Delicious Khichdi

Go on a 4-day vacation to ur hometown! Can u beat the timing – its during Navratri! A close friend’s wedding to top it! Spice it up with blogger-meets and what you get is one Delicious Khichdi 🙂

Fun and frolic, gr8 time with family, wonderful Pujas, Maa ke haath ka khana; okie Papa too [they form a gr8 chef-duo; can anything beat that!!!], outing with friends, one happening wedding – what more can one expect? Only wished it could last more than those 4 days 😉

And so, after the blast I had meeting the bloggers on Sunday, I headed rather raced towards home in time for the Navratri Puja @ a wonderful temple nearby, one where we have been going for ages nw, from the time Mom ws a kid. N I just love the alankaras here, esp. during Mahanavratri. If u have to see Mother in all her glory, Navratri is probably the best time. Each of the 10 days, the Goddess is decorated in different forms like Shakambari [completely adorned with fruits and vegetables], Goddess Kali, even Lord Narasimha and so on.

I could get to see two such splendid alankaras this time!

Panchamukhi Anjaneya – Can u believe the  Goddess has been decorated like Lord Hanuman?

Gaja Lakshmi

It ws a melodious ending note to the joyous time I had the whole day!

Come Monday and I enjoyed being pampered by the family, Mom n Dad wanting to cook everything I wanted, Sis naughtily throwing up tantrums in b/w saying they loved me more, n both of us getting back to those good old days when these discussions/ arguments surfaced many times as to who was the fav daughter, as though it depended only on whose fav fud item ws cooked n who got a better share 😉  We both went out window shopping – sister’s day out is a blissful therapy no 😉 N Mom,, I just love u and respect u so so much! If u din’t know that. While we were out having a gala time, she had come back half day and prepared so so many delicacies, her daughter and dear Son-in-law’s favourites. If I ever feel I have no time for something, all I do is think of my Mom! Holding a responsible job which keeps her busy sometimes even after getting home, not even once during all my life have I missed her! Such a perfect balance she used to strike between being a professional and a home-maker. U r the perfect example of time-management for me Mom 🙂 N not even once in all these years have u complained abt lack of time! N since its the festival of the Mother, I so can’t help but mention what a lovely Mother I have been blessed with for life. Thanks Amma for being what u are 🙂

There’s a custom where the married daughters are given something called ‘Sobalakki‘ complete with Saree, bangles, many many things and a lot of sweets and savouries once every year, usually during the Gowri Puja or Navaratri. Here is the spread I got this time 🙂

N ya, I met 3 wonderful bloggers Shru, Pix n Monu again on Tuesday and what a blast we had! Met Shru over yummy Masala Dosa and a cup of strong filter kaapi @ the famous CTR. N by nw, there’s no need to even mention hw bloggers click, how it seems like we started from the point we had left @ we had met last time. N thatz exactly what happened here too. Shru n me are also bound by love for this one area Malleswaram which has been our adda all these years for everything, be it meeting friends, a nice lunch outing with family, shopping, temple visits and so on! Its like the encyclopaedia among areas, a place where u name it and u find it 😉 We had a walk across a few lanes, clicked pics with the festivities making it look all the more gorgeous!

Oh ya, I met one of my old lecturers too 🙂 Felt so so gud 🙂 We then went to Shru’s home and went on and on waiting for Pix to fall sick n leave office 😯 [Ya, she was planning to take sick leave for me; I even took a comb for her to transform from a sick lady to a nice model for the photo session ;)]

3 hrs had just been blown away and it ws time to depart. Shru gave me some yummy chocos and it ws so sweet of her Mom, who had cooked up an elaborate meal by now for lunch 🙂 I shud hv told her before na that I ws not staying for lunch 😐 Nevertheless, I hd yummy kheer and took leave. Happy @ almost gng to meet Pixie with whom I talk atleast 4 times over phone every day but @ the same time feeling bad to take leave of Shru as there ws so so much more we wanted to talk abt :(. After 2 hrs through the horrible traffic, each second ws killing me Pix, I reached Ping, where we had decided to meet, thanks to Pal who had blogged abt this new place just the previous day [4568th adv of blogging I say 8)

Awesome place, even better no no make it bestest company, yummy food, we went on and on, only to be reminded by Hitchu that we were eating too much and chatting even more and people were laughing @ us 😉 See, he ws day-dreaming abt the three of us 😛

We then left and on the fly decided to go to Monu’s home to see the darling Oju and boy, what a gr8 decision it ws. Monu hs a really beautiful house but my love ofcourse is Oju. Such a sweet, cute, adorable, awesome, wonderful baby he is 🙂 I asked Monu if I cud take the ready-made baby with me too 😛 He has such a sweet voice  – Elephaant, Ceedeee he spoke so many words that I cud nt even keep track of them. N he is custom-made for photography I tell ya 😀

He ws in a nah-nahi mode actually. Naam bolo-nahi, chai chahiye-nahi but when I asked him BF banoge – he said haan! Yes! He did! N he gave me the sweetest kiss ever 😉 😉 Luv u Oju and loads of hugs to u 🙂

I so wish Monu we cud stay there for some more time but I ws already getting late for the wedding reception I hd to attend and Su ws waiting for me on the way. The friend would have kicked me out if I wud be late as we wanted to spend some time with him before the photo-shoot sessions would start for the bride n bride-groom!

Just dropped Pixie home n I was her place I think for exactly 5min or even less, said hi to K, saw her house in the torch-light, damn the power, I cannot even complain and pull her legs abt hw she has maintained the house 😉 😉 Nyways, be ready, next time I am gonna come there in day light n u can’t switch off the mains ok 👿

Finally reached the wedding and boy, I made another smart BF there u know 😉  Gurteg, as the new order of the day may be, gifted me so many sunflowers n dahlias n stole my heart 😛 He used to go to anyone who had a bouquet, say something in baby-talk and come bk with a flower and say le lo to me. Hw sweet na 🙂 He also fed me fried-rice 🙂

We hd a gr8 time with friends and was well past midnight when we left the place. This kiddo ws so active even @ that time of the day!

Nw tell me, wasn’t this one of the bestestest vacations anyone can have 🙂

Happy Dussehra to all of u 🙂 Time to rejoice in the glory and blessings of Maa Durga 🙂

N on the same note, presenting a few pics of the pandals we visited in Hyderabad.

Mother Durga in all her glory 😀

This one of a Goddess dressed up as Mahishasura-Mardini in a temple near our house.

Some of the pandals

This Durga pandal has a wonderful thing abt it.  As I mentioned on FB, the prayers in the name of Allah and the conch blown in the honour of the Goddess woke me up one morning. N what we saw ws so touching! There’s a Masjid near our place, using the pillars of which for support, this pandal has been made up. Its so nice to see them stand next to each other, prayers from both of them reverberating @ the same time and people fold their hands in devotion in front of both of them. Isn’t it lovely? Wonder what the fights are all about?

The one below is from the Hyderabad Bengalee Samiti 🙂 Lovely as usual 😀

Hope all of u had a gr8 time this Navratri 🙂