Kappu's Kitchen - A letter to Karpagam Mami and Ramani Mama :)

 

Hello Mami

My name is Sabrish Ramakrishnan and I am residing at Sriram Apartments only. In this digital age where we have Swiggys and Zomatos prevailing all around, we also have equal number of cookery channels on Youtube. Many a times, when we search for some recipe, there are a lot of search results that pop up. To an extent that it becomes difficult to reconcile with any 1 of them. One video will ask us to put 2 tumblers of water, whereas for the same recipe, some other video will need us to put only 1.5. This now, is an age old issue for sure.

            Since the time I got married, my wife has been following a couple of cookery channels pretty seriously. One of them being Hebber’s kitchen which makes things look so simple. Another one is Srirangam Radhu. I am not sure if you have seen her cooking videos but she just makes us feel as if a Mami near our house wearing a chettinadu cotton podavai is trying to use the skills of her hand and the experience of a brahmin maattuponnu to cook stuffs that are so much part of our daily life and culture. Right from Rava Kesari to Adai Avial… she has nearly posted innumerous number of recipes over the last couple of years. Some of her posts also include Krishna Jayanthi poojai at her home, Karthigai Deepam festival and many others…. We have been truly fond of her.

            Let me come to your channel now. I received the first link of your Dosa Molagai Podi episode from Lakshmi Mami who is our neighbor and takes Carnatic music classes for children. I could not watch it immediately but did open it up after 2-3 days when I was about to get to bed. Initially I was confused if its DhoolKappu kitchen OR Dhool Kalappu Kitchen. The latter one sounded more correct to me. I was sure that it would not have been a typo. When I heard it from you over the video, I could somewhere feel that its Karpagam Mami who is being referred to as Kappu here. Probably that is how Ramani mama wanted it to be 😊. Please correct me if I got it wrong mami.

I saw it till the end and liked it enough. There was a flavor of an amateur posting her video to this world of digital media. I could truly feel the skill in your hand and the confidence when you spoke about the needful ingredients with their proportions. Somehow, I have always felt that Dosa Molagai Podi, however simple it may sound, if we don’t get the proportions right, the perfect taste never comes. Either the salt feels more, OR the black gingelly tastes more. If nothing tastes more then it seems to be a mere Parippu podi. You know what I mean to say. It was a very good start to have that recipe shown as the 1^st episode. You really made sure that the ball is set to roll.

            I had not subscribed to your channel at that time. However, I did visit it after a few days to see what more was there. Somewhere my mind was wanting to check if there were more posts on new recipes or you had not posted anything after the first one. Here came the Combo Mysore Pak. Now this one is always a tough deal to crack. I have watched my mum making it a few times. It was sheer luck for us if it came out well. That did not happen all the time. Your episode had some added features now. You had tips for viewers.. We also had some more textual representation of ingredients that started coming up. It felt really good. Your smiling face was also an indication that you had started liking this exercise and somewhere had a sense of pride since Ramani mama was recording it for you. I clicked the SUBSCRIBE button eventually 😊 .

            Then came Thattai and Uppu Seedai. Who doesn’t like these dishes… But the most important thing is to make them with perfection.. Also make sure that they are crisp and crumbling as ever. I could see that you pressed one of the seedai and proudly asserted that the breaking sound should some. It was an indication that whatever we see on the video will actually work for us at home as well. Another important point that I could witness is that your kitchen, utensils and the gas stove was literally shining bright. It really gave us more interest to watch the episode. As they say, Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

            I saw some more text and tabular columns incorporated in the videos to specify the ingredients. There were some soothing background scores as well. All that was really nice and truly displayed the efforts you had put to make it happen.

            Ramani Mama’s running commentary adds feather to the Golden hat for sure. First of all, they make us feel it to be an absolute home affair. It also subtly conveys the level of understanding and intimacy you both have as a pair. Its that bond of so many years which eventually comes out as a complement to each other when you talk over the video. My favorite line is when you talk about grinding the Varali Manjal and Ramani Mama makes a comment saying “Mama Thittuvaar”. Somewhere, we are now at an age when “Madam Thittuval” is more prevalent than the other 😊

  Chitra did try Uppu Seedai and Vella Seedai on Gokulaashtami and it came out very fine. The tip about NOT making perfect rounds while doing the seedais really worked well. Thanks for that indeed. My mom has also subscribed to your channel. Her sister Latha who lives in Delhi has also subscribed to it yesterday. She asked me to convey her regards to you.

            As an ending note, I would say that you both are doing really well with the channel. We are no ones to appreciate you since you have leaps and bounds of experience than us. We really wish that you continue publishing more episodes in the days ahead and keep us updated with the traditional recipes which may sound simple but definitely need to be done the right way in order to get the perfect taste.

It will be nice if you could also do videos on how you maintain your home, what your interests are and the journey of your life so far.. All of this can follow as we move further… We will be happy to know more.

 

Kudos and Best Wishes with all my heart 😊

Sabrish Ramakrishnan

""Moorthy Mama to To Me"". Still Cant accept that he is no more with us!!

 Dear VidyaKa –

I am really sorry for not talking to you post the mishap. I have no clue of how to start a conversation when such things happen to our loved ones. Please bear with me. I just thought to pen down what I feel about Moorthy Mama.

My first meeting with him of course dates back to our childhood days. They were indeed wonderful and carefree. I have a clear memory of your home at Kanpur. The frequent visits, the night stays and many other lovely moments. I tasted Boost for the first time at your home. It was then that I started having it on a regular basis.  You guys shifted to Ghaziabad and the strings got detached to a certain extent. Post that, I had never been to your home until Jan 2011 I suppose. It was Magara Jyothi, and your father, being an ardent devotee of Ayyappa, was watching it live on Asianet.

I had a lot of preconceived notions before visiting your home at Madipakkam. Was not too comfortable. I had a felt that meeting Moorthy mama and Geetha mami would just be like any other formal home visit. Appa had assured me that I will feel at home once I get in. This is what literally happened.

          Moorthy mama gave me a BIG WARM Hug which is his forte. The Jaadu Ki CHappi so to say. Within a few mins, we started talking as if I have been visiting them for years. I truly felt at home Akka. I have been a very sensitive and a homely person right from my childhood. For me, to meet a couple of my parents’ age who could make you feel warm was a great thing. We talked for hours, had a delicious lunch of Vengaya Sambar, Podimas along with PAppadam. My God. It was so amazing to be there.

          I felt concerned with the way he was walking due to the knee issues. In spite of that, he made sure to come and pick me up from Madipakkam bus stand and escorted me home. It was delightful. His optimism had no bounds. One could never be gloomy or low when he is around. He had that charm. I would feel in awe of him when we talked about old incidents that took place during his stay in North India. The tight friendships and closely-knit family circles he had due to his amazing attitude.

          Moorthy mama had a great sense of humor which is very important for a happy life. He did share about his tough times at Chennai during initial days. How he decided to settle at Chennai to take care of your Paati. In spite of being this man, he resembled a child when we discussed about your Paati. The pure love and affection he had for his mom was so visible with the words he used. He was a man with GREAT HEART. I have NEVER seen a person who could help others without a second thought. There have been times when he got into trouble as well. But you know what, it does not matter. People of this kind never have any guilt in their minds. They are mentally free. It was always soothing to visit your home and have conversations over cups of Tea and snacks. I really felt him as my father. Believe me. It’s great for a person to make others feel that warm.

          The main reason for taking a flat on rent nearby was that my parents could have their company. They came to stay in Chennai on Jan 26 2012. Moorthy mama and I took a cab from Amman Travels [They had their office near your house] and started at 6 or 7 AM in the morning. We had come to Railway station to pick up my parents. I had made all arrangements in my rented apartment before that. He was the one who got me the house as well. We went to a nearby store for buying basic utensils, induction stoves and other domestic stuffs.

          My parents had a great time with Moorthy mama and Geetha Mami during their short stay at Chennai. You also made a visit to Chennai during that time. It was fun indeed. Moorthy mama loved Amma’s sense of humor and the witty jokes that she would crack over the conversations. It was so funny to see him in fits of laughter till the tears rolled out.

          If I am driving a 2-wheeler today, its all because of Moorthy mama. I have said this N number of times to him and now making the point again. I never drove a 2-wheeler until then. Had my own inhibitions. One day suddenly, Moorthy mama asked me to drive his Activa. I was uncomfortable. He assured me to an extent as if he will balance me out in case I am about to fall. My God. That positive vibe was amazing. This is something even Appa could not do to me. He asked me to start the scooter and pushed it forward. That’s it. I had come to know that I can do it. You might think why I took so many years to make this move. Unfortunately, I did attempt doing it twice with my father’s Chetak in the past. Had fallen badly that I din pick it up for these many years.  If I am self-sufficient with my 2-wheeler today, all thanks to your father.

          He knew how to enjoy life to its fullest. I have seen it with my own eyes. Full of life and full of love for everyone. Appa and Amma have felt the same all the time. Even if a person is going to commit suicide, if Moorthy mama is around, he will give him 1 reason to stay alive. That’s his forte. I have had conversations with him during his stay in the US as well. They were all over Whatsapp. He always enjoyed the stay with his children. The sightseeing, the cruise ride, the various poses posted on facebook. All of them have been amazing to look at.

          I feel really bad that he left us early. He is needed by so many of us who feel peaceful in his company. I know that you have been closest to him. I also feel that his biggest solace was your presence during his last days. The vacuum that he has created in your lives, will take time to fill. The best part in the last few months is that you and Madhu Anna did whatever best you could for him. Rest is destiny. But what we know is that, if he were to watch you all from above, he would want his children and wife to be happy.  He is truly an example of “Being Human” in this selfish world. If we all can imbibe even a few drops of his qualities, life will be a lot more colorful for us.

  

For a person as lively as Moorthy mama, I really can’t say the he is no more. He is around us and I am sure that you will continue to feel his presence during the defining moments of your life. As I write these lines, believe me, I can hear him in my mind. His voice is clear. They way he called Appa as “Raadhe”.

 

Please convey my regards to your family. As we say, Time is the best healer. May this grief reduce and transform itself into moments that you cherished with your father. You are truly fortunate to be born to a father like him. Please take care of yourself as well as Geetha Mami.

Please do write to me when you find time.

 

Lots of Love and Best Wishes

Shabari.

June 10 2020 – 12:45 AM