My cheeks caressed by a winter filtered sunbeam,
Half asleep, of her I always have a pleasant dream.
About her presence, her smell and a splendid time,
Eating pani puri flavoured with tamarind and lime.
Sparkling eyes, clear complexion, throaty laughter,
And thick black tousled hair in the morning after.
O Time! Take us back to those happy, carefree days,
For after tasting Bliss, I don’t want to change my ways.
Right from childhood, I have been a connoisseur of cats – both the two legged and four legged variety. Forty years down the line including twenty years of marriage, my fascination still persists albeit only for the four legged variety.
We have one in the house – a spoilt tomcat whose only interest in life is sleeping, eating and chasing insects. And yes – he allows you to scratch his ears when he wants them scratched or when he feels you have been good enough to deserve the privilege.
Last night, we discovered that a rat has chosen our house as his abode. Obviously the rat found it to his liking since he was merrily prancing around. Spunky – our cat- sniffed the rat’s trail curiously, raised an eye st us reprimanding us for keeping a sloppy house and promptly went back to sleep. Obviously, chasing rats is not one of his passions in life. He is a cuddly furry cat who relishes his Whiskas and sleep.
And I love him insanely and unconditionally. He jumps on me when I am fast asleep, he breaks crystal, he spoils the leather sofa, he sits in front of the screen when i am typing the most important email – I don’t grudge him anything. He has my permission to do anything if it pleases him and makes him happy.
After his reprimand regarding the rat in my house, I started thinking as to why I love him so much. For all practical purposes, he serves no specific purpose in my life. I definitely don’t love my wife unconditionally or insanely, even the love for my kids is bound by certain expectation and desire for keeping my genes immortal. Honestly speaking, I am incapable of loving any human being unconditionally. But this brat cat can do whatever he wants and I will still love him. Why?
The surprising answer is that I have no expectation from my relationship with the cat. I love him for what he is and nothing more. There are no ego issues, no element of control involved in our relationship. His reprimanding eyes do not strike at the core of my existence nor does my shooing him away makes him feel unwanted. Do I do him a favour by feeding and sheltering him? I never think of it that way and in any case, he provides me immense joy by his very existence, by his being around me. It is not a dominate-subjugate relationship, its and independent, free and co existing relationship.
My lament is – why can’t I have a relationship like that with another human being?
December 1990.
During the ISABS workshop on the first day, participants were asked to introduce themselves. This was my introduction. It still is.
पंथी एकाकी जीवन की
मैं यूँ पथ पर चलते चलते
ढूडूँ खुद को हर ओर छोर
हर नहर ड़गर आँगन अंबर
पतझड के एक झंकोरे से
पाती हूँ मैं, उड़ उड़ जाती
फिर गिर पड़ कर भी
हूँ उठ जाती, औ हौले से
आँचल के छोटे कोने से
कोर नयन की सहलाती
और ठहर सहर के कोने पर
लिखती दूजी पाती, स्वाति
-स्वाति सानी ‘रेशम’
From the diary of 1986
सर्दियों के घने कुहाँसे में अक्सर
धुंदला सा एक चेहरा उभरता है
उस चेहरे को एक बार फिर
करीब से देखने को जी करता है
और इसी कोशिश में अक्सर
खिड़कियों के काँच जख्म दे जातें हैं
रूह सहम सी जाती है
और वह धुंदलाता चेहरा
परछाईं बन अंधकार में
फिर गुम हो जाता है
From the pages of my very old diary. I wrote this one 23 years back, in 1988.
उजड़े मकानों के साये में,
उसी राह के मोड़ पर
वह अचानक टकराना
नज़रें मिलाना
परिचय की कौंध का पल को उभरना
और लुप्त हो जाना
अनपहचाने चेहरों का लिबास ओढ़े
आहिस्ता से गुज़र जाना
फिर किसी विध्वंसक ज्वालामुखी का फ़ूटना
मन के किसी कोने में, उस गर्म उबलते लावे में
अतीत का पिधलना, उबलना और पथरा जाना
| कल शब बड़ी देर तक निकला रहा चाँद चाँदनी गिरती ओस को पिरोती रही रात घिरती रही कल शब तुम्हारी अलसाई बाहों में आने को मचलता रहा चाँद बेदम ठंड़ी साँसो को गर्म करता रहा चाँद कल शब बहुत उदास था चाँद सितारे थे तुम्हारी आगोश में राह तकता रहा चाँद -स्वाति सानी ‘रेशम’ |
کل شب بڑی دیر تک نکلا رہا چاند
چاندنی گرتی اوس کو پروتی رہی رات گھرتی رہی کل شب تمہاری السائی باہوں مین آنے کو مچلتا رہا چاند بے دم ٹھنڈی سانسوں کو گرم کرتا رہا چاند کل شب بہت اداس تھا چاند ستارے تھے تمہاری آغوش میں راہ تکتا رہا چاند ؔسواتی ثانی ریشم – |
After I got married, during the month of Ramadan, we made this extremely delicious milk dish to be had at Sehri (before beginning the fast), made from milk and dry fruits. Here’s how it is made. I do not know if this drink is known by any other name in other parts of world, it is called “Turri” in India.
Dryfruits:
Milk 1/2 liter
Ghee 2tbsp
Sugar -to taste
Cardmom 2
Cinnamon 1/2 inch stick
Soak all the dryfruits in water for 5-6 hours.
Remove dryfruits from water and make a fine paste by adding some milk. (the paste has to be extremely fine).
Heat ghee in a pan, add whole cardamoms and cinnamon stick, and fry it for a few seconds.
Add the dry fruit paste to the pan, followed by milk and let it boil and simmer for 10 mins or till the dryfruits paste cooks.
Add sugar, some cardamom powder and consume hot.
You can add/remove dry fruits as per your liking, but remember not to use Rasins (किशमिश) in this preperation
This extremely nutritious drink can be stored in refrigerator for 2 days. Heat in microwave before serving it though.
References:
http://www.anothersubcontinent.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php?t7893.html
I made this pepper chicken today. It’s an easy recipe and goes very well with hot phulkas or parathas
250gms Boneless chicken
5-6 Pepper corns
1 tsp finely crushed pepper corns
1/2 tsp Garlic crushed
1/2 tsp ginger peeled and grated
1 large Onion grated (separate the water)
2 green chillies chopped
Garam masala 1 tsp
1/2 Green capsicum de-seeded and cut lengthwise
1 tsp chopped fresh mint leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
Oil Continue reading Pepper chicken
It was getting late and I had not decided on the dinner menu, so I peeped in the fridge and realized I have stuff to dish out a quick stir fry and fried rice. So here they are -fast to make, good to eat recipes.
150 gms button mushrooms cut into quarters
150 gms boneless chicken
2 Carrots cut lengthwise
1 Green pepper cut in square shape
2/3 garlic cloves – crushed
50 gms baby corn cut lengthwise
Fish sauce
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Cornflour -1 tbsp
Water or chicken stock Continue reading Chinese menu – Stir fried chicken with baby corn and mushrooms & Egg Fried Rice
After the morning game drive at Manyara national park, we proceeded towards the Serengeti National park which is about 200 kms and 4 hours of drive through the beautiful Ngorongoro caldera rim. Serengeti gets it’s name from the Masaii language word “seringitu” which means endless plains. The Serengeti plains are formed because of the volcanic ash strewn by the Ngorongoro volcano when it was active and are full of sulfurous salts, thus no dense forest here.
Rajai (our driver and guide) told us that before the Government of Tanzania declared Serengeti as a national park, it was home to two tribes; the Masaii, Datoga and *Hazabe Bushman tribe who were constantly clashing with each other over land and cattle. After the formation of the park, Masaii were given rights to live near the Serengeti while the Hazabe settled near Lake Eyasi. The Hazabe bushmen are hunters and eat the meat of wild animals (sometime even raw meat). The only animal they don’t eat is a Hyena as it is considered unclean. The Bushmen and speak the “click language” by clicking their tongue, teeth and palate**. The Datogas make ornament by melting iron, they are also adept in making spears and other hunting instrument which they sell to the Hazabe bushman in exchange of meat or money. Today under government protection while the numbers of Masaii are increasing, and they are even being schooled; the Hazabe bushman and Datoga are uneducated, culturally backward and their numbers are fast shrinking perhaps also due to genetic defects because of inbreeding which is very common, often within families too.
While Rajai was briefing us of the local Masaii culture, we couldn’t take eyes off the scenic beauty of the Ngorongoro Caldera rim which we had to cross to reach the Serengeti plains. The caldera rim at it’s highest was 2400 meters above sea level and the entirely covered with clouds. As we descended, we went by the 48 km long oldupai (also called as olduvai) gorge***. The fossiliferous gorge is named after the Olduvai plant, Sansevieria ehrenbergii, used by the Masaii as an antiseptic as a natural bandage and for stomach ailments. They also use it to make ropes, baskets, roofs and carpets. An Agave family plant, it is also a favourite food of Baboons, elephants, etc for it’s water content.
