I reached the cafe before it opened for service. This quaint little bungalow looked beautiful and as I stood there in the backyard I felt a droplet run down my spine. I touched my back and looked up at the sky. It was dusk and a thunderstorm was building up. I climbed up the steps hurriedly that took me to the kitchen. Was told to look around the place and settle down. Absolutely loved how each room had a different yet relaxed vibe. On the terrace the rain pitter pattered making my heart yearn. The yellow mellow lights would have made young hearts flutter. After a good look around I came down and settled near the menu on display. Ordered a thin crust 3 mushroom pizza or was it 3 cheese? A cappuccino. Picked up 2 cream puffs one for me and one for the driver. Sai recommended the carrot cake which had a fantastic citrusy twist. Moist and delicious. I wouldn’t have imagined this in Jagannath Puri. A wonderful relaxing evening away from the crowds in this little bungalow. That was exactly a month ago same date!
Read about my experiences in Jagannath Puri and Odisha on Swachchanda.
Chaat and Chat time with my girls. Colorful Dahi bada chaat in Bhubaneswar. There was a chill in the air and some warm chaat with all those colours was very good for our soul. The flavours are very balanced in Odisha. It’s its own character different from any other city, not like Mumbai nor Bangalore. Sai treated me to this before I left for my solo sojourn in Jagannath Puri the next day. Have you tasted this chaat in Odisha?
A morning climbing Dhauli had made me hungry already. I couldn’t wait to have lunch however I had returned to Bhubaneswar city by late morning itself. That’s the beauty of Bhubaneswar. There is the old world and the new all in close access. The Bhubaneswar modern city itself is very well planned clean, green and beautiful. So I decided to explore the city center a bit. Janpath is great to walk around. I bought shoes as planned for walking and trekking in my travels around Odisha. Then as we were passing by saw Ram Mandir so took darshan. Finally reaching the restaurant just as it opened its doors for the day.
I took a seat by the large glass wall that gives an unobstructed view of the Janpath. Settled into my chair while the stewardess walked over. She pointed me to the menu for the day and guided me to choose the dishes. I wanted it to be lavish as it was authentic Odia I was told by Sai.
They don’t serve a thali so every thing had to be ordered A la carte. For a single person that would be a lot! Yet I went all out and ordered a dalma, santula, khata and rice. The lady asked me if my fish should be made in masala style or mustard paste gravy? I jumped up for mustard paste gravy ofcourse. Yes I am adventurous in travel as well as food 😃 Here the fish was Soradi and the style is called besaro.
I rubbed my hands in glee and ordered sweet lime soda until the wait. As the food was placed in front of me, I felt like a Queen 👸🏾
The food was delicious to say the least. Traditional veggies like pumpkin, raw banana and suran made the santula delectable. The dalma was wholesome with pumpkin and brinjal a medley of veggies in pulses. A huge bowl of rice. I took 1/3 of it. Later I packed all the leftovers and ate for dinner too.
The khata was the star of the meal. Tomato and whole dates stewed to perfection. Sweet and sour absolutely danced on my palate.
AND to end this wonderful experience just like an elevated music concert ends with a Bhairavi I ended this Odia meal with Chenna jhili. It is soft balls of chenna creamy, yet spongy soft. More delicate than a gulabjamoon even if it may look deceptively similar. Yet it has its own sorcery on your mind. A warm bite of this deep fried chenna in elaichi spiced sugar syrup is ecstasy!
Did I only visit temples in Odisha? Surely not. Bhubaneswar is a temple town 💯 %. It’s a city that keeps the Sanatan flag flying. Unlike our metros that are so disconnected and consider being secular is a badge of honour. You cannot fill anything where there is emptiness right?
Darling Sai Priya made sure I got to experience the vibe of this new cafe. This after we returned from Chausath Yogini temple at Hirapur. Go check out that post on @swachchanda and the details on the blog.
Some places with their decor and setting win your heart. The warm lighting was relaxing. Sadly the lime and honey tea that we ordered was goofed not once but twice!
Posting this just for the vibe that I loved and the great company of friends I had. @saswati_gypsytraveller was there too.
So this was the first ever concert in Maharashtra at Shanmukhanda last evening. I was lucky to attend. While I have been privileged to listen to him several times at Gondavale when he performed gayan seva every year at the Punyatithi utsav of Shree Gondavalekar Maharaj our spiritual guru. He enthrals the audience no matter where he performs.
Last evening he began with a bandish on Shiv and followed by a new bandish he created on 22 Jan for Shree Ram’s punargaman in Ayodhya. Aaj Sudin…
I had decided I won’t record anything and kept away the phone in my handbag. But how could I resist?!
Sur Niragas reverberated in the hall. We did a gajar of Morya Morya ~~~
Krishna Nee Begane Baro surprised many as he sang it in Hindi. He has written a poem that translated the popular Kannada composition.
Chandanyanche kosh Mazya had the heart yearning for the lover. Audience gasping at the heights of ecstasy.
Man Ram rangi rangale ! Took me to that place of my faith, our faith the Samadhi of Shree Gondavalekar Maharaj where I had first listened to MK mesmerise the devotees there.
Followed by a nirgun bhajan and the grand finale with Kanada Raja Pandharicha. Shanmukhananda for a while echoed with Vitthala Vitthala Vitthala >>>
Ended by audience with Jai Jai kaar of Shree Ram (the devotee that he is) and Ganpati Bappa Morya!
If you are a Shree Gondavalekar Maharaj devotee you will see how Mahesh Kale weaves Ram naam in his performance. He is a great artist because his art leads you into a spiritual realm. May Shree Ram and Shree Maharaj keep showering you with the choicest blessing 🙏🏽🌹
P.S : I inaugurated my Odisha buys for this special concert. Ghadi modly sadi chi.
How precious it is when your friends take you to their favourite Gupchup wala Dada to give you a taste of their college times hangout? Sai not just took me to taste she even turned paparazzi to make sure I had a video of stuffing a large puri into my mouth successfully! Gupchup is the spicy tangy mellow spiced potato mash filled puri. There is lacings of mustard oil and bhaja masala in the mash. The puris are whole wheat and bigger than your mouth. Different from Mumbai’s sweet laced panipuri but similar to Puchkas of Kolkata. Concluding with sukha puris sandwiching the mash. Such joy in such humble places. Dada’s old hand did magic. Blessed to have friends that plan such amazing deets in your exploration of their state. Personal and intimate!
My first taste of Odia food was in the Lingaraj mandir where we ate a steaming hot Mahaprasad in the spaces between temples on the centuries old stone floor squatted and served on a patravali. The flavours were amazing! It had santula, dalma, Besara, pachadi, khata, kheer and heap of rice! All for a princely ₹100. I was stuffed to the gills.
This tradition is seen all over Odisha of feeding the pilgrims at a small cost. The food is cooked by the poojaris. Only ghee is used for cooking. All food is cooked in earthen pots that are used only once and then discarded. The technique of cooking is simple. They stack seven pots one above the other in descending size. All this over wood fire. The ingredients are mixed and pots never stirred. The years of experience makes them experts at the flavours and technique. I was fortunate to see the kitchen fully functional at the Anant Basudev temple however I felt the space to be very vulnerable. It would have made great pictures but I chose to respect the rhythm of that space and its sanctity.
The pictures I share here are from the Anand Bazaar at the temple. It’s a system that Adi Shankaracharya started in Jagannath Puri and is emulated across all temples across Odisha.
We bought some kheer to taste as we had already had Mahaprasad at Lingaraj. That’s Saswati @saswati_gypsytraveller posing for me. Odia kheer is semi sweet and delicious!
My first taste of homemade pitha by @prativa_oct Sai and Saswati’s Mum. I will carry this warmth n love in my heart always. Thank you 🙏🏽 ❤️
So I am back from a mesmerising time in Odisha that taught me so much about travelling solo. Discovering unexpected beauty and adventure. Realising that India continues to amaze me each time I travel through it food, culture, heritage, spirituality and more.
This Chitau Pitha is very similar to banana pancakes but with rice flour. Made on terracotta. They were very mildly sweet. She used conscious packing and I was really impressed by her effort. Made for a tasty warm dinner after a day of exploring the temple town of Bhubaneswar and stomping around many haunts that are the girl’s favourites and not to mention teas n chaats as we did that!
Secrets Of Odisha series is going on @swachchanda and a detailed travelogue on the swachchanda blog. All food will be showcased here. Be ready to drool 🤤along with me as I look back.
Our friends Ashwath Narayan and Parimala had invited us to their home for high tea. I was now officially a NRM ie. Non resident Mumbaikar as my kid bros teased me and was bored of the regular bangalore snacks of idli, dosa etc in the one year in Bangalore. But Koot Avalakki served by Parimala really brought a zing into our conversations that day with the tangy flavors and powdery texture. The excitement of being introduced to new flavors and textures is what all foodies love to experience.
Ingredients
1 cup rice flakes (pohe/ avalakki)
1 table spoon peanuts
1/2 table spoon roasted chickpeas (phutane)
1/4 table spoon grated desicated coconut
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon asoefotida (hing)
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 chilli finely chopped
1 tablespoon Pulp of tamarind ( lemon sized ball)
1 inch lump of molasses (jaggery)
few curry leaves
One handful chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste ( 1 teaspoon)
1 cup water
1 table spoon oil
First grind the pohe to a coarse powder and keep aside. Then in a kadhai heat the oil and splutter mustard seed in it. Then in goes the hing, curry leaves, peanuts, phutane, coconut fry till golden. Now in goes the chilli powder, chopped chillies, salt stir for a min. Add the powdered pohe and mix well. Splash the mix with water and keep mixing. After fininshing the water cover with a lid for 5 mins so that the pohe powder is softened. Then is the final tangy step not to miss. In the tamarind pulp add molasses and dissolve in a bowl. Remove the lid from the kadhai and sprinkle this tangy sweet sauce on the pohe and stir to mix well. Cover with a lid and cook still soft. Remove from stove and serve hot with cilantro garnish.
Prabhat Koli At Lake Tahoe After Completing Triple Crown
Prabhat targets to complete the Ocean7 challenge. He has been working very hard for it. Long swims in wild waters and practice swims in the pool near his home is all part to the build up. Maintaining fitness at the gym and eating a nutritious meal is intrinsic to this sport.
I have come to love this boy like my own in a short while. Like his sport he is a endurance personality too. Where he has to slog he does it yet he is very calm and patient. He is mild mannered and talks only when needed.
As I listened to Shilpa and Raju tell me about how Prabhat was shaped into this endurance swimmer, I began to appreciate the efforts they put behind him. They are incredible parents. Theirs is a tight Parents-Child team. Each doing what is needed to become the International swimmer of high performance and therefore honor that Prabhat Koli is today. Mother Shilpa has always been the one ferrying him to swimming pools across the city for practice sessions eversince he was 8yrs old besides taking care of his health and nutrition, she sacrificed her career for him. Raju is the solid leader of the Team Prabhat, this is his vision that you see accomplished by his son. YOUNGEST, FASTEST AND FURIOUS!
Shilpa and Raju sold their home to fund this family dream to see Prabhat where he is today, an international swimmer with several records to his credit.
They are extremely focused and passionate about Open water swimming. Raju opines our Koli genetics and heritage adds an edge to Prabhat's passion for swimming rather it is second nature to him. They totally captured my heart as parents and I am now Team Prabhat too.
When I got to know that Prabhat had attempted Cook Strait 3.5 yrs ago but due to Covid sweeping the world it has taken him this long to go back again. He has been training in a dam reservoir in Satara close to Gondavale which lead me to comment that he should visit Shree BrahmaChaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj's samadhi.
They decided to take me along. I was absolutely thrilled to take Prabhat to seek blessing for his upcoming challenge for Ocean7 completion at Cook Strait! This last leg of the challenge has wild waters charachterized by strong Tidal flows and infested with dangerous ocean life like Killer whales, dolphins and giant octopus. Prabhat is fortunate that a seal swam with him around Robben Island and is a dare devil so he is taking this challenge head on.
Yet it is my faith that after you have done your preparation when you offer all that effort at the feet of the Superpowers of the Universe. Then those same powers that brought you into this world for a purpose and designed your destiny takes care of achieving what you have worked for with ease. There is a reason for the attempts. Nature knows when to bestow grace. It is when you have worked very hard, when you desire it even harder and when it is the right time. What will be remembered is the sweet sucess!
It was 26 Jan 23, After flag hoisting by Prabhat at Rotary club, Ghatkopar we set out for Gondavale. Reached there by evening. I had already informed the Sansthan and requested for accomodation. They ensured our comfort. We jmmediately took Darshan of Samadhi of Shree Gondavalekar Maharaj. Prabhat was blessed with a coconut, flowers and tulsi patra. Then we had prasad and retired for the day.
Next morning we woke up for darshan and wanted to leave early as we had planned to go to Karla for Ekveera Aai's darshan but since the gates of Gondavale sansthan open only afer Kakad aarti we had to wait. It turned out as I had wished that Prabhat partake the Loni sakhar prasad. Then we got into the car said our goodbyes and decided to go for Ram mandir and other darshans. Finally staisfied that all went as I had wished. Sometimes we have to take it slow and IN PATIENCE LIES THE REWARD.
Prabhat Koli, a young #koliboy was featured in the newspapers for swimming the Bay of Mumbai from Dharamtar to Gateway of India back in December of 2012.
I had returned to Mumbai that year after living in BLR for 7 years and was watching all that was happening in our Koli community closely. The article mentioned he was from Trombay. My cousins are married to TrombayKars so I was keen to meet him some day. It is only now that Raju, Prabhat's father told me that the Keni home is his Aajol.
Since then I have been following his journey through news and media. In 2018 August a video went viral on Whatsapp. It was the award ceremony by President Kovind conferring the TENZING NORGAY AWARD on a #koliboy for WATER ADVENTURE !
clicked at Prabhat's home
Drowning in applause for Prabhat Koli !!
Ever since I started deep digging about him. I read every article, watched every video of him. Catching up on several details of his journey that did not make it to the media houses. I was then compiling a list of achievers in the Koli community for a project I was going to launch but was put away for later.
Finally this last Dec 2022 he accepted my invite. My Paternal home has been a vegetarian home but after my father passed away I set that rule free. So for the first time I cooked Non veg in that kitchen!
A Special person that Prabhat is, deserved a special treatment and respect.
Raju and Shilpa shared absolutely fascinating stories about how Prabhat was a total water baby ever since he was tiny. They shared their experiences about travelling the world for various feats. Technical challenges in this sport. Of breakthrough new swim routes. How they have steered clear from politics. Their struggles against red tape continues.
The conversations were so scintillating that not once I touched the phone to take pics.
They left with me the album a fan made for Prabhat, relished it leisurely.
Prabhat, Raju and Shilpa are the most humble people I have met.
I wear the color of ♥️♥️ every day! Many shades of it. Of a daughter, sister, mother, aunt but the deepest is of a wife. The love I got from my husband in our total 4 yrs together of which 2yrs 10 months of our marriage still powers me on to live my life to the fullest!
❤️🧲On this Valentine’s advice for single men🧲❤️
Are you in love with the IDEA of love or the REAL love and life together?
It’s good idea to believe in love and that it lasts a lifetime!
Know that bubble gum love doesn’t last. Singing songs, giving useless gifts can’t get you far.
Once that is clear. Keep aside lust. She will be yours if you do the right things.
1. First be a good friend.
2. Give time to build trust.
3. Make her feel safe and secure.
4. Don’t talk dirty instantly.
5. You BE everything first then expect it from her.
6. Show you care by waiting to eat and enjoy a bite together.
7. Honesty is the best policy. Don’t say things you don’t mean to do.
8. Don’t try to cut her off from her family and friends.
9. Invest in her by doing everything for her.
10. Self importance will create a divide.
11. Laugh together
12. Dress well and appropriately as per time and place. Don’t be a fox 🦊 in sheep 🐑 skin. You can’t groom up like a monk for sure!
13. Don’t talk bad about the past. Don’t talk about your unsuccessful relationships ALL the time!
By doing that you are telling you are no good at relationships. Also it says you are stuck in the past.
14. Only fools rush in love. Allow time for growth.
15. Don’t talk down. She will kick you out. No second chances here.
No matter how much advice you get. The real person you are will show up in the relationship. So superficial changes are not going to work.
Love is all about endurance. Love deeply and it will bloom!
Disclaimer:
*I am not looking for a man even if I wrote this.*
I reflect. In the year 2014 at the Bloggers meet in BLR was a session on wine tasting and pairing. It is very fashionable to do it. I was glad to do it. I learnt things about myself. You never know until you cross that edge. This picture of me taken by a blogger buddy caused quite a ruffle in my circles. I still wasn’t married then. I was the daughter of a teetotaller family. Dad and uncles never touched any kind of alcohol. How was I doing this? Arey arey, She has got spoilt!!! Was the conclusion everyone jumped to. Then in 2015 I got married. Arvi drank in social circles and never alone. We got married in Dec and on the 31st it was the first time he poured out a tumbler of whiskey for me 🥃 I barely licked it and turned my nose up. Arvi said If you don’t drink I won’t enjoy it. So began the habit of pouring out glasses of wine, champagne, vodka or whiskey for me. I would sit with him. Serve him snacks and watch him enjoy and then he would consume my glass too. However Arvi drank on rare occasions at home infact only on his birthday, Navroze and 31 Dec and a rare wedding that we might have attended. I never developed a liking for alcohol. I do cook pastas and bake with alcohol but that too is very rare. Once a close friend happily opened a bottle of white wine for me. When I didn’t drink it she was surprised even more. Then we decided to make vanilla extract with that wine. This picture still makes me smile. It gave me a thrill at the time. It was a moment of shattering the glass ceiling for me. Now I have Arvi’s bar still abundant that I clean once in a while. Have given away some expensive bottles to people but I keep the rest in Arvi’s memory.
I always say, I am high on life. Don’t need alcohol !
P.S. People will not read this but remember that pic forever 🤣🤣
So on this occasion let me share a much in demand formula for उटणं or Ayurvedic bath powder. I make this once in few months and use it everyday. Sometimes I gift it to family but for Diwali अभ्यंग स्नान it’s a must.
I don’t use soap. I was big on bath gels but I have stopped those for long now since my friend Sapna’s Mum Manjula aunty gave me this formula. It makes your skin beautiful!
Also this organic haldi is from Sapna’s farm in Mysore.
A lot of you have requested for it so here you go…
Ingredients
2 cups green moog
2 cups rose petals
1 cup chana dal
1 cup dried orange peels
2 cups turmeric powder
1 cup neem leaves
1/2 cup camphor
1 cup dried pomegranate peels
Almonds optional
Grind all items together and ensure they are mixed well. Store in a dry container. Keep in the fridge door for long storage life.
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