Lalita Iyer

  One ON THE WINGS OF OMAN AIR.... Murali and yours truly have started on a holiday to Switzerland and then a road trip into the Umbria region of Italy. Our Swiss couple friends Matina and Bruno Jehle will host us at Wepfi, their beautiful home in Gontenshweil. Akhila and Ravi, a couple I have oft mentioned will fly in from London and join us on the 3rd after catching up with a young couple friend of theirs at Zurich. Matina has planned the itinerary and I await long walks, pastoral scenes and a lot of pizza and wine. I have worn my walking shoes (?) But am already bugged by them. If you watch American films they are always in their shoes, even when they hit the sofa or the bed. Allowing a little bit of cinematic privilege, how the hell do you keep your feet covered for so long. But then it is not that I like to walk barefeet either. This foot fetish of mine has been maniacal since I had a bout of chicken guniya and the impact remained on my feet. This here trip will be differen...

  BABY AND BRO..... AGH!!!!!  I saw the much talked about movies, Baby and Bro. Both were immensely disappointing. Baby went on and on, going from bad to worse. And if I have to trust the common man, in this case my vahan chalak Raju, then 'girls merely use guys for their own benefit and then throw them away.' When he made the statement in Telugu, the word 'vadkodam' echoed in my mind. Poor Vaishnavi, from basti living to pub living, who did not open the 30 gifts handed to her by Viraj (rich guy who finds her interesting) and hands them back intact. But accusations fly high and for a first time appearance, the heroine performs well, nostrils flaring, managing to look good in a dress and a langa odhni. Where she gets money for all the gowns and dresses she wears for Viraj is not to be questioned. Her mother believes all her stories and her father is accepting of her drunken shenanigans. In this whole process of Vaishnavi growing up, her engineering seat and education ...

  ZIPPING THE ZIP Now  I am unable to zip up my suitcase, considering I have to carry back a few gift bags (I had brought more fearing shorfall), the gifts I recd, some podies and eats. And I am looking at the extra coconuts also, but sheer control will be exercised. People are reacting  nicely to the photos and all my close relatives have very great memories with my parents. Apparently they shared meals, ideas, plans for movies etc, while I was in Bombay and in Hyderabad. As of now M and I are all ensconsed in Hyderabad. And the Chennai flat will be in good hands and I will continue to travel here often because MIL and my uncles and aunts live here. Not that I need an excuse.... Much though I hate the sweating here, the weather suits me and my nagging cough is not nagging me any more. Over the last two years the roads have become a little familiar, though I still get confused with all the cross streets and various lanes. It is a slightly different life here. And curr...

  GRIHAPRAVESHAM OVER. HOUSE TO HOME Today is the day. Though all is contracted out, there are tensions galore. The tent guy behaved badly and would not deliver the chairs and after much rude talk, the said chairs delivered with them stepping and dripping all over the maa kolam, in which I too posed by placing one dot. The kollams, flower decorations, huge pushnikai in place, was all done yesterday. Both Rama and Meera are adept at these things, kollams, tying flowers and talking to Sastrigals. The latter take this opportunity to create a certain kind of chaos. 'Mami, idha konduvaango, adu kudungo and so on.' And though it is all contracted, Meera woke up at 3 am to make shakara pongal and cook aavis. She made the kozhukattai yesterday. All the said items will be fed to the homam fire and later bits given to by-then-tired and eyes-burning audience as prasadam. There was an atmosphere of festivity with relatives in place, the food had already arrived. It was puri/khangu, idli/...

  COWS, CALVES AND A GAU PUJA I am in Chennai for grihapravesam of my new flat. Bought little return gifts for those attending and I thought I was ready for the delish breakfast we have ordered post the puja.  Feeling very happy with myself thinking all work done. Having said that I would have merely put Viggie's photo (Lord Vigneshwara), boiled milk (paal kachardu), said the two and half slokams I know and been done with it. But it slowly grew in size and concept and apparently it is a big affair. For all brass vessels to come out and be washed to shiny, shimmery newness, vallakus, oil, tiri, matchbox, vessel big enough for milk, because this boiled milk will be served as prasadam and hence paper cups. There is an elaborate breakfast (my menu to be executed by Mami) with coffee, after the puja when we will mingle and people will comment about how nice everything is. The house is looking good.... Yesterday was gau puja at Govindan Goshala at Gudaaloor, a sneeze away from M...

  THALAIVA, THALAIVA AND CAPSICUM USLI I love chopping vegetables and am a bit OCD about how they are chopped, depending on the dish I am making. Like for avial, the chosen vegetables would be julienned, for a stew they would be diced and for a poriyal they would be chopped to another size. Given a chance I would chop and store in fridge, ready for the stove. This task also keeps me away from snacking...... Why am I discussing the above is that I am chopping vegetables for an usli (made of soaked tur dar, later ground with red chillies and hing. After heating some oil, add udad dal, curry leaves and said mixture and fry till it cooks and fries slightly). I would till quite recently use only cluster beans, till someone suggested beans and other vegetables. Today I am making it with capsicum and one lone carrot. It has turned out very well. Hot rice, a spot of ghee and mix it with usli and there is a guaranteed heavenly visitation. Along with tomato rasam. I am getting carried away...

  PRICES ARE SNEAKING BY....  I firmly believe in a hot savoury breakfast on a daily basis. And there are all kinds of varieties to be made with a little planning and so the day begins on a good note. Normally. Today I had a very nice hot breakfast and as usual l expected the day to be super with some retail therapy thrown in. Typically I belong to yet another group and after a recent get together, WhatsApped them, after the do, in what is now termed as a knee-jerk reaction. While I did get some support on my personal ID, many think I made a poor ass of myself. Maybe I will be PNG (persona non grata) for a long time to come, but I stand by what I said. Maybe it was not the forum but it is now out there. And then I went for buying some rice and daal, it being new month and so on and all but fainted. Did not, but came away with a heart ache. Toor daal Or kandi pappu is being sold at ₹. 199 per kg and here newspapers are discussing only about exorbitant tomatoes. Every other da...