Juggling between
Undue blaze and
Nostalgia of spring
Everyday
I shared the above poem in response to Luisa’s invite to write an acrostic on June. It pretty much sums up the weather.
The month saw periodical visits to the eye surgeon. Heeding his advice to push boundaries I flew to Bangalore mid month to attend my grand niece’s First Rice Eating Ceremony. We call it Annaprashan.
The flight timings got changed as a result of which we ( I and Didi) landed at Kempegowda Airport past midnight instead of midday as scheduled earlier. However, my nephew and B-I-L (who had reached two days before) were there to pick us up.
Did you know Kempe Gowda I (1510 – 1569), locally venerated as Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, was a governor under the Vijayanagara Empire in early-modern India. He developed the city of Bengaluru or Bangalore, now a thriving Metro, in the 16th century. He was noted for his societal reforms and contribution to building temples and water reservoirs in the city. He prohibited the custom of amputating the last two fingers of the left hand of unmarried women during “bandi devaru“, a late custom in the Morasu Vokkaliga community. (Source Wiki)
This is the posthumously built 108 foot tall bronze and steel statue of Kempe Gowda , right outside the Kempegowda Airport.
Coming back to the home front the Annaprashan was a gala event as expected. After the puja a wee bit of rice kheer (pudding made by Didi) was touched to the baby’s lips who appeared to be super excited. This was followed by the placement of a tray containing a toy, a pen, the Shrimad Bhagawat Gita and a currency note right before her. It is believed that out of these whichever the baby picks would indicate her choice of profession in life. Baby Taha first grabbed the toy and soon got bored with it. Then she took a fancy to the holy book – Gita and last of all money which she wouldn’t let go. The ritual got completed amidst a lot of cheers from the family members.
We are told, during our respective Annaprashans, I grabbed money while Didi caught the pen. She took up teaching as her profession whereas I adhered to a 9 to 5 job. However, in so far as financial acumen is concerned, my sister holds the prestigious position of the Finance Advisor to the entire family and I, as you all know, is the un-savvy-est one in the department. 😂
During our week-long stay my nephew ensured we had all the cuisines the city had to offer which included quite a number of South Indian dishes, choicest Biryanis and a wide variety of soups and curries. Yet, a few other gourmet preparations still remained to be savoured. 😭
The trip was, undoubtedly, the best that could happen to me. My happiness index was at the highest. We had hearty chats interspersed with jokes and belly laughs. But the most that I enjoyed was the long evening walks the entire family took along with my grand niece.
We had a hopping flight on return – Mumbai being the short stopover. However, the pilot seemed to be in a mighty hurry and we landed at Mumbai airport forty minutes ahead of time. Imagining the various causes of his hurry we had a good laugh.
Back home we just missed an exhibition of photographs on the city of Delhi as seen through the eyes of our favourite columnist, Mayank Austen Sufi , whose column captioned Delhiwaale, in the Hindustan Times, me and Didi enjoy reading regularly. 😢
This is Mysore Pak, the deadliest and the most delicious sweet which my niece-in-law always packs for me in good quantity whenever I visit her or if anyone is coming over to Delhi. Delicious because it’s so creamy and melt-in -the-mouth and deadly because you cannot stop at one. 😆
Hee…Hee
Enjoy!! 😊😍😊
PS : Just thought of sharing this post with Natalie The Explorer on Wrap-Up for the month of June 2026.
June 2026 Highlights
A good afterthought…
Deadly, but yummy.😁 It’s my first time to hear grand celebration of a child who just to eat rice for the first time. We don’t have that here in the Philippines. Interesting Indian culture, gc!
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A fun read.
Though I am not a big fan of Mysore Pak I want a little piece of it now 😁
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Thank you so much Rupali.
I am a little wary of MP now because it’s difficult to digest but when it’s in the fridge it has a magnetic force…😆😂😀
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A nicely constructed poem. Didi is an asset
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Indeed….Thank you so much Derrrick 🙏
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Oh I’m so glad you had a great time on your trip. Thanks for sharing dear friend.
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Yes, I did. Thank you so much dear Sadje.
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A change of scene always helps.
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Yes, indeed. 😊
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Hugs.
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Thank you for opening my eyes to some of the cultural practices where you live. It’s so refreshing to discover them by reading the words of someone who is there! (As opposed to a travel guide, you know?)
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I am so glad the post resonated with you. You are more than welcome.
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Such a heartwarming post, Geetaji! ❤️ Family, traditions, and laughter—June couldn’t have been more beautiful. 😊
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That’s true Maha. June was rewarding .
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I am glad you had a trip to Banglore and you enjoyed it very much.
Thanks for sharing about Annaprashan-heard about it for the first time.
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Thank you very much Nusrat.
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What a great trip you had and with good food too. Thank you for linking up with #MonthlyWrapup.
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Thank you Natalie. Glad you enjoyed.
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Bangalore has so much great food to offer. I watch a lot of food vloggers who
go there for reviews! Time would tell what your great niece is going to do. It would be nice if the future generations have an interest in Gita.
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Yes, Bangalore is very happening. We would like my niece to be ingrained in our culture and spirituality. But of course time will tell.
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It’s really looking delicious 😋
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Thank you Priti
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❤️
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I enjoy learning about your traditions, Geeta. I understand why the rice ceremony is fun and that yummy dessert melts in your mouth.
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Thank you very much Mary. Have a good day.
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[…] Geetashree enjoyed a family trip and good food […]
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