It’s 100 not out for Pudding Aunty

When life gives you lemons think chilled lime cordial with a dash of mintrdquo Trust Lila Karunan to chart the culinary route out of challenges Greeting adversity with equanimity tackling tough luck with cando optimism this brave woman recently celebrated her hundredth birthday in style in FebruaryRechristened Pudding Aunty by a godchild Aunty Lila as most know her ran popular cookery classes in the 1960s and 1970s She nourished They cherished Students still treasure her handwritten recipes for the Thali sweet and other East Indian community delights both sugary and savouryldquoThe expertise with which Mum portioned ingredients produced bestsellersrdquo says her son Desmond DrsquoSouza ldquoWhen her five sisters came to our DrsquoMonte Street home to help prepare the legendary lsquobottle masalarsquo laboriously concocted this potent base for East Indian dishes manually pounds together 25 to 60 spices with mortar and pestle the entire lane shut for eight hours of their roasting and grindingLila raising her glass at a family functionNot even a bicycle could go through mdash to minimise dust contamination from vehicular traffic And her homemade mustard was so brilliant in quality and taste people said it beat the fancy French lsquopommery moutarde de meauxrsquo voted top worldwiderdquoNot to quote filial devotion alone here is Lalitha Fernandes writing in Jottings the newsletter of the Young Womenrsquos Christian Association YWCA ldquoWith easytofollow recipes turning out excellent each time her dishes were classic creative and delicious She threw herself into everything with determination and full focus couched in a sense of humour Cheers to a woman who continues to be classy sassy and adoredrdquoIrsquom privileged to meet everybodyrsquos beloved centenarian on a rainy Saturday morning in the Malad apartment of her eldest son Darryl Sitting up slowly for a midday meal she joins wizened hands in a silent prayer of Grace facing a beautiful Madonna and Child portrait on the opposite wallFramed below are photographs from the 100th birthday celebrations at Country Club Andheri Lila basking in the joy of four sons standing behind her Lila exuding verve in an elegant dress and elaborate hat tilted at a jaunty angle Lila beaming gratitude for the blessings of nine grandchildren and eight greatgrandchildrenBlessing goddaughter Lucia on her wedding dayShe smiles hearing that I too schooled at St Josephrsquos Convent In contrast with her simple lunch bowl we sit surrounded by a sea of snacks Darryl and Desmond DrsquoSouza ply me with mdash which I try resisting to focus on the story of their wonderful motherBorn into the Gomes household on Boran Road Bandra she married Esmond DrsquoSouza an office executive and brought up four sons mdash Darryl Denzil Douglas and Desmond mdash at 465 DrsquoMonte Street off Hill Road One floor down from them lived the family of Maurice Concessio the band leader on whose green van trundling through leafy lanes was painted the tagline ldquoMusic grows where Maurice goesrdquoEsmondrsquos death in a road accident in 1965 left Lila solo at 40 but a picture of courage That she was a mother of four scarcely deterred Peter Karunan a bachelor working as a Bata factory and store manager some years later When she expressed some reluctance at his interest he approached her inlaws and she remarriedAn ordinary housewife with no formal training Lila found and flourished in her niche out of necessity Providing for a family of six was proving extremely hard Armed with resolution and recipes from her mother Maryrsquos kitchen she donned an apron spread pans and ladles on her foldout dining table and started Lilarsquos Cooking Classes in 1971 Investing modest personal savings in a gas range utensils and stools for students she fixed Sunday sessions from 2 to 4 pmWith a sensitive understanding of family life she welcomed studentsrsquo children home French teacher Blanche Dias says ldquoI had nowhere to leave my two on a Sunday afternoon Lila let me bring them to class She bought them toys to play with in a corner supervised by her gentle husband Peter And always packed a box of munchies for themrdquoAt first locals trickled in As word spread students flocked around Blanche says ldquoI came to Andheri from Colaba in 1979 newly married with stars in my eyes and no culinary skills After the honeymoon period my husbandrsquos look at carefully crafted burnt offerings gradually changed from adoration to dismay Enter my saviour Aunty Lila My cooking got better and I made a lot of friends for liferdquoCloseup of a recipe for Sweetheart Pudding with heart doodle by LilaFrom nervous brides to chefs in training men keen to floor the women of their dreams with unexpected domestic skills to mixed marriage partners looking to learn a different cuisine she taught hundreds of eager students over 20 years For a monthly fee of Rs 30 with another Rs 10 covering costs of typed copies and a sample of the delicacy of the dayldquoAunty Lila is a star Her resilience and zest for life are outstandingrdquo says her goddaughter Lucia DrsquolimaKandhari ldquoThough a nononsense person shersquos never without a kind word and hearty laughter You leave her home with a goody bag and the warm fuzzy feeling of motherrsquos love At gatherings her rainbow sandwiches as well as mini cheese and sausage cocktail hors drsquooeuvres were huge hits The East Indian communityrsquos famous Thali sweet is among the most relished and not only at ChristmasrdquoIt must have been no easy task bringing up four demanding boys Darryl remarks voice thick with emotion ldquoYet with abundant generosity ours was one big open house Especially during feasts In the Bandra Fair week on the first Sunday after September 8 Mum made lunch for a minimum of 60 people She called out to passersby who dropped in for her perfect fugias sausage fry pig roast sorpotel and vindaloordquoVinita Bahl Crasto whose mother Rama assisted Lila says ldquoAunty Lila taught with the patience of a mother and flair of a master chef With 75odd ladies frequenting the premises four times a month a story or two was a given Women found alliances for young men in their families many became best friends Sunshine personified she took her girls to movies and picnics and made it a point to attend their weddings and birthdaysWith cookery class assistant and friend Rama BahlldquoYears after familiar faces would come up to her asking lsquoAunty Lila remember you taught me to cookrsquo She said lsquoThat sentence gives me the best feeling in the world no matter how many times I hear itrsquo I used to believe she had a secret pair of hands saved for her dinner parties serving great food and wine topped with mouthwatering desserts mdash all matched with perfect cutlery and glassware We imbibed the fine art of entertaining from herrdquoLila had initially worked in a clerical capacity with the RAFrsquos womenrsquos administrative services office Once her domestic situation altered when not stirring up a storm of weekend delectables she gave cookery lectures at the SNDT Womenrsquos University and YWCA As area chairperson of the Andheri branch of YWCA she worked for the hostel committee and in fundraising besides being called to judge numerous cooking competitions across the city She also taught at St Catherinersquos Home AndherildquoReaching 100 is extraordinary More remarkable is how shersquos lived each of those years with purpose dignity and heart Hers is a century defined by quiet strength and tireless sacrificerdquo writes Lilarsquos son Douglas from Canada ldquoAs a boy I watched her juggle the weight of the world with grace raising us supporting my father not once complaining Her goals were to put food on the table and ensure our education Despite the hardships financial strain and physical toll of long work hours she never lost her sense of self Her selfesteem was rocksolid Holding her head high she taught me to do the same Her presence made people feel safe seen and supported Happy 100th Mom Your life is a lesson in loverdquoLila LingoWarmth and wit from Lila Karunangtgt thinspldquoAll sons officers by rank but bugger all in the bankrdquogtgt thinspldquoBe happy majja karo Stay independent and do your own thing God will bless yougtgt thinspldquoYou canrsquot get to heaven on roller skatesrdquo her favourite songAuthorpublisher Meher Marfatia writes fortnightly on everything that makes her love Mumbai and adore Bombay You can reach her at mehermarfatiamiddaycomwwwmeher marfatiacom