Come spring, every year around holi, mom and I prepare a huge batch of Thandai powder. Thandai by definition is something cooling. Its a mixture of ingredients that help you replenish your salts and sugars after a hot day in the sun. Two things that I enjoy making with Thandai is Thandai cake and a Thandai Lassi. But first the Thandai powder: Ingredients: 1 tbsp Almonds 1tbsp Pistachio 1/2 tbsp Fennel seeds 1 tbsp Watermellon seeds seeds 1/2 Khus/ poppy seeds 1 tsp Black pepper whole 15 pods whole cardamom 1tbsp dried rose petals Blend together well in a mixie and store in an airtight container in the freezer. Use all summer long.
Thandai Cake This cake is a lovely eggless cake which I have been baking on Holi day. Its a great substitute to deep fried gujiyas and an absolute novel idea when presented well.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (maida)
1 cup yogurt( room temp)
4 tbsp milk
6tbsp homemade Thandai powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup refined oil
2 cardomom pods coarsly powdered
1 tsp dehydrated rose petals (opt)
1/4 cup chopped nuts( almonds and pistachios)
6-7 saffron threads
1/2 tsp rose water
A few sliced pistachios and rose petals for topping
Method
Preheat oven to 200C. Sift the refined flour and keep aside
Whisk together yogurt, milk, thandai powder, saffron, sugar, rose water and cardamom powder till creamy
Sprinkle baking soda and baking powder, gently mix and leave aside for 2-3 mins
Once the mixture turns frothy mix in oil
Gently fold in the sifted flour (make sure not to overmix)
Mix in the petals and nuts .Pour in a greased and dusted 8" pan sprinkle the sliced pistachios and petals on top and bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 10 mins
Reduce the temp to 180 and further bake for 30-35 mins or till the toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean
Cool for 35- 40 mins unmold, slice , sprinkle some powdered sugar, chopped rose petals and serve
Thandai Lassi
Ingredients
1tbsp Thandai powder
1 cup yogurt
1 cup milk
honey or sugar according to taste
5-6 ice cubes
Method
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend till all the ice is crushed and we have a frothy mixture.
Pour in a tall glass. Enjoy a glass of thandai lassi when you come home from the hot summer sun.
Can the identity of a country be tied to one individual? For me
Sri Lanka was always about the architect GeoffreyBawa. He started his practice as an architect at the age of 38 after spending two years at the AA London. He was a lawyer prior to that but decided to study architecture after he acquired ancestral land in Lunuganga. I was always amazed at
his understanding of context, material, landscape and his ability to create a simple sense of poetry.
His work is serene and calm and at the same time dramatic with foliage and trees and water bodies and animals and changing seasons. His buildings are never about the built form
but about wanderings and discovery. His buildings are never revealed to us fully but
are to be slowly realised many a times one can forget where they started and can
enjoy getting lost in each vignette so carefully designed by this master
craftsman of spaces. Water is an important element for this island country and is never far from any
of his buildings many a times drawn into the spaces, becoming part of
architecture itself. His work is mesmerizing and for me it is la
raison d'être to explore Sri Lanka.
I
had the opportunity to visit many of Bawa's buildings in Sri lanka. It was a
pilgrimage for me to explore his work and to finally understand the simplicity
and beauty of his architecture. Winner of the prestigious Aga Khan award, Bawa
was truly a legendary architect of the South Asian countries bringing to life
the idea of a contemporary vernacular- building a monsoon architecture.
Lunuganga:
The
most enchanting place I have ever been to. Lunuganga is Bawa's country estate
south of Colombo near Bentota. This charming sprawling home and gardens is more
about the outdoor space and the gorgeous views of the lake. The property is on
a hillock that dramatically overlooks a large lake. The buildings on the
property unfold as the garden house, the study. the upper gallery, the lower gallery, the cinnamon house and the main
house. In between all these little buildings are pause points and moments of
contemplation around the lake, benches, sculptures, frangipani trees, cinnamon
trees, a well, Italian sculptures, Pan sculptures, massive Chinese pots,
checkered stone floor, black and white interiors, English gardens, walkways
flanked with trees, murals by the famous artist Laki Senanayake and the most
memorable were the bells to call out to the staff around the house. Each of the bells has a different sound and indicates the time of the day, location where he is seated and the meal/ snack/ juice/ beverage that Bawa would need. This
peaceful oasis, a work ever in progress, is where Bawa spent his final
years.
Entrance
Sitting at the lunch bell
garden reading room
The panther by the lake
Mythical creatures- Pan and Nataraj
The gin and tonic area
Cinnamon House
The Chinese pot bringing a sense of scale to the rolling English gardens
Mural by Laki Senanayake
Frangipani
The sweet tour guide who had been in service of Bawa for over 10 years
Now maintained by the
Geoffrey Bawa foundation- this beautiful townhouse was his home and office in
his later years. Its white interiors and pockets of light entering through tiny
courtyards and plants give the house a feeling of a country house. The art collection in
this house is brilliant- several drawings from Bawa's projects including Lunuganga (a masterpiece), sculptures by Laki, the front door designed by Laki as well. Ancient columns and painted doorways punctuate the all white space. A slight trickling sound of water permeates the sitting room next to which is a very modern fountain of water. Upstairs has been converted into a bed and breakfast and above that the terrace from which you get fantastic views of Colombo.
The all white interiors sprinkled with antiquies
The courtyards
The Gallery Cafe
Very close to the
Colombo house is Geoffrey Bawa's office, which has now been converted into The Gallery Cafe. His love for black and white is highlighted in the selection of furniture
and upholstery. Enter the Gallery Cafe through a drive up courtyard and walk through a narrow hallway to an inner courtyard that has a narrow pool of water leading further in to the main house, which further opens to back courtyard with beautiful temple trees. Back in the day, this is where Bawa would meet potential clients in the in-between space with courtyards on either side. Attached to the cafe is Paradise Road - probably one of the
best design store I have visited. Chic, modern and very desirable. It gave me insight how far ahead Sri Lanka is design wise than us.
Love for Chinese pots
Heritance Kandalama:
This brilliant hotel
building along the edge of a mountain facing the majestic Kandalam lake. Not
for a moment can you take your eyes off the amazing views. The hotel has
several pools one of which is an infinity pool extending out as if into the
Kandalama lake. At some point in the day a herd of elephants wade through the lake. The facade of the building is covered with creepers and trees camouflaging this building into the jungle cliff. In the distance, one can see beautiful Sigiriya- the Lion Rock. I highly recommend the spa. Each room is facing the lake, and the showers are set right up to the edge of the cliff wildly clad with creepers hence giving a sense of privacy and a sense of bathing out in the open.
Elephant wading through the lake Kandalama viewed from the infinity pool
One with its surrounding
The Bentota Beach Resort
The beauty of Sri Lanka
is that the tiny island offers everything from mountains, beaches,
archeological sites, hill stations, large cities all in very close proximity to each
other. Bawa built in all these changing landscapes and responded beautifully to
the site and context. His beach property of Bentota brings you into a dramatic
art space and slowly leads you towards the water. The building itself follows a
beautiful proportioning system which gradually becomes narrower to the top and helps create an overhang.
Dramatic art entry
The well proportioned overhanging building
The Parliament House:
The new Parliament house
perched in the middle of the lake Diyawanna Oya in true Bawa style gives homage to this island
country. I did not get a chance to take a tour from inside but the structure
from outside is stunning- exemplifying Monsoon Architecture. The steep pagoda
like roofs of varying sizes interspersed with pools of water and groves of
trees gives a sense of sharp symmetry in its very organic setting. This was like no other
Parliament building I have seen.
Seema Malaka Temple:
This gorgeous temple
complex built yet again in the middle of the lake is a beautiful meditative
space. The architecture is a complex wooden lattice structure of three
pavilions inspired from Japanese temple architecture. The central pavilion is
the finely detailed lattice woodwork, interlocking creating a beautiful
substructure. The other two pavilions connected with little bridges allow for
circumambulation around the Bodhi tree and some larger meditating Buddhas. Clearly
the rows of Buddhas on the outside enjoy looking at this detailing of the
central pavilion structure.
The beautiful detailing in wood
My search for Bawa would
have been incomplete without the help of some of the people who have worked
with him.
Mr. C Anjalendram kindly
invited me to his beautiful home and office and helped me set up an itinerary
of all the Bawa buildings. Mr. Anjalendram has successfully built a practice designing residential, townships, resorts around Sri Lanka infusing his own style and continuing Bawa's legacy. Below are photos of his home/office a wonderful place where classical music is resounding in the rooms as interns work on drawings.
Finally I was lucky to meetMr.
Laki Senanayake- artist, sculptor, musician, landcape architect, designer, furniture designer. He is the artist behind several murals in Bawa's buildings that bring to life stories and myths and animals and cultural references. One of the most famous works is in the Sri Lankan Parliament House. While at Dambulla, I spent a morning at his forest retreat Diyababulla, a magical water garden tucked away deep in the dry zone in Central Sri Lanka. The gurgling of the water formed the backdrop to our conversations. His
unconventional home on stilts is filled with metal owls, cheetahs, giant horse. The entire property is an experiment in sustainability creating water bodies in the dry zone of Sri Lanka and making buildings with the living areca palm trees. He worked with Bawa for 6 years in Colombo before moving into the forest from where he has made art. Since, he collaborated with Bawa and now with some of the younger architects on several projects over the years. Apart from the sculptures in the Parliament House, he has made a mural walls in Lunuganga and the Bentota, his metal owl soars in Kandalama, his glass work drawing forms the front door to Bawa's Colombo house,
The drawings that Laki
made for Bawa are rich in their linework, a whimsical north arrow with peacocks, tigers and trees of the region. The rendering of the water almost seems be flowing on
the paper and the detail of his drawings are stunning bringing to life every
detail of Bawa's design. He explained to me that he drew with a chiselled porcupine quill which held the ink long enough and gave each line varying thickness as it moves along the paper a characteristic that a simple pen would not ever produce. His ouevre is varied from currency notes to sculptures and little drawings that he manipulates on the computer. He is interested in interjecting technology in his work. His work is as playful as his warm persona. It was truly a pleasure to meet him.
The wonderful Laki in his water gardens in Dambulla
Beautiful linework of water moving across the paper to the land with contours and groves of trees and in its midst emerges a built form.
