Sunday 18 December 2011

SANTA CLAUS VILLAGE IN LAPLAND


The article that caught my eye on the in flight Air India magazine (on my return journey after visiting my Dad) was the article by Sanjay Auste- on Santa Claus village in Rovaniemi  Lapland.
He writes about seeing more frolicking  adults than children ...and why not ? Isn’t there a child  in us all! Hence it’s normal  to see  adults behave like excited teeny boppers in the “ Lap”of  Santa Claus land I am sure.
An exciting feature that lures tourists here is the Artic Circle that is marked on the ground .It runs across the Santa Claus village . At night the laser beam tells you exactly which side of 66degree  latitude you are . Lamp posts are erected at regular intervals to demarcate the line .A good spot indeed to photograph and mark one’s Artic tryst!
The main attraction he writes ,is the unique Santa Claus Post Office. Open all days of the year .During Christmas it hires extra hands to deal with the mail. Bag loads of mail for just one man the resident Arctic dweller Santa Claus .Letters are sorted country wise by Santa’s efficacious elves with red conical hats .
He sits in his clock house  office keeping time  perhaps signifying the surreal time- space that exists in the North Pole where there is the phenomenon of the midnight sun in summers and no sun in winters.  
The article made an interesting read as the Santa Parade was still fresh in my mind …the hosannas of Christmas carols sung there resonated in my heart !Long live Santa … long white  undulating beard ,rose-tinted rotund cheeks ,a corpulent frame , merry countenance …et all!
P.S. Worth making a trip sometime...Right Avi?…ask  Mom…

Wednesday 30 November 2011

107th Santa Clause Parade in Toronto! - Nov 20, 2012

My father at the Grace Hospital  for  his Rehab, pointed out to the  daily paper proclaiming Santa coming to town and his elaborate route . ''Don't miss it'', he said .

Along with thousands of Santa fans I was there with my brother at Bloor and Avenue Street near the Royal Ontario Museum to witness the slow march parade consisting of  60 floats and 22 Bands.
The star attraction were the children who were all over the place in their colourful outfits bundled up for the north wind .Cheering their lungs out enthusiastically as each float came into view... their clear  voice and crisp laughter  completing the  colourful  event to perfection. Candy canes were tossed at the excited crowd who had lined themselves along both sides of the road armed with  their folding chairs and coffee mugs ,with their children in strollers with sufficient supplies of goodies .

Kids young and old dropped off post cards and letters ....their  destination ....One....The North Pole...The Canadian Post  at their service!
My brother along with many others was busy shooting to preserve the moments with his camera .The festive mood rant the air with Bands playing the Christmas carols which even I found  myself humming swaying to the beat ....Could feel Christmas in the air .....

A lady  Santa surprised us by coming in before Santa  Clause   but it was he indeed  who got a deafening welcome from one and all .....with this tiny wish in our hearts that he must have spotted us in the crowd of his admirers and would surely send the gift we so keenly desire. Believe me the child in us came to the fore!It was such a wonderful moment!Make sure you are there to meet and greet him next year !

Wednesday 19 October 2011

'Roger that' at Rogers!

Everytime we’d drive Downtown Toronto on the Bloor Street I’d see the Ad outside Roger’s and marvel and admire the never ending silhouettes of men and women walking with a perfect posture with their hands loosely held, their unhurried walk on a huge electronic billboard.

I have this lazy habit of settling into a slight slouch while walking, sitting .So whenever I came in with in the area of the ad.I’d straighten up.

My brother confessed that he could never fathom the import of the figures of men and women walking ad nauseum in the frame. He often wondered who designed the ad.? But he admitted he seemed to see sense in the ad…..In the sense that it had an impact on people like me.

So taken is the family with my angle of  the given advertisement that I only have to look at Mum and say  Rogers and she unwinds her frame  into a taller upright woman! In short we all stand tall!
Well! That’s what I call Roger!
You sure have made your point.
What an Ad!

P.S. But I’d love to find out the real theme behind the ad. from the folks at Rogers!!???
        Anybody?!

Monday 17 October 2011

Fauja Singh ... the Marathon King "100 Years Young"!!

Toronto - Oct 16, 2011:
I was fortunate  to witness history when a 100 year old sikh Fauja Singh (The pride of Punjab and UK) crossed the finish line of the 2011 Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon in downtown Toronto. The Marathon began around 9am and Fauja Singh took just over 8 hrs and 25 minutes to complete the 42 km course.
What struck me about Fauja Singh while he was on his way to the finish line was the determined; twinkled eyed; un-fatigued; fixed-gaze at the finish line.
The music at the finish line changed as Fauja Singh neared the finish line. The DJ honoured the man by playing punjabi songs as punjabi is Fauja Singh's mother tongue. The commentator held the crowd glued to the finish area by singing praises of Fauja Singh's numerous records and achievements and referred to him as ‘100 years young’! The evening was cold and overcast but the anxiety of watching a centenarian write history and enter the Guinness book of world records kept the crowd going and cheering….something to be witnessed in a long time.
Someone asked Fauja Singh about the secret to his longetivity..His  simple  answer…1) I remain happy 2) Ginger curry 3) several cups of tea a day!!!!
Don't ask me who came first in this marathon 'cause the achievement of this 100 year old star was too overwhelming and inspiring..
I'll soon be tightening the laces of my jogging shoes!!!
I hear that Fauja Singh donated around $12,000 to the Toronto Sick Kids Hospital after completing the race.
Fauja Singh.... is indeed...the Marathon King!

Monday 5 September 2011

Teacher's Day speech prepared but not delivered!By Sukhamrit Singh


Weeks before this event I used to be on the phone consulting on questions as -as to which kurta to buy? From where etc..unaware that all my conversation was being recorded in my mother's mind

The other day she lashed out that what is the preparation for the teacher's who have suffered you??--that got me thinking nostalgically to thank all my beloved teachers, right from my junior school to the senior school

My connections with my dear alma mater began much before I was born ...my father a Columban(St.Columbus School)wanted his son to be a proud Modernite , well here I am standing before you after 12 years of  grueling experience in a school of exams, assignments and Parent teacher meetings .


No PTM was a pleasure for me the pain writ large on my parent's faces and the teachers gleefully venting their spleen -and the ensuing castigation made the meetings a nightmare for me!!!! 
 
But belive me ma'ams and sirs with all due respect - here I've had the greatest time in my life ....I can't thank you enough for all your concern about seeing me as a great kid! 
 I often wondered  at all thoose prefect's , the club members ,the orators,the artists,the sports boys and girls  of the school----that why O why were the letting their precious school days go past in such seriousness of competitive pursuits! ........Because I believe in one's adult life one has to slog to be.....a good... engineer, MBA, , husband, father, son, The list is a long.... these are the days my friends that I hoped would never end

Every founders day spelt doom for me when my parents waxed eloquent about my great fellow students who got their awards by the dozen.and here in all these years I don't have a single decorating my collar. The injured look in their eyes I can never forget.
Looks like nobody understands the way I feel .It's like this lovely feeling about swimming upstream ...you know what I mean against the current.... sort of .BUT...BUT
wait a minute secure in the knowledge that I am not alone .....My elders ,my parents my teachers yes you Bina Ma'am are there to remind me about my duties and help me get up and  Go!

I Cannot express the joy  I've had in bunking classes,not doing my H.W. ,not being attentive in class ,was in splits when my friends mimiced  teachers, Outings from the school to our hang outs ...to be involved in the school wrangles and what not! BOY IT IS ZABARDAST TO SAY THE LEAST.

AND now as the exams  loom large the music seems to  change to that of menacing proportions --just as in movies as if to signal  an impending danger of my half baked knowledge of  my subjects P.C.M. and my heart beats !I want to break free from the bubble of  the so called pleasures and look to the Almighty to seek HIS BLESSINGS! to make me a success!
THIS I PLEDGE as a tribute to you  my teachers I will not let you down!no matter what!
Soon I'll be gone from the hallowed precincts of this institution.BUT
'I Have  a Dream!'
 mark my words ' I'll do  MODERN SCHOOL  BARAKHAMBA NEW DELHI  PROUD! AND ONE DAY I'LL ADDRESS ONE AND ALL AS A CHIEF GUEST ON FOUNDER'S DAY!'
that is my dream!


I  bow today  to my ALMA MATER
I  bow today to my teachers 
Happy Teacher's Day!
FRIENDS  ALL OF YOU ...THREE CHEERS FOR THEM ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!
HIP HIP HURRAY ! HIP HIP HURRAY HIP HIP HURRAY!

Saturday 20 August 2011

INDIAN WOMEN IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE


Women’s role in decision making is one of the most important question for consideration in the movement for empowerment of women. Women can give a human face to governance in India.
Women play a dual role in politics – as voters and as political representatives .Since Independence ,due to exercise of their franchise ,Indian  women have been exposed to the political processes and are showing increasing awareness of their lack of rights. In recent years  past records show that has  been an increase in the percentage of women who vote .The number of women contestants in Parliamentary elections have not shown significant increase. The reason being that the political parties are still reluctant to field women candidates at  a national level. The growing money power and muscle power required to contest even the smallest of elections is another deterrent .The intimidation ,violence ,slander that a women candidate has to face combined with the traditional male domination  seeks to keep her indoors .Narrow electoral arithmetic and the necessity of fielding a winning candidate makes most political parties shy away from fielding more than the token number of women candidates .And if they are fielded at all… kinship and affinity factors play a major role. The women relatives of politicians  are promoted and supported to emerge as politicians. Increasingly based on this ideology women have stood for elections and got elected as members of State Legislative Assemblies and the Parliament!
In 1973 and 1974.Amendments to the Indian Constitution have served as a major break through towards ensuring women’s equal access and increased participation in political power structures .
This Amendment provided for reservations of 1/3rd of seats for women at level of local self governance in urban areas . In 1993 the Panchayati Raj (village Self Government )system was introduced as a tool to improve rural communities 33% of elected seats were reserved for women.
However women sarpanches (democratically elected village heads )have not been able to participate on an equal footing to men in rural governance.In the rural areas ,lack of education ,reproduction and productive roles ,lack of financial independence and deeply rooted cultural and religious taboos make it difficult for women to be heard in a traditionally male-dominated space like politics .
It has been found that women sarpanch ’s husband deny access to their wives. They send out messages that it is they who perform all the surpanche’s duties .On the phone they identify themselves as sarpanches.Clearly the message is that women are mere proxies! A few women sarpanches who took their jobs seriously were not taken seriously in official meetings.
Maharashtra’s first women Election Commissioner ,Neela Satyanarayan has vowed to change the image of Indian women as proxies. A retired civil servant Satyanarayan feels that the system was never programmed for women .The men will take their time to adjust to the entry of women in governance.e.g. compassion is a part of a women’s personality .It gives a human face to the establishment ,and it comes naturally to women.
There are limits and constraints that prevent women from participating equally with men in formal and informal meetings.
There is a need to understand just how to be a good
local politician .The role of a political representative
is demanding and all new recruits need time to gain experience and understand the rules ,regulations and
procedure governing the administration bureaucracy with which they have to work .
The role of women’s participation in elected bodies
should not be undervalued .Elections are after all
a form of self government and democracy. They are
significant in drawing the attention of the nations to the problems of the needs of disadvantageous section and the manifestos,campaigns,promises made by individual candidate’s track record and future course
of  actions of political parties are indicative of national concerns as well as mandates for action.
Proper selection of candidates in an election is vital
if this representative democracy is to function in the
interest of a majority of population that is repressed and disadvantaged.
Hence opportunities for participation at the local level are significant for the adoption of policies and measures for women’s development.Strong dynamic women who could not dream of appropriating privilege are today talking of reservation because they have come to recognize that they will not get “easy entry “ in the corridors of power without reservation.For most women it is the last straw and a desperate measure to ensure their coming into the political arena .
Their participation becomes vital in the context of the adoption of some development strategies that are negative and harmful to women . Here they can make amends.
Today most of the political parties in India have initiated some measures to ensure political participation of women and develop their capacities. And what a difference it has made to local self governance! Women have added their unmistakable flavor to Indian politics.
The examples of women sarpanches are few and far between ….yet all of them have made their mark some way or the other. They have to deliver because they know that they are viewed with a jaundiced eye by their male counterparts who will not let a slip go by.She has to work doubly hard to show  the world….(and I borrow lyrics from Diana Ross)…
I’m coming out!
I want the world to know
I gotta let it show
There’s a new me coming out …
I have to break out of my shell
And I have to shout
I am coming out!!!!!
To illustrate their success I am naming a few ….
30 years old Chhavi Rajawat an articulate computer savvy women sarpanch of Soda village 60 km from Jaipur in backward Rajasthan.,dazzled the world conference of the U.N.meet in March 2011.She thanked the U.N.officials who had visited and extended all support to the opening of the first Bank in her village. That made all the difference .To transform my village I don’t want money she said but I need people and organisations to adopt a project in my village .Often projects fail for  lack of local support she said that she would provide that support !
On the other hand we have Kiran Kumari despite lack of education ,social and financial backing Kiran stands as a proud role model of wonders that women reservation can do .At Muzzafarpur Bihar Kiran solves all disputes without the need of interference by police or the courts.
Sunita Devi Dalit Srpanch of Chattisgarh Garhi Hakeequet .What pleases her is the  proud remembrance of the day when she climbed up the village chaupal!
Studies have indicated that women members participate more actively in women’s issues Health,welfare,atrocities against women,crimes like dowry and violation of human rights ……
And may I ask why not?It’s the wearer who knows where the shoe pinches   who better but women who could address such issues better!
Women have indeed come a long way and yet have miles to go…..before one can say she has arrived!!!

Thursday 11 August 2011

MONI MOHSIN'S 'BUTTERFLY'


Came across Moni on India Today Women
and as usual I went on Google.
|"The Diary of A Social Butterfly"
it features in a Pakistan's National
Weekly …The Friday Times.
It is a hillarious social commentry
on the idle banter of what Moni calls
the Butterfly.
The Butterfly is a knuckle brained
socialite,cosseted airhead who has
the unusual trait of delivering
 a bolt from the blue with her,
  by the way ,shrewd,political comment.
Malapropism is her forte.
Moni Mohsin has culled the columns
spanning 7 critical years January2001
to Jan 2008 into a book by the same
name,released in India by the Random
House Umbrella .
In her writings, fools are her theme and
satire  is her tenor,which sends one in
splits.It is  a book with biting humour.
She uses Janoo(the butterfly’s husband)
as her mouth piece when she wants to
highlight a serious issue….however she
 doesn’t let him take over for,after all
it’s the Butterfly’s Diary not his.
In an interview her take on  the book
 is that it is amusing,entertaining and
 sometimes annoying!
She sails through volatile times right
from 9/11 to Benazir Bhutto’s
assissination,with her tittle tattle
and parties.Her writing points to
 the fact that the media in Pakistan
enjoys a fair bit of latitude.
There is a generous smattering of
Punjabi,Urdu and Hindi words that
 have been well received in India.
Salman Rushdie terms it as
Chutneyfication of  the
English language.
Looks to be a good read!Can’t wait
to have a few laughs…on the
hilarious social commentry
 because  …………………..there
is a Butterfly in all of us who love
a fun party and a good gossip!!!!!!

Tuesday 9 August 2011

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR


Two whole days I was miserable
with sores on the left side of
my tongue . I e- mailed my
Dad Mum to share my pain
with them .Sure enough I got
 a call from my Dad .He said
apply Apple Cider Vinegar on
the sore with a swab of cotton.
The pain was so much that
without much belief I applied
the vinegar to the affected
part .Believe me what a
relief …I could talk without
the excruciating pain. Well that’s
what I call magic! Here I was
contemplating about fixing
up an appointment with a
doctor and I had my Dad
to my rescue…Remedy
Pandit indeed ! KUDOS!!!
Since he asked me to go
on the Google to find
about it’s benefits…
I just did that….
Drink Apple Cider Vinegar
It helps as follows..
1.cures allergies
2. Sinus infections
3.Acne
4.High Cholesterol
5.Flu
6.Chronic Fatigue
7.Candida
8.Acid reflux
9.Sore Throat
10.Dandruff
11.Arthritis and gout
12.Breaks down fat and
widely used to lose weight
13.Sooths Sunburns.
14. Type 2 diabeties.
15. Reverses aging
16.Eases Digestion
17. Protects against food poisoning.
18.Prevents Muscle Fatigue
19. Kills lice
20.Treats warts
I just added another
21.treats mouth ulcers…
The list is a long one
Seems like it is a panacea
Of all troubles!
Care should be taken…
It should be used in moderation
Drinking Vinegar or even lemon
juice on a regular basis can lead
to deterioration of dental enamel.
T prevent this it should be diluted
With water or a pinch of Baking
Soda.
Beware!
Not all Apple Cider Vinegars
are created equal.
The best type of Apple Cider
Vinegar to use is one which
Contains ‘mother of vinegar”
and is not pasturised.The
‘mother of vinegar’ is a natural
gelatinous substance formed
during the last fermentation step
and is found at the bottom of the
bottle.



Friday 29 July 2011

MARIANE PEARL


Flipping through a tattered Magazine
 of the February 2011 India Today Women
 I came across an article on Mariane Pearl  .
The slain journalist Daniel Pearl’s wife has
 moved on ever since .Her poise and courage is
 an inspiration for many across the globe.She
 doesn’t believe in giving into violence…and
believes that she’d be playing to the terrorists
tune if she turned to thoughts like revenge for
the Al-Quida who in 2002 had the world sit up
and watch the news of 5 week long torture and
 eventual murder of her husband.The devastatedMariane was 5 months pregnant with their sonAdam now 8 years old .She doggedly refused to change to bitterness. Her compassion for humanityoverlooked all feelings of violence.
Her story reached the entire world .through her best selling memoir, A Mighty Heart :The Brave Life And Death Of My Husband Daniel Pearl.She said she  had written it to explain to her son that his father was no ordinary man .The book has been made into a feature film by the same name.
She is a journalist in her own right and writes a column in  ‘Glamour’ one of the largest selling  fashion magazine. The column Global Diaries documents the struggle of women particularly in the third world countries. She has published  the articles in a book called In Search Of Hope.The Global Diaries of Mariane Pearl...featuring
brave women around the globe.
She considers herself lucky for finding
companionship again in Martin –V.P.
of a Forest Management Company.
She may never forgive or forget what
life  offered her , but she learnt enough
positivity to bring her slowly but surely
back to life!
What a woman - indeed a ‘brave heart’!

Monday 25 July 2011

AS COOL AS A CUCUMBER!


You have a bounty from your
Cucumber plants?
Well
Wash one thoroughly
Taste it for bitterness
If sweet ,along with it’s skin
Liquidize it in a liquidiser
Drink it’s fresh juice!
And read the benefits you
will derive ….
It has 90% water hence it is
known to be a cooling agent .
It rids the body of extra fluids
and removes toxins and harmful
wastes from the body.
It contains Vitamin C,Folic acid,
Vitamin A,Magnesium and Potassium.
It’s hard skin contains fibres,silica…
assists in strengthening bones ,ligaments,
blood vesselsand tendons.
Benefits
1 keeps body hyderated and cool.
2.treats high B.P.
3.treats acidity.
4.cures skin problem
5.promotes healthy hair growth.
6.diuretic.
7.prevents water retention.
8. helpful for diabeties
9.good for the eyes.
It helps in reducing swelling
around the eyes and also reduces
the dark circles under the eyes.
They are the most wonderful and
Natural eye pads,you can find .
After a long session with the
Computer they are welcome
Soothers to the eyes.
It contains natural salts and
Vitamins which are good for
cell growth ,its high mineral
content provide natural source
of anti oxidants.Because of its
water base it is very useful as
a diuretic.It has cleansing action
inside the body by removing old
waste.It assists in eliminating
uric acid.
It is essentially alkaline in nature
due to the minerals it contains.
Hence it is very effective in curing
Acidity by neutralising the pH content
of  the body .It is also a soothing agent
for gastric ulcers .
It contains potassium,Magnesium and
Traces of sodium that work effectively
For regulating B.P.both high and low.
Prevents water retention:It contains
 caffeic and ascorbic acids which prevent
 water retention .
On taking cucumber joints get cleaned .it
assists in inflamed conditions like asthama.
gout and arthritis  .
Helpful for Diabeties:It contains a hormone
That is required by the pancreas to produce
 more insulin and is thus an essential diet for
the diebetics.
It ‘s indeed cool!




Sunday 24 July 2011

BIOMETRIC TAXI SERVICE AT AIRPORT!


Came across an interesting news item
In yesterdays Hindustan Times. about
much awaited Biometric pre paid
 taxi service operation system in Delhi.
This is in view of ensuring safety
of the airport passengers.
A specialised  software is used
to issue pre=paid slips. The new slip
contains details of the passenger,
his flight details,passport details
 in case of an international flier and
 details of the bay from which he
 would board the taxi.There are a
total of 41 bays at the I.G.I.airport .
About 3000 authorised taxi drivers
have been issued biometric cards.
All have them have been verified
By the Delhi Police And DIAL
Delhi International Airport Ltd.
All details of the driver and vehicle
Are stored in the card. The drivers
will have to first swap the card at
the entry point and then get their
identity verified using biometric
system  to enter the authorised
parking area at the airport.
A step in the right direction
I say!

BIOMETRIC TAXI SERVICE AT AIRPORT!


Came across an interesting news item
In yesterdays Hindustan Times. about
much awaited Biometric pre paid
 taxi service operation system in Delhi.
This is in view of ensuring safety
of the airport passengers.
A specialised  software is used
to issue pre=paid slips. The new slip
contains details of the passenger,
his flight details,passport details
 in case of an international flier and
 details of the bay from which he
 would board the taxi.There are a
total of 41 bays at the I.G.I.airport .
About 3000 authorised taxi drivers
have been issued biometric cards.
All have them have been verified
By the Delhi Police And DIAL
Delhi International Airport Ltd.
All details of the driver and vehicle
Are stored in the card. The drivers
will have to first swap the card at
the entry point and then get their
identity verified using biometric
system  to enter the authorised
parking area at the airport.
A step in the right direction
I say!

Sunday 17 July 2011

OLD IS GOLD!!!!!!!!!!

Reading todays paper I came
 across this interesting piece by
 Renuka Narayan. She has given
a few random thoughts on getting
older to help us get perspective.
1.    Do not regret growing older
it is a privilege denied to many.
2.    Age is an issue of mind
over matter :if you don’t
mind,it doesn’t matter .said
Mark Twain.
3.    Nobody grows old merely
by living a number of years .
we grow old by deserting our
ideals .Years may wrinkle
the skin ,but to give up
enthusiasm wrinkles the
soul. Samuel Ullman.
4.    You are as young as
old as your doubt;as young
as your self-confidence,as
old as your fear ;as young
as your hope ,as old as
your despair.Douglas
Mac Arthur –famous general.
5.    Age does not diminish
the extreme disappointment
of having a scoop of icecream
fall from the cone.Jim Fiebig.
6.    To be 70 years young is
sometimes far more cheerful
and hopeful than to be 40
years old’.Oliver Wendell Holmes.
7.It’s sad to grow old but
nice to ripen .
Gorgeous Brigitte Bardot.
8.Growing old is inevitable.
Growing up is optional.
Interesting random thoughts.. .
I say however
one is as old as one feels !
I for one feel young when alone
And amonst youngsters feel old
Theory of relativity …anyone?!




  

Sunday 3 July 2011

IBN-18 YOUNG INDIAN AWARDS 2011


Druv Lakra
IBN-18 have initiated the
Young Indian Leader’s Awards.
In its second year it presented the
Awards on 30th June 2011.It is in
order to give recognition to fresh
 energy,brilliance,fiery ambition,
positive spirit and radical ideas of
 Indian Youth ,who are powered
 with exuberance and enterprising spirit .
This breed of young bold and fearless
 go getters  is confident ,well informed,
optimistic,progressive,triumphant in their
 stance.They infuse a fiery zeal and inspire
 our youth to come forward and participate
 in the nation’s progress and catapult India
 to newer heights of success .
Out of the many selected for the award I
was taken in by the imaginative
 social endeavour of Dhruv Lakra.
A MBA graduate from Oxford .
He started Mirakle Couriers.
A Courrier company with a
difference ,which employs only
deaf and dumb youth . On the
premise that a courier service
requires minimal use of speech
and hearing. He thought of
starting this business for the
specially abled people .Barring
the 4 Managerial staff all employees
are hearing disabled. A misiah for them .
He has 2 branches in Mumbai and
plans to go Pan India in the long run.
I must say Kudos! to the most
dynamic social activist!!!

Thursday 30 June 2011

TAMARIND JAGGERY SAUCE.

This is a delicious sauce 
It can be used with curds\yogurt
Puffed rice (bhel puri)
Nachos
Chips
Bread
Whatever
Ingredients
1.    250 gms  jaggery
2.    100 gms  tamarind.
3.    a pinch of asafoetida .
4.    4tsp . of cumin seeds
5.    1 tsp of dried ginger powder.
6.    3 tsp red chilli powder.
7.    black salt 1 tsp
8.    half tsp regular salt.(optional)
Recipe
Soak the jaggery in a bowl of water for 5 hours
Soak  the tamarind in another bowl of water.’’”
Mash the tamarind and mix that water with the
liquid jaggery water.
Put the mixture of the 2 on the stove\gas   and put in
 ingredients 3,4,5,6 and 7and 8.
Boil and simmer for 15 minutes or till the mixture
thickens a little.
Strain the mixture through the soup strainer.
Bottle it when cold.
And that’s your lip smacking sauce!


Tuesday 28 June 2011

RABINDRANATH TAGORE ON GURU NANAK DEVJI'S ARTI.


Anthem of the universe by  Guru Nanak .
I came across this article in the Hindustan Times….
 Balraj Sahani an Indian actor asked the nobel laureate
Rabindranath Tagore that he had written the National Anthem
for India and could he write an international anthem for the
 whole world?To this Rabindranath replied that  it has already
been written ,not only international but for the entire universe!
In the sixteenth century by Guru Nanak.
Every evening in all the Gurudwaras after the recitation of
Rehras Sahib, arti(ceremony of light) is sung by the raagis in
Raag Dhanasri .
As legend has it ,in 1508 A.D.Guru Nanak Devji visited the
famous temple of Jagannath at Puri in Orissa,which was well known
for its arti for Lord Krishna.In the evening the priests broughtva platterfull
of many lighted lamps ,flowers ,incense and pearls and began the arti .Nanak
meanwhile spontaneously gave words to the wonderful arti which was being
hummed by nature before the invisible altar of God ,the creator of this universe:
GAGAN MEIN THAL RAV CHAND DIPAK
BANE TARIKA MANDAL JANAK MOTI
DHOOP MALYANLO PAWAN CHAWRO KARE
SAGAL BANRAYE PHULANT  JYOTI
KAISI AARTI HO-AY BHAV KHANDANA
TERI AARTI…
“The sky is the puja thaal , in which the sun and the moon are the diyas .
The stars in the contellation are jewels.
The wind laden with sandle-fragrance , is the celestial fan
All the flowering fields forests are the radiance!
What wonderful worship this is ,O destroyer of fear ,
This is you arti!”
JO TIS BHAVAI SO ARTI HO-AY.
That which pleases Him is true worship!


Monday 20 June 2011

TURMERIC THE GOLDEN SPICE!


The wonder spice helps you keep healthy!
Turmeric or Haldi adds colour flavour purity and health to life!
It prevents cholestrol oxidation and it’s high levels of
Vitamin B6 protects the heart .It strengthens and improves digestion
thereby reducing gas and bloating .Promotes healthy metabolism,
elimination of wastes and toxins ,and  weight management.It
supports healthy liver function and detoxification by increasing
bile flow and cleansing ,rejuvenating and recharging the liver
cells .It also purifies the blood!
Haldi contains curcuminoids(plant- based powerful anti-oxidant
and anti-inflamatory nutrients .)that……
1)relieve arthritis pain and stiffness.
2)inhibit cancer initiation,promotion and invasion,angiogenesis
and metasis.
3)prevent and help treat Alzheimer’s and depression.
4)add to these what you know about this yellow gold!
Using It As A Protective Shield:
Use it as a spice in cooking which we all do .
For better digestion ,eat a mixture of 1 tsp.of turmeric in
One cup of yogurt/curds right after lunch.
For relief from asthama ,allergies ,muscle aches and pains
And for anti-ageing and anti inlamatory effects boil 1 cup
Of milk with 1 tsp.of turmeric powder and drink it before
 going to sleep!
For detoxification of the blood and liver take 1 tsp.of raw turmeric
Rhizome juice mixed with honey everyday .
For superior medicinal or cosmetic results, use kasturi haldi .
which is a special aromatic haldi.
For a beautiful complexion ,and for getting rid of unwanted facial
hair ,apply a paste of turmeric and honey on the skin near bed time.
Wash off well after 5 minutes .In the morning remove any yellow
tinge if remaining with  a paste of besan (black gram powder)and
oil .
Looks like it’s a panacea of all ills!
Take the information with apinch of salt!...and do your research too!