No fancy post this one…despite considering that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. However, it is certainly a post about love since that is what Valentine’s Day is all about. Love for the man I love the most…my father
J A man who is not only my father but also my mentor, philosopher, guide, confidante, anchor and most importantly my best friend. Growing up, I found him to be somewhat complex man. He was a strict disciplinarian yet I also found him to be a very chilled out person. He was short tempered but a very wise man. This disparity of his nature and character used to confuse my young mind.
I vividly remember this particular incident, when I was in 7th standard perhaps and my brother was in college. Once he and his batch mates didn’t appear for their preliminary exams held right before the boards as a protest against the college management. Since it was mass protest, the college sent their report card to the parents at the home address. My dad retrieved the mail from the mail box and saw the report with nonchalant look on his face. That night at the dinner table, dad very casually asked him, if he had received his mark sheet. My brother went ahead without blinking his eyes…“Yes, I got 70 in accountancy, 75 in economics,” so and so forth. My dad gently retrieved the report card and placed it on the table before my brother with an amused glint in his eyes. Goes without saying, my brother sank in his chair with absolute guilt. Dad didn't scold him, scream at him or give him a lecture. He coolly told him, “you should have spoken to me at least, if there was a problem.” It was strange for me seeing my father so cool since my father was known for his temper.
As I grew into an adult, I realized that he was short tempered only for things which we were careless about or didn't care about despite him telling us not to repeat. Things like not keeping stuff at their place after using them or perhaps invariably keeping our rooms messy. Also, he used to be strict so as to inculcate sound values and strong morals in our character. His own strongest point, I believe, is the strength of his character.
He was otherwise our friend and confidante. My brother and I could confide anything and everything in him. He never ‘led’ the way for us. There was not a single day when we didn’t sit at the dinner table and have a discussion about various things of life – from politics, to family, to spirituality, to certain other sensitive issues. He would help us make our choices by placing before us the consequences of following a plan A or a plan B. He allowed us to make mistakes and learn and was never over protective. By reposing his absolute trust in us, he inculcated in us a sense of responsibility and we rarely wandered off through the maze and many by-lanes of life.
I can’t remember him ever saying, “Look! I told you not to do this and see what happened when you didn’t listen.” Rather he would say, “It is okay. We all make mistakes but I know you will make through this. However, it is sometimes good to learn from the mistakes and experiences of others.”
I was a well behaved child, but the only time I would give tough time to my parents was at the dinner table. I was a very picky eater; used to loathe veggies. I would make all sorts of excuses to avoid eating them. Dad, on the other hand, would usually not budge from his stance that veggies had to be finished even if I found them icky. There were days, however, when I would emotionally blackmail him by making puppy faces and getting away with not eating veggies. The doting father that he is, he would give in and treat me to choori which I used to happily lap up.Love you dad...blessed to have you. Wishing you a long and healthy lifeJ
Now that you are wondering what Choori is, well, simply putting it, it has three ingredients – cooked hot chapatti, some ghee and sugar. It sounds simple but trust me it tastes heavenly! I guess I have passed on my penchant for choori to my daughter who loves it to the core and never seems to get enough of it.
Here is the amount of ingredients I used. Feel free to adjust these to cater to your taste.
2 hot Chapattis1 tsp Homemade Ghee (adjust +/ -)2 tsp Sugar (adjust +/ -) Toasted black and white sesame seeds to sprinkle (optional)
The task of making a choori isn’t easy. Handling hot chapatti is tough and it was invariably my dad who used to make this for me.Take the hot chapatti and drizzle over the ghee and sugar.Working with fingers of both the hands, crush the chapatti to medium sized crumbs (as shown in the pic).Adjust the texture to your liking by crushing it less or more or as desired.The choori is ready…have it right away and enjoy heaven on earth J
Note: Ensure that the chapati is not thinly rolled. I usually make somewhat 'heavy' chapatis to use for the choori.
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