This is destiny

This is destiny

The question people invariably ask after visiting me here is, “how did you come across this place?”

I haven’t got a straight answer for it. I wonder whether this is what is called destiny. The process started some five years ago when I met Mr. Devarajan, (MD, URC construction) in a conference in Mumbai. But it got moving so fast after I called him in April 2011 and fixed up to meet him in Coimbatore to discuss a Retirement Home Project. During that first visit to Kovai I had no plans to move into a retirement home, but when I saw Aarogya kudumbam I knew this is where I want to live. I was shown a cottage that was vacant. I was ready to take it up right away. But since it was already taken up Dr. Raju, the promoter, suggested that I book a cottage in the new unit he is building which would be ready by February 2012. I was disappointed but I agreed with a clause that he would let me move in to a cottage if something falls vacant in the meantime. I continued corresponding with him and reminding him that I want to move in by November 2011.

By August he informed me that a cottage is available and I could move in right away. But I was not ready to move in yet. When I visited in September along with my brother Sridhar and sister Kala he showed me the cottage. Though it had a good view, I wasn’t too pleased with it as it was close to the kitchen-dining area. I didn’t mention it as I was happy it was available for me as an interim arrangement. Again when I came in October with my friend Ramraj I was shown a different cottage I could have. This one was right in the middle, facing the mountain. I was thrilled.

I planned things so well that moving into my new home was so smooth. All my belongings found their own place and fitted in perfectly as if the place was designed for me.

Now, that is not all.

The new units are not ready yet. It may take another couple of months. Now I wonder do I want to move into the new unit. The advantage is that I could have a new cottage that is slightly larger in area. Last week Dr. Raju asked me. I didn’t have to think for long. I told him I am staying in the same one and not moving.

I am very comfortable in the cottage allotted to me by providence. It has so many special features. The bedroom is facing east. The front porch is facing west with a good view of the mountain. There is good breeze from the neem tree at the back. My bedroom is cool at night. I don’t even use the fan. With intermittent power supply my sleep is not disturbed when power goes off at night. I get internet connection in my bedroom. Standing near the bedroom window, the mobil phone connection is good too.

I have the best cottage in the whole lot. It was made available to me at the right time. I do not want to question my luck. I thank God for taking care of me so well.

Hygiene a must in food industry

Hygiene a must in food industry

Last week my friend Dhanam came to visit me. She wanted to visit couple of temples in a village in her home town Paalakkad. We decided to make a day trip, as it is only about two hours drive from where I live.

One of the residents in the Home told me about a special idly that is available in a village called Ramasseri near Paalakkad. And also said so much is written about it in the internet. I googled and was impressed by the write up by Food writer, Author Ammini Ramachandran in her award winning website ‘peppertrail’. I made up my mind to test it out as it is only 8 kms from Paalakkad. I didn’t know on which side.

After visiting the temples, we asked the people there about this village famous for it’s idly. I was happy to know it was on our way back to Coimbatore. Though we had to ask for directions a number of times, I was surprised that everybody knew the place.

At last we came to the turn off from the main road to Ramasseri. The first person whom we asked said the place is about 2 km away. Yet we asked few more times and didn’t come across the place. There was no sign to say where we are headed. Then we came across a small tea shop. The driver got down and asked and was told this is ‘it’.

I was not impressed by the place. With what I have read in the website and my vivid imagination I had a different picture altogether.

The shop was non-descriptive and unclean. An untidy old man was sitting by the side of the door in the ‘cash counter’ with a big bowl of pakodas in front. I asked him again to make sure that this is ‘the’ Ramasseri idly place.

Unimpressed though I was I couldn’t resist going through it all the way. We were shown a table, a worn out wooden structure with benches on either side. I was happy we were given a fairly clean banana leaf. The waiter who took the order was very untidy. We asked for a set of two idlies each.

The idli was round and flat; it was fresh and hot; it was feather light; it was a delight to eat it. It was served with chatni and sambar and a chatni podi with coconut oil to mix. None of it had any special character.

We asked for the recipe and how it is made and we were told. I didn’t ask to go in and look at their actual kitchen to see the way it is made. I had thought of buying a whole lot of this unique idly to take it back to the Home to share with the rest of the residents there. But I changed my mind.

Having been associated with ‘Family business’ and ‘studied’ various success models I was disappointed with this (supposed to be a) 100-year-old business of a Mudaliar family.

We were told that the people from neighbouring towns arrive in this village very early in the morning to collect idlis to sell at their establishments, because they couldn’t master the technique of preparing this dish.

This family has been following the recipe handed down to them over generations. They are smart enough to follow the standard procedure without changing anything in all these years – using a special rice, maintaining the proportion of rice to black gram, the mud pot and the bamboo mould for steaming the idlies, the number of layers of idlies to be steamed at a time and even using the tamarind tree wood for heating to get the needed heat for the best result. The total process turns out perfect idlies. I was impressed.

But I was disappointed that in all these years, over the generations, they didn’t have somebody in the family who thought of ‘quality’ in other areas to make this business into a successful venture. And also an award winning best website on Indian cuisine didn’t think it is necessary to mention this aspect about the unit.

I was happy to read that the restaurant at Vivanta by Taj-Surya, at Coimbatore serves the Ramasseri Idli. I read that Ms. Selvarani, manning the counter, learnt the art of making these idlis from Ramasseri itself. Now, I feel, the idli has an ideal set up to take off on its own merit.