Sunday 8 November 2009

amma's aviyal

inside mom's luggage
on board the flight to a faraway land,
where daughter expects her first child,
a small packet of cleanly washed local vegetables--
drumstick, green mango, jackfruit seeds...
for a nice dish of aviyal,
amma's aviyal.

*****

15 comments:

P. Venugopal said...
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Kalpana said...

Best wishes in advance for the to be grand father and the would be mother.....

P. Venugopal said...

thanks kalpana. can you imagine why you thought of congratulating only the "to be grandfather and would be mother" and not the would-be grandmother also?...

rknair said...

Joys of life! The thrill of meeting with a bundle of joy soon! Wish you all tonnes of happiness!

Kalpana Bindu said...

No no Venuji, now that you've pointed I realized that I had actually missed the word I mean to be grand father and mother and the..........

Best wishes for the would-be grand mother ... I am sure you'll convey my best to her :-)

P. Venugopal said...

Sure, Kalpana. I just wanted to point out that the Mom is always inconspicous in the home although she does everything, including holding the father by a tight leash.

Kalpana Bindu said...

You are just talking like my father who always complains to have been bound and restricted in his own house where he's just the head of the house for the name sake (it is his version):-). And we all know for sure what mom does in the house and how much is he restricted.

Prabhakar said...

Fine poem.nothing like the avviyal mother makes. the child will make you look at the world anew. best wishes.

P. Venugopal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
P. Venugopal said...

Thanks, Prabhakar. I am due to become a grandfather this month. My wife has reached my daughter's side. Close to zero degree celicius, she tells me, in Glasgow.

And Kalpana, dear, fathers are the same there and here. You underestimate moms. All they have to do is to cock their heads sideways, like a skeptical parrot, and look you in the eyes. The father wilts. You too will be an expert in this age-old technique soon, I am sure. All the best.

Kalpana Bindu said...

Wao Venuji, now I know the other side of your's that you've been talking about.

Dear would-be grand mother I wish all the best to her again :-)

P. Venugopal said...

:-) met suresh elamon speaking about lunch you offered. into the forests we go for three days chasing elephant, guar and tiger.

Kalpana Bindu said...

Great! I asked him about you and then he told that both of you are going out. I just saw about the sanctuary on the net! Have a nice trip and Surehsji is will send me the pics for sure.

kochuthresiamma p .j said...

'Mom is always inconspicous in the home' - despite the fact that her aviyal is the issue here, the source of inspiratiom!
homely image - so easyto relate to

P. Venugopal said...

You certainly can related to it, madam. You should have seen what the 30-kg permitted luggage contained. I helped her pack up. Just as I had somehow managed finding space for everything in the bag and started closing it, she sent me to the market to buy fresh vegetables remembering lakshmi telling her it was long time she tasted "Ammayude aviyal". The vegetables they get there cannot do justice to our aviyal.