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Living with Multiple Myeloma in Hyderabad , India . Random musings .


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Fun times at Granny’s Village – Mar 2019

Got an opportunity to visit my Granny’s Village , (My Maternal Grandmother). The Village is near Nellore. This time my Sister ,nice , nephew , me and my son were able to make a trip for a few days.

Love the Village atmosphere . I can never get tired of going there any number of times.

Every moment from Sunrise to Sunset is something that we can never ever experience in the Cities that we live in.

Being able to actually watch the Sun Rise , the cool morning Golden Sun rays , the cool morning breeze, the cocks crowing , the pure Oxygen filled air that you can fill your lungs without thinking of the pollution ……Village folks going about their activities , sounds of brooms while women sweep / clean their front porches , followed by Muggu / kolam …. tractors moving through the village on their way to the fields , sounds from the few Autos / Bikes in the village… Street vendors selling their wares , the villages kids playing with crude toys , young village boys playing Volley ball in the evenings , the sounds of bells from the Goats being taken for grazing , Bird calls , Sound of breeze from the waving paddy fields , the paddy dancing in the breeze, buffaloes on their way back home, the cool sea breeze flowing in from the sea from 3 pm onward, lying on a cot in the open air and watching the starlit sky, having dinner under the stars sitting on the cot .

Close up of Rice Panicle
The Road leading to our village.
Walking on the Beach near our village with my Niece.

These are life’s simple pleasures that I always look forward to.

Food tastes yummier in the village 🙂 don’t know why 🙂 .

There are hardly any thoughts … just being in the present moment.

A drive to the Beach via roads with paddy fields on either side, animals grazing lazily … An evening at the Beach which is a few kilometers from our Village,walking on the beach barefoot without a care… picking sea shells .. watching how the ocean never tires of sending waves since eternity.. watching fishermen with their boats on the horizon and wondering if I can go on one of the boats someday 🙂

Already looking forward to my next visit.


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Picture story from a recent visit to our Village – Apr 2018

Here are a few Pics from my recent visit to our Village near Nellore.

Free Range hens with their little ones . This is one of the most common sights as soon as you leave a city or town. The moment you see them near you , you would be tempted to rush and catch hold of one of those little ones but would fail miserably 🙂

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Another common sight is the Dry Hay Stack. Once the harvest season is completed , all the Hay is collected and shaped into this form . It is then tied with a rope, made out the hay, to protect the hay stack from the wind. Cows and Buffaloes munch on this Hay when there is no grass during Summers.

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Time to go home after grazing and playing in the fields , the whole day.

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This woman has brought her wares , fresh green leafy veggies and Raw Mangoes . She has come all the way from the neighboring village where these are grown. She carries her stuff in a cloth and an Aluminium vessel. People in the villages get to eat fresh veggies which are harvested in the morning or on the previous day. The veggies that we get in the cities , that are on the shelves of the supermarkets and sold by other friendly neighborhood vegetable vendors are from the cold storage’s and would have been lying there for days / weeks / months.

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Mango Chutney is being made in the traditional way, using a Stone Mortar and Wooden Pestle . The taste of chutneys is doubled when prepared in this way rather than in a Mixer Grinder. Good exercise for the body too as one has to sit on the floor .

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Rice balls (Rice powder + Jaggery water + Ghee ) steamed in a clay pot.

 

Time for the ducks to go home after eating/playing in the adjacent fields.

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Looking forward to my next visit 🙂


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Drive to Shadnagar and a Tomato farm

This time we drove South towards Shadnagar .The town is on the right side of NH7 while going towards Bangalore from Hyderabad. We took a left turn as soon as we reached the town.  After driving straight for a couple of kilometers we took a detour just after a village named Buchigudem.

Very soon we came across a tomato farm. Several men and women were busy harvesting ripe tomatoes in the farm.

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As usual I was excited and hoped to get hold of some tomatoes.

Despite the hot summer there were a few fields here and there.

We moved closer to the labourers and asked if they would sell the produce to us. They told us to ask the owner who was sitting close by.

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The owner agreed and we managed to dump 10kilos in the rear of our car.

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He agreed to give 10kilos for just Rs 100. Whereas these were being sold for three times the price in the city.

I spotted goru chikkudu kaayalu or Cluster beans stored in plastic bags near the heap of tomatoes and we picked a few kilos .

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Felt good that we got some farm fresh veggies :))

The fresh air and gentle breeze was invigorating.

 

Love spending time away from the city once in a while. I have this wish and always dream of having a small house at the edge of a village adjacent to a farm  ðŸ™‚

It was teatime . On our way back we stopped at a roadside restaurant named ‘Aashiana’ , adjacent to the highway , in Shadnagar. We ordered Mirchi bajjis. They were some of the best Mirchi bajjis I ever had . A waiter served the items while we waited in the car.

NH7 is a busy highway which connects Hyderabad and Bangalore. 

Wish to go there again just to eat those Mirchi bajjis 🙂 and also pick up fresh veggies.

 


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Pics from a recent trip to our village

I was due for a BMA test in a week and  was a bit nervous and had this strong urge to spend a few days in our village before I went for the test.

Here are a few pics from this visit. These pics give a  glimpse of life in a village.

The winter months are here and village folks warm up with a bonfire in the early hours of the morning.
A group of women are warming up while discussing the days chores.

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A dish TV antenna has been fixed to a dried trunk of a Palmyra tree.
A Palmyra tree is one of the most useful trees in this part of the country. The leaves of the Palmyra tree are used as a roof for their huts ,cattle sheds and fence. It is called a thatched roof and can be seen in the pic. The palmyra fruit is relished during summer months. Palmyra Toddy is a popular drink in the villages.

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The cling clang sound of sheep bells is so soothing . The sounds from these bells , the cool evening sea breeze (this village is around 8km from the sea) and chirping birds can take us to a meditative state. This is bliss !!

I am back in Hyderabad now and as I close my eyes I transport myself to that scene and location :).

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Found a few feathers of the ‘Indian roller stuck on the trunk of a palmyra tree. The bird must be nesting on the tree. A very beautiful bird, often seen flitting from one palmyra tree to another ,is usually found near agricultural fields in this part of the country. The bird appears mostly brownish with streaks of blue when perched . While flying its light and dark blue feathers are open and the bird appears very bright ans beautiful.

Found a link to a video of the bird in flight.

http://www.arkive.org/indian-roller/coracias-benghalensis/video-00.html

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Love the contrast of a tender climber climbing up the rough trunk of a palmyra tree.

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Rural atmosphere is very peaceful , less polluted and life is very simple . A village appears to be another far away planet far far away from the noisy Urban world. Feeling energized and rejuvenated after spending a few days there. I am also done with my BMA test and awaiting the results.

” We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us “