Kaalaaya tasmai namaha

It fascinates me no end, how time is by nature. I was watching a stream of many beginnings and endings of different things in my own life. Many many little journeys within the journey of life. It felt like I was  playing on a movie. Only too familiar. I knew all the characters. I had boarded a plane in Mumbai ... ate some dinner and drifted off to sleep.When when I opened my eyes just a little while later, I was in Newark and it was breakfast time. My mother and I went to the same school. She as a teacher and I as a student. I was too small to walk that distance ( at her speed ) and a little big for her  to carry ... In a blink, walks to school were over, schooling was over too. Caesar, Cleo, Mark, Zombie and Frolic had filled me  with so much laughter and joy over these years .. they were all gone too. Thankfully all these fellas built their homes in my heart. They live there permanently and I can visit them whenever I wish. They are all my doggie friends, in case you are wondering. Now I go to school with my husband. At the start of this inward voyage, he was a student. His lab was a God sent Vahana for both of us . The beauty was in the fact that our pilgrimage destination was the same, a place called A-ha, Vahana was the same but routes were different. These journeys are very unique .. there are infinite route possibilities. Depending on what scenes bring you most joy, you plan your itinerary. Also, you have options to change course whenever you feel like. Amazing, huh?

Just what am I talking? I am just looking leisurely at the jig saw puzzle pieces of my life. I did not have this luxury of time to marvel at them. I also probably got a pair of Wayfarer glasses in my travel kit. Here I had no use for my uv rays proof goggles. These are a kind that allows the user to have some  insights into things that come in his vision field. It became one of my favourite preoccupations to wear them and examine every inch and every piece of the puzzle. This activity appealed to me despite its many many unpleasant findings,  for the clarity it brought. This A-ha place is such a hot travel destination simply for this  clarity feature.

What appealed to me most was the timing. What good would be a pilgrimage if you took it earlier than you were ready for it? What fun would it be if your co-passengers did not match up too well? Or if you did not understand the infinite-routes-to-the-same-destination option? Within which you have fine variations that you have to figure out on your own?

Somehow, this was a voyage whose time had come ...

Vishnuvu Vishvnuvani vedakavo manasaa

There is no language that can adequately describe what one goes through when your animal friends leave you ... even though we know all along that we are most likely to outlive them, nothing really prepares us for this  heart wrenching period. Hopey's role description was to soak us all in his love. Constantly. As simple or as profound as this. That's all. This was his role for his entire lifetime. And now he was not around any more. I was playing some music to just keep me going. My all time preference is Carnatic music. I could feel Hopey's presence so strongly. And M S was singing so soulfully. As always. I was playing Bhavamulona bhagyamulandhunu. It is a ritual in our house to listen to her Visnusahasranama and Bhajagovindam. In fact a schedule has formed on its own over years, so there are specific times in the day for Hanuman chalisa, Kanakadhara stotra and so on. And this little puppy entered our lives at the peak of festival season. So he was initiated very early on into our way of life. He would be such an unstoppable brat but the moment " OM .. Shuklam bharadharam Vishnum .." would begin, he would transform .. he would so sweetly climb into a nearby lap and would not stir until it was over ... where are you Hopey..? And just then,  MS sings "Vishnuvu vishnuvani vedakavo ... manasaa". O mind, do not search for Vishnu as Vishnu ..

Something shifted within me. I could not recognise it but I could feel I was headed towards an oasis, having traversed barrenness. I would count this as one of those significant moments of this lifetime for the leap I made. It was most unlike any other, so far. This was inward. This was a serenity that I had felt only three or four times earlier. It was different also in the fact that it did not reveal itself readily. These moments of knowing or knowledge, if I may call them that, have a way of presenting themselves so solemnly ... a fleeting glimpse, an imperceptible feeling or some strange prodding to seek some book or meet someone. Some invisible thread of connection seems to run through it all ... and life goes on ..

Hopey ( 20th Sep 2000 - 7th July 2009) lives on ...

Welcome to Doggone Yumm !

My name is Girija and I was born and raised in Bangalore. As far back as I can remember, I have shared a very special relationship with animals.Particularly, dogs. I feel very fortunate to have shared my life with some really wonderful doggie friends. They touched my heart and enriched me as a person so much more than anything or anybody else in my life. I dont know how many of you feel this way.. but I cant help but acknowledge the fact that they seem to have almost flawless personalities. I do know a lot of wonderful people but I am yet to see such abundance of goodness in one person, consistently all the time.

I also have a very  special interest in food. I am a dietitian by profession. I trained to be a diabetes educator and counselled people in these areas. When I look back upon my personal journey, I can see how these interests have woven such a  breathtakingly beautiful pattern to the fabric of my life.

Doggone Yumm is a chronicle of a woman who dearly loves animals. Specifically, dogs. Actually, biophile may be the word for her. She is a foodie. She is a thinker. This is my story of how and why I turned vegan.

I owe it to Hopey for spurting my process of evolution in the very concept of food.It was a revelation for me to see how abstract the idea of food can be ...even to a dietitian!! I wanted to launch this blog as a birthday present to my best best friend ... it is all about food ! Slurpp !! Yumm  !!! I can feel Hopey's approval WOOF for this :-)