First time I cooked a full meal

I can never forget the experience of cooking a full meal for my family when I was just 9 years old.  It was in  early 50s and we were living in a chawl in Mumbai.  My father, who rarely went out on tour, was out of station  on office work for a couple of days. My mother could not enter the kitchen because she was `impure`- she was going through her periods -  when women would not enter the kitchen or the puja room those days. Since we could not afford to buy food from a restaurant for the whole family , she taught me how to cook a simple meal.

Standing at a distance she instructed me how to light up a coal fired `aduppu` ( Sigdi).  Then she taught  me, step by step, how to  make rice and dhal. Using a portion of the dhal she taught me how to make rasam.  We already had some buttermilk which she had churned the previous day. With some roasted  `appalams` & ready pickles  to accompany, a three course meal was ready for the family. The appreciation I received for my maiden effort from my mother hooked me to the art of cooking at a very young age. Over the years I learnt to cook simple South Indian  vegetarian meals, comprising a variety of Rasams, Porials ( dry  vegetable curries), Sambhar or Vattha kuzhambu or More Kuzhambu ( kadis). Now, at 79,  I am confident of cooking full meals for even 15 to 20 people. May not be  gourmet meals but certainly palatable meals. My specialities are `Paruppu Urundai More kuzhmbu` ( kind of kadi vadi), Appalam Vatha Kuzhambu and my brand of Avial (  `Ravial- Rajan`s avial`)

 I believe, like every other soft skill that is being taught, cooking is an essential life skill which every child- boy or a girl- must learn. In today`s world where both the husband and wife are working and lead a very stressful life, knowledge of cooking by both helps in sharing an essential responsibility.

The youngsters of today will not agree with me. With the facility to order a meal of their choice on swiggy or zomato why do they need to know cooking. Meals at the press of a button seems to be the order of the day. Cooking is no more an essential life skill.

 

 

Tribute to Dr. C.V.Krishnaswami

In the passing away of Dr.C.V.Krishnaswami on the night of 21^st May,2021, the country has lost a highly respected  diabetologist, a great physician and a wonderful human being. His legion of grateful patients, colleagues and friends who loved him for his warmth and genial approach are going to miss him.

I first came to know Dr C V K, when I joined Rotary Club of Madras South in 1977, where he was an active member with a 100% attendance record. Like many other members of my club I also became his patient consulting him for my  health related issues. He belonged to the old world of doctors who believed in a thorough physical check up of his patients before he diagnosed the problem and wrote his prescriptions. While he was  checking you on the table, he would engage in small conversations to help reduce your anxiety. As you left his clinic you already felt better because of his reassuring words. But the problem was that he would not accept any fees from his Rotary friends. I solved the problem by donating to a charitable cause he was closely associated with every year, which he did not mind accepting.

Unlike many Diabetologists he did not believe in starting his patients on medicines from the word go. Depending on the condition of the patient he would first try to treat the patients with strict diets. I remember, when my father was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 65, he prescribed a special  diet which helped my father control his blood sugar without any medication. My father never took any medicines for blood sugar until he died at the age of 79.

He and his wife Dr.Prema, herself a renowned Gynaecologist, were a popular couple in the Rotary world. A charming duo, they hosted several family fellowships over the years at their well-appointed bungalow in Neelankarai. I remember an incident at one of those spirited, fancy dress party. While the party was going on someone mentioned that a police officer was entering the house. Since there was strict prohibition in force those days, there was panic at the party. Bottles of liquor and the spirited glasses started disappearing. As soon as the police officer entered the house and removed his hat revealing his bald head, everyone realized that it was a member who had come dressed as police inspector for the fancy dress party. Everyone had a  hearty laugh and heaved a sigh of relief.

Though Dr.CVK was a very serious doctor, he was fun talking to  after his duty hours. He was also known for his hearty laughter which was infectious. He was an active member of Rotary Club of Madras South for 25 years.

At one stage when he started cutting down on his consultation at the clinic to devote more time to several pioneering projects in diabetic research he was involved in, I lost touch with him. On his recommendation I started going to his protégé Dr Srivatsa, who is my family doctor for the last 25 years.

 Dr. Krishnaswami was associated with the Voluntary Health Services (VHS) Hospital for more than 50 years. He was instrumental in opening India’s first juvenile diabetes registry. Supported by his good friend Rtn R.T Chari, a philanthropist par excellence, Dr C V K saw his dream project `Ramabhadran Juvenile Diabetes Research Centre` become a reality at VHS hospital. Chari also helped  him establish the `TAG-VHS Diabetic Research Centre` at the hospital. He also served as the director of Prema’s Medical and Diabetes Research Centre (PMDRC).

 In his long career Dr. CVK was associated with several professional bodies, presented many path breaking papers at both national and international seminars, won several accolades besides publishing books in both English and Tamil . More than all his achievements Dr. CVK will always be remembered for his affable nature and genuine affection for people.

 I can never forget him asking me `Enna Rajan, Eppidi yirukkey?` whenever I met him at social events over the years. There was genuine warmth in those words.

 He is survived by two daughters and their families. My heartfelt condolences to the family. May his soul Rest In Peace.

 

 

 

AC in the Kitchen?

 Most housewives spend a good part of their lives in the kitchen 365 days of the year. No Sundays or holidays for them. Dishing up meals for the whole family three times a day.  Very often catering to different tastes of family members. It is tough. The task is made even tougher during the summer months when they have to sweat it out in small kitchens without proper ventilation. Some may a have a fan, but that doesn`t help because they are constantly moving around in the kitchen when they are cooking.  I discovered this when I found that the fan that I had installed in the kitchen when I built my home in 1982, was hardly used by my wife.

Many men who decided to extend a helping hand to their wives in the kitchen during the long lockdown periods have discovered the physical hardships that their wives have to undergo in the kitchens. For some, the admiration for their better halves has gone up. They have pledged to help their wives in the kitchen even after they return to normal times. In keeping with the `new normal` that most of us are experiencing. How else can they help?’

Having experienced the difficulties of working in a hot kitchen while helping his wife, a friend decided  to install an air conditioner in his kitchen. Now his wife cooks in the cool comforts of an air conditioned  kitchen. She is very happy.  But not all can afford ACs in the kitchen. The large majority of the housewives belonging to the middle class have to continue to suffer. They can get some relief only if other members of the family agree to pitch in and help.

My mind travelled back to the times when my mother used to slog it out in a small, make shift kitchen, in the 256sq ft room(koli)  in a chawl in Bombay  where I spent the first 26 years of my life. We did not have any of the conveniences we take for granted today. She used to cook on a coal fired sigri (stove). But she never complained because she had not experienced any other alternative until we moved to a flat with a separate well ventilated kitchen.

Times have changed. As we progress in life, our expectations also go up. We want more comforts to keep us going. The AC in the kitchen is one such facility that those who can afford must provide so that the house wife faces less physical hardship in the kitchen.

I regret that I had not  done it when Prabha was alive. Since she quit this world  8 years ago, I have been spending considerable time in the kitchen. Pursuing a hobby which is both creative and a great stress buster. But this year, because of the unusual high temperatures, even in April, it has been tough working in the sweltering condition in the kitchen 

I think it is time that I installed an air conditioner in my kitchen!

Speaking on the phone…

I have never been comfortable speaking on the phone. I have always believed that a phone is meant for only communicating important messages or information.  So, I try  to have only  brief conversations on the phone. This attitude towards the phone has landed me in trouble many times.

I would make a call to say something important  to someone and if there is even a slight delay in getting any response I would disconnect the line. Promptly I will get a return call from the person I called,  firing me for abruptly cutting off the line.  I had , of course,  to profusely apologize and continue with the conversation. In my early days in advertising   I did this to an important  client and almost lost my job. Unfortunately  I am stuck with this habit even now that I get pulled up by my near & dear ones for disconnecting  the line without waiting for the response from them. Thank God, post retirement  I don`t have to deal with clients anymore.

I think this bad habit emanates from my   impatient  nature. Very often, even while a person is communicating a story to me on the phone, I would  interrupt him with some other point, lest I forget to talk about it later. This leads to confusion leaving me feel bad- another reason why I don`t indulge in long conversations on the phone. If at all you find me on the phone for a longer period of time it is because the person on the other end is talking non stop and I am only listening.

In the good old days when we had to make international calls, I used to face another  problem. There would be always a time lag between the spoken word reaching the intended person and his response leading to overlapping of conversations. Like it happens in the panel discussion on TV channels today. I was always uncomfortable with such conversations.

While a few men also indulge in long conversations on the phone, I have observed that  it is the ladies who are, without exception, experts in this aspect. I used to notice this with my late wife. She would rarely make calls but when she did to her sister or a friend she would be on the phone for hours. Those days when we were solely dependent on the only landline, I had to request her to end the conversation as I was expecting an important call from a client or a friend. She would however continue talking,  ignoring my request.

Thanks to social media and particularly `Whats App`,  with the possibility of viewing the person called on phone, one to one verbal communication has come down drastically. Every one prefers to send messages through Whats App and expect immediate response. `I sent you a message on what`s App- why have you not responded?`. I tell such people that I am not glued to my phone all the time like  most of the youngsters are.

Mobiles, particularly the smart phones have completely changed the way we communicate with people. However, it has not stopped some from indulging in long conversations with their near & dear ones, with their mobiles glued to their ear, oblivious to their surroundings. The people who do this while walking on the roads don`t realize that they are risking their limbs & lives by this indiscreet act. God save them!