SEE RED

This poem was awarded with Outstanding Performance by Asian Literary Society in their Spirit of Asia Contest recently

               Hot & Spicy

THE LAST LAUGH

With exemplary humour, he keeps our risorious muscle on the move,

Unwittingly, with our sides splitting, we fall into his zany groove.

Takes a genius acuity to play the part of joker,

As many grey cells juggled, as in a game of poker.

Clairvoyant, a step ahead, chooses jolly mode to be displayed,

Unveiling wisest things by miming, to avoid getting flayed.

Joker comes to rescue when Kings and Queens are done,

Don't discard, he shows ways of world with glasses tinted in fun.

Jostling our mind and funny bone for many to survive,

Always willing to lend a hand for our spirits to revive.

Never underestimate his prowess as- a mere topsy turvy clown,

Doctors say, "laugh with him", to avoid wearing a johnny gown!

Prances, skips, tumbles,  somersaults only to land with a fall,

Springs up within blink of an eye, standing upright tall.

From behind that colourful mask comes wisdom of the age,

Most respected, honoured by kings next to perhaps a sage.

Charlie Chaplin's slapstick, laced with pathos and subtlety ran deeper, 

A joker who gamboled with quick  wit, society's conscience keeper!

Walks away with the last laugh as curtain comes down,

Having fooled those in hubris, the invincible fools in town.

© Gomathi Mohan

Sunday luncheon.. Being Daughter's Day, all dishes were her favourite ones. Father fetched, Mom cooked, She clicked! 

Kerala style roasted chicken in coconut oil and lots of cashew. 

Mutton Biryani

Her drink, Tomato Rasam

Liver fry too! 

BULBULS HIDE & SEEK

GOLDEN FRIED ARBI (TARO)

Monsoon in the Mountains

So RAIN was the prompt in the Asian Literary Society's Poetry Contest. Tried depicting the scenes unravelling and was lucky to win a prize. Hope you all give it a read too☺

Monsoon Morning and a Mynah

CHASING RAINBOWS

A MIDNIGHT SPRINT

Deep into the night, ran at break neck speed,
Chasing me furiously, were a dozen men in greed. 

Beating Bolt's record effortlessly,
Managed to free from their hold,  relentlessly.

Sprinted ahead, paying no heed,  
In hot pursuit, they were unwilling to cede. 

Darted on like wind, went up  bucking,
They fell far behind huffing and puffing.

Around the corner behind the alley,
Jumped across railtracks edging the valley. 

Gushed through meadows under the moonbeams,
Crossing puddles, coalesced into shallow streams.

Shaking them off I entered a thick jungle,
Laden with thorns, covered by bramble.  

Tearing through bushes, brushing away thistle,      
That's when I heard a very faint whistle.

Turning around, saw in dull moonlight cast, 
They were by now catching up fast. 

Closing in on me, driving in a jeep,
I bounded and took one giant leap.

Across a moss ridden marsh,
With my breathing getting harsh. 

Panting and rushing, 
Slipping and sliding.

As a sprinter in his last lap,
Broke into a fierce gallop. 

Deep into the woods, spotted a clearing,
Raced towards an old dilapidated dwelling.

Inside were found a dozen odd brute,
No sooner did the jeep follow suit. 

Shocked by law-keepers inside their domain,
Falcons fully tattooed, were packing cocaine. 

Men at work for the drug cartel,
Police fired shots in the air to quell.  

With my lead, they rounded up the guilty,
Another routine night of myself  being snooty.

Aiding in detecting their contraband booty,
A Malinois K9, that was me, on duty. 

© Gomathi Mohan

PEPPER JEERA RICE

PEPPER JEERA RICE

BHINDI's METAMORPHOSIS

BHINDI'S METAMORPHOSIS

SUN & SHADE

Amidst grey and cloudy surroundings, sunlight filtering in on this patch  made it so scenic and sublime! It called for a click..

METVERSE MUSE

METVERSE MUSE

TIFFIN by ROLI BOOKS

TIFFIN by Roli Books.. Mother of all Indian cookbooks💕 
(500 tastes of 29 states)

Available now on Amazon http://amzn.in/bKZZCr2

Happy to be a tiny part of this huge project. One of my traditional recipe is humbly queued up with the rest🌼 Awaiting for my complimentary copy☺

GANESH CHATURTHI

Hope Ganesha removes all obstacles and blesses us with good times ahead🙏 A Very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all🌼

Ganpathi brings much fun and food fare.  Prasad in odd numbers are offered to him as Naivedyam. Mom and Grandma had either 9 or 11 on offer, including a variety of rice items, starting with Sakkara Pongal, sweet pongal, Tamarind rice, coconut rice, lemon rice, sambar rice, Garelu- urad dal vada, etc. I made a minimum of seven items very "priya" to him, as in the Southern parts.

The items in clockwise are: 

1) KUDUMULU/ modak steamed.. with rice flour, jaggery, cardamom &  coconut. Usually they are handpressed in one's palm and fingers shape them. I sought easy way out and made roundels!

2) POORNA KUDUMULU, ie stuffed and steamed modak. Filling of gur, til, coconut & elaichi

3) SUI UNDALU:  Filling of boiled and mashed bengal gram, gur, coconut & elaichi dipped in Urad dal and rice flour batter, deep fried.

4) PAYASAM :  Vermicelli Kheer

5) SUNDAL :  Seasoned Kabuli channa, garnished with coconut grating and curry leaves.

6) DHADHIYANNAM:  Curd rice  seasoned with nuts, dry fruits, lentils, mustard and curry leaves) his "anna prasanna" soulful  happiness!

7) POORAN POLI: Made wheat polis, taste better than maida ones. Stuffed with the same as in SUI UNDALU!

We all pitch in from early dawn. Hubby is the in-house priest. We both mon & daughter make prasad. The whole experience is a bliss followed by goodies after the puja☺💗 For our neighbours it was a novel experience. Their Janmashtami celebrations had mesmerised us likewise💕

A tiny part of our world.. live, throbbing, filling, celebrating☺💗

TRIBUTE TO MY TEACHERS

Wish A Very Happy Teachers Day to all my beloved Teachers🙏🌼Blessed to have been in your care in my growing years. You all brought a personal touch to teaching which greatly inspired and benefited us. Whatever little I am today is all your significant  contribution and a mark left behind that helped shape me, my self and my life.

You were there from nursery to mid-school. My schooling ended with it. Rest all was self-learning and when I began to walk the corridors of learning again, it was only for my M.Phil. in Madras University. The strong foundation you laid for me in St. Mary's has seen me through, helped me climb the ladder, overcoming all struggles. Not once did I feel dejected or given up. It was a tortoise journey and I know where all that reserved strength came from. I take this opportunity to thank all Dear Teachers from the bottom of my heart for all that you did for me and for all of us!

Mrs. CHRISTOBEL J DAVID ~ You are a gem of a human, standing tall and giving warmth and a secure feeling. As children looked forward to singing classes, if only to have a nice relaxing time. You made us breathe, the first best thing of all and then sing, play, act and be ourselves! Your fingers just flirted with the piano keys seamlessly, leaving us mesmerised. Till today I nurse a secret dream.. Having my own piano and learn to play.  If I was in Chennai, I would surely learn from you! You made our childhood happy with Christmas Plays, rehearsals at your home where you involved all your children to help us out and not to forget the lovely cakes!  When you celebrated your 87th B'day the other day, you looked so good and happy with that never missing twinkling smile! Pray for your good health and long life. We all need you now more than ever! 🎹🎼🎄🍰🎅

Sr. JANET KURU ~ Your smiling face is always there before me right from fourth std. Your letter to me when you left, a year later, advising me to eat well, concerned about my skinny self, I followed it both in letter and spirit ever since, perhaps too sincerely! Your blessings, prayers and support throughout the past two years, a trying time for me, has seen me back in spirits and health. Am back to my old self.. All thanks to you Sister! Cherish your long and loving calls, after decades, and each time I miss you more and more! 📝📨🍒🍏

Mrs. RADHA GOPINATH        ~ Your enthusiasm in all that you do, a zest and energy unsurpassed, your childhood anecdotes..  days in RDSO love for tennis, Africa safari and other interesting shares, endeared you to us more and more. So much in In awe of your genius in Math. You know very well how miserable I was in it. But armed with basic concepts and methods explained in detail and the numerous problens you made us solve on a daily basis.. slowly I picked up and today, I take this opportunity to say with a great sense of humility that  have had a successful career, surviving purely on Math for 22 odd years in GOI Accounts Dept. All credit goes to you! 📐📒📑📏

Mrs. PREM KHERA ~ One loving, caring, motherly Hindi Teacher. Alongwith teaching you made sure we had good relations with our classmates and would step in to do justice and make things right, better between us. Your dedication to teaching, making sure we understood the basics went far in establishing a love for the language. You made sure we were thorough with the basics and we looked forward to revising with regular dictations, grammar, essays etc. Weekly tests. Never were we apprehensive in your class.  Those elaborate sessions on Kabir and Premchand, made Hindi so endearing. You will be happy to know, passed out with a distinction in Hindi, at Graduate level. Used to win in Hindi Week celebrations annually in office. Recently was awarded with a 3rd Prize in Hindi poetry Contest of Asian Literary Society..thanks to you and your efforts to make us fall in love with the language ! 📋📓👫💗

Mrs. PRAMILA RAJEEV ~ Your role in my life is hard to sum up in few words. You were there from holding my pencil to giving me lifts to City Montessori on Rajeev Uncle's Lambretta, right from Baby Class. Were fully in charge of my learning, handwriting, writing skills, personality building and whatever little humanitarian qualities I have I owe them to you! Your English expertise and training is the base for my second innings in life of late. Those wintry afternoons, sitting in your balcony, teaching me Shelly and Keats..  As our LTS Guide, you shaped us into a better being, lessons in endurance, patience, meditation, supporting good cause, charity and standing up for the right. You've been a great mother, family friend and best mentor. You are continuing to be so..  for so many of us till today. Silently doing your services without much ado nor expecting anything in return. Just wishing well for all those who come in touch with you. Salute your spirit Ma'am! World needs you more and more 📚👬🎓🔦

Mrs. ANIE THAILA~ A Rockstar is how we remember you. A Chemistry wizard at that! I went incognito in your class behind that thick yellow coloured Chem. Book (ICSE is still an enigma for an average grader like me). But then I got a lot to take home from your aura that left us awestruck. You made it all simple and armed with a great sense of humour, that twinkle in your eye and slight smile said it all amidst a tough lesson. Your strong personality touched us even as you walked smart, tall, head held high! What a lberated soul with a great personality to go by.. Today I see you doing so much of service towards Humanity in another part of the globe. You're truly  inspiring! Not to forget our passion for concocting good food. Hoping our chemistry meets here☺  📕🌎⌛🍹🍝