There was a time when I watched television no matter what was aired .... and my parents kept asking me to switch it off ... not because they objected me seeing what was aired, but because I saw it too much. These days the parents have to really be careful and screen the programs very carefully, before allowing the kids to watch television. (especially if they are of old school of thoughts like me)
Not getting into the debate of what is reasonable television time or what should kids be allowed to watch, let me recollect what I watched as a kid and now. (who knows I may forget the programs I watch now as they are not so etched into my memory as the ones I watched growing up)
During my school days: (pre-teen)
* Nukkad - Monday
* Buniyaad (tuesday / saturday)
* Khandaan (I did not follow this one keenly - wednesday)
* Satyajit Ray presents (thursday)
* Yeh jo hai Zindagi (friday)
* Quiz time (Siddartha Basu / Kavitha) (sunday)
* Giant Robert (thursday)
* Munnota (sunday)
* Sutta Mutta (sunday / monday)
* World of sport(sunday)
* Vikram aur Betaal (sunday)
* Dada Dadi ki kahaniyaan (sunday)
* Kachchi Dhoop (sunday)
* He-Man (sunday)
* Hum panchi ek daal ke (sunday)
* Chitrahaar (wednesday)
* Show Theme (saturday)
* DD's comedy show (saturday)
* Subah (wednesay)
* Trishna (sunday ??? - more like Pride and Prejudice)
* Chunauti (saturday)
* UGC programs
* Namma Nammalli
Some programs during my teens
* Neev (sunday)
* Indradhanush (sunday)
* Sanskrit news (sunday)
* Ramayan (sunday)
* Mahabharat (sunday)
* Chikka Chikki (sunday)
* Nirmaleya Saakshi (tuesday ???)
* Kashish (wednesday)
* Flop show
* Alpha Plus (quiz program)
* Sword of Tipu Sultan (what a master piece of music this one had when during the titles)
* Jungle Book
* Swabhimaan
All the above programs were televised on Doordarshan
Some of the programs I watched on cable TV were
* Sa re ga ma (TVS - Sonu Nigam)
* Close up Antakshari (occasionally)
* Henna (only couple of episodes)
* Saaya (only couple of episodes)
* Saans (Neena Gupta serial)
And what do I watch now ... actually nothing really is very interesting, but I watch
* Survivor series (people can be so manipulative ... really !!)
* ...
As can be seen, my interest with TV drastically reduced with time.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Some things money can't buy ...
And one of them is "Mother's love" towards her kids. Whether it is me trying to do my best for my kids or my mother taking the best care for me for the past 4 months or my grandma asking if my mother was doing ok amidst her own grief when grandpa passed away.
So I have been pampered lot for the past 4+ months since my mother came to our house. That was May 11th 2008 ... she arrived around 1:00 pm. That was just few days before my second daughter was expected. According to earlier plans our second daughter was expected on 13th May ... but plans changed and so the little one arrived 20th May. Amma took over the kitchen responsibilities from 12th May itself. She made various dishes like Bisi Bele Bhath, Veg Pulao, Halbai, Obbattu, Dahi vada etc before the little one arrived. My first daughter bonded with her from the first day of arrival and stuck with her the entire day ... save for the time her dad was home. For the first 2 months, I hardly went out of the house, expect for doctor visits. Started going out only from last week of July after visiting the temple.
Since August though it has been very busy weekends and I have not had amma's precious company for most weekends. Aug 16th my sister performed Sathyanarayana Pooja, Aug 23rd was Gokulashtami at sister's place, Aug 30th we went on vacation to southern california, Sep 6th was Ganesha Mangalarthi at sister's place, Sep 11 - 14th was planned baby shower (which had to be cancelled). So its been very long since amma has spent the weekend in our house :(
Yesterday after dinner at a nice chat place, we dropped her off at sister's place. Sister is expecting baby next month and amma is there to lend her emotional and physical support.
Even after a stranous stay at our place, she is all excited and geared by for helping sister. "Mother's love is truly GODLY"
So I have been pampered lot for the past 4+ months since my mother came to our house. That was May 11th 2008 ... she arrived around 1:00 pm. That was just few days before my second daughter was expected. According to earlier plans our second daughter was expected on 13th May ... but plans changed and so the little one arrived 20th May. Amma took over the kitchen responsibilities from 12th May itself. She made various dishes like Bisi Bele Bhath, Veg Pulao, Halbai, Obbattu, Dahi vada etc before the little one arrived. My first daughter bonded with her from the first day of arrival and stuck with her the entire day ... save for the time her dad was home. For the first 2 months, I hardly went out of the house, expect for doctor visits. Started going out only from last week of July after visiting the temple.
Since August though it has been very busy weekends and I have not had amma's precious company for most weekends. Aug 16th my sister performed Sathyanarayana Pooja, Aug 23rd was Gokulashtami at sister's place, Aug 30th we went on vacation to southern california, Sep 6th was Ganesha Mangalarthi at sister's place, Sep 11 - 14th was planned baby shower (which had to be cancelled). So its been very long since amma has spent the weekend in our house :(
Yesterday after dinner at a nice chat place, we dropped her off at sister's place. Sister is expecting baby next month and amma is there to lend her emotional and physical support.
Even after a stranous stay at our place, she is all excited and geared by for helping sister. "Mother's love is truly GODLY"
Friday, September 26, 2008
time flying
Its already 15 days since ajja (grandpa) passed away and I am still not completely convinced its true.
Its so hard to accept these facts when you are miles away.
The reality will hit hard when the next time
* I face ajji (grandma)
* I will see empty ajja's house
* I will NOT see ajja at the gate of his house (the house we spent many many summer vacations) waiting for us
* I will NOT see ajja when everyone else including my dad, uncles and cousins will be watching a cricket match.
* I will NOT give those raisin packets to anyone
* I will NOT hear him call out my name ever so fondly asking me to "Make enough Money and come back home".
Ajja, No matter where I live,
everytime I see raisin packets, I will think of you.
For every penny saved, I will remember you
For every cricket match watched your comments and presence will be missed
everytime I narrate a story to my daughter, you will be my inspiration
You were truly the best ajja !!!
Its so hard to accept these facts when you are miles away.
The reality will hit hard when the next time
* I face ajji (grandma)
* I will see empty ajja's house
* I will NOT see ajja at the gate of his house (the house we spent many many summer vacations) waiting for us
* I will NOT see ajja when everyone else including my dad, uncles and cousins will be watching a cricket match.
* I will NOT give those raisin packets to anyone
* I will NOT hear him call out my name ever so fondly asking me to "Make enough Money and come back home".
Ajja, No matter where I live,
everytime I see raisin packets, I will think of you.
For every penny saved, I will remember you
For every cricket match watched your comments and presence will be missed
everytime I narrate a story to my daughter, you will be my inspiration
You were truly the best ajja !!!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sep 11 - Fateful day
Sep 12 was going to be a very special day ... amma and I had been planning for this day for almost 3 months now. We had reviewed, re-reviewed and reviewed some more the Hindu calendar ("Panchanga") before narrowing this day. This day was chosen for my sister's first baby shower. So excited was my mother about this event, that she enthusiastically volunteered to cook for the expected 80 odd guests. Sheer pleasure of cooking for my sister's baby and to save sister / BIL some bucks was her reasoning for volunteering.
We had made several lists ... one for the menu, one for grocery, one for fruits, one for items to be carried to the rental hall, one for items to be carried from my house to sister's place, guests list, decorative items list, gifts list (gifts she has brought from India to my sister and her baby).
Everything seem to go as expected ... we bought the grocery / veggies on wednesday. Thursday, sep 11th, amma got up early, finished her daily chores by 9:00am. I grated / cut the veggies with the food processor. By 12:00 noon, Carrot Halwa, Mysore Pak (sweet), Hunase gojju (for Puliyogare) was ready. We soon packed stuff and shifted them to the car. The plan was to go to sister's place and complete the rest stuff there.... afterall she wanted to be part of all the excitement.
And so we reached sister's place around 1:30pm. After initial chat, and some rest we got to business again. Now all three (mom, sister and me) were packing the return gift bags. The "Puri Unde" for the event was ordered from India. We packed Puri Unde,(sweet) Blouse piece, Silver item (again from India), "Hurgalu" (spiced lentils). We were almost done with our packing ... perhaps there were 3-4 more packets to be done when the phone rang. I picked the phone ... caller id said "Out of Area" ... my sister asked me to ignore it dismissing it as a junk call. Something told me it wasn't a junk call ... but I kept quiet. Within a minute or so my mobile rang.
It was from my hubby .... he asked "Aren't you home?" I got rather irritated ... afterall I had told him, I was coming to sister's place ... how could he forget that? He continued "Got a call from India ... your ajja (grandpa) is sick" he said. My heart sank ... I looked at the clock ... it showed 4:20pm (which is 4:50am India time). My heart sank even more .... no one would call from India at such odd hours if it is not a serious problem. I shared the news with amma and sister. We immediately called daddy's cell phone. Daddy mentioned that my ajja's (amma's dad) health condition was serious and that he had been admitted to Apollo hospital. I refused to believe what I was listening to. Daddy handed over the phone to one of my uncles. Uncle V said "Ajja's condition is deteriorating by the second. He is counting is last few breadths". Now tears were flowing uncontrolably. We talked to my other uncle M, who was so shaken by the sudden turn of events around him. After talking to him for few minutes, we disconnected the call. Now amma, sister and me were in a state of extreme shock. Only 4 days back had we spoken to ajja and ajji. They were just healthy then. Just then the phone rang. Cousin S had called and she mentioned that ajja had passed away.
All of us were just going mad .... we didn't know what to do. My sister who is 8 months pregnant now sank on the sofa and started crying so badly that I really didn't know what I should be doing. We tried to calm her, forced her to take a couple of deep breaths, drink some water.(her BP seem to raise). The entire evening was spent on phone calls to friends and family. For the first time in many years, I felt helpless. I was reminded of the distance separating India and US every second. My mother who had spent all her life staying in the same city as my grandparents felt miserable not being there by grandpa's bedside at this time.
Without much debate, we cancelled the next day's baby shower.
The day which started on such a high note ended at a very very dull note.
Miss you ajja .... words just cannot express how I feel at this time.
We had made several lists ... one for the menu, one for grocery, one for fruits, one for items to be carried to the rental hall, one for items to be carried from my house to sister's place, guests list, decorative items list, gifts list (gifts she has brought from India to my sister and her baby).
Everything seem to go as expected ... we bought the grocery / veggies on wednesday. Thursday, sep 11th, amma got up early, finished her daily chores by 9:00am. I grated / cut the veggies with the food processor. By 12:00 noon, Carrot Halwa, Mysore Pak (sweet), Hunase gojju (for Puliyogare) was ready. We soon packed stuff and shifted them to the car. The plan was to go to sister's place and complete the rest stuff there.... afterall she wanted to be part of all the excitement.
And so we reached sister's place around 1:30pm. After initial chat, and some rest we got to business again. Now all three (mom, sister and me) were packing the return gift bags. The "Puri Unde" for the event was ordered from India. We packed Puri Unde,(sweet) Blouse piece, Silver item (again from India), "Hurgalu" (spiced lentils). We were almost done with our packing ... perhaps there were 3-4 more packets to be done when the phone rang. I picked the phone ... caller id said "Out of Area" ... my sister asked me to ignore it dismissing it as a junk call. Something told me it wasn't a junk call ... but I kept quiet. Within a minute or so my mobile rang.
It was from my hubby .... he asked "Aren't you home?" I got rather irritated ... afterall I had told him, I was coming to sister's place ... how could he forget that? He continued "Got a call from India ... your ajja (grandpa) is sick" he said. My heart sank ... I looked at the clock ... it showed 4:20pm (which is 4:50am India time). My heart sank even more .... no one would call from India at such odd hours if it is not a serious problem. I shared the news with amma and sister. We immediately called daddy's cell phone. Daddy mentioned that my ajja's (amma's dad) health condition was serious and that he had been admitted to Apollo hospital. I refused to believe what I was listening to. Daddy handed over the phone to one of my uncles. Uncle V said "Ajja's condition is deteriorating by the second. He is counting is last few breadths". Now tears were flowing uncontrolably. We talked to my other uncle M, who was so shaken by the sudden turn of events around him. After talking to him for few minutes, we disconnected the call. Now amma, sister and me were in a state of extreme shock. Only 4 days back had we spoken to ajja and ajji. They were just healthy then. Just then the phone rang. Cousin S had called and she mentioned that ajja had passed away.
All of us were just going mad .... we didn't know what to do. My sister who is 8 months pregnant now sank on the sofa and started crying so badly that I really didn't know what I should be doing. We tried to calm her, forced her to take a couple of deep breaths, drink some water.(her BP seem to raise). The entire evening was spent on phone calls to friends and family. For the first time in many years, I felt helpless. I was reminded of the distance separating India and US every second. My mother who had spent all her life staying in the same city as my grandparents felt miserable not being there by grandpa's bedside at this time.
Without much debate, we cancelled the next day's baby shower.
The day which started on such a high note ended at a very very dull note.
Miss you ajja .... words just cannot express how I feel at this time.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Ganesha Chaturthi
This year Ganesha Chaturthi was celebrated with so much enthusiam. This inspite of us coming back from our vacation to Los Angeles and San Diego just the previous day. Thanks to my mother, everything was so well done ... it didn't seem like we had just arrived from our summer vacation.
The reason for this post, to detail out the menu
Gowri Habba:
* Saaru
* Anna
* Bisi Bele Bhath
* Raitha
* Carrot Palya
* Mosaranna
* Bele Obbattu
Ganesha Habba
* Gasa Gase Payasa
* Saaru
* Beans Palya
* Karida Kadubu
* Kola Katte
* Chatni
* Hagala Kayi Gojju
* Mosaranna
Our house Charpu : Ganesha Mangalarthi was on 5th 2008
* Chikki
* Cocoa Benne Biscuit
* Huliyavalakki
* Fruit Salad served at home for guests
* Mixture (Karida Avalakki)
* Banana
* Orange
Sister's house Charpu:
* Chakkali
* Huliyavalakki
* Shalya Anna
* Ribbon Pakoda
* Gasa Gase payasa (served at home for the guests)
* Rave Laddu
* Banana
* Orange
Thank you Amma ... I knew you were totally exhausted at the end of the week ... but your efforts are truly appreciated.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Divine Concert
Last Sunday Sep 7th 2008, I had the lucky opportunity of attending the divine concert of Violin Maestro Duo Mysore Nagaraj and Dr. Mysore Manjunath. The vidwans entertained the crowd with kritis after kritis. Both their individual styles was unique... Vidwan Nagaraj's music was extremely melodious while Dr. Manjunath's music was filled with calculated swaras.
The concert started off with Varna in Natakuranji. This was followed by kritis in Shanmukhapriya, ShankaraBharana, Raagamaalika, Suddha Dhanyasi to name a few and the concert concluded with Tillana in Hamsanandi. While all the kritis were simply superb, the Raagamaalika was just out of this world. I was so spellbound that it just brought tears of joy in me. All in all it was an out of the world experience for me.
It had been almost 8 years since I attended a live concert. I must say sunday's experience was totally humbling.
The concert started off with Varna in Natakuranji. This was followed by kritis in Shanmukhapriya, ShankaraBharana, Raagamaalika, Suddha Dhanyasi to name a few and the concert concluded with Tillana in Hamsanandi. While all the kritis were simply superb, the Raagamaalika was just out of this world. I was so spellbound that it just brought tears of joy in me. All in all it was an out of the world experience for me.
It had been almost 8 years since I attended a live concert. I must say sunday's experience was totally humbling.
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