Putting up a Pasta Dinner

Hi friends, what say you to da li'l effort!!!

Yesterday evening I was absorbed in surfing the net and my hubby in surfing the TV channels in the other room. All of a sudden I heard him calling me. I was so immersed in reading something of interest, that I completely forgot that it was already 9 o’ clock and late for dinner. Not that I have not faced such situations before. But today I was in no mood to make any special effort to cook something from scratch. I was inclined towards some quick fix formula. It was at this juncture I remembered that there are four or five boxes of different varieties of pasta –whole wheat – brought from the US by our daughter and this is the right occasion to put up a pasta dinner.

Now it is a fact that lately we have developed a lot of liking for this Italian dish. It so happened that when we were visiting our children in the US we were taken on a sight seeing tour of New York. After we had meandered through Manhattan and Broadway-my dream destinations- we entered an Italian restaurant for lunch. We placed an order for veggie pasta with Italian sauce. The dish proved to be very delicious as well as filling. After that we tried all variations in pasta cooking at home and enjoyed immensely. It is every thing rolled into one and becomes a full meal. In Indian cooking we have to do so much for a proper meal which has to be planned in advance.

Compared to an Indian meal, preparing pasta is simple and any novice can fix it up fast. It is healthy too, as any number of veggies available can be added. Determined to improvise a meal in a jiffy, I asked my husband to help in cutting the vegetables which I had got from the market a day before. Subsequently the cabbage was shredded ,carrots cut lengthwise into medium pieces, a large onion chopped, a couple of garlic cloves crushed, tomatoes cut into squares and a few threads of green coriander washed and put in place. Here I stood waiting to do my part. On one burner I heated two tbsp.of oil in a pan and sautéed the veggies according to the instructions on the box and added condiments to our taste. On the second burner I boiled about 200 gms.of spiral pasta my favorite shape “al dente”…… (I read somewhere that in socialite circles, it is not enough to mention that one had had the yummy pasta in this or that restaurant. To be considered chic one is expected to know the particular variety e.g. whether it was spaghetti, vermicelli, fusilli, rotini, penne, farfalle, macaroni et al. The list is long)……. In the meantime veggies were done. I added the boiled pasta into the pan and asked my better half to do the blending part, while I laid the table (simple, two plates with forks and a bottle of sauce.) The cooked pasta looked vivid, fresh and inviting. It was for the first time that both of us participated in the cooking process together. Both of us enjoyed ourselves and had a very satisfying and nutritious meal into the bargain.

We have started liking pasta so much that we prefer to eat it every other day. I keep on trying various permutations and combinations of vegetarian and non- vegetarian recipes based on pasta. And I have noticed that we are able to consume more vegetables with it and that too in a semi cooked stage where vitamins are not lost as in our currying of everything. It is heartening that our dietary habits are overcoming the rigidity of taste and we are slowly incorporating dishes of other cultures in our cuisine. The internet is a miracle medium which has opened wide the corridors of information about every thing imaginable in this universe including food. According to Bernard Shaw, “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” Pasta like Pizza is increasingly becoming very popular with the old and the young e all over the world. In good Indian stores pasta is available in various sizes and shapes. It is making inroads into the Indian kitchen, tickling the taste buds of Indian middle and upper middle class youth who is precursor of new trends in every thing: food habits, entertainment mediums as well as haute couture.

The Indispensable Maids

I had had a tough time on my hands all these days. There is a daily face off with two shrewish maids in the home arena where nobody wins or loses but the match is played daily.

 

It all began in October last when I engaged two part-time domestic helpers. In the process of hiring itself, I had an eye-opening experience, as I went through a newer version of an inquisition at their hands. No kidding, it was just that. More demand and less supply have upped the scales in their favor. A volley of questions was thrown at me with a straight confident look. The questions ranged from the number of rooms and bathrooms to the identity of the maid/maids who worked before and how much I paid them and many more. I answered nonchalantly, ostensibly showing a ‘don’t care less attitude’ (though inside I was boiling). As if that was not enough they stepped inside and went from room to room assessing and surveying and talking in low tones between themselves. I was waiting for them in the lounge. After scrutinizing the pros and cons of their decision they inched towards me and said, “We will do your work.”

But I had not bargained for what came next. Without mincing words they declared, “We will have three days off in a month and on some other days if need be, will do half the job to leave early.” I murmured a weak opposition but hired them there and then. To tell you the truth, underneath my so-called stiff exterior I nurse a phobia of negotiating terms with the likes of them. Their lives are rough and their language is no less so and I avoid facing their mindless arguments. I made a plan mentally and acquiesced to their inflated demands.

Now their job was done and mine started. I knew that I will have to apply all my management and persuasive skills, to tame this duo of shrews to some sort of reasonable behavior. I resolved to use my varied experiences of handling hundreds of college students, in the course of my teaching career. In the span of a couple of months with patience and a little tact I thought I would be able to make some positive dent in their approach but I was sadly mistaken. Within a few days, I learnt that they are very flighty and take and leave work at will. I really wished to help them as well as myself (the teacher in me always comes to the fore). I tried to impress upon them to stick to the work they have taken up in the first place, but their notoriety continues.

The battle lines are drawn as soon as they enter my house in the morning. I insist on a well-done job while they execute a substandard one. One of them moves like a machine as if she is to catch a nonstop express train. Every few minutes while mopping the floor she looks up at the clock on the wall and becomes more energized. If I am not supervising she will skip a room and lie to me that she has done it. She does not seem to have any interest in the work per se and her only motivation is money. The other who cleans the utensils is a compulsive whiner.

While I persevere to make them more human and responsive, I relent that habits die hard. Ask me not why I don’t have another? Any guesses?

SPRING AT THE DOOR STEP

Finally, I have selected a topic to write upon. But the truth is that it got selected by itself. It all happened when I was taking a walk in the park near my house. My observant eye was scanning the surroundings. Lo, I was immediately struck by the magic wrought by spring in the most spectacular form. 

The plants, shrubs, and trees appear to have woken up from a deep refreshing sleep. There are the new shoots, fresh and glistening like the washed face of a healthy child and surfeit of riotous blooming flowers. It reminds us of the umbilical bond which has always existed between man and nature and which we have almost forgotten, embroiled as we are in ‘the world is too much with us’ syndrome!

Nature displays its charms unobtrusively, suddenly and soothingly without crying hoarse for attention from the rooftops. Can we get even a penny without toiling for it? Here nature casts its jewels in our path without a murmur. The priceless trinkets of nature’s bounties go a-begging. The generosity of spring is unbounded. We receive its visual pleasure for the moment and forever and gratuitously also. Wordsworth’s wonderful poem ‘The Daffodils’ celebrates the joy and fragrant beauty of spring. The poet is enamored by the sight of blossoming yellow daffodils and the spectacle becomes embedded in his imagination and he poeticizes, “They flash upon the inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude.”

The spirit of peaceful co-existence, hope and self-renewal are constant in nature and amazingly visible in spring. Two contrasting states overlap on the Neem and other deciduous trees. Each gives space to the other. There are tiny baby leaves on top of the branches, and near the stem, weather-beaten brown leaves are still hanging calmly. The pruned branches of evergreens and perennials are having a blast of glossy, eye-catching, green-hued new sprouts, heralding the rebirth of nature.

On a micro level at the home front and in the neighborhood, spring has unraveled its charms no less generously. My rose bushes are aflame with flowers and today(28th March) when I stepped out of the door I was greeted by newly blossomed red lily, growing on the inside of the boundary wall. The lawns are much greener now. “Can you imagine my oval-shaped thorny potted cactus is budded now and I expect blooms any day? Isn’t it nature’s marvel that a prickly cactus bears the most delicate pink petalled flowers?” The Marigold in my back yard came to flowering early, at the beginning of March. My cherished herbs curry Patta; mint, aloe vera, and Tulsi are out of hibernation and regaining their lost glory fast.

In my neighbor's side yard (a corner house) there are a couple of Bottle Brush trees. They are laden with flowers and their boughs hang downwards with the weight of the flowers and thick leafing. The mango tree is loaded with tiny white flowers signaling a bumper crop of mangoes. Together with other plants these weave kaleidoscopes of resplendent colors all around.

If the flora is in abundance in the spring fauna is also making waves. Cuckoo has surfaced and coo coos perched somewhere on the mango foliage. Larks, long-tailed sparrows, and woodpeckers are seen pecking at worms and insects in the lawns and parks. I even saw a lone dove balancing itself on an electric wire. Squirrels are having fun, hopping and racing from one tree to the other. Butterflies and buzzing bees are savoring myriad choicest dishes. Glowworms glow at night switching on and off their night light. Undoubtedly spring has infected all with joy and pleasure.

A peep at the weather front surely is in order. The mornings and evenings are luxuriously breezy and invite one for a relaxing walk. The wind envelops the body and massages it tenderly while passing by. There was even a light shower last week bringing in an invigorating coolness and bright clear sky.

Early summer vegetables have started arriving in the market. The advertisements for cool drinks and other beverages are already filling the T.V. screen and shop counters. Let's enjoy April’s moderate climate before the May heat cows us down.

On going through eye surgery

Our life situations throw a veritable feast of varied experiences; some sweet, some sour, some saturnine and some down right bad. Two similar situations occurring after a time gap may affect you differently, you never know. The sensitive mind aided by sharp observation visualizes them and tries to articulate the realization in the art form of one’s choice.

I was the protagonist in one such circumstance which I am going to share with you. I was managing my life all right with good vision in my right eye which I got operated upon for removal of cataract and implantation of lens a few years back. A few days back however, I decided to go for a similar operation for my left eye also, confident of gaining better quality of vision for both. It took me about a couple of days to prepare myself mentally and physically for the ordeal. (I had almost forgotten the previous one which was any ways a good one.) After discussing with a few of the neighborhood ladies who had undergone this surgery successfully from an ophthalmologist who is running a clinic at a convenient location from our house; off we went there for consultation. Now the problem in our country is that where ever or whenever you go to a medical facility, may be a government hospital, a free dispensary or a high end clinic, the scenario is the same. Throngs of people are seen in the corridors, waiting rooms and even verandahs waiting for their turn with the doctor. And the wait is lengthy and frustrating. The system of prior appointment does not work because of our lack of discipline and the sheer number of patients. Consequently there is a huge wastage of time, sometimes really unnerving.

We had the same experience of endless wait though we had been given specific time by the receptionist. Who cares! There is no dearth of patients. We waited and waited and finally I was taken to the optometrist who had a charming persona. After examining my eye and going through the reading drill he confirmed that I had cataract which needs to be removed and replaced with an IOL (intra ocular lens).My lens measurement was also taken and I was shown into the eye specialist’s room who after the required examination of the eye suggested that the surgery could be performed day after the following day. So my blood sugar was checked and an allergy test was also done in preparation for the surgery. At home the whole of the next day was spent in putting eye drops at fixed intervals and mentally preparing myself for the coming operation. Since I was asked to report at 6.45 in the morning after three insertions of eye drops at an interval of 15 minutes, I was to get up very early. Due to anxiety that I might not be late I had a very disturbing sleep and finally got up at four. After the morning ablutions and eye drops regimen I duly presented myself at the clinic at the appointed hour.

Interestingly, the same time was given to another patient who was already
present, when I reached there. So my turn which was said to be the first became second. Hereafter one and a half hour spell of anxious waiting ensued. Ultimately I was led up the stairs to a room adjoining the operation theatre where I was made to lie down before being given the anesthetic injections around my eye of which I was very much scared of and had told the doctor so. I screamed when the liquid was being injected because it was so painful and then another prick at a different place and already the area was losing pain sensation and getting numb. I was immediately taken to the operation theatre where the whole procedure took about half an hour and the surgeon’s remark; “You are very brave” made me feel good. But surely he must be making this statement for every patient to ease the trauma. My eye was bandaged and I was helped down the stairs .Momentarily I felt dazed but soon I was escorted to our car and got seated there to be driven home by my better half-who was my constant support throughout.

The next morning we went for the removal of the bandage and instructions for post operative care. And it is at this stage that I experienced an unexpected shock. First there was the usual inordinate delay. I had hoped that the operated patients would be given preference but nothing of that. At last when I was actually seated before the doctor, he removed the bandage and made me place my chin at a spot in the middle of the machine and asked me to open my eye. With baited breath I opened it to find a white haze blocking the seeing process. It was a nightmarish feeling and I let the doctor know it. For a second I felt as if thunder has struck me. Then the doctor allayed my fear by telling that it happens in some cases and with medication the vision would be restored but it would take more time. The next couple of days were very stressful for me. But during the week I could discern slow improvement everyday.

At the next visit after a week the doctor found the progress satisfactory and assured me that after about a month my vision would normalize. In the meantime I hope and pray that it should be so. But for the moment my left eye sees as much as it was before the surgery. I would continue to use medications for another month though.

So folks every experience has its own peculiar elements and sometimes totally unexpected ones which have the potential of changing the course of your life completely.

Gift of God - Amber

Amber our cherubic grand daughter- who is going to be five soon- visited us along with her parents in the month of January. Her presence in our midst, though for a few days afforded us tremendous pleasure and joy. Her lovely gestures and innocent one liners transported us to an entirely different world of supreme happiness. Even after so many days since her departure, we are daily reliving those antics of hers. Her climbing the stairs to go to the roof of our house umpteen times, crushing and stomping over the fallen leaves of the Neem tree and enjoying the rustling sound or leaning over the parapet and talking to her mother down in the lawn while her mother warned her against leaning all the time. It is no gainsaying if I say, “She is as flighty as a feather and unpredictable as weather”. One moment she is frolicsome and playful and the next she is throwing tantrums to have her way in something which obviously can’t be met. Then she has to be brought round with some smart alternative offer and promise. Now let me tell you something interesting about her. She saw me using petroleum jelly on my lips and immediately asked what I was doing. I told her that my lips get dry often and I use it to moisturize them. After that her lips were getting dry every five minutes till I removed the bottle from the dressing table and hid it beyond her reach.

The moment she stepped into our house, her spontaneous exclamation with arms raised upwards was, “Nanu, such a big house! It is so nice.” we were instantly floored by the naturalness of the expression. And later when I agreed to cook noodles –her favorite- for her, she became so excited and thrilled that she ran to me and while enveloping my legs in her tiny arms remarked, “You are the best Nani Ma.” I could not but hug her tightly for the priceless joy which was mutually gratifying.

Now if I am allowed to describe her personality. Yes! she has a unique persona even at this tender age. She is fairly tall, delicately built and seems to have a sweet singing voice, that was evidenced when she was heard humming the current rage and craze, ‘ muni badnam hui darling tere liye’ in her own inimitable style . Obviously she didn’t understand a word but the beat tickled her. I would say that nature truly spent time in sculpting her body and mind. She is all girl - wears only matching tights and the likes with her frocks, no trousers for her. She is gifted with an exquisitely chiseled straight nose, bright and expressive eyes, light brown silky hair, a peach and butter complexion, perfect articulation and exceptional communication skills. You have to hear her to believe the aptness of her expression e.g. on seeing a dog on the road “Nani Ma look, look over there, the black dog is hopping on its three legs.”

Affection flows out of her being like ripples in a water body. We were seeing them off at our gate at the end of their visit and after the usual hugs and hand shakes they were finally seated in the van, when I saw Amber trying to open the door. Her mom opened the door and Amber stood in the door shouting, “Nanu ,Nani Ma I want to kiss you”. And we were blessed with those sweet parting kisses of hers and marveled at her sensitivity and sensibility. I am sure that Amber is going to forget all this but for us her grand parents this memory will be etched in our imagination and talked about hundreds of times in the days to come.

We hope and wish that Amber, who appears to be so promising, becomes a super achiever and grows into an accomplished young girl capable of spreading cheer and goodwill all around her.

She is a clean slate waiting for the right images to be drawn on it!

Reflections on Lohri 13.1.2011 2.30 P.M .

Hi folks: Let the best may happen to you throughout the year!!!!

Today is Lohri!! Thank God the sun has finally succeeded in breaking the barrier of fog to come out resplendent with warm brilliance to bless the folks down under, cocooned as they were in their quilts and other paraphernalia for almost a week, because of biting cold and extreme foggy conditions outside. Luckily yesterday too after a long depressing spell, rays of the sun filtered through the smog much earlier around ten in the morning .Venturing out during inclement weather is asking for trouble both health wise and safety wise. For a few days we were completely immobile. There was no let up from mist, fog and intense cold. Sun failed to permeate the dense blanket of haze. Yesterday when the sun shine muscled out a flurry of activities started at breakneck speed. Literally it was ‘make hay while the sun shines’ syndrome at play. Washing had to be done before water taps ran dry or electricity was cut off. Groceries had to be purchased for the coming week. Obviously we can’t predict the vagaries of weather, can we?

Coming back to Lohri festival which we north Indians celebrate every year by symbolically burning evil and sloth in the bonfire around which we assemble late in the evening, eating winter goodies and singing songs. Nostalgia for the good old days transported me back in time of my youth when my mother would give us a handful of ‘tin choli’ to be thrown in the fire with the words ‘udam aaye, dalider jaye ,dalider di jarr ,chuley paye.’ Strangely enough I always enjoyed this ritual which was repeated every year. It would make me feel much better and more positive.

Ironically today since morning I am reminding myself repeatedly that I should feel upbeat because after all it is a great day. But an inner voice kept on disturbing my peace of mind by throwing uncomfortable questions at me. I could no longer thwart its insinuations. It awakened in me the realization of the abyss of cynicism and skepticism in which we as thinking beings (are we?) have fallen into. The ultimate thing about which a human being should be proud of is faith in himself and his abilities to overcome the obstacles which come in the way of making life genuinely happy through peace, truth, justice and brotherliness. Unfortunately, confidence which can empower us that we can still set things right is no longer felt. We have become totally enmeshed in the cobweb of greed, intolerance, anger and unabashed lies so much so that we have stopped living for ourselves and have started hankering after things outside us.

An eminent writer Erich Fromm the proponent of humanistic psychoanalysis discusses ethical norms which are mandatory for leading a meaningful life in his book ‘Man for Himself’. There he states, “...moral norms are based upon man’s inherent qualities, and that their violation results in mental and emotional disintegration.” But alas! instead of cultivating a code of conduct for moral upliftment, man appears to have throttled the voice of his conscience and has become so myopic that he cannot see beyond the interests of his immediate family and friends. Nepotism and favouritism rule the roost and merit has taken a back seat in the functioning of our democracy. Hence we confront confusion and chaos every where. Also we feel afraid, threatened and powerless in the overall system in which we live. Mentally and physically we feel like zombies with stunted capacity for being good and productive.

Yes, these are the warning signals for the human race. Unless man learns to release his tremendous energies and reasoning for the benefit of his fellowmen, he will remain sick, frustrated and unhappy and this is negation of what life ought to be. History confirms though that man has infinite power of doing good and it is hoped that man’s good sense will prevail before it is too late.
…………..

Tomorrow is Makar Sankranti and I am going to spend the day in contemplation, remembering my mother who left for the unknown this pious day a few years back.
Missing you terribly Ma!!!!!!

Your daughter

November: my favourite month

Hi everybody, congratulations and very best wishes! Tomorrow is Xmas, the gala day for the whole world. December is already on its way out. We will very soon welcome the New Year-2011- hoping and wishing that it would be luckier for the world community.

It is getting colder everyday. We have already armed ourselves with our thicker woolens and had to exert a lot rummaging through the recesses of cupboards and through piles in the big boxes meant for storage to find them. (I always forget where I have stored what.)

The following short article I penned down last month, articulating my feelings and observations about November.


November has gone by and December is slowly meandering into our lives with memories of hazy mornings and the dreaded smog which sometimes does not clear till mid day and throws life out of gear. November to my mind is the most gratifying and a very special month. It is comfy warm and not hot, it is cool but not cold. The sky stays clear blue, minus pollutants. The slight nip in the air makes the morning walk a treat. For a retiree like me (with due respect to the early morning walkers) going for a walk early in the morning is no compulsion either. Rather I prefer to venture out around eight, when the soothingly mild sun appears to be extending a gratuitous invitation to join him in his exploratory spree. The tête-à-tête with the sun continues during the brisk walk followed by a set of stretching exercises in the neighborhood park- an antidote for minor aches and pains- which bucks one up for the day. Both the mind and the body feel fresh and invigorated in the company of the objects of nature around.

However the icing on the cake is the sight of children of nearby villages, enjoying the November air, attired in their school uniforms marching happily to their respective schools. This human landscape indicates a fast improving literacy ratio and a hope of a better future for these children.

Festivals and special days abound in November. Diwali, India’s most colourful festival falls in this month followed by Bhai Dooj, Vishkarma day and Guru Nanak Dev ji’s birthday. It is auspicious for weddings too and spreads cheer and goodwill continuously.

The Western countries have Thanksgiving Day and November 11 is celebrated as Armistice-a day to remember those who died in World War-1. November 14 is world‘s Diabetes day and Jawahar Lal Nehru’s birthday. I am certain many more culturally specific events are associated with this month the world over.

November is an epicurean’s delight, as it has an enviable position in the cuisine front as well. There is surfeit of winter vegetables and fruits. For the initiated, it provides a great opportunity to cook and serve gourmet dishes and soups. Who can ignore the mouth watering, steaming hot paranthas’ stuffed with finely minced fenugreek leaves, grated cauliflower or radishes with dollops of butter and a bowl of perfectly set home made curd. And then sumptuous dinners signed off with finger licking carrot halwa garnished with generous handfuls of dry fruits. Seasonal specialties like sag and makki di roti- the hot favourites- are relished by children and adults alike.

November is kind to plants and other vegetation also. The trees in our colony are intact with their green power yet. My chrysanthemums are holding their heads high with lustrous flowers in red, yellow and white adorning their tops. Rose bushes in the park laden with fragrant blooms are a visual pleasure. My most prized herbal plant Tulsi stands strong, but I am devising a plan to save it from fast the approaching cold months. I always need its leaves to enrich my morning cuppa of tea, to which I have gotten used to over the years.

All said and done, I thank you November for your numerous benedictions and bounties. May your tribe increase!!!