Hi diwakar, gokul, Venkatesh.....the list of authors in this group seems endless.
After running around a bit managed to get kaviri mainthan at higgin bottoms ( finished the first part on the flight back to sin) - sorry diwakar sir - vicithra cithan has to wait ( the tag of a sequel to PS was too much in KM's favor)....infact was halfway into balakumaran's Udayar when KM's narration took the upper hand - reading Udayar from PS was a harsh shift like a state transport corporation bus gear change ( arisi upma sapidumbothu vayil kal matiyathu pola there were lot of characterisation shifts) while KM went in like krishna sweets mysorepa...real smooth - i did feel transported back to PS days into the land resonating with chozham chozham chants....the language was easy ( compared to marathon one page sentences of raja muthirai/sandilyan), the uvamaigal were great - the one particular instance where you talk of nature being wise - the wisdom of large trees making sure their offsprings dont fall right under them and thier protective leaf cover themselves shunting their growth - and instead covering them with juicy fruit pulp so that birds/bats /animals can eat them and transport them to far off - while humans dont see this wisdom..was great.
in particular i like your introduction -thanking kalki for laying down the path for a sequel nearly 50 years ago - am sure kalki will be proud.
my only suggestion is to see if you could get some drawings /sketches ( atleast one per chapter depicting the crucial scene) - (blame it on having grown up on amar chitra katha - ) strongly believe a picture does say a thousand words - it will keep the reader immerse himself more by giving a face to your characters.
vj
Here is a small ( ok long) note for wanna be fiction writers...
The writer of fiction probably has a specific genre in which he wants to write. Taking several of his favorite novels or short stories in that genre, the writer should read them each two or three times. The first read should be for enjoyment; a second reading of a book could be more critical. In the second reading, the writer should make notes: turning points in the story; introduction of characters; appearances of symbolism.
The fiction writer should attempt to read widely, that is, read not only fiction from the genre in which he prefers to write, but also genres in which he has not explored. If he wants to write a Science Fiction novel, he should read from a genre with which he may not be familiar such as murder mysteries. Reading widely will "help you learn more about writing than anything else you can do for yourself. It will keep your mind active, keep you interested in writing, and help you learn to recognize and fix your mistakes
Just as a painter uses art elements such as color or line to create a painting, a fiction writer uses the following to create artistic effects in his or her story:
theme â" a conceptual distillation of the story; what the story is about.
character â" a participant in the story, usually a person
plot â" a related series of events revealed in narrative
conflict â" a character or problem with which the protagonist must contend
dialogue â" the speech of characters as opposed to the narrator
point of view â" the perspective of the narrator; usually refers to the voice, first or third person.
scene â" a piece of the story showing the action of one event
setting â" the time and place where the action of a story occurs
structure â" the organization of story elements
The fiction writer might use the following to create artistic effects in his or her story:
antagonist: the character that stands in opposition to the protagonist
character: a participant in the story, usually a person
conflict: a character or problem with which the protagonist must contend
climax: the story's highest point of tension or drama
dialogue: the speech of characters as opposed to that of the narrator
plot: a related series of events revealed in narrative
point of view: the perspective of the narrator; usually refers to the voice, first or third person.
protagonist: the central character of a story
resolution: the plot component in which the result of the conflict is revealed
scene: a piece of the story showing the action of one event
setting: the locale and time of a story that creates mood and atmosphere
structure: the organization of story elements
subplot: a plot that is part of or subordinate to another plot
suspension of disbelief: the reader's temporary acceptance of story elements as believable, usually necessary for enjoyment
theme: a conceptual distillation of the story; what the story is about
tone: the tone of "voice" that the author uses.
quest: the goal sought by the protagonist, the basis for the conflicts, the outcome that is the resolution.
The Devatha Vishnu needs to be richly decorated, while abhisheka is very important to Lord Shiva. Numerous namaskaras are to be offered to Soorya bhagawan, while Mahaa Devi has to be circambulated. The Brahmins must......
So by some contorted version we come to the topic of our blog today - Brahmano bhojana priya.
The first and foremost is the degree coffee - freshly ground coffee - brewed in traditional brass decotion - filter. In davara tumbler - mix ( special way of mixing - melum keezhuma aathi...) with freshly milked full cream cows milk and atleast two spoons of sugar - served piping hot... What a way to get up - reading the headlines in the hindu paper and listening to MS suprabatham.
Lets start with breakfast or should we call it brunch . Before breakfast we need to clear the bowels- best way is to have a gulp of inge sorasom - ginger ale - grate the ginger and boil in water till all the essence is extracted. Let is coola bit - add lemon juice and jaggery or sugar. Gulp when still hot ( donât sip) - it should scald the throat as it goes down....
My all time favorite would be pongal with either thakali gotsu or thenga chutney ( white chutney). Pongal should be of the consistency of glue - not too stiff, nor too watery. The rice should have lost its individual shape, should be slightly sticky. Lots of molten ghee on top and the garnishing should be the choiceist cashewnuts, black pepper and curry leaves ( karu veppilai) - all crisply roasted in ghee..a medu vadai ( yeah the one with the hole in the centre resembling a doghnut) goes well with this combination. Pongal should always be served on a banana leaf ( saves the trouble of having to get the ghee of the plate while washing) eaten with the hand - The test for a good pongal is that ghee and the aroma must linger even after a through wash for atleast 2 hours. The thakali gotsu - the tomatoes should have lost their individuality but the onions should still retain theirs, the gravy should be hot and spicy ( lot of green chillies) and the whole dish should be watery. The chutney should be of watery consistency ( not getti chutney for pongal) with lot of kadugu and karuveppilai ( thalichathu)
The rest in that the order of merit are
Poori keyangu - poori must be hot hot and puffy ( smoke comes out when u break the puff) and the keyangu much have just potato, onions ( big) and green chilli with turmeric. Saravana bhavan seems to have perfected this one. Min qty in multiples of 5.
Idly with mulaga podi or murungakkai sambar. The podi must be coarse and not finely ground. If mixed with a little paruppu podi and molten ghee is heavenly. The mini idly in a bath of murungakkai sambar with molten ghee topping ( again).....
Paper roast and getti chutney - the dosa has to be piping hot ( thalaiya pathu kalla podanum - in my grand fathers words - see the person and then heat the tava ). The thinner the dosa crispier the crust, should not to be too crispy / brunt to break into pieces - they have to be in the right consistency to allow you to manouver the thumb, index and middle finger to break a piece of the dosa and dip it into the chutney ( or pick up a whole chunk inside the dosa) and dunk it into your mouth.
Rava Dosai and kothamalli chutney - The rava dosai is slightly different in consistency - since the rava need to gel - so itâs a little more stickey, and is garnished with a few cashewnuts and ghee roasted pepper. It goes well with kothamalli chutney.
Mor Kali with elumichangai urgai - this is very simple dish - all u need is rice flour and pulicha thai( sour curd). This with lemon pickle is just divine.
Arisi Upma with Vellam (Jaggery) - lot of kandal ( the slightly burnt upma which sticks to the bottom of the vengala panai)
Sevai ( elumichai evai and getti chutney)
Rava Idly with thakali chutney
Rava Kithcadi with kothamalli chutney
Idiyappam and paya ( stew)
After such a light breakfast, the best way to relax is on either a kayatu kattil under the veppa maram or on the easy chair on the mittam swaying to the gentle breeze.
The main course - lunch......
Carrot goss malli - must be juicy with lot of lime juice. Maanga ingi / kuru milagu / magali Dangar pachidi Beans Paruppu usili - more beans less paruppu Urulai roast- should not be oily but crispy fried Vazaipoo vadai Vazakkai podi mass - again with just a hint of lime Thair pachidi - cocunut and a bit of spice Arisi Appalam ( for vatha kozambu), appalam, vadam, mor molagai, kothavarangai, sundakkai.... Posanikkai/vendakkai/murugakkai vatha kuzambu with karu vadam Vella Posanikkai/venkallai mor kuzambu Thakali / vepambu/mulaga/pineapple rasam - let to soak in a eyachombu Paruppu / milkmaid arisi /semiya payasam - just thick enough to be able to swoosh of the leaf but watery enough to wade into Maa vadu/lime pickle Neer moor ( nei urruki mor perukki) - sour buttermilk, with a hint of lime, garnished with kothamalli and karu veppilai
And tiffin...
Adai avial - onion or murungali ( murunga leaf) adai - thick but crispy with avial or jaggery. Is also good with lemon rasam...