In the pursuit of happiness.

Everyday life is transformed into a continual celebration for a person who is always finding joys in the little things of life. Little things like gardening, cooking, reading and gifting.

Ajji would wait all month to get her paycheck, only to spend it all in a few days. Till the time grandpa was working, Ajji had taken it upon herself to indulge her kids in all the good things she could get her hands on. She put in her heart and soul into her work each day but on pay day, it was time to paint the town red.

Being a social worker at a voluntary organization, at times Ajji would receive her salary once in 3 or 4 months. They would get paid when the related government body would get a grant to fund them. Until the time that she was not the sole earning member of the family, she ensured that her paycheck went toward the fun quotient budget of the family. Ajji splurged on all the good things that she could get accustomed to. She was never fond of jewelery or fancy clothing. She would spend on eating out, cooking and sharing with the neighbors, watching movies and buying books.

Ajji loved taking her kids to dine out and watch good movies. She recalls the fun they had when the went to watch Mackenna's gold. The movie was the rage of the times and was a must watch according to the newspapers. Unfortunately, the movie had not hit the talkies in Mysore yet. So much was her enthusiasm to watch it with her family that she took her 3 kids all the way to Bangalore from Mysore just to watch the new movie! At times when she had to get to work and the kids had to be taken out for a fun evening, she would drop them at the cinema hall, buy them food and return after the show to pick them up.

Food Feast

Stating that Ajji despises fast food does not even scratch the surface of her food likes. She has been a foodie probably even before the word was coined. Ajji loves cooking and she has never been accustomed to cooking in moderation. She always cooks like she were cooking at a community kitchen. Her giant heart of gold loves feeding people and continues to do so.

Ajji loves elaborately cooked dishes, regional specialties, something she learnt form a friend or read in a book. It is only the potato wafers and aerated drinks that she against. When it come to home cooked meals, nothing less than pure ghee, butter and refined oil will do.

Ajji also loves eating out. especially Indian food. She loves the baturas , choley and butter naans with paneer and ice cream for dessert. Ajji recounts many times that back in the days ice cream vendors would always serve a sweet biscuit wafer to be eaten after the icecream. The wafer would bring relief to the cold-numb mouth after the ice cream. Unfortunately this is not the norm these days. For the benefit of her health, she has curtailed eating all this now, but given a chance she still has an appetite of a kid in a candy store.