Grapes - No one can eat just one!

Is it possible to overeat grapes? Can one ever be enough?
This season we seem to have had a bumper crop of grapes and suddenly they were there everywhere (though not cheap enough to our liking considering the abundance). Needless to say, we had lots and lots of grapes. I would like to say 'to our hearts content' but with sun-kissed, translucent, jewel-like shimmery juice filled orbs, my heart is bottom-less! I know one might be thinking that the apt organ to be mentioned here considering my drooling here should be the Stomach, but remember we are still talking about eating to one's hearts content? Yeh Dil maange more...and some more!

The other day I bought about 2kgs of grapes from the nearby local market. Tiny orbs of jade look alike sweetness!! And Amma was like why 2kgs; they would get wasted! Ha ha..famous last words!! They didn't even last the day - all tucked in by Appa, me and the skeptic Amma herself!! We had to specifically store away some for S & P!!

Oh, for the sweet love of grapes!!
And for those who didnt get enough grapes in this season - Don't worry, I am sure there will be some 'sour grapes' for you!!

P.S. If you can stop yourself from reaching out for the next one, you win the title of the Mega-Grape-resistor!!

The 5 things I like about Bangalore

The other day when I was visiting a dear friend, we all were talking about Bangalore and related lifestyle, vis a viz Hyderabad. S and me were nostalgically reminiscing our post-marriage time at Hyd and felt that the quality of life was better there. I guess we gave off a feeling that we didn't like Bangalore too much. 
That's not quite true. Yes, I would prefer Hyderabad anytime, but it isn't like Bangalore doesnt have its share of good things.

So, here are the top 5 things that I like about Bangalore ( not in any particular order)
1. Food - When it comes to the variety in cuisines, Bangalore is definitely heads and shoulders above other cities that I frequent. The city is littered with small cafes and bistros ( my favorite cuisine), pastry and gourmet ice cream parlours, different international cuisines and the inevtiable resultant fusions! And not forgetting the 'cannot-do-without' Sagars.  Tell me where else one can find a restaurant dedicated to eggs, a la The Egg Factory at St. Marks Road?? Or a new food joint opening almost every week??

The IT revolution made Bangalore a big melting pot of flavors. For a curious foodie on a budget (like me), this aspect of Bangalore truly rocks. All this with without even exploring the old Bangalore and Avenue road? So, go figure!

2. Weather - There is no denying to this fact at all! Though I often lament about the lack of sunshine or dull grey saprofic weather, where else can u find a foggy morning at 8am? Summers are hot and uncomfortable anywhere in India for me, but a hour in sultry Chennai has me hallucinating about Bangalore. 

3. Weekend breaks - The options are so many and each one so tempting. Albeit we haven't done as many as we would have wanted too, there is a certain  pleasure in the knowledge that its possible!!

4. Road trips - The proximity of Bangalore to Chennai and Gudiyatam has allowed us to take quite a few road trips, which we wouldn't have otherwise done so. Good highways, the feel of speed and good music make the journey as exciting as the destination. Rubber meets road, iPod on the Aux input and we are groovin'!

5. Street shopping - For the shopoholic me, how can I not mention this? Though not unique to Bangalore and definitely not the best that I have seen, but its quite good in its own right!! And then, there are so many malls too.



See, Bangalore isnt all that bad (for me). Like any city, it has its own charm and guess it will also grow on me.

Finding the "connect"

In her book 'Eat Pray Love', Elizabeth Gilbert rightly captures how I feel in crowded regilious places. She says....
"In my stay at the Ashram, there were never more than few hundred residents at any time. If the Guru herself had been in residence, those numbers would have swollen considerablely, but she was never in India  when I was there. ...... Its not considered essential to be in her literal presence in order to keep up your studies with her. But there is, of course, the irreplaceable high of actually being around a living Yogic master,..... But many longtime devotees agree that it can also sometimes be a distraction - if you are not careful, you can get all caught up in the celebrity buzz that surrounds the Guru and lose focus of your true intention. Whereas if you go to one of her Ashrams and discipline yourself to keep austere schedule of practices, you will sometimes find that it is easier to communicate with your teacher fron within these private meditations than to push your way through the crowds of eager students and get a word in edgewise in person."

While she talks about her experiences of finding spiritual guidance, I am relating to the more simpler and common ritual of going to a temple or going for darshan in an ashram. Very few times have I found the peace that  begets devotion in such places; the connect where you feel the oneness with God or feel that there is only Him and you there giving you the clarity of a sincere prayer. Often the crowds distract - either I am annoyed at being jostled, or distracted by the people around, or just simply amused by the way people try to outsmart/jump queues or am busy counting similar lost souls who are 'caught up in the buzz' but lost focus on true intention of being there.
One of the few places where I have felt the deep connect despite the huge crowds has been Shirdi. There is something there - some vibration that makes you unaware of the crowd once you see Baba. Then for few earthly moments (and many ethereal ones), its only you and Him. A darshan there despite how long it takes always has been moving and deeply satisfying.
Another such incident was when we went to Kapaleeshwar kovil at Mylapore on the 13th day of Appa's passing away. I have gone there many times and it is definitely a very peaceful enchanting place, albeit often a tad bit crowded for my taste in the main sannadhis. But on that day somehow I felt, when in Kapaleeswarar sannadi, that He was telling me that Appa was with him now and would always be looking down upon us. Maybe that was my frame of mind then and hence I was easily suspectible to such thoughts. Nevertheless, the peace the 'connect' brought is indeed something indescribable.
Coming back to the crux of this post, I seem to find the connect with my God at different times and at various odd places; almost never in temples which are usually others seem to.....
Reading the above prose makes me go, "there you go lady, you stole those words right out of my mind!!! And you have said it so well too!"