Mushroom Capsicum Curry

“Your flight is delayed by 35 minutes.”

That notification combined with my extra cautious parents sending me off to Cochin Airport three hours before departure means I have ample time to try food samples of Indian sweets or write blogs from the boarding gate.  2024 has been.. an interesting year but the last few weeks have been some of the best after I received the corporate blessing of two weeks off during the holidays. My family travelled together to visit Puri and Bhubaneswar followed by Visakhapatnam. I had hoped to turn my brain off and just follow their lead during this journey but that proved too costly, especially after a slightly traumatising experience onboard the Indian Railways on an especially sleepy morning, the details of which shall remain hidden.

Puri is a historically significant coastal town, home of the famous 12th century Jagannath temple. We were greeted by consistent rains throughout our time there though (which was preceded by fog induced-low-visibility-induced delays at Delhi airport) and thus completed the entire darshan while wiping water off our glasses, unable to take in the temple’s architecture. Konark was stunning, the sun god didn’t let us down during our visit to the 13th century Sun temple. Intricate work displaying dancers, animals, flowers, gods all carved in stone by hand. While I was in awe at all the ancient artistic talent on display, the holiday season tourist crowds meant we had to act quite fast (which isn’t easy with rowdy kids running around) at the photo ops.

Then comes Bhubaneswar; as a natural resident of another tier-2 Indian city, calling Bhubaneswar a tier-2 city seemed like an exaggeration. Maybe we were exploring the older city or the lesser developed sections, but in our entire road trip in Orissa I didn’t spot a single building above five stories. Most homesteads were single or double-storied and the agriculture based state economy and resulting contrast of per capita GDP was shockingly evident. The restaurants with the best reviews were literal shacks! In any case, my strategy of Googling my itinerary beforehand (which works beatifully in Hong Kong, Singapore, Delhi, Kochi and Vizag) proved almost entirely useless in Bhubaneswar. We were finally able to redeem our culinary experience at Dalma, happily trying Pakhala, Patra Puda and the eponymous Dalma for the first time.

We then took a train to Visakhapatnam (or Vizag), a coastal town decked by hill tops much like Hong Kong. For a bachelor trip, the hike/trek/water sport/adventure/food opportunities are  endless, but of course as a family, we stuck to temples and shopping. After the delicious ultra-spicy Andhra meals and patented Apricot Delight at The Spicy Venue, we explored the clean and green city that rebuilt itself after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Mind you, across all these towns with hilly routes and rains pouring, we sometimes travelled in a single auto rickshaw as four adults, taking 2-3 minutes each time to fit all our limbs in first.

On one such evening, we were walking down Vizag’s popular beach road after a tour of the aircraft museum. As it was Christmas eve, the atmosphere was lively as people huddled to catch sunset over the Bay of Bengal before the lights turned on. To our surprise, we saw a horse-driven carriage sponsored by the bigger hotels pass by, blaring Christmas carols with elves and Santa onboard. The wagon stopped near us for journalists to take pictures and kids gathered for their Santa moment. After all the tiny tots; this ‘Santa’ spotted me, waved me over and handed me a present too (a first for someone who doesn’t really celebrate Christmas)! This present is a beginner painting palette, provoking my mother to joke that even Santa realised I needed to add some colour in my life (wow).

My mother has really become younger with age. Maybe not in terms of physical health, the 1.5km uphill trek was a real task for the former kho-kho and throwball player. But mentally, she is as much a chuckling diva as ever. During the fleeting last week of the year spent at home, she would whittle around issuing instructions at a 100 per minute with visual cues (wash your hands followed by a display of what washing hands looks like). What a joy it is to watch her say “Mushroom Capsicum Curry” into the Google voice assistant followed by a low chuckle at having mastered technology.

There is a well-known Sanskrit saying that translates to “Mother and Motherland is superior to heaven”. I think (and I hope) it holds true in most cases. Kochi was superior to every place I visited this year. It has the coasts, the rains, the hills nearby with Munnar and Thekkady, the temples, enough development balanced with greenery and peace. Even Convent Junction, located next to St. Teresa’s college has stores that offer so much more variety and options than your average Watsons at much better value for money. As I drove across the city, surprised that beauty salons and churches were the most crowded on New Years’ Eve, I wondered how much the city where I grew up influenced my personality and my life’s path. When I passed by Regional Sports Centre, where I learnt how to swim fifteen years ago, I made a mental note to not just float with my head above the water in the coming year. Take a deep breath, look ahead, smile and dive. Happy New Year!