I was first addressed as mami by an elderly waiter at a restaurant in Mahabalipuram, two days after my marriage. I remember looking behind and around myself then, to find who the addressee was! Until I realised it was I. 🙂 I was tickled pink at my new promotion! It made my…
“The waning days of our lives are given over to treatments that addle our brains and sap our bodies for a sliver’s chance of benefit” – Atul Gawande. How true. It is sad that most are not able to accept that leaving things as they are, sometimes, is the best…
Live in the present is one oft-heard adage while prepare for a rainy day is yet another. Living in the past, however, is never recommended – in fact, it is mostly dissuaded. Events leading up from last month to today, however, have reinforced in me the fact that many of…
‘Housewife’ is a dirty word. God forbid you utter it to the inevitable “What do you do?” and one either gets a bemused look or an embarrassed shrug of the shoulders accompanied by a turning away to greener, more employed pastures. This happens all the time. A few years ago,…
I spent the first eight and a half years of my life in large homes. My family then moved, for two and a half years, to a small apartment in Madras, where a minimum of seven shared a single shower, sink and toilet. Then, we moved, once more to spacious…
Many commercially packed items in India come with expiry (or best before) dates these days which many of us look for assiduously. However, for some products, these dates don’t hold water at all. Many dry food (grains, lentils, flours, snacks, spices) packages look inflated – in fact, if you press…
This adai (South Indian unfermented savoury rice and lentil crepe) is a favourite of mine – more than the traditional one. I personally have seen only my mother make it – this is her exact recipe. Do write in with comments. 2 cups idli rice – soak for three to…
My mother is famous for her mysore paak (crispy dessert made of chickpea (gram) flour, ghee and sugar) – for her cooking in general, but her sweets and savouries are considered unparalleled. So good were they that professional cooks have stood in awe as she has explained how to get…
Stopping to think for a moment before passing comment is a real sign of maturity. As is NOT jumping to conclusions or passing judgment. But this is easier said than done. Most of us do it all the time, often without even realising it. As I grow older, I am…
On my walk today, I saw a neatly dressed woman ahead – with a store purchase tag dangling from the back. I should tell her, I thought. Then, I paused. Should I? Would she think I had nothing better to do than look at her? I recollected how I had…