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Nendrapazham: The pride of God's own country

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*@* Let this be a memory as I turn 53 today *@* - Sangeetha Sudhir By S Sudhir N endrapazham, cultivated in Kerala, belongs to the banana family. This is their staple food consumed by people of all ages. As a kid, I remember sitting next to the oven and waiting for the banana to be roasted. After which the skin is peeled off, seeds removed, and then consumed by all. To make it more special, this is also mixed with little milk and consumed as Porridge with or without a pinch of cardamom. The fruit is steamed and served with Puttu (breakfast made out of rice flour and grated coconut). Both raw Nendrakaya and ripe Nendrapazham are permanent members of the Kerala kitchen. One ripe banana can fill your stomach equal to a meal. The ripe Nendrapazham is sliced, fried with ghee and sugar, and served hot, garnished with grated coconut which our taste buds always crave. The fruit is used to make Nendrapazham Pradhaman (Payasam is made out of the fruit cooked in coconut milk and jaggery). It...
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Twinkle and the crow

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  Nithya, my daughter, so affectionate towards Twinkle By S Sudhir D ifficult to forget certain things. Twinkle's last day Four years ago it was the day when Twinkle, the pet who was the dearest to everyone in our family, passed away in my hands. It was mine right from the time when she was 45 days old. For six years we didn't travel anywhere, as we didn't want to leave her alone in the house. We all in our family couldn't bear what she was going through, on the last day of her journey on earth. It sang while dying  During my middle school days, we stayed at a walkable distance from my school. On a rainy day as I was returning home, I heard a crow cawing in pain. I searched and found the wounded crow, fallen under a tree. As soon as the crow saw me it stopped cawing and started singing like a cuckoo. I was shocked. After a few seconds, the crow stopped singing and was only looking at me. I thought that the crow was getting better and tried to leave. But the cro...
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Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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Thought as a kid, when became true

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By S Sudhir B ougainvillea blooms for all... Watching bougainvillea spreading itself across KR Puram road makes me feel nostalgic, remembering my school. Watching multiple colors of fully bloomed bougainvillea hanging near the reception of the company that owned our school was a treat to our eyes... The company had a huge vented compound and no one knew about the internal beauty unless someone peeped through the vents or got permission to enter the company premises. But we as tiny kids would hide and peep through these vents to get mesmerized..... Those days I had read a few books written by  Enid Blyton and I always assumed these were the far away adventurous tress. Very inquisitive to know if this was the tree, I  would wait for our independence day as all the students would be taken inside the company premises for a tasty treat of puri, sabzi, halwa, and a tiny mud pot with water. These pots were normally carried back home. After lunch, I would slowly go closer to the bouga...
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Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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Sun: My Savior

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By S Sudhir T he sight of the Sun and flowing water fills me with energy. Sun is the only source that made me feel connected to my loved ones far away... I did my primary schooling in Mumbai while my parents stayed in Bangalore. Though my aunt and uncle were around I  used to miss my parents a lot. There was no mode of communication with them other than the inland letters or the postcards which they would send to me once in a while. I would preserve these letters and touch them every day. I would get to meet my parents once a year during my vacations. Though I  was just 6-7 yrs old then, I used to feel so happy seeing the Sun, as He was the only object that I and my parents could see at the same time. I would convey all my feelings to the Sun assuming He would convey the same to my parents. The Sun would make me feel their presence around me and I would emotionally connect with Him. Even now when I see the Sun (in fact I wait to see Him every day) my memory takes me back to my...
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Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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This guest deserves a treat

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Lepy Lahiri By S Sudhir I fell in love with one of the handsome guys in town who ran into our compound when he was just two months old. I was conquered by this beautiful grey boy whom we named Lepy... He looked straight into my eyes and screamed at me for food as I was not prepared to welcome this uninvited guest.  Now I am his cook and he visits us often in the open kitchen which he feels free to walk in. Though he is a fighter outside, his royal attitude has made me his loyal servant ...... These too are intimate to us! * * * * * Readers' Reaction [ 20/04, 16:20] Prakash, Bangalore:   Cats are 'born free' and 'live free'. Nobody 'owns' them,  ..and yes, some cats employ humans to serve them... [20/04, 15:15] Dr. R Sudarshan, Mysore: Indeed. Look what these 'cat slaves' are up to:  https://fb.watch/cvLCnUtRhQ/ [20/04, 18:01] BS Ranganath: Great going, 'cat slaves'!
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Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
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