Cheaper By the Dozen

And of course anything is cheaper by the dozen...and more fun and more colourful!!

I have been thinking of the book for such a long time.  I read it in the late 1980s --my first year in Botswana and it stuck with me. Americans told me that the book had been turned into a musical and later into movies.  I have seen the two latest ones from 2001 and 2003.  

I hardly watch TV, but have been using it to practice Swedish.  I am amazed when I find myself reading the subtitles more than listening to english.  Often I sit down with my google translate open so I can look up words!!

But yesterday when they announced this movie, I sat down and enjoyed every bit of it.

I think its been 2-3 years since I actually watched a movie on TV. 

Although I think that the movies do not do justice to the book set in the early part of the 20th century, but they capture the spirit.  I think the book can be made into movies for all the time to come, over and over again.  

One child families are sad.  So much focus on one child and their career makes them seem like they are the centre of the world.  There are so many articles on what is happening to Chinese people who grew up during one child policy. No siblings, no aunts and uncles and barely any cousins.

A sense of loneliness.

My mother has eight brother sisters, and Dad has four.  We are closer to our mother's side and that keeps us busy, with about nineteen cousins.  I have lived away from India for all my adult life and yet it is these people who have been my emotional support. I have lived a life of strength and character because I come from these good people.  No alcohol, no meat, no illicit relations, long term marriages, polite way of talking and no swearing.  Simple rules, splendid life.

Cheaper by the dozen, to me, is a tribute to parents who willingly create large families.  All the results are not always good, but the journey is an adventure.  Do watch the movie---better read the book

Sea Story

First published on December 26, 2009, here is is again as a follow up to the last post on the Vietnam, which has been the third most popular post on this blog. 

Do watch the video, that has a few seconds of strikingly beautiful sunset!

Hulong Bay, Vietnam, June 2009

Remember the sea was once sole monarch, utterly free.
Land rose from its womb, usurped its throne,
and ever since the maddened old creature, with hoary crest of foam,
wails and laments continually, like King Lear exposed to the fury of the elements.RABINDRANATH TAGORE

Hulong Bay, in gulf of Golkin (Vietnam) isa World Heritage Protected Site.

Celebrating a Decade: Simply Sapa, Vietnam (3rd most popular)

First published on November 20, 2011--here is the third most popular post on this blog.  Vietnam was a dream, a thought, an idea.  And it happened in 2009.  Just like that. I still remember my joy--which manifested in an outward calmness, when I first saw the rice fields.  It felt like I was gazing into a green ocean.  

There is a whole book on that year that can be written.  Hopefully some day soon!!

Sapa, Vietnam, June 2009.  This woman was stunning.  Later in the week, I saw her picture at a tourist bureau.  Apparently we were not the only ones who were enchanted by her beauty.  

One of my favorite image of Vietnam.  This form or a variation of women in traditional Vietnamese outfit were everywhere.  Hanoi, Vietnam, 2009.

J & M, on the roof top, in Hoi An, Vietnam, June, 2009. 

A young boy carries freshly cut branches on his back.  Possibly for his goats? Sapa, Vietnam, 2009. 

Children show off their play-skills as we point our cameras at them.  Sapa, Vietnam, June, 2009.

This little one caught my attention, his cheeks were as bright as the tomatoes in the bowl beside him.  May be because he was growing up, far far away from the pollution of the city. Sapa, Vietnam, 2009. 

Terrace Farming, Calm Valley, echoes serenity.  Sapa, Vietnam. June, 2009. 

Stepping into the valley.  Sapa, Vietnam.  June, 2009. 

As is the case with my travels, I knew I wanted to go to Vietnam, but had no clue from there. I had a few things in mind.  Hanoi, Ho-Chi Minh, and possibly the Mekong Delta.  What happened once I entered Vietnam was just mind blowing.  Strangely, I had dreamt of the country for several years.  I knew little about vietnamese food. Although I had been to a few Vietnamese restaurant, both in Washington DC and in State College.  Often times, people know countries through food and art.  Two things  that directly reach our hearts.  For me though, it was the greenery, the simple faces.  And an interest in its history, its struggle with the US and even more importantly, its old name-Anaam.  Anaam,  which in Sanskrit means without name, no name, was the old name used for Vietnam before 1945.  

Once I arrived in Vietnam, I met two young Dutch people.  A young man and a young woman.  My two weeks in Vietnam were spent with them.  Both of them turned out to be great companions.  But more than that, their presence highlighted a great combination of learning---since we talked about cultures, languages, histories and continents.  One of my favorite memories is stepping out of our hotel window and sitting on the roof, discussing the idea of friendship.  

Vietnam, was also one of the most exciting countries I have visited.  Definitely more tourist in so many places, and limited by what tourists expect of it....there was a level of efficiency and productivity that I had not encountered anywhere else.  In addition, I found the culture in both north and south to be markedly different.  Hanoi, the place that has not, in the modern history, ever known anything but communism, was not as vibrant as its southern counter part, Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh city.  Ho Chi Minh, was alive and much happier, in a way that showed in its wide roads and slightly more organized traffic.  

The above picture was taken in Sapa, Vietnam.  Sapa, is where one goes to experience rice fields.  Vast span of terrace farming.  As you walk up, your mind stills, and all you can do is admire the human-industry that must have been employed to work on these fields, year after year.  A country where three meals and possibly even snacks are rice based, rice is a life-line.  But beyond that need, there is a beauty to rice fields, which are very different from the wheat or mustard fields that people know in north India or have seen romanticized in Bollywood films.   Terrace farming, looks like a green-silk carpet that was laid out for some royalty to walk on.  While the wheat and mustard crops, when ripe, sway and dance, in the wind, the rice fields merely show a ripple.  I remember taking a deep breath there and thanking my stars that I was so lucky to have seen that. Although I had seen that in Indonesia the year before, Sapa is known for its rice fields that tourists come to see.  In addition, these guided tours that are given by the women dressed in traditional clothing, as shown in above picture, cover miles of the valley, and end up in small villages alive with the chuckles of young children and barks of stray dogs.  

Celebrating a Decade: Lean on Me: McDonald's new slogan

First published on April 7, 2011 this is the second most popular blog (all according to blogger analytics) in the last ten years.  I still remember where and when I took it.  I had been collecting pictures of McDonald's from around the world, and this one was a definite winner.  All my issues with this fast-food joint aside....

Lean on Me

The above picture was taken in Singapore, July 2010.  I could not resist taking it.  Out of fear, I did not get too close.  Seconds after I took the picture, the man woke up. But up until then, it truly seemed like McDonald's could proudly sing...'Lean on Me' and use this picture as their logo!!

I take pictures of McDonald's around the world. Many of them look the same. However, some others have a bit of 'glocal' in them.  The way Ronald McDonald joins his hands in an Asian greeting at one such joint in Bangkok, or how greetings are always written in the local languages, or how in countries like India, McDonald's does not serve many meat based and no beef or pork based dishes.  Does it make it any more 'cultural though?"  Fast food and street food are not the same. Street food in the countries where you can buy it, is always reflective of a culture, a civilization.  McDonalds reeks of 'adaptation and evolution with a motive'.  Not natural....not desirable---like genetically modified food.  You may disagree!! 

McDondald's is always a jumping joint....in most countries.  Sweden remains an exception.  This picture was taken in Singapore, 2010.  Open 24 hrs. 

Just Imagine!

Just imagine!!  The creativity of a Hindu mind!!

Just imagine!!

Decluttering, Again (Good Bye the Pacific Way)

Am in a major cleaning and reorganising spree. Being ruthless and throwing out or giving away things, including gifts, which I hold on to for a long time because that makes me think of the people who gave it to me.

So, not sure if these people are reading, I have much jewellery from Fiji, a few books from Fiji given to me on my birthday and other occasions...much of that has to be given away.

And above is a picture of something I kept because I wanted to write a research paper on it.  You know this UNESCO project titled The Pacific Way...but now nearly a decade later, and with a completely different angle to my research, I have to throw it out.

Good bye, The Pacific Way!

Good bye things...I need to make room for the new....

Celebrating a Decade: Bangles, Bangle Sellers and the South Asian Spirit

First published on October 5, 2013, here I share with you all the most popular post on this blog in the last decade. Since 2013 I have put much more effort into my academic work and articles, so   long articles have been greatly reduced.  

Why is this blog popular? I think only because of the images and may be that it talks about bangles which is something women around the world might be interested in.  Whatever it is, may be we can re-familiarize ourselves with some information on origins of glass bangles. 

New Rajendar Nagar, New Delhi, 2013.

The man was old and a bit forgetful.  Strangely enough I caught him, as he was saying, 'let me think, where did I keep those?'  This was a very small stall at the local market, in the neighborhood.  The man had placed a square piece of cloth, covered it with newspapers for some more padding and just created a make shift stall between two parked cars.  Thank God for no rules in these places, that poor, old people can set up a shop anywhere.  As Chaotic as it makes India seem, it also allows life to flow where it will.  And in a country as big and diverse as India, 'control and regulation' just do not work!! Chaos makes sense there, as it would no other place.

And color and creativity, balance it all!! Thankyou India!!

Churiyaan, Hanuman Mandir, 2010

Pictures taken at Hanuman Mandir, New Delhi, Jan 2010.  Shops that sell only bangles. 

Chudiyaan or Bangles, especially glass bangles are completely an Indian creation. Bracelets, of various kinds may have been invented else place, but thin fine bangles made of all kinds of material, was a product of Indian genius. And glass bangles are synonymous with India. Glass bangles, are found only in south asia--Namely India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which was one country till 1947. There are special glass factories that make these glass bangles.

Like Bindi, the dot the Indian women sport and the world identifies an indian woman by, just the phrase "Kanch ki churiyaan’ --Bangles made of Glass, evokes so much in India. Glass bangles find their way into songs, poetry, movie titles and movie plots.

Today we have all sort of bangles, made of material that is more durable. For example, various kinds of metal, plastic, silk threads wound around metal, or plastic or rubber, bangles made completely of plastic, or rubber. All of which are modern version of the ‘churiryaan’. The three tradition ones are made of metal, glass and lac. My favorite the ones made of lac, a special kind of clay and found in east-central Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Lac is the scarlet resinous secretion of a number of species of insects, of which the most commonly cultivated species is Kerria lacca (Check wiki for more detailed info. The following two paragraphs were taken from wiki. I learnt just as much as you would, if you read through it). Thousands of these tiny insects colonize branches of suitable host trees and secrete the resinous pigment. The coated branches of the host trees are cut and harvested as sticklac. The harvested sticklac is crushed and sieved to remove impurities. The sieved material is then repeatedly washed to remove insect parts and other soluble material. The resulting product is known as seedlac. The prefix seed refers to its pellet shape. Seedlac which still contains 3-5% impurities is processed into shellac by heat treatment or solvent extraction. The leading producer of Lac is Jharkhand, followed by the Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Maharashtra states of India. Lac production is also found in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, parts of China, and Mexico.

The use of lac dye goes back to ancient times. It has been used in India as a skin cosmetic and dye for wool and silk. In China it is a traditional dye for leather goods. The use of lac for dye has been supplanted by synthetic dyes. It is used in medicine as a hepatoprotective and anti-obesity drug. It is used in violin and other varnish and is soluble in alcohol. This type of lac was used in the finishing of 18th-century fowling guns in the United States.

There are two basic types of bangles: a solid cylinder type; and a split, cylindrical spring opening/closing type. Primary distinguishing factor for these is the material that is used to make the bangles. This may vary anything from glass to jade to metal to lac and even rubber or plastic. One factor that adds to the price of the bangles is the artifacts or the work done further on the metal. This includes embroidery or small glass pieces or paintings or even small hangings that are attached to the bangles. The rareness of a color and its unique value also increase the value. Bangles made from lac are one of the oldest ones and among the brittle category too. Lac is clay like material which is molded in hot kilns-like places to make these bangles. Among the recent entrants are the rubber bangles that are worn more like a wrist band by youngsters while the plastic ones are there to add the trendy look. Normally, a bangle worn by people around the world is simply an inflexible piece of jewelry worn around the wrist. However, in many cultures, especially in the South Asia and in Arabian Peninsula, bangles have evolved into various types in which different ones are used at different occasions.

In India, bangle sellers have many romantic and social connotations associated with them. In a culture where men and women did not touch each other until they were courting or preferably married (exceptions to all rules have always existed), bangle sellers not only got to touch a girl’s hands but also hold it for a while.

For me the most fascinating part was how they held your hand and knew exactly how to squeeze it to slip the bangles to your wrist.  Often times, many girls have large hands but small wrists. In that case, the bangles need to be large enough to pass over the hand but are often loose around the wrists.  Somehow bangle sellers knew how to take the smaller sized bangles and pass them over your hand, without breaking them --(in reference to the glass ones).  Whenever I tried it, I was bound to break a few.  Then we had special techniques for slipping these gorgeous but fragile glass bangles onto our wrists.  Using soap, soap and oil, or merely oil on your wrists facilitated slipping these bangles on your wrists.

But the best part about the bangles was the clinking sound that they made when you worked.  Many a poem and songs were written about the ‘khan-khan’ (tinkling) of these bangles.  Here are a few links to songs in the movies that talk about chudiyaan or kanch ki churiyaan--, 

Bindiya Chamkegi, Churdi Khankegi (the bindi (forehead dot) will shine, and the bangles will tinkle),:  The young woman is trying to distract her beau from his work/studies.  This is one of the most favorite song from the 1970s that make reference to the 'churiyaan'.

Bole Churiyaan, Bole Kangana :  Here the song gives bangles a whole new identity--Love messengers!!  Churiyaan are declaring the wearer's love to her object affection.  Only Bollywood!! 

Churi Bajee Hai Kahin Door Door (The bangles are jingling, somewhere far away): When the man misses his love interest, he walks into the room where she has left her jewelry...and ofcourse in a true bollywood style transports himself into a fantasy song, probably somewhere in Switzerland.  

Chudiyan Khanki Khankane Wale Aa Gaye: The bangles jingled and those make them 

happy (jingle) are here.

Mere Haathon mein naun Naun Churiyaan Hain: This is a young single woman's plea to her love interest to curb his advances, as they are not yet married.  

Choodiyaan Khanak Gayi:  A song with Rajasthani (western Indian state) flavor.  The woman talks her bangles jingling in the middle of the night, telling her love tales. 

And here you can see an entire market in Pakistan that sells just that....'churiyaan'.  If I am not mistaken its filmed by a Japanese tourist who lived in Paksitan at some point, and speaks the language, so is sharing his thoughts with the bangle sellers.  


Every Indian girl (and I bet Pakistani and Bangladeshi) has a stock of bangles.  Various kinds, made of different materials.  By the way, to store them properly, you need metal clothes hangers.  Boxes are not really the best place to store bangles.  They will take too much space and bangles in boxes are hard to sort. Glass bangles, are especially susceptible to cracking and breaking during the sorting process.   So, you take clothes hangers and loosen the clasp, slip the bangle through the metal, close the clasp, and hang the hanger in the closet next to your clothes.  Just be careful not to close the clasp too tight.  It is tightened just enough to to be able to hold the bangles, such that it can be opened again soon.  

I had several hangers filled with bangles.  Especially glass bangles, because in our family daughters, not daughter in laws, were not supposed to buy their own glass bangles.  Since my mom's side of the family knew about the tradition/rule, and knew of our love for the bangles, everyone who visited us brought us bangles.  

I have not worn glass bangles in a long time.  But this time I was home I bought several sets for daughters of colleagues. 

LIke Bindi, Churiyaan are a part of solah shringaar, the 16 different forms of adornments that constitute the complete 'adornment' for a hindu or a muslim bride in India.  Solah Shringar, which includes, the kajal in eyes, henna on the hands and feet, toe rings, and many others, needs a separate post.  It is important to mention that along with bindi, churiyaan are the first thing that woman who looses her husband stops wearing.  In case of glass bangles, they are broken by striking against stones to indicate the death, and beginning of an austere life.  Although not followed anymore, thankfully, that breaking of bangles was used in Bollywood as a universal symbol of loosing love --namely your husband. And in the same line 'chura' the special set of bangles that hindu, sikh and in some cases muslim bride wears has a special ceremony associated with it.  Chura for hindu brides is bought by the Maama (maternal uncle) then taken to the priest for a special prayer and is followed by a proper chura ceremony, where married women give their blessing to the new bride.  Here, you can see the ceremony at a punjabi wedding,with the background to my all time favorite wedding songs.  'Madhaniyaan--the great churner--how cruel are you, that daughters who light our houses eventually have to leave us, and take their laughter to the houses of their husbands and in-laws!!'

Chura is supposed to be so beautiful that the bride herself is not allowed to see it. She is blindfolded during the process, and before her blindfold is taken off, the chura is covered with a hankerchief.  All this to protect her from the 'nazar', the evil eye that is easily attracted towards the young, the beautiful and the lucky ones to be wearing a chura. 

Here, I end the post Sarojini Naidu poem.  Ms. Naidu was not only a poet, but also a freedom fighter.  I remember reading this poem in fourth grade.  While I did not remember the words, I remember how my teacher had explained the place of bangle sellers in Indian culture.  The above picture was taken with that in mind...the color, the glass, the bangle seller, and the good old nostalgia that spells in bold letter the very Indian spirit!!  or better the South Asian Spirit!!

The Bangle Sellers, 

By Sarojini Naidu

Bangle sellers are we who bear
Our shining loads to the temple fair...
Who will buy these delicate, bright
Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
For happy daughters and happy wives.

Some are meet for a maiden's wrist,
Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
Some are flushed like the buds that dream
On the tranquil brow of a woodland stream,
Some are aglow wth the bloom that cleaves
To the limpid glory of new born leaves

Some are like fields of sunlit corn,
Meet for a bride on her bridal morn,
Some, like the flame of her marriage fire,
Or, rich with the hue of her heart's desire,
Tinkling, luminous, tender, and clear,
Like her bridal laughter and bridal tear.

Some are purple and gold flecked grey
For she who has journeyed through life midway,
Whose hands have cherished, whose love has blest,
And cradled fair sons on her faithful breast,
And serves her household in fruitful pride,
And worships the gods at her husband's side.

Celebrating a Decade: And Thankyou!

Massive Poinsettia plant. Poinsettias are very common during Christmas time in the US (and several other countries\0. Their red and green makes perfect for the Christmas Colors. 

An open animal park, South Africa, 2012

South Africa, 2012

And just like that a decade has rolled around.  I have been writing this blog for a decade. 

It will be the 11th year starting in November of 2019.  

So for the next few months, I will repost some of the old blogs, and write some on the process of writing.

Last month I started another blog.  I cannot share it here because that one is bold with a picture of mine and my name.  I am training myself into dhyana (concentration), Yoga (both physical and at the mental level of self-control), and dharna ( generally means taking a vow, fixing your mind on one object, and pledging towards and outcome), and tapas (self-discipline, taking austerities).

I do not want to sound all self-righteous or pompous because I have failed several times before.  But this has been a long time coming. I did not come up with this strategy until a few months ago. In addition, at a certain stage in one's life, we need to be so together that we are automatically a role model for the young.  We inspire them to better their lives through self-discipline.

Coming back to this blog.  I have been journaling since I was 12. Rigorously since I was 16.   But when I moved to the US --technology took over and my writing became slow, inconsistent and then non-existent for a while.  But whenever I wrote by hand, as I did last week, it was therapeutic.

This blog allowed me to jot down my thoughts and experiences so that some of these can be shared with my friends and those who are interested in reading the journey of a slightly confused mind who, thankfully, has not stopped asking questions.

This blog became my saviour. I did question my profession of academic writing when this blog writing brought me so much joy.

But there is no way to make money through this, certainly not a living.  If it is, it is rare.

My commitment to this blog came since I saw traffic increase on this site.  Even when I was not writing. May be just because of the pictures I put, may be just the places I visited, but my words were at least seen, if not read.

Technically, I have a book or two here. I have over 350 entries as of now.  This writing is separate from my academic writing, which takes about 3 years to publish.  From finish to start the process can take 3 years or more.  Maybe in that context one can understand the satisfaction of this writing. One hit, published, a few shares with friends and  sense of contentment of having documented my life. 

I do not know how long this will continue, I hope for as long as I live.  I am working on three other websites, two of which are academic and one on my childhood.  

But I keep returning to this old, worn but dearly loved site, that gave me the first taste of 'getting random readers.'

Thank you all for reading all these years. I would love to hear from you, if you wish to share your comments. 

I will make this a series, titled Celebrating a Decade.  Following with experiences from around the world that make me believe in people and some of the most popular posts. 

Here, I share one of the first posts that was first published on November 25, 2009. It was so new that I had not even started putting pictures on every post yet.  Just this morning I changed the font to make it consistent, since I was still using Times Roman at the time. 

This post still warms my heart. I remember what the watchman looked like. 

This is also a way of THANKING Fiji, for what it gave me.

Many sunshines and some time pouring rain that allowed much love to grow in my heart!!

_________________________________

NOTE: I reduced this post to one third its original length for a project on Washington Post. Life is short: Autobiography as Haiku Unfortunately I found about it after the project was no longer running. I hope that the readers will enjoy it and feel the warmth of simple human connections that we make everyday.

Only if we consider them such, and nurture them

**********

The guard greeted me with gentility common to people from Fiji, "I’ve something for you."

Returning a disposal plate from a week ago, in which I had served him dinner, he pointed at the bag of oranges sitting on the plate, “Here is your plate, with something from the market."

I did what my dad taught me. Whenever someone offers you food, accept it and then share it with them.

”But Ratu (Sir), you’ve to take one orange from here."

He did graciously “And Thank You”.

I slept warmly, even though it was a slightly cold night in the Pacific.

Guru Purnima

Guur Purnima is also celebrated as Buddha's Jayanti (birthday)

Click on the above picture to read better.

It is Guru Poornima...The full moon day when Gurus --teachers are honoured.

Here is some reading on it. (click please)

Here is an earlier v. brief entry on the same day!

Realising that a culture has dedicated an entire day to teachers, and that too centuries ago tells you what the culture is about. 

It is these things that make me fall in love with Hinduism and its off shoots over and over again. 

Unique Relationship: A quiz

SO, since no one responded, here is the response.....

As a youtube video.... click to watch

Now, how many of you already knew it?

Can you guys guess? If so, please comment.  I will update this post in a week or so.

What is the unique relationship here? (first published on July 4, 2019

Paushtik Aahaar (Nutritious Nutrition)

The word Paushtik means Nutritious.  Ahaar, generally used to mean food, actually means diet. You may be interested in an award winning blog of the same name: Ahaar.

I wanted to share above picture, which I stole from twitter to show traditional punjabi food. To be specific punjabi food for farmers, not sedentary workers like us.

1. Sarson da Saag: Spinach curry (usually served with dollops of ghee)
2. Makki di Roti: Corn chappati/roti. 
3. Ghar da makkhan: home made butter (white)
4. Dahi: home made yogurt. 
5. Hari mirch (green chilli)
6. Piyaaz: Fresh peeled Onions
7. NImbu da acchar: Homemade lemon pickle
8. Lassi: Milk and yogurt drink. Can be sweet or salty, and very popular at Indian restaurants.

It is important to note that this is all vegetarian. Even though punjabis eat meat, quite often.  This is also occupation and geography appropriate food. All the ingredients are grown in the state.  Saag and make di roti, are winter food.  Between February and October diet will vary.  Chappatis are made with wheat, there is more rice and also lentils and other vegetables.  Lassi however, is more popular in warmer months.  So, here it is out of place.

Each item on the plate is well thought out. The spinach curry takes quite a bit of work to prepare, as does the makki chapatti.  Spinach leaves have to be washed, cut, boiled, ground by hand or blended in a mixer, boiled and sometimes lentils are added, loads of ginger and onions are added to it.  Once done it is blended or ground again, and a special mix of spices especially using cumin is added.  

I remember my french friend, Madam A saying, 'that is too many steps', whenever she saw me cooking. 

i am working on putting together another blog about food and significance of proper diet. 

But want to explain here briefly that according to Indian wisdom, mainly hindu wisdom, food can be three types.

1. Sat-that which cultivates values of goodness and calm

2. Rajas-that cultivates activity more than calmness

3. Tamas-that which cultivates feeling of laziness, and even aggression. 

Purely vegetarian, simple food is Sattvic.  The one with spices is Rajasic and the one with meat is Tamasic.

Hence the focus on vegetarianism in ayurveda, Indic medicine (Ayurveda means, the science of longevity).