At mid morning he will do the rounds of our quaint village as he calls out
‘Nari….i…..Yaaal .( Nariyal which means coconut in Hindi)
If he misses out on his regular customers , another hawker also selling coconuts will take a round . Obviously there is competition between the two of them to get more business.
Our man is very pleasant . He actually posed for these pictures .
He offers you a choice of coconuts; either the ‘malai’ one i.e with more coconut flesh and less water or the ‘pani’ one i.e more of coconut water.
He carries a sharp knife which can even slice off someone’s neck. Ha, ha …
With a swipe or two, he proceeds to cut a small piece at the top of the coconut and with that piece he uses it to scrape off the ‘malai’ (from inside), which is delicious to eat and pours out the coconut water into your vessel . He can pour it out even into a plastic sachet he carries.
This is my favourite mid morning drink
I was away for a long time and wondered whether he would still be on his coconut rounds when I returned .
Yes he was …..and he gave me a huge smile. Instead of giving me a welcome drink , he had increased his price to Rs 70/- ………After reminding him that I was his old and faithful customer, he did reduce his price to Rs 60/-
I will always look forward to our ‘coconut man’ .
Coconut water is a good alternative for those who are lactose intolerant. It is hydrating, low in calories and rich in potassium which is an essential electrolyte .
The flesh of coconut is rich in antioxidants, has powerful antibacterial properties, and may support better blood sugar control.
It is a source of many minerals . Its fibre content helps in gut health .
So coconut is good for heart health , weight loss and digestion . However because it is high in calories and saturated fats , it needs to be eaten in moderation.
So , cheers to you when in India, for the sweet coconut water, and the rich ‘malai’.
I remember we had to note the time for clearance so we could ensure that the letter posted would be cleared in time.
There would also be a different postbox for faster delivery of any mail. ( Green in colour).
When one posts a letter you had to ensure a correct value of stamp was stuck onto the envelope .
The postman cleared the postbox at the designated time and then mail was sorted to be sent to the respective destinations.
Most often the local letters were posted in the postbox .
Foreign mail would be weighed at the counter and appropriate stamp stuck and handed over to the clerk .
These were sent by airmail.
To save on the cost of foreign mail , one could send letters by sea .
This is a big difference to the current way of communication. We would send Christmas cards at least over a month before the 25th December. However post by sea mail could take even two months and it’s not surprising that greeting cards would reach even after Christmas.
During the early years , there were inland letters and foreign letters (aerogramme) which had already been stamped for use. Even earlier were the self stamped cards.
Now most people prefer sending greetings by WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram or on the email. This communication is instantaneous. No paper is involved .
Do you prefer the card or a greeting on the internet ? Which is more personalised?
Technology has improved in leaps and bounds
So where is our postbox now ?
It has become an antique, and beautifully coloured in red; a treasure for our memories.
This is a favourite and well known snack at any time of the day. Breakfast could begin with it and the masala omelette .
Today there are very few Irani restaurants in Mumbai or Pune. Many have either sold their businesses as their younger children are not interested in running such restaurants or have moved on to other fields of industry.
I was happy to accompany some dear friends to the famous Irani Cafe for breakfast in Pune.
The Cafe was crowded. It had a sit out with a number of tables available. We got one at a corner. It had the name of the cafe prominently displayed on the wall.
The most interesting part was the menu.
Besides the food items and rates displayed, at the center of the card, there were amusing instructions. You may read some like : no sleeping , no running away, no talking loudly and even more amusing ones as you read the menu card.
Interesting instructions on the menu card
I was keen on having their bun maska , masala omelette and chai out of the full variety of menu items
The bun was soft and well layered inside with butter . The taste was exhilarating and of a quality more than I expected . I would have enjoyed it on its own, but also tried the masala omelette. This combined well with the bun maska.
Finally came the chai . Oh, that chai set it off . I enjoyed it so much that I ordered another cup and it left me quite satisfied .
The chai came in the typical small striped sturdy glass being used in such restaurants.
Our chats became more enjoyable and animated with the hearty breakfast. Some had toast/butter/jam, others bun maska, and cheese omelette
I hope to visit this cafe again.
The traditional Irani restaurants have existed for a long time. They have typical Irani/Parsee dishes. Some even compete with recent popular dishes.
The older restaurants would have marble topped tables and round backed chairs. The waiter would have a serviette or maybe a towel thrown over his shoulder.
Today service has changed and modernised. Some favourites on the menu are still retained .
Let’s hope that these restaurants do not disappear. They bring back some great memories when I step into one.
On our return home from the Sunday church service a surprise awaited us.
A group of artists were busy sketching the various homes at Matharpacady .
Here there are quaint homes, which are an artists delight .
Zanabka has been bringing these groups on a regular basis .
I got talking to her and then photographed a few pictures as a memory of this village which may vanish and give way to skyscrapers . She mentined this as a norm and how very few such oarts remain in Mumbai today .
Later there was another surprise for me when I saw a young man doing caricatures . One of them was of me . He drew this while I was busy with my camera .
These few moments made my day .
It left me with a wish that our homes in Matharpacady in some way do not disappear in a few years .
It was a warm sunny morning, when we got ready to go fishing with my grandpa at one of the rivers in Goa. I was about 9 years old.
Rods and bait at hand we accompanied him across the fields of Guirim .
I attached the bait of a fresh shrimp to my hook and cast the line into the river .
Then I felt a tug, and was quite happy. Slowly I pulled the line up with my rod and ‘voila!’ The bait had gone and ‘no fish’ .
Again I followed the routine of attaching bait and casting for another fish, with the same result .
By this time my grandpa had caught a couple of fish .
I asked him, “How is it you are able to catch them so easily ?”
“ Vincent, you need to be quick to pull out your rod when you get a sufficient tug and hook the fish up to pull out .”
That was easier said than done .
After some more tries. I caught, first an eel and then a crab .
That was very frustrating. My brother in the meanwhile lost his patience and began hitting the surface of water .
“ Stop it,” softly and sternly cautioned my grandpa ,” You will frighten the fish away .
Subsequently we moved sufficient spaces away along the river to continue fishing .
I was finally rewarded with a catch of a 3” fish called ‘thope’.
Our neighbour, Karidhar, with ease, kept on catching one fish after another from the same river. What a man ! I wondered.
Today I am a keen aquarist. With observation and interest, I have followed their breeding habits and even helped to rear them and increase their numbers. At different times, I have had Siamese fighters, angel fish, blue gouramis, neon tetras, guppies, discus fish, widow tetras and black mollies.
My aquarium today
Have you heard of the Master calling out to Simon, and James and John to follow him. He told them ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ ( Mark 1:14-20)
They left their nets to follow Jesus .
They were content catching fish, but Jesus called them to change lives of others.
So they subsequently learnt to share the Good News of Jesus : ‘ God loves you.’
Have you heard of Goa’s Paowala also called Poder ?
I’m sure you will come to know him when you visit Goa or are a Goan resident.
He is the man who delivers bread every morning at your doorstep .
Pao is the konkani word which means ‘bread’ in engish . It’s the local language in Goa. Portuguese, English, Marathi and even Hindi is spoken
There is a typical characteristic of this man. He makes his presence felt with a horn on his cycle
The baker’s horn
. At the rear of his cycle he has a huge basket with a variety of breads .
I love the Poiee the best .
The others are
Katriche Pao : with a scissor cut shape
Paozine: mini stuffed round roll ( with a
sausage filling ) also called Choris Pao.
Unde : hard crusted bread and soft inside
Pao: a soft square of bread
Kankon : bangle shaped bread
The Poiee is a whole wheat bread with a large round shape and hollow inside . It has a little bran at the top
Poiee
Today the Paowala even comes on a motorcycle. Generally the round basket has a blue cover .
I’ve waited anxiously for the sound of his horn to collect the Poiee or the standard Pao if I’m late for the Poiee.
The Poiee is so famous that one can order it at some restaurants .
However all POIES are not authentic. Some don’t have the typical round and hollow shape.
Besides seeing the real Paowala , I happened to see a huge model of one at Chimbel . It was made for an event, and literally out-standing . Since it was being de-constructed the model was headless.
A model of the Paowala
If you have lived in Mumbai ( formerly known as Bombay) then you may have heard of the ‘Maka Pao’ . Without any offence to anyone , a Goan was jokingly called a Maka Pao which simply means Maka Pao Zai translated in English as ‘I want bread’. I’m one , for your information. …and a proud Goan😉
Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?
The most famous person I’ve ever met is my granduncle Dr M U Mascarenhas. He was more like my grandfather, as my father lost both his parents at the age of 8years old and was cared for by him.
Dr M U Mascarenhas on the left and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (1st Prime Minister of India)on the right
I say famous about my granduncle because he had become mayor of Bombay (now Mumbai).
He was part of the freedom movement when India got its independence from Great Britain. He took an active part in the political life of India . He was elected as an Independent and later as a Congress candidate.
My memories went back to my childhood when I was about 8-9 years of age. He stayed in ‘Marian Villa’ , while we had our home opposite him. We would visit him every evening . At that time he was quite old , in his 70’s .
I cherish those interactions with him. He knew my brothers and I liked lozenges. The moment we said “Good evening Granduncle’ , he would respond lovingly and point to a jar of lozenges he kept on top of a cupboard. He would then give us some .
He also kept Dell Comics featuring Superman, Batman Sadsack and even Archie, which we loved reading. Sadly you don’t get Dell comics anymore.
Once a year from end August to end September there would be a kite flying season . We thought we were quite smart. When we met him , we would hint “ Granduncle there are many kites in the skies nowadays “ wondering what his reaction would be . Surely he guessed about our hint . Then he would call the housekeeper “ Marie , please get them some kites .” We were overjoyed to receive our kites .
I remember accompanying him at this late age to cast his vote during the electoral process. It amazed me that people still remembered him , as they welcomed him ‘Please make way for our former mayor’
I was greatly saddened when his end was near . My brothers and I were at a scout and cub camp out of Bombay ( in Khandala)
We were called urgently home. We then visited the hospital to see him, by which time he was semiconscious. As I wished him, he turned to see us and that was the last .
Condolences followed , to acknowledge him even at public meetings and in the newspapers.
This one thing I learned ….one has to move on in in life , no matter how famous a person is, loving memories stay with us .Acceptance of our state of life at the changing seasons help one to go a long way .
A good friend and I decided to go on a photo excursion to the Exhibition Center near the Clyde River
We travelled by train to Glasgow Central where we needed to change to the lower level train to the Exhibition Center .
However when we reached the platform we were disappointed to know that the train we were supposed to take was delayed indefinitely due to electrical failure .
Since the station was only two stations away we began our walk to our destination.
As we reached the Clyde , we felt blown away by the strong winds . This is quite surprising as people say it is Autumn.
My love of photography began
The Broomielaw bridge was the first we passed . It has a fancy shape and is meant for pedestrians.
My friend Tony with the Broomielaw bridge at the background
The Broomielaw bridge
It was built on 14 th May May 2009 .This bridge connected the districts of Anderson on the north bank of the Clyde to Tradeston and the neighbouring district of Kingston on the south bank
The Kingston Bridge
The Kingston Bridge is a concrete balanced cantilever dual-span multiple lane road bridge across the Clyde .
The Squinty bridge was next , which is a road bridge . It’s also known as the Clyde Arc . It is near the Rotundas on either side of the bridge which was needed before the bridge was built.
Myself with the Squinty Bridge at the background
A prominent feature is its curved design . I thought it looked beautiful. This bridge connects Finnieston near the Clyde and the renowned Ovo Auditorium and the Amarillo to the Glasgow Science Centre and the Pacific Quay .
OVO Auditorium
The OVO Hydro is a huge Conference and Event Centre. The recent Climate Change Conference was held there with many heads of State attending .Even big musical events are held there …like live performances by Elton John and Rod Stewart . The capacity is about 12000.
The Amarillo
Nearby is the Amarillo shaped like the Amarillo which is a theatre having a capacity of 2000 .
The Rotunda now having a restaurant in it
There is interesting history behind the Rotundas. In the past there were no bridges spanning the Clyde. Ships were constructed in Glasgow and shipped out along the Clyde. Nowadays this industry has practically stopped. At that time the Rotundas were the route for traffic to pass from one side to the other .
The Crane shifting the locomotive many years ago
The defunct crane today
Here we also see the famous now defunct crane . This large crane was used to transfer the manufactured Steam Locomotives onto ships for sending to various countries of the British empire like India, Malaysia and others .
We entered the Exhibition Centre for a Coffee and Croissant . Then proceeded to cross over to the Glasgow Science Centre .
We did not enter the centre but went to the viewing point to see the Pacific Quay .
We crossed the Clyde by walking over the Millenium Bridge. This is a narrow bridge for pedestrians you would walk in a single file.
The boat named …….Queen Mary on the Quay caught my eye, for a photograph
The Queen Mary
Nearby was a viewing tower . The high structure had a stairway going to the top
The Viewing Tower
It has a good view of Glasgow .
After another coffee at the Costas we passed the Science Centre and the BBC building .
The Science Centre The BBC Building Bells Bridge with the Crane on the far side of the Clyde
We began our return to the Station via the Bells Btidge which looks like a tunnel straight to the station.
This time trains were running and we parted ways in climbing up the slope to the final road bridge at Clarkston Station.
My #1 priority is waking up early and spending a quiet time in prayer.
I then go for a fast walk or a slow jog to the nearby station and pick up 17 copies of the daily newspapers for elders of a retirement home as a gesture for those who are feeble.
Still my #1 priority is to pray in the morning and then after breakfast to attend the church service.
During the day I go to the gym to keep fit or go for long walks or reading books and writing reflections or blogging .
There are some days I play tennis which I really enjoy .
There are coffee mornings and quiz nights .
You will be surprised how the retired people keep doing things independently, Often they are visited by their families .
I stay at this home and enjoy my independence even though I have my daughter and her family staying nearby .
There are times when we do babysitting. It’s a joy to have the grandchildren visit us. The youngest one is very fond of my wife. He plays innovative games with her . He likes one of our sofas and enjoys jumping on it like a trampoline . If there is any newspaper or bag on it he throws it aside and claims it at that time as his own .
The week goes by with other activities like meeting others for a chat over coffee and shopping .
I thought retired life is like a long coffee break . But it has many activities interspersed and I wonder what they are at times when anyone asks me :
What is your plan today or tomorrow or during the week.
viewvin 