My brother-in-law is getting married in 15 days. Me and my husband have been thinking about gift ideas from a long time. It is hard to decide. Since my brother-in-law lives in the US, we do not want to buy them anything really big that they cannot carry. After a lot of thought we decided…
Vada Pappu
This is one of the dishes made for Lord Rama on Sri Rama Navami. Ingredients: (These quantities are all approximations.) Moong Dal: 1/2 cup or even less Raw Mango: 1/4 cup Shredded Coconut: a little Green Chillies: 1 (adjust according to taste) Oil: 1/4th tsp Mustard seeds: 1/4th tsp Soak moong dal for a couple…
Panakam
This is usually made on Sri Rama Navami. Ingredients: Jaggery, Black pepper, water Mix jaggery with cold water. It takes time to dissolve. After the jaggery completely dissolves, filter the water. Then add some finely powdered black pepper. I prefer to grind the pepper myself instead of store bought pepper powder. This gives a very…
Sri Rama Navami
Today is Sri Rama Navami. It comes on the ninth day of the the Chaitra masam (first month according to the Telugu calendar). This festival is celebrated through out India. In south India, today we celebrate the day with marriage of Rama and Sita. It is performed in all the temples and especially in Bhadrachalam….
My trip to India
I am currently enjoying my vacation in India. Me and my son traveled for more than 30 hours before we finally reached my parents home in Hyderabad. It was a long journey and both of us are tired. Managing a toddler for 30 hours without much sleep is very painful I went through that last…
My mother tongue
I came across this interesting question at the Tulika Books about mother tongue. How different are the written and spoken forms of your first language? If you want children to become familiar with their first language, which form would you look for in children’s books – formal or informal? Why? My mother tongue is Telugu….
Ugadi – Telugu New Year
Today is the Telugu New Year. Ugadi marks the first day of the Telugu calendar – Chaitra Sudhdha Paadyami. Every year has a name. This year is called ‘Vikruta’ (Vikruta nama samvatsaram). Ugadi is also celebrated in other states with different names. Ugadi usually comes around March or April. By this time, there are no…
What more can I ask for?
Yesterday just before bedtime, Sarath was cleaning up his toys with his dad’s help. I was tired and sleepy. So, I was lying on the sofa watching TV. A couple of minutes later, Sarath was trying to pull a comforter from the bedroom into the living room. Myself: Why are you pulling it out now?…
Raising a Reader
I was always fond of books for as long as I can remember. As a kid I read books regularly. I used to go to libraries with my uncle and I loved it. So, when I had a son, I wanted him to be a book lover. Books are always great companions. My son showed…