My Musings

* Hail Indian Postal Dept Since I moved to Raja Annamalaipuram in Sept 2005, I pay my monthly landline tel bills at the RA Puram postoffice. The PO building must be of pre-Independence vintage, dilapidated, dingy, and dark. A narrow passage_way doubles as the customers' place. Adnan Sami would easily be stuck up here. Five counters serve the customers, comprising mostly Post office Monthly Income Scheme (watch out for a seperate blog on this POMIS shortly) account holders.Counter No 3 is for Tel Bills and Money Orders. In good old days (read a couple of years ago), the clerk had to write the details (both for TBs and MOs) on the receipts (with a carbon copy). This obviously took 5-6 minutes per customer. But, in RA Puram PO, the clerk sits in front of a console, keys in the details, press the PRINT button - and the self-adhesive label-type receipt pops out of the DMP. How convenient! This month (Jan 2006) when I presented my bill for payment, surprise, surprise, the clerk took out ...

Keerai, Heavenly Keerai Let me today start with one of my most favorite pastime - cooking Keerai - the greens that all health-docs advise you to eat daily. Purchase a kattu, it should cost you just 3 Re or 5. Cut off the roots 1 inch from the bottom and remove all unwanted "pul" etc. Wash thoroughly three or four times in running water, and cut the keerai.Take a kadai, add some water and then the keerai. Let it cook over a small fire. Add three long pachchai milagai slit vertically. Add a teaspoon of manjal podi. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Add a small teaspoonful of salt and allow to boil for some more time. Add a little perunkayam. Just before shutting the fire, add a pinch of jeerakam and remove from the fire. Take a ladle of keerai, mix with steaming rice and a liberal dose of desi ney - can you ask for anything more heavenly Rajappa 24 Jan 2006