Icy winds continue to blow over the city. Though the sun is out bright for the past couple of days, the temperatures reamin sub normal. The cosiest place to be in during the day time is a black sedan car with windows up! The cold winds hit you as soon as you step out.
Freakish weather all over with Mumbaikars running for woollens and lit fires. Did I hear right that several parts of Gujarat are in grip of cold wave as well, and there was snowfall over Bhuj!
Tomorrow is Basant Panchami-heralding the onset of spring and warmer weather- celebtrated in parts of north India by wearing yellow coloured clothes, flying kites and having Zarda (sweet saffron rice with Pista, Badaam, Kishmish), Pili Tahiri ( Rice with Gobhi, Alu and Matar). The day is observed as Saraswati Pooja among the educated in the north and the Begalis.
It also signalled hard mugging days ahead for the students since the annual examinations were generally held in March- April.
The sweet rice- Zarda deserves a little more. It surprises me that this delicacy has not been made popular by gourmets of the Mughlai cuisine. I think it deserves more recognition than it has recievedso far in homes and resturants in north India.
But the weather over most of north India this year is not typically Basant Panchami variety.
A strong aroma mixed with nostalgia greeted me when I entered home after work late Friday evening. Shailey, was in the kitchen making guava jelly out of the left over over-ripe guavas sent from Allahabad by my friend Bugun. Knowing my weakness for fresh Allhabad guavas and Moongphalis alongwith with the two varieties of salt one mixed with fresh dhaniya leaves and hari mirch and the other with zeera and kala namak ( natly wrapped in scraps of newspper stips )with which every Allhabadi (worth his salt) is so familiar (they sell like hot cakes all over the city in every nook and corner throughout the winter months), Bugun religiously sends three consigments of these, thrice during the winter months every year to remind us of the good old days. The guava jelly made by my Maa were a favourte at breakfast for the family, especially my father who devoured it with relish, spread over pieces of bread, with generous helpings of a layer of fresh Malai.
Four days ago,as I was getting ready to go to work, I got a frantic call from Kuckee my Mausi's daughter who lives in Calcutta telling me that Bhaggo Mausi, her Mom was very unwell and had to be taken to a hospital by " Mala". " Who is Mala?", I asked. "She is the the one who started Silver Line School" was the very helpful answer! "Cd I have her cell no" " Yes Bhaiyya I think you shd be in direct touch with her to get the latest situation on the ground" was the answer. Kuckee wanted
the phone #s of my nephews and nieces who stay in the neighbourhood of Bhaggo Mausi in Ghaziabad, adding that although there was a Calcutta Bundh, she was trying to fly out to Delhi and Tottoo her younger sister who stays in Jallandhar will leave by road in the next hour. Tried to reach Mala on her cell but her Vodaphone was "either swithed off or out of range" !!
Contacted my nephew and niece in G Bad and told them to get the update on Bhaggo Mausi's condition. Felt very proud to get an update shortly thereafter that she was better.Thank God that there was better connectivity among our family!
Was reminded that I am getting old today. We landed up at a lunch get together at a club in NOIDA to discover that it was for next Sunday!Had checked out invitation card to see the time and the venue before we left. But did not see the date beacuse I was so sure that it was today.
Anyway, went to see Bhaggo Mausi after a lunch in a Chinese restaurant in Sector 18 NOIDA.
She didn't look very good but was very very happy to see us. All of eighty six years . Made her sit up and brush her silver hair. Think she will pull through, with both her daughters and sons in law with her now. But Bhaggo Mausi chooses to live by herself in the large house built by Mausaji, post retirement in 1964. A maid and her husnand who works in the college she was principal of, stay with her and look after her needs for the past 16 years!She remembered her family,including my Maa, and how she me-her dark son! Very affectionate and unaffetced, like the rest of my mother's family.
After Bhaggo Mausi, we went over my late sister's home in Gbad to meet with her children- all doing well, by God's grace.
So much for this weekend. Hopefully, the last "cold weekend in Delhi.
Take care all, and God Bless
Love
7 comments:
Hi Dad, Great post and Guava jelly really does bring out the nostalgia, I still remember quite clear as the other day- Baba and his guava jelly with Malai. By the way Dad for the first time today - noticed some spelling errors on the post :) you should use the spell check -before you post.
Its still quite cool in Hong Kong, so good to hear (not in your post, but on the phone with Ma just now) that the weather is finally turning in Delhi. Talk soon, love, Abhiram
Thanks Bittoo
Your comments are very encouraging.
Will take care of the spellings part in future.
Was thinking of winding off my blog space the weekly for want of response.
But after we talked, think I will just hang in there.
Interesting to know.
Other variant is possible also
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