Mysteries of the Sea

The Sun was off to sleep after a long day at work. The twilight announced that the moon came for the night shift. The children gathered in front of Grandnana’s house. He sat in his recliner chair, on his front porch. The wrinkles on Grandnana’s skin revealed his ripe age, like the rings on a tree trunk.

Grandnana looked at the children and asked them, ‘Which story do you kids want?’

There was a noise as the kids’ told their choices. In a distance the sea rumbled, as though she had a request of her own.  Grandnana said, ‘I will choose one.’ He pretended to ponder for a while and said, ‘I will tell you about the story of how I got rich.’ The children cheered and clapped in excitement.

Grandnana said, ‘It was a long time ago. I was young and strong, not a bit like the old chap I am now. It was the worst summer I had seen in years. The famine left us nothing to eat on land. I could no longer see the tired faces of my children and their frail bodies. It set out to the sea, for she  always had something to give.  

It was getting dark. I cared less. One catch would satisfy our hunger for the night. I got into my boat, rowed into the sea and cast my net. I waited patiently. Nothing! I went farther from the shore. The lights in the houses on the shoreline glittered like stars.  I cast my net and waited. Above me the clouds gathered as though they did not approve my decision of getting close to the belly of the sea. The clouds loved to scare us that summer. They came together as though they would drench us but it never rained. After some time I felt a tug. The net went down as though something heavy was caught in it. I thought it could a big fish. I tried to pull it but it was heavy. 

As I pulled the net, I saw a beautiful girl. She had deep blue eyes just like the sea. Her golden hair glistened in the moonlight. She flapped her tail and splashed the water around. I could become rich beyond my dreams. I could take her with me and sell her to the highest bidder. She caught the rim of the boat and spoke something to me. I could not understand what she was saying. She tried to break free but the net was too strong for her. From her sobs, I understood that she was pleading me to release her. Her eyes reminded me of my daughter. She was of the same age as my daughter. I thought of her family. May be her mother was waiting for her in the depths of the sea, searching for her daughter. I untied the net and set her free. She smiled at me and disappeared.

I was disappointed that I was returning home empty handed. I rowed back towards the shore. I felt someone pull my boat. I stopped and looked down. I saw the girl. She was back! I also saw two other mermaids, a woman and a man. They were in their mid twenties. Together, they lifted and placed a big chest on my boat. They pushed my boat close to shore, waved to me and left together. I opened the chest. It was filled with gold and jewels. I got more gold than I ever wished for.’

Grandnana said, ‘Well, that’s it for today. We will meet tomorrow for another story’. 

The children clapped and left to their homes.

153 Biere Street

A friend recommended this place to me. I was surprised to see that they created a European look alike street in the midst of the busy Whitefield landscape. The food tasted like authentic European food, too much protein with gravy and very less carbohydrates. The ambiance was out of India. The place seemed so artificial to me. It blocked away the street noise and we were among foreigners. I do recommend this place, just for a European experience.

Entrance to 153 Biere Street

The European like street, with bakeries and small boutique shops

The well cooked chicken tasted delicious with the gravy

An open seating. I will go there once again during night time. 

Pretty little horticulture store

Inside a bakery

Cloud Bullying

The big fluffy white cloud was basking in the sun. It felt proud that the sun's ray's couldn't harm it, cannot make it smaller. It was too big even for the mighty Sun. The Big Cloud saw a Small Cloud scurrying by.

The Big Cloud called out, 'Hey smallie, smallie', and grinned. The Big Cloud extended it's arm and blocked the way of the Small Cloud.

The Small Cloud stopped and asked, 'What do you want?'

The Big Cloud said, 'I want you to go to the sun and tell him hello'

The Small Cloud protested. It said, 'The last time I did it, I melted. It took a long time to get back to my shape. I will not do it again.'

The Big Cloud laughed and teased the Small Cloud. It said, 'Smallie too scared to go near the sun. Should I call you smallie or scarie or both? Smallie Scarie. Scarie Smallie', and sang so for a few minutes.

The Small Cloud grew black in the face. 

The Big Cloud threw another challenge at the Small Cloud. The Big Cloud asked the Small Cloud, 'Can you be this?' and transformed itself into a house, shaped like a hut. After a couple of minutes it transformed into a tortoise. The Big Cloud gloated over it's capability to change.

The Small Cloud was too small to become anything. The Small Cloud thought for a minute. It whistled and called his friends. The Small Cloud's friends gathered around it. Just like the Small Cloud, his friends were small too.

The Small Cloud challenged the Big Cloud,'Oh! you can do only a house and a tortoise. That is so old-fashioned. I have seen my parents and grand parents do that. I will show you what we can do.'

The small clouds merged into one another and formed a car. The car said, 'vroom vroom'. 

The small clouds became an aeroplane and made a noise, 'Whooooooooosh.' 

The Big Cloud grew black in the face. It came towards the small clouds' at full force. The Big Cloud and the small clouds' pushed and punched one another and made thunderous sounds. They attacked one another with lightening bolts.

The combined strength of the small clouds' defeated the Big Cloud. It was injured. The small clouds' moved away, with their heads held high. The Big Cloud cried in pain. The tears of the Big Cloud, fell down as rain and moistened the parched earth.

After that day, the Big Cloud never bullied the Small Cloud.

Blame it on the Woman

Those were the days when lot of changes were happening in my life. I moved to Bangalore for work, got married and was setting up a home. In that a hectic schedule, Malvi's presence was like a breath of fresh air. She was my first cook in Bangalore.  

Malvi was a woman in late twenties. She had a huge red bindi on her forehead, which contrasted against her dark skin. Her only makeup was her smile. She showed me with a smile, the bruises on her hand and the injury on her leg. She complained with a smile about her eye infection and her son's leg fracture. I loved that in her, her smile, which showed that she cared less about her troubles. 

Malvi told me about her marriage. She told me about her husband, who made guest appearances at home, inaccessible most of the time. Malvi’s was a love marriage, which became unpleasant over the years. She eloped with her fiancé, when she was in 10^th standard. He was an auto driver then. He threatened her to marry him and given the innocence of her age, she did marry him. Her family did not approve of the marriage and she had to severe her relationship with most of her family, save her brother.

One quirk of Malvi’s character was that she never stepped into the apartment if I wasn't there. If my husband was at home, she used to wait for me near the elevator. That irritated the hungry me, waiting to devour dinner after a long day at work and her behavior perplexed my husband.

One fine day, she told me, ‘Madam, I will not be coming.’

I thought it was temporary break. I asked her, ‘Will you be coming after two or three days?’

She replied, ‘No Madam. I am quitting the job. I am moving to Mysore with my family.’

Malvi’s resignation was a huge blow to me. I have been enjoying all the dishes cooked by her and the extra time I got sans the cooking.

I scolded her, ‘You should have told me earlier. Where will I get a cook now at such a short notice? Why are you moving to Mysore?’

Malvi replied,”My husband is not answering my calls anymore. I came to know that he is in Mysore, at his home. He is threatening to end our marriage. My husband says that, ‘She goes to houses, who knows what nonsense she does there?’ 

I can live on my own. I have been doing so for the past three months. But my brother wants me to get back with him for the sake of the kids’. My husband wants me to stay home and not go for work anywhere. Where will I get the money to run the house and to pay for kids’ schools then? He doesn't earn any money and neither does he want me to.”

Malvi consoled me saying that, ‘I will go to him with the kids and ask him to return. If he sees the kids, maybe that will change his mind. If all goes well, I will return soon enough.’

                                                                          

I waited for Malvi for almost a month, hoping that she would return. After the initial excitement of helping me in the kitchen fizzled away, my husband entreated me to appoint another cook. A few months later, her son showed up at my doorstep and asked for her mother’s last month's salary. He told me that they moved to Mysore. I gave him the salary, without any complaints. Malvi deserved it.

I had several culinary relationships after Malvi, but none of them lasted long enough.