Tiny, round, colorful Tilgul and warm wishes exchange hands and hearts today....as folks wish each other sweetly 'YeLL thogond yeLLu belldang eronu...'

'Tilgul ghya, godgod bola' sweet Marathi voices echo all around ...

As you munch ELLu Bella today at your homes, here's wishing you all happiness!

We have so many reasons to celebrate and be happy in our lives.... when some discussions pop up that set me thinking and a little disturbed.

Ram: 'I don't understand why these Mallus put coconut in everything... Smells! And they use coconut oil to make any damn dish'
Gopal: 'Seriously dude, it stinks...'
Ram: 'Even Tamil style dosas are kind of strange man... Funny sambar and chutneys'.

I'm sure we have all been part of such discussions every now and then.

Now...this makes it so easy for me to understand how 2 countries or states can fight.
As we continue to hurl vadas and dosas and coconuts at each other, at a higher level, countries fling missiles and bombs at each other...everything makes perfect sense to me.

People are proud of their states and languages and religions, thats really nice....but when you go a step ahead to become a fanatic and if u can't appreciate and respect differences in tastes, then its a serious problem, as I perceive!

Man..i will put a whole coconut in my mouth and swallow it, followed by a banana...wat's ur problem? If u like it, eat it....or leave it! Now, that's a totally wierd thing to say, I agree! :)

Yes, I'm a Mallu, but I love and appreciate the tastes and variety in food that different states and places offer me.
I don't get offended with such comments, I'm only amused and stifle a laughter as I wonder about people's stupidity.

I love Tamil style dosas and chutneys and sambar. Karnataka offers dosas made differently and so many other delicacies, they are yummy ....the sambar tastes different, and I love the different smell and taste. Punjabis make parathas with such passion, I love to eat them with butter smeared all over, and dipped in curds and pickles... another delightful world in itself.
Andhra chilly chicken and biryanis are a top scorer with me when I wanna hit real high, they're an absolute treat for my taste buds, also promising to leave behind tears ...A treat of mixed feelings! :)

But something that I see always is people always disapproving others' ways, their kind of food, the way they talk, the way they dress, ...

When will we try to stand in their shoes and look at things from their perspective?
When will we pause for a moment and think genuinely 'Man...what makes him say that?' before responding with a loud comment.

This single thought can work as a mantra which will work miracles in all relations!