modak: (n.m) Indian dumpling-like sweet consisting of freshly grated coconut and jaggery filling and outer cover made of rice flour which is then steamed. Served hot with home made ghee (clarified butter). Can be had at any time of the day or night or month or year and in any quantity. Disclaimer - needs to … Continue reading The Marvellous ‘modaks’ of Dapoli
Wall have ears and maybe that's why buildings have history. So when old buildings get demolished, their history too gets ground into rubble. As do the stories of their inhabitants. The city we live in is slowly and inexorably losing parts of its history as many familiar, old landmarks disappear. Pretty soon, we will be … Continue reading In search of a bygone era.
Food and nostalgia in the company of old friends- now that's a combination that's hard to beat. When my friends and I decided to take a walk down memory lane one Saturday morning, we were very clear that we would be eating all along the way. The meeting point was an old favourite- Marz aka … Continue reading Form Marz to MahaNaaz- eating our way down memory lane.
When my friends and I thought of taking a walk down some of the lanes of our city, it was mainly to look at some of the old houses and buildings that are being swallowed up by 'development'. Their places are being taken by sleek, gleaming structures of granite and glass which lack both charm … Continue reading The Genial Mr. James
There comes a point in one's life when a new year is just another year. There's no thrill or excitement or anticipation of what the next twelve months may bring. It's more of a heigh-ho-it's home-to-work- we- go kind of a feeling and the calendar will have already been scanned for the holidays and the … Continue reading It’s All Write!
So, this pandemic has been a great teacher and we have learnt many valuable lessons that will last us a life time and all that.I get it. I GET it. And I am grateful. Every day. For all my blessings. I couldn't be grateful-er, honest to God. But there are some blessings that are so … Continue reading The Gift That Keeps On Giving
It's a tablecloth! No, it's a 'manda' While going through some old, really old family photographs (as in, from before I was born), this one popped up and as usual; launched a string of memories. What you see here is a 'manda' - a kind of roti that was served at every single wedding dinner … Continue reading Of ‘mandas’ and ‘gosht’ at the Mission.
The thing about memories is that they set off a train of thoughts that race through the mind; like those 'painted stations' that 'whistle by' in Stevenson's much-loved poem 'From a Railway Carriage'. Just one post about my summer holidays and it's like 'Yesterday Once More' in my mind. So, here's another snippet from those … Continue reading Of Monkeys at the Mission
In this large sub-continent, there's a large state. And somewhere in this large state, there's a small-ish dusty town. And in this small-ish dusty town lined with dusty, crowded streets, narrow lanes and untidily planned buildings is a church with a garden around it. And leading out of the garden to one side is a … Continue reading The Mission
Sleek, smooth and reassuringly solid, their ivory-toned, silky-smooth handles slid comfortably into my palms. I had been seeing them around for ever. They were used as butter knives, to spread jam, slice cheese, fruits and even cakes. They had their own box lined with white satin and each knife also had its own slot in … Continue reading It was the knives that started it all!
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