Paradise on earth

My memory of Switzerland dates back to 1985, when my grandmother had been there for 3 years with my aunt to look after her baby daughter. She had told me about how beautiful and serene that place is and she had got me a toy camera in which I could view different slides of snow filled peaks and the jersey cows and vast fields with no people in sight.

My dream of visiting this paradise on earth got fulfilled on 18th April 2014, thanks to my hubby! We set out for a 4 day trip to Switzerland by car and the first stop was a small town called Thun. The road to Thun was awesome. Snowcapped mountains on both sides and some green fields here and there, where cows and horses and sheep were grazing. We reached hotel around 2 pm, kept our luggage and then went for a stroll to a nearby lake and park. It was cold and cloudy, but we managed to see the snow peaked mountains and little blue skies here and there. Had a nice stroll around the lake. Tanay was more than happy to play in the sand patches around the lake. We experienced a very tranquil feeling, very quiet and clean and untouched. After spending a few hours there, we headed to go to the old town and we were greeted by heavy rainfall. So, we had no option to get into the car and go around the town and be happy with just seeing the town from inside the car. We got back at 7 pm and retired after having dinner.

Saturday was a trip to Bern. It was cloudy again, but thankfully no rain. We watched the famous clock tower where music is played every hour. The longest was at 12:00 hours and we were luckily there! After the musical performance, we walked the main street and were surprised to see almost 100 flags on either side of the streets. Every flag was different and I am sure it had some meaning. Unfortunately, we couldn't meet a localite who would explain it's meaning. We saw the church, the Rathaus (Town hall), market place, Swiss Parliament building, National bank etc. We also saw the house, where Albert Einstein stayed in Bern for a few years. It was a nice bustling, happy and crowded place. Then we headed to a place called Gurten, where a small train takes us up the hill in about 10 minutes and from there the view of Bern was breathtaking. We had snacks in a restaurant there and I managed to get hold of a vegetarian dish called Rösti. It is a typical Swiss dish and I loved it! Potato and onion mashed together and served with olives, tomatoes etc. After the sumptuous lunch, we climbed a tower, which comprised of 120 steps and the view from up there was just stupefying. It was windy up there and I started feeling giddy, because up there, the wired surface started moving. I came down in a few minutes and then enjoyed the scenery there. We then headed to Wilderswil, where our next halt was.

The hotel was at such a location that I would spend my whole life there looking at the mountains, reading on my Kindle and writing on my laptop. It was quiet, pure and serene. Calmness prevailed there in all nooks and corners and it caught on us too. We had no words to speak or describe what our senses were experiencing. How is it that everything here is so beautiful and clean? It didn't feel like we were on earth. It is a different world altogether. 

Schilthorn was our destination on Sunday. We had to go to a base place called Stechelberg, park our cars there and then take the cable cars, change 3 times and get to that place. It is a place at 9744 ft. where a James Bond movie was shot, long back in 1968. There is a James Bond museum where a portion picturized there is shown in a small theater. It has all the James Bond movie posters till date and also the gadgets which 007 used. We walked in snow to a small tower nearby. It was exhilarating, a chilled experience to walk in the snow and come back safely without falling down and getting injured. It was sunny around, so without the sunglasses on, it was impossible to look around. We spent a lot of time, taking snaps and then went to a restaurant there, called Piz Gloria and it was a 360 degrees rotating restaurant at such a height. I had no words to praise the technology and the dedication of the people to make something wonderful like this at a height of 9744 ft. We had lunch there and spent some more time going around. White snow covered Swiss Alps, e.g. Jungfrau and other peaks were visible from this place. Blue clear skies and White Mountains were all we could see in all directions. We headed back at 3 pm and again after changing 3-4 times, we came back to Stechelberg and came back to the hotel. Took little rest and went walking around the Wilderswil village. Most of it was closed, being a Sunday. But we could see the cute little houses of the Swiss people there. The day was well spent and we had a nice time in Schilthorn. You can see this link for more information.

http://www.schilthorn.ch/

On Monday, we checked out at 10 am and went to Interlaken. It is a small, sleepy town and one shopping street is covered by walk. We walked into 2-3 watch showrooms and were surprised to see all Chinese employees there. The visitors there were also mostly Chinese, they came in large groups and shopped and invaded the next shop. It was quite an amusing sight. It was quite surprising for us in the beginning, but then given the fact that China is an emerging market; the Swiss people have employed Chinese people to cater to the vast visitor population that visits Swiss. How thoughtful and business oriented! We then decided to go to a town called Vaduz, in a neighboring country called Liechtenstein, where German is spoken and the currency is also Swiss Francs. It was a long drive, but the drive on the highways there is enjoyable. The market place in Vaduz was a small street where there were a few tourist people like us and then we went to see the palace of the prince residing there. It was up the hill and we got a nice view from up there of the small town. Then we headed to a city called Feldkirch in Austria, spent some time there and headed through small sleepy villages and towns to ‘our’ country, Germany. That day was memorable as we crossed 4 countries, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria and Germany. And yes, we picked up souvenirs (fridge magnet) from every place we visited and they are proudly sitting on our fridge now! 

Tanay was obviously not aware of what he just experienced for 4 days, he might have even got bored. But I am sure, he will surely come back and enjoy this paradise on earth. And I am always ready to go to other parts of this paradise, as I saw just a part of it!

Maldoli - A Nostalgia

Yesterday, I stepped out of the house in the morning for office. It was bright and sunny, but not warm. Sun was there, but his presence was not very strong. As soon as I got on the road, I could smell the cow dung from somewhere. It felt as if there were a few cows grazing around in a cowshed and the air was filled with the smell of their dung. If you are wondering, what I am talking about and how can I like the smell of cow dung, let me tell you, it is one of the most common thing used to plaster the courtyard and the earthen kitchen floors in villages. It is a coolant too and it keeps away flies and insects. People who have been to their grandparents in the Konkan region of Maharashtra will immediately identify with what I am saying.

The smell took me to my great-grandmother’s village, called Maldoli, near Chiplun, Ratnagiri. My mother and her cousin sister grew up in this village for a few years after their birth. Both these sisters have a special bond with the village, the house and their grandmother, so much that my aunt named her daughter Rama, derived from the name of her grandmother, Ms. Ramabai. I visited Maldoli in my school days and could very well understand why these ladies were mad for this place. Upon entry the house had a big courtyard and a big cowshed on the left, where cows, buffaloes were reared. Upon entry in the house, there was a place called ‘padvi’, where one kept the shoes and a big swing was there for the kids and adults to sit. Then inside room was called ‘maajghar’ (hall), where there was a cupboard and mirror and had lot of place for the guests to sit and talk and also sleep at night. On one side of maajghar was another room, where the ladies of the house gave birth to kids and were kept in that room for 3 months with their babies. It was very cozy, dark and small room. 

To the left of the maajghar was the devghar (god’s own room). There were many gods in there and my panji (great grandmother) did pooja every single day with lot of home grown flowers and we got goodies everyday in form of Prasad. That room appeared so pious and sparkling to me that I often spent time sitting there looking at the gods. Swaipakghar (Kitchen) was to the right of the maajghar and it had the earthen chimney and not the modern ones like today. My great-grandmother cooked delicious food all the time of the day and mostly there were rice varieties. My favorite was metkut bhaat (rice and a powder made of different dals and a few spices). And yes, how can I forget the big cauldron in which the butter was churned manually with a help of a big rod and tasty buttermilk was prepared? After having meals, either panji or the maid cleaned the surface of the kitchen with cow dung within no time. It brought a cooling effect and a nice sweet smell with it!

To the left of the kitchen was a small bathroom and it had one huge black rock on which we sat and took baths. There were no taps or geysers. Water was heated in huge vessels, using wood and then it was given further for bath. There was a constant supply of cold water from a nearby stream and I haven’t tasted any other water as sweet as it till now. I never fell ill by drinking that non-boiled water, which is a rarity in cities now. There were no fans or television till the late 80’s, but it never seemed to heat up in peak summer also. The house had earthen tiles as roof and in summer the area between the house and cow-shed was covered with thatched roof so that more people could be accommodated and festivals could be celebrated.  And there was a huge mangrove, away from the house. The trees were laden with Alphonso mangoes and there was never ever a dearth of mangoes when we went there in summer. We ate mangoes all the time and for all meals. There was a place called ‘maadi’ (upper terrace), where the mangoes that were plucked from the tree were kept and we could go there and just pick up any mango in any quantity of our choice. There was a extra room in the house too which was usually given to the teachers who came to teach in the school there. They came for a year or two and every two years, there were new tenants.

I remember the cows and buffaloes, the dogs and the cats that were like family members. Every morning, the home servant called Pandya, milked the cows and buffaloes and got fresh milk to panji. She then made the most delicious tea ever with jaggery and tea leaves and milk. Sugar also came much later in the village. And I do not remember having seen a television set in the village that time. Hardly one house somewhere had it! I also remember my mom telling me a story about how a tiger once came from the jungle nearby and sat opposite to my great-grandfather looking in his eyes. He had come to eat the cows and buffaloes, but thankfully, he didn’t harm anyone and left in some time after sitting along for a while. Oh, I have goose bumps, even now, when I think of it!

Further down to the house, there was a small piece of land, where there were jackfruit trees and further more the toilet, which was built very late. When we stood in the courtyard of the house, on the other side, we could see the industry lights of an area called Lote Parshuram. There was only one condiments shop which was down the village. Biscuits, chocolates, Pepsi colas, ice-creams were a rarity there and all these things were a huge hit in the village. There came only one red bus per day to Maldoli from Chiplun and the roads were of mud, orange and no tar roads. There was a water body, where we could go sailing and we also went up the mountains to see the waters. It was very peaceful and serene up the mountain there from where the whole village and the nearby areas could also be seen. I also remember catching the kaajva (glowworms) in my own hands at night. There was an eerie silence at night, with no road lights too. There was no electricity needed that time. All the chores were completed in the day time and later with the help of oil lamps or kandil (lanterns). I have also slept in the big courtyard looking at the stars and the wide open sky. Have never really watched the sky like that later in life…

Now, the house is no more there. It collapsed one fine day and the big pink and grey stones, which were used for its construction and which made the house cool even during summer, were stolen. Other things also were taken away as the house was locked for many years. Thankfully, my panji was not staying there since the early nineties and the gods were duly taken home to Chiplun by my mother’s cousin much before. He now looks after the mangroves in Maldoli and manages it. My panji passed away too in late nineties. She was the most tolerant and loving person, I have ever come across. She never got angry on anyone; she always welcomed the strangers and the relatives with equal gusto and a smile. She never got tired in her good health. Later as the age advanced, she grew pale and become bed-ridden. May God rest her soul in peace.

I miss that place even more after writing this. I want to visit it once and see for myself what has remained of the house where we all gathered, enjoyed, played, laughed and ate together once upon a time.

My mom's cousin, Ms. Anjali Karandikar, who has also been with mom in this beautiful Maldoli adds a few points about her grandparents here which were not known to me. Thanks mavshi!

- ओटी was part of the house between Padvi and Majghar.  There was a cot (baaj) where Ajoba used to sleep and used to hang his coat on khunti. There was a small desk and a small cupboard. Ajoba used to smoke and used to put विडी bundles in the cupboard.

- Ajoba passed away on 10th May 1982.  He was 75 yrs. old.

- Aji passed away in Feb 2004. She was 94 yrs old.

- I don't remember Aji stepping out of the house. She used to sit on stairs near entrance of the house or occasionally in the back yard. I don't remember her going to temple in village or visiting someone. Every evening we all (exceot Aji, Ajoba)  used to go for walk upto "moda". She used to stay home and keep dinner ready.  Even without stepping out of the house, she used to exactly know the trees on which mangoes are ready to be picked up and how many are there and used to instruct Pandya and others about it.

- Aji got married when she was 12 and Ajoba was 16. They used to play together after they got married.

- Many women in village used to come and ask Aji about home remedies on fever and other common diseases. They also used to come and ask for dahi, tak, mangoes etc. She has never said No to anyone.

Tanay's birthday

This year 7th April was a Monday. Last year, being a Sunday on that day, we had invited many friends in Germany to celebrate Tanay’s first birthday. We had booked a time slot in a Chinese restaurant and the people had enjoyed the buffet and drinks. Tanay wasn’t sure of what was going on, but this year, it was a little different. He was older by a year and he also had friends with whom he could celebrate this big day.

‘Wir wollen etwas Indisches’; the caretakers said. That means they wanted something Indian on his birthday for lunch. It is a ritual here in Germany that the parents of the birthday boy/girl bake a cake for the group and the caretakers. The caretakers told me that they are bored of eating muffins and cakes and so they want to taste something Indian. Indian food has always been the world’s favorite owing to the rice aroma, spices and taste. So, I brainstormed with my friends and moms and zeroed upon Aloo paratha (Indian bread filled with potato) and gulab jamun (sweet balls fried in oil and dipped in sugar syrup). 

Atul wasn’t going to be around for 4 days as he was on a business trip. So, I had to manage everything, alone. But my good friend Mrunal came to my help. She told me not to worry and that she will take care of everything. She shares a very special bond with Tanay and Tanay completely is in love with her. She took charge of the kitchen and with another friend, Amita’s help; we made the gulab jamuns on Sunday morning. Next, Mrunal baked a lovely cheese cake within no time. I am really amazed to see her enthusiasm in the kitchen. She is a foodie and loves to cook too, which is a lovely combination, I would say. I am a foodie too, but I would be the last person to be in the kitchen, jokes apart, but I have recently taken to cooking different dishes with great enthusiasm. We both decided to make the Aloo paratha in the evening so that they remain soft and fresh. We finally finished making them by late night and we were dead tired. We called it a day and slept off.

Next day, I was very excited. I put up a nice message for Tanay on Facebook and many friends and relatives wished him a very happy birthday seeing that message. My close friends messaged me on whtsapp messenger too. That has become more popular than the Facebook, I think. I dropped Tanay to the crèche in an Indian attire, which his ‘pu – jeeya’ (grandmother who stays in Pune) had gifted him. He was looking very cute and he spared no chance in posing for photos, when Mrunal clicked him. I came back and put the stuff in different boxes so that I could carry them to the crèche for lunch. I reached there at 11 am and told the caretaker what all I have prepared and how to serve it. For their benefit, I described the food in German, so that they know what they are eating. They were very excited to know that we had actually prepared it at home and with our own hands!! I was equally excited to know their reaction on our Indian food.

I came back at 4:30 pm to pick him up from the creche and many caretakers around told me that they tasted the food and they simply loved it. The dessert was little sweet for them, but they still liked it. Tanay was gifted a crown made of paper with 2 written on it and 2 car pictures pasted on it. He was also given a small clay box as a present. He seemed very happy and I was happy to see him smiling and beaming. We came home and a unique idea struck me. Why not do a cake cutting ceremony in front of his grandparents who were missing him very much on this day. I asked my parents to be ready at 7 pm CET and they were very eager to see Tanay on his birthday. We cut the cheese cake together and Mrunal was present to click the snaps. His grandparents, great grandmother, Shreya ma (my kid sister) and her mother were also present to grace the occasion. We all sang song, they clapped for him, cheered him and he was very happy. The cheese cake was extremely delicious, kudos to Mrunal for taking so much effort for Tanay’s birthday. It tasted exactly like the ones I usually have in traditional German bakeries. I wish I could give some cake to my parents through Skype too! Haha. That is wishful thinking!

Thus, Tanay’s 2^nd birthday was celebrated with his friends in the crèche in a live manner and with his grandparents in a virtual manner. Nevertheless, he gathered lot of good wishes, love and blessings and I am sure he will go a long way with all our love and blessings.

Happy Birthday Sonny!

Hobbies of different kind

‘A hobby is a regular activity done for pleasure - typically during leisure - e.g., collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports.’ Wikipedia defines hobby in this manner. Collection has been my favorite pastime since childhood. The first of things which I really collected and remember vividly were bus tickets. I used to ask everybody around me, who travelled in bus to hand over their tickets to me. And when people asked me what I would do with them, I used to proudly say that I would become a bus conductor with all these tickets. When I think of it now, I find it very funny. There were tickets of different colors and I found the ticket set with the conductors very fascinating. What all one fancies during childhood!!

Next in line, which I started collecting was greeting cards. I have around 500 greeting cards even today, in my parents’ house. I got many of them for birthday, festivals and so on. My aunt, who shifted to the US, gave me a whole set of greeting cards, unused and that added to my collection. I find greeting cards very personal and full of emotions. They talk to you through visuals and words and win your hearts and bring smile on your face. I have greeting cards of all shapes and sizes and colors and when I go through them now, each one brings me a memory each and I revisit the past and meet the people who gifted me those cards.

Soft toys are my weakness, even now. I have a collection of different animals, dolls, teddy bears in my Bangalore house. Now, when I am in Germany, I bring soft toys for my toddler son and am highly charged up seeing him play with them. Here, I have a collection of sheep, tortoise, dog and a stuffed doll. I will carry all of them back to India whenever I return. We have even named the soft toys here. The dog is Tipu, stuffed doll is guddu, sheep is called ba and the tortoise is called simba. I feel very happy when I see them all sitting in the window looking outside. They are like family members to us!

I collected stones of different colors and sizes, sea shells, conches for some time. I used to pick them up when I visited a beach or a forest or a village. But I discarded them somewhere, reasons unknown. Then pens caught my attention. I had collected around 100 types of different pens. They came in different shapes and sizes and colors. But many of them dried up and I had to throw them or give away to someone who could make a good use of them. Then Stabilo pens from Germany became my priced possessions. I bought them for gifting to my close friends and I also kept a set of 26 pens for myself and tried to make personal notes in diary or while working at home or in office using different color combinations. The pens are of excellent quality and they haven’t yet dried up since 2008-2009 when I was gifted by my hubby. My dad loves them too. Every time, I make a trip home, he requests for 1 set of pens without fail and he loves gifting them to his friends and colleagues and relatives. The people who have got these pens from us also have positive words for the gift and they say it is a very useful gift. 

Off late, the thing that has caught my fancy, are magnets. I am interested in the ones, which we can put on refrigerators and which have the name of the city and a prominent monument of that city embossed on it. I started the collection from 2010, when I had been to Strasbourg. Then, there was nothing stopping me. I have magnets of Stuttgart, Brussels’, Cologne, Madrid, Toledo. Whenever I visit the places in and around Germany, I will collect them and take them back to display on the fridge in my house. I also ask my friends to get magnets for me, when they visit the places, which I might not be able to visit. I think it will make a cool collection very soon. I can see most of the European cities by just having a glance and I can revisit the memories I made in each of the cities that I visited.

I know people who love collecting postal stamps, coins of different currencies, diaries, bags, purses, footwear, belts, balls, caps, and accessories of different kinds. There may be many others who collect unusual stuff. Do let me know in case you are one of them or come across such person.

How good or bad is this collection of different things? Is it a hoarding of some kind? Is it an effort to cling on to the past by keeping the things in one’s possession unused? But I do not really mind as far as I am happy with it and it is not creating any nuisance to the other person!

What say?