Wonderful hospitality and little taste of Nature-living.....

 

It has been four months since we made the ‘great move’ and I feel I am a little qualified now to write about our experiences here so far.

My last blog post ended with a feeling of uncertainty as to what our time here would be like, but after the passage of almost four months here, I can confidently say – So far so good! It hasn’t been a super breezy move, however not that difficult as well. When one is mentally prepared for the difficulties that lie ahead, they don’t seem gigantic when you face them.

Let me begin with our first day here, when we entered the apartment and it ended no sooner than it began but now after living here for this period of time, we kind of have realized that this is just enough place for the two of us. I am yet to understand though how people around here are managing their entire family in just 1BHK or 1RK even. That astounds and impresses me at the same time!

The first week at any new place can be overwhelming as you do not know where to go for what! Here we were in for a beautiful surprise when the agent (a young man of 24 bursting with youthful energy) who had helped us in procuring this apartment invited us to his home for breakfast. Not used to this kind of an invitation and also not feeling comfortable to impose, we politely declined but he was insistent that he would be able to come along with us to get internet service at the apartment, only if we come to pick him up. Once we reached his home, he welcomed us so warmly into his home that we were completely blown away! The family treated us to dosas and then this guy along with his fiancé accompanied us to help get the internet connection in place.

Furthermore, once this work was over, he literally forced us to go to his place again for lunch and himself made fish-fry for my husband. What more could he have asked for! Never before had we witnessed such hospitality in a strange land where the family knew nothing about us, could not even speak our language (except the boy) yet so heartily welcomed us into their fold. After lunch he took us around to familiarize us with the town, helped in buying a bed and negotiating for it. Imagine spending an entire day with us when it was absolutely no business of his! At the end of the day, he and his fiancé told us to keep ourselves free for their forthcoming wedding. This was pleasant as a wedding is an intimate affair, and one wouldn’t invite just anybody to it. I for one immediately nudged my husband and felt a surge of happy satisfaction as when I was packing my sarees, my husband had told me to leave them behind as to where would I require them in Karjat. A wedding invitation on the first day brought forth a triumphant smile on my face!

Our first local wedding invitation

The first week was spent going back and forth to his college and this home as setting up needed time and we needed to get a comfortable sleep at the campus guest house, before another grueling day started.

The first week also gave us a sneak peek into the lovely wildlife here. While driving, right in front of the car, we spotted the most beautiful neon green snake we had ever seen. Then another day as we came to the apartment, we saw thousands of bees, making a hive on our balcony. With immense difficulty spanning several days, we were finally able to get them to move away. Another one was spotting a big black cobra while parking our car in the stilt of the building. This told us that we need to be on a constant lookout for snakes.

Hive making process - LIVE!

Another humorous incident involving a snake was when we were out for a walk and a certain area had tall, dried grass. My husband told me to be very cautious and watch out for snakes, but I seemed to be unperturbed and quite confident and was walking around in my own swag but soon that confidence gave away when my husband spotted a long and thick brown snake crawling in the bushes. He yelled ‘Snake’ and I screamed in response to his then …..Man!!!!!!!! My shriek sounded loud and funny to my own ears as I too spotted it. Ab jaakar jeewan mein wo muhawara charitaarth hua, “Pairo ke neeche se zameen khisak jaana.” Somehow, we managed to get out of the place but now every sound in the grass makes me think of an approaching snake.

                                                  The most beautiful snake I've ever seen

Next was to look for a house help who could wash clothes for the time till we bought a washing machine. The only two outlets here had all semi-automatics and one or two top-loads, Amazon/ Flipkart (the only two that deliver here) were taking at least 10 days to deliver a front load washing machine. Anyways, the search seemed futile as getting domestic help here is not easy and if you do find one, you’d realize that they seem to be assuming that we are loaded and won’t mind throwing away whatever unreasonable salary they quote. No laundromat was also available, no dry clean shop, no wall clock shop and to my amazement even a tiny thing like ‘Catch table salt sprinkler’, wasn’t available.

I couldn’t find a car cleaner for entire 3 months and became pretty trained at cleaning and washing the car too. Finally got one a few days ago and I heaved a sigh of relief. Thankfully my home cleaning and dishes are sorted with my Robot cleaner and dishwasher else I would have been doing that as well!

One would think the things would be inexpensive here, but you bet! We are paying a higher price for everything compared to what we were in Greater Noida. From veggies, fruits, presswala, to plumber, electrician and even our internet connection, everything comes at a premium.

My husband has always been an avid fan of IKEA stores and ever since he knew we were moving to Karjat, he would keep telling me how we would get all our furniture from there. So, IKEA Navi Mumbai store is a huge one and for several weekends, it became our favourite haunt and its Swiss Restaurant our date point! Getting furniture to fit our custom requirements wasn’t easy enough. We needed a sofa cum bed as one bedroom had been converted into study by hubby dear (as it is, it’s tiny). Whichever sofa cum bed we liked, would be too large for the space but finally we found one which was just the right size. We chose a complementing coffee table to go with the size and were finally happy at being able to select these two. This happiness, however, was short-lived as we were told that both were out of stock. After constant online monitoring of its restocking, we were able to bring these home after more than a month of shifting. Until then, our faithful carpet was working as our sitting space. Hubby dear of course enjoyed his multiple trips to his Disneyland buying several knickknacks. Till date he tells me, ‘Let’s go to IKEA’ and I’m like NOOOOOOO as every trip makes our pockets lighter by several thousand!

                                       Driving to the IKEA store (chatting away simultaneously)

You would think that buying probiotic ‘Yakult’ is easy. Well not for me. There is only one supermarket store here which stocks that, so I have to go there whenever I want it. Getting Octane 95 petrol isn’t easy as well. At times I have had to wait days for it to become available at the petrol pumps finally having to settle for regular petrol as the tank was almost empty. Petrol is costlier by Rs. 14/- per litre and due to the village roads with bumps at every 100-200 meters, the average of the car is ruinous. From driving around at the speed of 80kms/hr in Greater Noida, I have come down to 20kms/hr here. 😁

People around us are generally nice & helpful. My hello hi people are the auto walas, the cycle wala, the phal wala with his wife (who also gave me her home-made Gujiya on holi) the macchhi wali, the presswala’s wife, the tailor, the ration wala and so on. These are all our neighbors.

I’m told that the village folk are only good until I get on their wrong side. Then it’ll be a crowd against me. (I’m hoping such a day never comes). One of my husband’s colleagues has been at the receiving end of their ire when he accidently killed a hen that jumped in front of his car. A huge crowd gathered and harassed him to no end. Eventually, he had to shell out Rs. 5000/- as compensation to get out of the situation (and in his own words – “Paise bhi gaye aur murgi bhi nahi mili”)

I think this writeup is long enough now and before my readers get bored of reading, I should sign off! Thankfully most of my readers are not Gen Z whose attention span is hardly a few seconds.😉

Will come back with more soon.

 

 

 

Life Changing Move - Part II....... The journey of 1600kms

 

The journey of 1600kms

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and so taking a step towards the next phase of our life, we left Gr. Noida on a cold wintry morning. January in the north means the winter season is at its peak. That implies biting cold and fog/smog. As anticipated, we woke up to a foggy morning that day and since we had accounted for this in our plan, after a hearty breakfast at our loving bhaiya-bhabhi’s place, and armed with the classic aloo-poori, generously packed for us by our dear friends, we left our home at 11am.

Charting out the most convenient route was top priority and in this too, we were helped by a friend who made us speak with her brother, who was a regular road traveler on this route. Quite elaborately he guided us about the route, specifying where we should halt for the two nights, which area to cover during the daytime and what to expect during the journey. Armed with that information, we were quite comfortable as we started the journey.

The journey was to be completed in three legs-

1.  Gr. Noida – Eastern Peripheral- Delhi Mumbai Expressway- Dausa – Ajmer byepass- Bhilwara- Chittorgarh

2. Chittorgarh- Udaipur - Himmatnagar – Ahmedabad – Anand – Delhi Mumbai Expressway- Bharuch- Surat

3.    Surat- Navsari- Vapi- Vasai-Virar – Thane- Navi Mumbai – Karjat

One thing we absolutely love about Gr. Noida is the wide roads which make it possible to drive at a stellar speed of 80-90 kms/hr even on the internal roads! We knew that Rajasthan too has a splendid network of roads as we had done a road trip covering the entire Rajasthan in 2021 and knew by firsthand experience how smooth the roads were. In fact, just about two months ago, I drove to Jaipur with my friends and were glad to see that marvelous stretch of the Delhi Mumbai Expressway. Even though the speed limit is 120km/hr yet we prefer to drive at around 90km/hr so as to have the car under control and sometimes if we need to pull it up a notch then just about 100 but never more than that. That said, we had a lovely drive that day making hardly any stops as our tummies were packed to capacity after that brunch and then the packed lunch helped us save time on stopping at a restaurant, thinking about the order, then placing it, waiting for it to arrive and then eating it. Instead, we just parked and relished the ever-constant travel companions of North Indians- Aloo poori!

As we drove, we realized that we were not feeling as tired as we had thought we would. We even started contemplating driving up to Udaipur instead of Chittorgarh. It was a conscious decision on our part to not make any advance hotel bookings as we did not want to feel pressurized into driving up to the city of the hotel booking in case, we did not feel like it. This proved beneficial as we kept changing our plans enroute. However, as we approached Chittorgarh, we felt it was wiser to spend the night there rather than overexerting ourselves. All through the drive, we were getting inputs from one friend or the other which were proving helpful and just as we were approaching Chittorgarh, we got a call from a friend who suggested to us a newly opened property bang on the highway. It was a blessing as we again saved time on hotel hunting. As we drove in, we were in for a pleasant surprise as the hotel had a lovely exterior. The room was also quite cozy and the dinner of Manchow soup, piping hot Sev Tameta served with Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Raita, Salad and topped with nice hot Gulab Jamuns just made our day. The major downside was their hot water system had somehow collapsed, and we were obviously in need of a shower after having driven all day. They did provide us with buckets of hot water to compensate but this led to the loss of precious time both at night and in the morning.

                                                  

Next morning we woke up at 5am with the desire to hit roads early. Thankfully there was no fog so could have started early but the hot water fiasco delayed us by over an hour, and we were finally able to get on to the road at 8am. Breakfast wasn’t possible as the hotel didn’t serve eggs, and we didn’t want to have aloo poori again. We both always find it impossible to leave home without eating so all along the way, we kept a lookout for eggs. Eventually, we found a dilapidated shack/dhaba with eggs kept on display. We waited on the charpai basking in the bright winter sun, while the dhaba workers fought among themselves on how the other knew or knew nothing about making an omelet. As a result, I was served a semi burnt omelet, but I was so hungry that I gobbled it up instantly. We kept driving, bypassing Udaipur, reaching Himmatnagar and then Ahmedabad. We decided to have lunch after crossing Ahmedabad but to our annoyance we didn’t like the only place we found serving lunch after that. Thinking we would find something further, we moved on, only to be disappointed to figure that nothing else was available for a very long time.

                                              

The stretch of road we had there was perhaps the best I would say. We crossed Anand which is the place from where AMUL began. For every Indian, Amul (Anand Milk Union Limited) is a brand which even the children know. Thereafter, we found a stretch of the Delhi Mumbai Expressway after we had left it in Dausa (near Jaipur). Sad to say, the road wasn’t smooth. We bypassed Vadodra and exited near Bharuch. After driving on smooth roads this far, we were in for a rude shock as we entered Bharuch. The entry into Bharuch was through a tiny lane which seemed impassable for two cars alongside. The town wore a dismal look at the entry point but became progressively bustling as we moved to the interiors. It was almost 5pm by now and we were dying of hunger. As we were scouting for a possible stopover for food, we were overjoyed to see a shopping mall. Immediately we drove inside the mall complex and looked for food. There we had the most amazing Shrikhand (American nut flavour), Dabeli, Chhaas and Bhelpuri. Satiated, we started our further drive for Surat. The condition of the roads and traffic went downhill from Bharuch and so I conveniently handed over the car to my husband (that is what I always selfishly do when the roads are no longer smooth)!

                                                

As we drove out, we saw beautiful displays of kites and yarns of manjha as the famous Kite Flying Festival of Uttarayan was approaching and Gujarat celebrates it with full grandeur. We saw the Dandi March Road and slowly drove along as maintaining good speed was no longer an option. The roads were riddled with heavy traffic of trucks and so one had to drive cautiously. As we were about to approach Surat, we discussed that we did have the energy to drive more and if we stopped at Surat, we would have to enter the city which would kill our time both that day and the following morning. Thinking on the go, we decided to bypass Surat and head to Navsari. On the way, we found a nice food court where we had subway sandwiches and coffee. We were to reach Navsari at 8pm and so I made an online booking via Agoda in a hotel I found decent, however my booking was immediately canceled due to non-availability of rooms. Not at all disheartened, we planned to now stop at Vapi for the night. On reaching Vapi however, we couldn’t find one decent hotel. All of them looked shady and were ridiculously expensive for the rooms and services they were offering. It was better to continue driving and look for a highway hotel rather than stay at a shabby dismal place.

After about half an hour of drive as we were almost about to cross Gujarat and enter Maharashtra, we happened to find a livable highway hotel. It wasn’t the best but just manageable. Having driven for over 14 hours, we had become so tired by then that nothing mattered, and we just crashed after having a shower.

Next morning, we had a heavy breakfast of Idli, dosa, poha and sandwiches as we had no idea when we would get our next meal. We had heard that the last leg of our journey would be the most difficult as the entire stretch was under construction. Since we had covered quite a distance the previous day, the last day’s drive was shortened considerably. The map showed that we would reach our destination by 2pm but that was not to be! After driving carefully on the under-construction road, as soon as we entered Mumbai and turned towards Thane Road from Vasai-Virar, we were caught in a heavy traffic jam. Apart from the annoyance a traffic jam usually causes, it becomes even more irritating if one is hungry. My hunger pangs had struck hard and even though I was trying to curb my hunger with Banana chips, peanuts etc, I was still hungry. Around 2 pm, we cleared the traffic, and I found a place serving Misal Pav. In my hunger, I forgot eating missal in a moving car was not possible, so thankfully to end my misery and to my immediate relief, my husband crossed the road and got me Vada pav. With a broad smile and a filled tummy, we set towards Karjat crossing Thane, Belapur, Khargar & Panvel bypass. We even stopped about half an hour before Karjat to eat the packed missal.

Finally at 4pm, we entered Karjat- our destination and were greeted by a huge statue of Bhagwaan Shri Vitthal! The apartment we had rented out was a short distance from there and we planned to have a look at it, before heading to my husband’s new workplace where arrangements for our stay had been made. As soon as we opened the door of the apartment, we both took a step back in shock and exchanged glances which silently conveyed the sentence – Itna Chhota!!!!!!!!!! Idhar shuroo hua aur khatam bhi ho gaya! We felt jitters running through us thinking that despite all our hard work with measurements and calculations, none of the stuff we had shipped would fit in here. Nothing more could be done and so we proceeded towards the college which was a hugely bumpy drive but the view of the hills, a tiny river flowing alongside and the setting sun, presented a visual treat which was enhanced by the beauty of the college which bore the look of a castle as we entered. With that, we ended our 1600km long road journey on a beautiful note surrounded by the serenity of the rustling leaves, the chirruping sound of the birds and the sight of a beautiful lake filled with pink and white lotuses. It was indeed picture perfect!

 

To our son on his 21st birthday…

                                             

My dear boy, you have now reached the age of legal majority in India so technically you’re now a man! Can you believe that? I mean how can I ever forget those moments when you twisted and rolled inside my tummy causing bulges to move and shift like sand dunes, then the moment when I first held you in my arms; you stretched with your tiny hands and yawned with that tiny mouth making you look so adorable. That journey of ours, which began together 21 years ago, is now mostly going to be a solo trip for you as you embrace legal adulthood.

It’s been three years since you graduated from school and embarked on a new journey which made you move far away from us. You remember the countless times during the school years when we threatened to send you away to hostel because you wouldn’t live life the way we wanted? You know as much as we do, that those were just shallow threats as we could’ve never sent you away at that tender age. We wanted you more than probably you wanted us. And now that you’ve been away for quite some time, I feel so blessed that we got to be together for a good eighteen years. If one could have all that one desires, then we would love to envelop you in our arms forever, but sending you far away was a conscious decision because a bird cannot fly unless let out of its cage. We wanted you to experience life on your own and that could never have happened, had we selfishly kept you around.

Turning 21 means you’re at the threshold of the peak of youth. This decade will bring about so many novel experiences that you might just get exhausted! Graduating from college, thinking about Post Grad, the struggles of placement, the entanglement of relationships, some heartbreaks, some back stabbings, some beautiful moments, some travel experiences, some friends getting married and some still wondering what to do in life…….you’ll be seeing it all through this decade.

This will be an overwhelming phase of life. From being the child who’s constantly fawned upon and asked about his requirements, you’ll be expected to do things for others as you’re youthful and strong now. Though your opinion has always been valued, now you might also be a crucial decision maker in many ways. As children turn older, parents start relying more and more on them and you, my dear, are our backbone. However, I hope you are not assuming that you won’t have to listen to us anymore.  That stays. Ok!

We want you to soar high, not in terms of monetary success but in terms of sincere contentment of the heart. That feeling of accomplishment, once you’ve completed a task honestly and with full commitment to it, is unparalleled! Put your heart and soul into the things that matter, things that bring about positive changes in life.

Success in our human world is measured in terms of the money one is making but you, my boy, should never sacrifice your personal happiness and health and join that rat race which millions around the world are participating in. Of course, you have to live your life, and you know as well as anyone that making money is part and parcel of the deal but work only to fulfil the needs of yourself and your dependents and under no circumstances at the cost of your mental sanity. Keep that balance in place.

Start investing from the time you get your first salary even though it might just be a very tiny amount but the age old saying of ‘boond boond se hee sagar banta hai’ is absolutely true. Disciplined and consistent investments yield long-term results. You’ll be tempted to blow away all your money as that will be the first time you’ll have access to your own salary but being sensible is the key. Short term pains give long term gains.

Travel the world and gain experiences. You’ve had the privilege of traveling extensively since childhood and I’m sure you treasure those experiences so, instead of wasting your money on being sloshed every weekend (like most youngsters), plan exquisite trips across India and around the world. There is so much a person can learn from something as enjoyable as travelling.

Value the relationships you have with people around you. Be cynical but not overly assessing. Treasure those who have stayed with you through thick and thin.

If you’re lucky enough, some lovely girl will enter your life and brighten it. Appreciate her, respect her and love her with all your heart if she’s worth it but don’t let yourself be trodden upon like a doormat ever in any relationship. If you respect someone, you deserve it equally in return.

At times things will not turn out the way you wanted them to, and it might seem that nothing around you is favorable. At such times, do not succumb to the pressure. Remember not all things are under our control. Try all in your might to rectify a situation but once you’ve given your best and it still is unsolvable, slowly retract from the situation/person. Remember not to invest your time and energy in things that are irreparable. You’ve often heard Dad tell you about sunk cost fallacy. It is as applicable in other things as it is in investment.

Do not ever think that you know everything. There is much to learn from everyone around you. A seemingly insignificant person or moment might have an important life lesson to teach you. So never be assuming, arrogant and self-absorbed.  Have an open mind, not superficially but actually. Learn to appreciate the qualities others have. Complimenting people comes naturally when you have a good heart. People feel happy when they are complimented and appreciated even for tiny things which you have noticed in them. So, make an effort to notice things and tell them things you like about them. Don’t be too liberal with showering compliments also though as it then diminishes their value but do not reserve them too. Use them appropriately, as and when you genuinely feel the need. 

Finally, before wrapping up this letter, I’d like to reinforce that you mean the world to us. For others you are just another human being on this planet but for us, you are our universe. So, take care of yourself, enjoy life, stay healthy both mentally and physically. God bless you always.

                                                          

                                                          Happy 21st Birthday love <3

A life changing move!

 

The year 2024 brought about a sea change in our lives. When I say sea change, I mean it in the literal sense. My sailor husband, after having contemplated quitting the sea for quite some time, finally decided to do so in the month of July as he returned from one of his voyages. He hadn’t intended it to be his last (second or third last definitely) but then he had an epiphany and in that moment of realization, he felt it was now or never and thus started our foray into the world of semi-retirement.

Due to his flourishing sea career spanning almost three long decades, he had a plethora of shore job opportunities coming his way, but he was determined not to spend another night awake for work even if it meant bidding adieu to several tempting offers. Money was not the driving force anymore, only some intellectual stimulation and a feeling of being worthwhile and therefore, training prospective sea cadets seemed the most appropriate way of giving it back to the seafaring community.

That sorted, now the pressing question was where to spend the sunset years of our lives. Even though we had a large and beautiful apartment nestled in the loveliest residential condominium yet there was a feeling of unrest owing to the growing problem of pollution in the NCR region. This again had been on our radar for the last two years when our son graduated from school and left for college. We often discussed that there was nothing holding us back in NCR any further and we must take the plunge but finding the right place to move seemed to be a challenge.

Growing up in the hills, I have a special place for them but however much I love the hills, the thought of going bone cold in the winters was petrifying. Goa is our all-time love as we love the culture and also my sailor husband wanted to be able to be close to the sea, but then again, there was nothing for hubby dear to do there which would enable him to have peaceful nights. All those who know us well were aware of this constant dilemma which would at times take a backseat when we thought of the comfort zone in which we were living. Then again in a few days, reality would bite when smog would envelop the area and GRAP 4 would be in place.

Eventually one of our friends told us about an opening in the quaint village of Karjat in Maharasthra. Strategically located in the Western Ghats, it provided a perfect combination of hills and close proximity to the sea, along with a wonderful college to work in. Much to the shock of our friends and family, in the short span of just a week, we decided to make the big move cause if we contemplated any longer, we would definitely have chickened out.

With just one month in hand to wind up everything, catch up with our family and friends, serve our one month notice at work and mentally prepare ourselves, we had an overloaded schedule.

The concern of meeting all our friends before leaving was quickly solved as we both had our upcoming birthday, so it was the perfect opportunity to throw a party and meet them all together. So along with other things, the party planning also jumped in! With one friend providing his farmhouse as the venue and another providing a list of caterers to choose from, it wasn’t too tough to plan but since we’re not into active party hosting, it wasn’t quite a perfectly done affair. Thankfully, we’ve chosen our friends well and none of them, despite their fancy lifestyles and experience at hosting soirees, is snooty. For this, we absolutely love them!

Birthday party done, my nieces arrived from New Zealand, the very next morning. This was the first time they had come to spend a couple of days with us alone. Naturally the excitement at my end was palpable. Despite the crazy schedule, we had decided to give them ample time as it was a rare opportunity and now, knowing that we were moving to a village, it was even more important for me to make the max out of this visit of theirs. We had fun together and created some lovely memories.

Time was ticking by, and we had much left to accomplish. The biggest challenge was the task of segregation - what to discard, what to leave behind an what to take. Three separate lists and nothing going easy. It is heart wrenching to part with things you have painstakingly put together over the years, but we reminded ourselves that all these are just materialistic things and what matters most is always intangible. This was the motivating force, and we distributed things left, right and center trying to ensure they reached the right people who would appreciate their value by using them.

Being avid readers, the three of us had accumulated several books. Despite giving away bags full of books, time and again, we would somehow again end up with truckloads. It was time to yet again part with them and this time, it was almost our entire stock that we had to give away. That was the most hurtful!

Next was the search for a place to live in Karjat. Staying in Greater Noida, we were accustomed to having a real estate at every hundred meters but that was not the case in Karjat. I spent tiresome hours trying to catch hold of some agent but came up empty handed. So, I decided to explore on my own over the internet. The next challenge was to find a 3bhk. After extensive search, I found out that 3 bhk wasn’t a thing in Karjat. Most of the apartments were 1RK or 1bhk. After getting to know this, 2bhk also started to seem a luxury and so the hunt for 2bhk started. Next, I found out that modular kitchen is not a concept in Karjat. They just give you a slab/ countertop just like in the old days. Compromising over the size of the house was one thing but giving up the convenience of a proper modular kitchen was another. Eventually after much search, I found just the right society, but the problem was finding someone who had an apartment there and was looking for a prospective tenant.

With our tight timeline, going to Karjat and exploring the place ourselves was not possible. Thankfully, we were able to connect with a young energetic boy, who agreed to visit the place and act as an agent for us. My joy knew no bounds when we were finally able to get a 2bhk with a modular kitchen!

Moving from a lavish 4bhk+study to a tiny 2bhk (Mumbai size), we had to take along bare minimum. Technically, we could take almost nothing and what we could, had to be done very mindfully. My meticulous husband found, took out the floor plan of the apartment, measured everything that we were planning to take along and tried to visualize where we would place which piece of furniture. This again was a cumbersome process, but it gave us confidence that we would be able to fit in the things we were planning to take.

During this time, there was so much else also going on that it is difficult to explain and put on paper. My husband’s changed residential status, our son’s semester break visit, a quick trip to Dehradun as it was the first time in all these years that my sister and I along with our respective spouses and kids, were able to be with our parents. Even though it was just for a couple of hours, we had to do this. Then we had our very adorable cousin who flew all the way from Singapore to spend a day with us before we moved and a visit from my mother-in-law whom we wished to have home before we left.

Apart from this, the emotional weight of leaving behind some friends who never thought you would leave and the students who were so attached that one could never have imagined the extent of their sorrow until it was witnessed live on the last day at school.

Finally, the year 2025 kicked in and just a week was left for the big move!

With frosty weather outside and molten hearts inside, we loaded the truck and the following day, left for Karjat. The plan was to drive for three days and cover a distance of 1600 kms.

They say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and so our journey of precisely 994.194 miles began on the 8th of January 2025.

What life has in store, whether this decision turns out to be as desired or will it be a rotten mistake, that only time will tell. As of now, we have decided to live in the moment. Let’s take each day as it comes!

 

Recipes for daily Navratri fasting

 

Looking forward to detoxifying our bodies, we decided to fast for all the Navratri days instead of the usual first and last that we always did. It was going to be a challenging task, I warned my foodie husband cause his day starts and ends with, ‘What are we eating?’ However, with his persistence, he finally won and we decided to go ahead. I succumbed and my initial resistance faded away.

Contrary to the popular pattern where most people assume it is an ‘eating fest’, I prefer to observe it in a slightly stricter way, not very but just slightly and that means having salt only once a day and no munching on vrat chips, vrat namkeen and nuts in between. So the morning would start with some fruits, the day would progress with a bowl of kheer or a glass of lassi or some shake and then finally the ‘phalahari’ meal post sunset. Ahoy! The detox went for a toss as we savored the delicious Navratri special meals. Believe me, the days went by like a breeze and in the end, we emerged radiantly victorious!

So, in case any of you are looking forward to fasting for the entire Navratri period and wondering what to cook, here’s a quick guide to keep you satiated for the entire duration.

Day 1- Fruit bowl, Makhane (Fox nut) ki kheer and Rajgira (Amaranth) aloo paratha

Lunch recipe - Makhane ki kheer- 1 litre milk, one cup makhane, roasted in a spoon of ghee and coarsely crushed. Dry fruits of your choice. I took almonds, cashews, walnuts, and raisins. Coarsely crush the dry fruits and keep them aside. Cardamom/Elaichi powder and sugar 5-6 spoons.

Bring milk to a boil and reduce the flame. Add the crushed makhane, cook on low flame while stirring from time to time to avoid burning. In about half an hour, the milk will slowly get reduced and the color will start changing from white to a little brown. Add the remaining nuts along with cardamon powder. Keep stirring. About 15 minutes later add sugar. Let it slowly cook on sim till it thickens. This should take about -1.5 hours in total. Kheer is ready.

 

Dinner- Rajgira (Amaranth) aloo paratha (makes about 10 parathas)

Take about 2 cups of Amaranth flour. It is a millet so binding will be easier with the boiled potatoes. Add 5 medium sized boiled and grated potatoes. Finely chop 2 green chillies and green coriander. Add this to the flour mixture. Then add rock salt (sendha namak) and roasted cumin (jeera) powder. Mix all these and knead into a dough. Water will not be required to bring the mixture together but if required, just dip your hands in warm water and knead.

Rolling out will not be an easy task since amaranth is gluten free, so it is advisable to place the ball in between two thick plastic sheets greased with ghee. Roll it out slowly and then transfer onto a skillet. This is again going to be tricky as the paratha might just break but doing it patiently will help. Use ghee to cook the paratha on both sides. It will turn out to be crispy and delicious. Serve with curd. 

 

Day 2- Fruit bowl, Lauki ki kheer and Kuttu ki pakodi.

Lunch- Lauki ki kheer – 1 litre milk, 1 small sized bottle guard (lauki/doodhi) peeled and grated, nuts of choice, sugar and ghee.

Peel and grate lauki. It should be tender and not bitter. Bring milk to a boil and reduce the flame. Meanwhile, take a pan, add a spoon of ghee and roast the grated lauki for about 5 minutes. Then add it to the milk.

Keep stirring taking the ladle to the bottom of then pan. As milk reduces, keep scraping the edges of the pan and mixing the crusty cream into the kheer. After about 45 minutes, add the nuts. Then in another 15 minutes, add sugar and cardamom powder. Keep stirring and cooking. You can cook for 1.5-2 hours, depending how thick you like it. Once done, serve it hot or chilled.

Dinner – Kuttu (buckwheat flour) ki pakodi

Boil and grate 3 medium sized potatoes. Thinly slice and chop 3 medium sized raw potatoes. Take a bowl, put the two in it. Now add ½ a cup Kuttu to it. You may increase the quantity depending upon the consistency. Add finely chopped ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves, rock salt, black pepper powder, cumin seeds and mix. Do not add water unless required. Just a spoon would do if necessary to bring the mixture together.

Take a wok, add peanut oil to it (any oil extracted from seeds is not consumed). When the oil is hot enough that a little smoke is arising, add tiny portions of the mixture using a spoon or hand, whatever works for you. Remember the flame should not be too high else the pakodis will not get cooked from the inside.

Transfer onto a paper towel to remove excess oil and serve with chutney.

Chutney can be made by using just coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chillies. Grind these together. Add lemon juice and salt. Done. 

                                            

 Day 3- Fruit bowl, Milkshake and Sabudana (tapioca) khichdi

Lunch – Milk shake – Take two glasses of cold milk, add two bananas and two apples chopped into pieces. Add sugar as per your taste. Blend them together in a mixer jar. Serve chilled.

Dinner- Sabudana/Tapioca khichdi

Wash and soak a cup of sabudana for about 6 hours. Pro tip: Do not use too much water else the pearls will become clumpy. Just half an inch above it. The sabudana pearls will become soft and fluffy and should get squashed if you try. Drain out any excess water completely.

Dry roast peanuts and once they cool, coarsely crush them. Also take some ghee in a pan and roast about 2 tbsp peanuts until slightly brown. Keep it aside.

Take a pan, add jeera. Once it splutters, add finely chopped ginger and green chillies. Roast till the raw smell goes away. Then add one boiled potato cut into cubes. It will turn a little brown. Then add the fluffy sabudana pearls. Add salt, a hint of sugar and a little black pepper powder. Mix gently. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. The sabudana will turn a little translucent. Uncover, squeeze half a lemon, add two spoons of the crushed dry roasted peanut and the other ghee roasted peanut. Toss it together. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve. 

                              

Day 4- Fruit bowl, Milkshake and Samak (Barnyard millet) khichdi

Lunch – Dry fruits milkshake – Soak 8 cashews, almonds, walnuts, and figs for about half an hour. Once softened, transfer to a blender jar. Add two glasses of cold milk. Sugar as per taste. Blend and serve chilled.

Dinner- Samak khichdi –

Wash and soak 1 cup barnyard millet for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile chop carrot, potato, beans, cauliflower and cottage cheese into small pieces.

Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add jeera and curry leaves. Once they splutter, add the vegetables. Stir fry the veggies. Add salt. Then add green chillies and the soaked millet. Add about 4 spoons of curd and water about an inch above the millet level. Close the lid of the cooker. Give 3 whistles. And tadaa! Khichdi is ready. You may add ghee on top and make it more flavorful. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and crushed dry roasted peanuts. Serve with curd and chutney. 

                                                

Day 5-Fruits bowl, Barnyard millet kheer and Singhada atta (water chestnut flour) poori with sitaphal/kaddu (pumpkin) sabzi

Lunch- Samak kheer-

Wash and soak 1/4^th cup samak for about 20 mins. Pour one litre milk in a pan. Bring it to a boil and reduce the flame. Then add the soaked samak to it. Keep stirring on low flame. Barnyard millet fluffs up and so the kheer will soon start thickening. Add chopped nuts of your choice along with cardamom powder. Finally add sugar as per your taste. 5-6 spoons work for me. The kheer will be ready in one hour. In case the kheer thickens after cooling, you can add a few spoons of boiled and cooled milk to it to adjust the consistency.

Dinner- Singhada atta poori-

Take 2 cups of atta, about 4 medium sized boiled potatoes peeled and grated, rock salt and cumin powder. Mix these together and knead. It is sticky so might give you a problem. Add a spoon of hot water if there is difficulty in assembling the dough. Divide the dough into 12-14 balls.

Then heat oil in a wok. Gently roll the balls. You may use the two plastic sheets technique is normal rolling with pin turns tricky. Keep it a little thicker than your normal poori. Fry on both sides. 

                                                      

Kaddu ki sabzi – Thinly slice 250 grams of kaddu. Put a spoon of oil in a pan, add a spoon of jeera. Once it crackles, add the kaddu slices, finely chopped ginger, green chillies and sprinkle salt as per taste. Add 2-3 spoons of water to prevent it from burning. Cover and cook on low flame. Keep stirring in between. Once it turns soft, add a hint of sugar, amchoor (dry mango powder) or lemon juice. We do not use coriander powder and red chilli powder in our vrat recipes. In case you do, you may add these. Mix all. Cover and cook for about 5 more minutes. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve it hot with pooris and curd.

Day 6- Fruits bowl, Milkshake, Sabudana vada

Lunch- Dates and raisins milk shake- Soak 8-10 dates and raisins in water for about 10 minutes. Take two glasses of cold milk. Add to blender jar. Blend it all together. Sugar will not be required as dates and raisins are already sweet. Serve chilled.

Dinner- Sabudana vada-

Wash and soak a cup of sabudana for 6-8 hours. Drain out any excess water once sabudana pearls turn squishy. Boil 6 potatoes. Peel and mash the boiled potatoes. Finely chop ginger, green chillies and coriander leaves. Dry roast 2 tbsp peanuts and crush them. Mix all the above ingredients together. Add rock salt, black pepper powder and roasted cumin powder for taste. Combine well. Divide the portion into balls. You may flatten them into discs if frying or leave them as balls if not. These can be cooked in three ways-

1.    Deep fry- Pour oil into a wok. Once it is piping hot meaning you can see a little smoke rising, gently put the tikki into the oil. Fry till it turns crispy brown. Before putting the vada/tikki into the oil, you have to ensure the tikki has no visible cracks and the oil is really hot, failing which the vada/tikki will burst and will be of no use.

2.    Shallow fry- Pour oil in a shallow pan and place the tikkis. Flip when one side is brown. Cook the other side as well.

3.    Appe pan- Grease the appe pan and place it on low flame. Put the sabudana balls into the cavities and cook on both sides until they turn brown.

Serve with chutney.

                                                             

 

Day 7- Fruit bowl, Gajar ka halwa and Pharali dosa with peanut chutney

 

Lunch – Gajar ka halwa- Peel and grate one kg red carrots. Turn on the flame and place a pressure cooker over it. Add 2 spoons of ghee. Once the ghee is hot, add the grated carrots. Roast for about 3-4 minutes. Then add half a cup of milk. Mix it well. Close the lid of the cooker and let it cook for 3-4 whistles. Turn off the flame. Once the steam is out, uncover the cooker. Place another pan on the flame. Add a spoon of ghee and the cooked carrot to it. Keep stirring and cooking. You may add nuts of your choice. Then add sugar as per taste. Keep cooking on low flame. I do not add khoya, but you may add it you wish. Cook for about 1 hour and you gajar halwa is ready to eat. This is one of the quickest recipes to make gajar halwa!

 

Dinner – Pharali dosa and peanut chutney

 For dosa- ½ cup samak/Barnyard millet washed and soaked for 1 minutes, ½ cup rajgira/amaranth flour, ½ cup buttermilk, one spoon paste of ginger and green chillies and rock salt.

Drain out the water from samak and blend it in a jar adding just a few spoons of water as required to make a smooth paste. Then add rajgira, buttermilk, ginger-green chilli paste and salt to taste. Cover and let it ferment for 8 hours. Once fermented, take a nonstick tawa/ dosa tawa and grease it. Spread the batter and cook until crisp.

Peanut chutney to accompany dosa- 1 cup dry roasted and coarsely crushed peanuts, 3/4^th cup curd, 1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste, rock salt and cumin powder. Blend these together in a mixer jar. Add a little bit of lemon juice if required.

       

Day 8 – Durgashtami Prasad – Chana, Poori and Suji halwa

 

Kaala chana- Soak 1 cup chana overnight. Drain and wash with fresh water. Transfer to a pressure cooker, add water 1 inch above its level. Add salt, one cinnamon stick and one black whole cardamom. Close the lid and cook for 4-5 whistles until done. The chana should be soft enough to get quashed when placed between two fingers. Now take another pan. Add a spoon of ghee. Take a In a bowl take a spoon of water, mix 1tsp of haldi, 2 tsp of Kashmiri red chilli powder, 2 tsp of coriander powder, 1 tsp of cumin powder and 1 tsp of amchur powder and form a smooth paste. Put this paste in the heated ghee. Stir for a few seconds. Then add the cooked chana. Salt was added while boiling so there is no need for more salt. Cover and cook. Add a spoon of crushed kassori methi leaves and cook. Evaporate the water and then garnish with fresh coriander leaves and slit green chillies.

 

Sooji ka halwa- 1 cup rawa/sooji, 1 cup ghee and 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar.

In a pan add ghee, then add rawa to it. Keep the flame on low and stir the sooji continuously. It should slowly turn brown. If you cook on high flame, there will be no taste. In another pan, pour water, sugar and 1tsp of cardamom powder. Put it on low flame. Meanwhile, add a spoon of besan to the sooji and keep cooking. Once the sooji besan mixture is sufficiently brown and fragrant, add nuts of your choice. These nuts can be roasted in ghee to give a crisp texture. Turn off the flame and slowly add the water sugar mixture while continuously stirring. Turning off the flame prevents accidents from spluttering rawa. Turn on the flame again on low and keep stirring until you get your desired consistency. Garnish with more chopped nuts and desiccated coconut.

 

Poori- Take two cups of wheat flour. Add water and knead into a soft dough. Divide the dough into lemon sized balls. Roll then into pooris and fry.

          

So, this was our Navratri food fest journey which went quite smoothly. It was fun. For all those who worry about how they will manage, I am sure this recipe guide will be of significant help. Since cooking is not science like baking is, I mostly do not use measurements. However I have tried to give measurements where I could.

 In case you have any queries, do post them in the comment section. Till then, Happy Navrati and Happy Fasting!