LA di da

It is 11:30 pm and the beginning of a new day. The comfort in familiarty. G driving, M riding shotgun and me sitting behind shotgun. The car noses out of the parking lot and merges into traffic. The neon sign screams "Girls! Girls! Girls! Nude! Nude! Nude!". Welcome to LA. Late at night the smog settles down in the city, casting a halo around the sodium vapor lamps. The city where the weather never changes. And on many days, where one can go surfing in the morning and skiing in the afternoon. Where the hot afternoons turn into nights so cold, the cold seeps into your bones. No smoking in bars, not even cigars. If you can see the sky, you can light up. Welcome, not just to LA, but also to CA. Start the car, point east, and drive 2500 miles uninterrupted. Talk about being in a fugue state! Welcome the USA. Comfort in familiarity. Where nothing has changed, and everything is new.

Wake up early and drive down Malibu canyon road. Past rabbits foraging for food, coyotes slinking back into their lairs, birds of prey soaring above the canyon, past the Hindu temple, the horse ranches, fishing holes, the road meandering enough to keep the drive interesting and then BOOM! To the South the first view of the Pacific Ocean, from a height that lets you look down on the horizon! Drive past the lawns of the university where deer graze peacefully, the sprinklers creating an arc of water, revolving languidly, holding patterns just that bit longer to create an impression. Drive straight past the light, park and start the early morning run. Pacific Ocean to the left, steel gray living, writhing , exciting, dangerous mass of water. The mountains to the left, early morning clouds kissing their peaks, an amorous rendezvous soon to be scorched away by the rising sun. But for now, the sun is behind the clouds, and there is a nip in the air. Forget the run, take in the location. The trail between the moutains and the ocean and all the creature comforts catered for in this awesome setting. The Ocean. I will be in you soon, but for now I am going to look at you from far, enjoying the challenge, the vast unknown...

Finish the run and drive down to Starbucks. Venti, Iced Tea, Sweetened, Easy on the ice. Oh, Green Tea please. Yes, with milk. Thank you. Comfort in Familiarity. Outside, in the sign, a starling has built a nest and two chicks are waiting for mommy to come and feed them. They turn raucous, as they feel mommy coming back with food. And the spectators, who have been waiting for this event throw up a quiet cheer. An ordinary day made extraordinary by an event usually not noticed. Its 8am and its the beginning of a gorgeous day!

What is she ?

NFAI, Pune. Well known for its rich archive of world cinema and the efforts it makes to restore prints. Set in a lush campus in Deccan gymkhana, NFAI screens world cinema regularly. Living a few blocks away from the campus, I usually attend most screenings. The theater is air-conditioned and clean for patrons have to remove their footwear outside. Watching world cinema is a hit and miss experience, and I have sat through quite a few sleep inducing pieces of “art”, content to be comfortable in the cool theater with an archaic projector, that has chewed many frames of film.

But no matter what the film, I always come away from NFAI with the satisfaction of having experienced a work of exquisite beauty and that is because of a picture in the lobby. It’s a woman wearing a white saree, with the pallu covering her head with some strands of hair tastefully showing. The pallu hugs her left cheek and forehead, and as it comes down the right side it flares, revealing the full right side of her face up to her ears, lending depth. The eyebrows, perfectly shaped, are arced minimally, and eyes are cast down at an angle suggesting a demure pose. The hands are visible and resting on the knees, lightly clasped. The forehead, neck and wrists are unadorned, and the saree has no border. There is no real point of focus in that picture, since the eyes and the face is tilted, but the effect created by the clasped hands, the bright white saree, her tilted facial features and the pallu covering her head creates a vision which the anonymous photographer might not have envisaged.

It’s a picture of the Hindi actress Meena Kumari, blown to 6ft by 3ft hanging on the left side as one enters the lobby. I never want to know what movie that picture came from, for that will reveal her character and I am afraid the picture will lose the charm it holds for me. Sometimes she is a tawaif waiting for her patron but the pure white saree also suggests movie could be from a period drama, wherein she might have essayed a role of widow. She could also be a mother, or “the other woman” who made a sacrifice. She could also be a lover, quietly reflecting upon her amorous escapades, clasped hands and raised eyebrows the only outward indications of the pleasures she was reliving. She could be a royal courtesan, contemplating the downfall of her enemies (real and imagined) or she could be a friend saddened by the shenanigans of her companions. She could be grieving the loss of a loved one, or her heart could be pounding upon hearing the news of arrival of her beloved.

That picture, a work of art, languishing in a quiet of corner of a film archive in India makes the Mona Lisa at the Louvre look like an art student’s first project.

Variation on the upma (proposed)

I thought about this last night, and will post the results once I actually make it . But as I my friendly neighborhood photoframe guy says 'Idea na paisa , baaki sab majoori che'

Its not a variation on the making of upma, but a way to present it. 

Prepare the upma, using your favorite recipe. While serving

Wrap a dollop in nori (dried seaweed,  used in sushi). Put some toasted white sesame seeds on top.
Top it with buttermilk foam, on which you sprinkle a pinch of the following mixture

Black salt, chili powder and toasted hing powder.

To eat, slurp the foam off the top. The foam has a visual appeal, the slurping satisfies a primal need,  and the pinch of condiments on top excite the palate sufficiently enough.

Then take a bite / eat the entire dollop wrapped in nori. The goodness and the richness of the upma, complemented by the rich taste of toasted sesame seeds should then leave one wanting more.


The question is, where do I find nori in B'bay/Pune ?