Childhood of Modakams

My best memories of Vinayaka Chaturthi are those filled with modakams.

My Paati used to make absolutely yummy ones…. two kinds…one sweet with the traditional jaggery and coconut filling, while the other was spicy and had red chillies in it. The idea was to balance out the palate with hot and sweet modakams.

And we cousins used to fight as to who could eat more.

I remember saving mine up while everyone gobbled them down, and then sitting around licking and devouring them in a purportedly slow manner to drive the others insane and greedy.

Since we grew into our teens and college beckoned, modakams were forgotten and the only modakams we ate were those fashioned by some obscure north Indian in Delhi.

Today on the eve of Chaturthi, I can taste those modakams as I look back and wish those carefree childhood days back….

When all that mattered were playing games, eating hearty yummy meals egged on by Paati and Thatha who took great pride in watching us eat well, and then fighting amongst ourselves as to who got the bigger portion and then listening to stories from Paati and then sleeping together on beds strewn on the floor.

Those were days of bliss.

I wish they would come back again.