Thuggy Thursday

A lot has been happening these past few weeks. My mother’s bag was snatched by two men on a bike. I was right next to her and didn’t know it happened. Since they were on a motor bike and we were on a cycle rickshaw there wasn’t much we could do apart from gawp and feel extremely violated.

So you see we couldn’t have possibly yelled to the rickshaw driver “After them!!”

The crime rate in Ludhiana has shot up disturbingly high in the span of just a few months. We’d heard of car thefts, bag snatching, murder, and rape. But then they were what you heard about only on TV and read in the newspapers. Reality hit when it happened to us. Now we don’t go out at night very often and I’ve had to put away my fake gold bangles. I know they’re counterfeit gold but my gold bangles make me feel cultured and beautiful. Unfortunately, my father went berserk when my mother’s bag was snatched. Strangely it wasn’t about the bag. He was mad because he thought that I was compromising my safety when I wore the bangles.

In spite of how unpleasant the evening had turned out to be there was one thing that warmed our hearts. My mother, Ben, Ben’s mother, and I had gone shopping in two rickshaws. When my mother’s bag was snatched she’d screamed involuntarily but no one heard. However, after a while both the rickshaws stopped. My mother and I were telling Ben and his mother what had happened when a man from a shop nearby walked up to us. He must have gathered that something unpleasant had happened because he asked us what had happened. So we told him.

“Have you called the police?” he asked.

“My phone was in my bag!” my mother replied.

He was very sympathetic and invited us to sit a while in his shop. He offered us tea and said we could use the phone in his shop. But we had no idea what we’d tell the police. It had all happened so fast and we hadn’t been able to note the license plate number nor see the faces of the two men. The kind shop owner listened and said we could come to his shop, sit down, and have some tea anyway. He even asked us if we had money to go home. And when my mother answered that her purse had been in the bag as well, he replied immediately that he’d give us the money to go home. Of course, Ben, his mother, and I still had our money with us. But who offers random strangers money to get home safely? It’s amazing, but this little piece of kindness made my mother and me feel so much better and less frightened and unsafe.

While this experience did indeed make us feel we were living the news, there have been other nicer exciting things happening as well. We’ve been travelling a lot. In the past one month and a half I’ve been to Amritsar and to Shimla twice. 

Choir practices have begun.

(I haven’t taken pictures of our practice sessions yet).

The project I’m working on at work is coming to a close and I’ve been busy preparing for a presentation. Also, now that my contract is coming to an end, the search for a new job is beginning. I’m very confused over the decisions I should make concerning my future. I’m working hard on my resume while still wondering if I should continue studying. But I have to work since I began investing earlier this year! Perhaps I should do both? But what do I want to study? Sometimes it’s easier to just beat my head against a wall than reason with myself.

I’m both worried and excited to leave home. It’s been lovely being able to run to my parents whenever I needed them. And since I’m working in the same hospital that my dad works in and live in the same campus that I grew up in most people are nice to me and very patient with my idiosyncrasies. I’ve been so happy, comfortable, pampered, and spoiled by everyone it’s frightening to think of venturing into uncharted territory. So these last few months that I have left at home I’m using to prepare myself for the future. For one, I’m learning to enjoy cooking.

We’ve passed the 669th word and I’ve explained how I’ve been occupied these past weeks. I cannot promise that I will blog again very soon. But I will try. I like blogging.

Oh, did I mention that I stopped the train on one of the trips to Shimla this past month? Yes, they forgot to serve me my breakfast. I did say I was spoiled, didn’t I? In this case it was a help. If I hadn’t spoken up we wouldn’t have had breakfast until we reached Shimla two hours later! It’s sometimes worth standing up for what you want to sit down to! 

My Final Post on Kashmir

It’s been two weeks since we got back from Kashmir and I still haven’t stopped talking about it. This post is actually a continuation of the last post (I noticed it was too long only after I began typing it in!) 

Day 3 : We woke up that morning in a mad rush to be ready by 7.30. The vehicle we’d booked would be coming to take us to Gulmarg. Up until we got there I didn’t know much about Gulmarg, apart from its name. I soon found out that it’s a famous skiing place and, of course, another favourite Bollywood haunt. 

We hired a guide so we were able to get tickets sooner than the others waiting in line. Tickets for what? The cable car to the top, of course! The view from the top of the mountains in Gulmarg is supposed to be absolutely breathtaking as it overlooks the Srinagar valley. It baffled me, though, that the cable cars were called Gondolas. But never mind that. The important thing was that we got tickets to both Phase 1 and Phase 2, something that was rather rare that day.

With the weather turning dismal, the only reason we managed to get tickets to Phase 2 was that we were one of the first in line that morning. Although it was foggy and soon began raining, our spirits were far from dampened. It was especially adventurous when there was a sudden power cut and we were suspended some 3000 metres above ground. We were asked to be very still and all was well in 20 minutes. The guide informed us, rather proudly I must say, that he had experienced power cuts mid air for up to an hour! A little difficult to envy that.

See how foggy it was!

We were somewhat amused to find tourists bundled in heavy winter wear at the top of the mountain. We made do with light sweaters and stoles – and later had to thaw with lemon tea and french fries. But in spite of our numb fingers and frozen faces we still had a lovely time at Gulmarg.

Pretty flowers in pink, purple, white, and some yellow covered the mountain side. There were also quite a few interestingly shaped boulders that caught our attention. Even the grass was noteworthy with baby cabbages and succulent little leafy plants. I even saw a couple of mushrooms! Our journey to the top was perfect until the guide informed us that had it not been for the fog we’d have been treated to an enthralling view of absolute scenic beauty! Unfortunately, the fog was too thick and we weren’t able to see the Srinagar valley.

We also saw a couple of rather bored looking mountain goats on our way back

Although we’d spent just three days in Kashmir it felt like we’d been away longer. The quiet old world charm that Kashmir is still steeped in, made this trip different from any other (It helped that we went in September and not during the tourist peak season). Both luxuriously relaxing and blissfully rejuvenating, Kashmir was the perfect mini vacation away from the hustle and bustle of routine. But what made it the perfect escape from reality was knowing that it was only a little more than a hop, skip, and a jump away from home!

The view from our guest house the evening before we left Srinagar.

Beautiful Kashmir : Part 2

Shikaras on the Dal Lake

So our first day in Kashmir  was spent visiting and admiring the Mughal Gardens. Our second day began with us waking up at 9 and Maria didi dashing off to the University. The rest of us, Abhilasha, Nandita, and I, went for a walk after breakfast and tried exploring the campus a little. 

We collected different kinds of leaves and I picked a few flowers  when no one was looking. Except for us, it seemed like everything else was still and mysterious. The tall Chinar trees added a whole new dimension to the picture we’d had of Kashmir on arrival. The Chinar trees were supposedly imported from Iran when the Mughals were ruling India.

But this is disputed. The population in Kashmir is still largely Muslim. In fact that was one reason we’d packed only conservative Indian clothes to wear there. We especially wanted to blend in after someone, meaning well, advised us that although the Kashmiri government encourages Tourism, tourists aren’t particularly liked. But after having spent three of the loveliest days there with everyone being so nice and helpful, we found that last part difficult to accept. 

For lunch one of the professors took us to the university canteen where we had a most delicious meal! Usually, I don’t enjoy meat all that much, but what we had that afternoon was a gourmet’s delight! I think what we had was chicken kebab. For certain, it was something with chicken. And we ate it with Naan. It tingles my taste buds even as a memory!

Almost all Kashmiri food is served with a salad/ chutney/ raita. I’m not sure what it was called but it enhanced the flavours of the curry. From what I could tell, it was made of mint, grated radish, and a few other herbs, all of it mixed in curd. I think we did ask for the recipe but can’t seem to recall anything specific.Well, all in all that was a fantastic meal that was only slightly overshadowed by conversation that was pretty sparkling. 

Kashmiri girls really don’t wear jeans! Actually they do, but they don’t wear them outside their home. How glad we were for that clever person who advised us to pack our salwar kameez, saris, and chudidar suits!

After lunch we were taken shopping by a very nice Kashmiri girl. Her uncle was the owner of a Kashmiri handicrafts emporium, she told us,and would be willing to subsidize rates for us. Not only did we get the best discounts on Kashmiri handicrafts but we were also offered Kahwah, Kashmiri Tea. Apart from Pashmina wool, Walnuts, Apples, its scenic beauty,  Papier Mache  handicrafts, and Pherans, Kashmir is famous for its Saffron. And the main ingredient in Kahwah is the saffron. I cannot even begin to describe how delicious the tea was. The flavour was delicate and its fragrant intoxicating. The herbs in the tea relax and have other health benefits if taken with a natural sweetener. Imagine something so yummy being equally  healthy! These three tourists were in love with everything about the place. 

After having shopped to our hearts’ content we went to the Dal Lake. We actually wanted to take a Shikara to the Char Chinar. But as it was getting dark we just had time to pose in one and then jump into a motor boat to the Char Chinar. 

The Char Chinar is a famous spot in Srinagar as many Hindi movies have been shot there. It gets its name ‘Char Chinar’ after the four Chinar trees on the four corners of this tiny island. By the time we got there it was already dark but still breath taking. On three sides there were mountains and on one side sparkling lights from the city. The perfect view to close Day 2.

This is actually a much longer piece but I don’t want to scare anyone away with a 2000 word post so I will be posting the rest tomorrow. 

Beautiful Kashmir: The Mughal Gardens

I’m not sure how to say this: In my last post I mentioned that I was looking forward to describing my trip to Kashmir. Well, now that I’ve actually sat down to it I’m at a loss for words to do justice to one of the loveliest experiences in my life! So far, when people ask me how I enjoyed my trip to Kashmir I say things like, “It was beautiful!” “We had such a fun time!”  ” It was like being in an old Bollywood movie!” or “It’s so green! And there are so many lakes! Just being there made me feel at peace.” I know that those descriptions are pretty useless, so I’m going to try and relive my trip to Kashmir as best as I can.

It all began the Thursday before we left for our trip. My mother’s friends, Aunty Pamela and Maria Didi, were home for tea after work and Maria Didi was moaning about how the Chief Proctor of the University of Kashmir kept calling to ask if she would agree to be an examiner for the University’s Biochemistry exam. I thought it was a fantastic opportunity to visit one of India’s most difficult places to visit! (Until we visited it for ourselves, Kashmir was a distant dream locked and inaccessible for having been turned into a war zone). I actually put my thoughts into words and said that had I got a similar opportunity I wouldn’t miss it for the world. So she told me to come.

Really??! Not only did I do a happy little dance to show that I accepted, in less than half a minute I was at the computer looking up the weather in Srinagar and the places we could visit there. But apart from the weather I needn’t have taken the trouble to find out more. Once we walked out of the airport in  Srinagar we found that there was someone waiting to receive us, drive us to the University, and take us to our room. From the time we got there until we left, we were treated with such hospitality that we were slightly overwhelmed towards the end.

The Travelling Four

My first impression of Srinagar was that the weather was so pleasant and the air was so clean! It was so quiet, after having just come from Ludhiana. Unlike most other airports that I’ve been to, there were very few buildings. There were flowers everywhere! And there were just the right amount of people – not too many like there are in Delhi, and not too few like there are in Gothenburg, Sweden (where we actually asked where all the people were!)

Once we were in our room we found that we were very exhausted. Maria Didi was in a rush to get to the university where the students were waiting for their exam to begin. But Abhilasha (Maria Didi’s friend), Nandita (Maria Didi’s two year old daughter), and I, freshened up, had lunch, and then fell into a coma until Maria Didi called at 4.30 to say that the university had arranged a vehicle to pick us up in 15 minutes. Someone would be coming to takes us to and show us around the Mughal Gardens that evening. 

Before I say anything else, let me mention that many of the Bollywood movies up until the early 80s were shot in Kashmir. These days actors prefer to dance in Switzerland.

Continuing.

One step into the Shalimar Mughal Garden and I was transported into an old Bollywood movie in which I was the heroine. (Beautiful things have this effect on me. It comes with having too vivid an imagination). Looming mountains wrapped in cloudy scarves were the background. The pathway was divided by dark red flowers that reflected prettily  on the water which they seemed to guard. We were informed that the cloudy mountains were the source of this sparkling stream. On both sides of the foot path were lawns of the greenest grass and interesting trees and bushes, many of which we don’t see often in the plains. It was a scenery out of a picture book, but better because it was real. 

We also found out that the government of Kashmir has taken strict measures to preserve the Chinar trees, to the extent that even an uprooted tree is not allowed to be chopped, used or sold without government permission. In the above photo, you can see part of a Chinar tree that was uprooted in a storm.

Our next stop was the Nishat Mughal Garden. It was already dusk when we entered. We thought it a pity, because the Nishat Mughal Garden was even more beautiful than the Shalimar Mughal Garden! If only we’d have had more daylight. 

The entire state of Kashmir is a valley surrounded by picturesque mountains that turn menacing by night, as we found out that evening in the Nishat Mughal Garden. In the Shalimar Garden the pretty flowers had captivated our attention. In contrast, the dark blue grey mountains of the Nishat Mughal Garden brought to mind the Mountain from The Hobbit. They filled the mind with gloomy and frightful impressions. But like some things that are frightening beyond words, they also inspired awe.The eerie silence contributed to making the mountains even more foreboding in the late evening light.

Across the mountains and the garden was the Dal lake. Some things just cannot be captured on film. It’s even more difficult when you have a tiny camera that gives trouble in the dark. 

I am beginning to think that perhaps it would be a good idea for me to describe my trip in bits and pieces. This post has turned out to be longer than I expected and further descriptions will only make it longer. In my next post I will try and describe other experiences that enhanced our trip to Srinagar, including Gul Marg, the pretty hill station that overlooks Srinagar.

A Slithery Saturday

Hello everyone! First off I have extremely good reasons for not having posted the past two weeks. I was out of town on an impromptu vacation to Srinagar, Kashmir. And work has been equally exciting with patient visits that made me feel very detective like. But while I’m dying to tell you about the wonderful time I had in Kashmir, I cannot stop thinking about the 22 snakes that were caught near our home yesterday.

Yes, 18 Rat snakes, 2 Cobras, and 2 Kraits were caught near the park where we go walking every evening and near the trees where my cousin plays hide n’ seek with his friends. It was astonishing to have caught 22 snakes in one morning in only one corner of the campus. But what unhinged our jaws was the method used to accomplish this feat. You’ll never believe it – I didn’t until I saw it for myself – snake charmers!

It all started when someone from one of our hospital campuses complained about the frequent appearance of snakes. This was followed by the summoning of snake charmers, of whose “charms” almost every urbanite I know is skeptical of. For me, snake charmers have never been much more than regular men in colourful turbans who’ve been made exotic for tourists and cartoons. It was impossible to believe that they actually “charmed” snakes!

Anyway, back to the story, it wasn’t like the snake charmers had come to our campus before or brought any snakes with them to catch, for our benefit. Everyone knew that. So when they began to play their pipes and charm snakes out of their secret places it was more than a little unnerving. It turns out that the vibrations caused by the sound of the pipes that the snake charmers play has something to do with “charming” the snakes. 

The snake charmers who came to catch the snakes wore a heavy large cloth draped over their clothing (how they managed to do so in this heat I’ll never know!) so that when the snake struck at them it only struck cloth. Once the snakes were caught they would be wrapped up in cloth – apparently this makes snakes feel safe and helps them settle down – and then put away.

What happened yesterday was an eye opener. I never imagined that snake charmers were authentic! The thought did occur to me that it would be handy to take a picture or a video for my blog. But when the snake charmers began unwrapping the snakes to count them, and the snakes became uncomfortably active for the casual bystander to watch, that thought flew right out of my head. Incredible India or what! After this little incident I haven’t been able to stop thanking God for the two mongoose that live in our garden!

I’m looking forward to sharing my next post which is also about Incredible India but is definitely more pleasant to think about – Kashmir!

A Mid-Term Review of My Reading Resolutions

I was going through the list of books I’d planned to read this year and was startled to see that I’ve only reviewed about eight books so far, although I have read more than that! Terrible! It’s a slight consolation that I have more books to review than to read. And it’s a a little disconcerting to think that even then I may not be able to read all the books on my list before the year’s over. It doesn’t help that I’ve been reading other books not on my list, some of which are too silly to review and post online. Two examples that come to mind are Nick Hornby’s, ‘A Boy,’ and Joanna Trollope’s, ‘Second Honeymoon’. While Nick Hornby did make me laugh every now and then I had some difficulty with the language which consisted largely of British slang. Joanna Trollope, I’m sorry to say, bored me so that I had to put her book down half way through.

Well, I now have to pay for having spent my reading time too frivolously. Either I spend more time devoted to reviewing or I give myself more time to complete reading all the books on my list. For now I’m deciding to catch up on pending book reviews and then read as much as I can. If this method turns out to be a chore I shall resort to renaming the page ‘Book List 2012′ to simply ‘Book List’, or ‘Book Bucket List’ or something similar.

Unfortunately, I’ve spent my entire Sunday practising the recorder and then lounging about eating apple pie. Naturally, reading and reviewing took a back seat to these more engaging activities that I now regret a twinge. But I will make up for my sparsely reviewed book list as soon as I can. Until then, hope everyone has a amazing week ahead! 

First things Second!

I wanted to write on Sunday. But Sunday turned out to be fuller than expected. A friend came to visit and we had a grand time attending a wedding exhibition together. Of course, some of the clothes showcased cost more than a year’s salary of what I earn! But it was worth noting the styles and designs we liked for use later on.

Thanks to the wedding exhibition I now know that I want a pink and yellow salwar kameez made of silk and with an orange dupatta with gold coloured embroidery on the edges. Either that or a heavily embroidered pastel coloured saree with an embroidered silver coloured blouse. I have a few designs in mind for the blouse. And how could I forget the pearl chain belt!

Ordinarily I would never dream of wearing pink and yellow together – and that also canary yellow and Mithai pink! But after having moved to Punjab and finding out that colour combinations like these don’t make you stand out in a uncomfortable way, I have become more adventurous. It’s amazing how nice it feels to wear colours you’d ordinarily think twice about wearing anywhere else. Even more amazing is that people look at you admiringly instead of oddly. I love it! Another thing that I noticed after coming here is that as much as bright colours make you popular, dull colours like mustard, and brown, and ill fitting clothes cause you to be looked at oddly. Not only do I speak from first hand experience, but ever since I dared to change my boring ways I’ve been encouraging my friends and family to do the same. 

In more important news that takes second place today, I completed The Wind in the Willows yesterday. Relished it quite thoroughly! And then I dove straight into The Moonstone. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, although it didn’t begin that way, is turning out to be immensely absorbing. In fact, I’ve been finding it very difficult to think of anything else without snatches of The Moonstone clouding my thoughts.

I will be back with a few book reviews, even some that I left pending before I left off blogging for a while. But until then I cannot say much that will be very ‘bookly’, as you have probably noticed already!

Where the Mind is Without Fear by Rabindranath Tagore

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into

the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening

thought and action-

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

-Rabindranath Tagore

Happy Independence Day! Jai Hind!

 

Picking Myself Up off the Blogging Floor

What can I say? I haven’t blogged for nearly three months! Even worse apart from textbooks, magazines, and newspapers, I haven’t been reading much either. My family and friends were pretty shocked at this prolonged complacent behaviour to the extent that they began giving me a hard time about it. And while I did feel mildly disappointed with myself I really didn’t feel bad enough to do anything about it and would tell people to relax and that I’d update my blog soon. (Read the last two comments on my last post on Mother’s Day. You’ll see what I mean).

Yesterday my mother very sternly told me to get back to blogging soon. Apparently they didn’t think I was doing much else that was worthwhile compared to blogging. That, coupled with the realisation that even while day dreaming I was almost always thinking about writing, helped pull me out of my cozy couch of nonchalance and self indulgence. (If you saw how much I’ve been shopping these past three months you’ll know what I mean). I also made up my mind to blog today under any circumstances because I would be very unhappy if I was the one person who got in the way of my own dreams. Plus I’ve missed my blogging community! And I feel too ashamed to read and comment when I haven’t updated my blog for three months!

This time I won’t be making my usual promises to blog regularly. Not that I intend on many more three – month long sabbaticals. It’s just that if it happens again I don’t want to feel so terrible. Blogging is supposed to be fun!

Looking forward to catching up on all that I’ve missed in the blogging world!

How could I blog while the season’s biggest sale was going on! :O

 

Mothers are special beyond Mother’s Day

This post was actually meant to be posted last Sunday, on Mother’s Day. But since it wasn’t possible for me to post it either on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, I’m going to stop stressing and post it today anyway.

If you’re a mother, I hope you had a fantastic Mother’s Day! Or perhaps you spent your day making sure your mother had an amazing day!

Although in past years I’ve never had any elaborate plans to celebrate Mother’s Day, this year I decided to host a special Tea Party for my mother and her friends. But since we were expecting guests Sunday onwards I planned the party for Saturday afternoon. Although, to be precise, the invitation read, ‘five o’ clock in the evening’ as it’s still way too warm before that this time of year.

I had so much fun planning the Tea Party, beginning with the shopping. I never thought that shopping for baking material could be so much fun! And then I enjoyed myself completely while making the invitations. It was an excellent chance for me to practice my calligraphy skills.  I even got a little creative and made my own envelopes. It was a little disheartening to discover that my envelopes were probably prettier than my invitation cards. But then, I did make the cards at work! ( I hope my boss isn’t reading this post.)

The entire business of hosting a tea party began with a craving for lemon tart and not clue as to where I’d be able to get it in my city. So I browsed the internet and found this amazing recipe with step-by-step instructions perfect for someone as hesitant as I am in the kitchen.

A little while before this I’d been flipping through my mother’s cookie book (now mine) and came across a recipe for Brownies. Now I have successfully baked brownies by following a basic recipe. I never imagined that there were ways to perfect it and make it even more sinfully decadent. I know, silly me! This recipe used two ingredients that I hadn’t tried before – strong black coffee and melted chocolate. With two dessert recipes that I was dying to try and a year old idea of hosting a fancy tea party for my mother that resurfaced at the right time, proper planning for the event  commenced. The Praline Pavlova cookies happened to be the first recipe I came across in my cookie book that used the egg whites left over from the lemon tart recipe. Plus they looked pretty. The finger sandwiches were there to even things out. And the juice was served at the very beginning since I had also planned games, or a game and an activity before the eats were served.

I know, these cookies look more interesting than pretty, But they tasted yum and that made me feel alright.

The tea I used for my Tea Party was a present to my mother from a friend who’d picked it up on a visit to Calcutta. It was one of those deliciously fragrant teas that are sold loose in old world places like Calcutta where people guzzle tea all day long. 

I seriously think God blessed my baking endeavours because I prayed very hard both during the trial baking session and the actual baking for the party. (Since I hadn’t made lemon tart before I made it a point to try out the recipe at least once before Saturday evening.)

Shall I tell you the games I planned for this supposedly elegant Tea Party? I think I will, although the games weren’t as elegant as you’d expect. The first game we played was Drop the Handkerchief (but I used a pretty scarf) where the leader throws the handkerchief/scarf into the air and everyone laughs while it’s up in the air. As soon as it touches the floor everyone has to stop laughing and be serious. No smiling allowed. The person who isn’t able to stay serious is the next leader. 

The next game, or rather an activity, consisted of my providing them with all kinds of stationary and pretty ribbon and the mothers having to make bookmarks that showed why they were glad to be mothers.

Again, I had so much fun planning this party for my mother, and it made me all the more glad to see her having a good time without having to worry about anything. That the party was a success was one reward for all my planning and endless hours in the kitchen. The other reward was the tea set that my mother and father (she chose it, he paid for it) got me as a thank you present and, as my mother later told me, to encourage me to host more such parties. And it worked. Although this time I’m thinking of hosting something more adventurous like a themed dance party or a water fight with lunch after.

My pretty tea set with a party favour- cookies for tea time at home!