Trials and Tribulations by Fire

Got a few minutes to chill out. So thought would write a blog on the travails of driving (riding) in the water-infested roads of Chennai. Chennai, the hot tropical metro where there are no winters. There are only summers, which are described as hot, hotter and hottest. LOL. The cyclone that has showered its love on the city was supposed to have moved on to AP. But my guess is that the rains (much needed) are here to stay, atleast for a short while. Rain or no rain, a person like me has to face the trecherous roads and reach office on time. Riding a bike in Chennai is like trying to play a guessing game every second. You need to remember each and every pothole on the road and try not to fall into any of the miniature manholes. Today, I stepped into the Adyar river when I came out of my bulding. The strong currents threatened to submerge my bike. I braved the waters and turned towards Kotturpuram. Then the ordeal started. I heard myself saying, Water water everywhere.... Reached office a...

We decided to woo a gastronomic delight called as Paav Bhaaji to our tummies, that lazy Saturday, 14th of October 2006, a day to remember, when two friends met and zoomed on the black machine to the 3rd Big friend's house. The Big friend had invited her friends to her "self-prepared lunch." It turned out that PP, one of the friends and the driver Nk were the ones who did it all. Well, in all honesty (Lest I get a virtual kick from Big!) I would tell you that Nk did nothing to the creation of the yummy Paav Bhaaji. Big got all the ingredients and PP barged into the small kitchen. Well, the kitchen is not small, but there are 2 cupboards that take up space. There is a small service veranda (where the Bai would show her talent) adjacent to the kitchen. Lets get onto the pictorial story of the day, when we met and made Paav Bhaaji, Mumbaiyya Ishtyle. This picture shows the cold haandi ready to be used for cooking. Lets go on to the chefs. They are ready and excited to start t...

October7th, 2006, went to Shirdi. A place where Sai Baba stayed and blessed his devotees and people who flocked to him. He was above all caste and creed and welcomed all and sundry with open arms. Sai Baba has a great following due to his gentleness and love for all human beings. Shirdi is supposed to be a very holy place and I had a deep want to go visit the place and feel the presence of the holy saint who once lived there. I went, with a lot of hope and wishes. I travelled to Pune and endured a treacherous drive on bumpy roads and arrived at Shirdi at 4 o' clock. It is a noisy Maharashtrian town, which has shaken off its village charms and has taken on the viles of the city. Around 150 - 200 kms from Pune, the bustling town draws a lot of tourists and piligrims from all over. Sai Baba calls devotees from every corner. He called me. I went. But a security guard, a mere mortal, made my encounter a bitter one. But I will go again. My relation is with the Baba, who soothed my pain a...