The Wealth I Amass.

Prakash Maharaj with shawl and My MJ Kaka with outstretched arms

Posted on FB in the past. It was the year I lost my Baba.

It is 10 December 2021, the month of Shree Gondavalekar Maharaj's punyatithi utsav. This year it the 108th year, it is on 29 Dec 2021. This year like the last the Utsav is online due to COVID protocol. The number 108 is very spiritually charged. It is the basis of life. 

In December when I am not able to be in Gondavale I miss all the people who continue to influence my thoughts even though they have left this earth. The most intelligent group of people consisting of Engineers, Doctors, high level professionals the creme la creme of our country. In Gondavale they would do whatever seva they could. As they grew older they did more and more jap. I have asked curious questions and may be been stupid and audacious in the young age. They never avoided any confrontational queries about spiritualism. They loved my father for his dedication in jap. I am lucky to have received the love and blessings of these people in various forms. Dr. Appa Athavale gave me a copy of his handwritten diary, I absolutely cherish it. Ghadi kaka who handed over his Dnyaneshwari to me with a sankalp. Dr. S. R. Phatak who guided me when I was a teen explained to me the effects of Maruti stotra on physiology. Dr. Arvind Bawdekar, Dr. Bhide, Bapusaheb Marathe, Nana Kulkarni, G. S. Gokhale and Shalini tai, and the youngest of the 7 gems Prof. S Khaparde who we loving call Balasaheb. Sir is now the only one after my father who is my lighthouse. I have known him since I was in my 20s. When he asks, "kashi aahes tu?" my eyes well up. There is so much love. Shree Maharaj took samadhi in 1913 but I feel his love thru Sir. He just retired from IIT Mumbai as and spends time focusing on jap.

I am lucky to have spent time with Prof. K. V. Belsare in the last year of his life when I would visit him often from work. Since I worked in Goregaon at the time I was able to attend his final goodbye in Malad. What a life!

I am blessed to have cooked for Prakash Maharaj in my twenties. He used to eat only roots at the time. I would make him dishes with suran and potatoes on his rare visit to Mumbai. He would not eat at any other place and would tell me to make something for him because food carries sanskar.

Ghadi kaka at his home in Suman Nagar

All of these people have been such an inspiration in my life. The proof of blessings is I am happy in life even after all the storms I weathered. 

Shree Maharaj always said for a grihasth should do his duties well and chant the name of Ram. He has made it so easy. 🙏🏽🌸

Pesarattu of the coarse kind

You have seen thin pesarattu like a regular dosa but you haven’t seen this type of a coarse ground pesarattu. Have you ? 

This is an Andhra / Telangana secret from the homes. Shared with me by Chandhana. I had Telugu neighbours so assumed I knew a bit about their cuisine. This is such a gem. Absolutely underrated. 

So this isn’t a recipe but more of a technique to achieve a wonderful texture. 

Here is what you do…

1. Soak moong dal with green skin as much as required  for about an hour.

2. Coarse grind soaked dal using pulse mode on the mixer. Along with green chili, a small piece of ginger and cumin 1/2 teaspoon for a cup of dal. It should have thick consistency. Use no water unless it’s hard to grind. 

3. Chop onions fine like for bhel. 

4. Mix the onions and salt into the ground moong dal. Ensure the consistency of batter is easy to pat on the griddle. 

5. Apply ghee to dosa tava with a half cut onion. This helps make cast iron griddle ‘non stick’. 

6. Place some of the thick batter on the dosa tava and pat into a thick pancake. Just like a thalipeeth. Roast well using ghee on both sides. 

Enjoy with the range chutneys from the Andhra / Telugu repertoire. On that day I see I enjoyed it with the wonderful peanut chutney. 

I have Allam pachadi in stock. Now I need to get the moong dal soaking to enjoy this pesarattu. 

Thank you dear Chandhana this has become a favourite way to make pesarattu!

Memories of Valentine’s

Memories is all I have. My real Valentine is Arvi. The man I married. 

Reposting from FB. When I was living life and none of this was posted on the blog.

14 Feb 2019

You always made our Valentines special. Our first Valentines when you called and led to our marriage.

The second one in our first year of marriage, you took me to dinner at Copper Chimney at Worli, on the third you were just back from the hospital and you slipped away quietly to get a bouquet of roses. It was the first time you totally showered me with love. Our fourth last year when I did not feel like going out for dinner and you insisted and took me to Khyber because that's where we had celebrated our wedding day lunch with family and you wanted to enjoy again.

Following it a walk at Chowpatty, eating and buying Kulfi to bring back home. You always tried to make me happy….

Tomato flowers filled with Feta

There were large tomatoes just delivered. Taut and fresh. A perfect promise of a juicy bite. I had some Feta that needed to be used. I wish I had some fresh fragrant Italian basil. But none. Anyways I made this lovely salad fit for a party table on a very ordinary day. 

It was a day of sabudana khichadi and toasted banana chips. On starch heavy days one needs some bites of fresh salad as palate changer. These tomato feta flowers were perfect 👌🏽 

It’s an idea not a recipe. So here is what I did. 

1. Cut the tomatoes from smooth side vertically so it will sit on the stalk side on the plate without tilting.

2. Bloomed the ‘petals’. 

3. Crumble the feta. Spooned it in the centre of the flower. 

I would have put a plucked basil leaf each to top the feta if I had the option. 

A beautiful looking salad you have. Tadah ! 

Praying To Hanuman The First Special Forces Operator

Praying to Shree Hanuman whom I lovingly call Maruti Raya. The first Special Forces Operator.

1. Identified target by finding Seeta inside enemy territory. 
2. Used Pyrotechnics, demolition after dealing with waterborne threats and destroyed Lanka.
3. Returned with valuable info.
4. Engineered the Ram Setu.
5. Airborne back to destroy Lanka.
6. Brought back Seeta.

Accomplished mission !

He goes where no one dares !!

He writes history !!!

Inspired by thoughts of SWO Prateek Mahtha 🫡

प्रिय मारूती राय हनुमान राया तुझी मदत आणि दया भाकते  

श्री राम 🙏🏽🌹 

Colorful Frittata

A Colorful frittata entered my life through the blogging world. I would see this seductive looking dish on my other buddies blogs and think I cannot make it and have it as I was vegetarian and I never liked eggs anyways. 

Then 3 yrs ago after 35 yrs of being a vegetarian I restarted eating non vegetarian. Life’s experience taught me that protein was required to fortify my body. The body doesn’t understand the religion connection with non veg. My DNA of a Koli that builds my body was better off eating my ancestral food. So Ghar vapsi happened. 

On this day I found beautiful fresh Italian basil. So I decided to make a frittata with some colorful vegetables. This dish is a perfect carrier for the “Eat your rainbow” concept. Even better for creative photography. 

Since I was making eggs this way for the first time I decided to have it with lovely toasties from a favourite bakery and some airfrier potato wedges. 

I brought out my heavy baking dish for this. Here is what I did…

Ingredients 

6 eggs

Handful of diced colored capsicum 

Yellow and Red

Handful of sliced carrots 

2 handfuls of Italian basil leaves 

Fresh ground black pepper as much as you like

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon Butter

In a pan heat butter. Add sliced carrots and cook till soft. Then add the colored peppers. Cook for a minute. Save 1/4 of the veggies for topping.

Let it cool a little. Then add eggs, basil leaves, black pepper and salt. Whisk everything together. Pour into butter lined baking dish. 

Bake at 200 degrees for 5 mins. Once the top looks set. Add the saved cooked veggies on top. Bake another 7 mins till knife inserted in the bake comes out clean. 

Serve in a pretty plate and dress up your table with some fresh fragrant basil to heighten your experience. 

 

Have a bright happy Sunday! 

Imprints वासना

Ruins of the past 

वासना Or Imprints of the past experiences. There are many kinds. Of food, sex, home, money etc. Yet the वासना of money is the worst kind.

It is so hard to let go. Therefore money carries those imprints. In Gondavale there are lot of rich people who offer donations but it is the only religious place I know of that refuses the donations from known corrupt people and criminals. They prefer the small contributions of a simple common man. Shree Gondavalekar Maharaj abused money as पैका ! He never touched anyone’s money offering. It is known the वासना is the reason for rebirth. 

I know the history in the Cooper family. In every generation some वासना of the ancestors has been unfulfilled. The walls are wailing with sorrow. Every generation has paid a price of a certain incident three generations from mine. 

The house was in shambles when I got married. It reflected the history of the family. I chose my husband inspite of the challenges I saw in my face. I was confident that I can change the energy of the house. This house has seen so much pain and suffering. It has sapped my energy. Now it will take a toll on the new. Inherit it and bear the burden of the unsatisfied souls. 

Plus there are distressed souls that have वासना as in greed on this house that are causing conflict.

There will never be peace in this house nor in the inheritance. 

Circumstances

Circumstances never remain same. I can’t see the shore yet but I am moving towards it. The journey is important.

Binoculars give a better view though limited. Since I was on the RORO I knew that I had the means to reach the shore. The co-passengers may or may not be useful. However there is a 50% chance. Take a bet. 

Doesn’t matter if you know swimming or not. What is the chance that the vessel will sink ? There are life jackets and bouys. You can use them in crisis. 

You took a risk and reached the other side. The beautiful side. What if you had never boarded that ship ? 

When you are given options and resources make a choice to use them for circumstances never remain the same. 

Styling the Wardrobe

These are the last two sets of clothes I bought in Aug 2025. 

Counting my blessings as I look back. I have always been loved by my parents especially after Aai’s passing away in 1994 Baba has not just loved me but also supported me. Whether it was being by my side when I lived in Bangalore for work or even the smallest thing. 

I have inherited a spending gene from my Dad my Baba. He was an administrator with the Maharashtra Government and dressed to rule. Until his retirement he owned 300 shirts and I am not counting his pants, sadaras and other ethnic wear. He had a lovely collection of shoes from forest shoes to camel leather ones. He would buy me 10 sets of clothes every June and different types of shoes, keds, formals, sandals, rainy shoes and a Kolhapuri pair was a must. That would set me up for college. 

While I was working I would buy clothes every month. I had so many clothes that when I got married my Dad built a wardrobe for me in my marital home so I could house my clothes well. The joke is inspite of the n number of cupboards in the sasural I had no space for my clothes. My husband was so kiddish he too demanded space in the wardrobe. Ha ha 🤣 

This is the one ! Left is my side and Right is Arvi’s but now mine.

Then Baba overhauled Arvi’s wardrobe 180 degrees. From a typical Parsi Bawa style he changed it to trendy style. 

Something I wrote in 2019…

Arvi was a very simple person except food indulgences he wasn't really into luxury. Having a father who dresses immaculately even today made me a connoisseur of men's clothing. 

When Dad worked three jobs he changed clothes thrice. T-shirts and pants/ shorts for his yoga classes and formal well tailored shirts from Shankar Master tailors a favorite of Tatas and the Birlas back in the 70s to 90s. In fact the owner Mohan Amin became one of my Dad's favorite friends in the later years. It was Yash Birla who had adviced Mohan kaka to trim down and wear what he stitches so his clients would see his skill. So Mohan Kaka had joined my Dad's class at Kaivalyadham at Chowpatty. Then on Mohan Kaka used to buy materials imported from Hong Kong for my Dad stitch his clothes and directly deliver to our home in Fort. My Dad was his model wearing the clothes to his elite student's homes and most times they ended up referring clients for each other.

So when I met Arvi my father did judge his fashion sense rather the lack of it. However he also started helping Arvi change his style as much as I did. In Sep 2017 Dad gifted Arvi a couple of shirts and jeans. Arvi had been wearing his old jeans for very long so he loved his new one but it did not fit him well so we went to change it. I coaxed him into buying more jeans and cotton trousers in various colors and loads of new shirts. I had already changed his style a bit during our wedding shopping but this birthday was special. 

I remember one day we were going out and were all dressed for a formal evening and Arvi did a bit of fashion walk in front of our neighbor that made her comment, "Aaj kale bou stylish thay gayo tu!"

This recollection makes me smile but that is not the only thing I want to share today. 

Since Aug 2025 I haven’t bought a single piece of clothing! 

Practising conscious consumerism.