Om shree ganeshaya namah

indophile wrote:Can someone post a link to Pantula Rama's rendition of Otthukudi Venkata Subbaiyer's Shree-vighna-raajam-bhaje in Gambheeranata?

indophile wrote:They are both good. Rama's too will make a nice addition. I heard it at a friend's house and liked it a lot.

Another Brick wrote:rekz, have you listened to shankar mahadevan's "ekdantay vakratunday"? if you haven't, find it on youtube and give it a listen or two, ya?

Rekz wrote:
Brick,I did post Shankar Mahadevan's Ganeshaye Dheemahi from youtube.Open this thread from home and checkout.If you happen to login to chat,i will tell you how to make modak so that you don't have to buy or eat basin ka ladoo on Ganesh Chaturthi:D .

Another Brick wrote:

Rekz wrote:
Brick,I did post Shankar Mahadevan's Ganeshaye Dheemahi from youtube.Open this thread from home and checkout.If you happen to login to chat,i will tell you how to make modak so that you don't have to buy or eat basin ka ladoo on Ganesh Chaturthi:D .

oh, i could not see from my office the video you had posted. btw, i finally had some modaks over the weekend. not steamed, but fried.

Sasthi wrote:It's a wonferful song rekz...

Btw, I am back and have jet lag and have to start work and prep lunch boxes for kids.

Sasthi wrote:Nope! I am not glad to be back. I have decided to go back in 3-5 years.

Another Brick wrote:yes, fried. i don't think that they are made completely of rice flour. perhaps some maida in it. but they are good. here -

indophile wrote:A story on modakas.



An interesting story of Satavahana king Hala is given in Somadeva’s kathaasaritsaagara. The young king’s knowledge of Sanskrit was so-so whereas his queen Malayavati was adept at it. The king while sloshing around in the pool was making his wife breathless with his aggressive play. She then pleaded, “raajan modakaistaadaya” (rajan, maa udakaih taadaya – Raja, (please) don’t hit me with water). The king understood her pleading as – rajan modakaih taadaya (Raja, hit me with modaka). He thought why just one modaka, and ordered a whole basketfull of modakas (real hard variety) to be delivered poolside, and started carefully aiming them one by one at his queen. She called him some choice words, and he felt humiliated. He started his schooling the very next day, and turned soon into a Sanskrit scholar.



Since both Telugus and Maharashtrians claim the kings of Satavahana dynasty as their own, I can't say whose modakas hurt the poor queen:-

Tracy Whitney wrote:madrasis DON'T know how to make modak.. I had gone to patel groceries and got 'modak' from some chennai sweets. I didn't open the pack there itself... Man, most unappetising looking modaks ever... they were huge, looked semicooked and the syrup was actually flowing out... which is weird coz, WHY was there a syrup in it in the first place? Will think twice before buying any si sweet other than those mango papdis.

Richard Hed wrote:

indophile wrote:A story on modakas.



An interesting story of Satavahana king Hala is given in Somadeva’s kathaasaritsaagara. The young king’s knowledge of Sanskrit was so-so whereas his queen Malayavati was adept at it. The king while sloshing around in the pool was making his wife breathless with his aggressive play. She then pleaded, “raajan modakaistaadaya” (rajan, maa udakaih taadaya – Raja, (please) don’t hit me with water). The king understood her pleading as – rajan modakaih taadaya (Raja, hit me with modaka). He thought why just one modaka, and ordered a whole basketfull of modakas (real hard variety) to be delivered poolside, and started carefully aiming them one by one at his queen. She called him some choice words, and he felt humiliated. He started his schooling the very next day, and turned soon into a Sanskrit scholar.



Since both Telugus and Maharashtrians claim the kings of Satavahana dynasty as their own, I can't say whose modakas hurt the poor queen:-

Nice story - goes to show the importance of Sandhi & Sandhi vicheds

Rekz wrote:Sasthi yennama yevalo nallu achuma *hugs*
Welcome back...chat feature pathiya? login sometime will catch up:)

blabberwock wrote:

Tracy Whitney wrote:madrasis DON'T know how to make modak.. I had gone to patel groceries and got 'modak' from some chennai sweets. I didn't open the pack there itself... Man, most unappetising looking modaks ever... they were huge, looked semicooked and the syrup was actually flowing out... which is weird coz, WHY was there a syrup in it in the first place? Will think twice before buying any si sweet other than those mango papdis.

Mango papdis are South Indian sweets? I had no idea.

I didn't know modaka kozhukattais could be sold in packets - they should be served warm, right after they are steamed, AFAIK. The melted jaggery syrup may ooze out.

I haven't had one in ~15 years and could be wrong about all this. Anyway, I don't like modaks, oozing syrup or not.

Tracy Whitney wrote:

those mango thins.. I have usually had the SI varieties. They sold them as modaks. I don't ever remember modaks having so much syrup that it drips out. The usual is to just have to hold the filling together.

Tracy Whitney wrote:
I have very fond memories of modaks... my nanny used to fast every [something] and her entire food that day would be modaks only. Here is the twist.. she would make 21 or some, and put salt in just one. Then she would eat them until she hit the salty one. And that's it. No more food for the day. I would get the rest, if I didn't have periods that day. Some days, unfortunately for her, we would get all 20 of them... I used to kinda hope I got minimum 5.