A letter to my ocean!

Dear Ocean,

I have always thought of all this but never written it as a letter to you; I know you know how I feel about you, but unless it’s on paper, it ain’t official, so here’s my little attempt!

Thank you! Thank you for existing; if not for you, we wouldn’t have this beautiful blue planet to call home; who am I kidding? We are because you are!
Don’t you find it funny? You’ve watched and helped me grow – from when I could barely comprehend the vastness of you to the present day, where I wish and hope to make everyone feel like they are a part of you; my obsession with you is now socially accepted as ‘Passion’, I am even trying to cross oceans, visit coastal lands, talk to the children of the sea and of course, make a career out of studying you and your resources! With you, life comes one full circle.

Working up my hunger for the Brunch at Goa!

I don’t remember the first time we met, but I remember many moments where having you was simply the best! Remember? As a kid, I would build sand tunnels and castles and even get buried under the sand on your shore, play catching games with my friends, and jump at every wave that came my way; I would sit and watch the setting sun with my Akka and wait for my parents who would go walking along your shore. When I was old enough to visit you alone, I would simply sit on the coast, watch your waves and look at the different people. When I started my professional studies, visiting you helped me process what was going on. Do you remember? One morning I came with my five other hostel friends, it was a very special moment for us because it was almost a goodbye for the gang! Oh! Do you remember those night beach visits where all of us organizing a college fest would sit in peace and forget about everything just by listening to your waves? The other night on the Gokarna beach, where we stayed in tents and gazed at the sky in the middle of the night? Speaking of spending the night, the celebration of my sister passing her CA exam was also done by spending a night on your shore. The beach races with my Annu attempts to catch crabs, making fishermen friends on my own, watching the setting sun while talking about life with my Amma, and many more! Don’t want to go on a nostalgic ride now because there are so many significant events in my little life that you’ve witnessed.

A morning with a fisherman in my Mangaluru

How are you so noisy yet so peaceful? How are you so restless yet so still? How are you so damn huge but still hold your essence in every drop? You have the power to destroy everything in minutes, yet you are the embodiment of love. I am glad I feel connected to you in my own way, and I promise to always respect and take care of this strong bond we share.

It took me 22 years to realize I wanted to study you and the life you host, but I’ve learned so much from you. The little things I know about you greatly inspire me, and I aspire to have the same vibe that you do! I am truly fortunate I got to glance at the underwater world, Maanhh!! It is a beauty I can not describe in words. Many people scuba dive for different reasons; for some, it is an escape for others, a chance to explore. Me? I see it as a way of getting to know you better, and I will always have those feelings to remind me how awesome it is to live! Don’t get me wrong; I have seen and learned from you that death is also a part of the cycle and a totally normal – natural phenomenon. I come to you with a sense of belonging, and I surrender.

From my First Ocean Dive!!
with The Under Water Monk at Netrani Island in Murudeshwar

Sea, there is no competition when it comes to listening; you are the champion. But I wish we humans learned the art and patience to listen to you and what you’ve to say; maybe then we wouldn’t have to sign pacts and make policies to protect you, the very base for all things living! But another thing that I’ve also learned from you is hope and perseverance. So, I continue doing my bit with a hope of a better tomorrow for you and the life you hold!

Alright, I know you’re busy, but please get us that rain already! This World Ocean Day, I wanted to tell you all of this and some things more.
I asked a few people what it is that they like about you.
One said it was your infiniteness. One said it was the sheer power you behold. Some said they earn their daily bread from you. Others said you were a source of energy. Some appreciated your beauty. Some were fans of the sunset show you play. Some built a unique relationship by catching and riding your waves on their surfboards, while others loved your company as they flew kites. Some transcended into another dimension by meditating on your sound, while others simply liked sleeping on your shore. Don’t get too cocky – some did not like the mess you create with sand grains everywhere, while quite a few were afraid of you. Some enjoyed a bit of all of this, and some didn’t like any of it.

An evening at the Karwar beach

You do know you are so many things to so many people, right? Not just people but all living and non-living things!
You make the earth habitable, manage the temperature, capture the carbon, and control the weather. Thank you for all that you do. I don’t know what I would do without you. Personally, as a general question – I am never able to pin down the one most best thing about you; you have something for everyone, you make everyone a part of you, and you are a part of everyone; it is just that we need to try a bit to realize that. You have so much space, there are so many experiences, and you’ve so many stories to tell! Just like your changing tides, people’s perception of you keeps changing. This time, I wish we humans look at you as the source of life that you truly are and take responsibility for our actions; please give us a chance to learn from our mistakes and to let you take care of yourself!

Dear Ocean, I am sorry for the pain my actions are indirectly causing you.
I love that you are simply there. Always.

Your little being,
Avanthika, from out of the blue

The Sevai Story!

I opened the door to enter my room and was instantly transferred to so many places at once?! Nope, don’t worry, no black magic is happening in our humble adobe; it was just the side effects of my roommate’s Eid special!  

Who is the star of any Indian festival? Yep, that’s right. The food. She was cooking ‘The Kimami Sevai’ hero of UP’s Eid, a counterpart of Biryani – the heroine in Eid elsewhere. Ah! The rich smell of elaichi blended in with the chashni (Sugar syrup), while the thinnest of sevai fried in ghee to golden brown sitting there waiting to jump in at the right time, to be topped with Mawwa, milk in its most concentrated form and not to forget dry fruits – Whatte royal feels!. 

Kimami Sevai in all its Glorry

These smells first took me back to childhood when my anama would sit in the kitchen to make undo (laddus). Not just Akka and I, but everyone in the house would come and sit with her under the pretext of helping her but end up eating more than half in the name of failed attempts. Haha
It then took me to my good friend’s childhood, her culture, and how making Kimami sevai was a beautiful part of their traditions and something that is considered no less than a skill, something that a mother teaches her kids and is proud of when they succeed!

Then I traveled further back to the era of kings and queens. Nope, not the current social media titles, the actual royal dynasties! How every invasion might have bought a new way of cooking, a new dish in a festival, and how it got modified over time. If I could, I would want to go and eat like Kings, taste a bit of every dish from the kitchen of Akbar, Krishnadevaraya to Alexander! 

Then the thought of Who/How did one human even think of cooking a specific dish came to my mind. Still, I didn’t think much because I was suddenly pulled back to my present tension – The mess being closed for a month and having to manage the duty of filling my stomach from various sources. But that didn’t last for long as my mind started slipping into thinking of what might happen in the near future? With the soil quality depleting, population explosion, pollution increasing daily, and climate change! I hope the Save Soil movement works – it ought to if we all actually talk about it. But then Kimami sevai came onto my plate, entered my system, and Bam! Everything else got blurred. Thankful for this minute is what I was! 

Food does make you grateful. Don’t you think?

On the Eve of Eid, I suddenly got reminded of a peculiar taste, a taste of Kimami Sevai. It’s been a year since I savored the last spoon of this delicious delicacy prepared by my roommate on her induction stove with just one pot. I remembered this piece I had written on that day, and Thanks to technology, it was safely saved in my drive. Thought it was time to revive this write-up, the thoughts, and the celebration of Eid with one special human. A lot has happened since then, and my perception of food has evolved tremendously. I’ve learned to appreciate what is on my plate – quite literally. A year of staying on your own and trying to fill your stomach makes you appreciate home food much more. I’ve thought more about the sources of my food, shifted from eating chicken and fish to not eating them to just eating the gravy to now eating only fish that’s in season and obtained sustainably. Spoken about Soil and how important it is to save Soil. Right now, though I’m partly having a nostalgic trip down the numerous meals I’ve had, I am thrilled thinking about the diversity India has to offer regarding food! Give it a thought, just stroll in your neighborhood any morning, and you’ll taste different cultures just by the aroma! Don’t take my word for it. Try it! 

Some friendly people might even offer you a seat at their table for a happy meal! 

Onam Alle

‘Hold the rope,’ NCAAH ready? The whistle blows, and all the cheer suddenly becomes background noise. Before you realize what is happening, you are putting all your weight on a rope, either walking backward or defending your stance with your dear life on the line until the second whistle is blown and if you see everyone around you jumping with joy, yayy!! More power to you; you just won the tug of war. Lessgo!!! Maaannhh, I had no idea tug of war is this intense sport. I mean, just stand on the side and watch a bunch of Malayali guys from different departments having a tug of war – the power, the faces turning red, the energy all around, the cheering, the screaming, you can see the veins stiffening, the single focus in everyone’s eyes… Uff!! It’s too damn intense! For someone having played this sport for the first ever time in life (I mean for real, full seriously. Of course, I’ve played for fun, friendly tug of wars, but this was no less than an actual war!) with the fast-paced beating of the heart and all that heat radiating from my own body, I felt like Naruto haha. The body pain that kicked in the next day gave me the much-needed reality check and reminded I’m no ninja. (yet) 

For the over-excited kid, that I am, experiencing ONAM in God’s Own Country was no less than a dream come true. I’ve been telling everyone about it since, shall also try my best to describe the whole scene but again, I don’t know how much you’ll enjoy it because frankly, you just had to be there da! 

Pookalam in Railway Station

Even the weather, sky, clouds, plants, and dogs get excited about Onam! The whole city comes to life; every gate will have beautiful ‘rangolis’ outside it, a vast ‘mela’ right in the middle of the town, fairy lights, sales, and Sadhya special boards catch your eye everywhere. The railway stations are filled with people, and train journeys have a lot of kids running around, excited about meeting their grandparents! 

Onam is the only time you’ll find research scholars obsessing over cutting flower petals rather than their unfinished experiments, Ph.D. scholars worrying about the geometry of the ‘Pookalam’ and not one of the objectives of their work, and you’ll also find M.Tech/MSc. Students who barely put Rangoli back in their homes sincerely cutting the whites off from purple petals to help their department achieve the color gradient of their dreams. In short, for about 24 hours, everyone switches to a creative mode where gradient refers to only color and not PCR. So, on the previous night of the ‘Pookalam’ competition, the whole lab will have spreads of different flowers; everyone sits together, playing an old OG Hindi playlist along with evergreen Malayalam melodies, talking, laughing, and bonding over a bunch of flowers! (some watch football too :P)

All that hardwork put into use, beautifully. Artists: Team NCAAH

With the catchy ‘Nadan pattu’ (Folk songs) and graceful ‘Thiruvathira kali’ (a traditional dance around the lamp), people from God’s own country ought to be somewhere at the top in creative aspects as well! No surprise there. 

Don’t get me wrong, but they all look so pretty! Ladies wearing the traditional saree or sett mundu, the jhumkas, the jet-black hair with white mullappu (Jasmine flower), the kajal in their eyes, and the sweet smile on each face completes their look. There’s no way out; you have to simply appreciate the beauty! The men are no less, the white Mundu paired with the Kurta or Shirt, the neatly folded sleeves and well-groomed hair, beard; it is difficult to leave all this unnoticed. (No, Amma, I do not have a Malayali boyfriend :P) And if you look at the small kids in their small Mundus and kurtas, your heart will melt. No doubt about that. 

Now coming to the best part – The ‘ONAM Sadhya’. So many varieties of dishes, each one with a different flavor; just tasting will fill your stomach, heart, and soul. Yeah! Drink the Palada off your banana leaf, and you’ll be in the hangover instantly.
Petition to make Onam sadhya a quarter-yearly deal. Please? Thank you! 

The OG – Sadhya

It is believed that ‘Bali Maharaj’ (Mahabali) from the ground below (Patal Lok) visits God’s Own Country once every year, and the people of this land show him that everything is going good in the hood! They are happy and celebrating life so he can go back feeling peaceful. Therefore, this celebration is taken quite seriously, irrespective of religion, caste, and place; everyone from this land celebrates this in the best possible way! 

Now that I was part of the Onam Celebration in a college in Ernakulam, I can vouch that the scene we all saw in ‘Premam’ happens very much in real life! With all the beauty, the happiness, the ‘chendey,’ the Sadhya – total Onam vibe casts its spell on you! Before you know it, you’ll be dancing with your juniors, smiling at unfamiliar faces, making new friends, laughing, and enjoying with everyone around. That, for me, is the true sense of celebration – including everyone and making some great memories! You can’t help but feel like you’re in a still from a Malayalam movie; at least that’s what I felt 🙂 Don’t take my word for it. Experience it! 

Maybe I’m giving too much hype; perhaps it is totally justified the hype. I don’t know?!
I know that no matter where I am, I’ll think of this Onam memory with a wide grin on my face on every Onam and try to celebrate this festival in my own way, involving people around me, making them eat palada and slip into a food coma. Until next time, Happy Onam, people! 

PS: I missed hiding behind my DSLR and taking pictures of beautiful strangers (with their permission, of course!) But I was so busy living that I forgot to document it with pictures. 

Post It?

Letters are like pictures but only better. A photograph captures a moment, while a letter is simply a bouquet of different moments, incidents, and feelings, like different versions of you, safely wrapped in an old leaf. It’s like a platter of ice creams with all your favorite flavors and sometimes even the flavors you don’t prefer. Oh! I should have been a tad bit clear; here, I refer to letters that you write simply for fun, to your Annu, Amma, Akka, friends, maybe to yourself, or just some open letters. Some get sent as emails, some as actual physical letters, while most are still saved in your drafts. (maybe all this is just me, anyway.) 

If you know me, you already might know that I like writing letters; likely, you may even have received one! I write long emails updating about what’s happening with me to even my parents because they sometimes are so busy for a call, and I have many vishayas to tell! But mostly because I feel letters are a much better way of giving an entire story. 

Here’s why –

1. When you are having a conversation, it usually gets diverted depending on the answer given by the other. But in a letter, you have the entire stage, full limelight, and undivided attention of your audience. 
2. Letters often are not based on real-time, so you have the total freedom of enjoying the event by fully being present and then re-live it while you describe it to your intended audience. And it’s not a given that the person will receive the letter right away or that they will give it a read and reply in a jiff, which means, by the time you receive a reply, you might even have forgotten about the letter altogether! 
3.  You also get enough time and chances at trial and error; you can translate your thoughts into sentences that have a high resemblance to your thought. You can choose the tone and the words. Basically, you control what to tell, how to tell, and how much to tell! 

Other than these, it improves your language, imagination, understanding, and, most importantly, patience. So, yeah, Letters are simply awesome! Oh no, I don’t have a problem with telephone, text messages, emails, WhatsApp, social media, and recent advances because they are very much a part of our everyday lives now and necessary. I do not deny their power and need at any cost. They do make life easy. But I would like to bring to your notice that letters have an old-school charm, something royal and the most personal touch. 

Now that I think of it, I have always been a fan of the Indian Railways and The Indian Postal service. They connect the most rural parts of our country. It gives me so much joy to receive or send a letter that will travel through so many states, cities, villages, by air, by rail, by road, in train, in van, in ship, bus, and cycles to finally reach the destination – doesn’t it make you feel special, like some important being?! To me, it does. 

In a world where we are running to save time while ending up wasting all the time that we manage to save, I think letters take us back to a time where we can feel like that old self who wrote it/received it, at least for a short while and that brings me joy! Letters are not like a time machine because they are a present that reaches someone in the future carrying a past. In short, Letters are simply the best, and we should bring them back. 

Would you be willing to post something? 

Look Up!

‘Kolambe Javan’ in my community, is a small family function on the night before the onset of actual wedding festivities. ‘Kolambo’ is Sambaar and ‘Javan’ means meal. Its basically a simple meal with rice and Sambaar. I normally abscond from this function because, according to me only Idli and dose are to be paired with Sambaar .. and here I am, the same girl eating Sambaar at every meal for over a month! Welcome to living a student life in Kerala – where Papadam, boiled rice and Sambaar is the basic meal on any given day, at any given place!

I used to be that girl who felt it’s simply dumb to not get a complete eight hours of sleep, lately, I’m functioning quite well with six hours of quality sleep and no caffeine! Yep! I’m shocked too

I can’t even believe I have become that lady who craves to eat green vegetables, fresh fruits and something healthy! Suddenly nachos feels empty without guacamole! Oh yeah, I now like exercising or doing any kind of physical activity, I also like to keep my room neat, be on time and most of all, I like being busy!!

To be frank, I still can’t believe I’m changing at this rate! Don’t really know the root cause or for how long these new habits, favorites and rituals are going to last but to think of it, this all feels like “May Flowers in December!” Right?! Like you, even I thought that’s something impossible. Yet, here we are walking on these tiny beautiful yellow flowers that reminds us the warmth of May in these cold winters of December!

“Look Up!” The climate is changing and so are you – one for the worse and let’s hope the other for the better.

May flowers – Adding Magic to the mundane

This or That ?

Mountains or Beaches? A question I could never answer unless ‘Both’ was an accepted answer. Well, my only argument, was, is and shall always remain,- ‘why would I choose when I could have best of both worlds?
Trust me when I say this, neither the mountain nor the ocean is shallow enough to condemn you for wanting to become a part of both of them. Unbiased.

The mighty Mountains, that host huge trees that have definitely seen the floor beneath them change over the years yet held on to mother Earth like a baby on a giant wheel! The mountains that meet and greet the clouds above; I always wondered what their conversation had that the clouds would either shed tears of joy or weep unconditionally. The valleys and their beautiful flower blooms, the glaciers and their cold silent treatments, the landslides and forest fires the mountains have pulled through a lot, isn’t it? And when they summon, every being bends the knee, surrenders to the magical mountains. They are mighty for a reason!

The oceans, The OGs, mysterious as ever! They are calm but they can still break rocks into tiny granules of sand, if that isn’t power, I wonder what is? Oceans that are home to so many beautiful creatures yet on the surface looks like a disinterested old man rocking on a chair back and forth waiting for nothing in specific. Oceans that have seen civilizations turn into cities ruled by political parties! The oceans which is one of the most dynamic natural phenomena that literally brought life on Earth!