9 October 2020

Friday evening winding down

This was is from Hakim Momin Khan Momin. Commonly referred to as “Momin”, the poet lived in Delhi and was contemporary to Mirza Ghalib.

“Woh jo humme tumme qaraar thaa
Tumhein yaad ho ke naa yaad ho
Wohi yaani vaada nibhaah kaa
Tumhein yaad ho ke naa yaad ho

Woh jo lutf mujh pe the beshtar
Woh qaram ke thaa mere haal par
Mujhe sab hai yaad zaraa-zaraa
Tumhein yaad ho ke naa yaad ho”

Roughly translated,
“The agreement that we had between us
Maybe you remember, maybe you do not
That promise of being together
Maybe you remember, maybe you do not

That joy that was always with me
That kindness that was bestowed upon me
Every bit of those memories are still with me
Maybe you remember, maybe you do not”

Category: Music/Poetry | 2 Comments on Friday evening winding down
9 October 2020

That is an incredible pencil drawing

The three photos below are that of my first cousin, once removed (at different ages). That is my mom’s brother’s son’s son. You might remember him from some of the stories I wrote about him during my trips to India.

The picture above is a pencil drawing – inspired by those photos – done by another of my first cousin, once removed. This time it is my mom’s brother’s daughter’s daughter. While I am no expert in the arts – it sure takes me a minimum two glasses of wine to appreciate Sharmila’s paintings – three, if it is an abstract – even to the untrained eyes of mine, this seems to be an outstanding piece of art.

I hope she will follow her passion and talent and someday, become a great artist.

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4 October 2020

Fall, fire and book

Finally caught up to the end of the book “Why Zebras do not have ulcers” (it is about stress in human beings) sitting by the fire on a nice col Atlanta night. Will write up a review in the next few days…

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4 October 2020

From the bartender’s corner – Corpse Reviver

In the past, I have made a few variations of this gin based drink – Viking Corpse Reviver #2, Cutch Courage Corpse Reviver #2, and the storied Corpse Reviver #2 from London that was rumored to be an antidote to a hangover.

This one is a slight variation – this uses 1.5 ounces of brandy, 0.75 ounces of cognac and 0.75 ounces of sweet vermouth. (Some use apple brandy instead of cognac)

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4 October 2020

Flower from Sharmila’s garden – 2

I do not know the name of this flower – or for that matter most of the flowers in Sharmila’s garden. Need to ask Sharmila about it. But I love the unique color. Look at the distinctive pattern in one one or two petals. Reminds me of the gulmohar tree we had in our elementary school in Durgapur and how one petal used to be a variegated one while the rest were plain red.

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4 October 2020

Flower from Sharmila’s garden – 1

Sharmila could not remember the name of the flower immediately. But these are seasonal ones. The come right in the beginning of fall and withering away soon. The first thing that it reminds me of is the wood carvings that used to come out of the pencil sharpener in India (there was no mechanical pencil then).

The iPhone does a great job with macro photos. You can see the single pollen drops off the pistil.

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