24 Hours

June 16, 2018 / mardysears / 1 Comment

This 24 hour journey begins in the afternoon of a fairly ordinary day, when we take an auto to 13th Cross in Malleswaram to pick up Ashwin’s clothes at Modern Tailors. We began with a short walk on Sampige Road where there are lots of local shops.

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Banana stalks

Carved jaggery

Construction site temple

New clothes are ready at the tailor.

Malleswaram flower market has moved out onto Sampige Road.

Banana leaves.

Plastic buckets at the stainless steel shop

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I found these beauties in the morning. The beetle is dead but the spider is very much alive. I didn’t want to get too close! I have never seen a spider make these heavy zigzag lines before. There was one for each leg position.

A hibiscus opens on the roof terrace

I had time to do a little drawing, so I drew some of Tata’s treasures. It felt good to sit and look at something closely.

Mangoes on the window sill

Lunch with family friends

This 24 hour day ended with a nice afternoon, enjoying a meal with friends of the family and mangoes for dessert. They are so sweet, they taste like candy.

Malleswaram

June 5, 2018June 5, 2018 / mardysears / Leave a comment

Just when I think I’m over jetlag and I have been sleeping through the night, I’m up at 1:30 in the morning and unable to go back to sleep. Time to write a blog. Today is Venkatesh’s birthday and will probably be busy, but yesterday the day began quietly with coffee. We didn’t have to go anywhere and I wandered through the house taking some pictures.

Some things for a pooja in the kitchen.

Red oxide floors in the front hall.

Vegetables waiting to be cooked by Shivama.

Venkatesh and I took a small walk to the stationery shop around the corner. He wanted to buy an inexpensive Hero fountain pen. They are made in China but were used by school children when they started fifth standard in India. We bought the last one with the old body design and were told they won’t be getting any more. No one asks for them.

We walked past shops and stopped for a coffee at a small breakfast place. Coffee is piping hot and served in a 2 ounce glass with milk and sugar. You stand and drink it on the sidewalk then put the dirty glass in a tub. The price is 10 rupees or approximately one and one half cents. That’s the first time I’ve calculated the cost in dollars and the price is crazy! Goodbye Starbucks! Strangely enough, Starbucks does exist in India and the coffee is just as expensive as it is in the U.S. How can these two options exist in the same market, on the same block?