The Banyan tree and other stories
Little things that tick the contentment meter!
On the Gujarati New Year or Bestu Varash as it is called, I admired the stack of neatly piled Gujarati rotlis in the rotli container, known as 'garmu' in Gujarati. They were evenly rolled out, lightly dotted after being carefully roasted for (some seconds on the fire), almost all of them had puffed up, and … Continue reading The Gujarati phulka-rotli – a taste of heaven…
The food was set up on beautifully decorated tables (the theme of the décor seemed to be an ode to autumn). There were cured meats, cheeses, sweets, rye bread and many other traditional foods and beverages. There was also a display of how authentic Šakotis (Tree cake) is made in Lithuania. Šakotis means "branched" and it has a distinctive shape. It's baked by painting layers of batter onto a rotating spit over a wood-burning fire in a special oven.
I grew up surrounded by money plants in bottles that were in the second innings of their lives. Perhaps that is why when I see any 'good looking' alcohol bottles, my first instinct is - when would these be empty of their contents and be mine? Mine to put in dried roses or flowers that I save from withering bouquets, or to put in a feather or a paintbrush?
Since I grew up in Gujarat, a state on the Western coast of India, and a state where the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited (but many households stock drinks in the privacy and safety of their homes though), I grew up without really having any kind of an alcoholic drink. Even when I moved away from Gujarat, I failed to develop a liking for an alcoholic drink. But for once, I think I may have found a drink that I might sometimes indulge in. On rare evenings when the air carries the scent of jasmine flowers or the memories of the scent of jasmine flowers, I might have a glass of a drink that may be just right for me.
The Banyan tree and other stories 