Ramblings of a delusional dumbass

The journey to brighten the lives of girl students began in 2014, but that would be too far back, so let's just start from last weekend.  7 of us left from Majestic on Sunday evening and after a shaky ride, arrive at Athani in the morning. The good folks from Aviratha who travelled with us landed in an IB and we set up shop at a friend-of-a-friend’s place. Mr. Udaya Kumar Gunda was a great host and his family welcomed us warmly into their house and their dining tables. After quickly washing off the soreness of travel and a fantastic breakfast at their house, we headed towards JA College auditorium, where we were to felicitate the beneficiaries of the proceedings from Keli Katheya - the Kannada audio book. The 16 girl students who has scored 125/125 in Kannada at their SSLC exams were yet to arrive and we got to work setting up the auditorium.  The college staff were very accommodating and went out of their way to ensure that our event was successful. From helping us change the...

If you feel an odd sense of deja vu while reading this piece, then you've spent too much time switching between Facebook and Clubhouse. Unless you've been living underground or in a home with ACT broadband, you know what Clubhouse is - it is where many people can have their Mann ki Baat at once. And Facebook has turned into a platform to critique, analyse and make fun of discussions that happen on Clubouse. Congrats Clubhouse, you just replaced the Indian Government, at least as far as Facebook discourses go. Clubhouse is more or less an impulsive, live podcast session - an open space where everyone is made to feel like Joe Rogan. But no one talks about DMT or shaved gorillas or MMA or shaved gorillas doing MMA while on DMT. But it always does sound like everyone is on something stronger than the devil's lettuce. Maybe you need that to hear your own thoughts over the din of uncomprehensive ramblings and mouth-breathing noises. Speaking of noises, Saudi Arabia restricted the...

OTT has redefined the way we enjoy 3-star movies. Movies that aren't worth the hassle of a big-screen viewing, yet not so bad that you miss it entirely.  Bonus points if it has some terrific performances. It's as exciting as riding a small displacement motorcycle fast on ORR. Hella fun. They are the kind of movies that find permanent housing on your watchlist but are always given a pass in favour of something more exciting. Something more fun.  And when you do want to watch it, it's like bathing in cold water - you just have to brush aside good judgment and jump in headfirst. You enter a world where the action isn't exciting enough, the drama isn't convincing enough and the comedy evokes a toothy smile at most. Movies that are worth your time, if time isn't worth that much really. It's sad to see such movies getting pulled into dark alleys of intellectualism and beaten up by the critic mafia with batons of tasteful art.  The barometer to judge these movies i...

The greatest trick sweet makes pulled off was convincing the entire world that making Mysore Pak was tough. It isn't. Sure, it's quite labour intensive, but a little exercise never killed anybody. Consider it the calories you burn off before piling it all up with the sweet concoction you are about to make. The problem with making Mysore Pak is not how much elbow grease you put into it, it is how precise you are with the timing. Keeping a watch on milk from boiling over is child's play compared to this. You let that golden yellow bubbly sweet mess on the stove for 1/16th of a second longer, and you end up with a piece of metamorphic rock. While eating Mysore Pak is an otherworldly experience in itself, making it is quite magical in its own way. Because you can use a small amount of ingredients and still end up with a fuck ton of it. I learnt that trick accidentally. So don't use a big cup for the measurements, and use the same cup for all measurements. Measure t...

Travel has never been my forte. Especially on a motorcycle. I’d been on sub-100 km rides on my little 110cc steed back when I was young and stupid. Almost every one of them to my grandmother’s place 40 km away from home. The machine was underpowered, the seat was uncomfortable, and my hands and feet would ring like a tuning fork at the end of every ride. Not a very pleasant experience. Neither have birthdays been big. A few unsavoury experiences that coincided with my birthday have made me believe that my birthday is jinxed, leaving me with a bad aftertaste at the mere thought of it. I’ve always taken both travel and birthdays with a grain of salt – unless prodded and pleaded by my friends, I try not to engage in either. So, this year, I decided to ride to Hampi for my birthday. The Journey Hampi has always been on my mind for quite a while now. Memories of the boulders and ruins kept coming back to me like flashes from a past life. I’d been to Hampi on a family trip long ago –...

Peanuts. The poor man’s badam and the bored man’s entertainment. This quick and easy to make snack is the perfect antidote for your mid-morning munchies. You know, when it’s too late for a second breakfast and too early to cook a real meal. Get some Haldiram’s salted peanuts. Or masala peanuts. Or grab a handful of peanuts, roast them on a pan over medium heat. If you go the roast-my-own-peanuts way, make sure to remove the skin. Finely chop one small cucumber, one small onion, one small tomato. Be careful not to chop off one small finger. That would be painful and unnecessarily messy. Add a few drops of lemon juice. Add a two-finger pinch of chat masala. About a pinch of black salt/ table salt. Add the peanuts and mix them all nicely – but gently. If you’re feeling fancy, add some chopped coriander as well. Goes well with a stiff drink. Or so I’m told. Enjoy.