Potato Heroes....

Many click masala dosas. But some click masala dosas so wonderfully that they convey a message, besides a sense of great taste,  and a triggering of huge appetite.

One applauds Deepak Amembal, for having the patience to click his breakfast , in the face of such an amazing photographic  invitation to imbibe.

It certainly brings to mind the Life and Times  of a Potato and its relevance to current events  .

Sometimes, food imitates, and improves on real life.   But do we learn ?

बटाटा असणं सोपं नसतं … कधी तेलात फेकलं जाणं , कधी सुरी नावाच्या व्हिलनने बारीक डोळे करून सपासप केलेला पातळ काचर्या अपरिहार्यपणे फोडणीत पडणं , कधी "दो कोळसे बारा ज्वाळा " स्टाईल जळत्या शेगडीत लाल निखार्यात आयुष्य घालवणं , तर कधी वाफ़ॆच्या अतिरेकात , कातडी निघेपर्यंत शिट्ट्यान्च्या संगीतात अडकणं , आणि जरा राग निवळ्ल्यावर , कुणा एका नायकेच्या फुंकर मारण्याने दंग होउन , अगदी तुकडे तुकडे होउन पडणं, आणि मिरची कढीपत्ता वकिलांच्या बरोबर महाग तेलात उच्च कढईत गरागरा फिरण. आजकाल काही लोकांचं असच असतं . कायद्याने शिक्षापात्र ठरवलेला गुन्हा करून निर्लज्जा सारखे घरी येतात , आणि आईचा हात धरून "भक्तांना " अभिवादन करतात . बटाट्याच आयुष्य सिनेमासारख असलं , तरी जेव्हा लोकांना भेटायची वेळ येते, तेव्हा तो हिरवी चटणी लेवून आलेल्या , डोसा आईच्या पदराखाली आरामात बसून, हळूच डोकावतो , आणि खावैय्याना अभिवादन करतो . एक भक्तांवर जगतो , तो सलमान खान दुसरा भक्ताना जगवतो , तो मसाला डोसा

It isn't easy being a potato. A wild fling into the oil; sometimes, a thin sharp villainous cutting and stir frying, helplessly uniting with a  tadka; sometimes, a deadly roasting amidst the red embers of fate a la the movie "Two Charcoals Twelve flames " and sometimes, helplessly smothering in loads of steam, losing skin as mercenary whistles happen all around you. Then a patient cooling of temper, a gentle blowing of air by a culinary heroine, and a helpless falling to pieces, only to be forced to move in High Places at huge oily costs with the Mirchi Kadhipatta Attorneys. These days some folks live a similar life. Convicted in the law of crimes of causing death, they manage to return home, and wave to their  fans, from balconies, holding fast to their mother's arm. Cinematically, the Potato life although similar, ends much differently. The Dosa Matriarch, layered with a chutney simply arrives, takes the potato under her palloo, and he waves to his fans too, inviting them to partake. The one who lives at the cost of fans, is Salman. The one who lives to make the lives of fans happy, is the potato in the Masala Dosa.