Dint I Tell u?

She is singing Mangalani

How to name it?

It would be during the summer annual holidays that we normally gather. Since it would be sultry,the place the most time we would spend in the house would be the Vaasal Varanda, where many people could come in and go out for the grocery stores. The regular amuzement through out the day would be counting the number of buses that comes from chennai and looking for the "Subashree" bus at 8.00 in the morning.

Our next door neighbour was an Iyer that had lot of children. Two of our friends were Uma and her sister Shuba. Playing with them in the vaasal, and looking for Ilaneer (tender cocunut water) and Nongu (palm fruit) man in the afternoons were some of our daily tasks. Raju thatha used to buy Ilaneer or nongu depending upon the availabilty and pierce/peel them in the Nadu Mittham, the sink. We would drink and have the tender cocunut peeled out from him and eat them again in the vaasal.

Afternoons would be very boring sometimes because our villain, Kicha Mama would take his nap on the easy chair and would give a knock on our heads if we make noise. so we would wait for the gentleman to have his coffee and move back to work. Then our maid, Thillaiamma would come and sweep the whole house again. She would bring a pail of water mixed with cowdung to do the vaasal and puts some kind of Kolam in the nadu vaasal. I had chances to do this, as I was the person ever ready to work with Shaani. Sometimes I take the job of cleaning the dining hall with the cowdung.

Evenings are mostly the dressup times. Raju thatha buys garlands of malligaipoo everyday and would keep them fresh in the coffee-kitchen with water sprinkled on. They are saved for Perumal aradhanai for the next day. We use the flowers in the evenings. Girls dress up with Paavadai chattai and have the garland of poo all over the hair. I still remember Swetha who had a very short hair when she was little, wanted the flowers to hit her legs. So, she would keep a lengthy garland of flowers that would be taller than her. Wearing the Valaiyal, Malai, Sticker pottu, Nail Polish shopped from the Darsana Kadai would also go along with grooming. Poor boys, they wouldnt get anything.

So, before we go to bed, to protect us from the anonymous eyeballs that watched us from morning through evening, she would do a drishti suthal in the kitchen near the perumal modai. The whole family would stand in kitchen both the children and grand children and would go the slogan... "Anthi kappu, santhi kaapu, thirumanthi kappu... erapartha kanna eranga pakkadai, erangai partha kanna era pakkade..."

When it is done, she would keep the black combustion dust on our nethi which would be as dark that it would not erase even the next morning. And the smell of the camphor would be rejenuvating that we could go to bed peacefully.

No Substitute for Dhanyasi

One day I was invited for a house warming function at a relative's place in the US. When the priest finished all his rituals he asked me to sing for Harathi. Altough I knew several common song, I sang 'Mangalani Sannu Koti' at the spur of the moment. The priest enjoyed that and told me that its a very uncommon song that he has never listened to it anywhere and wanted lyrics for that.

But it is not so for the D.S family. The Synonym of Manjaneer itself is 'Mangalani'. Although several ladies sing it from every corner, there would be one voice that comes with utmost strength and involvement and that would be hers. She had a very huskier voice and a lower sruthi like D.K.P. Whenever there is a time for Manjaneer, She would be the first lady to stand in the front to sing it. There is also an other Mangalam that she has popularised within the family which is 'Sri ramachadranukku jaya Mangalam'. I think she sings it in Dhanyasi.

During the Pre-trinity music festival held in Nashville a couple of weeks before, we had to sing Bhajana Sampradaya songs and Dr.Mahadevan taught us "Sri ramachandranukku" in Suruti. But I remained silent through out. I could not enjoy it and dint want to sing it.

An email from my dad

Personal loss

This has been a personal loss to me which i unable to overcome.
Believe it or not she is in my dreams daily thru my sleep.
Consoling myself and family

We dint lose you honey

When she was in her final days, my parents had been telling me to talk with her. I had a chance to do although I dint understand what she spoke. I felt very sorry for her. Then I realised this poor lady is going to depart from us very soon. Also the very moment I decided if I have another baby girl, she will be her.

To my astonishment, we found out a little girl in the sonogram. This little pumpkin not just resembles her in her butt, but also shares a similar taste bud. When I was in my first trimester, the little one did not approve any of the garlic and onion foods. I immediately threw up. Also she has a very good appetite unlike my older one. I have to grab food for every other hour. I am left without much choice.

I was and am quite crazy about naming kids with a Raga name, We named Roma as Padmalakshmi for Namakarnam and I named her Ahiri for a Raga Name. No wonder she could survive without eating for days. I have decided to name Arabhi for this one. Who knows they might couple up to sing as Ahiri-Arabhi sisters?

Semi Automatic Cooking in the Kitchen

Do you wonder she managed with mixers and Grinders and Refridgerators? Nope. They all came to Melaveedhi after they all had 3 generations. She managed with Ammi, Kalloral and Manpaani with wet cloth around.

It's the cooking that I do here. How a contravene personality I could be for this amazing lady? Let me give you some tips for Semi-automatic cooking.

1. Cut vegetables in 10 minutes, season them and keep them in the microwave and let it cook all by itself. (Semi-automatic, No manual Stirring). Rice in the cooker, Sambar / Rasam in their stoves doing their automatic Cooking. And the effective time spent in the kitchen will be half-an hour
2. Make Sambar in the Morning if u want to do make Idly or Dosa for Dinner. Or make a North Indian Subji if want to make Chappati.
3. Make Vathakuzhambu in a large quantity (Anda Naraiya), and make sure you serve your husbands just to make sure they dont over eat and keep the remainder in the Refridgerator, so that on the the next day Cooking time will be = Heating time.
4. Train your little one to eat lot of fruits and steamed vegetables, so that u dont have to cook at all, or just steam the vegetables and keep it for the whole family, just because ur little one loves it. Sometimes the frozen peas or mixed vegetable will become ur life-saviour and u need not cut vegetables also.

Remember folks, if you follow all these tips, the food's taste come out Outstanding. Yeah, outstandlingly bad. But this is how we survive here.

Delicious Meals on the go

When we return to Chennai from Chidambaram, we would generally travel in the 1.10 Day Express. And the staple food to go, that she would give for us are Molagappodi Idli, Didhyonnam, and some buttermilk seasoned with Ginger,Lemon Juice, salt, Hing, mustard seeds, Curry leaves and Cilantros. The buttermilk would turn sour in the afternoon. But we would have a tumbler of Mor-therrtham before we start which would be Finger lickin' good.

So to carry these memories, I sometimes take such Idlies and Thachi mammu, even when I travel to Nashville. I still remember how we celebrated our First Weddding Anniversery day. I carried Tomato rice and Thairsadam with potato chips and Appalam and went to a park in Toledo,OH and had them all alone in one of the shelters, as it was too Cold in the midwest that no one freaked out in the Park.

Morkili, Kunukku, Baniyan Kizhisal ( an instant dosa with riceflour and sooji), sevai, Bajji/Bonda are some of the regular snack items that she makes in the evening. Yesterday I had Morkili and some snacks from Radha mami. She said she made it specially for me. Oh Boy... I pigged out all of them

Arul Purivai Karunai Kizhange

There are certain dishes that she never forgets to make every season. They are Karunai kizhangu masiyal, seepangizhangu roast, Keerai Masiyal, and karamura vazhaikai. There are stories behind for each of these dishes.

Karunai Kizhangu Masiyal is my dad's favourite. Unfortunaltely my mom never makes it, since she carries an allergy for it. I have naturally developed good taste for all the food that my father likes. So, its a ritual every year to make this dish. Later on after we moved to Chennai, our pushpa athai shares the masiyal whenever she makes.

Seppangizhangu masiyal and Karamura Vazhaikai (tiny cubes of fried vazhaikai seasoned with salt and chilly powder) are the most difficult ones to make, because they condense in size when fried. It was difficult for our parents to be patient and make these in the hurry burry lives of Metropolice. So, she would supplement the extra love and care that we missed from our parents. The seppangizhangu and the vazhaikai cubes would be in uniform sizes and shapes and color.... She would make sure that they were not over roasted also.

But it was a very difficult task to fry these vegetables for a group of 15 adults and 7 kids, especially when she had kids around who would ever ask for more. I think she managed to make them just for the gentlemen and the kids and must have made some other quick/easy vegetable for the poor ladies of the family. When we were kids, we never bothered what they ate.  Our jobs were done when our stomachs were full.

Everyday our Raju thatha would buy Mulai keerai. He was very conscious in serving the grand kids the most tasty and healthy food that he could ever get. He used to say 'Chidambaram Keerai than Pachu pachunnu irukkum'. The keerai masiyal that she would make on the karungal kachatti is the heaven. The taste is still on my tounge. On Ekadhasi, Dwadhashi days we have had the luxury of eating Aathi Keerai, Nelli mulli Pachadai, Sundaikai, Morkuzhambu etc...

I like morkuzhambu even more than the Vethakuzhambu.... On my craving days of preganancy, I make Morkuzhambu with Pushanikkai and Sundaikkai quite often. My cousin Jayashree used to say 'Morkuzhambukku romba Mariyathai kudukkarthu Nee than'. I think its because of her, I have started to develop taste for these authentic Iyengar foods.

Fasting Days

Booma Paatti would fast 2 days a week. A thursday fasting for Guruvayoorappan and a general Saturday Fasting for Venkatachalapathy. She would insist everyone to fast for Guruvayoorappan and its because of her my mom started to fast on Thursdays. It think its because of her either my dad started to have a bonding for Guruvayoor and takes everyone to the temple whoever visits Eranakulam.

The general menu for these fastings are 'Arisi Uppuma' on thursdays and Idly/Dosa on Saturdays. We children eat them as evening snacks and have the regular Sathumathu mammu and thachi mammu for dinner.

Generally Arisi uppuma is prepared this way. It's kept on a Vengala Paanai on a very low heat with a little bowl of water, covering its mouth in order to prevent overheating. Since the upma has a  direct contact with the heat, the bottom portion of it will be overheated - Kaandhal. And many people dont like kanthal (except for me and my dad). But in most houses it is taken for granted that Arisi upma can be cooked with Kaandhal, because it takes quite a long time to cook, and its very difficult to stir throughout, especially when it comes to thickening stage. But this lady never gives up. She would sit on the stool and stir the upma completely till its cooked. And the side dish for this is Thengai Thogayal..... Yummy.... I would wait for Thursdays to come. Even today, every one in the family knows that my favourite tiffin is 'Arisi Uppuma'.

I wanted to  make such an upma here and brought vengala paanai also... But round bottoms dont work on cooking range. I am still craving to each such an upma....

A Brand ambassador for --------?

Celebrities dont change their brands. Do they? And so was she.

We had a luxury of using all kinds of cosmetics right from Toothpaste to Talcum powder before they come into the commercials, As samples come straight to our dressing tables before they go to the grocery store. I still remember enjoying Cibacca, Colgate Gel, Promise, Cuticura, Lesancy-Neeedithu Varugirathu soap, Lifebouy plus, Cinthol, Vigil, Margo for different seasons.  

But there was one set of Soap and Powder that never changed on her dressing Alamari .(Its a top of a beero with mirror hanging on it and it was in the kitchen itself.) They were Mysore Sandal soap and Gokul Santol Powder. There were also a lot of big maroon velvette sticker pottu about a size of a 50 paise coin, stuck on the Mirror. These are her brands. She never changed it till her end.

She carried a Gigantic personality and always looked majestic on her Madisar. Her face would always be bright from Morning to evening. She braids her hair with/without savari and then makes a kondai out of it with lot of Kondai oosi.... In the evenings she keeps little garland of Malligai poo around her kondai, that made her look even more respectable. Everyone in the family would dress up beofre 5.30 in the evening, cos at 6.00 all the gentlemen in the family would start reciting Vishnu Sahasranamam and other Desika Stotrams.

My mom tries to imitate her (trying to look majestic) by using the Santol Powder and the big Sticker pottu. But she would lose her natural glow and look quite artifical with a Nelam paricha moonji.  It suited only Booma Paati and nothing else suited her either.

Bangalore Trip

Kala Athai stayed in Bangalore for sometime and we visited her once. Booma paatti also visited her from Chidamabaram. Our dad had arranged through KSTDC to visit Saravana Belagola and Brindavan Gardens. We took Booma paatti along with us. She had a very huge Physic. She would not climb stairs much. She was not able to climb any steps in Saravana Belagola. She was about 70 yrs at that time. So we left her to stay down and we alone climbed to see the Lord Gometeswara. Srivatsa and I climbed down back very fast to see what she was doing. To our surprise she climbed about 50 steps all by herself without anyone's help. We asked her if we could carry her in the Doli. But she refused it.

Whenever my father and my husband make a committment to God, they make it for the whole family. Ex: 'I will climb up the Thirumala with my wife, children and inlaws, etc...'

Once my dad had a committment of taking her to the Sholingar temple by climbing steps. He made this without her knowledge and was very afraid to tell her for so many years. But he made it 10 years later. Paati and others climbed up the Sholingar hill and fulfiilled my dad's committment.

We have a memory of climbing up the Thirumala with Ammamma and Patta Thatha....It was again my Appa's leelai. We feared the last one to climb up would be Patta thatha. But he made it first... You know who was the last???? My lovely Mom.

Our Everyday Routine

Every morning when we wake up, we go to the kollai and brush our teeth. We had a big thotti (kind of a big wash basin) and thats where we should leave the echil. But Srivatsa and Badri used to have fun inside it. Then we take shower and make ourselves ready to go to the Ramar Koil with Raju Thatha. The temple was just accross the house and generally in the mornings there wouldn't be much crowd. So its a kind of  a luxury for us and we used to sing all kinds of songs near the Sannidhi.

Then after having breakfast, our everyday entertainment was playing cricket in the hallway upstairs. Almost three generations played cricket there and broken bulbs.

Its now time for me to a tell few words about my thatha. He was a disciple of Mysore Sri T.Chowdaiah. He taught us (Badri and Myself) the basics in carnatic music. He always wanted us to be successful musicians. He was little bit conservative and only wants us sing carnatic music.

During afternoons, our thatha leaves the store and takes rest for about 3 hours. Before he gets back to the store, we had to do our music practice sessions in front of him. Badri, naturally hardworking generally used to be very good during those sessions. I was the one who would get stuck halfway between the Vanajakshi varnam and give lip movements till the end. Thatha gives me a bad comment about it and excuses me for the next time. But my practice sessions had ever been an excuse (that carries till date).

And Once he leaves for the store, I would start singing "Oranga Sriranga Koppara Thengai" for Booma Paati. She has always enjoyed all kinds of songs.

Sometimes if time permits, we would mock a concert near the Ramayana Beero by Jayashree and Me singing, Badri Playing Violin and Srikanth Playing mridangam. Then Sarayu and Swetha would sing Sundara Vadane and other kinds of Bhajans. But our Mangalam for these concerts is 'Raghu vamsa Sudha with ti di dit ti di dit' in the end. This was started by Joo Chittappa. Thats a kind of a national anthem for our family. All gatherings end with this song.

Our thatha and Paati have been a good role model, and a source of encouragement for us , that in the future we gave real concerts with cousins accompanying us. We were even fortunate to have our Booma Paati and Raju Thatha listened to the concerts. I have to certainly narrate the vijay TV recording experience at the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple, which I leave it for the next post.

Pongal Celebration

Its very unusual for all of us to gather in Chidambaram for Pongal. We would normally meet during the Annual holidays every year. But one year it so happend that we all gathered in Chidambaram. Bogi would be a normal Bholi eating ritual. But Pongal and Maatu Pongal are quite special there.

We have a kind of Competition in the neighborhood as which house makes lot of sound during "Pongalo Pongal". Since we run a Grocery store, lot of unused tins will be on the backyard. Joo Chittappa and Kumar Chittappa brought lot of such tins to the kitchen and we started beating them with vengala/pithalai karandi..... That created a lot of sound. All of us started to yell 'Pongalo pongal' superceding the tin's sound. Atlast it was our house that made lot of sound.

Maatu pongal would  be another fun event because we keep Kanu podi in the mottai madi, where monkeys quite often come. So we had to keep the kanu real fast before the monkeys could come. When we were about to take Harathi and return back downstairs, Joo Chittappa came upstairs with the left over of the pongal Kanu kuzhambu and we all ate the thachi mammu (white rice we keep for kanu podi) with the kuzhambu... That was yummy... From then on, Kanu pongal is my favourite. Every year I ask my mom to save the kanu Kozhanmbu for the next day.

Then in the evening, our servents give all the cows and calfs a shower and dress them up. Watching that is a real fun. But then at this time, we would generally feel home sick, because we might have to start to our places and go back to school.

Brunch in the Morning

We run a family business in Chidambaram, a grocery store called 'D.S.Iyengar Maligai kadai'. Our Thatha's and uncles had to go to work before 9.30 in the morning. So they have a full square meal at 8.45 (the brunch) and start to work. We grandchildren also eat our breakfast along with them.

No dining tables. We sit and eat in a hall sanitized with Shani (Cow dung). Boora Thatha (Booma Paati's husband), Raju Thatha - our thatha, Kumar Chittappa (Badri's Dad), my dad and Joo Chittappa (Sarayu-swetha's dad) sit on one side with Vazhai Elai in front of them. And all of us would sit opposite to them with plates, as we were too young to eat  from the Vazhai Elai.

I remember Booma Paati sitting on a Stool near the aduppu and cooking from 8.00 through 11.00. She would not leave her spot to anyone. She would only let the other ladies do the edupudi velai. The vendaikai kai that she makes was the delicious one I have ever eaten during my life time. When we gather there for vacation, everyday was a festival for her and she used to make Saambar, Sathumathu, Kootu, Kai, Pachadai, appalam  and  made sure that the full thaligai was ready before 8.30 in the morning atleast for the first pandhi.

Rendam Vela Thairunjaam

The first and foremost thing that I remember about her is She was the one who would feed us (Myself - Srimathy, my Brother Srivatsa, and My cousins Badri, Sarayu, Swetha, Jayashree and Srikanth) the 12.00 clock Thachi Mammu. She would make sure that the curd is not very sour enough. She would add milk and yogurt to the rice and bring it on a large bowl with Naarthangai oorrugai. We all would surround her and she would give little balls of thachi mammu to each of us.  The lunch for all the 7 grand kids would be over without any kadai (mess). All of us would race and eat the mammu and everyone would fight for the  last ball the 'Adi Vazhichu Anai Kutti'.

(Now I am struggling to make my little one eat. Paati teach me the Magic )

Our parents did not worry about our feedings when we were in Chidambaram. Booma Paati had her own way of making us eat. And she would do the same for dinner. She would bring Rasam Mammu with Appalam and Thachi mammu for the next round.

About Booma Paatti

Dear All,

 Let me make things clear here. I am Srimathy (Roma's Mom). All the posts would be singed by Roma because I maintain an other blog for her with the same account. Myself, my brother Srivatsa, Badri, Sarayu, Swetha, Jayashree and Srikanth are Grand Children of Sri C.S. Ramanujam Iyengar and Smt. Saroja Ramanujam.

 Booma Paatti is my Father's Perimma, (Saroja Ramanujam's Co-sister). But she was the one who raised my dad ever since he was 1 year old. Not only my dad, She has taken care of almost everyone in the D.S.Iyengar Family during her life time in Chiambaram. We (The grand Children)  have all had memorable experiences with her in Chidambaram, whenever we had been there for vacation. She is not with us today. She passed away last week of her old age.

 She is survived by her daugher Kala Rajagopalan (Kala Athai), Grand son Venkatanathan (Venkat) and great-grand daughter Ranjitha.

 This site is dedicated to her and I shall invite all my cousins to share their experiences here. Thanks,