THOUGH it may not come under any ‘Heritage’ or ‘wonder of the world’ title, Dindigul’s Balaji Bhavan,Tamilnadu is surely a haven above the ground for any local resident or visitor.
We escaped from the crowded Bus Stand to
Balaji Bhavan one evening, went past the crowd already eating/waiting
for their parcels to be packed and took the lift to the roof top.
It was my son’s birthday. And my daughter wanted to celebrate it in style. We stepped out into the cool fresh air and took a few steps ahead. We were greeted by the sound of light romantic music. The dim lighting helped relieve the tension off my eyes(I became aware of it only after entering there).I was looking at the young bamboo shoots and flowering plants and shrubs when we had to cross a small bridge. As I watched my step I saw fish pass just below my feet as water flowed under the bridge.
Four
or five young couples with small children were already seated around small
tables. A smiling waiter took us to an
empty table towards the inside. Water jugs and small sauce pots were already
placed on the table. Table mats of chart paper with quiz and puzzles for
children were laid on the empty table. As we were relishing all these, the
waiter served us the menu card. We asked for both mushroom soup as well as the
usual tomato soup. Strangely though, the mushroom soup was not as good as the
tomato soup. As we were ordering these, another waiter served the neighbouring
table with something that was burning and smoking but in a raw cabbage leaf. I held my daughter’s
arm and pointed to the dish but my daughter whispered that it was a sizzler and
that was the way it should be served. By the time we finished our soup, curiosity
overtook my fear and I wanted a sizzler too.
The children ordered spring
rolls(tortillas), naan,( something like a big bun) and rumalli roti as the
main dishes.These were mostly made of maida(white flour), which had no nutritional value. But on seeing the children’s faces and comforting
myself that it was only once a year, I kept quiet. The mushroom gravy topped
with cottage cheese and cauliflower curry with mayonnaise were sumptous and appetizing.
We felt full but what is a celebration
without a dessert? Each of us
had a milk shake of a different flavour with a generous
topping of icecream. All these came within a surprising low bill. And to
re-live the sweet memories we sure took a lot of photos in the funniest of
poses you could think of!
had a milk shake of a different flavour with a generous
topping of icecream. All these came within a surprising low bill. And to
re-live the sweet memories we sure took a lot of photos in the funniest of
poses you could think of!
.......
