Most of us are familiar with a weird looking ‘pot-bellied’ fruit/vegetable called ‘Jack Fruit/Kathal’. It grows on tree trunks swelling into large oversized fruits. The light green texture has rough bristles like a hedgehog, if you guys have touched it. If plucked raw, it makes an excellent vegetarian dish. The texture is fibrous and chewy. Also called the poor man’s chicken/mutton. Last week, one of our neighbours brought a casserole full of Biryani. The lady didn’t tell us what it was made of. It was delicious and finger licking! She made “Kathal Biryani”. We were tasting it for the first time. One never knew that biryani could be made out of it. I as a child detested eating vegetables. Once we went to Agra to our relative’s place. They served us something which looked like dry mutton preparation for lunch. Large chunks of meat were visible and I liked the taste. Neither mom nor dad said a word and watched me devouring the dish. It was later revealed, when ...
We have been watching our ‘Red Vented’ Bulbul’s nest in the garage with great enthusiasm since the last two weeks. The desperate wait for the babies to hatch and the eagerness to see them taking flight is increasing by the day. It all must have started with an idea to build a nest in one of our hanging pots. I shall leave the criteria for selection and its tactical placement for the time being. Granting the Bulbul her wisdom and acumen and above all confidence in making it there needs an applause. These birds are friendly but always keep their distance especially when feeding on roti we keep for them. They remain watchful and sharp. Moment, they feel threatened, they vanish into the bushes. Once the coast is clear, they return but with utmost caution to feed again. I say friendly because they get after me to disturb the foliage in the garden. Maybe, the bushes get shaken by my movement amongst pots or when I sprinkle water on the leaves. This disturbs ...