The Only One

“How did you know I was the only one?” She asked 

“Because you turned my chaos into art!” He said

Image from here

Sweet-Potato!

Life is indeed barren without sweetness, not only in love and relationships but in food also. Food, esp Indian food is something divine. Indian sweets are famous around the world. However, times are changing fast and with the advent of new times, lifestyles have changed too, and are still changing fast like never before.  Lifestyles related diseases have taken a toll on most people and this directly impacts the eating habits. However, the good news is that, now we can enjoy our sweet dishes without worrying a bit about extra calories and such things. The answer to this is ‘Sugar-Free Natura’ that is a zero-calorie sweetener and has now become a part of many kitchens across the world. Now, you must be wondering if it is safe and the answer is yes! It is 100 percent safe as it is made from a derivative of natural sugar known as ‘Sucralose’ and is certified by FSSAI, WHO as well as USFDA. ‘Sugar Free Natura’ can be substituted for sugar and we can enjoy all the sweetness of life without an ounce of worry or guilt!

So let us check out an awesome but very easy recipe prepared of another common thing- Potato.

Aloo-Ka-Halwa (Potato Pudding)

Prep. Time- 10-15 minutes

Serves two

Ingredients-

Potatoes (medium)   3-4

Ghee-                          3 Tbsp

Cardamom                 2

Dry Nuts                    ¼ Cup

• Boil potatoes slightly more so that they become very soft. 

• Peel, mash and keep the pulp aside.

• Heat ghee in a non-stick pan and add potato pulp.

• Keep stirring till it becomes slightly golden.

• Add ‘Sugar Free Natura’ instead of white sugar and keep stirring.

• Add some chopped dry nuts and keep stirring for a few more minutes.

• Add cardamom powder and garnish with the remaining dry nuts.

Serve hot!

This pudding not only tastes awesome but is very quick to prepare and you will save your health from the harmful side effects of white sugar too!

 For more on a healthy and sugar free life, do visit - sugarfree-india.com

Keep Moving!

There is no dearth of inspiring people in life. One doesn’t find them only on the cover of the Iconic Times magazine or in Forbes list; if you look around, such people are everywhere and you will often bump into one and realize that she/he is indeed #madeofgreat.

One of my college friends was very interested in astrology esp Indian Astrology. He wanted to study this subject for professional purposes but as usual, his family wanted him to be an executive in a reputed MNC so despite his pleadings, he was just not allowed to enroll even for a correspondence course on Vedic Astrology and was rather excoriated by his parents for wasting his precious time in these things. He discussed the things with me casually one day and I realized how badly he wanted to learn the nuances of Vedic Astrology. We all have such choices: one wants to learn a particular dance form, other wishes to learn some musical instrument, someone else wishes to open a beauty salon and there is no dearth of hobbies that we would happily like to pursue and take up as mainstream career. However, practical considerations often crush such hobbies and we ourselves forget to pay attention to our natural talents and inclinations. My friend, I am discussing about really inspired me because along with MBA and later a job, he persisted in studying the subject all by himself. Through free online resources, books and CDs he became well versed with birth charts and other things that constitute Vedic Astrology. Now, he can make and read birth-charts to a nice accuracy.

I too, had this peculiar interest in portrait sketching but it was ignored and other practical things took the centre stage. Inspired by him, as he would tell me, “ move an inch everyday but remember, do move”, I began to draw portraits almost every week and sometimes a few times a week. I kept practicing just like him and in 2013, one of my pencil sketches appeared on the cover of a book! That was a great moment. He only inspired me to keep moving with a side hobby and passion and not to ignore my natural inclinations. So I would say that when most of us, despite having all the resources at our disposal, quit easily, he did not and that is what proves that he is indeed inspiring and is #madeofgreat.

What do you think of Tata Motors’ association with Lionel Messi?

(The best answer will win a voucher!)

Visit http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/ to know more about how two great Icons- Lionel Messi and Tata Motors are #madeofgreat!

Check Out!

Go For It!

This contest reminded me of a few people who have inspired me in different ways in life. One can find inspiration anywhere. Just two things, I think, are needed- one, an open attitude to imbibe inspiration without letting ego dominate and another, a certain perseverance to bring all those changes into one’s life.

So, the inspiration story began many years back when I was in my graduation. In summers I visited one of my uncles, who is often mocked for being slightly eccentric and odd (obviously behind his back!) and realized he was actually more mature than most of people around. He had this habit of starting off with the things and tasks he wished to complete without delays and deliberations. “The biggest hitch in doing something is ‘starting trouble’; just start it, and somehow it will be finished,” he would say. One may find this attitude brash and juvenile but it works! I had this habit of pondering over pending tasks like one stares for long at the bucket before taking a bath with cold water in winters or before giving a nice gift to a casual acquaintance! But he would just start off with the task and even though it would drag on for a few days, even weeks, finally it would be completed and would reap the gains. It could be as sundry as cleaning the cobwebs around the house to planting new trees and managing the garden to sorting out all stuff in the almirah and as big as changing jobs and travelling to distant places.

He once decided to make a DIY solar water heater and everyone laughed at his face but he was undeterred as usual. Sometimes, one has to be thick-skinned in a positive way. So, day by day he gathered all the resources including print-outs from the internet and materials and started off with the project. I told him that he could have got a solar heater readymade at much less price from the market but he said the joy of making something using one’s own hands and ideas was something different. So this project dragged for weeks, and lo and behold! one winter morning family folks found lukewarm water flowing out of the taps instead of ice cold water. His heater was finally completed and working. It was a nice project that made the people laughing at him shut their mouths up! This was just one example when he would just begin it enthusiastically and in most cases the task was completed.

How he inspired me? I always wanted to start my own venture. It was my wish to create a start-up but as usual I was procrastinating and wasting precious time. Finally, after being inspired by his attitude to chase dreams sans delay, after MBA I stared a web based company, my own start-up in the field I wanted to be in! When I started working upon the idea, things were not easy and there were confusions but still, just like him, I too, persisted and became what I wanted to be- an entrepreneur! So, this just-go-for-it attitude has inspired me many times in life and now it has become a part of my attitude; I just start whatever I have to do, however small or routine it may be, and it really gets completed! I think, this common man, despite having nothing to write home about, no celebrity status and no political connections, is indeed #madeofgreat

What do you think of Tata Motors’ association with Lionel Messi?

(The best answer will win a voucher!)

Visit http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/ to know more about how two great Icons- Lionel Messi and Tata Motors are #madeofgreat!

Check out!

Grandma and Me!

“Oh! Look at this stretched lane, like a runway

Loud multihued lights with shrill music astray

Wacky world abound with all weird creatures

That girl with gaudy lips, green balloon shorts

Looks as a sibyl with a rabbit in clear net shirt

As damn proud of everything being odd in her

All so perplexing!” Wondered my grandmother

But I requested her to be cool and understand

The in & out of fancy world of models & ramps

Those gaudy sibyls were infact fashion models

Who earn millions to walk proud in high heels!

For Mag 292 Picture Prompt

Miss Slurpp!

There was nothing much I was bothered about or abhorred; it was small things that sometimes sent shivers down my neck and my eyes throbbed just as your eyes too would have if I rubbed steel over steel or my nails over a blackboard. I mean if you have seen ‘Jaws’, you would get my point. One thing that had, of late, started perturbing me was her, my neighbor’s tea sip…the sound of her slurp…that went like slurppp…whizzz…whizz and that gave me shivers I cannot describe exactly, but yes, I was sure. One day I was sitting in my little garden where I had collected various varieties of Cactus and some carnivorous plants like the ‘Pitcher Plant’ and I forgot to tell you, I paid a handsome amount for shipping of my feral babies. 

So I sat admiring and counting the exact number of thorns, she came with her usual slurppp…whizzz that day, and I understood that she intentionally wanted to annoy me. I wanted to slap her right there and then but I am, you see, a very logical person, even though people would laugh at this statement. I waited with bated breath and absorbed every syllable of her sound within me and hid behind a huge wild bush in my balcony garden. That had to be done, my inner voice told me. So the very same night, I broke into her room and hid cleverly behind the cupboard so she could not see me at all, and saw her sleep. Then with hushed steps I had practiced all evening, I went to her bed and saw her lips, they were going whizzz...whizzzz and then tied her hands and put her to real sleep. Then I returned and kissed my Pitcher Plant for it also swallows an unsuspecting insect suddenly, in one go.

The next morning when the cops came to her flat, I too went there with confidence and took interest in every investigation but when they asked me how she was with me and if I remembered any peculiar thing about her, I could not control myself. The very same shivers rolled like waves inside me…I cried whizzz…slurpp…whizz…a b***h...whizzzzz. I do not know what they noticed but they dragged me here, in a suffocating cell. I swear her name should have been Miss Slurpp! God, I cannot control my laugher! My pitcher plant must be laughing too!

For Mag-291 Picture Prompt

Mother Saraswati

Goddess Saraswati  is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning. She is a part of the trinity of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati. All the three forms help the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to create, maintain and regenerate-recycle the Universe respectively. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a goddess is in Rigveda. 

Hindus celebrate the festival of Vasant Panchami (the fifth day of spring) in her honour and mark the day by helping young children learn how to write alphabets on that day. Saraswati is revered as a goddess of knowledge, music and arts is also found outside India, such as in Japan, Vietnam, Bali (Indonesia) and Myanmar.

Medium- Sketch pen

Read more @ wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswati

Time Up!

Love, the way you roll your eyes,

Present your never-asked-for advice

Poke your damned nose in everything

And then expect to be treated as a king

Rather puts on display your insecure ego

So let me be frank- ‘Bye! It’s time to go!’

Pic from here

Canvas

Overheard in an exhibition-

“What have you painted? I see utter confusion spilled here”

“That is my soul poured out on canvas”

“But I can’t find anything meaningful”

“Look again”

“What are these spirals in black?”

“My past- dark and messy”

“And all these lines?”

“My present- paths leading to dreams”

“And those eyes and smiling faces”

“My future- bright and self-made”

“You are a true artist!”

“Thanks!”

For Mag 290 Picture Prompt

  

Truly Together!

In these technical times, we have achieved a lot but on the cost of togetherness and heart-to-heart bonding. Now we see far more cases of elders spending long afternoons alone, waiting for their ever busy professional office going children to remember them once in a blue moon and kids who have a life of their own and are consumed by electronic gadgets  and television. Also, with urban colonies coming up, every inch of land is covered with concrete. In such times, it has become a task to come together to enjoy each other’s company and spend time in the lap of nature. However, every problem has a solution and one important catalyst that can make us achieve this goal can be the nature itself. Spending time in nature is not enough; rather, taking up a project can solve both the issues.

We can find a patch of raw land, or simply take two or three planting pots and start off! Seeds are available in the market and even online very easily and I would love to recall what the ace writer Late Khushwant Singh once said, that there are few things that are really therapeutic and gardening tops the list! Watching a plant grow is to unlock your emotions and feeling one with nature. For example, we can plant small household plants like tomatoes or ladyfingers that are easy to maintain. For this we can come together and this way every day or every other day, plan a small tea party as well. Growing flowers and sharing tips with neighbors and friends is also a great way to come together and experience warmth and bonding.

I remember an incident where an old couple, on their front yard, sort of exhibited their cactus collection for the colony to see how amazing it was! Not many of us know that cactus plant gives beautiful flowers and is one of the most beautiful plants. Many people shared tips and some took photographs even when there were no digital cameras but only the traditional film-roll ones. Their socialization popped up suddenly and I saw them smiling more often.

In the digital era too, we can blog and form groups with like-minded people and come together for gardening or improvement of a colony park. I think this will not be necessary even, because real closeness is to be found with our neighbors and friends. However, another relevant point is the involvement of children. They must learn to open their hearts and break the ice and feel how deeply and beautifully one can find solace with nature even in the midst of an urban life.

I planted tomatoes once and along with my family members, I tended to the plants. However, the crop wasn’t bumper but still we loved tending to it and the desperate wait for that little green raw thing to become a full grown red tomato soon was awesome. Try doing such things, you will never forget or regret!
(Real pic of our tomato plant)

To find how you can come together, do visit www.kissanpur.com

I agree to ensure (to the best of my abilities and circumstances) that this blog post remains accessible in an un-altered state for a minimum of one year.

Perceptions

One fine day, I saw some people crowding over something and sharing their opinions with each other. When I saw closely, it was a portrait that no one had seen before and upon which different people gave their own views. I would love to share some of them here-

• Philosopher- I got it! look deeply and you will find that this shell represents life that is enclosed inside our bodies just like itself and this boy’s blue eyes mean universe never sleeps and his stern expressions mean time is brutal and his…..
• Pessimist- That must be the last thing he might have had or a gift from a long departed lover...he must have lost his mind brooding over her…Oh...
• Optimist- He must be planning a trip to some fantastic beach place! yay!
• Girl - I like his jersey combination, black and blue but his hairstyle is weird!
• Cop - He must have murdered someone with this conch or he must be trying to skew the investigation towards someone else. I see this murderer is very smart.
• Child- He is just like our sports teacher who often holds a clock.
• Psychiatrist- Indicating whole or partial derangement leading to or arising from an unconditioned mental bipolar neuroleptic possibly narcoleptic disorder of previous sea sickness.
• Realist- A simple self portrait.

For Mag 289 Picture Prompt

ज़ख्म

क्यों छुपाएं हम कुछ रिस्ते ज़ख्म
क्या महताब का एक रुख स्याह नहीं होता

Why should I be ashamed of my pain?

Even the moon has a dark side

क्यों न मानें के वो भी मुन्तज़र हैं हमारे
दिल बहलाने पे कोई इलज़ाम नहीं होता

Why shouldn’t I make myself believe that he too longs for me

For one can’t be blamed for beguiling one’s heart

जब चाहा छूना आस्मां का दामन,
जाना हर परवाज़ शानदार नहीं होता

When I tried to soar and touch the skies

I learnt not every flight is destined to be grand

किस चाह मेँ कटती ज़िन्दगी हमारी
अगर सितारों के परे कोई जहाँ नहीं होता

I would have spent my life in vain

Had I not known there is an afterlife

(Because of pain, she is looking forward to afterlife)

Source: hdwallpapers

Winters

Cozy bed and lazy eyes

Shy sun and hazy skies

Icy frost and hot coffee

Winter is here already!

When scorching summer rips your skin off, winter seems like a cooling balm. To put it simply, I love winters and deeply get envious of all the lucky souls who reside near those mysterious frosty mountains and frozen lakes. What else can define heaven on earth other than a warm blanket, a notepad (and pen of course!) and a cup of hot ginger tea. Curled up beside my window that overlooks a large portion of the sleepy grey sky, my mind, not perturbed by the constant annoyance of blinding sunlight of the days and sweaty irritation of evenings that signify summers in Northern Indian plains, wanders as far as it likes. These thinking sessions are provided a perfect platform in this season for which I always long for the whole year! 

Pic from here

Little Miss Lucy

To little Miss Lucy’s tired heart and mind

The moon was a bubbling mass of foam

That glittered on a corner of her room

And winter trees were lush once again

In her dreams that were quite strange

Her dog would even talk in her tongue

Lying on bed, weary and half awake

Little Lucy felt strokes of gentle lake

Hers were dreams, surreal and crazy

Where life was too magical, too hazy

Every night she unlatched her mind

And entered so solace she could find

Alas! The mellow rustling of leaves

That was her clock’s tick tock tick,

Pulled her and that’s what it did say-

‘It’s morn Lucy, be up for another school day’!

For Image prompt @ Mag 288 

Couplets

“Why this ire?” Out he did freak

I said “I am patient not meek”

 Incessant churn of day & night

Crushes my little life

Pic from here

Goodnight!

It is said that our sleep says much about us and often we come across articles or weblogs that analyze our sleeping patterns, style etc to indicate our personality types. I have often come across people with strange pre-sleep habits, like one classmate could sleep only after having a glassful of dark coffee. While most of us take coffee to concentrate, she did the very opposite. Another person could not go to bed without working out. While most people workout in the morning, not many are there who exercise right before going to bed. A woman I know has to gossip about every darn person otherwise she can’t get sleep comfortably. One of my classmates used to forward sms jokes to almost entire class before sleeping and yet another used to brood and lament for atleast an hour before she could get some sleep. One man I know can sleep only after watching a Bollywood movie; he can’t go to bed if he fails to catch up on his daily cinema dose. Some people take herbs like trifala, brahmi etc before sleep.

However, I feel if one is a bit too particular in such things and if petty disturbances hold the power to snatch his good night’s sleep away, it is not a very good thing as this can pose problems while travelling or when one is staying at some other place.

I pray and often take some tea before dozing off. Btw, what are your pre-sleep habits?

Pic from Here

Doll - House

A house

Old and abandoned

Where only quiet reigns

Still echoes its happy past

When once cheers resounded all around

Childhood doll-house that still makes me smile!

Written for Mag 285