The Magical Cookies -Maamoul

Okay, so let me first begin to explain the beginning right from the beginning. What is Maamoul and what is so magical about it.

Ma'amoul is an ancient Arab filled pastry or cookie made with dates, nuts such as pistachios or walnuts and occasionally almonds, or figs. They may be in the shape of balls, domed or flattened cookies. They can either be decorated by hand or be made in special wooden moulds. Well, at least that's how Wikipedia defines it altogether.

 

I got a tryst with these cookies in the early 2000’s. It’s been since more than a decade now. Those were the college days and tough times when it came to preparing for the exams. I stayed in the outskirts of the city with family and traveled by bus every day to college for classes. But then, travelling back home when exams were nigh caused serious tiredness and stress. To combat this situation, I often stayed back and spent my night studying together with my Arab friends. We had great time together, and were symbiotic in nature. They wanted to learn and improve their English and I wanted to learn beginner’s Arabic. We studied together and often we ran into late night or even until the dawn next day. However, undoubtedly if one thing had to make our time worthwhile, bring about smile on our faces, it was Maamoul. These wonderful friends of mine had huge packages of Maamoul brought from their native during vacations. These cookies were mostly home-made by their mothers wrapped with love. It truly tasted heaven especially during nights with a blend of coffee or tea.

All these years we’ve been in touch on WhatsApp, emails and calls. A decade later, last month one of my friends Ammar called me from Saudi. Now this call was turning out to be exceptional. In a usual chat he mentioned about his allergic conditions and health. I promptly suggested him to take treatment from Jindal Naturecure Institute in Bangalore. He loved the idea and flew to Bangalore within a week with lots of Maamoul as gifts. Now that was quick. It was like a huge mist of memories surrounding us. We were meeting after almost 15 years after our graduation in 2005; had a never-ending conversation around the college days, recollecting and re-painting the lost and glorious memories. For a moment our lives were inundated with memories and it really took time to actually catch up with today, with reality. We indeed had some swashbuckling discussions too.

However, seldom I knew that he had another good reason to travel. He was seeking consulting services for one of his business that deals with motorsports industry in the GCC and EU. We even flew together to Delhi, Chandigarh and Mumbai to meet and talk to consulting firms and service providers.

Finally he flew back to Saudi, a contented man having lost around 6kgs after the treatment. While the love for riding motorcycles brings us together, it’s somehow so delightful to discern that the magical cookie Maamoul played its part very subtly; a cookie that ignites the reminiscences of all these years of studying and riding our motorcycles together. I just hope and look forward to ride once again with Ammar to some of the most exotic locations of the world.

A Cobblestone pavement and a great Music store

All the eventualities of probing and playing my Greg Benneth had come to a stand-still when I learnt that its cable port is damaged, creating all sorts of unwanted noises while playing. I was worried more because I'd taken it to a well-known repair center in the city but somehow, it didn't work. They just ruled out any prospects of getting it fixed as it's now a vintage piece of guitar and doesn't have any options to open up.

Browsing through the net, I found this store called N. Lewis & Son in Benson Town, Bangalore. I sent in an email enquiry and yonder….after a couple of days I had this unanticipated reply from Noel.

Though I was intrigued, I drove all the way around 20kms with a very little hope to "Miller Road" in Benson Town, Bangalore. I must confess, the place is awesome with a cobblestone pavement, warm people around and a piano classes going on already. One could feel the peace and music in the air. The little guy on the keys was learning to play "You are my sunshine"; the legendary song originally first recorded by Jimmie Davis in 1940. A couple of other fellows were busy repairing a huge wooden piano outside.

I was delighted to meet Mr. Noel behind the desk who greeted me with a pleasant smile and warm handshake. I could notice the guitars hanging on the walls and so many accessories lying all around. I explained my guitar's glitch to Mr. Noel who gave me the assurance of getting it fixed and done within a day. They have some of the most proficient , fully equipped store for repairing guitars, piano and most other sorts of musical instruments.


I somehow wanted my guitar to be fixed as early as possible as I couldn't just break my routine of playing it almost every day. After picking up the guitar from Noel's store last week, I went home and tried it out. My daughter Jesslyn who's now 4, also loves to be around all the time while I'm playing. She sings too and asks me out for the strums support. It's really so wonderful to know that by the grace of God, she's already started off singing and knowing the rhythm patterns, pitch recognition and tempo. So as I was probing and testing my guitar, she started off singing. It got on record by my wife and I posted her first raw singing onto the YouTube. No light effects, no vocal or video editing…just raw natural voice with me on the guitar in our living room taken on my Moto G4+.

I just hope it went well...please do watch and comment on Jessy singing with me on my 🎸 strums.

A Great soul - Shaheed (Martyred) Major Sashidharan V Nair

I'm broken and saddened to write this part of my blog. However, at the same time, it's with immense pride that I'm composing this piece and undoubtedly, with utmost reverence. It's about none other than a great soul and human being "Shaheed (Martyred) Major Sashidharan V Nair", 2/1 Gurkha Rifles who fell protecting the LoC (Line of Control) in an IED blast in Naushera on 11th of January 2019.

Last met in September 2016

This is about his part of life little known to me since childhood days from the best of my memory's recollection. I've known Sashi and his family quite well right from 1994. We studied in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Defence Institute of Armament Technology (KV, DIAT) until 10th grade. He was my classmate. Later we both moved to KV, National Defence Academy (KV, NDA) for 11th and 12th. For these couple of years we were batch mates.  Sashi has always been humble and a disciplined boy all his life. I've never seen him getting into controversies or fights or arguing with teachers in the school

Sashi in top row, standing third from right.
8th grade KV, DIAT.

I remember We played hide-n-seek during our childhood days, he was always the last one to be found and some times never at all. He was very adventurous; hid in the thorny bushes, on the tallest tree top, inside the man-holes. There were no place that was impossible for him. Oh boy, he was so tough. Every time we played cricket and the ball lands up somewhere deep in the thorny bushes, he was called upon. Sashi, with a clear mind, focused, without a question, will fiercely and quickly get-in and come out with the ball. It's a guarantee, if Sashi is around, ball was never lost. Most of the time we could see him wearing a small band-aid or a bandage either on his elbows or knees. He dared to go, to explore where none of us ever thought we could. He was the one of the very few who was sharp in studies and active in sports as well. Hence he was also elected as "School Captain" 

Credits to his mother, Mrs. Lata Nair who raised Sashi and his sister Seena single-handedly at a higher ground of moral values, discipline and ethics after an unfortunate passing away of his father, Late Mr. Vijayan Nair. Lata mam took tution batches of all subjects of both CBSE and State board upto 8th grade. It's Lata mam who taught us Hindi wen we came to Pune first, in the year 1994 and Sashi use to be our translator while we went to play every evening. We stayed in the CW&PRS colony, Khadakwasla RS, Pune and knew each other since our half knicker-days. Our moms were good friends too. I Salute Lata mam, the lioness lady; because in raising Sashi, she raised a brave lion indeed. This country is so proud of her and her brave son for his selfless sacrifice.

 

During athletic events in school and in the colony especially in long distance 800mtrs event, I always beat him in every sports day, inter-house races and even intra colony races conducted during 15th August and 26th January. I always ran ahead of him. However, this time in this toughest race he outran all of us and left us shocked and speechless. He's taken a lead so far ahead that's impossible now to cover. 

After the school days, came college days. He got into Fergusson College, Pune for his BSc (Chemistry) and I got into Symbiosis for my BCA. When we often met in the city or in the weekends, I remember the struggling days when he cycled around 20kms to reach his college ground for attending NCC physical drills and classes early morning at 6 even on Sundays; was dedicated and passionate. This is like 40kms of cycling every single day including Sunday between 2003-2006. After graduation, he never thought about any career options than to join the Armed forces though he held a distinction in BSc (Chemistry). He was focused and had a very clear mind about it. I still remember how his personal room walls had these "Join Army" posters.

From left: Major Sashidharan V Nair, Vishwanath, 

Bhupendra, Raghuram

Before moving to Kashmir he'd called and met everyone. It was an occasion actually of one of our classmate Vishwanath Karve's birthday in the month of November 2018, just two months back. Since I'd moved to Bangalore along with my family, I wasn't able to make it and be available to meet up. And this, I'll regret my whole life I'm sure. We had shared our pics of celebration on our WhatsApp group.

I had an interaction with one of my another classmate who requested anonymity said, "Sashi played all the roles of life so well..role that of a lover so passionate, a husband so faithful, a son so obedient, a brother so caring, a friend so true, and an ultimate brave Soldier". "Indeed well played, we are so proud of him today".

Excerpts from various sources:

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A WhatsApp viral forward. Appreciate the writer. Beautifully written:

Dear friends,
Major Sashidharan Nair who lost his life in Kashmir on 11 Jan, was the epitome of selflessness, courage and morality; but what many of us do not know is that he was a person of immense integrity and character. *He leaves behind a wife who is afflicted with multiple arteriosclerosis and is paralyzed below the waist, the symptoms of which appeared a few months before their marriage six years ago.*

Sashi Nair proved that he was indeed a very rare person, the kind you probably don't see or hear often. He stuck to his commitment to the marriage and to Trupti and still married her in spite of all dissuading him.

Major Sashidharan V Nair with wife Mrs. Trupti Nair

We have seen him carry her literally and use a portable wheelchair which he always used to carry every where; parties or restaurants or anywhere else without confining her within the home walls...and always with his full-toothed smile and disarming charm. He never asked for any sympathy or pity, never. Never did he ask for any leeway during the course of his duties and career, now so tragically cut short.
There are lessons here for all of us. Leave your egos and attitudes,to some extent at least; you aren't going to carry them with you when the pyre is lit or the coffin is lowered into the grave. Leave a humane, compassionate and kind imprint in this one life you've been blessed with.

As reported in the Indian Express Daily News: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/major-nairs-friend-in-school-i-beat-him-in-800m-race-but-in-this-race-he-outran-us-all-5542058/


As reported in Times of India:
Major killed in IED blast cycled 20km to attend NCC classes at Fergusson College, recall friends: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/major-killed-in-ied-blast-cycled-20km-to-attend-ncc-classes-at-fergusson-college-recall-friends/articleshow/67506929.cms


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Jai Hind...!!

Disclaimer: The above article is based on the best of my memories. In case of any discrepancies, please reach out to me on comment section

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