Author: drsriramnathan

“A little bit of this and that
A little thin a little fat!
Now that’s the best way to go!
A little high and a little low!”

Today is the 266th day of the year and this is my 266th full lenght blog! Of course the same number for the sketch!

“oru alavu” That was the standard quantity used by my mother!

read on!
Anyone who tells you that money is not important run away and go back and listen to him or her after you have enough money!

Now please do not get me wrong! Money is not everything but money is very important! All you have to decide is ALAVU!

Yes, that in my mother’s mixture of tamil and malayalam means quantity!

Like Rajni says in Muthu, Kaiyil konjam kaasu irunthaal, Neethan atharku ejamaanan
Kazhuthu varaikkum kasu irunthal, Athuthan unakku ejamanan. which means that if you have some money in your hands then you are its owner but if you have money upto your neck it is your owner! Basically it means that you must be the owner of your money and not its slave!

You need to know how much money is needed for you to be comfortable. You must know your brake!

Of course now this blog was and is not about money!

When my mother used to make any dish, she always made the best one! Be it Baigan ka bhartha or aloo paratha or even a sambar! It was always the best and the most delicious!

So whenever someone used to ask her about the recipe, she always used to tell to add this spice or that ingredient and tell Oru allavu! In hindi she used to tell “apne andaz ya hisaab” which means that you add that ingredient as per your taste which actually we later realised was based on experience!

The same ingredient and masalas you give to someone else and the taste would not be the same! Many of my aunties and other relatives would constantly have this complaint that the dish does not taste the same! Even the Upma which I hate when made by her would taste so nice! My aunty would be surprised and say oh come on, it is only Upma! But it was true! Apart from her usual ‘alavu’ here the added flavour was ghee roasted shallots!

But then many always felt my mother was either not telling the complete recipe or she was telling them the wrong one!

It used to be the same with me! Now of course my mother had couple of tricks up her sleeve like the upma above and like roasting the onions before making aloo bonda or adding roasted ginger to the podimass (A potato dish with grated coconut and boiled potato) but overall when she made the dishes it was so tasty!

The only way to learn that was to cook with her! Which is exactly what I did! I used to call her and make her sit on a chair and I used to cook with her! Then over a period of time I understood the alavu!

Most of the recipes we see online or otherwise the quantity of most of the ingredients are fixed like half or quarter tea spoon! But most cooks do not use any spoons! They always use their hands and the quantity is decided on the spot and with experience!

I have always believed that anything more is bad and mostly everything in life is always a balance! An ‘alavu’! Even most of the self help books always tell you to get a balance! Even most gurus try to tell you to get a work life balance!
Hope you find your balance or Alavu in life!

Like how the birthday celebrity Usha Nadkarni gives a balanced act in her movies and TV!

Have great weekend!
Shubh ratri!

“The wait will make you see

The honey and the bee!

Fanning for eternity for a drop

Must carry on though, don’t stop!”

In the Novel Nexus Yuval gives an introduction to one of the most frustrating activities the modern day civilisation has ever insisted!

the tape which is red! And did you know it was all because of a desk or table!?

read on!

I hate filling forms! They are one of the most irritating things in the world especially if it is a rigid and specific form!

Since I often have flights of fantasy like a would be author, sticking to the script was never the strong suit!

Which may be the reason many like me can never be in accounts or be lawyers! Of course documentation is one of the cornerstones of modern medical practice but those are alright since we can still have creative liberties on the symptoms and complains!

But the most irritating stuff is when you need to do an official work from any government agency or even the bank! Of course now many of the places with the introduction of online access, it is a breeze but I still remember the days when simple things like applying for a official document was a big tapasya!

You need to fill innumerable forms and submit a zillion documents! I still remember those days when we had to apply for a landline telephone connection! That was the most difficult thing to do! After application your phone line may come after ages! Even then you need to ‘grease’ the palms and submit more documents!

 This is the region of the red tape or Bureaucracy!

Now Bureaucracy literally means ‘rule by writing desk’! 

The term was invented in eighteenth-century France, when the typical official sat next to a writing desk with drawers or a bureau!

And at the heart of the bureaucratic order, then, is the drawer. 

Now bureaucracy was introduced to solve the retrieval problem by dividing the world into drawers, and knowing which document goes into which drawer.

The principle remains the same regardless of whether the document is placed into a drawer, a shelf, a basket, a jar, a computer folder or any other receptacle: divide and rule. The principle is division and transfer into sections! The image of the in and out folders of a office babu comes to mind!

This division, however causes more confusion and delay! 

So instead of focusing on understanding the world as it is, bureaucracy is often busy imposing a new and artificial order on the world. In the book called Peter principle by  Laurence J. Peter and R Suttton; it has been indicated that such Bureaucrats are appointed for the sole purpose to simply follow their rigid rule whether it makes sense or not!

Peter tells the story of Michael Patrick O Brien who was kept for 11 months on a ferry boat plying between Hong Kong and Macao because of a travel issue! 

This leads to another interesting phenomenon especially in the Government sector! There are some forms which serve no purpose other than waste time energy and money! But incompetent officers insist on it because of customary routine! Like the case of Michael above!

The above are also examples of Professional Automatism! 

Means are more important than the end! The paperwork is more important than the purpose! 

But most of the time even if they don’t do any work, professional automatism still gets them promoted! In fact if you question or do not get with the flow, then you are not given any promotion! Here competence is harmful!

This was amazingly depicted even in the movie Zootopia when the cop goes to the Motor vehicle department! 

There was this amazing movie called Kagaz and in the movie based on the series Office office; a person who is alive has to prove that he is alive when a ‘certificate’ emerges which proves him to be dead! In fact the comedy series by Pankaj Kapur actually is an amazing satire on the crazy world of red tapes and Bureaucrats! 

The Bureaucrat in the office tells the person standing hale and hearty in front him that according to the certificate, he is dead! 

It was dark comedy when the person says that he is very much alive while the Bureaucrat tells him that the ‘computer’ cannot be wrong! That whole scene in a nutshell is the state of Bureaucracy!  

So bureaucrats begin by inventing various drawers, which are intersubjective realities that don’t necessarily correspond to any objective divisions in the world. The bureaucrats then try to force the world to fit into these drawers, and if the fit isn’t very good, the bureaucrats push harder. The forms do not adapt to you! You must adapt to the form!

Anyone with a big name from South India can relate to the commonly asked question in most official form; ‘first name. middle name and surname”! Try to fit Sriram Nathan Sivaramakrishnan Iyer in that! 

Anyway talking about ‘Fit’ you can think about the birthday celebrity Puneet Issar!

Now fill that Google form and hope that you don’t get nightmares about red tape and sleep!

Shubh ratri!

The Monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma

Self help book

Audio Book

A very popular book which needs no introduction or even a review to be popular! But this is both a review and a summary! Those who may read may find it like a preview and those who may not read it can get the main points!

I had read this one many years back and felt it was too preachy! I was young at that time and now a little older!

It sounds a little less preachy now!

The best way to read this book is to listen! These self help books are best heard and not read! The zeal and enthusiasm with which the narrator drives the point is what makes the difference!

If you are a regular reader of self help books then you would have probably read this one many times! If you have not read it before then you definitely need help!

Like many of this books like the 5 am club, Robin uses characters and storylines to put his point across!

The points are not something you do not already know but the application to your life is what is important here!

Now as the title suggests there is a Ferrari but may not be an actual Monk but something similar!

The book starts with a big great and successful liar…I mean lawyer having a heart attack and collapsing in the court!

Then starts the history of the lawyer and how he comes back as a ‘monk’!

Now this is not a murder mystery that you feel that is a spoiler!

What is relevant is what he learnt and what he is urging you to do with your life!

When you actually listen to the story of the lawyer in the end then you will actually understand why and how he used to work like that.
a very successful lawyer reached a peak and burnt out

Then one fine day he reappears all young and fit and healthy and full of life to spread his knowledge and secrets of a good life!

He tells about the sages or Swamis of shivala (or savanah! Since it was audiobook the spelling may not be correct!) and their techniques

He tells mainly about a Yogi called Yogi Raman and the indian connection. Yogi Raman was also a successful person who left everything and settled in the peaceful mountains!

The main advice is to simply get up and go! Get up as early as possible to seize the day! I guess this is a prelude to the 5 am club!

He mainly mentions about the diet which is very important! Either try to be a vegetarian or at least start eating as much less meat as possible and increase the vegetables and salads you eat! Slowly try to become more green in your choice of food!

He also tells to read self help books as much as you can!

The prominent being Gandhi and benjamin franklin and Think and grow rich! Here when he tells about growing rich he means not only of physical wealth but overal wealth!

He also urges to read the book Siddhartha by Hermen Hesse. He also mentions some little titbits from these books.

I have mentioned and read about the 80/20 rule is so many places! Here also Robin talks about it! So most of your time must be spent doing the 20 percent of the things which are important and not the 80 percent which waste your time!

Which brings us to the most important commodity of your life! The main idea of the book and the biggest gift the ‘monk’ gets from the sages!

He gets a golden hourglass!

This means that the most important and precious commodity is, Time!
The same in told by telling about a sumo wrestler with the pink band and the golden watch analogy!

He advices his junior to literally throw away your phone and your pager! Try NOT to answer call once in a while! Try to spend more time with family and not only work!

Yogi Raman says when you are born you cry and the world smiles! do work so that you laugh and the world cries! Of course this is a song in hindi which many people in India know too well!

Finally the ‘monk’ told the story of his life and as the day got over the proverbial sunrise took away the darkness of the room and gave light to the junior!

So do you want to be the monk who sold his Ferrari!? Well, get a Ferrari first! Or simply read or listen to this one!

“I can reach the end of the universe so fast!
The reach of my power is so vast!
Only the mind can hold me right!
Cause imagination can always take a flight!”

Have you heard about Cher ami, the one who saved over 194 men!?
Cher was mentioned in a book called ‘Nexus’, by Yuval Noah who tries to tell a brief history of information and tries to define data!
Oh, yeah by the way…Cher was a pigeon!

Intrigued?

read on!

Cher Ami, which means “dear friend” in French, was born in 1918. Cher Ami was one of the 600 Army Signal Corps pigeons sent to France to assist with communication on the battlefield.

Homing pigeons are known for their ability to find their way home, even from across terrains the pigeon does not know. Short notes were placed in a tiny canister attached to the pigeon’s leg that they would carry to their destination.

Cher Ami had 12 successful missions — a high success rate among homing pigeons! So what great thing did you achieve today!?

Unfortunately when the Germans became aware of the Army’s use of pigeons in carrying important information, they began training to shoot them down.

Cher Ami had his most dangerous mission during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918. Cher Ami was stationed with the 77th Division, referred to as the “Lost Battalion,” in the Argonne Forest. They found themselves cut off from the rest of the American troops, under heavy bombardment. The battalion was trapped behind German lines and unable to make their position known. Soon, American bombs began falling on the Lost Battalion on October 4, making the situation dire. Since they were out of the reach of the radio signal, using a homing pigeon was their only choice!

American Maj. Charles Whittlesey and his men watched as almost all of their pigeons were shot down by the Germans until they were left with only one pigeon, Cher Ami.
Whittlesey attached a note to Cher Ami’s leg, writing, “We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it!.”

Cher Ami dodged German bullets, giving the Soldiers hope until he was shot through the chest and fell to the ground. Against all odds, he returned to the sky to deliver the message. He flew at record speeds, covering 25 miles in a little less than a half an hour. He arrived at the American base with the message, alive but badly wounded!

Army medics were able to save Cher Ami, but he lost his right leg and was permanently blinded. Due to Cher Ami’s trip, the bombardment on the Lost Battalion stopped and 194 men safely returned to American lines. Cher Ami was awarded the Croix de Guerre by the French government to honor bravery on the battlefield.

General John Pershing honored him by saying, “There isn’t anything the United States can do too much for this bird.”

Under the care of his trainer, Capt. John Carney, Cher Ami returned to the United States where he spent the rest of his life. Cher Ami died due to his war wounds on June 13, 1919, in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. His body was preserved and presented to the Smithsonian Institution with honor in 1921.

So nice and wonderful right? Well, Yuval actually tries to burst this story! Apparently the American Bombers actually got the message on the position of the troops before Cher! Another version actually says how it was not even Cher who did the message carrying but some other Pigeon! Another says his wounds were severe but not that severe!

Now, now! Do not feel bad! That is the power of inspirational stories! Cher is not simply a Pigeon who did all that work! He is a symbol of hope when morale is low! He is an inspiration and an idea! An idea with wings! Literally!
In the quest of accuracy do not become a cynic! Also the thought of nation is a feeling and inspiration! Inspirational also are great stories of freedom fighters such as the birthday celebrity Vinayak Narahari Bhave!

Now start the ebook Nexus to have a good sleep!
Shubh ratri!

“The shores keep calling me
The sound it makes by the sea!
The ocean so vast and wide
Waves at me with the tide!”


What is the similarity between one of the biggest things you know and one of the smallest ones you know!? Did you also know that these things which you cannot see were described many years ago!? Also you may know this another scientist because of a cat! Triple intrigued!?

read on!


Kaṇāda also known as Ulūka, Kashyapa, Kaṇabhaksha and Kaṇabhuj was an ancient Indian natural scientist and philosopher who founded the Vaisheshika school of Indian philosophy that also represents the earliest Indian physics.

Kaṇāda proposed that paramanu is an indestructible particle of matter. The paramanu is indivisible because it is a state at which no measurement can be attributed. He used invariance arguments to determine properties of the atoms. He also stated that anu can have two states—absolute rest and a state of motion!

Now this will be more clear when you get the english word for paramanu! Yes! Atom!

Now the word atom is derived from the ancient Greek adjective atomos, meaning “uncuttable” or “indivisible.”
We now know that the atom has a nucleus composed of protons and neutrons surrounded by clouds of electrons. The protons are positively charged, electrons are negatively charged, and neutrons possess no charge!

In one of the models of the atom which is called the Rutherford model; The atom is described as a tiny, dense, positively charged core called a nucleus, in which nearly all the mass is concentrated, around which the light, negative constituents, called electrons, circulate at some distance!

There is another much bigger system in which the mass is concentrated in the center and other lesser mass go ‘around’ or move in a cyclical way around the central mass! Yes! The solar system!

This was of course an oversimplification of the structure of atom which has now been superseded by “The Quantum Mechanical Model” which views electrons within an atom as waves, not as particles as previously believed. Because of this, electrons can be described as having a high probability of residing in specific orbitals, or regions of space, within the atom!

There was this comment that if you cannot explain something to a five year old then it means that you have not understood it yourself! The Rutherford model is the simple version while the Quantum mechanical model is the uber complex model!

The quantum model is a modification of two other models called the Bohr’s and this another one you would have heard in association with a cat!

This scientist solved a series of mathematical equations to come up with a model for the distributions of electrons in an atom! His model shows the nucleus surrounded by clouds of electron density. These clouds are clouds of probability; though we don’t know exactly where the electrons are, we know they’re likely to be found in given regions of space. These regions of space are referred to as electron orbitals!

Saw the uncertainty? Well doesn’t it remind you of a scientist and the cat!? Well! Even this model is by the same person! Schrödinger! Of course the cat story is for another day! or is it!? The reason why Rutherford model is comfortable is because of its similarity to the Solar system! This familiarity gives a sense of security or contentment! We are always wary of those which are not familiar! Now the sketch of birthday celebrity Atul Kulkarni was tolerable to my son since he was a familiar face in a movie we had seen recently! Oh all right, the movie was The Ghazi attack!

Lets now respect the solar system and sleep!
Shubh Ratri!

“It can be slow it can be fast!

It can make your heart beat fast! 

It can drown the blues big or small!

Music is simply the best of em all!”

What do you do when you do not have time for relaxation or exercise or you are simply lazy!? Well, there is something which can still be done!

Read on and also learn about the Drummer Rick allen of Def Leppard who has only one hand!

I love music! 

By default my echo device would play Hanuman Chalisa at the same time everyday and then Vishnu sahasranama and maybe later on other songs or chanting depending on the festival!

Then while driving it will be some hindi old or new soulful music by KK or Arijit singh or my favourite Sonu Nigham! If nostalgic then Kishore da and Rafi saab would come with Mannade and Amit Kumar!

Later on while sketching it would be some rock song or pop song which could be new or old depending on my son and my mood! My daughter would drop in her KPop once in a while! 

Then if it is at home with my father it would be the classical songs with my Tabla to assist! We all would join in the chorus and it would be mesmerising! 

Finally before we sleep if in the mood then some old songs or videos of popular songs on the projector and then a few minutes of instrumental music by many including Kenny G for a sound (mostly!) sleep!

Even during my study days and school days music has been keeping me alert and awake! If I need to concentrate then it is more instrumental music like the Dream theatre or even some carnatic classics! 

Good music has no boundary and I feel it really helps me keep a good mood! Which is why I really do not like when someone says to stop the music or reduce the volume! Even now! Then again I am really wary of anyone who does not like music when he or she has a normal mood! 

There have been studies that show even plants and animals like and enjoy music so I guess humans must enjoy it more!

Listening to calming music can help people relax and focus on the present moment. Studies have also found that listening to music helps release endorphins which further reduces stress levels and may even aid in the healing process. Now this is subjective and whether you get endorphins or not, it is still good!

Now proper musicians are better qualified to talk about the intersection of music and healing! The drummer of the Band Def Leppard was Rick Allen.  

The band’s album ‘Pyromania’ was selling millions of copies in the U.S. and their videos were all over MTV when in 1984 he lost his left arm in a car crash! When he thought all was lost, his bandmates famously stood by him and he remained in the group. They supported him and with music he supported himself. 

Over a period of time he trained himself and developed a drum kit which could be played with one hand and his legs! And lo! He created magic with the drums! He continued to play with the band, which went on to its most commercially successful phase!

When asked what was the inspiration he told about the healing power of music or in his case, drumming! 

Of course you must not take it literally! Music calms your body mind and soul! It makes you feel postive and hopeful and that is the crux! A good positive healthy mind is the essential element to have a healthy body! Even if you do not believe in these, just sing and dance! At least you will move some muscle! Or if you want you can read a book! Like the one written by birthday celebrity Ramaswamy Krishnamurthy! Who!? you may know him as the author of Ponniyin Selvan or as Kalki!

Now listen to light music and try to sleep!

Shubh Ratri!

ebook

no spoilers review!

thriller with Lincoln Rhyme as the lead detective with his usual team of Amelia Sachs and the rest of the team!

This is a Novella which can get over in less than 30 minutes of reading!

The story is simple and a sign of the times about this dating service where vulnerable women who are sensitive and already at the threshold of loss or recovering from a loss are preyed upon by a predator!

The surprise is not there!

The surprise is mental and not physical!

With people who treat emotions as most important would associate with this very well!

What he does is much more damaging but unfortunately even with the excess amount of mental agony and torture he gets away…or does he!?

There are some indications of Rhyme going the Curtain; Poirot’s last case way! Wrong or right…well, you read and decide!

“Looks so good and lively too!
The maroon is red and the purple blue!
That snap was the cherry on the cake
Of course everything in da gram is fake!”

The book The 48 laws of power by Robert Greene is one of the best books with so many laws which overlap and sometimes even contradict themselves!

But overall it is simply equilibrium! Or like Bob Dylan says, “Blowing in the wind!”

read on!

So as you can very well guess, there are at least 48 rules!

In most cases, Robert states the law and starts by giving examples. He narrates a story which you may or may not have heard. He enumerates different aspects of the law via these stories. He then goes on to narrate the reversal or exceptions to the law (if any) by giving examples as and when required.

He takes stories from ancient kingdoms including and not limited to chinese, japanese, french, english to name a few. He takes tales from Aesops fables, Panchatantra and Kautilya to name a few though there are many such tales told in accordance to the law discussed.

Many times after elaborating the law in the context of ancient time, he proceeds to tell how the law is relevant or how you can make the law relevant to the present context!

One of the best laws of opinion given by the author is ‘Never appear too perfect’! People do not like perfection because a human being is inherently flawed! This is so true especially in the current times!

There was this great life hack on one of the sites where the person had told this great way of getting the answer! She would pose a question and change her ID and give a very wrong answer or obviously wrong answer to her own question!

Now people would not have helped her in the first place! But then there will be great bunch who would love to ‘correct’ her ‘wrong’ answer! That is exactly what happened! She finally got what she wanted by using this very technique!

In any social group it is much better to post your failures than your success since people love the fact that you are also a human!

The constant post of success and ‘good’ life is very difficult to digest for anyone! That is the actual truth!

The easiest thing which anyone loves to do including me is give advice! And the most difficult thing is to follow the said advice!

In the same way, though some words of appreciation or likes would come for your apparent perfect world, if you post your problems out there, the support would be much more!

The day to day problems are universal! If not health then its wealth and most of the times, it is both!

The perfect picture with the amazing filter in the background of an amazing sunset with the perfect smiles is simply a state! A moment of joy which has been captured to enjoy!

No one has a perfect life and no one has the answers to all the life’s problems! Life is a process of continuous learning!

Now now! This is not a negative post! The eternal optimist which I am is simply reducing the expectations which is very important!

So all the above is not a bad thing!
Most humans like to help! And you simply cannot help someone who does not seem to need help right!?
People like vulnerable people because deep down it reminds them that humans are vulnerable!

Every human likes to be needed! When you are needed by someone else then you automatically get respect! And finally that is the crux of the matter! Each and every human being, however big or small or knowledgeable finally needs respect! Respect and perfect can be the attributes of the celebrity of the day, the Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika! I have sketched him many times and it has come out well most of the time!

Now try to get the perfect sleep if you can!
Shubh ratri!

“The tone is there the line is on!

But the speed was slow to do any con!

The phone is there to make a call

But use it now and all will fall!”

If you were of that time then you will definitely understand that poem and this sentence; “Keep the phone down! I am downloading a file!”

The landline was our internet!

Read on!

There may be hardly anyone without a smartphone now and if you find someone who does not use Whatsapp then, well it will be surprising that is all!

But it really is hard to imagine anyone without a Whatsapp or even an email!

Many shops now even ask you to download their own app for points and stuff which I try to refuse as much as I can!

The other day we were doing just this and the app was taking some time to download! The time was less than a minute! And all I was thinking was the time when it used to take ten minutes to just connect to the internet!

Of course many times it was simply better to just rush over to the ‘Internet cafe’! Those internet café’s were the best to…browse the net!

Those days the connection used to be with a CD! We used to head over to the head office catching a couple of buses to get a CD with 650 mb DATA! Used to hold it very carefully and load it up fervently hoping that our Modem works!

We had to also buy a cable to connect our modem to our phone line!

After loading the computer dialer used to come which at that time was really magical!

If you put the number wrong then no internet for you!

Then the dialer would dial and we would all get to hear that beep sound! Then a whole series of sound which was so familiar to people who had computer! The kee kee and finally the constant noise! If you reach the constant noise then you are saved by the bell! During the time you of course cannot talk to anyone else! So we used to make sure that this was done when my mother’s phone talking session was over! 

650 mb was enough for most of the job like checking e-mails and browsing the net! But if you download video or media files then it would get over in a jiffy! Not to mention the fact that the speed would be so slow! If you are enjoying 1GB per second speeds sometimes now, we have seen less than 1b per second! The time to download estimate would then be some thousand years am sure!

Media file download would take all day or night! Imagine downloading a song of 4mb in 12-18 hours! 

If that does not frustrate you then this I had read on the net; “Imagine using this phone line to book a ticket in tatkal in the railway website during those days!”

The biggest complication of course was the astronomical telephone bill at the end of the month! 

Of course a bigger complication would be this! You were waiting for a file to get downloaded and after a long wait for several hours or even days, it reaches 99 percent and then suddenly the connection gets interrupted and you hold your breath…But the download restarts from 1! The level of patience at that time is what we have been trained in!

With all of these I taught my dear mother on how to open email and check messenger! It was a series of steps which my mother would write down and keep like a good student! 

My dad of course took to tech like a duck takes on water! Talking to him everyday on facetime seems so normal now which would have been unimaginable some years back!

My sketch dedication to my dad! He was born on Vinayaka Chaturthy day so there is no way you can forget his birthday which changes every year unlike him who will always remain a disciplined army Colonel!

And of course a great dad!

Many happy returns of the day!

Happy Vinayaka Chaturthy once again!

Shubh Ratri!

“Lots of sweets and dishes to eat!

Festivals are an amazing treat!

Doesn’t matter if you slow or clever!

Mother’s love will be there forever!”

Festival and the way of life! And Mother is the closest God…

Just after August in an August way the whole season of festival starts in india and continues till the end of the year!

Festivals are simply a way to meet and be happy!

read on…

The whole season starts with Shri Krishna Janmasthami then Gowry Habba then Ganesh Chaturthy followed by Dusshera and deepawali and Karthi! 

Every festival has it own dishes and prayers and significance and charm!

If Krishna Janmasthami has it Cheedai, then it is the Modak or Modakam or Kozhukattai is the king when it comes to Ganesha festival!

The most complicated thing to make though is the Obbatu or Holige or Puran Poli! The making of this chapati like dish is an art in itself! 

Actually if you think about it the making and final result of the Holige is life itself!

If you make the stuffing or the Oorna very soft then it will be difficult to stuff but if it is too hard then it is difficult to roll! That is life, if you have it easy then it is tough later! 

The covering also has to be of the perfect balance just like life! If it is too thin then you cannot stuff properly and it will break! If it is too thick then the taste will not be good! If it is very flat then all the areas will not get the Oorna or the sweet  and if you spread the oorna too much then it will leak out and burn! Not like aloo paratha where the leaked potato is actually tasty!

After all these if you still manage to get everything right like you graduation and post graduation; you still have to get the job! Which is akin to the fact that you have to get a perfect round of the Holige! 

If you put a lot of the oil then it becomes greasy and if you do not put much then it becomes dry and rough to eat!

Just like life you cannot hurry up with the Holige! You have to use the proper tools! The best device to put on the hot pan is the plantain leaf! You can try with butter paper but leaf is simply the best!

Finally it takes effort of your own hands! You have to slowly and steadily press and contain and press again! Slowly and steadily it gets the shape and finally you get a perfectly cooked Holige!

By the way you can add a little sugar to the dough so that even if the Oorna does not reach all the part, it would still be sweet! 

Now today is Gowry habba where you pray to Goddess Parvati who is both a great Wife and an exemplary mother!

So before we celebrate the birth of Ganesha, we celebrate the greatness of Mother Parvati! 

All said and done, the nearest God to every child is his or her mother. 

A special sketch dedication to one of the finest mother on screen! I still have goosebumps when I see her role in the movie Karz! The way she in her confused state also looks at Monty and says, “Look at him not with normal eyes, but with the eyes of a mother and you will realise that he is my son!” 

My mother and me used to love that scene!

Wish everyone a great time…

Shubh ratri…