Twenty- five Seven

Saying goodbye to Lord Ganesha #MyFriendAlexa

September 5, 2017

Today it is 10 days since we welcomed the elephant headed God Lord Ganesh into our homes. The tradition of a community Ganesh celebration began 125 years ago when Bal Gangadhar Tilak began this practice to enable people to get together and spread the message of freedom from colonial rule.

Today Keshavji Naik Chawl where the Community Ganpati was first celebrated still keeps a low key celebration . This year though, the crowd went crazy with the visit of Sachin Tendulkar the Master Blaster who remains a Mumbaikar despite his International celebrity.

My own Ganpati celebration is a quiet, family affair where we bring out our idol from the cupboard and install him in pride of place. We worship him for a day and a half with aarti sung in faith and fervour and modak eaten with even greater passion. Then we immerse him in a bucket of water to diffuse the energy that is awakened in the idol by the worship and then keep him away till the next year.

The sadness of saying goodbye

Even though we know He is coming back next year, there is a tinge of sadness in the air as Lord Ganesh goes back to his Kingdom.

Today the bigger idols are going to be immersed amidst song, dance and a lot of noise. Soon after lunch the smaller idols that are largely family owned will make their way to the sea and by tea time the bigger ones start their parade down the streets of Mumbai.

The largest one known as Lalbaug cha Raja steps into the water only in the early hours of tomorrow morning ! Millions of people visit this Ganpati, often spending hours in the queue with some devotees coming from out of town for His blessings.

This year despite the heavy downpour ( which meant that 2 days were a washout) there were over 5,14,00,000 devotees who have visited him.

So today to wish Him goodbye and to make the parting more sweet, I ordered myself a special icecream made only for these 10 days from Havmor , the icecream maker from Ahmedabad.

This divine concoction is truly worth waiting for the whole year. It is actually a coconut icecream with saffron and pistachio slivers encased in a white chocolate cover and served on a bed of whipped fresh cream with more pistachio and coconut shavings.

Now isn’t that a sweet way to wish a beloved God goodbye?

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Where is Miss Manners?#MondayMusings

September 4, 2017
“Leave something in your plate ” we were advised while growing up .”For Miss Manners”.

Similarly we were advised to give up a chair for an older person. We were encouraged to help someone carry a heavy load and wait your turn patiently in a queue.

We girls had it easy with Miss Manners. The Rules may have been restrictive :
- talk in polite whispers
- cross your legs at the ankles when you sit
- keep your elbows off the table when you eat
But it was harder for the boys-
- they had to stand when a lady entered the room
- hold the door open for her
- pick her up on a date and even drop her all the way to her front door especially late at night
- pick up the tab when you invited a girl out!
We were told that we should never ask a lady her age and a person his wage .

Miss Manners considered it rude to speak out of turn and ask personal questions about one’s weight , age and salary.

According to Miss Manners a guest had an obligation too! He should be polite and talk to all present. He shouldn’t criticise any food on the table and worse still ask for something that is not served.

Equally as a gentleman, you were expected to make sure that no lady at the ball remained a wall flower just as it was obligatory for a lady not to refuse a dance.

Miss Manners expected ladies to talk in whispers, sit with her legs crossed at the ankles and not use vulgar language or whistle.

And Miss Manners existed in the Indian context too. It was considered rude to start eating until everyone at the table was served.

Wasting food was a crime.

One had to take off one’s footwear while entering a home and the first thing we had to do was wash one’s hands and feet.

All these dos and don’ts of acceptable behaviour were considered signs of a well brought up person. As children we often found them anachronistic but as I grow older, I begin to appreciate the need for etiquette to guide social behaviour.

When I see the
- casual way in which people talk these days,
- calling their Boss by the first name,
- not holding the door for anyone to allow them to pass,
- staring blankly when you see someone struggle with a heavy bag
- pushing their way through a queue
- talking with their mouths full
it makes me wonder where Miss Manners has gone.

Do you wonder too?

These are the thoughts I’m sharing with Corinne of Everydaygyaan at #MondayMusings.

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Win(e)ding down on Sunday evening.

September 3, 2017

Many people think that every day is a Sunday for the housewives who do ‘nothing’ the rest of the week . But I prefer to think that I work all week and need to unwind on a Sunday especially with a glass of wine.

My GP has actually recommends a glass of red wine every evening to bring down stress levels. While I don’t follow his advice strictly, a glass every now and then helps soothe my nerves. Particularly on days like today when I seem to have completely lost my muse.

I was lucky enough to find two opened bottles of wine standing on top of a cupboard that masquerades as a bar in our house.

Wine, especially when opened, shouldn’t be kept out unless of course you want to turn it to vinegar.

So I just had no choice but to have a glass or two.

And it was a Eureka moment for me as I poured myself a glass : I found my muse.

I could compare and contrast the two different bottles of red.

Now you may ask what is the difference between one wine and the other. After all, a grape is a grape is a grape. But there is a difference. And after several years of wine drinking, I assure you even a novice will develop his own preferences and make out the distinct flavours.

Wine lovers or oenophiles will tell you that wine has to be stored at the right temperature, served at the right temperature, in the right glass and with the right food. They are particular about the vintage and provenance and will turn their noses up at anything but the best.

It is quite obvious now, that I am no wine snob and and my opinions are entirely of the uninitiated, philistine.

So according to me here’s how the two play out.

Sula’s Cabernet Shiraz is a deep, dark , full bodied red. It tingles the insides of your mouth with a slightly sourish taste and leaves a dryish warm feeling in your mouth as you swallow it down. After a sip or two you get used to the taste.

This robust wine goes very well with dry roasts and red meat and is very popular with tandoori food. I must add that surprisingly enough, it also goes very well with masala daal fry and rice .

Sula’s Zinfandel, on the other hand is a deep though lighter red. It is mellower and has a velvety feel to it as you swirl it in your mouth, leaving a delightful after taste as you swallow it.

I particularly like to pair it with my mildly spiced chicken curry or coconut based prawn curry.

Because wines are not part of our culinary tradition, there are no set rules as to which wine goes with what. At least that’s what I like to think. Wine pairing is entirely personal and after a few tries, you yourself will come up with your own preferences and pairings.

Remember, wines are a relatively new entrant to Indian tables and for many years, Indian wines were looked down up. However, thanks to the pioneering efforts of wineries like SULA, Indian wines are as good as any ( or at least I like to think so!) international brand. In fact, many millennials prefer wines to harder liquor and a good bottle of wine has replaced the traditional bouquet of flowers that were gifted to the hostess.

So the next time you are stressed and need to unwind, particularly on a Sunday evening, just quaff a glass or two .

What is your favourite wine? Do you have any favourite pairing with Indian food? Do send me your views in the comments.

Cheers!

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