13 Comments on Family Visits in Chennai, last added: 3/21/2012
By: Elizabeth Varadan,
on 3/11/2012
Blog: Elizabeth Varadan's Fourth Wish
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When we go to Chennai, we stay with Rajan's eldest brother, Ranganathan, and our sister-in-law, Soundara, in an area called Virugambakkam, and we visit other relatives from there. (Chennai is so huge and sprawled out, that areas or districts have names of their own, almost like mini-cities.) Imagine street after street after street that looks like this, going on for miles and miles. And to get a real feel for traveling in the city, go to this site. As soon as Ravi and Ranganathan brought us from the station, Soundara brought us good, strong coffee with milk and sugar. Let me say, there is nothing as heart-warming as South Indian coffee. (And I speak as one who loves the coffee in Spain.) There's a special technique in making South Indian coffee and combining the hot milk, pouring it back and forth and then serving it, and it was just the thing to shake off our travel weariness.
(There is also a special technique to drinking this coffee in such a way that the cup never touches one's lips. Everyone makes it look so effortless that I once tried it, sure that it was easily done. Well, it is not. I got coffee all over me!) You can learn more about making it and serving it and the utensils required at this blog site. Ravi (our nephew) had to go to work after he dropped us at the house. Later in the morning his father (Rajan's 2nd brother) came over, and the morning was spent with the brothers visiting and other relatives telephoning to set up times for visits. Later in the afternoon, Soundara and Rajan and I walked over to visit with Kalyani's family three streets away. (Raghavan and Kalyani -- another brother and sister-in-law -- live in Pittsburgh, but they own the house at Virugambakkam.) A couple of weeks after our return from the trip, Kalyani's mother passed away; it's a time of sadness for them all, so I will wait to post about the paintings Renukka (Kalyani's sister-in-law) does. This just isn't the time. Each time we go to India, by the third day I feel I've been there forever. Time seems to stand still there, and India has a way of just seeping into
By: Elizabeth Varadan,
on 3/5/2012
Blog: Elizabeth Varadan's Fourth Wish
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Here is a picture of a banyan tree (that we didn't take; it's from a public domain site, since we kept forgetting our camera.) You see these in both Bangalore and in Chennai. And I like to call it the tree where one tree makes a whole forest.
The dog is well again! The student art show is on display (which deserves a post of its own, one of these days.) And now, at last, India. It's hard to believe that two weeks ago Saturday afternoon we were driving home from the San Francisco airport after about twenty-three hours spent either in a plane or waiting for one. And that two weeks before that we were being met at the airport in Bangalore by our nephew after a similar flight. (No wonder we were so jet-lagged!) We have grown nieces and nephews (with families) and a sister-in-law in Bangalore. During two earlier trips to Chennai (formerly Madras), we had not been able to include Bangalore in our visits. So Bangalore was our first stop this time. Our nephew, Ashok met us at the airport at 5:00 a.m. We stayed with him and his family, and had a wonderful visit with him, his wife, Gayatri, their two children, Rohan and Tarun, and our sister-in-law, Malathi. And also the family dog, Caesar, a 90-pound golden labrador who longs to be a lap dog. I miss them all already! Unfortunately, we were so busy catching up on news and enjoying the visit, that we forgot to take pictures, even though my husband had taken two cameras. I'm waiting for our nephew to send copies of the pictures they took so that I can post them here. On the very first day (Sunday) I also met up a writer friend I met online a little over two years ago, Rachna Chhabria. We had exchanged copies of our books and have followed each other's blogs, and she was a great help to me in navigating aspects of FaceBook. She teaches creative writing at Mount Carmel College. Her blog, Rachna's Scriptorium, always has interesting insights and good advice about writing. It was a pleasure to meet her in person. H
By: Elizabeth Varadan,
on 2/1/2012
Blog: Elizabeth Varadan's Fourth Wish
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Dear Blog Friends, My husband and I are leaving Thursday, February 3rd, for a two-week trip to India. We'll return on Saturday, February 18th. We'll have limited access to the Internet while we are there, so I won't be blogging again until we return. But I will be taking lots of notes to share when we get back. I love India, and when I'm there, I can never get enough of it. I hope you will check back after the 18th. Meanwhile, below are some posts you might like to read from an earlier trip we took two years ago. We went for two reasons: a long overdue visit with my husband's family, and his Golden Jubilee Class Reunion with his classmates from engineering college. Oh, what a great time we had! (We've taken earlier trips, too; but, alas, I wasn't blogging then, so all those notes are in notebooks in the filing cabinet.) If you do click on these posts from two years ago, please comment, because I'll love to read your feedback when I return. Here they are: Ah, India -- Where to Begin?Blessed by an ElephantThe Reunion—First DayEducation and the Gift that Keeps on GivingMore About the TripPongal and an EclipseTraffic in ChennaiThe Food of South India
11 Comments on We Are Off to India!, last added: 2/5/2012
By: Aline Pereira,
on 5/26/2008
Blog: PaperTigers
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When we began to think about creating an online book group that would appeal to readers of all ages, there were classic titles that came quickly to mind. Finding books that corresponded to the PaperTigers’ goal of understanding different cultures through children’s literature was a challenge and an opportunity for exploring new reading adventures.
I was lucky. The first book I found on my initial foray into this new world of books that would appeal to both adults and children was one that immediately captured my heart and mind—Naming Maya by Uma Krishnaswami.
I’ve worked in bookstores for decades but this novel was one that I hadn’t encountered before. I was eager to hear other people’s opinions of it and to have the chance to talk about it, the way we readers always feel when we find a book that we love.
The comments for Naming Maya have been as rich and as thoughtful as I had hoped they would be. Readers have agreed that this is a book for mothers and daughters to read together, that it evokes India in a way that could describe Hyderabad as well as it does Chennai, and that the theme of dualism is expressed quite beautifully in the idea of the “Two-Gift.” As Maya herself concludes about trust, in an observation that applies to many things in this novel–and in life–”You keep some, you give some away.”
What makes this book one that I can return to with pleasure for reading over and over is, above all, the way that three very strong women of different generations are portrayed, Maya, Kamala Mami, and Maya’s mother. Together they make a household that is both temporary and enduring, and Uma Krishnaswami makes each of them enduring figures in the reader’s imagination. It is no small feat to be able to give life to characters of varying background and chronological age, but it is accomplished so well in Naming Maya.
Not only is Chennai vividly evoked in this book, but so is its culture and values. Uma Krishnaswami delicately and without editorializing shows through Maya’s eyes different ways of accepting marriage, of being a teenager, of growing old. And she so wonderfully shows how food can be a common language when living in a place where three different languages are routinely used and in all of them words sometimes fail.
“I hear you need a cook,” Kamala Mami announces to Maya and her mother, the day after their arrival in India. They do indeed, more than they know. Kamala Mami’s food brings them slowly together–right up until a dish made from her recipe crashes to the floor and releases Maya’s torrent of hitherto unspoken emotion.
The one complaint I have about this novel is that it hasn’t yet been released in a paperback edition, which would make it accessible to many more readers than it already is. When I recently told a fellow-bookseller about Naming Maya, his response was that far too few books address the subject of bi-cultural children, a point that both Aline and Katia touched upon in our discussion. Uma Krishnaswami has found a universality in belonging to two different worlds. Through her art Maya’s duality becomes a new way for readers of all ages to look at their own lives, and that is an act accomplished by literature that is truly great.
If you haven’t yet read this book, I envy you the joy of experiencing it for the first time. If you know a young girl with whom you can share it, I envy you even more. If you’ve read it already, discover the joy of reading it again–and add your opinion to mine in the comments field if you agree that it should be reissued in a paperback edition, please!
By: Aline Pereira,
on 4/13/2008
Blog: PaperTigers
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Ah, Bologna!
Aline and I have much to tell about our fantastic trip to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair at the beginning of this month. There really is no better event to take the pulse of the children’s book publishing world: and what a world that is!
We’ve met so many interesting people and enjoyed putting faces to names of organisations and publishers; we’ve attended inspiring presentations; and have been dazzled by the quality and endlessly varied styles of the illustrations we’ve come across, both in the books we have browsed through and as part of the fair’s special exhibits. The overall impression was of immense industry – people in deep discussion, buying and selling rights; looking through artists’ portfolios; rushing between presentations – what a buzz!
Over the next few weeks, Aline and I will be posting on a variety of topics. In the meantime, here are some of the highlights for us, in no particular order:
Looking at the proofs for Ed Young’s new book, Wabi Sabi (written by Mark Reibstein);
Meeting librarians from all over the world at a session organised by the IFLA (International Federation of Libraries Associations and Institutions) – so lively that we were asked to be quiet…! – and hearing IBBY President and Canadian Groundwood Books publisher, Patricia Aldana’s presentation entitled “Books as Mirrors”;
Attending the launch of the International Youth Library’s White Ravens 2008 catalog;
Listening to poets Michael Rosen (UK Children’s Laureate) and Jorge Lujan’s contributions to a panel titled “Poetry Break: Poetry in Children’s Books”;
Attending the award-presentation of the Bologna Raggazzi “New Horizons” Award to Chennai-based Tara Publishing, for the hand-made book The Nightlife of Trees, and watching how the book came into being;
Hearing illustrators Robert Ingpen and Paul O. Zelinsky talk about their contributions to the book Artist to Artist: 23 Major Illustrators Talk to Children About Their Art (the proceeds of which go to the Eric Carl Museum of Picture Book Art.)…
Well, I could just keep going – and I will. And so will Aline: so keep coming back as the full picture unfolds…
By: Aline Pereira,
on 3/18/2008
Blog: PaperTigers
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The latest Tiger’s Choice, Naming Maya, by Uma Krishnaswami, is a response to the Books at Bedtime Reading Challenge that was extended to all readers of PaperTigers. Thanks to Marjorie for giving us all a chance to read our way through different countries and cultures–this challenge opens up a whole new reading adventure for those of us who choose to take it.
As Naming Maya unfolds, many of its readers are presented with a new country, new codes of behavior, new flavors, smells, and daily landscapes. The taste of “honey and chili powder” mingled on the tongue, milk delivered by bringing a cow to a doorstep and milking it in view of the person who is soon to drink it, listening to the call of a brain-fever bird, seeing a tree that is adorned with flowers, coins, and a statue of ” the plump, cheery elephant-headed god, Ganesha,” these things are all vividly described and give a glimpse of Chennai, India.
Or it does for me. How about you? As you read, do you see Maya’s new world, and experience her confusion? Do the differing values of her mother’s home country that frustrate this New Jersey girl become clear as the book progresses? And is memory a gift or a curse?
As the Tiger’s Bookshelf progresses on its own adventure of searching for readers who will take part in our online book group, the question persists of how do non-virtual, more conventional book groups solve the dilemma of having members take voice in their group discussions? If you belong to a book group that has found solutions to the silence, please let us know! How do you entice the shyest, least confident members to voice their opinions and express their thoughts?
Time for a new word of the day (perhaps, though, as I’ve said before I should call it word-of-the-random-timeperiod since it has never been a daily offering in my blog). Anyway, today’s word is: FOIBLE Foible (noun) a failing or weakness of character.
So a foible is a failing one has, but I’ve noticed that the term is often used in an almost endearing way – as in ‘he has his little foibles’ rather than ‘his foibles really annoy the heck out of me.’
The word has got me thinking. "What are my foibles?" I asked Primula, but she wouldn’t have a bar of this sort of soul-searching. “I’m not going to list your faults, Pemberthy dear,” she admonished. “I love you warts and all. I don’t want to hurt you.” Warts? I have warts? Lucky my fur keeps them covered. Anyway, Primula suggested if I wanted to know about my foibles, it was better to do some quiet reflecting on them for myself. So, I started a list, and here it is, for public consumption.
Pemberthy’s Foibles:
1. I have very poor balance. This is what led to me falling from the shelf which, ultimately, was a good thing because that’s how I met Primula.
2. I tend to be a bit gruff. However, since I met Primula, I am much happier and much nicer to be around.
3. I am sometimes a little conceited. Yes, I know as one is cute and fluffy as well as being a great singer and a good writer, that I have a lot to be proud about, but at times I forget to be modest. I’m working on it, though.
4. I have warts. Apparently. Though I didn’t know this till Primula told me so today. I’m not sure if this is a foible or not – after all, warts are just a skin condition, really. – not a personality trait.
So, there you have it – a list of my foibles. Can you still love me after knowing my faults and failings? (That sounds like the title of a book – faults, failings and foibles.) I do hope so. I try hard to be loveable.
My friend (and official biographer) Sally came back from Perth with a new word for me. Sally had been listening to Erin Brockovich, and according to Brockovich, it’s her favourite word. The word?
Sticktoitive (adjective) tenaciously resolute (also spelt stick-to-it-ive)
Brockovich recounted the story of her mother always using the word whenever she was finding life hard. ‘Where’s your sticktoitiveness?’ her mother would say. Brockovich eventually told her mother to stop using the word – because it wasn’t real. Hah! Her mother made her open the dictionary – and sure enough there it was.
Anyway, as soon as Sally told me this tale I reached for the toy room dictionaries. It wasn’t in the Collins Australian Dictionary, but it is there Websters College Dictionary, which comes all the way from the United States. The word has US origins, which is why it’s there, I guess.
I think it’s a great word and a great way to live life. If Primula had no sticktoitiveness, she wouldn’t have persevered in getting this bear to sing. And if I had no sticktoitiveness, I wouldn’t have mastered the art of typing – keyboards are NOT paw-friendly.
Are YOU sticktoitive? If not, why not try to develop some sticktoitiveness in the areas of your life you find challenging?
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I've enjoyed it. Nothing like having family someplace to really find out what the place is like.
I've really enjoyed these posts.
Love the spice pictures!
Great posts, Mitty. I enjoyed every one. Thanks for sharing your travels.
I LOVE Indian food. And your descriptions at the end of all the sights and sounds is beautiful.
Richard, you are so right. If my travels to India had been with, say, a tourist group, I know I would see a very different India.
Theresa and Rosi, I'm glad you've been enjoying the posts. I enjoy sharing India, as you can tell. Journaling just doesn't seem communicative enough.
Alexia, thanks for the kind comments about the closing graph.
I've very much enjoyed the journey! I can almost smell the spices. The colors of the culture--food, clothing, everything--is so rich!
Elizabeth, you seem to have collected a treasure trove of memories each more richer than the other.
This one makes me long for India all over again! Lovely post.
--Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2012
Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge
Lydia and Rachna, yes, "rich" is the word that comes to mind. India has lots of material poverty, but is rich in spiritual strength and culture and beautiful tradition.
Damyanti, I can understand. India stays with you. I always love going again.
Lovely post Mitty.So colourful and aromatic.
Lovely. The spice pictures are beautiful. Thank you for sharing a part of you with us all. :-)
Thank you for the journey. I've loved going back and reading all your posts and getting to know the place.