Foraging Squirrel

Here’s a short video I shot on Indian palm squirrel foraging amid plants at my previous residence in Kottivakkam, Chennai. We had enough open space there to grow plants and naturally the ground was incline to grow grasses, invite squirrels to forage on the scattered weeds. I truly miss the space now, but squirrels are everywhere and I see them often on palm trees here since they belong to the specimen, I couldn't reach them easily like before to shoot. Even while composing this post (5.30pm), I hear squirrel shrilling outside.

Experience with Aavin, AVMs and Price Hike

Milk is an essential of life and feeds no difference!  Coming out of mother’s feeding, milk has been the best source of nutrition for kids and also easily digestible, it treats everyone (with no age difference) being a special ingredient as beverage is open to varied flavours. For many, a day does not begin without coffee or tea and to make it possible milk is the prominent. Though they can be prepared using hot water, only milk seems to provide the real essence of taste.  I also don’t drink coffee/tea without added to milk and we use about 1.5 litre of milk everyday at home to make drink and curd and to feed our dog Maya.

A scene in front of AVM  (pic: the hindu)

Things being like that, the Aavin (the trademark of Tamil Nadu Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited, a Tamil Nadu-based milk producer’s union) have raised the price of milk up to 40 percent per litre which is ever so high in a single hike. It wouldn't have been a matter of huge difference if the price was increased step by step (which could be the right progress), but this couldn't be an easy task for people to follow with low income. Being a consumer of Aavin since late 90s (when we stopped getting raw milk from my grandfather's house as they themselves wasn't sufficient with milk for their tea shop, because of the reduction of bulls they reared, as their demand was also fulfilled by Aavin) we adapted to their quality and quantity which has been content so far and suppose to be hopefully. Though the hike doesn't seems to bother us much, will truly play a crucial role on low income families. Just because we are affordable, can’t accept such huge step that’s very difficult for others to come across and if the govt. itself makes such a leap, there won’t be wonder if Pvt. overtakes them.

The price has risen within weeks the Aavin stopped selling loose milk supplied through automatic vending machines (AVMs) in Aavin booths. But the reality was the AVMs aren’t in operation for long time and it’s only the staffs take the control of selling loose milk using measures.  The change in the mode of supply is being done as a quality control measure as there have been complaints of adulteration of the milk sold through these machines. The organisation has chosen to do away with this mode which will cost them an additional ₹1.25 crore per annum. Introduced by Aavin in late 1970s, AVMs has been big hit among Chennaities as they provided an interesting experience, which I too enjoyed once, as I find it fun dropping coins into the AVMs (after making line to the Aavin booth to collect coins by paying at the counter) and fill our utensil with milk flow through a pipe. Each coin let us hold half a litre of milk which was their standard practice.

While back in Adyar, there’s an Aavin booth near our house and we usually visit the booth in afternoon and sometime wait in queue until the milk van come refilling the booth. Many of our neighbours also join the queue and sometime I accompany my aunt on behalf our family to buy milk. Mostly I like to go there to hold milk from the AVMs; even I can't drop the coin at that height since I wasn't even a teen then, but sometimes I have the chance to operate the automated machine if someone lifts me up. Locally called as Button Paal (milk), because of the size of the coin which used to drop into the AVM resembles the size of a button or 25 paisa coin, can be brought either through Milk Cards or instant paying according to our comfort.  If milk has been in demand, a person could buy only a litre of milk from the booth, so sometime parents take us along with them to get additional coins or litres.

After shifted to neighbourhood area, dad took the task of buying milk completely since there isn’t an Aavin booth close to our house; so he used to buy milk while he drives back from office.  He also stopped using utensil, as it is not possible while he was working he shifted to buy milk loosely in instant pack. We don’t buy packet or sachet milk unless we couldn’t able to visit the booth and now again back in Adyar and close to Aavin booth we had been buying milk loosely in utensil but now things come to an end hence Aavin stopped selling milk in loose and through AVMs from  Oct 15. So we are quite depended on packet milk, but my only hope and wish was Aavin sustains the existing quality and quantity. 

My favourite kind of fence

Fence and gates always fascinate me and I wanted to make separate posts on them in order to exhibit my photos related to same, so joined “Run a Round Ranch” for Good Fence meme for first time. Following is a neat fence that encloses a little pool belonged to some cottages in Kodaikanal that I shot from the cottage we stayed above. I think the entire setting is built to attract visitors’ esp. children but what interest to shoot these pictures was the white picket fence.

Among the different kind of fences, the white picket fence with sharp edges has been my favourite always. The white fence lay around the green lawn does look pretty always and in the picture above there is another fence line (you could notice) goes aside the ramp leading into the cottage. Apart the fences, I observed few more things that lay around (a small yellow pedal boat, a terracotta horse and cute cross bridge) were also attractive.

Hope you enjoyed the fence... will try to keep up on this series starting from now. Thank you TexWisGirl :)

Sweets and snacks

Like I said in my previous post, Deepavali is not only about firecrackers sweets and snacks are part and special ingredient of the festival of lights. Every year we prepare sweets and snacks at home and distribute it to relatives and friends as a source of sharing our festival zest. Usually the sweet and snack we prepare at home was the traditional items of "Athirasam and Murukku", though both are made of rice flour Athirasam has melted Jaggery and patted rondure. I think people who follow certain customs as Nombu are bound to prepare Athirasam and Murukku but there isn't a restriction to go beyond making varied sweets and snacks.

Below is a collage of our preparation at home:

I feel regret now why we shifted our house from the apartment, as I think how wonderful it has been then sharing the festival sweets and snacks with flat neighbours likewise they do.  Though we share with a neighbour here, I feel something missing on the festival front and it wwasn'tlively it used to be with kids running around and shouting happy Deepavali in energetic yet sweet voice. It was another wonderful scene to see kids all gather at the entrance of the apartment and enjoy bursting and sharing the firecrackers. Most of the time it’s only the kids bring the Deepavali snacks and greet us in their glorious colourful attires. 

Deepavali, Celebrations and Sharing

(No more greetings pls! Diwali is over two days ago)

Deepavali! Spelling the word itself causes some magic and brings enthusiasm. While nearing the festival of lights comes an unexplainable joy and mind began to thinks how to celebrate it efficiently and make memorable. From the childhood days Deepavali has been my favourite festival or I can say season, as we pick up firecrackers less than a month ahead to the festival loosely from the local retail shops.  The best Deepavali celebration ever in my life was spent with my late uncle in 1998 and it was a period we were reconstructing our house and temporarily shifted to my grandmother’s place. The celebration was wholesome as we gathered as more than two families, everything was double! My uncle wasn’t an enthusiast of firecrackers, but understanding that we are he bought us enough and also joining in the fun warfare.

a firework display

My father used to bring crackers list from his office when he was in service, where they used to collect fund and make some present for Deepavali and also arrange for firecrackers according to the list we marked on. Unlike my late uncle, the young one was just like us and a decade elder than me has been a prior to us on buying and bursting crackers. He used to buy 10-20,000 walas and make electric throughout the street, however it cause an impression and impact about us it’s definitely a regardless  act to make nuisance by creating loud noises. Though things have changed quite later but the first and most fascinating thing that comes to mind (still) about Deepavali is firecrackers. Apart sweet and snacks, new dresses and special program on television, our main intention has been   bursting firecrackers.  I see the interesting of bursting firecrackers has come down and even I see changes within myself and I have almost lost interest on loud crackers, but the enthusiasm for firework remain. I keep looking out at sky for firework display from the day ahead and followed by Deepavalai, I make venture into the neighbourhood looking for Aerial Outs. 

Firecrackers aren’t part of our life and we aren't going to burst every day, and it’s indeed against nature and environment but I think they cause festival mood. It’s hard to image a Deepavali without noise though I stopped liking the loud crackers and even the firecracker I used to burst was only crackles or sparkles. This year the noise has come down so much in neighbourhood (for good) and I also began to hate loud crackers as it makes deafening, I haven’t been liked for noise even when I was able to fire crackers. During Deepavali season one could see me then with ears surrounded by black marks (gun powder) as I used to close my ears after igniting firecrackers to ignore sound, so was my favourite one always been the Red Bijli which make less noise among the firecrackers. Only last year I couldn’t celebrate Deepavali not only from firecracker and I also couldn’t go out looking for firework as I was put on cast for femur fracture. I know Deepavali is not only about firecrackers, but we have grown celebrating that way and coming out quite will take some time. As an initial step we can deny quite all noise creating crackers and look for light and colors... according to the meaning of festival of lights, let’s add only colors.

I think celebrating a festival couldn’t be anything if we aren’t able to share with others. I see no difference in people from their daily activity to festival day; they just want to be left alone whether watching television or staring Smartphone or computers. People lost interest not only celebrating festivals, but also from variously activities where there energy used to be high and emotionally supportive. I wonder where we are heading without facing each other and sharing the moment, I think even sitting quiet beside will do magic and make sense of sharing. I think the festivals and certain events are made for memorable to think back and cherish about the days being together and had fun. I know priorities change from time to time and it also depend on our need and desire but no where it said that past has to be forgotten or ignored because we have better things to practice. Workaholic and different lifestyle take people far way but things aren’t same in this advanced communication system, but the matter is we don’t have a mind or put thought to share.