The Capsicum Pakora

A brief sojourn of 26 hours, 30 minutes and may be 10 seconds in Kodaikanal more than convinced me that if there was a place on earth which could bestow on you the celestial bliss which is only available to the mortals in heaven, it is only the hilly resort where thousands throng every summer - what with the atmosphere, the picturesque background, the scenery that unfolds in front of you (which none dare miss capturing into perpetuity), the surrounding hills flowers of all kinds in full bloom, the lake with it's placid waters, the neither-blue-nor-green, but both mixed colour all around, the boats, with the giggling children, the people attired in their fancy, I-want-everyone-look-at -me, clothes, with a riot of colours,, vendors on the roadside, beckoning you now here, now there......you see all around a foggy cloud, the kind of scene which you see in the movies when Gods and Goddesses are able to move as they wish, as though with invisible wheels attached to their feet, sailing smoothly in the wind; the sun playing truant occasionally, a sudden darkness descending, a surprising, though enjoyable sudden drizzle, a rainbow with all its vibrant colours inviting your attention,and, for a moment I thought that I am being transported to the portals of heaven the same way. Not to speak of the several love-bitten couples, looking here, looking there, diverting your attention occasionally and making you envy them by their gestures and antics,....(mostly honey-mooningers) was a rare happening, conjuring upon you the vision of a world where happiness is writ large on every face that you see. No wonder, I leapt with joy myself, as if I am in a wonderland, where there is no room or occasion for worries of any kind.

There are so many things that you can notice and enjoy, that you would regret that oh, I didn't turn that side at all. Apart from all that I mentioned above, on one side you can see an array of horses, all decorated and ready for the ride with you,particularly the kids.


Talking of the road-side vendors. lined up all your way,you see fancy dresses, bangles. toys and a host of eat-as-you-wander items of food - crisp 'murukku', fried pop-corns, channa and the fresh-from-the-frying pan,'mouth-watering ''bajji' -made out out
of basan flour and the longish mirth -without the sting of the usual mirch - the capsicum Pakora, or more popularly called mulagai bajji and, believe me, this and this was the one item which whetted my appetite throughout the fleeting sojourn in the 'paradise on earth'. Wherever I moved, whatever I talked, I could not resist the temptation of having a try at it, each timeni spotted the bajji.

And, even today, at the very thought of this, I wish I had wings to fly to that land to literally devour the entire stock available. Memories of this namkeen (and mircheen') delicacy haunt me day in and day out. I have lost count of the stopovers I had at the bajji vendors eating, single, double and triple.......I thought that the vendor had virtually hypnotized me. Since I kept count of each and every item of my expense on this tour, I still do not venture to see the cost of my stay in Kodaikanal only on that count. Yes, i would visit Kodaikanal again, if only for eating those bajjis - the captivating Capsicum Pakora.

Feel like going to Kodaikanal? Go by all means, but no guarantee for the goodness of the bajjis that I had eaten, because the vendors would have changed, oil used could have changed, cost may have gone up - doubled or tripled and still you cannot come and say that the bajjis that you ate were of the same taste questioning me for all the praises I showered on the bajji. Because, my visit to Kodaikanal was years ago!

If Someone Says to you Go to.....

IF SOMEONE SAYS TO YOU, GO TO........





Just a reflection about going to hell. Many a time, people dissatisfied with us for some reason might utter Go to Hell. Perhaps, one need not too much bother about such expressions. For one thing, no one, including those that shout at us, knows what is hell.
Secondly, it is not as though they have themselves gone to hell, lived there for some time,suffered and found it unbearable to continue there. For all they say,conditions there might be really fine too(?)

Why I am saying so is, I have read something about an Italian poet,Dante, who,while describing hell, says at the entrance of the hell is written: abandon all hopes ye who enter. Do not conclude that it is because of what is inside for you. It could as well be to prevent your entry, it could as well be to frighten you about what awaits you there, it could as well be that it is already full and further new entry is to be banned.

Well, when I say it could be due to full house, it could mean that many of our netha
log are already there and enjoying too with their colleagues, shaking hands, saying cheers with glasses in their hands, laughing and dancing, and hopefully with their bags full of black money they would have amassed which could not be detected by ED, CBI etc. while on earth, who would have least suspected they have to probe this location also. These thoughts may have made them (who were lucky to be the early birds to fill this place,bribe there too, their gate-keeper, who would have come out with this nice idea of the so-called banner at the entry gate. I guess only, one such gate!Otherwise, if some others who go there, who happen to be too honest, upright,uncorrupt, they are more likely to oil their party inside.

You may be wondering, you too can try to join them some day. But don't be in a haste, because for all your good qualities you may still wrongly land up there! You deserve a much better place. Didn't Shakespeare say,'there are more things in heaven and earth
(you may be less interested in the latter now, perhaps) Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy'?

The only difference between hell and heaven is, as many of you may have read, is in hell all are seated in one row with food placed far away and with long spoons in their hands, while in heaven people are seated in two rows opposite to each other and with food placed as in hell and long spoons in their hands, so that the one opposite can feed you and vice versa.

So, when someone says to you 'go to hell', simply forget. Continue your good work, and you may as well land up in heaven!

All these may yet be imaginary, because while missions have been launched to probe the moon, mars etc, technology has not yet advanced to launch such missions to such other worlds (if at all they exist), to probe what all lie there.