Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Colours of Orissa


A beautiful, traditional mural in a village in Ganjam district of Orissa.

Monday, June 20, 2011

A tree grows...

...in the narrow strip of a garden on one side of our NGO. A lone mango tree which every mango season gives ... mangoes!

But it has not been that easy. Our man Friday Hemantada, the self professed mango expert, insists that the tree groaning under the weight of mangoes, are not ready for plucking . All the while, the lucious fruits distract us to madness (and greed).

We do try to sneak at them. However, the wasp's hive on the upper branches, scared us off successfully; Two intrepid staff (young boys both) climbed the tree and did pick a few…[while I panicked on terra firma, should they slip and end up with a fracture or worse, concussion].

Upset with our (mostly mine) constant nagging, he did pick them and kept them in a rather public place for ripening. And in came a bunch of visitors in several cars and their drivers had a merry time helping themselves.

To do away with all that, this year, hemantada quietly plucked away all the mangoes and stashed them away somewhere secret. And what with the endless touring (which has been merciless this few months) and then the rains and the fishes and the khichuri, we forgot about the mangoes.

And then this morning we saw Hemantada coming downstairs with a box...





Saturday, June 18, 2011

Rainy day Magic

Rainy day. Somehow, for me, the term is synoymous with a near empty school. The students who braved the elements and turned up would be at the receiving end of a tongue lashing from teacher. But there would be a chapa excitement...a sort of infectitious holiday mood and after a while, a rainy day would be declared and school would close early.

And even now, rainy day ... when it just doesnt rain, but so much so that office is near empty, feels cosy and fun. I can't explain why. It just does. Skies still grey and over cast. Only 15 of us turned up (which is less than half). And no sooner had I mentioned Khichuri, everyone swung into action...

Drawing up a shopping list, buying the ingredients, chopping, peeling, grating, roasting ....

And while the khichuri was being cooked, we ate our lunches - the ones we brought from home!

And then we all sat down to what was undoubtedly one of the best lunches in a while ... khichuri and begun bhaja.

Its the magic of rainy day at work, at work!



Shopping list - "phordo"













And finally!




Friday, June 17, 2011

Rainy day

Its been raining non-stop since noon yesterday. I for once am not complaining. This is infinitely more comfortable than the humid sogginess. Minor discomforts like getting drenched on the way to work and back home are ok. I am even prepared to over look the narrow strip right in front of my office where the drain overflows lovingly onto the road and we have to walk through it (ugh)!

Buses were few today. I got up on one this morning where I was possibly the only passenger (bad for business). The others were helpers and conductors. After much hemming and hawing and deciphering of the owners phone numbers which was scribbled on to the board above the drivers seat, the driver rang the owner and told him that the water was thigh high on the road. It wasn’t! However his appeal did not work. The owner asked him to continue.

The minor discomfort of wading through the drain water (I and all my collagues simply have a good foot bath on reaching work), we settled down to another day. However, there was some excitement. There are many ponds in and around the area which overflow into the drains and there were koi carp swimming just behind our office. Two field staff had, well, a field day catching them with an umbrella.

The koi which swam up the pond and ended in the drain...


Koi is now Rs. 400 a kilo in the market. So great!

Another 24 hours of rains predicted.

And no, I am not taking the drain kois home.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Something new, in Bhopal

I did something entirely new this time, in Bhopal. Something entirely new since I started visiting Bhopal (way back in April 2009). That is a period of 802 days. Once a month visit makes it 30 visits or so in which the pattern never changed. Never wavered even. Airport / station / hotel / meetings / reports / visits ad nauseum (except two half days for a quick and incredibly guilt inducing trips to Sanchi and Bhimbetka).

So what was it? Can you imagine I spent it in company of friends?! And not the squeezing in of one more report, some more planning and yet more telephonic barking at my state teams (after office hours), or vegetating in my room (the faulty TV remote usually means I am stuck watching a crappy channel and too drained to manually change the channels).

Old friends first. My dad's colleague from so very long ago, who have known me since birth. here I was meeting them after a gap of two decades or so...and enjoying their pleasure in meeting me and recounting tales of yore!

New friends next - some one I met only 3 days ago in Kolkata at another friends place. The first thing she said to me was please tell me why are you coming to Bhopal? I mean, this is not the best time to sight see. On work. Oh! Well come visit us. And so I did.

And I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was, well, very pleasant and refreshing! Out out damn guilt.

And as if to share in my happiness, the weather too unwinded dutifully each evening after a hot draining day, by pouring....

Read if you will

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