Author: Sumita

The verandah!

Image result for verandah in an indian home

Running along the rim of a typical Indian home is an extended porch usually covered by a roof which functions almost like an outdoor living room. The Hindi word for this piece of real estate is “baramda” and two centuries of British rule have anglicized the word to the more widely accepted – verandah.

There is even a similar sounding Portuguese word for it – ‘varanda’, but the concept of the “baramda” is very different. It nurtures a life system of its own made up of occasional visitors, potted plants and rambling conversations. Besides finding a place in the Oxford English Dictionary it has even found a place in Australian homes as way back as the 1800s. In India, the verandah is a tradition. It is the place from where children peer into the night sky and get their first lessons in astronomy accompanied by the sound of crickets and night jars.

HISTORY

History has paid the verandah scant attention but what’s interesting is that it is more commonly found in hot and humid countries shielding the walls of the house from direct heat and providing a kind of buffer zone. For instance in Australia it’s more of an extension for just sitting around or for entertaining. With the advent of apartment style living verandahs have acquired the status of ‘quaint’, though rumour has it that they may be making a comeback.

In India, the verandah owes its existence to the basic principle of living in harmony with the environment. By welcoming the outside world into one’s home a balance is achieved which the ancient texts say is conducive to good living. Since India’s tryst with tradition is several thousand years old, the verandah continues to dominate life especially in small towns where hot, dry afternoons are pervasive. Warring ants and dragon flies with buzzing wings hold their own with humans and the occasional sleepy house lizard.

The introduction of a surprise element in the architectural narrative of the verandah is not uncommon. Pebbled little pockets with plants growing in them are the most frequently used ones. They add a notion of frivolity in the overall austerity and are known to be introduced to satisfy the impulsive urges of the ladies of the household. Occasionally a verandah may be too ornate so that the guest is forced to think that the interior is perhaps luxurious, a trick that was commonly used to deceive outsiders in earlier times.

ROMANCE

Verandahs with trellis covered pillars and chandelier decorated ceilings have often been pivotal to romance novels in India by the literary greats. The South Asian hangover of the British rule is conveyed by gently swirling ‘punkahs’ in wide verandahs with statuesque colonnades. Evidently, the verandah is a strong contender for the title of ‘romance catalyst’. If there was statistical proof then it would suggest that the presence of a verandah in a house diametrically increases the chances of its residents being ardently wooed.

AND SO…

By virtue of maintaining a dignified and necessary existence, the humble verandah has made the leap from appendage to fulcrum. To think that a sliver of real estate can mean so much to so many is proof of its resilience. India’s love affair with the verandah will continue because it seems rather inappropriate to think of a typical Indian home in a small town where the door of the living room opens out into the street. Almost like a gentleman wearing trousers with suspenders over an undershirt. The verandah is all about giving people the permission to lead a private life in full view.

 

The jewelry conundrum

Imagine seeing the world one charm at a time? Each city seen and experienced represented by a charm on a bracelet. The story goes that Wallis Simpson who later became the Duchess of Windsor had a special charm made for each place she had visited.

No occasion is complete without the right jewelry and accessories and the same holds true for travel. As the Duchess herself exemplified, a woman’s allure lies as much in her wit as in her taste in jewelry. So, whether your choice is a beach holiday or one where there is casual and semi-formal in equal measure, carry the right bling.

The most important tip is, carry your most expensive pieces in your carry-on bag. The ones you don’t mind losing or secretly want to replace can go into your checked in luggage. Now, close your eyes and do an imaginary recce of your holiday landscape. What do you see? Endless sand, blue skies, fat white clouds and the gentle rolling of ocean waves? Well then, your wardrobe would probably be mainly shorts, swimsuits, the occasional cotton skirt or dress (could be long or short depending on how self-conscious you are about your thighs and calves). Throw in an expensive trinket in your suitcase in case your special someone suddenly decides to woo you over an expensive dinner. Modular jewelry and back to front earrings would be smart thinking. I’m told that a sliver of silver around one ankle adds a sexy touch of feminity when your legs are bare.

Time for another in-your-head recce if you’re not going azure sky-wards. If you see mountain roads, hikes through forested areas, fireplaces and scrabble in the after-hours then the options can be semi-precious stones like amber, amethyst, jade and peridot. The deep, almost wickedly magical glow of an amber pendant can be almost aphrodisiacal. One piece of chunky jewelry, either a bracelet or a neck piece can dress up the simplest of outfits so that’s a thumb rule to keep in mind when you’re packing. Cocktail and two-finger rings are the toast of the season and they do make for great eye contact at a bar when you’re holding up your glass of wine.

Then of course there are trips like visiting aunts and uncles and grandparents for special occasions. Or a quick getaway to a friend’s. Or those not-quite-trip trips where you spend a day traveling to a ‘cool’ destination and just spend a night there because that’s all the time you had. For such occasions keep one special jewelry set that will be equally at ease with a formal or casual evening. If you’re single and looking to mingle then throw in a couple of other accessories like a jeweled belt or a dressy scarf, because who knows what the evening may spring on you!

The Holy Grail of travel jewelry is the business trip. Because that’s when they have to be well-coordinated not just with outfits but also with the kind of colleagues you’re traveling with (boss and super boss) and the reason (the big presentation). A charm bracelet peeking out from under the cuff of your jacket looks delectably feminine but not overtly. A tiny diamond or ruby or sapphire pendant could set off the crispness of your linen shirt while small, intricate ear studs or barely visible drop down earrings can make that victory smile look even lovelier. Jewelry accessorizes everything around it.

Some simple tips on packing – put your jewelry in small ziplock or tiny cloth pouches. Then put all these into a big ziplock bag. For small earrings, put them into pillbox containers. That way they don’t get entangled with the chains and you can find them easily. There are high-end travel jewelry boxes/cases available as well for those of you who like the elegant, super model look as you get off your flight carrying a single jewelry case. A friend told me that she slipped her chains into individual drinking straws and then closed the clasps. That way the chain didn’t slide off or get knotted up.

Go on, pack your bags and get set to adventure. And yes, carry enough jewelry so that you’re always accessorized.

Carried away

I gathered up my past and tied into an old handkerchief and set it aside in a corner. The maid swept it up into a dust pan and threw it into the trash. It’s been tough navigating my way through life since then. For instance, I cannot remember if I liked candy or chocolates or if the neighbor’s dog was spotted or striped. In fact I couldn’t even remember which neighbor. Annoying I tell you.

I know for a fact that I used to have fear of bananas but then again, was it the green ones or the sprightly little yellow ones. See, here’s what I don’t get it. Why do bananas come in two colors and sizes considering they taste pretty much the same. I’m sure if the trash truck had not arrived so promptly the next day I would’ve recovered my past and all this would not have been a problem.

The next day when I stopped the trash truck guy to ask him if he remembered seeing a bundled, old handkerchief he smiled. Of course I do. It’s the one that toppled into the landfill with a loud giggle.

Really? A giggle? But I always thought I was more of a guffaw kind of person.

The Myanmar Diaries

Both my parents spent a small part of their childhood in Burma, n.k.a Myanmar. I was there in January 2016 to take a walk through their lives and I did it with a sense of trying to fit myself into what their lives may have been like. As I strolled past the general post office of Rangoon n.k.a Yangon where my grandfather had worked as a postmaster I could almost feel its rush and busy-ness.

Then there was Scott Bazar with its amazing cacophony of sights and sounds. I could almost feel the excitement which my grandmothers had felt while strolling through the shops and checking out the rubies and emeralds and jade. The rubies smiled and twinkled back seductively asking to be picked up! I remember my paternal grandmother’s warm rememberance of her jewellery box which was full of such fascinating baubles.

Today’s Rangoon (seriously, I can’t stop calling it that) is a city that has just woken up from a long slumber. If Rip Van Winkle had been a city this is what he would’ve looked like. But there was also a sense of going home. As I wandered through the outer verandah of my father’s school my movements being followed by curious eyes I felt like I had a right to be there. And then standing outside his home where he had lived before he and the family escaped the country to a new life in India, I felt that I had completed a circle.

Word play

The pigeons look a little skewed to the north, this morning. They pick up dabs of fat clouds on their fly pasts and that’s what makes them tilt a bit. I find that it puts gaps in their guuutttur…guutttur… just like I’m doing now. But then, I don’t pick up fat clouds. Silly me.

Someone threw the word vociferous across the table to me. I caught it in the middle, at ‘fer’ and was wondering what to do with it when someone said ferment and I threw it over to him. Really, ferment? Doesn’t it have a nasty taste and smell to it. I mean, why couldn’t it have been fervor or fertile. So much nicer.

It must be the crazy weather. I find that I have words like mayhem and dripping sticking to me. Can’t seem to get them off me. Why?

Why can’t I say the word rendezvous without waiting for a knock on the door? Or why do I feel a sense of sadness at the innocence of my right toe nail ? Sometimes I find the strangest things in my stream of thoughts as they whoosh around in my head. When I pick out one it kicks and screams and struggles and I have to put it back. Damn…

Britskisseditgoodbye

The Brits just kissed their good fortune goodbye. Apparently. I agree with this world view. Without the edginess of Europe, Britain is just a place of bland food and rowdy football fans with awful complexion and bad breath. Seriously, I mean seriously, how pompous can they be to think that they would be better off without the rest of the world? So like they deceived a large part of the world into handing over their countries to them, their politicians deceived them. A bunch of middle-aged fogies stitched together a load of lies, gave it the veneer of truth and then tossed it over to the public which swallowed it whole and now cannot throw it back up.

Aah, how the gods must be laughing. Especially the ones dealing with evolution. The Britisher who has always prided himself on being a cut above the natives has actually proved that he has not really evolved. He has in fact become dumber.

So now the world has one self contained unit that says boot instead of trunk and porridge instead of oats, while the rest of us make merry spelling color without a ‘u’ and saying sidewalk without the fear of being corrected that the word is actually pavement!! Freedom from the Queen and her English.

What is that shuffling sound I hear? Is that the Bard turning in his grave?