A Dinner.
Wholemeal rottis with fresh coconut, coriander leaves, green chillies.
With roasted eggplant curry and creamy lentils.

#giftsoflove #therapy #foodtherapy #healing

#onepotmeal #lockdownsimplemeal #minimalisticmeals #recyclefood #leftovers #NoJudgementPlease is this even a hashtag? #servelovegive #cookwithlove #cooknoairs #vegetarian #vegan #eggless #mykitchen #simplefood #kitchendiaries #comfortfood #bitesbybavani #bluffsbybavani #inmykitchen #kitchendiaries

Dinner.
A quick fix then off to an evening walk.
Rice vermicelli and thin wheat noodles.
Tossed in chilli paste, light soy, garlic, ginger.
Frozen mixed veges and fresh spinach leaves.

#giftsoflove #therapy #foodtherapy #healing

#onepotmeal #lockdownsimplemeal #minimalisticmeals #recyclefood #leftovers #NoJudgementPlease is this even a hashtag? #servelovegive #cookwithlove #cooknoairs #vegetarian #vegan #eggless #mykitchen #simplefood #kitchendiaries #comfortfood #bitesbybavani #bluffsbybavani #inmykitchen #kitchendiaries

#sareespeak #womenofsareespeak #handloom #silk #kanjivaram #kanjivaramsilk

#SS 61/100/2020

Chatting with my sister on WhatsApp.
Speaking with her over the mobile.
Daily. Twice Daily.
About our daughters, her son, our husbands, our mum, Covid-enforced separation amongst families, job losses, mental anguish amongst friends, unexplainable turn of events..
And we have realised, have been realising, over our lifetimes, that,
It’s no point waiting for a better time,
Or for next week when this will tide over,
Or tomorrow when everything will be put to rest,
But
Instead to grasp it by the arms,
Grab it by the shoulders,
Wrestle with it, or Embrace it,
And ride the rollercoaster, heave up, down, slide left, right on the boat over the rocky waters.
We have friends, family, in so much of pain, heartbreak.
What can we/I say? To ease their sorrow.
Karma?
Let go let God?
Life is an illusion, a drama, we are actors?
Things can only get better?
We have no idea. We can only hope, pray.
So we listen,
While we talk, while they talk,
We offer a hand, an arm, a hug,
We let them rant, rave, cry, ask Why? as many times as they need to,
And with our silence, we offer solace,
With our voices, we assure them of our support,
With our food, we nourish their souls,
With our prayers, we heal, not them, but ourselves as we strive to find That Peace within, so that we may remain unperturbed by what’s outside us, and that they may derive strength from our strength.
We will become reconciled to the fact that
We are walking, trudging, ploughing, running, plodding, skipping on this
Path, on a Journey.
Signposts on either side of this path read Life 1.0, Life 2.0, Life 1023.5..?
The destination, is, but a speck on the horizon.
Life is that muddled walk on that Path and not that static location. How we decide to walk, with bare feet, jandals, branded sneakers, heels, canvas shoes, is solely up to us,
We are reminded to stop sometimes, smell the roses, splash in that stream..
Then continue,
Mindfully..
Draped in a light purplish kanjivaram silk with orange and gold pallu and borders. With a mismatched orange and brown checked blouse. No, the original blouse is tattered and does not fit. This was randomly sewn and fits occasionally.
A few days ago. Tired after a Long Long day.
Gifted by a lovely artist friend (who passed away due to the Big C), on the occasion of her son’s wedding almost 20 years ago.

Saturday leisure cook.
Same old same old asparagus quick fry.
Roasted chilli cauliflower.
Jackfruit/polos spicy dry curry.
Orange rasam/lentil soup.
Mixed up the kuzhambu/gravies in the fridge, ended up with small onions, chick peas and potato kuzhambu/gravy.

#therapy #foodtherapy #healing

#onepotmeal #lockdownsimplemeal #minimalisticmeals #recyclefood #leftovers #NoJudgementPlease is this even a hashtag? #servelovegive #cookwithlove #cooknoairs #vegetarian #vegan #eggless #mykitchen #simplefood #kitchendiaries #comfortfood #bitesbybavani #bluffsbybavani #inmykitchen

Disclaimer – belated post.
But better late than never.

Anniversary Dinner. Thai.
Vegan Spicy Tom Yam soup.
Fried tofu with sweet chilli sauce.
Vegan Panang curry.
Basil, chilli, tofu, veges stir fry.
Pad see ew noodles.
Fragrant Jasmine rice .
Dessert of Sticky rice, fresh mango, coconut milk, berry compote and sprinkles.
Thai deliciousness.
And the peach sea blue ambience of the restaurant.

#giftsoflove #therapy #foodtherapy #healing #onepotmeal #lockdownsimplemeal #minimalisticmeals #recyclefood #leftovers #NoJudgementPlease is this even a hashtag? #servelovegive #cookwithlove #cooknoairs #vegetarian #vegan #eggless #mykitchen #simplefood #kitchendiaries #comfortfood #bitesbybavani #bluffsbybavani #inmykitchen #kitchendiaries

Dinner at home of newly weds.
Steaming hot
Vegan momos/dumplings
With
A tomato chilli chutney.
Lovingly prepared by new bride @karankitas_makeover
Warm hug-deliciousness.
(And pasta, broccoli mushroom stir fry).
(To full and drowsy to click photos).
A lovely evening of laughter and love with couple regaling us of tales of their courtship.

#therapy #foodtherapy #healing
#onepotmeal #lockdownsimplemeal #minimalisticmeals #recyclefood #leftovers #NoJudgementPlease is this even a hashtag? #servelovegive #cookwithlove #cooknoairs #vegetarian #vegan #eggless #mykitchen #simplefood #kitchendiaries #comfortfood #bitesbybavani not #bluffsbybavani #inmykitchen #kitchendiaries

#sareespeak #womenofsareespeak #handloom #silk #kanjivaram #kanjivaramsilk #blockprint #handblockprint

#theme for December

#sayitwithflowers

#SS 60/100/2020

Saree #60.
40 more to go in less than 3 weeks!
2 a day? 3 a day? Not with the photographers I have.

Decided to take a flexi day off work yesterday as I’d accumulated enough and above hours with out of town trips and long days.
Spent the entire morning looking for holiday get aways. Near impossible task. Number one – to synchronize family calendars. Number 2 – NZ seems to be totally booked out this Christmas and New Year season. And why wouldn’t it be? Leave it to the wacky Suresh family to decide they need a holiday at the nth hour.
Then moved onto prepping a quick dinner for the stay at home folks as some of us had a 21st birthday party to attend that evening.
Attempted a horrendous home hair touch up of grey roots, rushed to shopping centre with Daughter#2. In and out of various shops looking for Secret Santa gifts for work, for friends, for family, going away gifts, birthday gifts. Treated myself to some hand made soaps – lavender, frangipani, jasmine, rose. My weaknesses – soaps, candles, books, incense, and yes of course – sarees.
Got home just in time to put things away, sip some masala tea, get dressed in this
Sunny handloom silk with blue and flame-red hand block prints and orangish pallu.
Block prints are also flowers and leaves in blues and reds, in line with December’s summery theme.
Purchased saree a year ago from a designer friend from Chennai who was visiting family in NZ.
Left for the surprise 21st birthday celebrations.
Lovely evening of nostalgia, warmth, love, great company and a wonderful vegetarian buffet spread.
Some photos clicked there. Daughter#2 had the audacity to video my elephant gait towards the buffet table, honing in on certain unmentionable anatomical parts. And quite a few magnified close ups of half an eye, half a smile, the left cheek, upper lip hairs and ears. Her take on good photography skills.
Deleted most of them, once home, got her to take a shot or two in the calm of her yellow hive. She managed to squeeze in some of me blinking, adjusting my saree. Sighh..
Have also included a year old one of me trying to emulate the on-the-stairs pose of gorgeous sakhi Rohini Kambham

#sareespeak #womenofsareespeak #silk

#SS 57/100/2020

A student mentioned a few days ago, how dejected she felt at times, when she heard herself practise (on the veena). She said she couldn’t seem to get the tone and nuances expected of her.
Pointed out this is a common feeling experienced by aspiring artistes of any art form.
Told her, I too feel low and restless, if I don’t practise, more so, if the fingers don’t sing as well as they are meant to.
Told her I would share an article I’d written for a souvenir music concert booklet some years ago, in which I address these feelings of inadequacy and hopelessness.
Generally the article describes the importance of and the power of practice. That the sense of inadequacy should be channelled to one of motivation.
(Post resubmitted without original article).
Draped a magenta silk with mangoes on gold pallu and mango coloured borders, for a class a few days ago. (Mis)matched with a light silk red, purple, white checked blouse.

#sareespeak #womenofsareespeak #handloom #silk

#SS 59/100/2020

Anniversary.
The day after.
The usual.
Work. Classes with the young ones.
Mohana varnam. Learning to pull da in pa and getting it right the first time and bursting into fits of giggles everytime I say Very Good.
My standard questions – “Did you practise? How many days? How long? How many days are there in the week? What happened to the rest of the days you didn’t practise?”
Then come the earnest promises, resolutions.
All in a day’s class.
Draped a golden mustard handloom silk with maroon tiny checkered borders lined with black and maroon striped pallu.
Simple.
Procured on my India Music Visit a few years ago.
Off to the Temple.
Puja.
Spoke to the Vadyars.
Had prasadam which was more like a full meal with pesarattu, coconut chutney and bread pudding.
Got home, twisted whichever-daughter-was-available’s-arm for a quick photo shoot.

For dinner, some nights ago,
A weird and wonderful marriage of..
Bear with, bear with..
(Apologies, have overdosed on Miranda).
Spiced fried iddlis
And
Brinjal cummin black pepper fried rice.

#giftsoflove #therapy #foodtherapy #healing #onepotmeal #lockdownsimplemeal #minimalisticmeals #recyclefood #leftovers #NoJudgementPlease is this even a hashtag? #servelovegive #cookwithlove #cooknoairs #vegetarian #vegan #eggless #mykitchen #simplefood #kitchendiaries #comfortfood #bitesbybavani #bluffsbybavani #inmykitchen #kitchendiaries