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23/06/201115/04/2017

In the boatyard

This week’s theme for the Thursday Challenge :
WOODEN (Ship, House, Furniture, Carpentry Tools, Trees,…)

Fished out these pictures of boats. On our way back from the Somnath Temple we crossed this ‘boatyard’ (for want of a better word) where huge boats were under construction. The place I think was Valsad, Gujarat.

Love the tiny cabin like thing on the deck.

The men were using lanterns during the day

Got the chintus to stand here to get an idea of the size of the boats.
Aren’t they just huge?.. the boats of course.

22/06/201107/06/2017

Pride comes before a fall

Another birthday invitation…
Another round of excitement (for the kids)
another round of worries (for me)… followed by
another round of brainwashing.. don’t poke your fingers in the cake, don’t fight over balloons, DON’T ASK FOR RETURN GIFTS… and
another round of bribery.. you get a star if you behave.. you get a gift if you do not ask for the return gift.

For once this time round N forgot about chaniya cholis (Maybe she really IS growing up) and dressing them up was fun.. no arguments, no fights, no tears. We were done in ten minutes flat and the kids were duly deposited with the gift and a handmade card for the birthday girl.

I’m still not used to the whole idea of letting them be and so sat expecting a call from the hostess, which never came. (They are certainly growing up) When the call finally came it was only to ask me to pick them up.

When I went there the hostess handed me a gift saying, “Please take this, H is refusing to accept the return gift.” Just as I was begining to puff up with pride H piped up, “Mama I didn’t take the gift, now can you get me one like you promised?”

Time to shush them and go home!

20/06/201115/04/2017

The boy who made me cry

I’m not really good with reviews but sometimes along comes a book that makes me want to talk about it, read about it and so.. write about it, which is why The Boy in Striped Pajamas by John Boyne found it’s way here.

Set during the WW II the book came out in 2006 and apparently was also made into a film. It tells the story of eight-year-old Bruno, son of a ‘commandant’ in Hitler’s regime. When his family moves from Berlin to Auschwitz Bruno’s world falls apart. Involved in his own life Bruno has no idea what ‘Out-With’ actually is. He is however intrigued by the tall wire fence that surrounds his new home and the people in identical striped pajamas, who live across it and who he can see from his window. The friendless Bruno finally befriends another boy from across the fence. Their friendship grows till one day the boy invites him to explore his world. That’s when the book takes a horrific and sad turn.

The book is written from the perspective of Bruno and you can’t but smile at his innocence. He leaves you to deduce who The Fury (Fuhrer) is and what Out-With is. He has no idea what ‘Jews’ are or even of his own father’s role.

He offers no cruel descriptions of soldier atrocities nor gory tales of Gas chambers. Yet the horror and desperation of the War comes across palpably through the rare instances he witnesses or is part of. And the end is heart-rending.

Phew… that was some book… right up there with my favourites like ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time’. And now I’m moving onto something really light and fluffy… The Twilight Series… definitely teenage stuff, pretty juvenile but what the heck.. I need a break.

Talking of my juvenile side .. what’s up with pottermore.com ? Come 23rd June and JK Rowling has an announcement to make. Here’s hoping she comes out with some more HP books.

16/06/201115/04/2017

Orange Seas

Taking up the Thursday Challenge after a long time.
This week’s theme..”LIQUID” (Splashes, Pouring, Dripping, Waves, Wet,…)

14/06/201115/04/2017

Lucknow’s Big Tuesday

“Click”.. the light went on. I squinted at the clock.. 4am. “Just papa,” mumbled I to myself and turned over to catch another 4 hours (at least) of sleep. Well it was Lucknow and I was on vacation.

While waking up at four is my father’s routine.. today was special. The noise level was half a decibel higher as he bathed and readied. Though not a very religious person (he leaves that for the mother), today he will make it to the Hanuman temple before the crowd kicks in. It is ‘Bada Mangal’.

Later in the day I stepped out for a mall-date with my SIL and I was in for a surprise. I had forgotten how Lucknow comes to life on this day. Bada Mangal in Lucknow is a bada deal. If Pune has Ganapati, Lucknow has Bada Mangal. Four Tuesdays of the Jyeshtha month are ‘special’ Lord Hanuman days… that much I knew but I had forgotten the festivities.

First, the food is to die for
The celebrations are something to watch out for. They spill out onto the roads. Bhajans drift on the air from temples big and small. Streets are dotted with pandals every few meters with people distributing the yummiest of foods. We stopped to click some pictures were promptly handed a dona of aloo puri.. hot off the kadhai. Had I been a food writer I would have done better justice to writing about that aloo puri.. all I can say is..eat it to believe it.
There was halwa for dessert and rose sherbet to wash it down with.

No one goes hungry on Bada Mangal

Wish I had a better picture.. the puris are actually being made here

If you’ve been anywhere near Lucknow during the summer you’ll know what a blessing a simple water stall is

According to the Times some even served chowmein while some offered orange squash instead of the traditional rose or khus sherbet. Moving with the times.. eh? But seriously, no one goes hungry on Bada Mangal. Young boys take along carry bags and the organisers gladly filled those up to.

The mela

And there’s more. Roads leading to the main Aliganj temple for kilometers on each side are taken over by stalls selling everything from toys and trinkets to ceramic ware and cutlery. Banglesellers, mehendi wallahs, idol makers, tattoo men line the roads. The crowds are unbelievable. I wish I could have taken the kids but I don’t think I could have handled them with all those goodies on display. Maybe when they’re older..

The story
The Bada Mangal has an interesting story to go with it. Actually there are more than one stories but this one’s my favourite. Apparently the Nawab of Awadh, Shuja Ud Daulah’s wife, Aliya Begum had a dream. Lord Hanuman appeared to her and asked her to build him a temple. When she woke up she directed the Nawab to the site in her dream. The site was excavated and a Hanuman idol was found. The Nawab put in on an elephant to transport it back to his palace. However after a few steps the elephant refused to move and that’s where the temple was built.. that’s the Aliganj temple of Lucknow. Celebrations end today with the concluding Tuesday of the Jyeshtha month.

You know what the most interesting part of the story is? The Aliganj temple has a crescent right over its dome. How’s that for Hindu-Muslim unity?
What’s more, most abattoirs are shut on these Tuesdays and Mutton/Chicken sales hit an all time low. Many Muslims too take up the task of setting up water stalls on Bada Mangal. This really is what Lucknow is all about… what it is famous for — its Ganga Jamuni tehzeeb.

Didn’t I say Lucknow was the best.