Vathal Kozhambu

Grandma’s recipe, revealed at last!

A handful of Sundakai/ Manthakali vattal

Tamarind – size of a lemon

A pinch of Asafoetida

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Urad dhal

Tuvar Dhal

Mustard Seeds

Jaggery – say as much as a tsp

4 Red Chillies

1 Green Chilly (cut into tiny pieces)

1 tsp Vendayam

5-6 tsp oil

Salt (Rock Salt, preferably!)

1. Boil water (about 250 ml) and add the tamarind to water and squeeze it. Remove the seeds from it and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a thick pan and fry the vattal. And mustard seeds and when you hear them pop, add the dhals and asafoetida, green chilly, turmeric and red chilli powder. Add the vendayam. Once it turns light brown, add the tamarind water you set aside.

3. Let the water boil until the smell of raw tamarind goes away. Normally, it takes 15-20 minutes. Rathe, wait till the water reduced to half its original proportion.

4. Now add more water and let it boil. At this point, you may ad curry leaves if you wish to. (And I usually add another pinch of asafoetida)

5. Take a small cup of water and add 1-2 tsp of rice flour to it and add this mixture to the boiling water. This is added to thicken the mixture.

6. Garnish with coriander leaves.

‘Dirty’ Politics

We got our independence in 1947 after decades of ahimsa and ‘non-violence’. We decided to adopt a democratic form of government and said to ourselves that secularism would be one of the basic structures of our constitution. Pakistan schools have Kashmir in their territory and teach the students are all Indians are Hindus and that they are ‘kuttas’. Our RSS schools are no better and call us a Hindutva nation. What the HELL is wrong with the world? Why do you care about a Mohammed Ghori or Ghazni, or whichever fool it was, who plundered India in some ancient time? Why is that taught to kids at school to invoke in them hatred for muslims? Once in Dubai, my brother went down to play with the kids around and was refused to be acknowledged there because he was ‘Hindu’ (said with a scorn). All this, by a 7 year-old. Hatred in imbibed in minds in most countries, kids in Pakistan are taught to handle guns when they should be holding a pencil, Why is there such branding? Here I was thinking, branding ended with cows and products of late but then, I have been proven wrong as always. Textbooks are edited to show History in the wrong light. We are all after all, humans. Why should religion be such an essential criteria in deciding if we are of good character? Much of our military expenses can be cut short if only we resolve our Kashmir dispute, but then Pakistan will not give up on it and India won’t let her walls down. Look at Babri Masjid, some idiot once said I know exactly the place Rama was born in. ‘Ayodhya’ (What a surprise, there!) and points to a mosque (did he remember things from his last birth?) and THEN people decide to bring the mosque down for the sake of Ram, not realising that the mosque is also a place of worship. Look at P.N.Oak, the idiot, who said Taj Mahal is a temple converted into a memorial. From which angle does it look like a temple? And there are bigger idiots who believe that as well. Where is the reasoning power of men? BJP and Congress bank on the Hindu-Muslim divide to get votes, how can such a party help the nation prosper and uphold our constitution? All the political parties are merely concerned about money and power. Nobody cares for the country. Why the Fuck is it called politics then? If I want to make a difference today, I cannot do it without being a scapegoat of these parties or at the risk of dying any minute. Wake up, people. It is time we opened our minds and thought beyond what we know of. To think. Think a new life. A new India. World.