Lalita Iyer

BATHUKAMMA. IN WORSHIP. The first and last time that I watched a Bathukamma festival was at Warangal. The largest Bathukamma had been awarded some kind of prize. After which I walked with the women to the lake where the flowers were merged with the water. Such gaeity, such piety, such colour and such glory. Women, when they are in their elements can do that to you. Bathukamma is all about women. The little cone of flowers represents the mother goddess, with all her seasonality, her herbaciousness, her curative powers and that it was collected from nature only to be given back to nature. For you see, when it mergeS with the water it purifiES it, adding medicinal qualities to it. While there is a lot of colour and women dress up to greet other women, this festival stems from a certain sadness. All the sons were killed in wartime and prayers were sent up to heaven and then one day a girl child was born. She was Bathukamma Or saviour. She is the healer, the curer, the protector, the nur...

NAVARATRI GOLU BOMMAIS When I was in school and slightly obedient, I'd obey Amma and help her with the arrangements for a colourful Golu. The boxes would descend from the closed shelves on top of the cupboards, dusted and all the safely packed mud statues, (mostly gods and goddesses) toys, an used electric motor would be unwrapped carefully and unnecessarily dusted. And I had to go perch them atop the shelves, which would be further rearranged by mother with discerning and artistic eye. After the shelves were arranged a separate, 'extra item' would be prepared. A temple with steps, with lights and a park beneath or a forest with wild animals, etc. We would have a water park, where a motor boat would noisily slice through the water. To be changed every day. And the awitching on and off of motor boat was my job, carried out with precision. Arrival of people and departure of the same, after the vettalai-pakku, tengai, payyam, with shundal in donai had been handed over. Aga...

MAAVADU, SEVAI AND EXCESS LUGGAGE I normally reach the airport at least with two hours to spare. Window shopping and sometimes just gawking at people is inspiring. I reached the Chennai airport with two hours to spare. When I kept the suitcase for weighing, it weighed 16.45 kgs and I was suitably shocked. Luckily a very young boy at the counter simply scolded me and said "next time please learn to pack less, maam" And added the luggage tag, looked at me disapprovingly and sent me off. I came away with a light heart and another heavy hand luggage. Incidentally I was carrying a slightly large kal chatti, some maavadu and sevai (cooked and steamed. We just have to add flavour). I was stopped at the security and the guy asked me what I was carrying. When in Chennai I tend to pick up things and these days all the major sweet shops are selling pudi khozakattai, amani khozakattai, sevai, etc. I told him I had such with some chutney. He strangely asked me if I was also carrying t...

Twenty EMOTIONAL ROUNDUP Murali and I returned to Hyderabad on the 23rd September. I wanted to round off this trip with some thoughts. This trip was full of emotions. Nature's bounty can do that to you. It is an overwhelming feeling. Ripe tomatoes to be plucked, grapes to be had just because they are hanging by the door, kiwis decorating the windows, flowers vying with one another to look more colourful. And this excessive beauty can stun you, even as you are in its midst. Yet, life goes on. Does excessive beauty in nature give the citizens living in its embrace a different attitude towards people in general? No. Would be my basic answer. Making a huge exception of Matina and Bruno and their families. Bruno's brother and their five children are moulded from a different cloth. There is an unique warmth and welcoming attitude in all of them and I shamelessly and guiltlessly give all credit to Matina Hammerlil. During one of our conversations she said "I was born a happy...

Nineteen CIAO BELLA �� We decided to call her Bella because she is truly beautiful. We travelled for 15 days for more than 2000 kms of good roads, with uphill tracks, hairpin bends. We were six of us in the car and a huge load of luggage. Not once did Bella groan, not once did she stall, neither did she give us a whiff of what a hippy could have done. She did not guzzle gas and did not ask for anything. She obeyed Bruno, who was at the wheel most of the time, while Matina drove a couple of times. Apparently this vehicle could hold up to 100 litres. She was a Volkswagen t4. She was built in the 1990 and similar vehicles like her were produced till 2003. Hopefully all of them were robust and sustainable. The person from whom the vehicle was bought is from Kosovo and 30 years back he was a pharmacist and drove a tractor. Once when he was in Switzerland, while on the road, he saw that an old man had fallen down and was bleeding. People were just passing him, not helping h...

Eighteen LONG TUNNELS AND SECRET RADIO STATION Switzerland welcomed us with the most gorgeous of scenes. Clouds descending upon mountains, a light mist covering our car, and sudden appearance of gorgeous houses perched atop mountains. Each scene prettier than the other. Meanwhile Akhila and Ravi had been keeping track of the tunnels we were crossing. They were 62 tunnels and the longest ride was in the Gottard tunnel, 17 kms long and the journey took about 13 minutes. This crosses from the North to the South. This and a few other tunnels are only passable during summer months. After the Gottard Road Tunnel, the Seelisberg Tunnel is Switzerland's second-longest road tunnel at about 9 kms or such. Each time one came out of the tunnel there was a breathtaking view. While Italy was a historic trip, I realised that in Switzerland enroute to Gontenshweil, we crossed an extremely historic small town of Beromünster, which has Switzerland's National AM Radio Station. Switzerland...

Seventeen AQUAMARINE SETTING AND HUGE LAKES Tuesday was our final evening in Italy and so us girls decided to go out for a little shopping. Akhila loves footwear and I did tell you that I had to drag her away from the place the previous day, but this day we stopped, browsed and bought two pairs and the lady was not paying much attention to us till she realised our keenness and then she told that these were hand mand by artisans out of Portofino leather. We then decided to have a coffee with a cookie and the three of us whiled our time, even as people walked about. Lovely. And we crossed the road and as would be our wont stopped at a jewellery store front where there was a set of aquamarine stones, beautifully set. Matina got a little interested since Bruno had gifted her a lovely ring of a similar colour the other day at Assisi. We dawdled and finally went inside to ask the price and the guy mentioned a number and Matina said she'd like Bruno to be with her. We returned to the ...

Sixteen A SPLASH OF RED WINE AND THE BEACH Travel on the highway is swift and speed is maintained. Rarely there are road repairs and we are stopped for a few minutes. You have to be watchful of these sudden stops. There are no big surprises of stray dogs, cows or for that matter someone simply strolling across the road. And much respect for the road maintenance. Matina, true planner and navigator that she is is constantly was always on the Google Map. And since we are going to the beach, she even got a web cam shot of an empty beach. She is much excited because she is the true water baby of the group. I hate water, unless it is mixed with a drink or I have to hydrate myself....what's with all this dancing in the rain and stuff, I always wonder. From Assisi we crossed the Umbrian region to enter Florence. The landscape changed with distant misty mountains. On the highway were plots growing firs, date palms, flowers and the housing was a bit more friendlier with them looking more...

Fifteen DID ST FRANCIS WALK THESE OLIVE GROVES? Did we see many good looking Italian men and women? They are known for their look, you know. We saw many Europeans, who we think were Italians on a holiday, for we were here on a weekend. The Italians by nature are loud and yes, most of them were loud and expressive. We saw a lot of children, noisy, yet obedient and comfortable to be playing by themselves. No mother or grandma followed them around with a spoonful of food. They were on their own, playing and sitting at a table, breaking bread with the family. And the little girls and the little boys are the best looking of 'em all. Sunday morning we left for the small pilgrimage of St Francesca's Bascillica. With a map in hand we set forth for this 1.5 kms (I think they miscalculated but no one is asking me). And promised to meet under a small distant tent for a drink. With that thought in mind we also started walking. Akhila and I stopped midway on seeing a steep climb with ...

Fourteen AUSTERITY AND FIG PASTRIES Matina had actually planned a four day trip to Rome, booked nice rooms and such. Akhila and Ravi had already been to Rome and after seeing a You Tube episode, I thought I knew it all, been there, done that. M was ambivalent and then decided that he could avoid it. And there was all this talk of long walks and minor thugging, so it was a no across the board, Bruno being the happiest. And that is why we landed at Assisi As per Wiki and more from what we saw, it is situated near the long, undulating hills of Umbria and the forests of Mount Subasio, and Assisi is one of the best preserved medieval towns in the world and one among the many captivating little towns of Italy. In fact everywhere and everything in Italy has a picture postcard-like charm, valuable art and historic buildings, and at Assisi the Basilica di San Francesco. Assisi is the birthplace of St Francis, one of the most celebrated figures in Christianity. Numerous churches in...

Thirteen JUICY TOMATOES AND ROMPING PUPS It rained intermittently in Siena. And outside our window there was a lot of talking and activity and lots of young people were laying down long tables, like for an exam. Later they covered it with plastic sheets, held down by these steel clips. Later after dinner we walked down to have gellato and then walked further to talk to the young men. They said they were having a beer festival along with music bands. Sounded exciting. So was the gellato and this time M and I had three scoops of different flavours. Everything was delicious. In the morning we packed and had brioche (slightly more denser than croissants and definitely sweeter) and a couple of our team took a taxi with the luggage to the parking lot. A few of us rode the escalators. Very exciting. Then back in the hippy van and back on the road to Assisi. We took the highway. Any landscape other than an urban one is extremely appealing and the deep ingrained alpha person wants to...

Twelve CROWDED PIAZZAS AND CARRE FOURE If you thought Indians were expressive..... You have to see the Europeans under the influence or when they are having a drink and dinner. Lots of hand waving, chattering and excitement. A whole lot of cyclists had come from several places and they were also cycling down to Sienna which is about 64 kns from Volterra. They packed up a large van. Some decided to cycle and some decided to ride the van. We had our breakfast of bread and butter (vegetarians only. The rest had cold cuts and boiled eggs). The coffee and tea was served in style. We then packed our van, giving me a feeling that we had more luggage than we brought. Considering we have drunk all the rum and practically have eaten all the pre mix food also. We drove and stopped at Colle de la delisa, a small little town, a little busy, a little touristy and so we parked our vehicle somewhere far and walked on small pavements, with cafes opening just then. The old men were gathering fo...

Eleven AMPITHEATRES AND ALABASTER It is only yesterday evening that we got to see the recently excavated ampi theatre of the city of Volterra, within its wall. By the way it is the smallest town in terms of population, housing about 10,000 residents. Although the amphitheater was first identified in the summer of 2015, more discoveries were made. Including the existence of a 15-foot walkway with a perfectly intact vaulted ceiling leading to the main entrance. Volterra, was in the running to be named Italy’s Culture Capital. Will have to find that out from Wiki. Volterra’s amphitheater could seat about 10,000 spectators. They sat on three tiers of stone bleacher seats facing the arena. According to Wiki, the amphitheater was built with panchina, a local stone that was also used to construct the city’s Roman theater, the Teatro Romano di Vallebuona, and ancient walls. Panchina is a very robust sandstone that has the peculiar characteristic of being easy t...

Ten NAIDU IN JAIL AND BULGHERI MEALS It gets chilly in the mornings. Akhila Ravi think athletic and they like to walk up and down, like today morning they went up into the old city, saw the valley in the daytime and expressed it in so many words, sent photos to their near and dear ones.... Sigh..... I got up 6 times and finally decided to step out, only to realise that coffee/tea was only after one hour. So walked around near the pool, took a couple of deep breaths, felt cleansed and then hung around waiting for bread. I tried the croissant today... It was flaky and delish. When they serve tea, they give you hot water in a dinky pot and a tea bag of your choice. I love to pour such tea. Today evening we are going to look at some shops. I am bracing myself for the walk and to say no to buying anything. Meanwhile keeping in touch with mana Indian news feeling bad about Chandrababu Naidu. The jail time might work in his favour if the vengeance is taken care of legally. It c...

Nine PINK OLEANDERS AND CAMPARI We Indians do not appreciate Indian hospitality. It is at a totally different level. Please do, for it is only when you come to foreign shores that you realise that though you are paying through your eye-teeth, hospitality here is redefined. For example, there are no glasses in the room, other than two plastic toothbrush glasses, one of those crushable kinds. There is potable water coming in the bathroom and so you need to use these glasses. We have tea bags, but there is no way of drinking tea in the room while looking out at the spectacular view. Well, you can't get it all. People are friendly and smile and greet one another, but apne Indian hotel ki baat hi kuch alag hai.... Sometimes in the time of multimedia, we are thrilled we got wi-fi. Though in our room at Voltera the wi-fi is very weak and the hotel reception kindly asked us to come and spend time there as often. Polite and informative. Waiters, both girls and boys are efficient, to th...

Eight A WEDDING AND A GELLATO I am tanning alright and maybe lost .001 grammes of weight. With all the mountain climbing I did and the way my thighs hurt, I thought I was en route to sleek legs and then came the cheese. And the bread loaded with olive oil. After the excellent cruise to Monterosso, a feast to the eyes, we returned to the room and the Indians decided to stay in and we had hot as in spicy Bisi Bele Bhat, thanks to MTR. A little Greek yoghurt from the super market soothed our collective nerves. There was a washing machine and there were clothes and there was a clothes drying system with a pulley, apparently known as a Pulleymaid. Oh, I have been wanting to use this since I saw a painting of a bunch of women looking out from their colourful, flower growing balconies, apron and caps on. They are all smiling and gossiping while their wash hangs across the street in this system. You hang on one line and pull the top one, till you cover this line with clothes. Clothes ...

Seven CHOPPY WATERS AND CROWDED BOATS After lunch at Le Speca at the crowded cafe, we returned to the B & B for a bit of rest. Murali was to give us a treat for his birthday but he was tired, with a slight body ache. Matina got a mild heat stroke and I was too excited by the fact that there was a supermarket outside our flats. I should have asked for a job for a couple of hours, considering I went there thrice in three hours. They had chopped vegetables, superb looking fruits, including a huge watermelon called angoori. Their varieties of milk, cream, cheese, yoghurts were a wonderful sight. Their varieties of cookies, juices and all things nice were also a pleasure to look at. We had carried some premix food and so had some rice and spicy curry. Woke up the tongue nicely. And then Bruno ordered a handmade pizza with mushrooms and a truffle sauce. It was delicious. My first ever experience of truffles. Very nice in sauce form. I really don't care much for mushrooms and that ...

Six UMBRELLAS AND PIAZZAS We landed in Piacenza, our first Italian town and Matina has planned small dinky hotels, which are clean and friendly. The one in Piacenza is inside a huge gate. Most properties are such and drivers have to be so much more careful, coming in and out of these gates, which are secured with security numbers and such. Our room looked out on the road, onto umbrellas. Lots of talkative and loud neighbours, with a Peruvian hotel, a bar, a pharmacy, a Bangladeshi shop and a Punjabi shop. We quickly found some glasses and downed a rum after some of the travel mates bathed themselves. I thought it was getting late for a drink and why waste water. It is still light at 8.30 pm and so the dialogue that 'it is sunset somewhere' is wasted. But we are always drinking and I like that. We then walked down cobblestoned alleys to a Chinese restaurant. Only that seemed to be open. A trattoria was looking colourful but they said they had closed the kitchen. Apparently ...

Five GOOD BYE LOG CABIN, HELLO SUNNY ITALY On 7th morning was cleaning up and packing off from the log cabin. You kind of get into the rhythm of it. Of course Bruno comes out last after making it spotless, chimney off, solar off, water pipes off, etc. I took a head start with a few bags and with Murali and a walking stick, clambered up and then hesitantly walked down and promptly sat down at a suitable place from where Bruno could not miss us in this descent. Finally saw a few farmers. At this height they grow grass, make it into hay and then pack it very neatly to be later sold. The cows feast on the rest, with their bells on. Very musical and friendly it sounds in this region. The lower part of town is very touristy with many cafes and inns. A final photograph of the six of us and we were en route to Italy. Matina, knowing my love for trains had booked us on a dinky, sweltering train from Domodossola to Lucarno. Close to 2 hours, it took through several small stations, wher...

Four NOT THE TALLEST PEAK BUT THE BEST VIEW I had left the phone in the van, more because I had to use both my hands to clamber on to the bus and while getting off the bus. Left the phone in the van because the tension of taking the roller coaster ride with Bruno and then trekking the rest was top of the mind. Don't mind if there is lot of writing from me today. While you all think yours truly is ensconced in the wood smoke smelling log cabin, eyeing the peaks of tall snow clad mountains, rising high over tall �� trees, pine trees and evergreens, you are all absolutely correct. Hey, but good times last only so long. For, as I mentioned earlier, Matina has planned our trip. So, I woke up early and puttered around and we had breakfast and she mentioned that we were going to Eggishorn, one of those tall peaks with a glacier. Which is all very fine when you are in Switzerland, but no one else must be doing the three km trek to the van. Again in my case only a kilometer and some ...

Three ALMOST LOSING A FEW AND LIVING THE DREAM Matina, Murali and Ravi drove down in the Hippy van and parked it in front of someone’s house. Matina left a note for them saying she was parking the vehicle there and if they did have an issue they could call her up. The irony being she does not pick up her phone after that. While parking the vehicle, she guided the two boys to take some path and soon realized that she had made a mistake. She called out, Murali called out and the opposite valley resounded with these calls��. Meanwhile Matina and Bruno were in touch and after much helloing, the three got together and came down to the log cabin. Matina did not relax for a very long time after that, replaying a scene of losing these two men on untraversed Swiss village roads. But good things have good endings and so they all came back together. Incidentally Murali who had data on his phone, left it with me. And so there was no way we could get in touch with him either. So much for ...