Meandering thoughts - Sita Sreeraman

One of my pet peeves! When I first started living in London, one of the things that struck me was how everything came sorted in sizes.  Not just the neatly arranged screwdrivers, cutting pliers and drills in the toolbox, but almost everything! Pots, pans, saucepans and lids had sizes. Windows and doors had sizes. Even photo frames! Everything had a size. In India, even shoes, I would first gauge by eye and then try and I would get there. But this was a different. Even bed spreads, duvet covers, pillow-cases had sizes. And yes, I made a lot of store exchanges in London before I finally got the size right or rather began remembering them. I eventually got used to it. And the store runs have almost stopped though sometimes during the heat of the Sale season, I still get carried away. But there is another kind of standardisation that bothers me much more. Look around us.  The same clothes. The same hairstyles. The same makeup. The same brands. The same language. Similar homes, sim...

When we see wedding albums from about 2 decades ago, there would be one or two single pics of the couple, the rest were all group photos while the rituals happened. It would look crowded, natural and uncoordinated. Everyone wore their best and there was a lot of natural banter, laughter and music. You could see many family members from the family and extended family.  We have a rich vocabulary to describe the family relationships especially in South India. Tamil, my mother tongue and the one I am most fluent in has so many words. Not just Mother, Father, Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, Nieces, Nephews but also words for the many other relationships. The richness of the vocabulary reflected the importance of these relationships in everyday life. We have Thaatha Paati, Amma Appa. Amma's sister & husband and Appa's brother & wife are Periamma - Periappa( if older sibling), Chithi - Chitappa (younger). Appa's sister & husband are Athai & Athimber. Amma's brot...

This post is courtesy my Athai - Mrs. Rukmini Ganesan. Trikkur aathu vazhakkangal  Aadimasam Ganapathi Homam - Evening Baghavathi Sevai  Ganapathi Homam Koottu recipe: 1 kg vellam for 5 coconuts  1 pidi Aval  1 pidi Pori  1 pidi Ellu Varathathu  1 Nenthranpazham  1 Lemon  Karimbu a small piece  Ghee 100 mg  Honey 50 gm   Varatha Arisi Podi Break the coconut and cut into strips of 1-2 inches. Boil  Vellam in 2 litres water,  then filter it. Add coconut to this filtered vellam water, let it boil for sometime. Wash and add avil, mix well.  then add karimbu, pazham, lemon and mix well for 5 minutes. then mix ellu. Switch off the stove and then add pori, boiled ghee, *chor* sound must come. After some time mix honey. Finally add varathaarisi podi. The Kootu for Ganapathy Homam is ready.

  Along with Ganapathi Homam and Bhagavathy Sevai, Maavilakku is a cherished family tradition in our Trikkur home, observed during the Tamil month of Aadi, usually on the last Velli (Friday).  The word Maavilakku comes from two Tamil words: "Maa", meaning rice flour, and "Vilakku", meaning lamp. It is a unique lamp made from rice flour, jaggery, and ghee, with a cotton wick placed in the center and lit as an offering to God. To prepare the Maavilakku, raw rice is washed, dried, and ground into a fine flour. Jaggery is then mixed with the rice flour in the proportion of 1 cup rice flour to ¾ cup jaggery. A little water is added (only if needed) to make a firm dough, which is shaped into a small mound with an indentation in the center to hold the ghee and cotton wick. We make 2 lamps.  Before the lamp is lit, all the cooking for the day is completed. Molagootal, Rasam, and Nellikai Pachadi, (prepared either with fresh nellikai or dried Nelli Mulli, ground with coconut...

It was not easy understanding my Appa. Even when Appa was provoked, he chose to remain non judgemental. He would say it is the sitauation, not the person. So, sometimes it felt like Appa was aloof. I would often argue saying he had to say something. But he would just say - Saramillai (doesn't matter), the sky has not fallen. And smile it away. People collect money or houses or sarees or jewelry. Appa collected spiritual wealth the same way - be it through his regular Sandhyavandanam and Nitya Kriya, his Guru Bhakthi to Maha Periyava and following the Vedic tenets and way of life. Convenience was not the factor, nor was it done for popularity or name. Appa's value system and integrity were also iron-clad, no lying, cheating, saying rude or inappropraite words, treating all with respect, no slights, no power play, taking advantage of others etc. He was very very careful about what he accepted from others , be it as gifts. Runanu Bhandam - I may have to take birth once more he wou...

Sree Ramajayam We, in the south use Sree Rama Jayam, the Hindi equivalent being Jai Sreeram! Sree Navami is fast approaching, as is summer in Rama Janma Bhoomi or Bharat while it is spring in Swiss .i.e Vasantha Rithu.  Sree Navami brings memories of Sree Rama's birthday celebrations on Navami with oonajl or Uyyala songs, Ma Sita's birthday, Sita Rama Kalyanam in the temples, Radham or Ther on the streets, Malli poo, Panakam, Neer-moor and Vadapappu(Kosambari), discourses and kutcherys in the temple premises .Thyagaraja Swami's Utsava Sampradaya Krithis esp Uyaalalooga vayya, Sita Kalyana Vaibhogame, Mamava Sree Pattabhirama by Dikshitar, Jaya Jaya Janaki Kantha - Purandaradasa and Bhadhrachala Ramadas melodies fill the air. People read Ramayana and also do Likhita japam - writing Rama Nama.  Rama Nama is in the air - on people's lips and in their hearts. Rama's name evokes such wonderful emotions - the great son, warrior, husband, brother, friend, master, His digni...

I came across Shonda Rhimes' book "Year of Yes",  a few years ago.  The blurb introduced the author as the creator of Grey's Anatomy and other series. I am not familiar with the series but nonetheless was curious enough to flip through the pages though not the entire book. I told myself good idea, I should also try and say Yes when I can and try to do more diverse things, attempt new things especially ones that I am bit scared of or am uncomfortable doing. Anyways, that was that. I left it at that, I do remember my trying new things and then Covid struck and that was such a closed phase for the entire world.  Many years later today, I got a summary of the book via The Four Minute books. You can read the sumamry here -  https://fourminutebooks.com/year-of-yes-summary/ .   Here is a quote from the book: “I'm not merely lucky. No one who succeeds is merely lucky. Lucky implies I didn't do anything. Lucky implies something was given to me. Lucky implies that I ...