Snippets

Sometimes when we are walking, Meherwan will talk about something that is just a snippet of information about our Beloved's human side. Today he shared two such snippets:

Port wine : Baba enjoyed the taste of port wine, and used to partake of a sip or two, but He had a very low tolerance for alcohol, and Meherwan says that He'd go bright red after just a small sip!! So the Divine Saki could not tolerate alcohol Himself!

Swimming : Baba could not swim. Or perhaps He would not swim! He hadn't ever learned, so He used to say. One day Dr Hoshang Bharucha remarked, "Baba, You are always telling us to dive deep and swim in the Ocean of Love, but You can't swim?" Baba immediately quipped, "How can I? I am the Ocean, so what need would the Ocean have to swim?" However, His inability to swim had resulted in Eruch's saving Him from going under once, the story of which event I've told in an earlier post.

Chutney : Baba loved green chutney made from fresh coriander, coconut, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt and lemon juice with His dall and rice. He would eat this simple meal with great enthusiasm, and often would show His sign of pleasure, the circling of thumb and forefinger, with the other three fingers held up, and a loving twinkle in His eyes.

To make this chutney you will need a whole bunch of fresh coriander leaves cleaned but with the tender stalks kept on, a fresh whole coconut, 5-6 cloves of garlic, an inch of fresh root ginger, a large pinch of turmeric, some curry leaves, salt and sugar to taste and the juice of a full lime, or more if you like it tart. First grate the coconut and grind with the curry leaves, coriander, garlic, ginger and turmeric. Then add the sugar and salt and grind again. The chutney should be a fine paste. For Baba, we would grind the ingredients on a stone "paata" with another stone called the "varoota" crushing the stuff from the top. You can use a blender, but don't put in too much water, as the chutney has to be thick and paste-like, not syrupy. IF you like chilli-hot, add as many chillies as you can stand to the mix when grinding. This is also fantastic spread on bread as a sandwich, or with other dishes.