Lalita Iyer

TM INPUTS AND SERVICES PVT LTD IS 31 YEARS OLD Thirty one years and going strong. I think. I am talking about TMI Pvt Ltd. It was started in 1988 and T M Inputs then very simply stood for Turab and Murali. Turab Lakdawala, the founder partner left us to start Tempest and they come out with the most creative ads ever so often. Murali continued on his own till we found partners in his brother T Sreedhar (late) and B R Ramakrishnan, a dear friend who also worked with Murali at Nocil.  About the company, I do not hear too many cha chings, but during board meetings there is a lot of gung-ho talk. One thing, for sure is that the presentations have become more interesting. I am not a frequent visitor and in fact, there have been occasions when the front office person at TMI has asked me who I was, and I have been heard saying "And to you I am Mrs TMI," much to her chagrin, till someone from the office runs up to invite me in. Primarily, because I visit the office rarely, other than ...

OATS ARE HEALTHY AND CAN BE MADE TASTY, BUT...... Wonder if some of you remember the ad by Saffola Oats. This cute woman looks fondly at samosas and chips and nips off the end of a samosa and one piece of a chip. Then there is some sound, a huge smile on her face and she gets a bowl full of steaming masala oats. She takes a spoonful and then relaxes her shoulders and sighs happily. Good for her. To make a routine of eating oats...... My father had been eating oats for several years. He would make his own at exactly 7.30 pm every evening, in one particular steel dish and then carry it to his room. There would be the sound of cutlery at exactly 8 pm, with the sound of news on the TV or a lion roaring in the African forests because he was watching Nat Geo channel. Primarily these were all soothing sounds because this meant that he was ok. He would come to return the used dish to the kitchen, ask if we had dinner and see that we were having a drink, shrug his shoulders and tell us to eat a...

Today for breakfast we had methi-na-muthiya. The name too has an origin. Methi is fenugreek leaves, which are folded into a dough, including wheat, bajra, jowar, besan. Then ground green chillies, ginger, corriander leaves and if needed garlic is ground and added to the dough. A little bit of oil to mix it well. A little bit of curds can be added for it softens the dough and adds a certain flavour. Set it aside for some time and then you pick up little balls in your fist and give them a shape with your folded fingers. `Muthi' is your fist and the resultant outcome is muthiya. But these days we make long tubes out of the dough and steam them for some time and then cut them into pieces. They do look like muthiya, but the original one is shaped in the fist. Muthiyas can be deep fried and eaten as a snack for tea and also added to the heart warming winter dish Undhiyu. It can be made with various vegetables and the outcome is always delicious. After the steaming process, which you can ...

 HOME ALONE IN THE AFTERNOON Murali went to office after a long time. And I did not have any crushing errand to run and so sent Raju with him. Then I told the maid not to come. I had the entire house to myself. 💃💃💃 Of course one is never free of ringing bells, mobile tones and so there was the courier guy, another person who wanted a signature and so on. But I had the house to myself in the daytime. The light flowed in from all the windows, with greenery all around. It is not I do not notice this on other days. I am sane most of the time, thanks to this ambience. But you see, when you are alone, stretched out, with the birds chirping, a steaming cup of your favourite tea at hand and a serial on your favouritest person on TV, then your day is made. I was watching a serial called `Reacher'. based on the character Jack Reacher, the lead hero of Lee Child. Reacher has several charms, including the fact that he only carries a toothbrush with him, walks the distance most of the time, ...

BENDY BACKS AND KNOCKING KNEES I firmly believe that God made us the way we are for a particular reason and allows us to go our way on a daily basis for a particular reason. Where are the exercises, the kind which are supposed to keep you agile and fighting fit and also give you longevity, scheduled in this span of time?  I also believe in the theory of coincidences and so it cannot be mere chance that each time I read some delicious blogspots, especially those of Swati Sucharaita's, the next item that pops up both on FB and Insta is on how to have a flat stomach or lose all that fat hanging around the arms. I mean, how telling. Quite often I choose to ignore the said chronology, but somewhere at the back of my mind is that little bubble growing, everyday, ready to burst. Before that could happen, I hired myself a trainer, with the easiest of name Bibo. I have known Bibo for a very long time, when I used to do video film reviews for Newstime and used to collect the latest DVDs from...

Since I am a free lancer now, there is no rush of assignments. There is work which keeps me on my toes and I can get quite frayed every now and then. Having said that, I take great pleasure in going for a small ride with good, old trusted driver Raju. Sometimes we run errands and end the small trip with a cup of one of the most delicious ginger tea, available behind the petrol bunk at Srinagar Colony. And depending on the mood, there is a hot plate of vadas with the spiciest of chutneys from this bandi chap, parked safely on the pavement near Ganapati Complex. Earlier, we used to land at this spot where we would get these fried batter wonders steaming hot. But in the recent past, in fact the last three times, we have landed at a time, when he has fried so many of these, that he was not planning to make another batch in some time. The first time I heard this, I took it as a personal affront, for till now I had been served them hot. I left in a huff, thinking it would make a difference. ...

 Finance has never been my strong point, especially when the words outlays, Excel sheets and Ebidta are used and those who are discussing these issues also use the word million very often. So, you see converting that into lakhs takes some time, before I can feel thrilled about any budget. Our Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, whom I admire at various levels, did not sparkle this time. Quite often you listen to the budget speech only for the introduction, the various pauses and the simple majesty of discussing the finances of the nation.  And invariably what sticks to your mind is whether the income tax on your miniscule salary has been decreased or not. Sometimes you might hear that the cost of the refrigerators, ACs, etc have increased or decreased. It is the latter this time. For an absolute common man on the road this is enough. He/she is concerned about the increase in the bus ticket fare, cost of onions/tomatoes and whether he will get a job or not. The rest is mumbo ...