More Kozhambu

More Kozhambu is one of South India's special dishes. It's a mixture(broth n vegetables) that is eaten along with cooked rice! It's one of my favorites. Yesterday, i tried cooking it!

After getting some (in)valuable tips from a friend on how to go about cooking it, i started cooking. I decided to use "Lady's Finger"(aka Okra) as the vegetable(dint have much choice, really). I churned Green Chillies, Kadala Paruppu(Channa Dal) and Cumin Seeds(both soaked in water for some time before churning), Coconut, Yogurt and Buttermilk in a mixer. The choice of what to use how much as i always believe is the cook's discretion. Channa Dal helps in getting the right consistency and so the choice of right amounts of the other ingredients revolve around it. I churned Channa Dal and Cumin Seeds as fine as possible before adding the other ingredients into the mixer. On a pan, I fried mustard seeds and the okra and then put them into the liquid(the one from the mixer) and heated the mixture gently. Then i added a lil amount of turmeric powder and salt and kept stirring the mixture. The More Kozhambu was then ready to be tasted!

It took remarkably less time than i anticipated it to take. I decided to make very little since this was the first time and i immediately realised it was a blunder when i tasted the end-product! Yes, it tasted really good.

I got my ultimate compliment when my roomie said it was too good for someone cooking it for the first time! So, now i have another dish in my kitty! Welcome More Kozhambu...i am going to have MORE of you in future!

Hankel Matrix

I was studying a IEEE journal paper yesterday and it mentioned something called the Hankel Matrix. I knew i had learnt about it somewhere in the past but i couldn't recollect what it was. After a google search, i understood what it was. It got me thinking...

How good are we at our fundas? Sure- I can never forget what Pythagoras Theorem is or what Kirchoff's law is. But, there are a lot of other things which i(we?) tend to forget. Some of them are worse in the sense that even if u get a full recap of what it is, it takes time to understand what it is. It's like u start from scratch again. Do we study to forget?!!

I remember the times when me and my sister used to make fun of our mom(a physics major) who did not remember a lot of things she studied in college that me n my sis were then studying in school. I now understand that she was right when she said, "unga pasanga unga kitta kekkum podhu theriyum da ungalukku!"("u'll realise it when ur kids ask u the same!").

I got no choice but to prepare myself for the inevitable embarassment in waiting!

Sachin Tendulkar

A topic close to my heart...so whenever ppl disagree with my opinions about this man, i lose my cool. Therefore, i have undone the commenting option to this particular topic!

i have had bitter conversations with so many people about him. I must say that i am a die-hard fan of his batting, bowling, fielding, u name it- u got it! I am passionate about this man. He's very close to what God is to me. So firstly, if u r someone who respects other religions and their Gods, dont talk bad about him in my presence. If u r not someone who treats all human beings equal and discriminate based on religion, am not someone with whom u can be friends. Well, if u dont believe in God at all, it's an altogether different story- i dont know how to shut your mouth!

To me, those who despise him are basically confused and jealous. confused- cos they dont know why they dislike him. jealous- cos he earns a lot of what they think is "easy money". People wanted to know how much he donated for the recent tsunami disaster! y wud u bother? if he gives 10 crore, u'd say he did it for tax exemption. if he gives 1 lakh, ull call him stingy! the big problem this man faces is that everything he does on or off the field is scrutinized. Some village idiots who know nothing about cricket comment on his batting. I'd have probably committed suicide if i were him. Thankfully, he has a wonderful wife and a caring brother who keep him going all the time.

Had he been born in any other cricket playing nation, he'd have been hailed as a king. True, he has millions of fans all over the world- but will his critics let him have a good night's sleep? He's after all 31 damn it and he has carried the hopes of a nation for well over a dozen years now. Now, when the team has more than just him to rely on, people spat on him! What good are these people?

Am a very tolerant guy basically. So is Sachin. But the world will regret tomorrow when in his biography, he tells stories about sleepless nights he has had worrying about the critics' comments weeping in his bed. Even after listening to them, his blood-sucking critics will not be moved. They'd have gotten another reason to pounce on him!

Sachin- whatever happens, there cannot be another Indian who can bring so much joy to his fellow Indians the way u did, do and will be doing! Hail you my man- u have me- rain or shine!

If cricket is a religion, you are it's God and I'll be your devout messenger!

Kavidhaikku Poi Azhagu...

The title which is in Tamil, essentially means, "The lies in a poetry make it look beautiful". This "line"(have used this word a lot thruout this blog-it basically refers to one line from a poem) is taken from a tamil song written by Vairamuthu(one of the poets i admire very much).

A little thought will reveal that this line is essentially a paradox! The line being as beautiful as it is cannot be true cos it has to be a lie for it to be beautiful(according to the poet himself). But if u insist that it carries so much truth in it, it cannot be beautiful(again, according to the poet himself!).

The reason i started writing this blog was not to tell you guys a paradox. The thought sprung suddenly when i gave a title to the actual thought in my mind! Funny! The actual thing i was gonna write was...

There's a song, "Naan Sirithaal DeepavaLi" from a famous Tamil movie called "Naayagan"(Translation:Hero). A line from the song goes like this..."Alai karayai kadandhu yeppozhudhu yeRiyadhu?" which is basically a question meaning, "When have the waves gone up and beyond the shore?".

When i listened to this song today, i was reminded of the recent tsunami disaster and thus the power of nature. The poet must have had no idea whatsoever about the power of nature. Not in his wildest dreams would he have thought that the line will become a lie(not that this is the first tsumani!). But now it's no more a fact. Infact, it never was...

The poet when he wrote that line, in my opinion was just trying to state something he believed to be a "fact" and that line never appealed to me as anything but banal before the tsunami. But, now when it's an established(!!) lie, it has indeed become a beautiful line and has made me dedicate a blog to it!

i got to admit..."Kavidhaikku Poi Azhagu..."

A Beautiful Dream

Firstly, i decided to start sharing my blogs with the world starting today! I'd keep my previous blogs hidden until i feel i can make them public.

The night of Jan 3, 2005 was a memorable one. It brought to my dreams, for the first time ever(from what i can recollect, ofcourse!), my dream girl! oh yes- none other than Miss Rai! The dream roughly goes like this...

Scene takes place somewhere in my university. It's about 1'o'clock in the night and it's raining pretty heavily. I watch a beautiful lady walking in the rain, all drenched. It's Aishu. I run upto her and offer her my umbrella(or did i?). We share it and walk for about 10 minutes- no words spoken. Oh yes- i forgot to tell u all, She's wearing a red color saree and her bindi is intact(sticker, maybe?). We reach a building and enter into it. Now she speaks for the first time- says "Thank You" with a million dollar smile! I sigh and say, "No problem. I think i should accompany you home"(i knew that she lived in an avenue close to my univ- Stratford Avenue). She gratefully accepts. But some time elapses in between(i dont know why!). When i meet her after the gap, she's not alone, but with a couple of guys(no! not Vivek n Salman!!). She speaks, "These guys stay pretty close to where i live. I think i'll be fine". A small heartbreak! I struggle for words. Then i manage to say, "I've seen u a lot and am a big fan of you"(i know she's Miss Rai- but also a student in my univ!). She goes, "i have seen you too! And thanks for your help"- a wicked smile this time and she walks away with the two guys and then something happens and there ends the dream!

Is it true that you dont see colors in your dreams? because, i am pretty sure she was wearing a red saree! Maybe it's all in the mind. Maybe, i didn't see any color but my subconscious asked me to assume it's red.

Dreams are meant to bring memories of things you think of the most- for reasons, good or bad. I literally am mad about Aishu and yet, this is the first time am having a dream in which i interact with her personally! Strange.

Dreams are a myth! Alas, If only we were able to understand the meanings they try to convey!

Whatever it is, this is one dream i'd cherish forever!