Monsoon Escape @ Zuri

The climate in Bangalore is now 28 degree after a heavy downpour yesterday (which completely blurred my vision and forced me to park the car for sometime).

Heavy thundering and lightning did not scared the people, but filled them with joy. Bangalore has changed a lot, like any other parts in the world. This year the climate reached till 36.6 degrees Celsius. Nothing to blame the nature, but only the real estate trends which is soaring high, day by day.

Entering Zuri was like a hide out from the rough shower. And good that by the time we came out, the rain had gone for a break.

Wonderful moments with dear ones and love of the nature. Another precious moment in life.

Where ever in this world, I cannot ignore the spiciness which the above gives me...Marinated vegetables & pickles are my all time favorites...

Surroundings always affects our mood. The above capsicum collections made my mood colorful. They are the original ones ok. Not artificial

Always loves the lightings at the venue. It takes me through a rich feeling...

The area where I spend most of the time while trying out various delicacies.

He was ready to rock the floor with his collections. Must say he had wonderful ones in his arsenal.

Mangoish May

It is thundering outside. Can really feel the rumblings of rushing clouds above the office building. Not sure which area they are targeting for the day. Thought of taking a small walk around the premises for few minutes. 

I believe that I became a real fan of Digital Nomad now, that I started writing this post while taking the stroll.

Really wanted to have one more mango juice from the shop where I had one in the afternoon. But don't want to take the risk of getting wet in the unexpected downpour. Let it be tomorrow.

Not a big shop in size to mention. It is like any other roadside small shop with opening on two sides. But with the number of customers they have per hour, it might be bigger than the near by mall.

People loves the juice at this place. Can say that it's more natural with less water content.

Whenever I see him in the store, he will be like a soldier with 5 weapons, ready to charge from any direction.  Always serving the customers in less than a minute. 

You can get the above statement in the picture below.

The Toddy Shops

Toddy shops were one of the restricted places during my childhood. Looking into a toddy shop were considered to be a matter of national shame in my place. And the people who comes out from that place were considered to be the people with back bones, poets, writers and so on :)

This is from where we are getting the Toddy from.
Photo Courtesy: Hindu

Jokes apart, when you are of the age to judge right and wrong - I would recommend a visit to the nearby toddy shop. While I will not recommend having toddy, do not miss the delicacies, we call it as Shappu Curries.

Because of the large extent of the shame factor, which I mentioned above, the inside affairs of a Toddy Shop was a mystery for me. But I always knew the fact that something good was happening inside, as the people who comes out from there seemed to be the happiest lads in the world :)

It was during my college days, I got a chance to experience the inside out of a Toddy Shop. As our college did not have the lab facility of our own, our department took us to the Allappey Campus. But we hardly saw the lab. The moment we sign up the register, everyone gets vanished and appears in one of the Toddy Shops near by. 

None from our group embraced the Toddy (as we were all in uniforms), but loved the Shappu Curry. We tasted everything that we could get there. Fish Curry, Crab Curry, Fish Fries, Chicken, Pork, Beef and the list goes on and on. The best part of all dishes were the spiciness of all the curries due to special mix of spices. 

Do not miss out to try the creations
Photo Courtesy: Hubpages 

Karimeen & Prwans Fry
Photo Courtesy: NiyasWorld Blog

Crab Masals
Photo Courtesy: runroadraving

Kerala Fish Curry
Photo Courtesy: runroadraving

Prawns Masala
Photo Courtesy: runroadraving

Still mouth is getting filled with water when I think about those days...

Next time if you are in Kerala, do not miss to visit a near by Toddy shop. 

Disclaimer: Smoking and Drinking is injurious to health. But Shappu Curry is ok.

The Thing Called Elephant

Was the elephant a familiar neighbor for you? For me, it was.

Not sure, at what age I met the giant black guy for the first time. But I still remember, its loud cry, which used to wake me up in some special mornings. Initially, it presented me the feeling of fear, which gradually evolved into a fact of wonder.

Picture Courtesy: sanjai reloaded (Flickr)

Pooram is one of the most common celebrations around in Kerala. Where there is a temple, there is Pooram.

Pooram in the nearby temple of mine was a matter of big deal for me and my friends, in our childhood days. All because, it was one of those few celebrations, that we could independently go and enjoy, with all the freedom in the world.

The moment we were back from school, everyone rushed to the temple ground, where by that time; tiny stalls might have came up, which sells toys and eatables. Classical instrumental music takes the ambiance around to an entirely different level . People will be filled joy and enthusiasm - the whole place seemed to be the happiest of all the places on earth.

Photo Courtesy: Felix Hug - Lonely Planet Photographer

With the small pocket money we had, we bought the whole happiness in the world. Roamed around wherever we wanted to, ate whatever we got and, discussed for hours, the matters which had international significance.

The best part of the whole event was watching the elephants. They have a crucial part in the event. With all the makeups and ornaments on them, they were the VIP's among all. 

My neighbor was a great elephant lover. Elephant lover? - Yes, there are a lot of people in Kerala, who are in this category. And my neighbor was one of them. He always gave a chance for one of those elephants to stay in his premises. The elephant which got that chance, will be treated with all the luxury it can get around. And that elephant becomes by disturbing neighbor for days. 

One of the hobbies we had then was to sit and watch what the elephant does. We wondered at how it walks, its actions, how it breaks big coconut tree leaves like we broke pencils, how it showered sand all over its body... Ooooh - frightening and interesting view it was.

Now my elephant lover neighbor is no more in this world and I am not in Kerala for those occasions.

Those good old days are just some colorful memories.

In this fast moving world, even elephants avail transportation.
Photo Courtesy - The Hindu

Isaac Helping His Mom - Love Unending