  
• For those reluctant to drive their own vehicle and cant find a rickshaw, contact Wings Radio Cab. (http://www.wingsradiocabs.com/). They offer cab hire service for house holds and individuals in addition to several other options- listing them is beyond the scope of this post. Do visit the above link for more details.

On a recent visit, I found that almost all establishments in London had a web presence, their websites featured their menu (along with prices), working hours, took bookings as well. While Pune has a long way to reach that stage, I guess our entrepreneurs are taking their initial steps. Its for us netizens to make best use of the e-space to enrich our real lives.

If you come across any other such useful sites, do share them for our readers.
Cheers!

What's in a word?

English is now an ubiquitous language in India and almost a must-know to get a 'decent' job. This may be the reason why spoken English classes flourish in many cities.

This post is prompted by a genuine query by my colleague: 'What is the difference if any between chemist/pharmacist/druggist'. I am not an English teacher nor was English my major for graduation. Yet I admit many of us use these words interchangeably.

A little research showed that a chemist is one who excels in chemistry
Pharmacist is one who has studied pharmacy and dispenses medicines, Some 'mix' medicines as per a doctor's prescription.
A druggist is a person trained to prepare and dispense drugs.

This suggests that pharmacist and druggist may be used interchangeably yet we almost always visit a 'chemist' to buy our medicines.
Do we 'speak to' a person or 'speak with' a person?
There is a difference in US or UK English usage for many words as well.

English teachers and purists rue modern English saying it is a poor abbreviated version of the language thanks to texting and other such avenues of 'brief' communication.

Does it really matter which words we use/how we spell as long as the meaning is correct?

As someone said, a few years later, the maximum number of people speaking English in the world may decide which words are used and how. That's some food for thought for powerful developed nations!
What do you think?

Natrang

We watched Natrang- purely because of its music. Heavy promos on TV had us made us total fans of the songs presented in this movie. whose music directors are Ajay-Atul. And we were not disappointed by the movie or the music.

Natrang is the story of an farm labourer (Guna) who has a creative bent of mind. He loves to write poetry, act, sing to the extent of ignoring the well being of his family. Atul Kulkarni has depicted this character wonderfully. He had to put on weight and then loose 20 kgs in order to portray his character. Read about it here. When the landlord installs a pump to draw water from his wells, Guna is out of work and they all face starvation. He is an ardent fan of 'tamasha' - a form of folk dance in Maharashtra. Along with his friends he decides to set up a tamasha troupe. That's when the story takes off. Overcoming all odds the tamasha troupe is ready but for one thing- the lead dancer wants to include a 'nacha'- a transvestite who was usually a part of such programs. When they are unable to find one Guna decides to play this part.

Thats when the story really begins.
I won't spoil your enjoyment by sharing what happens thereafter suffice to say Guna achieves his dream of a successful 'tamasha' troupe. At a huge price.

Natrang is a story of dreams, losing them but still achieving them at all costs. It also depicts lives of tamasha artists particularly the 'nacha'. They are ostracised by their society, abandoned by their family, cannot have conventional families and are often the target of various crimes. Atul Kulkarni's depiction of all these stages in Guna's life are tremendous.

The movie is based on a book by Dr Anand Yadav. Phulwa's choreography, Sonalee's dancing, costumes, the director's attention to detail makes it a touching and memorable film.

I left the theatre with a sad feeling. I recommend you watch it. At a theater closest to you!

Khandeshi Mande

Last week Puneites were spoilt for choice on what to do on the weekend. There was something for the foodies (the Bhimthadi Jatra) and the geeks as well (the IT expo). The Bhimthadi Jatra held on the grounds of the Agriculture college was a showcase for women's Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Maharashtra. There were over 500 stalls by women entrepreneurs and there are no prizes for guessing what most of the stalls were devoted to!
That's right Food!!

And what a variety! Absolutely Desi (and I mean from the Marathi heartland) stuff cooked in the authentic manner right in front of you. Fish, chicken, mutton, bhakri, bhajee and more.. served piping hot by ladies who were keen to show that had what it took to run a business even if they were rarely featured in glossy business mags. The best was each took pride in what she did had a good idea of the economics involved and had good marketing skills. I guess there's more than one place to learn business skills other than ivy league B-schools and that's the school of Life!

But here is something that was my star of the foodie stalls. Khandeshi Mande stuffed with Puran. To the uninitiated these are huge (around 18" diameter) puran poli that reach this size not with a rolling pin but by actually stretching it out by hand.

There were two stalls and we had to book and await our turn to get the Mande. Each was priced at Rs 35 but the process of watching the ladies make it was a delight. You may have heard of pizza makers who throw the dough up in the air while making the base. Well the process here is something similar. After stuffing puran (bengal gram cooked with sugar and ground to paste) in the dough made entirely of maida (refined flour) the artist (yes, that's the only word for the lady making the Mande) initially rolls out a small poli. Thats when the magic starts.

She picks up the poli and begins tossing it in circles over her both her arms as it gradually stretches into a bigger circle. A few minutes and the poli is big enough to be placed on an a huge upturned kadhai (wok) that serves as the griddle. A couple of minutes cooking on either side and lo behold! The Mande is yours! Thin crisp golden with not single tear in it. Drizzle (or drench) with ghee and enjoy!!!

This fair was the fourth one to be held in Pune and hopefully will continue each year. For those who missed it, Bhimthadi Jatra may return.

Here are some photos that will give you an idea of how the Khandeshi Mande were made.