Utsha Foundation, Bhubaneshwar

I was in Bhubaneshwar at the beginning of March for a meeting. Stayed another day to visit the Jagannath temple in Puri.
A young designer, a former student of mine took me to the Utsha Foundation to see some ceramic work he had done. 

 A delightful place tucked away in a quiet green neighbourhood. Quirky bits of art in unexpected places.These coconut fiber and yarn forms descend from the ceiling.

 A plug attached to a short length of wire, part of that wire is simulated with paint. Can you spot the point? 

 Doorways which lead to so many possibilities.

   Palm leaf puppets.A traditional craft of Odisha.

The library where we spent an hour in fruitful discussion. 

A portion of the garden used for performances.

Iddiappoo

 At around 7.30 every morning a man calls out 'Iddiappoo' and at two minute intervals you hear him call out again 'Iddiappooo'.
He makes the rounds of Kilpauk Garden Road, Kilpauk Garden Road 1st Street and Mandapam Road morning and at around 8 in the evening selling soft lacy Idiappams.

 I'd heard heard the call Iddiappoo most mornings and evenings while visiting my parents and was curious to see this enterprising person and sample the idiappams which neighbours said were good.
On a recent trip home I decided the idiappams had to be sampled when we were trying to decide what to have for breakfast. 

I chatted with Azhagar Swamy while my mother got a bowl for the idiappams. He's up at two every morning making idiappams. He makes about 300 to 400 idiappams and sets out to sell them around 7 in the morning. he wears a plastic glove on his right hand so he can take out the idiappams from a large stainless steel container  tied to the back of his bicycle. From the handlebar of his bicyle hangs a  woven plastic basket in which is a small device which repeatedly calls out 'Iddiappoo'. Azhagar Swamy switched it off while conducting transacting business. Three idiappams for ten rupees.   

Breakfast at your doorstep.Delicious and inexpensive. Eat it with leftover fish or egg curry. If there are no leftovers and you have neither the inclination or the time to make fresh coconut milk and the last tetra pack of coconut milk was used up to make the fish curry, put the idiappams in a shallow bowl, pour some warm milk over it,sprinkle sugar and relish.  

Got more string hoppers the next day and ate them for lunch with chicken stew. There must be a number of people eating Idiappams for dinner because Azhagar Swamy is back doing the rounds at dinner time.
I was curious to know what Azhagar Swamy did with the leftovers. He dries them out in the sun and makes them into vathal or vadam . Vathal are fried in hot oil and are crisp and crunchy and is one of many accompaniments to a South Indian meal.

I'm posting in Take Diversion after a year I think but I'm going to be posting more regularly going forward. Cheers!