Kalamandalam Gopi Ashan

Sometimes a picture triggers a series of images inside you. For me, it was this particular one from R K Menon's 'Performing Arts' set on flickr.

It was a picture of an artist putting on his make-up...getting ready to essay his role. The face looked familiar. The description of the picture assured me that it was the same person whom I was thinking about. It was the picture of the legendary Kalamandalam Gopi Ashan.

I was fifteen when I first saw him as the virtuous Karna, the generous warrior. He played the role of the noblest character from the Mahabharata in 'Karna Shapadham' (Karna's Vow). My road to enlightenment on the Indian dance-drama called the Kathakali started that evening, thanks to my paternal grandfather, who took great interest in the art and would risk traveling miles away from home to watch a good performance. It was on his 90th birthday that I saw a live Kathakali performance. Till then it was always on Doordarshan.

Before the performance started Appupan (as I fondly called my grandfather), briefed us on the most popular Kathaklai stories.

One of them being Karna Shapadham, the story of Karna's discoveries before the great Kurukshetra battle. It speaks of his friendship with Duryodhana and the emotional turmoils in his mind on learning that he will be pitted against his own brothers, the Pandavas. The story portrays a distraught Kunti revealing to Karna that he was originally a Kaunteya (Kunti's son)and not Radheya (the charioteer's wife Radha's son). More sorrow lies in store for him on realizing that after all these years of keeping the truth away from him, his mother now values only the lives of his five other brothers but not his and pleads to Karna to spare his brothers in the ensuing Kuruskshetra battle. It is a challenge to portray Karna here as he goes through myriad emotions - pathos, generosity and valor - in a span of a few minutes. And Gopi Ashan did complete justice to the character every time he donned the pachcha (green color - to depict nobility of character).

Now after 15 years I get to see the same man, in a picture, still lively and performing, getting ready to rock the stage as the famous Arjuna. 

Thanks RK for sharing the pictures.

You can see his pictures here.

Colour splash

We've moved into our new house. It looks like a motley tunic with colours thrown everywhere.

Be it the curtains, wooden bangles, cloth bags, watch boxes or my jewellery... everything has colours, all colours.

There are no brass-pulls or carved knees to boast about. All it has are some hues here and there.

Glory of the Snow

When we moved into our new house

we got a hanging pot of chionodoxa (also called Glory of the Snow)

to adorn our balcony.

With the advent of the rains we get to see

the blossoms aplenty.

Though these flowers are not

sturdy enough to be put into containers

I guess there's no harm in trying it out.

And so I did.

Now on my dining table...they don't look bad at all.

Butiful Homes: Monday whites

Beating the Monday Blues with some white hues

(wow! that rhymes)

It's the beginning of the week again.

Using the special energy of white in my house.

White Gerberas in an aluminium tea mug (from Kerala - the mug, not the flowers).

This mug is used in roadside tea stalls

across Kerala to pour tea from glass to mug to ensure a certain amount of cooling.

Carnations arranged in a stone mortar,

picked from Crafters Antique

Butiful Homes: Creative Kismet - Regina's Blog

One day, as usual I was flickring around.

Suddenly in the new uploads section something interesting caught my eye.

It was a business card holder that was made out of an

empty mint tin. I trailed the picture to a blog called Creative Kismet.

The blog belongs to Regina, a thirty-something mother of two,

who also is a registered nurse and one of the most creative people I 've come across.

She inspired me to hunt for a mint box which I never did find.

So instead I settled for a similar looking crayon box and I am looking forward to

making that business card holder (though I don't own a business ;))

Some of her works:

My favourite section on the blog is 'Recycled Crafts'.

Stuff that one can do with pillow cases, door knobs

and neck ties.

And if you wish to own any of these, here they are at Creative Kismet Studio

Bachpan ke rang

India is always all about colour. And my days as a young kid was more colourful. Sometimes I regret the fact that I didn't preserve my scrap book that had cut outs of hand painted movie posters (Amar Akbar Anthony being my favourite poster), hand painted pictures of Goddess Mookambika, cut outs from Amar Chitra Katha and Chandamama, postcards, book labels and greeting cards. Of course the books are available online, but I miss the smell of that fresh paper and colourful ink :)

Those days were about vibrance and celebration of life. And you saw it everywhere from matchboxes to clothes to accessories to upholstery to tees and even jootis.

Not to forget Gods and Goddesses and firecracker packets.

My childhood has seen some of the most amazing matchboxes. I don't think you have anything like that anymore. These days matchboxes are predominantly in red and yellow colours as against the wide array of colours that were used earlier. The new ones...

By the way let me share my super duper excitement. Here, visit this link - Hero Design Studio. You fill see many a colourful matchboxes.

It took me back to my days as a young kid who would eagerly wait for the matchsticks to be exhausted so that one could collect the box. It was a hobby and if you had two of the same you exchange it with your buddy for a different one. Something like stamp collection.

Hand painted film posters. This one from the famous Mughal-E-Azam.

Well, all of it has not vanished. When you take a tour of the country you may come across several things that keep reminding you of how much more colourful it can get.

A truck on the roads of Mumbai

My mother's devotional books. Amma keeps buying some for me too.

Pavo and Cavo, a delightful read for kids. By Tulika. From Rishi's collection.

And last, but not the least, my colourful Phuljadi tee.

Butiful Homes: Point Click Home

Point Click Home has some good ideas if you are thinking of doing up the kids' room.

Contemporary, modern, classic or eclectic?

Take your pick from these creatively designed rooms for your brood :)

My picks:

minimalistic and warm with pink tones

and this one for the wall with the maps

Mwah! And this one too

love the blues here and that whole logged feeling

For more ideas look here

Images from Point Click Home

Butiful Homes: The effervescent Bougainvillea

The ever effervescent bougainvillea

has always been a great choice for boundary walls, box gardens and flower arrangements.

A little house in Kushalnagar, Madikeri

These thorny vines of the paper flower bloom throughout the year and

is not fussy about everyday attention.

A monastery in Madikeri

But these flowers do make a huge difference in your backyard, pots, decks, patios and courtyards.

Outside the sales office of the Botanical Garden in Ooty.

Butiful Homes: Crafters Antiques

That's Crafters Antiques for you.

and here's the biggest varpu in the world

a board game with the lucky red seeds that can double up as a centrepiece

The King of Good Times

After an international beer conference in London, all the world's top brewery bosses decide to go out for a beer together.

The Chairman of Budweiser says, 'I'd like the most refreshing beer in the world, 'The King of Beers': give me a Budweiser.'

The bartender takes a bottle from the shelf and opens it for him.

The Chairman of Guinness says, 'I'd like the only beer in the world worth really, truly waiting for: give me a Guinness.'

The bartender serves him.

The Chairman of Carlsberg says, ' I would like the world's best beer, drunk in more countries than any other: give me a Carlsberg.'

He gets it.

Vijay Mallya sits down, looks around and says, 'Just give me a Coke.'
The bartender looks at him, shrugs, and serves him.
The other brewery bosses laugh loudly and say, 'Hey Vijay, how come you aren't drinking a Kingfisher?'

'Listen,' says Vijay Mallya, 'If you guys aren't drinking beer, neither will I'

A forward or foreword?

I got a forward today. It's about the six rules of life. This post has notes below on my opinion on these rules.

Here it goes...

"EVERYONE NEEDS SOMEONE WITH WHOM TO SHARE THEIR SECRETS"

True. Very true.

"LISTENING IS AS IMPORTANT AS TALKING"

If they are equally important I prefer the latter one. You can enjoy the listening part.

"WHEN IT COMES TO BONDING FEMALES DO IT BETTER"

Wonder what that means!

"GOOD TIMES ARE EVEN BETTER WHEN THEY ARE SHARED"

I ain't no saint.

"THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE A FRIEND IS TO BE ONE"

Do I have another option?

"SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO HAVE A SHOULDER TO CRY ON"

...yeah, especially when you don't have those tissues. It can get disgustingreally messy. Yuck!

Litchi love

Come rains...come lychees or litchis or laichus

Some facts about litchis (applicable only to the Nair household)

1. Litchis that enter this house have to be consumed within the first few hours of purchase.

2. Peel the litchi and ENJOY the luscious pulp.

3. Do not store litchis for tomorrow as you may find only the leathery rinds waiting for you.

4. We don't use litchis in salads and desserts because we don't know any recipes that make use of litchi rinds. If you know of any kindly oblige and share those recipes with us.

...in real life

I always wanted to see 'Dan in Real Life'. Not because it was recommended by someone (in fact, I don't recall anyone recommending it). The promos made me feel that I would like the movie. And I like that guy - Steve Carell.

So I waited and I waited till the channel and my convenience met. Finally I saw the movie.

I'm not writing this post to review the film. It's just that I've gotten myself into the habit of reading quotes from movies that I like. Some quotes are wonderful and inspiring, some are outrageously hilarious while some are like an art film. I don't understand anything. It just creates a vaccuum in my head.

Now, my favourite quotes from this movie:

When Dan has a dialogue with Cara on her affair with Marty,

Cara: You don't have to worry because when it comes to sex, Marty is the one who wants to wait.

Dan: What part of that sentence is supposed to give me comfort?

I thought it was hilarious.

The other one is a little too profound but put across in simple words.

Dan: Instead of telling our young people to plan ahead, we should tell them to plan to be surprised.

Great! Leaving it at that.

Bavra mann dekhne chala...

Bavra mann dekhne chala ek sapna

Bavra mann dekhne chala ek sapna...

a song that i feel...i love...i hum and i sing

For those of you who haven't heard it, please do. It's on YouTube. Or let me help you a bit more. 

Just click here

It's from the OST of Hazaaron Khwaaishen Aisi. In fact it wouldn't be a bad idea to listen to the whole album.

My favourite lines from the song -

Baavre se is jahaan mein
Baavra ek saath ho
Is sayaani bheed mein
Bas haathon mein tera haath ho

beautiful, isn't it? 

beautiful like a dream...beautiful like music :)

beautiful like life!

Butiful Homes: Susan Sargent Designs

A little teapot in hues of purple, orange, blue, green and red

bird-themed bowls

Butiful Homes: Mette Lange

The June 2007 edition of Inside Outside familiarised me with an architect named Mette Lange.

Originally from Denmark, Lange and her husband have made India their second home. 

Their beautiful abode, the Kiranpani House was featured in the June 2007 issue of Inside Outside.

These are some images of the house that overlooks the Tiracol River in North Goa...Enjoyy!

The guesthouse...I wouldn't mind being a permament guest here.

For more images log visit Lange's website. Also peep into the Moving School. 

Post-it notes

How can you make a post-it note more interesting? 

Take a look at this one. 

Rishi's the artist here. I don't know what this note implies. 

But I interpret it as 'a small man's dream of owning a car'. 

This is Rishi's idea from whatever he comprehended out of this whole Nano masala.

Usually I've post-it notes all over my refrigerator. 

It keeps changing every week. 

Somedays it's regarding some circular from Rishi's school, 

some times it's about 'Things to do' 

and sometimes it's a bill that shows me the things that I've bought this month ;)

But there is a particular one that never changes...

Now imagine a blog only about post-it notes :0

Yes! 

Yesterday I discovered a blog that is only about post-it notes. It's interesting to go through it. 

Things we forget

Do visit this blog. You'll enjoy it.

Butiful Homes: If you have it...frame it :)

But I don't like plain-looking empty walls. They make me sad.

You could add life to your walls by putting up wall-hangings, pictures, brackets with stands...anything that will make the walls smile back at you :)

Post-it notes

I was wondering if there was a blog on 'Post-it notes' and look what I found...

There is a blog on post-it notes. Visit the blog and you'll be amused. It's called Things We Forget. Next time you are in Singapore, hunt for them. 

And this is a post-it note feom me!

HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DAY!

Exhibitions...

a good place to buy some inexpensive home furnishings, 

crafts, fashion and accessories

therapeutic

show off your creativity by

mixing n matching.

pick up planters and durries (rugs)

hand painted

 glass

enjoy styling your house

breathe in the colours 

no hole in your 

pocket

The avial debate

Avial, sambar, velarika itta mor curry, sambharam, errisery, ethakka pachadi, inji curry, papadam, parippu, cabbage thoran... a meal for ten people in three hours. I am really fast at cooking and this in no way means that I compromise on the quality or the taste of the recipe. I COOK WELL. PERIOD.

But there is something that I'm always unhappy about. Every time I cook the proper Malayali fare, I'm judged. Now the problem is not the judgement. The problem is that the judgement comes from someone who's been always of a very closed mind when it came to recipes of dishes like sambhar, avial and theeyal. And since yours truly belongs to the category which believes that cooking is all about experimenting, she uses tamarind instead of tomatoes and tomatoes instead of curd. It's called the culinary art.

Let's take avial as an example. My mom puts all kinds of vegetables into avial, even the humble potato. She uses tomatoes for tanginess and they add more piquancy into it. My aunt in Kerala adds onions to avial, which believe me is very rare. In fact I don't remember eating avial with onions anywhere else but her place. And it does taste good. M makes avial the traditional way, lots of coconut, privileged veggies like yam, carrots, raw banana, beans, snake gourd, drumstick and white pumpkin. They are privileged because they are the chosen few for M's avial. It's always tamarind juice for tanginess. It's dry, but it's the traditional way, so it's supposed to be right.

Now the avial from La Cocina de Mira.

Lots of snake gourd, white pumpkin, yam, carrots, beans, potatoes, colocasia, drumsticks, raw banana, cluster beans, jackfruit seeds...sometimes tomatoes and at other times tamarind juice. For me avial is something that can be personalised. It's like...hmmm...what you call the melting pot of culture, just keep adding and it gets blended. In short it's your dish...be sensible and keep adding veggies. Peas, bottle gourd, my mother once had gone to the extent of adding aubergines and bitter gourd. And I swear it didn't taste bad.

Strangely, everytime I cook avial M always manages to give her inputs on the avial. And this happens when people are eating their food and relishing avial the most.

What do I do?

Yesterday the scene was repeated. And I heard someone say," What the hell? Someone's taken the effort to cook this grand meal and instead of appreciating it we are discussing how it would have been better without the tomatoes". Hmmm! I wish I could do as you said M, but can't help it. I'll continue experimenting. I'll continue putting yam into sambar and make prawns theeyal with tomatoes on a Sunday and with tamarind juice on a Wednesday. I belong to the Madam Benoit school of thought:

"A recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation".

Tribal Route

A few days back I met an enterprising lady called Mamta. While we got talking I learnt that she is one of the Partner/Business Manager of an outlet called ' Tribal Route', that sells 'carefully selected and hand-crafted' merchandise.

Tribal Route is located in Versova, a beach-village in suburban Mumbai. The store is run in quaint little cottages away from the maddening sounds of the city. You can drop in and have a look at the various products they have in store - studio pottery, decor, dining, candles, frames - or maybe you could sit and have a warm chat in their majlis courtyard.

I haven't had the opportunity to visit Tribal Route though I did glance through their website. Soon I'll be going there in person. Meanwhile check them out here:

http://www.tribalroute.com/

http://www.tribal-route.blogspot.com/

India da connotations

Mirchi (मिर्ची):

n

1. fruit of a plant belonging to Capsicum genus

In India mirchi has it's own connotations.

1. fruit of a plant belonging to Capsicum genus

2. a hot looking babe

3. spicy food that sets the taste buds on fire

4. a tongue (of the fairer sex), that can shower the choicest expletives

The 2nd and the 4th connotations are better handled by men (roadside romeos). And Bollywood villains have always done complete justice to 'mirchi' in their various roles where they are seen coiling a belt or maybe a stole in their hands approaching the quivering heroine addressing her as nothing but 'a fruit of the capsicum genus'.

Think mirchi think:

Radio mirchi

Rakhi Sawant

Govinda (tujhko mirchi lagi to)

Vada pav

Mallika Sherawat

pani puri (gol gappe) - teekha wala

Mirch Masala - especially the last scene

The husband and his wife - Part 1

The husband has decided to quit smoking. He's been trying that for the last five years. Poor soul. The efforts are not paying off and the wife is utterly disgusted.

Now the wife is very broad-minded. She doesn't mind smoking when it's done by other men. (Isn't that what being broad-minded is all about? You don't mind it as far as it's not happening in your life, in your house.) But the moment she spots a cigarette in the husband's hand her blood pressure shoots up and the rythm of breathing undergoes a change. It turns into hyperventilation.

After a bit of coaxing and cajoling things get to normalcy state. The husband promises her that 'tomorrow is the last day'.

And the wife knows...tomorrow never comes!

Way back home - Conversation I

" Do you know that we have muscles in our body? We have muscles in the stomach too. Did you know that?"

"Yeah. They taught that in school. Did they teach you too?"

"Yes. Auntie showed us pictures of the human body. She told us about the muscles in the stomach. But I don't understand one thing. How do babies manage to enter the stomach in spite of the muscles?"

Ecstasy

This week's craziest things...

1. Bought one more pack of cumin seeds from the departmental store - that makes it a total of three packs that's already stored in an airtight jar away from sunlight and my line of vision.

2. Wasted an egg (not talking about an ovum here). Saturday I was making omelettes. The bin was on the left side and the blender on the right. Cracked the first egg - shells into the bin and egg into the blender. Second egg - shells into the bin and egg into the blender. Third egg - shells into the blender and egg into the bin. Oops!

3. Saw a strange insect. It looked like this. Called my son and told him to have a look at this beautiful bug that look like conjoined twins. Little did I know that those bugs were mating...

Colour of the day

Orange is the happiest colour.
-Frank Sinatra

This picture of fresh carrots was taken in Ooty, on our way to the Ooty Lake.

Monisha Bharadwaj

I have always felt inspired by this lady. I don't know if it was because we shared the same passions in life or is it just plain adulation, but somewhere I admire her for her cookery, her writings on home decor and her ardent love for dance.

I became conversant with Monisha through her book 'The Indian Kitchen' - a book that I consider a bible on Indian pantry.

Later on I discovered her books on Indian homes. Books that lend you a peek into the origin of traditional Indian home decor.

Bottles make for good vases and plant holders.






















Pothos in an old Antiquity bottle.

काली चाय?

इसे काली चाय क्यों कहते हैं? क्या यह काली नज़र आती हैं? खैर...

Sasural gendha phool

सैयां छेड़ देवे
ननंद चुटकी लेवे
ससुराल गेंदा फूल।

Though I didn't enjoy Dilli 6, I liked the songs in the movie, particularly the folksong Sasural gendha phool. There is a certain rawness to it and the use of colloquial language in the lyrics adds the extra zing. But if you ask me what i means, sorry, can't help you.

Mouth-watering...

Hot potato patties (read pattice) ready to be served with spicy pea curry and a dash of tamarind chutney...garnished with fresh coriander and chopped onions. Have it at streetside stalls for that authentic yummilicious taste!

Pav bhaji! Yes - Pav and bhaji, pau and bhaji or pao and bhaji. Spell it the way you like, but savour it at local street stalls of Bombay with a generous topping of the popular Amul Butter. A blend of vegetables - cauliflower, potatoes, green peas and capsicum - boiled and mashed to mix with sauteed tomatoes and pav bhaji masala . Sprinkle chopped onions and fresh coriander and serve with the laadi pav buttered and mildly run on a pan.