This, That and Some More

Image Courtesy: https://www.anamoralesblog.com/en/sarnath-and-the-wheel-of-dharma/ Sarnath is said to be the place where Gautama The Buddha gave his first sermon, it is approximately 10 KM from Varanasi and it takes about thirty to forty five minutes to reach there, depending on the traffic. It is a place of pilgrimage for all Buddhists from all over the world and on itinerary of all travelers who come to Varanasi. Thanks to all the pilgrims and travelers from the east, Varanasi had a thriving south east Asian food scene, there were many Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean restaurants (now shut) here and the famous 'Blue Lassi' shop was named by a Korean lady as the story goes. However due to the many travel restrictions during the ongoing pandemic, the pilgrims and tourists from the east are not yet able to travel to India, I hope they can come back soon to uplift their spirit and put the pandemic behind them. Buddhism originated in India so we all know about Siddharta's journ...

A few years back, a lady named China worked for me in the capacity of domestic help. When she joined I asked her why she was named after a country. Her answer was that when she was born, nobody wanted her so the name China (meaning "not wanted" in Bengali) stuck. She told me her real name as well but I can’t seem to remember it now. China had this immense need in her to feel wanted and that showed up in her sphere of work as well. She used to pamper us with all kinds of good food and later she sought out the attention of my neighbors by preparing all sorts of delicacies for them - without my approval. Soon my monthly grocery supplies started to diminish at the speed of light. So I decided it was time for her to leave. She was politely given a one way ticket to Calcutta and asked not to return. The lure of money is too hard to resist and apparently cooks are in short supply in Mumbai. She came back and has been living and working in the area I live for quite some time. My curr...