Dubai Ganesh

For days and nights, Rama and me tabled visions of a kalyana saddi at the marriage of Dubai Ganesh; son Ganesh was in a fever; in recent times the buffet has sadly displaced kalyana saddis and their famed cooks; a saddhi in a way has something to do with inequality; cooks ordered about and serving; buffet is egalitarian, freedom to choose from a wide spread of Chinese and Mughlai; me Thiruananthapuram uncle at Girija's wedding in Kottarakara; Manikantan of Alleppey at Rama-me tie up; Hariharan of Airoli at the espousal of Dubai Ganesh. Place, Gorakshadham Hall , Kulupwadi (was unaware of the corner), Borivili (E). In a spacious hall, we sat on wooden chairs as gentlemen spread green, double banana leaves on tables, sprinkled water, wiped them; placed plastic cups, one each to a a leaf, for ladles of payasams. Payasams always kick off the spree (diabeticians may protest); come first, a dip of it in the right hand bottom corner; the rest followed with banana chips, paruppu wadas and pappadoms making the last trip. Me tongue will not drop quickly the delight of pineapple pachchadi; churned it with fine rice, cracked two pappadoms on the mix, gloated on the delicacy with nibbles of paruppu wada. Gentlemen obliged every request, liberal with helpings like avial, pappadoms pounded down the hall.... a marriage is always recalled for posterity by the food served; for evening tiffin came a surprise: mixture to go with filter coffee; rare indeed; me took a three cups helping with Rama stalling the fourth. Walked up to Hariharan, with sweat holding the sacred thread in place; thanked the gentleman, from where else but Noorni, Palghat; with hands leading to the skies he hailed a 'Guruvayurappa.' Made a particular mention of crispy murukkus, they cracked the mouth; shared the mobile number of boss Vasai Ambi (09821150755) for murukku and mixture orders in the future. Hariharan's mobile beeps quite often as he spades the avial on a gas oven. After lunch, an old man folded paan and supari (there was no tobacco) for me and we leisurely munched for a time; watery Singara Chennai bugged all. They did mention it, tichtiched the fate of Singara Chennai; yes, everyone has someone (Vidya my daughter is safe with her office friends) in Singara Chennai hard to tap on air, rail or mobile. For the old man, there is The Hindu, Mumbai edition ; Mumbai is Singara Chennai; 'we will now get some reliable news in The Hindu' he said over his second round of paan and pakku. Reminded him of young times in Triplicane learning English, reading edits of The Hindu; US reports by K. Balaram. 'Saar, nalla paper. Public waited. Hindu enna chollarathu (What does The Hindu say),' he said tapping me. Nadaswaram by Sivakami Ammal was to the point; the wind instrument has been with her since she was 10; trained by many; today lives in Dharavi with husband tending flower business; we sure are becoming gujjus, if not Americans.  Most importantly, made a fine friend in Kannan (Sivakumar), husband of Krishna. A jolly good fellow. Miss him.