Dinner from Coorg, with love!

Dinner is that time of the day when everyone in the family congregates at one place, sharing bits and pieces of one’s day, recounting interesting experiences that one might have had the chance to live through. Most importantly, it is that that time of the day when you have a meal full of love in the  comforting company of one another. It is that time of the day that I sincerely look forward when I can let my hair down, be off guard and share a laugh or two. I look forward to it even more when I know that dinner on a particular day is going to be a traditional fare - one from my native, Coorg.

I can fill stacks and stacks of pages describing the wonder that Coorg is! But a small note here - Coorg is a beautiful place, a piece of heaven on Earth – tucked away in southern Karnataka. With river Cauvery running through the heartland, it is a fertile ground for coffee, pepper, oranges and coconut. One can also find bamboo shoots, mushrooms, mango trees, jackfruit trees flourishing gloriously under the bright yellow Sun of the coffee estates. Famous for its warrior men and hockey players, we have a distinct identity and a unique culture of our own – one that every Coorg is fiercely proud of. We speak Kodava thak, celebrate festivals such as puthari, kailpoldh, wear the kupya chale and kodavathi podiya, adorn ourselves with the peeche Kathi, Pathak,jomale and most importantly have our own cuisine.

And today’s dinner was special for it comprised of Coorg cuisine, that any true blue Coorg would relish. The spread consisted of delicacies prepared and sent all the way from Coorg  by my aunt M. We had otti(pancakes made of rice), baimbale curry(a curry made of bamboo shoots), maange curry(mango curry) and kaake thoppu(a variety of spinach indigenously found only in parts of Coorg). Otti, (my mother’s area of culinary specialisation, she makes the best Ottis ever!) were crisp and hot. The rest of the dishes were sent by my aunt.

When you eat a small piece of the otti mixed with piping hot baimbale curry with a generous dollop of ghee, you are immediately transported to heaven. As if that is not enough, you see that there is maange curry and kaake thoppu waiting silently to be devoured. So you have another bite of otti with the maange curry and then one more with kaake thoppu! Spoilt for choice, I think as I find it difficult to zero in one of three items that I prefer better than the other two. Soon I give up and have all three items, together- to the accompaniment of otti and thoroughly enjoy myself. Mindfulness (that I usually try hard to practice) came easily to me this time round!! For the food is utterly delicious, lipsmacking!

But the icing on the cake was to come a little later. ‘What’s for dessert?’I ask. ‘Kooleputtu’ my mother replies with a smile. Kooleputtu is a steamed preparation made from fresh jackfruit wrapped in banana leaves! Although it has travelled all the way from Coorg, a little bit of heating restores the same freshness with which it is prepared. What better way than to end a traditional meal with a traditional dessert!

 Otti, baimbale curry, maange curry and thoppu

Kooleputtu wrapped

Kooleputtu unwrapped

P.S:Today night, I will go to bed dreaming of the petrichor, the bamboo pickle and my childhood!

What makes a seminar interesting?

What do people do in a seminar? The audience-  If the topic does not interest them, they yawn, chat with each other over the phone(I mean WhatsApp), drink water to avoid sleep from getting to them, talk to one another, check their facebook account – everything would be inversely proportional to their interest in the subject. The teacher – on the other hand would try to engage the attention of the audience by trying to find a talking point (in case she feels that the subject matter is happily traversing overhead), or ask questions in between, or try to finish the lackadaisical parts soon enough and dwell more on the interesting topics.

I have been part of numerous seminars – initially as an eager student and more recently as a lecturer (much to my happiness). So, I do know a thing or two about what a makes a seminar interesting and what makes it drawn and pedantic.

Firstly, the subject matter should of interest to the lecturer. If the lecturer is a master in his chosen field of subject, he would know when to quote interesting examples from his interesting stock of examples, when to change tack based on the pulse of the audience. He would go to great heights to make topic interesting, palatable and accessible to even a distant and hostile audience. On the other hand, the opposite would happen if the lecturer does not evince interest, but takes it as a chore, a compulsion.

Secondly, the interest, orientation, experience, aptitude, attitude of the audience also matters. I had the opportunity to teach different sections of the society about two topics. And the response for the same class i.e with more or less the same content, from each section of the audience has been remarkably different based on their inherent capabilities/interest.

At the end of the day, what matters is that the trainer should try to master her subject and give each opportunity her best not only to enrich her knowledge of the subject, get her facts right as far as possible, but also make an sense endeavour to make the session as with and as engaging as possible.

And for the audience, to try and listen as far as possible with really attention, for after all the trainer has put in a lot of effort to be a master of the subject, and to get the same amount of knowledge through self effort, one might have to work doubly hard.

A keen interest and the attitude of sincere commitment to make the best use of time from both sides would result in a win-win situation for all stakeholders concerned. What say?

PS: If you want to master a subject, teach it!

Late night writing!

A long, tiring day at work today. Thinking about what to write for today’s post before I hit the sack. Well, yes, writing to me is this important. I have to write my daily quota of lines, otherwise the day, I consider, is not all that well spent!

It is like your daily share of that favourite TV show that you just can’t miss, or that comfort snack that you have got to gobble down! Writing to me is cathartic, it is something that infuses energy in me, instantly! Oh and by the way, I realised that just now, because I no longer feel as exhausted as I felt awhile ago.

A walk in the woods, a conversation with a dear one, meditation – they all do the trick – rejuvenate the mind. And now I discover that writing does that too. The joy of seeing the lines writing themselves out, like they were always there waiting, silently,patiently, waiting for you to discover them- is nothing short of a miracle, if you ask me. And one more discovery (-a pleasant one),  I am no longer wondering about what to write for today’s post. It’s already written itself out, if you know what I mean. And what's more you have now read it too. And with that I sign off!

Rain

A short poem for today's post:

The lightening streaked sky gives way to rain
Dark, heavy, wet and grey
People park their scooters and run to the bus shelter

Drenched to their bones, shivering in the cold.

The thunder roars angrily,
  A
     G
        A
      I
  N
And we gape at each other’s surprised faces
How could we miss this message-
Mighty LOUD and crystal clear!

Not your day? Fret not and read on.

Have you ever felt like you wanted to do a lot more than you are doing, but somehow one thing or the other stops you from making a progress? A phonecall that takes forever, meeting a colleague and the conversation stretching to more time than you thought it should or an unexpected visitor who drops by and doesn’t realise that you have a thousand things at the back of your mind.

You desperately try to get out of the this-is-going-nowhere groove and get back to your routine. I say routine, because I have a routine for each day. If you donot have a 'routine’, replace ‘routine’ with ‘important task'! Things are not working out and your are just not able to achieve what you set out to do. Heavens know today is not your day. So, what do you do? Are you going to let things slip, just like that?

Here's what I do on such days:

1) Try to look for the slightest opportunity to find the route through the escape door without sounding rude. And once you find it, grab it. With both hands.

2) And once you have done that, try to get back to your schedule as quickly as possible.

3) If you schedule your activity in neat time slots, let the activities whose time slots have elapsed, pass by without regret or guilt. After all it was not your fault that you were tied up. Go ahead with what activities scheduled for the reminder of the time.

4) Alternatively, cut short the time allotted for all the activities that have been slotted. This way you get to do a little of everything and none of the activities will go unattended. For example, if you had to do yoga, meditation,read the newspaper and fill your journal within the first two hours of your morning, but some unforeseen circumstances ate into one hour of your time, you can either forego the first two activities or go ahead with all the activities for a reduced time slot of fifteen minutes instead of the original thirty minutes.

5) The most important aspect in the entire exercise would be to avoid frustration and maintain calm. For there is no greater asset other than a cool mind. For, stress isn't going to get you anywhere or anything accomplished for that matter.

6) Most importantly, like I've discussed in an earlier post, breathe. Breathe. As often as possible. As much as possible.

Do you have any other tricks or hacks to deal with such situations? Please do share it in the comments section.

Kindling a fire

I have had this conversation about motivation with many people before. Motivation is absolutely intrinsic to a meaningful life. When life gets dreary and monotonous, a single spark of inspiration is sufficient to kindle a burning fire to accomplish something new, something different, something that can bring about a change not just in our lives, but in the life of everybody else . 

The source of motivation is different for different people. Motivation for me comes from varied avenues. Mostly, it is by reading inspiring words of great authors and thinkers. It arrives when I watch motivational videos of the world's greatest achievers. It strikes when I am reading accounts of people who have left an indelible mark in their chosen fields. 

One poem that has never failed not to motivate me is the poem 'If' by Rudyard Kipling, that I go back to again and again and yet again, whenever I need my dose of motivation.

Reproducing it here:

If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

    But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

    And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

    If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

So, tell me, what is your source of motivation?

The joy of living

What brings joy to you? Is happiness a fleeting moment in a day full of chaos, fatigue and non-chalance?  Pretty heavy questions aren’t they!

I can say that my quest for happiness has led me to believe that happiness from external stimuli is transient. The moment the stimuli disappears, the resultant happiness disappears along with it. You buy that new jacket that you look so good in, people compliment you(rather the jacket). After a few months when the jacket has lost its sheen, or worse still, when you lose it someplace, you are no longer happy.

You buy a new house and love every inch of it. You protect the house, the paint, the light fittings, the fixture, the fabulous teak bay window, from the smallest scratch possible. One fine day, you have to move out, because you are moving to a new city and happiness goes caput! Happiness from the best accessories, the greatest of achievements, the best relationships – are all fleeting. They may last awhile – a few years, a few decades maybe. But at the end of the day, external happiness is what it is – temporary!

But internal happiness on the other hand, the one that comes from within, the one that is not ephemeral, the one that will stick with us even when the going gets rough- is remarkably different! The key to internal happiness lies in our mind.

So control your mind, programme it to be happy and you are done! Happiness is yours for the taking!Sounds easy? On the contrary,it is probably the most difficult thing attempted by man. The great warrior Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita says that controlling the mind is impossible and Lord Krishna concurs when he says, that taming the mind is akin to taming the wind.

Every time I find my mind thinking undesirable thoughts – fear, anger and so on, I try to stop the thought process on its tracks. How do you stop thinking a certain thought? By watching the mind. By detaching from it. The mind loathes being watched. Go on, try it! Watch your mind carefully and suddenly you find that thoughts no longer make a beeline into that cramped up cerebral space like they always do! 

Another easy technique that I follow is to take a moment and watch my breath. Watch your breath -as you inhale and exhale. Concentrate on the breath as you inhale and the stomach rises. Concentrate on your breath as you exhale and the stomach falls. Repeat this process five times.You will find that the thought has broken free from the rut. You are free to think something nice and happy- afresh. Resort to this process whenever you feel dejected, angry or even afraid. Repeat as often as you can, as frequently as possible and you will notice a remarkable change in your attitude, in your feelings. You will find a general sense of well-being taking over. 

You will also find then that happiness need not necessarily be a destination at the end of the road. It can be a beautiful jouney.

Here’s wishing everyone true, lasting happiness. Always.

That elusive Eureka moment!

Everytime I read anything that appeals to me - a good sentence, a new idea or even an interesting word, I make it a point to jot it down - something that my father has always advised me to do. When you look back at this collection, it will invariably spark a sense of joy in you, he always says. 

Just like time and opportunities, many an interesting thing - be it spur of inspiration, an anecdote or a-life-changing-world-changing idea - gets lost out in the milieu, and forever, if one does not take the pain to actually write it down.

The other day, as I was scrolling through WhatsApp status messages, i found that one of my contacts had put up an interesting status message. It was about not discussing your goals with anybody, but just going ahead and doing it. Throughout the day, I reminded myself to write it out, but never got around to actually doing it. Talk about procrastination! And like all status messages, it had disappeared the next day. Yes, the essence of the message has stuck in my mind. But the sentence has disappeared. Despite scouring through the results that were thrown up as I typed out various permutations of words to that effect on the Google search bar, the beautiful sentence, was lost to me.

The significance of putting down ideas, ( I mean the Eureka moments here!) on paper is even greater. For the idea is yours. It has occurred to you and you alone. From either the depths of your being or from the heights of imagination! Either way, no amount of ‘googling’ your brain can help you find it, if it is gone. Of course, in some very cases the sentence/work may deign to reappear. But, by experience I can say that such things happen only in the rarest of rare cases. I remember reading an editorial in one of the national dailies recently, where the author had a brilliant idea but couldn’t write it down because he was in the shower, and one thing led to another and the idea deserted him completely. Many famous authors are known to get their ideas at bizzare hours like three in the morning and they immediately rush to capture them. Elizabeth Gilbert, in one of her TED Talks, even speaks about catching hold of an idea ‘by the tail’ and never letting it escape ! 

So, I always make it a point to carry a pen and a small notebook(not a mobile phone, because I am an old school, paper-and-pen kind of person!) around with me. What if something 'noteworthy', lurking round the corner catches me unawares! 

New beginnings

Here I am, writing this blog post, hoping that it will be the first of many,many other posts that will faithfully, nonetheless 'creatively' follow in due course of time!

Been meaning to pick up from where I left off, nearly a decade ago, but then I thought to myself why not start afresh! There is no better time to start than 'now' when your heart is set on something, and that something happens to be your passion.

So, here's to new beginnings!!