Happy Makar Shankaranti

It was Makar Shankaranti and schools were closed. Makar Sankaranti in short is the time when farmers reap the fruits of their hard work, they harvest their crops and thank nature, the nature which came together to help us bring food to our plates. This holiday has additional value to me, I was able to catch up with all the work that has be lying around waiting for my time.  That meant, loads of cleaning, organizing, laundry and more cleaning. I am convinced, no one can take away cleaning out of a woman’s life.

No matter how many times I have said this, Hyderabad knows how to celebrate festivals. Women cleaning their veranda with turmeric water (it is considered auspicious), you can see others going to temples, little girls with long hairs, kajal in their eyes and a dot on forehead; walking along side their mother to temple, beautiful rangolis, children’s happy and playful noises, it’s infectious and beautiful. Here are some Makar Shankaranti pictures!

These beautiful rangolis are drawn by Manju (our buildings security officer 🙂 ) She is passionate about rangolis designs and proud of her skills, she gets so excited when I click their pictures.

Another major thing about Sankaranti is kites! From kitchen window to bedroom, we could see kites all over and once in a while a kite will fall down making this rattling sound.  All this reminded me of my first post, a broken kite flew in that day and gave air to my desire to write. I have been writing ever since.

One more picture I wished to share is of some project work made by children at our school. A lot of emphasis was given on children doing the projects themselves and recycling things rather than buying and showing up, so they did.

Last click! I like this picture a lot. I was standing in my balcony holding my camera clicking rangoli pictures and all of a sudden a person walks in with his camel. This picture is a whole story for me and I love stories. It was about 8 am and the man and his camel have started their day. They will walk from door to door, give ride to children and collect money, by afternoon one could see them sitting under some tree or in front of a tea shop taking a break and at the end of the day when they walk back home, I hope their stomach are full.

Happy Sankaranti!

Happy New Year!!

New Year is here and I am not ready with a post…

Should I make something special like some traditional recipe or may be just a cake and share it or should I visit some place and document it…. or may be some new year DIY! If only I had thought of all this beforehand.

Since all that is not possible now, I finally decided to share a secret, a secret Desire, a WISH. Hope some day it would be fulfilled, its okay, if not in my way, any way is fine, any way will be a bliss!

So my wish is, some day we would be able to spend every year of our life in a different place! A completely different, new experience of culture, society, people… food habit! How does that sound!? The first place in my mind is the small village in Darjeeling we visited this year! The weather is extreme and my body is sensitive to extreme weather but that is fine. Imagine waking up to mist everyday, chilling cold water, walking down hills, struggling everyday for small things we take for granted otherwise. A new language, new people and the most difficult part (at least for me) food habit!  And all this for a year, imagine what would happen at the end of the year? A new person will be discovered, isn’t it?

The next destination is the desert, sand and sand everywhere. Extreme dry heat, new struggles, people , food and lifestyle! The other destination in my mind is Seva gram at Wardha. I’ve been there but for 1 year would be an experience. The last time I visited Seva gram it was for a short span of time and the biggest and toughest challenge was to not eat non-vegetarian food!! I almost died.

And list goes on…from Kerela to Kashi and so on… even the thought fills me with bliss. Being at one place or a similar lifestyle limit us, we get tied up unknowingly to things we care or not we don’t even know. Life is about experiences and not possessions but still we get tied up. Hope this new year fill our lives with all the experiences we need to grow from within and  if you are here on New Year, I hope all your dreams come true this New Year!

Wish you and your loved ones a very very Happy New Year!!

New Year Special!!

My Religion….

Children are innocent,curious, straight with their questions, they hold no diplomacy and they are amazingly talented.

On the very first day at school, S ( the naughty boy) asked me, “teacher, do you go to Church?” I couldn’t understand the question, confused, I replied, “No…yes.. at times, why??”. He too got puzzled and ran away.

Little nephew’s experiments & my religion of Love!

The second time, it was three girls, they asked, “Teacher, what is your religion?” I laughed in my head and just before an answer slipped out, I held back and asked them in return, “why do you want to know?” One of them said, “We are Muslims (pointing towards themselves), she ( pointing towards another girl) is Hindu,so what are you?”. I said, ” I am human”, while they wondered one smart girl said, human means Hindu! I could no more hold my laughter. Human is not Hindu, human means insaan (translated to Hindi) I said. While they reflected and made assumptions, one of them said but we all are humans aren’t we? but then we all have a religion, what is yours? Humanity is the religion- I said; but teacher…..they said…let’s get back to studies I concluded. Not all questions are to be answered, let them unfold, discover, rediscover and swim into the ocean of possibilities…..!

And this continues, every now and then some or the other kid comes upto me and asks me if I am Hindu or Muslim or Christian.  Once a little girl (who is Christian) was scattered when I said, I am Hindu. Her tiny eyes were wide open and looked straight at me and said, “no teacher, you are Christian?!!” Those are the times when I laugh and laugh and laugh….

And all this because I dont wear a bindi, yes the small red dot worn by Hindus on  the forehead….has created rift in the little heads! Well I do wear  bindis inevitably when in-laws are around or even in front of my mother,  its a bit too much to expect from them to change to all the new ways! I neither support nor am I against any form of display in any belief system, I respect the decision of individuals who choose to do whatever until and unless its harmful to any one or anything.

Now, its not about me, its about the religious identity amongst such small children, while discussing these things with DH, we wondered whether its good or bad, right or wrong? Honestly, we cant say for sure, the only thing I can say is of my own experience. I studied in a Christian school, a total opposite environment from my home. While my mother even in her sleep will cover her head with her saree palloo and at school we saw teachers in knee length skirts. We (my elder brother and me) sang prayers praising Jesus and at home bowed in front of Shiva, Krishna and Sri Ram. Saw children and teachers from all class of the society and different religions. All this is difficult for a child, you don’t know your group, your true identity… all my life I lived with this one question, “Is this? Or is there something else?”

Today at this point, I can tell one thing for sure, differences are good. Discomfort is good. Like a blank  slate children should be allowed to draw as many different shapes as possible in their mind’s slate, because life is full of differences, there is no one way or fixed pattern, let kids SEARCH, CHOOSE and ACCEPT!

Life is all about that…isn’t it?

No crackers Diwali….

Diwali, the festival of lights and crackers is here again!

How about a no crackers, no fireworks instead a peaceful Diwali!?

A few days back I asked my neighbor kids, how much do they like Diwali? One of them said, “I dont like Diwali, it hurts puppies!”
Three years back when I moved in to this building, his answer was not the same. Its not that I train them or teach them, just put up a feeling a true one and children are smart enough to see through. Never did I say, not to play or enjoy Diwali… all I say is, it hurts me when I see puppies or anyone burnt, I feel pain when I see them suffering. Children are more sensible and sensitive, they understand.

Everyone knows it, everyone knows how unhealthy and unnecessary it is, it just needs to be told once, reminded once, like a wife reminds her husband going to office, to carry his keys and wallet.Like mothers remind their children to be careful while playing. Like lovers remind each other how much they love each other! So why not this!?
Why this noisy, smoke filled Diwali’s! Haven’t we had enough of chemicals filled Holis and smoke filled Diwalies….is it that hard!

I don’t know about today but tomorrow is promising, let the youth, the children choose, let us not hand them crackers and tell them, “go have fun!” Why define ‘fun’ for them, let them choose…

I am officially a teacher now!

How does it sound when an adult says,”I don’t know what to do with my life?”
Irresponsible…..Confused?? Whatever, its the truth for many and so it is to me.

To any child parents are the role model and they want to grow up to become them. I was no different, I wanted to be like my mother, a homemaker. But, as I grew, I could see I am not the ‘kind’. I was just not the kind. I very strongly feel my mother or my mother-in-law all the women of that era were the last of their kind. They had so much endurance, patience, they were compassionate, they hold a different conviction, their silence had way more power than any word. They were ‘proper’. I am not proper, I am everything but them, even as a kid, I had questions and I demanded answers. With changing time new generations are born…I guess. The battle between what I want to be and who I was, took me to places, from call center to hr then trained in Yoga and became a Yoga trainer, worked with ngo’s, a  Pranic healer and the list goes on and all this in the search of my own self…. and now I am a Teacher.

I was always doubtful about my abilities on being a teacher, I lack patience and my opinion on education is not very much in support of this current system, where there is so little space for exploration and creativity or self learning.

Lets see, if this is it or something else is stored for me!

Now on I’ll be sharing my experiences, opinions, concerns and funny moments. Today I want to share some very funny challenges I face everyday and how much I love them. I have already told you my expertise in attracting troubles, it’s no surprise that I’m the class teacher of the naughtiest class  of all,no, I dont say that, every one in the school says so. I dont have any problem with children being naughty, i think they should be naughty but as a teacher with 40 minutes in hand and a syllabus to cover….no, I cant allow screaming, howling, running to toilet every now and then, spilling water, talking….even if I want to. Out of these many unique children there are these three who stand out. And today’s post is all about them.

These 3 boys, mind it only boys who are taking me to another level of humanity. First boy, lets call him ‘S’, a bright student, naughty as hell. He has wheels attached to his feet. He knows what not to do, when not to do and why not to do so that he can do it all! He is constantly moving around the class and complaining about others. He knows his round face, dusky complexion, healthy build, naughty eyes can buy him sympathy so he does what he does.

Second boy, ‘L’, a thin lad, sharp features, and mischievous eyes,  very silent never utters a word. He only provokes others to scream! He acts like the future don! He sits like one, his shirts are not tugged in, his tie loose. No matter how much I punish him the moment class is over he gives me a damn. But I have found out, he is a quite a bright student and just needs extra attention.

Third on, ‘K’.The crying boy. He is always crying. He is small, thin,military hair cut. He enters the class crying, he spills water from his bottle 10 times within 5 minutes of entering the class, he looses his pencil or eraser or ruler or sharpener or something or the other and cries. He talks non stop. And he is a gem at heart, infact all of them are. Lets see whats stored up for me as these 3 boys are keeping me on my toes.

Next: “Whats you religion teacher?”

Spilled Camphor oil….

How often do you feel pity for yourself? How often do you ask “why me ….??”

Lemon oil & Alovera oil in the making!!

I read that camphor oil is good for acne prone skin (of which I have been suffering since a long time), so I made some to see if it really helps, must have used it for 3 days and the jar fell from my hand!
This is the 5th or 6th time I’ve prepared a medicated oil and lost it to my ability to attract troubles! Before this it was turmeric oil that I used as moisturizer and I spilled it during our trip to Pondicherry, in the hotel bathroom and then spent half an hour cleaning the shower, I couldn’t have left it like that! Before that it was curry leaves oil for hair, before that, it was pure ghee that I brought from home and spilled in the taxi! Before that, I prepared cinnamon oil and in the making process I was supposed to keep it some dark place… I kept it in such a dark safe place, I could not trace it back! Before that!? The endless number of times I’ve spilled my feet massage oil!

Triphala hair oil

Turmeric oil

Yes, I am the chosen one,who some way or the other lands up at the place where you ask yourself, “Why God….why me???” Its absolutely fine when such things happen within closed doors but, but, not always can one be that lucky!

I am not just an expert in spilling oils, I attract troubles in many different types and forms! I  am also a water problem expert. During our stay at Darjeeling, the hotel bathroom geyser denied us the luxury of hot water where as in Mysore hotel it was only hot water, so hot that I enjoyed steam bath all the days! Think how we brushed our teeth.
Fine, hotels are fine, rooms can be changed, but what if you are getting late to work and your own shower throws a tantrum, even for 5minutes!? I go through that everyday. No this doesn’t happen with DH.. or may be at times men are more patient (says hubby)!

One more click of Lemon oil & Alovera oil, will be ready by the end of December

The third trouble is random, for instance, last November, when we were on a trip to Mysore (planning a post on the trip soon) and we were having a gala time eating and relaxing near Shivasamudram. When I got up to leave, there was a huge patch of black paint on my dress,only mine and that too in front of my in-laws! In a similar incidence when I went to Udaipur and we were roaming around with 10 other tourists, my… only my sandal broke! On top of that there was not a single cobbler to be seen around! In India you can almost find a cobbler in every other street but that day not a single one! Next, imagine! And the grand one for the last, you know Indian weddings, during outdoor reception there’s a huge standing fan placed in front of the bride and groom. While attending one such marriage party (thank God it was not my marriage) I climbed upto the stage with my nice to meet the newly wed and congratulate them, give them gift and click some pictures…suddenly I felt a pull, next moment what I see,  my chunni was trapped in the fan. The groom and bride are sweating and I, standing there holding one end of my chunni. It was a new dress that I was wearing it for the first time. 30 minutes passed and I was still standing there on the stage people trying to free my chunni, guests came, clicked pictures with the newly wed and went and I stood there asking “Why God….why??”

On our way to Shivasamudram, when our cab broke down

There are many many and many more… I also know many more are coming but that’s how life is. And I am sure you must have had such moments, may be more or many be less! All this has not stopped me from making more oils or sitting down at odd places or visiting new places and accommodating at reasonable places,  so that we don’t spend our days in the hotel rooms rather fly outside!

Making Samosas!!

Well this one is not a planned post but since I was making samosas and I dont know, when I’ll make them next time, so, I thought why not click some pictures and share it!!💁

You know, when I was a kid we used to get one Samosa in just 25 paise, that is 4 Samosas in just 1₹! Yeah I am that ancient! And now, it’s 5₹ to 12₹ for 1 samosa now! Not just that, the size, flavor…everything has degraded. 😦

We decided to make it the old way and am very sorry for not having all the pictures, the idea struck me late, what could I do!? Anyways, I still decided to give it a go.

So, the first step, dough preparation.
White flour, salt to taste mixed, about a 1/2 tablespoon of black jeera (it depends on the quantity of flour) and water. The dough should not be sticky or very hard. Once ready cover it and allow it to sit for 15 minutes minimum. In the mean time….

Prepare the fillings.

Semi boiled potatoes, cut into small cubes, peanuts, beet root cut into small cubes, onions chopped, coconuts cut into small pieces (if available), coriander whole, green chilies chopped, green peas, jeera powder, salt to taste, turmeric powder, red chili powder.

We prepared in phases so that potatoes don’t get smashed (it’s not mandatory).

First phase: little oil was added to the pan, to which I added potato cubes, peanuts, jeera powder , whole coriander, turmeric & chili powder.

Second phase: Tossed beetroot cubes and coconut pieces in a little oil.

Third phase: to little oil in the frying pan, goes chopped onions, green chili, green peas and sauces (tomato and chili).

Finally, all this are mixed together to make the fillings.

Its time to shape samosas! In the third part, small balls are made out of the dough. which are rolled into circles. And then cut into half.

DH on duty 😛

The semi circles are then made into hollow cones for the masala or fillings to be stuffed. Then seal the open parts by applying little water to stick the open ends together.

Next… oil is heated in a wide mouth pan/kadai. Slowly and safely Samosas are dipped into the hot oil. Let it cook for some time on low to medium flame. As the color changes to golden brown , we know it’s ready!

Last stage, don’t wait, it tastes best when it’s hot, serve with tomato sauce or green chutney!

Imp point: Anything can be stuffed into Samosas like mushroom, paneer or just onions. For non- veg friends, stuff in chicken or mutton!

A new project : Storage Ottoman

A new project in the making.

I was so happy to see this small wooden transport-box, when DH picked it from his office waste and brought home, unpolished and a little messy, all of that added a little story to it.
We went through some brain storming, I wanted to use it for gardening,to grow herbs but dh had something else in mind.Since his idea was more practical, I agreed. Before we get started, let me tell you, everything that are used in the making of this ottoman are waste or rejected materials (except the screws and plastic boots bought from the nearby hardware store), everything recycled.  So, lets get started….

Raw materials used in the making.

As you can see, it’s unpolished and we liked the rusty look to it. We did not want to polish it or color it, rather it looks more artistic and has its own character.
In the second part, hard packing foams are used as base material over the lid, cut in shape and glued (had to do a little workaround to get the right shape).

😎  Ensuring the foam is glued to its best!

At first we planned to use only the hard foam for the sitting, but then thought of adding a softer material on the top, as only hard foam was not comfortable enough for sitting…we were lucky to find a good piece of soft packaging sponge in our junk collection.

Soft sponge cut into shape and glued over the hard foam.

Wrapping the whole thing with sack.

Screws to keep things intact.

Plastic Boots are used  so the lid stays fit to the top of the box.

Whoopee!!

Our model! Neighbor kid “Chinna”who comes now and then for his school projects

I wish to share a small memory of mine here,  once I saw an old man, a rickshaw puller, his wrinkly hands very carefully and neatly pushing small pieces of cloth inside his rickshaw seat, arranging them evenly. He must have collected those scrap pieces of clothes from tailor shops, which they usually throw away. Tiny pieces of clothes… impossible to do anything with them, I’ve tried. But he could make use of them. I was moved seeing him, pieces of cloth would be hanging out here and there, and he very carefully arrange them. There was something in his eyes, he didn’t appear poor or sad to me at that point, rather he looked so much at peace, he was so much in the moment…. a child like amusement on his face.

What are these ‘things’? What is their place in our lives….?? Things we consider useful or useless says something about us, about who we are, the person we are deep down.We can never know what can make whom happy, we can never know. Something might be a waste for me and can be a ‘thing of happiness’ for some one else, and it might be a need to someone else. Like this last picture… look what a child could see in the left over cut out pieces and what he made with it!!

Here’s what Chinna made with the left over scraps… 🙂

Darjeeling and Gangtok

Beautiful Darjeeling is ticked off from our list of places we wish to visit and like Goa, we know we will be there again. Since then I have been writing and re-writing this post.I asked DH his first memory that comes to his mind when I say Darjeeling, “the day we walked from our hotel to Tibetan refugee camp” he said, same as mine.On the evening of 2nd of April we landed in Darjeeling and immediately threw our bags in our hotel room and went out to explore, even though we were dead tired. Within no time it was dark and on our way back to hotel, lost our way. Every bit of the journey was memorable and amusing.The next day we took a trip to a nearby village, around 25 km from Darjeeling. No traffic, no rush, nothing to distract just us and our journey, and yes… the storyteller “Pravin”, our driver friend. There is no one thing I can tell about that village or that day, because everything was beautiful. A few homes, simple village life, an old man picking up flowers to make wine, children playing cricket, women working in the kitchen, cold wind touched my skin and I just wanted to be there, just there…

Second day, was for Tibetan refugee camp, Pravin said it was walk-able and so we went ahead. He did warn us, that as tourists the walk might not be that easy; but then we wanted actual experience so ignored and went with the flow. That is how it became the memorable day.                                            “Clouds chased us all the way!”

We crossed the market area, walked amongst the locals and tourist, slipped into the real Darjeeling. The journey was longer and harder than we expected, we were walking up and down the hills, twist and turn, round and round! Now and then clouds would show up, pour down and vanish.                                           The walk we remember…forever.

The third and last day at Darjeeling was for hubby’s street photography, by evening we were off to Gangtok. By the time we reached there, it was dark so rested. It was less cooler there and less to explore in the neighborhood.

The first day at Gangtok we visited Rumtek Monastery, Banjhakri falls and MG road. 

The last day of the trip was for snow! Tsomgo lake (also called Changu Lake), it was my first time experience of snow. The blue sky reflected in the water and snow  melted from one corner, it was the most soothing sound I’ve heard. The weather hold us from exploring many things we had planned.                                                               Tsomgo Lake

There were many things I did for the first time, like walking through the meander roads, amidst clouds, freezing cold, sleeping in socks, wooden floors, long walks in the washed away curvy mountain roads and of course, the momos, wai-wai and more momos!!!

It is one of those places which one just cannot go and spend some days and feel satiesfied. Its a place I wish to go again and again or may be live there for an year or so…. a wish!“We are travelers on a cosmic journey,stardust,swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.”

Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Event, Travel & Updates

This post is basically an ‘excuse post’ (like the prior to the previous one) for not writing or posting… well, with me its like this, not that I am proud of it, still working on it. So apart from my husband, brother-in-law (hubby’s brother) & my best friend (who are bound to be with me) if any one else who happens to read this blog (if at all anyone is) or some one, who by mistake, have landed up hear please please excuse me and bear with me.

Last month i.e 26th March, hubby & group organised a photography workshop here in Hyderabad and seeing my interest in videography, hubby gave me the responsibility of recording the whole event. Okay, I’ve never ever done anything like this before, except for recording family moments which is watched by total four people (out of which, one is me!).
Clips are captured, but now the later part of editing and all need to be worked at, and its scaring the shit out of me.If you are not used to picking up skills, learning new things can get tough, but I also know- Nothing is impossible!

 

Second excuse is that we were out for our 3rd honeymoon to Darjeeling!! 🙂

Oh! you believed it? Naaahhh….it was one of those photography thing. But I enjoyed the trip thoroughly. We loved the place so much that we want to move to the hills, if not for ever at least for a brief period of time. Will be posting details soon.

So now that you are convinced  … do visit again!