An absolutely beautiful day. Spring. Spitting rain. Yes, spitting, not drenching. Morning fare. Music. Carnatic. Hindustani. Vocal. Veena. Mridhangam. Sitar. Harmonium. Tabla.
And some street food chaat shared with veena mom/friend Saree sakhi Shakthi Jeyashankar, whose photo I cannot post as she is not in a Saree. 😎
Students performed as part of Auckland Diwali festival. 4 blossoming Vainikas with 2 budding Mridhangists. The crowd was floored. We had a lovely Pakeha lady dancing away to the music.
Morning prior to this had been busy as usual. No house cleaning as that had somehow been done during the week. But Saree Sakhi Melanie Jeyakumar had presented us with pasili Kirai/greens from her vegetable patch and I felt this pressing need to cook that. Let me rephrase, hubby pressed me to cook that, even going so far as to say he would pick the leaves, clean the greens for me. Sent him off, watched him do the garden from my kitchen window and prepared kirai thanni saar/watery lentils and greens. Mine was not watery, I had the audacity to add thick coconut cream to it, along with black pepper, tadka/thalippu/tempering spices, lots of green and dried red chillies. I have this bad habit of adulterating any recipe I get, then claiming, as Simon Cowell advises participants in his music idol reality shows, that I have made the recipe “my own”. 🤪
Also made a standard potato podimas, once again adulterated with chilli flakes and a dash of lemon juice. And arranged in a designer like fashion on kitchen island top, packets of store bought cassava chips, pickles from dear Melanie, achar made by sister in law when visiting here.
Anyway, drove to Shakthi’s home, got into her car. Performance done and dusted. Home. Tea. Rested. Briefly.
Draped this simple onion pink bodied, green and gold pallu and bordered cotton silk with kantha work. Body and pallu have varying sizes of diamond shaped embroidery in green and gold. Light, beautiful, akin to spring leafy greens and flowery pinks. Photos show me posing at home, pre performance, then at city, covered as it was cold. Close up reveals my un-dyed hair 🤓.
More photos of model are in Vogue.
Hah! Got you there for a split second! 😂😅🤣
Got ready for evening Vocal Arangetram. That will be another post as that’s another gorgeous Saree with a story behind it. Oh and PS. A backlog of sarees to post. Watch this space.
Bavani’s Happy Place 