Balkrishna Bhide gets up in the morning and unlike others, his first thought is not whether the bai will turn up. Why? Because he doesn't employ one! He looks after his home and hearth himself.Bhide, who lives in an apartment near Mehendale Garage, Nal Stop, and retired as general manager (production unit), Railways, could easily give a vital tip or two to seasoned housewives. His gleaming, clean kitchen (and the rest of the house) is any housewife's envy.The house-proud gentleman believes in the philosophy, Sarvam Paravasham Dukkham, Sarvam Atmavasham Sukham; Evam Bruvanti Sanskhiptam, Lakshanam Sukhdukhayot meaning ``being dependent on others causes unhappiness, all things you do yourself lead to happiness. This, in short, may be slated as the distinguishing feature between happiness and unhappiness.''Discipline and self-help are Bhide's mottos. ``One way of keeping your kitchen germ-free is to wash the utensils immediately after use,'' he advises. He is meticulous about throwing away pieces of leftover food in the dust-bin, since they could choke the drainpipe.Bhide can easily conjure hot upma, pohe and sheera for breakfast, as also ukad, a dish made with rice flour, green chillies, kadi patta and whey. ``I usually make it when I prepare shrikhand, and use the leftover whey to give the dish a nice pungent taste.''For lunch and dinner, it's usually rice, lentils and vegetables, and though he can cook chapatis, he prefers to get ready-made ones available in the market. ``But I make pancakes (of besan or rice flour) and thalipeeth very often. They are the best snacks, very healthy,'' he says. He is also quite adept at making sandwich burgers and noodles spiked with vegetables.It is obvious that Bhide's scientific temper has invaded his kitchen, as he explains how best to conserve gas. ``I make maximum use of the pressure cooker. And when I cook, the flame does not shoot up but is just enough to cover the bottom of the vessel,'' he says.Bhide also makes tea very methodically. `` I think one should not add sugar to the boiling water, because when you add the tea leaves, 25 per cent of the sugar is absorbed by the tea leaves and gets thrown away. The sugar should be added later,'' he says.
