To Heaven and back

After a 52 min drive along the xpressway connecting Pune and Mumbai comes a non-descript place [in comparison with huge sign boards of McD and other branded outlets ]. Known as the Khopoli vada-pav centre, it serves traditional Maharashtrian dishes; namely :- (a) Vada Pav (b) Misal Pav (c) Kande Pohe (d) Sabudana Vada (e) Sabudana Khichdi (vi) Kothimbir Vadi (vii) Thalipeet.

It has become my Friday evening ritual to take a pitstop here en route to home (Thane). After 5 days of work, I make it a point to halt here for my weekly dose of Misal Pav. As I approach the cash counter, each time there are several thoughts that rush to my mind;

• "Should I go for Kothimbir Vadi today?"
• "Am I feeling a bit too full to have an entire plate of Misal? "
• "Why not settle for the milder Kande Pohe" ?

It takes me just a couple of minutes to dispel all such "negative" thoughts and opt for the one and only Misal. I collect my Misal Pav, find a seating place (extremely difficult to find) and gorge into it. It is so deliciously hot, that Dubya would have surely called it "Missile" !

As I relish my dish, I realize that there is something quite magical in dipping into a plate of misal pav on a quiet Friday evening. It's like touching heaven and coming back, ready to touch it again next Friday !