Thursday, June 18, 2009

Yes, Ma'am.....

(Thats not me...)

Me and tags, is like me and the Mumbai Traffic Police; we keep out of each others way. For various reasons like the whistle.

But I tend to look back very fondly on my days as a student, 37 years ago, and cannot refuse , when someone like Sucharita, a Professor of English makes a request.




Four Places I’d Like to Go, or Things I’d Like to Do:


1. Visit the place in Kokan that my ancestors came from . I have a "Kulavruttanta" (family tree journal , listing, for a given last name, all branches), for my maiden name, and there is a place where my oldest known ancestor (8 generations before) has a memorial/samadhi. Apparently my parents took us there about 55 years ago.

2. Greece : The place fascinates me, and the Music of Zorba is always at the back of my mind. Just finished reading Greekayan in Marathi by Dr Meena Prabhu, and am even more interested now.

3. Australia : I read Lucy Walker books as a school girl, and have been dying to see the outback ever since. I now have friends from here who are there, as well as my blogging friends from Australia. Just waiting to win the lottery.

4. Don't know if this will ever happen, but I would love to be able to go and meet Barrack Obama. I like to hear him speak, and have read his books.


Four Places I Have Lived:

Pune : The place where I grew up, went to school and college, and still hark back to. It holds a lot of memories, and in all the wear and tear over the years, the place still stands tall in my mind.

Mumbai : Where I now live, and have done so for the last 35 years. It grows on you. With all the crowds, the useless weather, the noise and other things, the place has guts and spirit, mostly amidst the common middle class folk. That counts. And draws you.

Irvine, California : I went to graduate school here in 1970 and was there for 2 years. This was an amazing experience , including living with American roommates , some of who I still communicate with. Great memories, greater friends.

Karlsruhe, Germany : Our family spent a year here in 1991-92, when my husband was on a visiting academic assignment. It was a different experience now, going as a mother, dealing with kindergaarten and middle school issues, and picking up useful German and many many friends....

Four Places I Have Been on Vacation:

Darjeeling (West Bengal)
Nepal
Goa
Delhi-Jaipur

Four Food or Drinks I Have Liked:

Bhel : (Mouth watering , tear generating spicy snack mixture of puffed rice, onions, tomatoes, raw mango, savouries, and three types of chutneys/sauces. To be eaten on paper with thicker paper spoons.) From a specific roadside vendor stall in Pune. The current owner is the third generation running it, and i knew the grandfather. His technique remains unmatched

Sugarcane Juice : Still drawing crowds by the hoards. With a hint of lemon and ginger, totally unbeatable in Pune on a scorching summer afternoon. There are specific juice stalls I go to, and the quality is unchanged. Can drink any amount of these.

Iceberg Lettuce : My introduction to this was as a student in the University, and I simply loved the entire concept with dressings and stuff. To this day, I can make a meal out of it, when i get the stuff, that is. Friends and family visiting from the US have been known to arrive with a huge iceberg lettuce kept in an icebox.

Mango Pickle : Made fresh, in season, peeled raw mangoes, cut small, with a mustard and lemon mixture, that simply zings up your nose, and clears the sinuses. Ideally eaten with fresh Jowar Bhakri and white butter. (I know you are feeling jealous so I will stop....)

Four Books or Movies I could Read or Watch Again:

1. Little Women (Louissa M Alcott)

2. The movie Lagaan

3. Smritichitre (in Marathi) by Laxmibai Tilak.

4, The play ,"Varyavarchi Varaat" by late PU La Deshpande in Marathi.

Four Works of Art Before Which I’ve Stood (or Sat):

1. Rangoli portraits drawn during festivals

2. The Mona Lisa at the Louvre. If you move around it feels like the eyes follow you..:-)

3. The Sun Temple sculptures at Konarak

4. Pencil portraits of my parents done by my nephew when he was 8.


Four Figures From the Past Whom I’d Like to Watch at Work or Meet for Dinner:

1. Walt Disney while he came up with all his cartoon characters

2. Einstein

3. Rani of Jhansi

4. My mother's mother who passed away in my mother's childhood. That was one grandparent I never saw. This meeting would surely be great.

Four People I Think Might Take it Upon Themselves to Take Up This Meme:

Vivek Patwardhan

Manju

Lilly

Subramanian Iyer

19 comments:

  1. Iceberg lettuce in the ice chest?? really? what fun..I love your simple tastes. Lot of people make a meal out of it but mostly its with either chicken or beef or shrip or some non-veg item. How do you make a full meal and feel satisfied and full with a salad? Jara tujhe tips share kar ga karan ithe lunch la koni salad suggest kela ki mala agadi mastakaat kal jaate.

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  2. 'Sugarcane juice'? Very Puneri-

    Nicely written tag!

    I usually don't do tags- but I'll make an exception in this case.:)

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  3. In a cooler box thing actually, so it remains fresh. I add lots of carrot, tomato, green peppers, cucumber , sweet corn, boiled chopped potato, and a little bit of cooked macaroni . Add salt, cayenne pepper, pinch sugar, , and do a sizzling kadhipatta fodni and add to it. Squeeze juce of one lemon, and toss everthing nicely. Eat.

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  4. Manju, Murlidhar Raswanti Gruha, Shanicha Paar....:-)

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  5. Well, this has me intrigued although I've tried not to get into too many of these, I am going to do this one this evening. Fun post, Ugich!

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  6. I certainly know more about you than I did before. I guess that's why we all enjoy the meme's lists. Thanks for sharing.

    Irving, California, huh? Did you travel to other parts of California and the U. S. while studying there?

    You have led a fascinating life.

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  7. Sylvia Actually, I dont usually do these tag things, but i too found this intriguing....Have fun !

    Darlene Yes I did travel to SFO, San Diego, Mammoth (to try unsuccessfully, the skiing). I also saw the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas. On my way back, to India, saw Madison Wisconsin, New York City (had a roommate from there), and also Washington , DC. But the things I remembered most were my friends/room-mate, even attended one wedding! ....

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  8. I enjoyed learning more about you but I am not into tags either. I like iceberg lettuce in salads but never thought about adding potatoes and some of the other stuff you like. May have to try it your way!

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  9. Yahoo!
    I am going to take this meme further....

    Await my post now........

    Vivek

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  10. I feel the same way about memes as you but this one is a good one. As for iceberg lettuce - I knew we were soul sisters!!! I will do this one next week - and of course you must come to Australia!

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  11. that was a neat response.i like to eat pani puri by the roadside and my husband gives me cold stares when he hears about it.been to Irwine and it is a beautiful place where nature remains undisturbed even now.now i hope you won't refuse me when i tag you.

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  12. Wonderful combinations !

    Sugar cane juice, Rani of Jhansi and Barack Obama. Thats some connect.

    Wonderful knowing you better !!

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  13. bhel; i love it, i would love to try out the place you are talking about...

    loved knowing more about you...is this the first time you are doing a tag?

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  14. Churchurit phodani>> wa wa wa

    Nice touch.. AAj ratrichya jevnala hech.

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  15. That fleshed out the sketchy-knowledge of two meetings-in-person and numerous blog-dialogues! Darjeeling made my heart go all misty, and mango pickle made the tongue water!

    And a garden for apology is a win-green idea!

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  16. You did make your tag replies interesting Suranga - not easy to do eh?

    I hope you do get to Australia - it is worth the longing. In much the same way, I'd love to see India. Money money ...

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  17. Ahhh, the four foods? Just my taste :)

    And the outback....well, I lived there Suranga, for some years: on the edge of the Great Sandy Desert, in a town called Hall's Creek. It was one of the original gold mining towns and was famous for it's pure gold. I also lived in other towns in the Kimberley region, including Broome (before it's tourist mecca status settled on it!). Hope you get there one day....though I wouldn't wanna go back!

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  18. JudySometimes, a mixture of 2 random cuisines, gives you ideas, and many times turn out tasty...although I can see purists glaring in horror :-)

    Vivek I didnt know Lulu followed you to South Africa.....

    LillyHope you can come to India sometime , so I can make you my Indian version of Iceberg Lettuce salad....

    HHG Stop in Mumbai en route to Jamshedpur, and we can have a bloggers Pani Puri session instead of a lunch. Looks and stares from bloggers welcome:-)

    Kavi Earlier the sugarcane juice was a short ricksha ride away. Now I must dream about not only the Rani of Jhansi and Obama, but the sugarcane juice too. Havent been to Pune in a while.:-)

    Suma I actually dont do tags. Dont like the ones that delve too deep into personal and family details. And this was the second. I did one for G about books I read.

    Sucharita Yes, Ma'am . :-))

    June Glad you enjoyed the stuff. Still waiting for the lottery results.....

    Braja I've eaten Bhel in your part of the country (with the mustard oil), but didnt realize there was sugarcane juice around, like over here. The rest of the stuff I like is pretty routine. But in each case, a specific environment has made these memorable......

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