Friday, December 6, 2013

Postcards from India

In the last few days when I have not been at Tara Books I have been exploring the area in Chennai around my hotel. Called Adyar it is a residential district just off the main thoroughfare, low key, relaxed and safe - hard to comprehend in a city of 30 million 
Here are a few scenes from those experiences 
Rickshaws: like riding a roller coaster at street level. They are a three wheeled motorbike with a roof and a backseat for passengers. These have brought out the adrenaline thrillseeker in me and are a highlight so far

Women decorate entryways with rice flour or chalk. The Kolam is meant to decorate invitingly, while the rice traditionally gave ants something to feast on outside the home. Each evening before sunset Hindu women wash off the previos decoration and start afresh. Each loop and knot is folkloric and rich with  meaning. Used in Tamil Nado state and in many others in India, these Kolam are a pragmatic and symbolic nod to the inter connectivity of all life forms
Tara Books had a a motif borrowed from the Kolam tradition painted on the tiles in their offices 
D signifies the direction of the design offices


Vibrant colour is everywhere. My Iphone is pitiful in trying to capture it. Against the mud and dirt coloured backdrop, happy shades of pomegranate, fuscia, nutmeg, saffron, teal, and ochre pop out and arrest the senses 

The food is another means by which to take my appreciation of the colours to a whole new level
The array of colour and variety of diahes is staggering, and it plus all strictly vegetarian
Here was my simple hotel breakfast yesterday 
I have falling in love with idlees the white rice dumplings shown and sambar the mild roasted lentil based stews spiced with with coriander seeds, fenugreek, whole red chilis, curry and coriander leaves, flavoured with tamarind.  The hotel cook has been preparing my meals with increasing spice so perhaps there are hot ones as well that I have not tried
Also delicious are the chutneys and fantastic tea prepared black or with milk and ginger as what we know as chai
Yum


More postcards to come

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