Today I had my tryst the BAUNSA PODA MUTTON (Bamboo Barbecued mutton - as goat meat is called in local parlance) procured from a local DHABA (Roadside eatery) on the Puri road. It tasted soft, spicy and delicious.
A la as American as Apple Pie, the guy looked as Odia as PAKHALA (water soaked rice, a staple food of the state). Yet giving the benefit of the doubt to the waiter, I decided to verify his state of origin- BHAI, AME ODIA BUJHUCHU. TAME BUJHUCHA TA. GHAR KOUTHI ? "Bro. I understand Odia. Hope you do. Where are you from ?" "JAGATSINGPUR RU AGYAN (From Jagatsinghpur), came the promp reply in Pure and Applied Odia.
I have an account at the local State Bank of India from 18th Century. I always prefer a Thursday for my Bank visit, for the bank is invariably less crowded on that day. Thursday is the day of LAXMI, the Hindu Goddess of wealth - so a monetary transaction is best avoided on that day, lest one wants to attract the wrath of the Goddess to leave you in penury.
While stepping into the bank I noticed an elderly gentleman in walking stick just behind of me. I sidestepped, opening the door for a few seconds to let him in. Coulple of guys behind him were eager to sneek through, but I bluntly told them to wait until the Senior Citizen gets in. They looked at me as if I am an alien who just landed from another planet.
Today was the day of the crucial cricket match between India and South Africa. Cricket is the one and the only one game of the nation, it is no 1 to no 10, a one game industry akin to Amitabh Bachhan being the one man Industry in the 1980s. Other games are relegated to the spots from no 11 onwards.
Within cricket, batting rules the roost and is more popular and preferred to bowling. Even in the days of our gully cricket, we eagerly waited for our turn to bat. It was not unusual for many to stealthily escape from ground once done with the batting. Things haven't changed much. With South Africa batted first, many watched their innings discretely, while during the Indian batting more were glued to the TV. It probably explains why the traffic was thin during the evening hours - Sunday coupled with India's batting contributing towards it.
I love to speak my mother tongue in Odisha, an opportunity I rarely get in United States. Because I rarely speak the language beyond the boundary of my home. Talking in Odia is restricted over phone and "meet & greet" rendezvous with NROs (Non Resident Odias).
But more and more NROs from my generation now a days speak less and less Odia among themselves - They drink PHEPSI (Pepsi in American accent), drive THOYOTHA (Toyota), and punch their Odia sentences with a liberal dosage of "Oh Boy, Oh Gosh, O man" and so on. The more you pronounce "P" as "Ph", "T" as "Th", the more American you are. So as long as I am on "Jagannath Land", I take opportunity to converse in Odia with the locals before returning back to the "Jesus Land".
The intermittent rain has brought down the temperature condiderably, by almost 10 degrees. For the first time, I could get the kick of chill out of the water from the shower pouring over me ( more than two decades of taking shower in warm water has taken its toll). I had to switch off the AC in the middle of night as it felt cold, never feeling the need to turn it on until midday. Monsoon rain has sucked the heat out of the air, but humidity still sticks around.
The intermittent rain has brought down the temperature condiderably, by almost 10 degrees. For the first time, I could get the kick of chill out of the water from the shower pouring over me ( more than two decades of taking shower in warm water has taken its toll). I had to switch off the AC in the middle of night as it felt cold, never feeling the need to turn it on until midday. Monsoon rain has sucked the heat out of the air, but humidity still sticks around.
I have an account at the local State Bank of India from 18th Century. I always prefer a Thursday for my Bank visit, for the bank is invariably less crowded on that day. Thursday is the day of LAXMI, the Hindu Goddess of wealth - so a monetary transaction is best avoided on that day, lest one wants to attract the wrath of the Goddess to leave you in penury.
While stepping into the bank I noticed an elderly gentleman in walking stick just behind of me. I sidestepped, opening the door for a few seconds to let him in. Coulple of guys behind him were eager to sneek through, but I bluntly told them to wait until the Senior Citizen gets in. They looked at me as if I am an alien who just landed from another planet.
Today was the day of the crucial cricket match between India and South Africa. Cricket is the one and the only one game of the nation, it is no 1 to no 10, a one game industry akin to Amitabh Bachhan being the one man Industry in the 1980s. Other games are relegated to the spots from no 11 onwards.
Within cricket, batting rules the roost and is more popular and preferred to bowling. Even in the days of our gully cricket, we eagerly waited for our turn to bat. It was not unusual for many to stealthily escape from ground once done with the batting. Things haven't changed much. With South Africa batted first, many watched their innings discretely, while during the Indian batting more were glued to the TV. It probably explains why the traffic was thin during the evening hours - Sunday coupled with India's batting contributing towards it.
My unbeatable experience so far is with the OLA and UBER cab services - Very Comfortable, convenient, reasonably priced and punctual (Ola is better than Uber as far as punctuality goes). I was very impressed with my Ola driver today who refused to take the sizable amount of tip I offered to him. He said, he didn't deserve that much amount as tips.
When I insisted to keep it, he finally relented to take only half of the cash I offered. I didn't want to dishearten him and agreed to pay him his desired amount. Such honesty and ethics is rare these days. More later...
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