Home Alone- Day One , the Holiday Update & Salangai Oli

My 4 days of sanctioned “alone time” has begun. I flew back into Bangalore this morning to a temperature of 11 degrees. First thing I did was to weigh myself. Scale read 81.8 kgs. I wandered about barefooted, freely  in the house with icy tiles, leaving the coffee mug on the table, without worrying that the toddler will reach for it/ topple/break it. I had tea and khari, made a simple lunch of roasted cauli, beans, green peas and carrots, carried an apple and some walnuts to work and eased into the weeks routine.

I have watched my food over the “holiday”, except for a family dinner last evening, during which I had a cheesy pasta bake and white chocolate cold-shake. But otherwise I dealt with plentiful availability of baked goodies with laudable control and sensibility. I might not make it to my New Year’s Goal of reaching below the 80 mark. But hey! I’m close, and working at it ALL the time.

So, the music season in Chennai is in full bloom. All the sabhas and cultural associations are showcasing the best of music, dance and drama. There’s good food too, for, what is enjoyment without culinary satiety?

Here is what the Scientist and I did:

• Watched a Bharatanatyam recital of Shobana at the Narada Gana Sabha
• Listened to mellifluous Nithyashree  
• Ate yummy food at Gnanambika’s counter in the rear space of Narada Gana Sabha
• And had a good time bonding with family

It’s a microscopic bit of all that is going on in the city. But that’s what we could fit in, without feeling too guilty of abandoning little Chittu with his grandmother.

As I sat in the amphitheatre waiting for the curtains to lift to Shobana’s recital, I caught glimpses of the danseuse’s pink “alta” stained feet – clad with the “Salangai” (Ghungru) promenade the stage, spanning it to get the feel of the size. The “Salangai oli” or the “sound of the anklets” is one I hold close to my heart. It is in that Salangai oli I find true happiness. Its sweet divinity brings me great joy. And hearing its jingle on that day after many days brought back to me a yearning – that I want my feet clad in it again. I might not be a good dancer. But it is the language of dance, which brings me closest to God. And while on the threshold of the new year, it is my wish and desire that I would be able to dance again.