The Bombay bug

For all the glory of being christened the silicon valley of India, for all the hustle and bustle and activity, for all the unplanned development, for all the traffic snarls, for all the lack of infrastructure, for all the insufficient public transport systems, For all the low-rise buildings,  the "Swalpa adjust maadi" city of Bangalore, despite all this, is still very laid back compared to Bombay, or should I be saying Mumbai?

Just a 1000KM away and yet a world of difference. For starters.. there are just SO MUCH MORE PEOPLE! A city that's smothered by a haze of smoke is in direct contrast to the people living in it. The warmth of the people and their penchant to follow the rules can be seen when the Autorickshaws charge not a penny more than the meter and the Taxis cost only incrementally more than the Autos. From the amazingly lip-smacking yet cheap street food to the swanky Palladium mall, I wanted to take it all in.

Yes, I was bitten by the Bombay bug. The city as a way of seeping into your senses, crawl into your vein and before you know it, you're a Mumbaikar too! A thousand posts before this would've talked about this beautiful, yet polluted city. A million different posts would've talked about the woes that bog it down. And an equal number that call it "Slumbai". So, I am not going to talk about any of those. What I AM going to talk about instead is the kind of bug that bit me. The travel bug!

I've been in Bangalore all my life. I used to joke, once upon a time, about how the northern most part of India that I've been to was Tirupati. Yeah. That held true for a very long time in my life. *Hangs head down in shame* Although I was the adventurous kind, I never was given the opportunity or permission to venture out anywhere on my own. And when I didn't need the permission, I still hadn't saved up enough to afford to just pack my bags and leave. As a result, I am yet (yes, to date *Hangs head in shame again*) to visit a lot of places even around Bangalore. The first time I really was on my own in another city was when I was sent to Germany on work. What a beautiful experience that was! but that's for another post, another time. Moving on...

So, when I got to know that I'm being sent to Bombay, I promised myself to break out of my shell and not sit on my backside just warming my seat. Since I didn't know if, a very BIG IF or when next I'll ever be going back to Mumbai, I decided to make the best possible use of my time to explore both the city and all that was humanly possible around it. BOY! was I in for a surprise. Suddenly the time on hand was terribly insufficient to cover all the places I wanted to see.

I got out of the city every chance that I got and explored as much as I could given the money and time I could spare. The travel bug had finally caught me after me being elusive to it for all these years when in Bangalore. Bombay made me realise how there is SO MUCH to explore even in and around Bangalore. The city did change something fundamentally about me. It gave a whole new perspective. So, I've decided to continue my adventures even after I returned. After a whole month of settling down back in Bangalore, now I can pay heed to my travel urge. (Honestly, I was just procrastinating but shhhh...). I'm planning to kick it off with a bike trip to Lepakshi tomorrow. All going well, this plan should come to fruition. Let's see. I'll update this post with pics from that trip if it happens, or may be a whole new post for it altogether.

I know I've made you wait this long to know where all I had been to and what all I had seen and done in Maharashtra (if you've not been following me on Google+ or instagram or Facebook). So, without any further ado... 

Here are the pics: 

Daultabad: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112346660969357540686/albums/5968227296907845873

Aurangazeb's tomb: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112346660969357540686/albums/5967635713963155137

Ghrishneshwar (One of the Jyotirlingas): https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112346660969357540686/albums/5967635369709822689

Ellora: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112346660969357540686/albums/5967634581513614801

Bibi ka Maqbara, Aurangabad: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112346660969357540686/albums/5967642159786281729

Panchakki, Aurangabad: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112346660969357540686/albums/5967644320049538529

Ajanta: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112346660969357540686/albums/5967643419509708337

Shirdi & Shani Shignapur: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112346660969357540686/albums/5967638458673987569

Kashid and Murud Janjira: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/112346660969357540686/albums/5968738056981288785

I'm yet to compile the older photos from Elephanta and Mumbai itself. So, I'll update this post once it is done. 

And finally, a BIG thanks to Google search and maps for helping me figure out and get my facts checked before venturing out blind. Who knows, I would've probably ended up being mugged somewhere or worse, if not for being armed with prior info. So terribly grateful for that not happening :D 

Until the next adventure then (hopefully soon)...

Happy travelling!

The Proverbial Retrospection: 2013 and Thanksgiving

I'm going to do away with the pleasantries and dive right in as I suspect this is going to be a long post. You've been warned.

Last year ended with quite a bang with me attending a Carnatic kutcheri and a (large scale) music concert (that too ARR's) for the first time in my life. What an experience that was! So, naturally this year had a lot to do to outdo last year. 

It started off slowly... work-wise.. same old project continuing from last year, some friends moving to other cities... +Apoorva Sripathi Don't forget us ;) and some friends from other cities moving in to Bangalore +Ashwini Poovaiah Hello, madam. And some wayfarers +vishesh unni raghunathan. New groups were formed, both physically and on (dreads mentioning the name for the fear of another deluge of spam) whatsapp. New friendships made :) And some lost :( More people from twitter met. Chennai visits put. Festivals celebrated. And being forbidden from celebrating any more for a year because of a death in the family. You know... the routine stuff.

Except... I started to learn French! No, not the swear words that we ask to be pardoned as french. Actual French. Française! Oui. À l'Alliance Française de Bangalore. 

This was totally unexpected. After trying to enrol for German course and failing because of underestimating the demand for it and the limited number of seats, I was contemplating to not wait another 6 months and enrol for French in the meanwhile.After I heard that +Malvika Iyer was also going to enrol in the Chennai branch of AF, she induced more enthusiasm and contemplation turned into a decision and I didn't waste another moment. The very next day, I went to Alliance Française's office and enrolled myself. One of the best decisions this year. Although, later I got to know that +Malvika Iyer dropped the idea because she didn't get the time-slot that she wanted. Here's hoping she gets to join the next time around. This was a weekend course and I had set myself up for no weekend-getaways for the next 6 months. Not that I was a travelling all the time even otherwise but was planning to start. Never found the time, company or the money for it. Meh.

The spontaneous Coimbatore visit gave some impulse to rethink some of my priorities. Though the purpose of that visit wasn't fulfilled, it didn't matter. 

Despite my bloody boring non-drinking, non-dancing life that one might think I'm leading, I had a pretty good time. After all, what are friends for. The numerous movies that we went to. The numerous meets. The couple of game-nights that I had with them. Oh what FUN! Really good times indeed! And the numerous instances of random tweetups. +Vinay Kumaar, +Benjamin Jeevanraj, +ershad kaleebullah, +Ranjani Krishnakumar, the other +Ranjani S ,+Sreedhar Panaman, +Aravind AM, +preethi Sundararaman , +Harish V, +Viju R, +Gopal Padmanabhan Thanks guys for the memories created for a lifetime!

I also got to know a birthday sharer +Neeraja Nagarajan *Hi5*.

Special mention - My chaddi buddy +Madana Prathap for being condescending as ever and pulling me back to earth when I floated away into the clouds. +Vinod E for the numerous attestations (Thanks to your Dad), for instances where I made you the driver. I owe you big time, brother. +Vinny Wilfred Though I've not seen you in a long time, here's to say that I still remember you :P All the best in the upcoming year, man :)

And how can I forget this crazy fellow +Rajagopalan Venkataraman. Thanks for the free accommodation that night, lifesaver. Welcome back to Bangalore. Here's to more good times. 

One extra-special mention to my new NRI acquaintance who's now become a friend +divya Shivaram. Such a darling she was to carry my lightsabers all the way from UK and hand-delivered to me. Nandri hai very much. Can't wait to see you when you land soon :)

Three weddings from the twitter world were attended - one +Mirnalini Venkatraman's  and the other +Madhumitha Ramachandran's and another +Gopal Padmanabhan's . Wishing you the best in this second innings of your life, guys maamis and maamaa :P

Big thanks to Twitter for helping me getting to know so many wonderful people. 

What was different this year, though was toward the tail-end. As the last quarter of the year rolled in, it ushered in some new enthusiasm and hope about exciting times ahead and Boy! was it exciting. I was asked to come here to Bombay by my office as a leave replacement for a guy at the client's site. He was apparently going on leave for a month for his wedding. I wonder what he will do for that long.. won't he get bored? Anyway, I digress. After my old project came to an end in August and being on the metaphorical "Bench"ever since, I jumped at this opportunity. If you know me, you'll also know how much I wanted to experience staying alone independently. This was all expenses paid, company sponsored grant of my wish.

Before I started to Bombay, I promised myself that I'll not be my lazy self and explore Bombay and its surroundings as much as possible and I was keeping up that promise until I fell ill a couple of days ago, but I'm still satisfied with all the places and more importantly food that I got to cover in this trip. Made full use of the opportunity. I thank +Mirnalini Venkatraman and my French classmate Puja for being my virtual tour guides. Thanks a tonne for all the suggestions. Would've never been able to cover all those places if you hadn't mentioned it. If you follow me on facebook/twitter/instagram, you'd have seen all the spam photos from me. If any of you got annoyed by it, Sorry. There were people curiously asking about where all I'd been to and what all I had eaten. Fans, you see. :D Can't disappoint them, can you? I'm very happy with this new me who gets off his ass and goes places. Hoping this continues after I return to Bangalore too, although, there it'll be on my own money, not on-site allowance :( 

Work here is a support based project which is mostly repeated stuff along with some documentation. Yeeeaah... you know the regular. Nothing very exciting, but it is serving  me my bread & butter, or should I say Vada & Pav :P, so a shoutout to work - Yay! :D 

Given my poor memory, I might've forgotten so many other incidents of significance. Please forgive me if you were the "turbines" behind those instances. :P  (Started out as a retrospection and turned into a Thanksgiving post, so edited the title too. )

This year passed real quick like a flutter of a butterfly wing and it is coming to a close, and so is my Bombay trip. I'll be back to base.. to Bangalore in the first week of next year. Hoping to cover a few more places before that, if time permits. Unlikely, considering I'm working all days, including New year's and the following Saturday, but let's see. So, until then... have a super end to this year and let the next one be the best you've had so far!

Thanks for being so patient to read until this point. 

A bientôt! Je t'embrasse. 

Au revoir.

P.S. Yeah, I've actually been learning French. Not just for show off :P

P.P.S. Nothing to see here. You can hit the close button, now. Bye.

Or you can share this on the interwebz.

Still here? Are you that bored? Okay, leave a comment then. :)

That's all.

Really. The End. Now, Go. :)

Badhusha - Deepavali Special

Ingredients:

For 15 Badhushas of medium size:
1. Dalda - 1 cup (Davara)
2. Maida - 3 cups
3. Cooking soda - A pinch
4. Sugar - 1.5 cups (depending on the intensity of a sweet tooth you have, you can reduce or increase this quantity)
5. Curd - 1/2 cup
6. Water - 1/4 cup (for sugar syrup)

 

Dough:

Take 3 cups of Maida in a basin, mix the 1 cup of Dalda with this flour. DO NOT ADD ANY WATER. This will remain mostly dry for now.

 

Take a pinch of cooking soda in a small cup. Add a couple of teaspoons full of curd and beat them well together until the soda dissolves.

 

Add the above Soda+Curd mixture to the Maida dough mixed earlier and pour the rest of the curd too, into it. Mix all of this together until it comes to a consistency of soft Chapathi dough. The curd gives the wetness to form the dough. DO NOT ADD ANY WATER. Keep this dough covered and let it rest for a few minutes. About 5.

 

 

Sugar syrup:
Take the 1.5cups sugar in a heavy bottomed vessel. I used a pressure cooker without its lid.

Pour the 1/4th cup of water into this vessel. Dissolve the sugar in the water and  bring it to a boil.

Boil only until it becomes slightly sticky. Do not boil it too much or the sugar will not soak into the dough and will only crystallize on the surface. As shown in the picture below, the syrup should slowly drip.

 

 

 

Badhusha - Final Steps:
Boil oil in another wide open vessel to deep fry the dough.

 

Take a lemon-sized amount of dough, make it into a ball and then flatten it.

Press with your thumb in the middle of the circular dough and then poke a few holes on its surface all around, using a sharp object like a pin.

Now deep-fry these cakes on a medium flame, until it turns golden brown which indicates that it's fully cooked.

 

Strain the oil and dunk these fried Badhusha cakes into the sugar syrup. Let it rest for the sugar to soak in.

 

Serve the sweet to yearning souls. Happy Eating! :-)

Madras bound

The misty mornings in the outskirts. The slow drizzle starting to pour. The welcome messages of my cell phone company as I cross two state borders. The sudden warmth in the air. Rays of the Sun glistening over the coconut trees. Terrace plantations on the small hills. The meeting of the three parched river beds. The endless hills in the background of the beautiful plantations of crops. The petty fights for space in the coach. The unique tune of every hawker trying to sell their goods. The kid who is amused by the goings-on. The old man who's just waiting to get off. The visibly annoyed man trying to elbow for more space for himself through the crowd. The unmistakable indicator of entering the leather manufacturing district - the strong stench from the tanneries engulfing the whole region. The TTE struggling through the crowd to do his job. The woman who asks me if I'm Chennai bound, going to secure a seat for herself if I weren't. Her face turning from a hopeful smile to a frown of disappointment. And now I get back to reading my newspaper, quietly, with hunger pangs starting and quenched with just water, avoiding the stale looking railway food. The humidity hits and it hits one hard, but one wipes it away. The view of local trains - romantic. After the umpteen over-bridges, the passing through basin bridge station. And you you know you've arrived. The city may not be home and one might be just a visitor, but it definitely gives you a strange sense of belonging.
That's Madras for you.

Time

Time, the healer and the malice.
Time, the appointment and the disappointment.
Time, the good and the bad.
Time, your friend and your enemy.
Time, you race with it and race against it.
Time, makes you respect people and suspect people.
Time, makes you laugh and makes you cry.
Whatever you're going through right now - This too shall pass.
So you Embrace it and brace yourself, for this life you're living, is alive!