Of People and Places

Illustration of a Black-crowned night heron at Madiwala lake Madiwala lake at sunset - joggers, lovers, book readers, dog-walkers stop what they are doing for a minute to watch the glorious sky. I am squatting near the lake, watching a meditative Black-crowned night heron, hunched over, peering into the water. He is very languid in his movements, waiting for the fish to come close enough to grab and eat. Under the concrete parapet built over the lake, there are holes. Three snakes jut out their heads as the water forms gentle ripples around them. They are very small - I think they must be babies. Perhaps there is a snake's nest in the space around the built structure and the water and mud under it. The Black crowned night heron has a distinct black crown and back. I have read that they seem mostly lethargic during the daytime, and become active at early dawn and dusk, when it's time to hunt.  They mostly forage in the night. So, I guess this one was just awakening from h...

One of the perks of having friends who study in Manipal is that you get to visit beautiful beaches and lush green backwaters in and around Udupi. We decided one day to go to Mattu beach, a beach I fell in love with. A place worth staying in forever, to take walks at sunrise and sunset, to hear the waves crash and allow ideas to churn in the mind. We rode on two wheelers and the ride to Mattu is fantastic.  There are quaint shoreside benches and hammocks. A picnic should be on the works! (Mattu is also famous for the Mattu Gulla - An indigenous variety of brinjal, so don't forget to buy some when you visit.)

Half way through the safari on Madu river in Balapitiya, Sri Lanka, we had sudden rains which made the boatmen abandon the original plan of visiting the islets and the mangroves. It rained quite heavily and disappointed, we went to the Galle fort for sightseeing and hoped that the weather would be fine in the afternoon to try again. Galle is a beautiful city, but more on that later. All things seem to be for the best. We got to enjoy boating in the Madu river both in the rains, where the water looked lovely and in the late afternoon, where all the leaves looked fresh and reinvigorated from the morning rains and it wasn't as sunny or sweltering. This is a little watercolor sketch I made. We had just visited an island where the locals spoke about growing Cinnamon and when we made our way out of the marshland, one of the boats ahead of us, it made such a charming picture, with most of the horizon covered with foliage from the mangroves. It was like we were in a tunnel ...

Sights of Colva beach at sunset.   As I plopped down in the soft sand, the sun hid in the soft clouds, for some reason, embarrassed.   This was an amazing sight. If it weren't for the horizon line, you couldn't make out where the land ended and the sky began.  The sea and solitude. This lonely figure stretched its arms to the sea as if wanting to be swallowed. The other three were blissfully unaware, secure in each other's company.   The sea speaks - of lost loves and longings, of broken dreams and shattered faith. Things we dare not express the waves imbibe and reveal. 

Bharnee/ Bharani Ceramic jar The other day I took out our bharnee ( Ceramic jar) to do some watercolor studies. It has been with us since before I was born. My parents have always made this super- delicious, super -simple Konkani lemon pickle in it called 'Limbiya kanchee'. As children, me and my sister were often sick with the flu - liquid gold, if you know what I mean :D and our mealtimes were made of hot rice gruel and kanchee or rice and milk and kanchee.Amma used to feed us both, while we sat cross-legged on the floor, waiting our turn, nose dripping, sneezing, coughing.( Speaking of coughing, amma used to give us juice from a grated onion mixed with honey as a decongestant - I remember it used to work well) I still believe that it was because of the pickle that we recovered faster. Some rice gruel ( pej) and Lemon Kanchee and you are ready to conquer the world! I think most Konkani people remember this pickle from their childhood days. This is one of the few no...