• Earlier this week, I managed to shake off the lethargy that had gripped me these past few months . I actually managed to haul myself out of bed get into my walking shoes. I braced myself to walk around the compound in semi darkness. But, being a reluctant walker, I was looking for an excuse to stop when I suddenly spied some huge shapes moving ever so slightly in the shadows.

    On closer inspection I found these pendulous objects to be none other than jackfruit! I didn’t even know that this tree grew in our compound ! 

    I love the jackfruit – a huge ugly monstrous looking fruit that I can eat in any form . When it is eaten raw, I make it into a salad or regular vegetable. When it is ripe I enjoy the sweet kernels . Even when it is over ripe , I enjoy the chewy goodness that is captured in flat sun dried rolls .

    I’m just hoping the gardener shares some of this fruit with us residents .

    Sharing this picture with other tree lovers on Parul’s #ThursdayTreeLove-65.

    Do you love jackfruit ? While many people find its smell offensive I don’t .

    Ciao

    Image for Unishta

  •  

    Image for Sunshine Blogger Award

    I’m not really into blog awards because like chain letters, it becomes difficult to keep the chain going. Besides, it is hard to find bloggers in my cohort who are not  already tagged. So normally, I would have just left this tag unanswered.  However, here’s hoping I can do this.

    So I’d like to thank Shubhra Rastogi who has nominated me for this award. She is a mommy blogger at Natkhatz, a parenting blog that makes new age parenting easy. Since I am a hands on new age granny, I find  tips from millenial mommy bloggers very useful. Besides with most of my friends not really into the Internet, I don’t have many blogger friends who are of my age. Perforce I have to interact with younger bloggers – sometimes even younger than my own girls. But I enjoy interacting with the young moms and find that virtual friendship stretching over generations is possible and enjoyable.

     

    So here are the questions that Shubhra asked me

    1. Your Zodiac Sign :  Aquarius
    2. Define your ideal day : One where things don’t exactly go my way but which leaves me with a sense of contentment
    3. Summer or winter : Winter in Mumbai. If it gets any colder I get crabby.
    4. What would you do if you had 1 crore rupees with you? I would get so confused about what I’d like to do so I’d probably just keep in in the bank . Boring isn’t it?
    5. Do you re-read books? If yes which book is most read? If no then which book would you like to re-read? I don’t really like to re-read books simply because I have so little time to read in the first place. But I often find myself re-reading old magazines especially ones about Interior design and travel.
    6. Your favourite quote : I actually have two quotes that I live by – Seize the Day and This Too shall Pass.
    7. What would you say to your younger self? : Keep being optimistic and stay happy and smiling. There’s no point in stressing on perfection. It doesn’t exist.
    8. What do you love about books? Language is the first thing that attracts me to a book. If a book is written well, I enjoy the images, the thoughts and the ideas different authors can conjure up.
    9. Do you prefer the beach or the mountains : I’ve lived most of my life on the coast so I prefer the beach.
    10. What do you like most about blogging? Meeting new people who become virtual friends
    11. Describe yourself in three words : Conservative, curious, frank.

    Rules:

    1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
    2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
    3. Nominate 11 new bloggers to receive the award and write them 11 new questions.
    4. List the rules and display sunshine blogger award in your post/ on your blog.
    5. Notify nominees about it by commenting on one of their blog posts.

    I Nominate:

    Shilpa Gupte – whose blogs at Metanoia are truly transformational

    Shalini Baisiwala – a travel blogger who blogs at Shalzmojo with breathtaking photos and great stories.

    Anshu Bhojnagarwala- a mommy blogger and fiction writer who blogs at Anshubhojnagarwala

    Priya Bajpai- a brilliant fiction writer who blogs at Priya Reflects

    Balaka Basu – whose captivating style makes you want to go back for more at her blog Trina Looks Back

    Suzy Q  – My friend from New Zealand who never fails to amaze me with her creativity. I love her new Vlogs at Suzy Somewhere

    Anamika Agnihotri – A young mom currently in the UK  who introduced me to so many lovely books that she reads out to her young son and blogs about them at  The Bespectacled Mother

    Vinitha Dileep – A young mom whose poems, photos and tales about her young kids she shares on Void Thoughts

    Kalpana Mannivanan – an urban farmer who has exchanged her urban lifestyle for a healthier  sustainable life  at Kalpavrishafarms

    Vasantha – an inspirational blogger who blogs at Sweet Nothings

    Ramya Abhinand whose crisp book reviews at Me Otherwise actually help me decide whether or not I want to read the book.

     

    And finally these are my 11 questions :

    1. Do you like watching movies ? Which is your favourite one?
    2. Do you prefer dogs or cats?
    3. What do you do to de-stress?
    4. What is your favourite way of travelling ? Train? Bus? Car? Plane? Ship?
    5. Are you a fussy eater or an adventurous eater?
    6. Can you stop at one chocolate or do you finish the whole box at one go?
    7. Do you prefer long walks or a strenuous work-out at the gym?
    8. Do you forgive easily?
    9. Do you wear make-up and if so, what do you like? Lipstick? Eyeshadow?Mascara?Foundation?Concealer?
    10. Are you a meticulous planner or free spirit who likes to do things on the fly?
    11. Are you scared of getting old?

    Dear Nominees, there is no obligation, no time frame from my side.  I know you are all busy especially with school holidays and all.  But I would love to read your answers. So please do tag me when you guys are done.

    Thank you once again!

    Ciao and warm regards

    Image for Unishta

  • This morning I woke up to Damyanti’s story of Afroz Shah who is cleaning up Mithi River. While growing up we never knew Mumbai had a river called Mithi. We used to think it was a nullah leading to the sea at Mahim. Obviously many people thought it was a nullah, particularly the squatters who lived alongside and used it as a public drain.

    This had catastrophic effects on the city and on very wet days contributed to the floods.

    Kudos to Afroz and his ilk who are Urban Waste Warriors.

    But there are others too who are bothered about waste disposable and sanitation.

    This little clip will make you smile at the ingenuity of five teenage boys from Tamil Nadu.

    Now isn’t that a wonderful idea?

    Read the entire story here 

    Simple and effective.

    Have a great June.

    Ciao

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