Summers were all fun for us children in my hometown. Apart from all the play and adventure, one thing that I loved was the variety of food/snacks that we got to eat. My grandmother was a champion at feeding us.

Of everything that she cooked for us, Biyyam Pindi Vadiyalu stood out for me. I could have them as a snack or as a side dish and of course I could also use them in my barter deals - especially when I am dealing with my friend Balli. He can trade his life for Biyyam Pindi Vadiyalu.

The moment he realised my grandmother’s plan to cook Biyyam Pindi Vadiyalu, he used to rush early in the next morning to my house and help my grandmother in all the preparations before Sun started hitting hard. And then, my grandmother would be carefully making beautiful spirals with the dough on a thin muslin cloth laid out on a wooden cot. Those were the only times when my grandmother used to enjoy the company of Balli. She would sing, tell stories and also let him sleep on her lap while Vadiyalu dried in the sun. She very well knew his loyalty lasted till she gave her fried Vadiyalu, but her love never knew bounds.

He used to stay back and have dinner with us those days and used to narrate tales of how he helped my grandmother and how they made the Biyyam Pindi Vadiyalu. All while holding a vadiyam as a vishnu chakram in one hand taking tiny bites out of it as he went about his stories - fun memories!