Monday, May 03, 2004
Amrosia For Boredom
- Rani Iyer"I trained as an ecologist and worked blissfully in forests of Western Ghats. Since then I have lived in many places in North America. I currently reside in Washington State. I find nature to be eternally fascinating and resilient. Likewise, places and people constantly renew their acquintance. Deep within each of us resides a new community of thoughts that have the power to uplift or pull us down as we process our daily reactions to events. In this series, I attempt snapshots of those moments."
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Courtyard Vistas Series 5
It is fun when Eswari aunty plays with us. We can climb the roof, and gaze at the passing clouds. After craning our necks for sometime, we usually lie down on the tiles. Mahadeva picks out many animal formations. The best I could see were lotus, but mostly trees and mountains. Sharanamma always sees a house, but Nagamani declares that she saw a snake. After sometime of quiet, we usually get hungry.
Eswari aunty usually suggests a snack. Today she declared, “I have the perfect recipe for the boredom.”
“A new game?” asked Sharanamma.
“It is a new recipe,” sang Eswari aunty. When Aunty plays with us, she sings and laughs a lot. But around Grandma she is quiet.
“Do you know how to make it?” Mahadeva demanded.
“Yes! But, there is a problem here,” she said, wagging her pointing finger at us.
We watched her silently.
Enthusiastically she said, “Who can fetch the main ingredient?”
“Mahadeva,” said the girls.
Eswari laughed loudly and said, “It has to be a girl!”
Looking displeased, Mahadeva demanded, “Why?”
“Because it is in the kitchen!”
“Nagami,” Sharanamma said.
“She is slow!”
“Sashi,” they all yelled.
Bringing the main ingredient, Tamarind was easy. At least I could find it easily and no one really asked me what I was doing with my hands in the jar. Mahadeva, who fetched the jaggery, had some tense moments in the dark storeroom. Sharanamma who was deputed to fetch some chillies came with the whole box! Mahadeva valiantly volunteered to put the box back. Nagamani brought salt. Eswari’s part was to stealthily prepare the secret dish. She was back within a short time, holding out sticks that held a small ball of her recipe.
We all hesitated. Nagamani licked. And smiled and swallowed.
“How does it taste?” I asked.
“It…” she said and swallowed.
Mahadeva licked and pronounced, “May be sweet-sour.”
Eswari was licking and watching us with a smile.
After a long time, I tasted it. It was not easy to say it was salty, spicy, sweet or sour. Watching each other as we lavished saliva and faces we made, we began to discuss, describe and dispute it’s taste, texture and odour.
I have been thinking about why people smile when they taste sour things. Are these the smiling stuff God made? If God has already made stuff for us to cry, smile, and perhaps laugh, He has given us everything. Including nectar. Just where is it and how does it taste? Better than the treat today?
Courtyard Vistas Series 4: Questions
Courtyard Vistas Series 3: Bathing Rituals
Courtyard Vistas Series 2: Bestowed Names
Courtyard Vistas Series 1: Courtyard Vistas
Photo Credits
Picture provided by: http://www.tufts.edu
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