The first time I stepped out of the comfort of my home, was when I chose to study in Delhi. My parents were fairly certain that I had to live in the college hostel and not any PG accommodation of my choice. Young, restless and ready to explore the world, I agreed to everything they said. I was 18 and supremely confident.
But soon, a lot of challenges came my way. Most of them were unexpected and quite a blow to my ego, but the least I was prepared for was the change in my daily diet. Here I was, a traditional curd rice eating south Indian, in the heart of Delhi, eating Aalu, in one form or the other every day.
And unfortunately, my hostel served rice for lunch and curd for dinner. It seemed sacrilegious to me that they were not served together. I requested the warden to change the menu and serve them together. While being polite yet curt, she told me that the menu could not be changed for one person. The fallen look on my face must have surely moved her stern, for she suggested I save the rice from lunch in a cup and eat it with the curd during dinner. I was jubilant to have found a solution so much so that instead of feeling offended with her “why do you south Indians eat so much curd rice”, I just smiled.
Initially, I could see some girls secretly snicker. I’m sure me and my curd rice were subjects of late night conversations in their rooms. But I couldn’t care less. I even had a poster on my side of the room in the hostel that read ‘Keep calm and eat curd rice’.
Marriage and my job took me to the States. I frequently carried the easy-to-cook curd rice for lunch. The Americans at my work place were fascinated by it. They couldn’t believe something as simple as yogurt and rice could bring so many flavours. I would sometimes add pomegranate, or grapes, or cashew. I was the ‘yogurt girl’! Sometimes, on popular demand, I would take two portions of lunch to work. The humble dish has always stood by me. It’s not complicated or fancy for that matter, and yet, it’s been my panacea: It lifts my spirits when I’m down, brings me relief when I’m famished and is my go-to- food when my toddler refuses to eat anything else. I often tell my mother, in all sincerity, though she thinks I’m speaking in jest that one day, I will be a popular writer or top executive in a fortune 50 company. And when I’m asked about my favourite dish, I’ll say ‘curd rice’ without missing a beat.
I’m never really sure which part of my ambition she is laughing at.
Priyamvada.Avinash@ril.com