Sundari Venkatraman's Blog, page 69

Travel: A TRIP TO SHIRDI

The Sai Baba Idol that we brought homeWhen Venkat asked me whether I was interested in going to Shirdi for a couple of days, I jumped at the chance as it was around 18 years since our last visit to Sai Baba’s shrine.

We decided to go to Shirdi by Neeta Travels and I booked our tickets for Monday, November 25, 2013 on a Mercedes Benz. The bus left at 8.30 am from Sion. It was quite comfortable with pushback seats and an excellent AC.

We had already booked a room at Hotel Sai Moreshwar after checking the excellent ratings on www.makemytrip.com . In the meanwhile, the Neeta Bus attendant did his best to persuade us to book a room at Neeta International Hotel at Shirdi. We tentatively agreed that we would consider it after checking out the rooms there. We did not want to commit ourselves as we had never heard of this hotel and had not seen it recommended on the net. The man went on to make a receipt in our name – he already had my cell number as I had used it for booking the bus tickets – and insisted that we pay Rs. 1000 advance. The worst part was that he said that we had to pay up immediately as he had to get off at Thane. I don’t know what kind of fools he thought we were!

On the wayIt looked like he had also approached a number of other passengers for similar deals. I don’t know for sure whether he was being honest or not, but Venkat point blank refused to pay him an advance. The man left in a huff.

The bus reached Shirdi at around 3 pm after stopping twice for breakfast and lunch on the way. Luckily for us, Hotel Sai Moreshewar was just a 2-minute walk from the bus stand and we checked in without any difficulty.

We found out the timings for darshan at Shirdi Temple and decided to go after the 5-7 pm arati got over. For those interested, the Shirdi Temple opens at 4.30 am and the last darshan is at 10.30 pm. The temple was a few minute walk from our hotel. We stopped for a snack at an Udipi restaurant and then went for the darshan.

In the garden at the hotelMobile phones and cameras are strictly not allowed. They have a counter where you can deposit them and get a receipt in exchange. This is right next to the shoe counter. After collecting the respective receipts, Venkat and I went to stand at the entrance queue. I have to mention that the experience was way different from what it used to be during my earlier visits.

I had been to Shirdi five times before this trip, if I am not mistaken. We used to just enter the hall and pray to Sai Baba, do namaskar, get out from behind the shrine, visit Dwarkamai, the Chavadi and the bazaar. It used to be child’s play.

Not so now! The marketing bhoot has taken over Shirdi also and the place has become extremely commercial. A guy approached us and said that darshan could take 4-5 hours and he could help us get in by a special queue. While the charges were Rs. 500 per person officially, he could give us a deal at Rs. 300 per head. We refused him as we did not have much else to do and were not too fazed by waiting for darshan for a few hours.

We were surprised to enter the temple and walk in and out of snaking queue-lines – the crowd was not much, actually. We walked round and round, went down a staircase and went up another before entering the main hall of the temple. Luckily for us, we took barely 25 minutes to reach the hall. After that, it was another 10-15 minutes before we could get near Sai Baba. There was a ratio of one security person to ten pilgrims. I felt it was atrocious. They kept pushing the devotees making it impossible to pray. One kind of tends to forget why one is visiting the temple. Marketing at its worst!

Lord Hanuman at ShirdiAll I wanted to do was connect with Sai Baba for a minute in peace. That was just not possible. I even forgot to pray. I had a good darshan in the sense I could see Sai Baba and I could touch the padukas. Before I could imbibe the atmosphere, I found myself being cast out of the hall. Venkat and I did not give up. We managed to get in again without going through the whole queue line procedure and managed to get one more darshan.

We finally managed to come out of the compound only to realise we were nowhere near where we had entered. When we showed the mobile-camera receipt to a security, he guided us to return to Gate No. 1. We had to walk for a few minutes before we found the place. There are at least six gates there to my knowledge.

The next day was Tuesday. Venkat and I hired a car to visit Shani Shingnapur. In the evening, we again went for Sai Baba’s darshan. This time round we managed to complete the darshan in 20 minutes. We also got to visit Dwarkamai , Chavadi and the market place.

I was shocked to see the dhuni (sacred fire) had been enclosed in a metal mesh on all sides. The dhuni used to be in the open – with a roof – and was a source of joy and solace to devotees. I don’t know what has come over the trustees. I could not see the dhuni at all, could just feel the heat coming off the metal.

We also had a darshan of Lord Hanuman at a shrine near Dwarkamai. We went inside the Hanuman Temple the third day morning as there was no crowd at that point.

All my prayers I managed to complete in the hotel room as it was not possible to pray at the temple.

All in all, an excellent trip with a lovely darshan! Thank you Sai Baba!

Sharing: HERITAGE MUSEUM @ CST

Ceiling of Heritage Building, CSTI had read about the Heritage Tour offered by CST in Mumbai Mirror. The article is probably some months old. From that day I had been planning to go for it and I finally managed to take the tour last week.

CST Building was declared a Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2004I reached the Heritage Building at 3.10 pm. I got a ticket and was assigned a guide even though I was alone. I felt quite impressed by the service. Kalpana took me to the Railway Museum first and told me all about Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) that was formed by the British. I was most happy as they let me click pictures.

Engine Model of GIPRThe Railway Museum traces the history of the Indian Railways since GIPR (Great Indian Peninsula Railway) was established in 1844. It houses some drawings by Architect FW Stevens; models of engines from those days; posters of the original board of directors; the huge bell that was used in the beginning to announce the arrival and departure of trains; the hand bell that was used by the guard in those days; number plates that were used; a clock that used to hang at the station and more. There is also a gorgeous model of CST in a glass case.

GIPRKalpana took me through all the relics and patiently answered my questions. After completing with the museum, she took me inside the Heritage Building along with three others who had joined us by then.

The original bell that was used to announce arrival & departure of trains CST used to be called VT. Even before that, in the beginning, the station was called Bori Bunder. The first railway track used to run trains from Bori Bunder to Byculla to Thana. Engines and carriages used to be imported from England via the sea.

Water pots used for serving water - the black one for first class passengers and the brass pot for the 3rd classVictoria Terminus was constructed in 1888 to house the company headquarters of GIPR. Frederick William Stevens was the architect who designed the building. He has based the design on the Victoria Station in London while adapting Indian architecture including the Mughul influence. I was quite enthralled.


The very first number plate created. It is still used by the toy train at Matheran. Don't miss the first railway timetable
The land for constructing Victoria Terminus was donated to the British by Jagannath Shankar Seth. The building itself took ten years to complete. The building is constructed in the Indian Gothic Style. It has been declared a Heritage Site by UNESCO since 2004.

The impressive entrance to the Heritage BuildingAll I can say is CST looks gorgeous not just from outside but from inside too. The main dome’s interior is an impressive structure viewed from within. I have added some of the pictures that I clicked of the Terminus which will give one an idea of how it is.

Different sections of the Dining HallThere are three floors in all – ground, first and second. The ground floor is built in the lines of Neo-Gothic Style; the first floor follows Mughal Architecture and the second floor is influenced by Romans. Impressive, isn’t it!

A stone lion welcomes you!There is a majestic stone lion sitting on its haunches in the entrance hall near the stairway. He looks so handsome. We went up the wide, curving staircase to the first floor where the Dining Hall is situated. It’s huge and had been built for the staff. Nowadays, it’s maintained for show. There is a large dining table on one side while you will find comfortable sofas on the other. Many carvings of animals are found on the panels while the hall is held up by pillars of Italian marble. What came as a surprise was the toilet facility behind the dining hall. It was quite posh and clean with granite tiles, considering that it is part of an Indian railway station.

Another angle to the dome from withinWe walked up to the second floor admiring the arches and ceiling before being guided to another small hall. Modern seating was available here where the tall windows gave us a bird’s eye view of the bustling station. We were served hot tea and biscuits by the CST staff.

The Star Chamber ceiling - the ticket counter is right belowThe next stop was at the Star Chamber that houses the ticket booking office of the station. The hall got its name from the ceiling it sports. It used to serve as a resting room for the staff of the British. There is a clock tower above the ticket counter that houses a mechanical clock that is wound up once a week even today.

That lady on top of the dome is called The Statue of ProgressNot bad, I thought before walking down to write in the visitors’ book. A worthy visit indeed!

Different angles to the Heritage Building
The garden in front of CST

Film Review: Goliyon Ki Raasleela: RAM-LEELA

Ranveer-Deepika scorch the screen!

Venkat was not keen to see the film as we are never sure what to expect from Sanjay Leela Bhansali. But Vinny and I were quite impressed by the promos and decided to go. We went for the mid-morning show at PVR in Phoenix Market City on Sunday. The theatre was packed as the film has had consistently good reviews.

THE STORY

The film is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet. It’s set in Gujarat and is all about the enmity between The Rajadis and Sanedas. Ram (Ranveer Singh) is the younger son of the Rajadi house and wishes for peace. It’s love at first sight for him and Leela Saneda (Deepika Padukone), the laadli of the Saneda female head (Supriya Pathak Kapur). Leela’s wedding is fixed with an NRI from London. Only the lady chooses to run away with her lover. Things don’t work out and the two return to their respective families. Anger and battles are interspersed with goliyon ki baarish and people die on both sides. Will their love survive?

MY PERCEPTION

As I mentioned, the story is loosely based on Romeo Juliet – in that it is a tragic love story. In the Shakespeare tragedy, the hero and heroine were immature youngsters. Not so in Ram-Leela.

Both Ram and Leela are extremely mature and know what they are about. The characters were superbly etched and both the actors have played them so well. I have seen Ranveer Singh in Band Baaja Baaraat and Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl . In both films his roles had been light and fun. I was quite impressed by the actor’s dialogue delivery. In Ram-Leela, Ranveer Singh has many opportunities to emote and does he squeeze your heart! He was excellent. He looks so good too! I used to think that he did not have the ‘pizzazz’ to compete with the Bollywood Biggies and I am glad he has proved me wrong. Excellent Performance, Ranveer Singh! Keep up the great work!

Deepika Padukone has slowly but surely grown up from her partying girl avatars to more mature roles. She looks gorgeous and has acted so well. She blazes across the dance floors with Ranveer Singh and their chemistry scorches the screen. Her overnight transformation from a laughing young woman to the serious head of Sanedas when her mother is injured is nothing short of amazing. Superb, Deepika Padukone! Way to go!

Gulshan DevaiahI just love the riot of colours, the exotic backgrounds and stunning costumes along with the elaborate song and dance sequences of some of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films. While not a great fan of the producer-director’s works, I especially loved Devdas. This movie is simply amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The music and dance was awesome in the film and they fitted so well, not taking away from the story. I did not much care for the violence, but then that was very much part of the story and one cannot do away with it.

All the other actors have also performed very well. A special mention for 2-film-old Gulshan Devaiah and Richa Chadda!

Supriya Pathak Kapur’s performance as the head of Sanedas is striking. She looks the personification of evil and does an amazing job of her role. Kudos!

VERDICT: It most definitely worth a see!

RATING: ****Snazzy

* Silly
** Shaky
*** Smart
**** Snazzy
***** Super

Health: YOGA MUDRA

Chin Mudra

I have always been one for alternate therapies, especially yoga and meditation. I find that they are the best as they don’t bring you any harmful side effects. More than that, the chances are that you receive a number of unexpected positive side effects.



While I learned about Yoga Mudras from many sources – people and the internet – I use the following Mudras to improve my health and lifestyle. I bring you this article from my own personal experience. Most of the Mudras are best done on an empty stomach.



These are long term therapies - or rather, a change in lifestyle. You start doing these Mudras and see the effect over a period of time for yourself. It’s best that you continue with them through your life for preventing a number of illnesses while bringing you tremendous energy. You need to spend less than half an hour every day to do all of these. Believe me, it most definitely is worth it. While I have mentioned a limit of 100-200 counts of deep breathing for each Mudra, you are welcome to do more if you feel so inclined.



There are a number of Mudras. I just bring you those that I personally found useful and know the positive effects of.



Chin Mudra



Most of you must be familiar with this Mudra that brings together the tips of the thumb and index finger while holding the rest of the three fingers straight. I do deep breathing while holding my fingers in this Mudra. One can do 100 to 200 counts of deep abdominal breathing depending on the time one can spare.



This Mudra is effective for de-stressing, bringing down one’s blood pressure and getting sound sleep. It improves one's concentration and focus too.











Go Mudra

Go Mudra



‘Go’ means ‘cow’ in Sanskrit. This is called the Go Mudra as it resembles the head of a cow. You bring the tip of your thumb to touch the middle and ring fingers together while holding the other two fingers straight.



This Mudra helps strengthen your pancreas and keeps away Diabetes. Amazing, isn’t it! But so true. Imagine being able to lead a healthy life free of diabetes by doing 100-200 deep breathing along with this Mudra. It takes less than five minutes.









Varun Mudra

Varun Mudra



As the name suggests, Varun Mudra balances the water content in your body. You bring the thumb tip and the tip of your pinky finger together to do this Mudra. Deep breathe 100-200 times keeping your fingers in this state.



Varun Mudra helps strengthen the kidneys and bladder. I hear that most women of 40 years and above suffer from Incontinence – lack of control over the bladder. This Mudra is extremely powerful in setting that right. It also helps in making sure that you don’t ever get dehydrated. I find this very effective.





Surya Mudra

 Surya Mudra



The name suggests the influence of The Sun. Surya Mudra helps improving the metabolism in one’s system. You bend the ring finger so that the tip touches the middle of your palm. Then press the thumb over the second phalange of the ring finger. Hold your hand in this position for 100-200 breathing counts to bring about tremendous changes in your body.



While officially this Mudra is supposed to improve thyroid function, set right metabolism and do away with constipation, what I found was something more and even better. I had – note the past tense – been suffering from Osteo-arthritis since three years. Those who are familiar with this problem will know that doctors advise losing weight in the short term, recommend steroids most of the time with patients ending up doing knee surgery in the long term. Doctors also insist that the patient should avoid climbing stairs, squatting and a number of other things.



Doing this Mudra with 200 counts of deep breathing brought such tremendous relief in just a couple of months. I had stopped doing Surya Namaskar because I could not bend my knee properly. Now I am able to do Surya Namaskar as well as a few squats because of this Mudra.



Of course, I would suggest you consult your doctor before doing any strenuous exercises. But the Surya Mudra definitely helps in making your body strong. This is one Mudra you can do on a full stomach too. It helps reduce the feeling of heaviness after a meal.





Aakaash Mudra 

Aakaash Mudra



Aakaash Mudra is performed by bringing together the tips of the thumb and middle finger while holding the rest of the fingers straight. This can also be done for 100-200 counts of deep breathing.



This Mudra is effective in reducing blood pressure, cleaning out your sinuses and keeping your heart going strong. Incidentally, it also helps one grow spiritually and is a path to enlightenment.



While a number of websites recommend that the Mudras should be performed for 15 minutes to half an hour, I would suggest that you inculcate them in your lives for about 5 minutes or less. That way, you will not feel the strain of spending a lot of time on this while reaping the golden benefits that these Mudras bring.

Recipe: ALOO PANEER KOFTA IN TOMATO / PALAK GRAVY

Aloo Paneer Kofta

I was keen to make Paneer Kofta for Diwali. I have never made this before and so I browsed the net and checked out a few recipes. Armed with this knowledge, I set out to make Aloo Paneer Kofta in both tomato and palak gravies. They both turned out to be delicious.



ALOO PANEER KOFTA



INGREDIENTS



Potatoes – ½ kg

French Beans – 100 gm (chopped fine)

Carrots – 2 (chopped fine)

Paneer – 150 gm (grated)

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

Mirchi Powder – ½ tsp

Dhania Powder – ½ tsp

Jeera Powder – ½ tsp

Kotmir – 2 tbsp (chopped)

Corn flour – 100-150 gm

Salt to taste

Oil for frying



METHOD



1. Boil the potatoes. Peel the skin and mash them in a mixing bowl.

2. Add the chopped beans and carrots to boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes before draining the water completely. Add these also to the bowl.

3. Add grated paneer and the many powders along with salt and kotmir.

4. Sprinkle the corn flour over this and mix well into a thick dough. Add flour as per requirement.

5. Shape them into round balls or ovals as you please.

6. Deep fry in medium hot oil till golden brown in colour.

7. Remove and keep them aside.



The Aloo Paneer Kofta is ready. They taste yummy by themselves - but more so with the gravies.





Aloo Paneer Kofta in Palak Gravy

TOMATO & PALAK GRAVIES 



I am giving the two recipes together as the basic masala is the same – the only difference being tomato and spinach themselves.



INGREDIENTS



Onion – 6 (large; chopped)

Tomato – 4 (large; cut into pieces)

Palak – 2 bunches (chopped roughly)

Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp

Dhania Powder – ½ tsp

Jeera Powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

Mirchi Powder – ¼ tsp

Jeera – 1 tsp

Kotmir – 1 tsp (chopped; only for tomato gravy)

Salt to taste

Oil – 3 tbsp

Fresh cream – 5-6 tbsp



Masala



Cashewnuts – 8 (soaked for 15 minutes)

Garlic – 6-8 cloves

Green Chillies – 8 (less if you don’t like spicy)

Ginger – 2” piece





Aloo Paneer Kofta in Tomato Gravy

METHOD



1. Boil the palak in salted water for 3-4 minutes before draining the water completely.

2. Grind the masala ingredients to a smooth paste.

3. Take a kadai and heat oil in it before adding jeera.

4. Once that crackles, add chopped onions.

5. As it begins to turn colour, add the ground masala.

6. Keep stirring as you add the masala powders and salt.

7. Cook for 3-4 minutes and switch off the gas.

8. Remove half of this cooked mixture into another kadai and leave the balance in the same kadai.

9. Add cooked palak to one kadai and chopped tomatoes to the other.

10. Add a cup of water each and cook both the gravies with the lids on for 6-8 minutes.

11. Switch off gas and grind both the gravies into a coarse consistency with a hand blender.

12. Check for salt and cook them for 2 more minutes each.



For serving Aloo Paneer Kofta in Palak Gravy



Place 2 Aloo Paneer Kofta on a plate and pour a few spoons of palak gravy on them. Add some dollops of fresh cream on it and serve hot with puris or rotis.



For serving Aloo Paneer Kofta in Tomato Gravy



Place 2 Aloo Paneer Kofta on a plate and four a few spoons of tomato gravy on them. Add some dollops of fresh cream and sprinkle chopped kotmir on it and serve.



Both of them taste absolutely yummy, I promise!

Film Review: Krrish 3

Krrish 3

It looks like Vivek Oberoi has finally found his calling!



Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Vivek Oberoi, Kangna Ranaut

Director: Rakesh Roshan



We have seen Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish. Hence we did not have a choice but to see Krrish 3. I don’t think there was a Krrish 2. I don’t understand the sequence, but anyway, Venkat and I went to watch Krrish 3 on the day of its release at 10 pm at Cinemax Sion.



THE STORY



The story picks off some time after Krrish. Rohit (Hrithik Roshan), Krishna (Hrithik Roshan) and Priya (Priyanka Chopra) live in a bungalow in some remote corner of Mumbai. Rohit continues with his scientific experiments at home and also works in a research lab. While Priya is a reporter with Aaj Tak, Krishna keeps losing jobs as he runs away from work most of the time to save the town as Krrish.



Rohit is into some research that uses solar energy to bring life back into the dead. He tries it on a plant and it explodes. That’s when he concludes that a filter is necessary to do the same. In the meanwhile, Kaal (Vivek Oberoi) is a paraplegic with telekinetic powers. He can use the muscles above his neck and two fingers besides this. He’s completely negative and wants to rule the world. He is based in a lab somewhere in the Alps off Switzerland. Kaya (Kangna Ranaut) and a few others are the Manwars that he has created with his experiments. Manwars are clones made from human (his own) DNA combined with animal DNA. Kaya is a chameleon while there is a frogman, rhinoman and a few others. Kaal hopes that the bone marrow from one of his creations will help bring life to his own body. But he has been unlucky so far. He also creates a virus and has its spread in Namibia. People fall terribly ill and die by the hundreds. Later, he comes up with an antidote that makes him millions.



His next target is the highly populated Mumbai. But he has not bargained for Superhero Krrish……



MY PERCEPTION



Hrithik Roshan was just fabulous as Rohit, Krishna and Krrish. It was amazing to see the narrow shouldered, slightly paunchy Rohit with traces of his retarded nature and the finely honed and chiselled Krishna come together on the same frame. And of course, the man can act too. Congratulations Hrithik on your fantastic performance!



Priyanka Chopra’s role is negligible and nothing worth talking about it.



It looks like Vivek Oberoi has finally found his calling. He plays an excellent villain as Kaal. While the actor’s career path has been pretty turbulent over all the years, he has proved that he is after all in the right profession. Kudos Vivek Oberoi!



Kangana Ranaut has proved once again what a fine actress she is. She has played a very good role – it’s also chunky – as mutant Kaya. A special applause!



Now comes the film! The story is good and the sequences equally so. What I really did not appreciate are the song and dance sequences. They kept distracting everyone from the film. Why can’t we do away with them completely? And they were not even good.



The Namibia virus sequence was horrendous. I for one am glad that my kids are grown up and I did not have to take a 10-year-old to watch this superhero film. I wish they could have gone easy on this one.



While other critics keep insisting that the film apes Hollywood, I would say, why the hell not? If Hollywood films can ape themselves, why shouldn’t Bollywood do that? The fight sequences – while resembling a couple of Hollywood films – were very well shot. Not that I would recommend it to kids, but they were very well made.



I liked the idea of there being a Krrish in every one of us. That is something that will really appeal to kids and those with young minds. It did to me, definitely.



One thing that was not so appealing was Kaal’s tin costume. On the wheelchair he is all elegant. But out of that, I wish they had given him a classier outfit. The tin suit looked quite ridiculous. A cool villain should terrorise, not appear funny and stupid.



VERDICT: All in all, it was a good film. It’s up to the parents what they let their kids see on the big screen, of course.



RATING: ***Smart



* Silly

** Shaky

*** Smart

**** Snazzy

***** Super

Recipe: PINDI CHOLE

Pindi Chole

I have tasted this version of chole at a few restaurants and I liked the one at Cream Centre best. Asking a couple of friends and using my imagination, I arrived at the following recipe. It was yummy, to say the least.



INGREDIENTS



Kabuli Channa – 250 gm (soaked overnight)

Tea decoction – 1 cup (Boil 2 tsp of tea leaves in 2 cups of water until it becomes 1 cup. Filter the decoction and keep aside)

Jeera – 1 tsp

Bayleaf – 2

Turmeric Powder – 1 large pinch

Chilli Powder – ½ tsp

Dhania Powder – ½ tsp

Jeera Powder – ¼ tsp

Garam Masala Powder – ½ tsp

Oil – 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Kotmir for garnish



Masala



Onions – 3 (medium; cut into pieces)

Boiled channa – a handful

Garlic – 5-6 cloves

Ginger – 1” piece

Green chillies – 3

Tamarind – 4-5 strips (soaked in water)

Jaggery – 3 tbsp



METHOD



1. Pressure cook the soaked channa along with the tea decoction, some more water, ½ tsp of salt and one small pinch of turmeric powder. Allow it to cook for 8 whistles.

2. Grind all the items under masala to a smooth, thick paste.

3. Take a kadai and heat oil in it.

4. Add jeera and bayleaves and allow them to crackle before adding the masala paste.

5. Cook for a while with the lid on, stirring on and off.

6. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhania powder, jeera powder and garam masala powder to the cooking gravy and stir well.

7. Add salt and cook for 4-5 minutes till you see the oil surfacing above the masala.

8. Add the boiled channa to this along with the water it was cooked in.

9. Allow the mixture to cook for 8-10 minutes on a slow fire, stirring occasionally.

10. Allow the chole to reach a thick consistency before switching off the gas.

11. Garnish with kotmir before you serve hot with puris, rotis, baturas or naans.



The Pindi Chole turned out to be as tasty as the one I ate at Cream Centre.



NOTE: The tea extract gives the channa a lovely brown colour. One might ask why use white channa and make it brown. Why not use brown channa instead? Well, brown channa’s flavour is very different and does not suit this dish, that’s why.

Sharing: VIGGY’S TRIP TO AUSTRALIA

Albatross with tour organiser Andy. Vignesh is second from left

My son VigneshKumar got a chance to go to Australia along with Heavy Metal Band ALBATROSS that he is a part of. They had three gigs at Melbourne , Sydney and Wollongong last weekend.







A street in Melbourne

The five-member band flew to Melbourne by Malaysian Airlines on October 23, 2013 with a break in journey at the Kuala Lumpur airport. They reached Melbourne on the 24th and had a relaxing day. Viggy says that he was too excited to sleep off the jet lag in his motel room. He and a couple of others walked around the area they stayed in.





Melbourne Cricket Ground

They visited the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). While his friends took a tour, Viggy – who is not too fond of cricket – sat in the stadium, drinking a beer. He says the weather was so cold – around 5-6 degrees – and so was the beer.





Can you see the stuffed toys of spiders hanging off that building?

I took a virtual tour through the pictures that Viggy brought back. It kind of makes me want to shift to Melbourne.





A lake in that area

I was amazed to know that Melbourne with roughly double the area of Mumbai, has a population of 4 million while Amchi Mumbai has 25 million. No wonder I feel claustrophobic whenever I step out of my building. I feel people all around me and walking is not the fun it used to be a few years back.





Tram running through the streets of Melbourne

Anyway, enough of Mumbai-bashing and back to Viggy’s trip! Albatross had a show at Melbourne on Friday night. It was extremely well received. Vignesh found that the Aussies were pretty cool and chilled out. From what he could see, they lead a stress-free existence. I am sure, with the roads so empty and green. There was no dust, I believe. I suppose I can imagine.





Outside their motel

When they stepped out at around 9 pm, the road was empty. There was no one. Amazing! Of course, where they were put up was in the suburbs. Vignesh says he did not hear one ‘honk’ throughout the two days at Melbourne. Astounding!





For pedestrians. Cool, isn't it!

I liked the idea of how pedestrians crossed roads there. There is a pole with a button. A pedestrian presses that to ‘red signal’ the vehicles. He only crosses the road when the light changes. Discipline at its best! I am impressed.





Public Toilet

Public toilets are available on the roadside every kilometre. And I am sure they don’t stink. What won’t I give for that kind of an infrastructure in our city! Sigh…!





Yarra River @ Melbourne

The next morning, they left for Sydney by  Virgin Atlantic . They reached there and checked into a dormitory that had been booked for them.





Sydney

Viggy says Sydney is more like Mumbai and quite commercial. That same night, Saturday, Albatross performed at  Bald Faced Stag Hotel . Here too, the show went off extremely well and the public was encouraging.





Albatross performed here

The next day, around noon, they went to Wollongong for their final show of the tour. The ride was for an hour or so and just superb, says Viggy. It being a Sunday, there was not much of a crowd, but the audience who were present enjoyed their performance.





Sydney Opera House

They returned to Sydney the same night to stay at a Service Apartment as they were not too comfortable with the dormitory.





Sydney Harbour Bridge

The next morning, they checked out of the apartment at around 9 am, left their luggage at the reception and went around Sydney.





Albatross with Colin, a hardcore fan

They went to check out  Sydney Opera House ,  Parramatta River  and  Sydney Harbour Bridge . I believe there was some kind of construction work going on nearby. But it was so well organised that there was no flying dust.





A church in Melbourne

Viggy and gang left Sydney at around 4 pm local time by Malaysian Airlines to return to Mumbai on October 29 by 11.30 am IST. Albatross had had a superb and successful Australian tour. Way to go Guys!





@ Melbourne - so much green. I love it!

Recipe: KARANJI (சோமாசி)

Pic Courtesy: Google Images



Diwali is around the corner and all Indian households must be preparing for the celebration with a variety of sweets and farsan. I bring you the recipe of Karanji, a yummy sweet that I learned to make from my friend Asha. She’s an excellent cook. I just love Karanji and how many ever times I have made it after that it was the best when I made it along with her. Thank you Asha!



Karanji is called சோமாசி (Somaasi) in Tamil. While it looks the same, the taste varies as the filling is different.



INGREDIENTS



For the filling



Grated Coconut – ½ cup

Rava – ½ cup

Powdered Cardamom – 1 tbsp

Powdered Sugar – 2 cups

Roasted Almonds – ½ cup

Roasted Pistachios – ½ cup

Roasted Cashewnuts – ½ cup



For the shell



Maida – 1 cup

Rava – ½ cup

Ghee – 2 tbsp

Salt – 1 pinch



Oil for frying



METHOD



1. Run the almonds, pistachios and cashewnuts in the mixer to make a coarse powder. Alternately, you can chop them into fine pieces.

2. Heat a kadai and roast the rava till golden in colour.

3. Add the coconut to it and turn around for a couple of minutes before switching the gas off.

4. Take the rava-coconut mix and add it to a mixing bowl.

5. Add the sugar powder, cardamom and the dryfruits to it.

6. Mix well and the filling for the Karanji is ready.

7. Take another mixing bowl and add all the four ingredients for the shell.

8. Sift them together before adding some water and making a tight dough.

9. Take the dough in small balls (the size of a lemon) and roll it out in circles.

10. Add a spoon of filling on one half of the rolled out circle.

11. Fold it in the middle and join the edge in a semi-circle.

12. You can fold the edge and shape it with your hand or press a fork and ensure the edge is completely sealed.

13. Get all the karanjis ready before deep frying them till golden brown in colour.



ALTERNATELY….



You can bake your karanjis in an oven at 180 degrees C for about 30 minutes or till they turn golden brown in colour.



I promise that you will have the yummiest Diwali!

Author Interview @ THE TALES PENSIEVE

I am thrilled to present one more author interview where I was featured. This time it was on a website called The Tales Pensieve . It is Rubina Ramesh that I have to thank for this one too.



Read on to find out more...



Writing Can Be A Bolt From The Blue, Proves Sundari Venkatraman



Sundari Venkatraman felt the happiness of being a published author when Indireads decided to publish her short novella Double Jeopardy . When I got this book for review I was ready for a quick read without much expectations. This small package made me sit up, bite my nails and hold my breath  and above all the oomph factor was something I would not have guessed in my wildest dream.



Two guys and one girl. Simple story, right? How would you eliminate the second hero? Kill him? Sacrifice his love? Well Sundari chose another path. Quite a bold path for such a sweet love story.





Sundari Venkatraman was born in Kumbakonam, a town in Tamil Nadu. She grew up in Chennai in a joint family consisting of her parents, four sisters, grandparents, her uncle, aunt and their three children. Life was irresponsible and wonderful in those days. She learned the Queen’s language at her Grandpa’s knee along with her sister Sujatha. After her arranged  marriage to Mr. Venkatraman, she moved to Mumbai. She was a housewife till her kids had not entered the middle school. That’s when she officially went to work outside the kitchen. Writing happened to her out of the blue and she was so glad about it. First came the novels, then short stories and later the blogs. She was so thrilled to be able to blog. The number of hits on her page and comments from readers intoxicates her like rare wine.



I got InKonversation with Sundari Venkatraman about Arth, Sanya and Ansh. Meet Sundari Venkatraman:



Hi Sundari. Thanks for agreeing to this interview. I have read your book, Double Jeopardy and must say it has been quite a shock. Nice way to eliminate the competition. Can you tell us something about your book?



Hi Rubina, I should thank you for this interview. While my intention was not to shock, I am glad that my book ‘Double Jeopardy’ made a strong impact on you. If that will eliminate competition, then I must say I am glad.



Double Jeopardy is about Sanya’s journey into womanhood. She travels all the way from London to Mumbai to meet Arth Sharma, her childhood sweetheart. She is repeatedly thrown in the company of Ansh, Arth’s twin brother. Sparks fly as she is physically attracted to him. While Sanya refuses to let go of her childhood dreams, she is forcibly drawn to Ansh. Read the full story to find out who she lands up with.



Click Here to read the complete interview on The Tales Pensieve.