Twenty- five Seven

The Scented Bath

October 19, 2017

Today on the third day of my Diwali, I had a traditional scented bath. Well not quite traditional because I didn’t use the traditional oils and unguents ( utna we call it)

Nor did I get up before sunrise and decorate a wooden seat with a lighted lamp and rangoli. Nor did my mom give me the traditional scented oil bath and a rub down with fresh cream, turmeric powder and utna. Nor did she bless me with a dab of saffron water and the glow of the oil lamp. And I didn’t wear my new clothes because I didn’t make anything special.

Instead I got up at 6 am only because Ms Papaya wanted to say hello from New Jersey. And after my morning coffee and breakfast , I had my own version of an oil bath with a luxurious Dead Sea salt scrub. I rubbed myself down with a loofah and rubbed in some body cream after I towelled myself dry.

Since Wow Dinga and Little Po are spending the day with me there was no point in wearing my finery.

So here I am in my everyday clothes after my special Diwali scented bath happy with my newly tweaked Diwali tradition.

For a long time now, Diwali traditions have been in transition for most of us who have moved on . Smaller families and geographical distances have made the good old family Diwali rarer and rarer. But there is no harm in moving on is there?

Diwali is a time for reflecting, sharing and enjoying the abundance in one’s life.

Are you following the same traditions you did as a child or have you modified your Diwali celebrations? Do let me know in the comments below.

Happy Diwali
Taking stock #WordlessWednesday

October 18, 2017

This group of garrulous businessmen dressed in dazzling white were standing in front of a stationers wondering how many account books to buy.

Dhanteras is an auspicious day for the Hindu traders and the market was full of people making purchases for good luck and prosperity the whole year round .

And in the bazaar I saw lots of saris and clothes for the Gods !

Now that has left you speechless hasn’t it ?

Joining up with Anni Schenk’s #WordlessWednesday.
Diwali disaster #FlavoursomeTuesdays

October 17, 2017

Sadly every day is NOT a Sunday. In fact today’s Tuesday is hardly flavoursome.

There are something’s that aren’t just meant to be . After several attempts over several years, I’ve finally come to the conclusion that Home made Chaklis aren’t for me.

Chakli are those round maze like savoury fry ups that are crispy and yummy. In fact they are my favourite Diwali treat.

Alas, I somehow can’t seem to get them right. I tried out Mrs. Ogale’s recipe but that didn’t work. Then I gave my mother’s tried and tested one. That failed too. So I gave Naloo Maushi’s secret recipe a try but that didn’t work either . Finally, I tried several pre- made mixes over the years – from Vaidya in Pune and Vanita Samaj at Dadar. Sadly they didn’t come out either !!!!

So for several years I gave making chaklis a miss , preferring to buy them from Vinayak Keshav at Girgaon.

But chakli is Little Po’s all time favourite. so Bayda the Bai who watches every cookery show ever made in Marathi decided to take the chakli in her own hands.

As is her habit, she woke up well before I did and began making the recipe for a fool proof chakli. And when Little Po came home she proudly presented him a piece of her labour of love.

But a piece was all he got because no sooner had the first perfect batch cooled down, than the next chakli just crumbled to pieces in the hot oil.

Bayda tried to resurrect the recipe but the chakli wouldn’t fry.

So I’ve come to accept the fact that homemade chakli isn’t for me . At least those not made in my home!

Do you have a food memory that is not always flavoursome? Do share your post with the hashtag #FlavoursomeTuesday

in the comments below.

In the meanwhile hope your Diwali sweets are coming out fine.

P.s. Incase you are wondering how I could be zen about this I’ll let you into a secret . I believe that life is always a balance of plus and minus. So if chakli is a minus I’m willing to live with it!