Twenty- five Seven

Have you ever seen a Kite fight? #SkywatchFriday

January 17, 2020

Have you ever seen a kite fight?

Mumbai’s skies, earlier this week saw many kite fights.

On the 15th we celebrated the festival of Sankranthi, a day which marks the beginning of the northward movement of the sun. This is one of the few Hindu festivals determined by the Solar calendar rather than the Lunar one.

At this time of year with the winter at its peak, people get together in open spaces or like in my city of Mumbai on top of terrace rooftops. They enjoy soaking in the mild sun, munching on sesame seed and jaggery sweets and of course flying kites

The kites are handmade and the string used is special . This string called ‘manja‘ is rolled around a wooden reel. Don’t get fooled by its thinness. It is actually a cotton thread stiffened and fortified with a powdered glass coating. This makes the string sharp enough to cut down another kite that is flying above. It has also claimed the lives of innocent people standing by who can’t see it darting dangerously low to ground.

Sharing this with other skywatchers on #SkywatchFriday

Ciao,

See you next week,
Night watch from my balcony #WordlessWednesday

January 14, 2020

I often indulge in night watching from my balcony especially after dinner.

The other night, I was busy shutting doors and windows after a particularly satisfying dinner. I looked out of the balcony and saw a glow in the dark. Staring out, I saw this ghostly looking column leaping out of the darkness. It looked mysterious, magical and slightly spooky.

It was a bungalow that once belonged to the Petits (whose daughter married M.A. Jinnah).

With the towering Kanchenjunga almost eclipsing this bungalow from the road, this remains one of the last traces of an era past – when Peddar Road was dotted with palatial residential bungalows.

Glad to share this rather grainy picture with Esha and Natasha, hosts of #WordlessWednesday.

Ciao,
Laundry Woes#MondayMusings

January 14, 2020

Laundry woes

Life is a learning process. Every day I learn something new. For instance, last week Ms. Papaya taught me that people in heaven don’t need to eat because they’ve eaten more than enough when they were on earth.

But I don’t seem to have the wisdom of a four-year-old. Else I wouldn’t be in the situation I am in today. I wouldn’t be worried about my broken down washing machine.

Sunday morning began like any other day. But unlike the regular load of washing, this one consisted of a mixed load of heavy and light clothes. The bulkiest though not the heaviest, was a comforter. This uneven mix of laundry obviously made the machine uncomfortable.

First it groaned as it slowly sped up and achieved only half its speed . Then it rattled and shook and actually jumped and landed 45 away from its actual spot. Finally it came to a screeching halt accompanied by some strange sounds that vaguely resembled a rattlesnake.

Lesson No 1. not learnt: Never wash a mixed load of clothes that make the machine unstable.

The washing machine and I

Till Anna Shetty was born, all the washing at home was done by hand. The inner garments were personally hand-washed while the big sheets went to the dhobi. Some clothes were washed at home by the washerwoman who came in daily while the expensive clothes were sent to the laundry.

But when Anna Shetty was born, my mother thought that a washing machine would come in handy. Anna Shetty was born in the early part of July and it did come handy with the dozens of cloth diapers that needed washing daily. Not only was it more convenient during the Mumbai monsoon but also more hygienic.

Since then, I’ve almost forgotten to hand wash garments. And I loved this simply operated twin tub machine even though I didn’t enjoy delving deep into the tubs to transfer the laundry from the wet to the dry.

Lesson No 2 not learnt : Always handwash some clothes daily so that you don’t get out of touch with handwashing.

One machine led to another

Since the first machine was gifted, I used it without much thought as to model and make. But as I delved deep into the wash tub to pull the laundry out of the dryer tub, I looked longingly at the advertisements for a single, front-loading machine. 11 years later, I decided to upgrade to a front-loading IFB. For the next 15 years, this machine washed all the laundry – often times, twice daily.

But once again, I kept looking at the other brands and models wondering if my choice was correct.

Since German machines are supposed to be the best in terms of function and after sales service, I opted for a Siemens’, when the IFB service agent suggested I go in for a new one.

But it turns out that it wasn’t a good choice after all.

Lesson No3. not learnt: Never change a brand for the sake of change especially when you are happy with its product.

Waiting for Mr. Siemens

So in 2012, I bought a Siemens which gave me major trouble within 2 years. Of course the trouble began the day after the warranty was over and took a month for the part to be replaced.

I only hope the current problem is minor and more importantly, the service engineer comes soon enough to repair it.

Airing my thoughts on #MondayMusings hosted by Corinne.

Ciao

p.s. I’ve just realised that my #WOTY is DETACH, so I’m not going to worry about the clothes piling up. After all, they just may wash themselves :)