FOUND! `MILLET UPMA’ AND `NACHNE IDLI’…

At the Holistic Wellness Kitchen outlet at the Ramakrishna Mission premises at Khar, Mumbai

Visiting the Ramakrishna Math & Mission at 12th Road, Khar (East) Mumbai… for Durga Puja this year. A real joyful discovery for me!

IT WAS a real find for me, unforgettable my joy! I’ve lived in Mumbai that was Bombay for 30 years in the 70s, 80s and 90s but not once do I remember visiting the Ramakrishna Math & Mission at Khar in Mumbai. My loss! But of course I’ve heard about its social work in a myriad ways. This over a century old sanstha or organization which has been dedicated to the upliftment of people and country, draws its inspiration from the sage Ramakrishna first and Vivekananda – my friend Munmun Ghosh shared with me that her parents always used to take them as children to the Ramakrishna Math during weekends and many are the programs educational and musical which they have attended here, she exclaimed, “I have literally grown up here!” She educated me that the the mystic saint Ramakrishna was really a Bengali, born Ramakrishna Chattopadhyay. Much of his life was lived at the Dakshineshwar Kali temple near Kolkatta. He died of throat cancer. His chief disciple was Vivekananda who many in India recognize easily.
Needless to say the over a century old Ramakrishna Math & Mission has flowered into a premier sanstha of the country today, it has expanded into various service-oriented ventures to ameliorate the suffering of the common people. Not least of all it runs an exemplary Ramakrishna Mission Hospital at its premises at 12th Road in Khar (East) in Mumbai. It’s an address which even most of the autorikshawallah of the vicinity suburbs will recognize and take you to without too much roundabouts.
IT was the Navratri and Durga Puja week and a friend said go see the Durga Puja at the Ramakrishna Mission and then after the first visit I found myself going every morning not just to pay my respects to the goddess Durga puja sessions but also to experience the wholistic and holistic food and snacks served to visitors at the Holistic Wellbeing Centre here, where a most tempting menu is served at modest pricing in eco-friendly ware… the millets rule as in a millets upma and nachne idli, red poha, cut salads and fruit, bananas were selling for Rs5 each and in a nutshell a host of very desirable eats. Including a clear herbal kashayam drink, as also ragi malt which my soul absolutely fell in love with. They offer many combo meals at this Wholistic Wellness Center and I wish all hospitals kitchens would study the menu here to make it available to their patients.

A menu for life and living at the Ramakrishna Math’s Holistic Wellness Centre… here is genuinely health concious and fit for life food at reasonable prices available to all. Hospital kitchens would do well to adopt some of this wholesome recipes. The packaging is also eco-friendly!

So there was for a couple of mornings at the Ramakrishna Math & Mission wandering around the gardens and enjoying the morning aarti to the goddess Durga. This is one of the oldest Durga Puja in Mumbai and you will find some of the crème de la crème of Bengali society families here. There is a bookshop with a large assortment of books and booklets about the life and times of Ramakrishna Paramahansa who adhered to Hindu Vaishnavi tradition, tantric Shaktism, and amusingly he also had an affection for Christianity and Sufi Islam. The spiritual leader championed the unity of all religions and the story goes that he wore Muslim robes even performed namaz just to acquire experiential realization of God!
Well, all this and much more to catch up on the life and times of one of the country’s most respected mystic saints who apparently used to get visions of goddess Durga in Kali form…he was married to Sharada Devi who in one of her prayers urges devotees to pray to the goddess with tears in their eyes and all prayers will bear fruit. Not easy to do, to summon up tears but then I suppose if one is suffering enough about something tears are just there in our prayers.
BUT all this apart I wish there was a Ramakrishna Math & Mission in Goa which would bring its wholistic and holistic kitchen to Panjim! It would be so agreeable if one go every morning and pack up some millet upma or nachne idli and other snacks to bring home for breakfast and lunch and of course ragi malt for dinner before the sun sets. The person who is taking care of this exemplary kitchen is consultant Dr Dayananda and although I met him briefly, he didn’t say much except to read up the notices up on the information board for details of how they also do conduct cooking classes for those interested in learning how to do sattvic food – which has the ingredients to free the mind and body, heart and soul from pain and disease. If you eat like this you cannot go wrong in treasuring body beautiful as the temple of the mind, heart and soul!
IF you’re going to Mumbai be sure to visit the Ramakrishna Math and Mission premises in Khar.