Kathirvelan from reception wanted to go home due to a death in his family, he needed an advance but was denied. He called Swami in the Kitchen asking for some cash. Swami asked everyone, I gave 200 while Raghu gave a 100. Any organisation can be a success only when its employees take ownership of the business or consider the company's vision as theirs, else it would just be a political war with the company as a country, for example.
Our guest in 111 from Palakkad, who worked in the gulf, has come for a vacation with his wife and two kids. Today, he called asking if he could get ragi porridge since his little girl wasn't keeping well, they had the ragi flour. I checked with the chef if i could make it, he agreed. I went up and got the flour and asked the chef if I could make it too? I grew up eating ragi porridge for breakfast almost every day since childhood and I bet I am good at preparing. The chef simply noded a go-ahead. For a moment, it took me to my days in Bangalore when I started cooking.
I kept the milk to heat meanwhile mixed two spoons of ragi flour in cold water, when the milk came to boil, I added the mixture of ragi, some sugar, left it to cook for a couple of minutes making sure it doesn't rise and spill out. At last, a spoon of ghee once the stove is off.
My days in Bangalore are memories I can carry all my life. I rented a room alone, had friends dropping in almost every day. Cooking, Drinking, Smoking, Movies, college visits, First Girlfriend, Second Girlfriend, Man life was lit till I started working. Few of my friends were older than me since childhood and I had a group like that in Bangalore, Abhi, Bharat, and Pissay. We met once every week. Akshay and Nivin came almost every day after college. Naresh, another visitor with no habits, we met in Ramaiah college where, I dropped out of BSC in Mathematics, Electronics and Computers! My school friends Bhagat and Saji came once in a while or we met in Coorg. The best thing that happened in my life, Mohammed Arrsath, Sheriff, and Noor Sait, we only got together a few times after school.
I took care of food mostly. liquor, meat, and people kept coming and going. Now, Don't judge a man for his habits. Today, what's in life after all, money and injustice. All money can do is buy, we started buying happiness and injustice, you either must live with it or end up fighting against it, till the last breath.
Raghu wanted his break in the evening, so I took mine early and went to rest. I had a message from Nitesh saying it was Shaju Etta's birthday. I got confused because I remember him telling me it was on the 6th of April, I called him, it was today according to the Indian calendar. I got freshened and walked towards meadows. After walking a distance I got a lift till the BSNL junction, luckily another man dropped me to upper lake road, I walked a little distance to reach meadows. While I walked, I collected a few flowers on the way, met Shaju brother, hugged him and wished him with the flowers. He had not expected me there, he was back from a trek the previous day. Nitesh Etta and Savitha got back while I was talking to Etta. We planned o making vermicelli payasam. An old lady who usually came by selling sundal (boiled Channa)passed and we had to savour it.
Meadows was back to its old vibe, vessels left without washing and the kitchen was a mess. I started cleaning while she stopped me and said she would do it later. They said they hadn't stopped making the porridge though. While we made payasam, I had just 20 minutes. I ate the half-cooked payasam and Nitesh dropped me back at the resort.
Later that evening, I started calling the guests asking for the order and they kept delaying. I finally got the order at 8 45, by the time we finished, it was already 10. I shut down the computer, had dinner, reached the room around 11 and crashed.
The alarm rang at 5 30, I turned it off and continued to sleep. Lawrence brother woke me up at 6, yet again I went back to sleep and finally pushed myself out at 6 20, reaching the restaurant at 7. I was unable to find Jai ram, who was asked to report at 6 30. I met him once while I was coming back from Kurinji Andavar temple. He had dropped me a little distance from the resort. While speaking, he said he was searching for a job, I asked him to drop in by the resort. Another day while I was on my usual walks I found him and asked him why had he not come? He said he was scared if he would get the job. I assured him that he would get it, asked him to come the next day meanwhile had spoken to Selvam Sir about him and he got appointed right away.
Raghu had his off today but was unaware, I requested him to leave once Jai arrived. I called Jai, his mom picked the phone and said he would reach in a while. He came and Raghu left.
I finished taking the stock that morning with the help of Jai and swami, after updating it on the system I took my break at 12 noon. Went on my regular walk visiting temples one by one. First a nagamma temple, then a shakti and karappuswami temple, later Ganapathi temple and then to a Durga temple. It was the first time going there and since there wasn't anyone, I took the aarti and kumkum myself while the priest came and started yelling for stepping inside the garbha gruha. It was a small temple and I just had to take one step in to take the aarthi. He started abusing me while I apologised. He said the goddess would come in my dreams and punish me. For a moment I lost my calm and spoke back, I replied, in that case, let her punish me. The priest got so mad that he pushed me out of the temple.
I went ahead and visited the last temple I had in mind, a person dropped me at Bhadrakali temple. I had just about an hour to get back and was in a hurry while the priest said there was a special pooja for kalabairava, asked me to wait for another 5 minutes and leave with the prasadam. I stayed for the pooja and by the time I took prasadam and started back I had about 30 minutes. The prasadam was tasty, Kesari bath, sundal, coconut rice and another masala rice along with a piece of mango. I sat and ate peacefully before walking back towards the resort. A person named babu rode me to a distance, I then walked fast and reached the resort on time.
I love eating in the temples. Sometimes even the watery curry tastes like heaven. Food in Dharmasthala or Subramanya, The ladoo in Tirupati, Even at my village, The Umamaheshwara temple, they gave two Payasam. One is made with rice and jaggery, boiled in ghee, it's one of the best I've eaten my whole life. Other is made with milk and rice, for lord Vishnu. The mixture of both payasam is simply delicious and priceless. I wonder how foods in temples taste so great. I would say it tastes godly.
We had just one booking and the guest had not reached till 9 PM. We were sitting in the restaurant waiting and gossiping at Nair for his unsatisfied personality. Not a single person likes him. No matter how good the work or food is, he would always have a problem. For his bad, today he was served coffee, strong as poison which Raghu made and in the noon he was given a half-cooked omelette. Since the manager's food is not billed, he takes advantage and orders from the menu at will, he was diabetic, had to eat on time so serving him at busy hours was a pain.
It's 9 15 and the guest has still not reached. Looked like they would come and have dinner. Brother Lawrence is on to my left and swami on the right are watching television while I continued to write. We had requested Nair to take the order in advance so that we could make things ready which he ignored. The guest arrived at 10 and started asking for chicken and other dishes when we had just fried rice. The chicken was frozen too. The guest called Nair and said he would go out for dinner. very next moment I got a call from Nair asking why the chicken was not possible and I explained to him. He stressed to make pepper chicken at least and I said ok. We somehow managed to limit the order to fried rice with omelettes and pepper chicken. It was late again to take the closure stock so we decided to take it the next day and went to our accommodation.
It's my day off, A day I wished for some time now. came to meadows, I had the porridge they made and ate some tasty sweets Shaju Etta had brought. I made egg burji and heated the chapatis for lunch. After a grand dinner, a Jangir (Indian sweet) to complete. I told them it was an amazing meal for me after a really long time. The kind of meal I needed. We smoked some pot and listened to trance till 11 before going to sleep.
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Thankful to them all, Thankful to the One! Much metta
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