A Space to Pause

Every child has an inclination toward his or her own interests that is quite visible at an early age. I am sure my parents saw that inclination in me, and that pretty much ended up in making me participate in every cultural event that came up in my little school. The school authorities and a few other parents tried their best to bring in classical dance teachers. Partly successful, they tried to retain the teachers for a long time, but somehow, for the teachers' own personal reasons, they left within a few months of teaching. I still remember a dance teacher by name Latha, a brahmin lady, with bright patches of marudhaani ( mehendi ) in hands and feet. Though I was in an age that would not give me a complete glimpse of how proficient a professional dancer should be,  I was impressed with her dance movements. When I was 13 years old, a classmate of mine, by name Latha (Lathas have had quite an impact on my life!!!!), performed classical Bharatanatyam for the song " Ninnaye

Badusha - Even the thought of it makes me drool! This was the first sweet I tried all by myself when I came to this country, and I treated myself with this scrumptious sweet for the kitchen queen in me. I definitely deserved it as I was an amateur cook then, and I treated myself quite often, sometimes with flaw and sometimes perfect! Badushas were hard to avail in my little town, back in the 90s. These days, there are numerous sweet stalls that sprawl around every corner of the street. Mommy was very particular about hygiene, which literally did not allow us to eat sweet from anywhere outside. Also, those days, sweets were meant to be festive treats. That too, a badusha was certainly an once-a-year treat. A week before Diwali, mommies would convene at their favorite spot to discuss about sweet and savory items for Diwali. After it was all decided, a day was chosen, materials were bought, children were put asleep, and the embers were set. A few curious kids would linger around to have