The Beach Camper

As we lazily strolled on the beach of Goa on a hot October afternoon, I realised for sure we are beach people, or else why would we be here! The beach is almost empty, except for one or two souls and the many friendly dogs that appeared now and then wagging their tails. The ocean appeared vaster than what it appears when it’s crowded. It was getting hotter and our hats or sunglasses were not helping, “a few more steps and we shall leave” said DH.

Do you believe in law of attraction?? Or manifestations?? Well this was my day!

Walking past, I saw this camper, I could see a bed inside, curtains on the windows, clothes line-drying outside and a man sitting outside doing something…..it took me a few minutes before the voice in my head yelled at me….”its a home”!! “ITS A HOME”!!!

Well, let me explain, I am a big fan of small space living movement or say sustainable living. I have seen all…..I mean literally ALL the videos on ‘living in camper or bus, tiny house movement and similar videos  available on the internet. I am completely thrilled by the idea of it, but for some reason I was convinced that it is not possible in India, given our social structure. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the ‘matter of space’ that bothers, infact, I know families of 5-8 members living in one bedroom space. It’s not about space, for me its about breaking free of the material trap, not giving in to the fears created by society to controll us….the idea of breaking free from all these bondages has always intrigued me. There are many I have come across in different stages of my life who have made these choices and it’s always inspiring to meet them. But this, I  was least expecting.

I saw a tall, sun burnt man standing in front of the camper van. At a distance, a little girl was balancing on the edge of a boat. I walked past in disbelief.

After a few wise words from DH, on our way back, I walked up to the camper, introduced myself and what a friendly family!! Gagan is a free spirited guy, he was warm and welcomed my questions. He has been living in the camper for over five years now, with his beautiful wife Gitanjali and ‘little mogli’ Rashika, their daughter.
Born and brought up in Himachal Pradesh, Gagan worked in Canada before quitting his job for his love for travel. He spent a major part of his savings in building this camper.

The nomadic life feels home, he said. He is not much of a social media person and one cannot even reach him on face book or whatsapp! He prefers to visit relatives and friends once in a while over text chatting. When asked, ” how does he manage his day to day finances and if he worries about the future?” He said, ” regarding money, I’ve savings from my previous job that keeps us going and if I worry about my future….he smiled and said, No”!

As we chatted, a fluffy dog came running towards us with blood strains around his neck, it’s their dog Ramcharan and the whole family gathered. Gitanjali rushed in all concerned, she brought some turmeric powder and applied it on Ramcharan’s wound. That was my first impression of Gitanjali, a loving person. As we slowly got into conversation, I realised this lifestyle was not something Gitanjali had dreamt of or aspired for, yet she has merged in as if it was always hers! She then gave me an insight of their day to day lifestyle. While I panic when there is no running water or when the pantry is empty, she has outgrown these fears over the years. ‘Hojata hai (things fall into place)’…she says. She shared how cooking dinner under the stars makes every dinner special!  She  enjoys their undivided family time. What I saw was, one proud woman and mother.

The simplest kitchen

Composting Toilet

All Smiles!!

Of all, I fell in love with Rashika! Children as such are the perfect reflection of their family and environment but when close to nature they are like encyclopedia, so was she!  She knows swimming, she knows how to fish, she loves star gazing, a natural storyteller and what not! She even invited us to join her for fishing, which we so much wanted to, but had to sadly decline, if only we haven’t had our plans booked. After listening to her many stories we realised it was time for us to say goodbye!

DH had been clicking pictures without my knowledge during our conversations, for which I can thank him now! As we walked DH asked, “so….??”, I replied, ” It is hot and am damn hungry….but I feel …..good!”  Their passion and positivity had left us with a feeling of contentment. I so much wished we had more time to spend, wish I could get glimpse of a day in their lives. So much is there to be heard and said….may be for another day!

I recollected a few take aways from this meeting:- 1. No matter how hard something appears, some one some where has done it! 2. Things, always fall into their places!  And most importan of all, “No matter what… if you ask a question, you shall receive an answer”. Law of attraction.

 

Pumpkin Seeds

Each time I cut open a pumpkin it reminds of my mother, she would peel off the outer skin of  the seed and put it in my mouth….I loved the taste!I do the same, collect the seeds, wash them, dry it under the sun and when I feel like munching on something, remove the outer skin of the seed and dig in.

I googled the benefits of pumpkin seeds and found numerous benefits, I’ve noted down a few of them here;

1. Pumpkin seeds are rich in protein, 100 gm seed provides 30 gm of protein.
2. High source of Zinc.
3. Prevents kidney stone.
4. Good for prostrate health.
5. Great source of vitamin E, G, K
6. Reduces Cholesterol level
7. Anti inflamatory
8. Boost immunity

Spoiled Milk, ‘Desi Desert’

Morning hours are the craziest, preparing breakfast, lunch, packing lunch box, getting ready and hundred other things getting before heading to work. But I never miss my ‘cup of tea’. Today, as I boiled milk to add to my cup of tea, I released it’s spoiled. About two cups of milk and no time in hand….what would you do?

Here’s a simple recipe, I loved this recipe as a kid and still cherish it. By the look you can say, it’s a perfect ‘Desi Desert’!

So, Boil the milk for about 5 minutes, until water is separated from cheese, stain it and add little jaggery/ honey,  smash a banana into it and that’s it!

For people like me, who are not very  fond of sweets, it’s perfect! I add jaggery according to my liking and fruits for extra flavor. You can also add grated coconut or cashew nut, whatever is available. The texture and the smell of cheese will simply melt in your taste buds!

Orange & pomegranate peel Powder

While grocery shopping, I saw packets of orange peel face pack and scrub on the shelves. I have been working with fruit peels for some time now, but not been able to figure out a proper usage for it. While most of the green waste in my home goes into the compost, I always had to throw away citric ones. I did try a few different things, yet, a lot is wasted. So, I decided to give this a try.

I have read a lot about the amazing benefits of pomegranate peels and since we were full of both the fruits, so, why not powder them both I thought. Now reminding myself to not throw away the peels was another part of the story, now I was following DH every time he picked up an orange or pomegranate. Many were saved from verge of being dumped. It took extra effort from DH ofcourse. Once that was done, I cut the peels into small pieces, covered it with muslin cloth and dried them under the sun, after 3-4 days of direct sun light, shifted it to another place where it got indirect sun light for another week. I ensured there’s no moisture left, I powdered it in a mixture.

Let me share a few benefits of orange and pomegranate peel powder that lured me into this project:

Benefits:

1. Anti aging properties
2. Treat pimples and acne scars
3. Add natural glow to your face
4. Rich source of vitamin C
5. An effective natural scrub
6. Orange peel act as a natural bleach
7. Improves dental health

I use it as a face & body scrub and also add it to my face pack. As we know citrus do dry out the skin, I prefer using it with a moisturizing agent like honey or curd.

Simple Face Pack: 

Home made peel powder: 1 tbsp
Curd: 1 tbsp
Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
Mix it well and apply it on your face for 15-30 min. Once it is dry, slowly scrub it in circular motion and wash your face with normal water.

The first thing to notice about the pack is the smell…it smells wonderful! Secondly, it leaves the skin very smooth and soft, no stretchy feeling and no tightness. Though I notice acne scar feeding but it might take a few months to completely fade away the scars. I feel its a safer way for the long run, unlike those chemicals based products that goes into our skin and then into our blood stream causing damages. But the best part is, its so easy to make!

Recently DH munched on a big piece of watermelon and handed me the skin, I looked at him and asked, “Why are you giving this to me?” he replied, “How would I know…..you tell me, what would you do with this one!?”

 

A page from my diary: Seva gram, Wardha

I was going through some of my old diaries, when a loose page fell down, it was a page where I had penned down my experiences of staying at Several gram.
I had a long desire to experience ashram life. Its slow pace, simplicity and some unknown force attracted me. By this time I was already trained in Yoga and was into meditation, but my lifestyle and ashram lifestyle were poles apart. And I was in need of a break. It was winter of 2010,  when I along with some friends decided to visit Seva gram.

Seva gram is located at Wardha, Maharastra. It was one of Gandhiji’s residence,which is currently preserved by a small community of Gandhian’s. There are certain rules that one has to follow if they choose to experience ashram life and we choose to experience the fullest.

I would wake up at 4:30 am, attain morning prayer and then resume back to sleep (those were the only times I woke up that early),  wake up again at 7 am, help in whatever ashram work allotted to us, freshen up and join others for breakfast ; after which we helped in the farm works or goshala for an our or so. We were mostly free after lunch to explore or stay in the ashram; we decided to rather explore. Afternoon was the time when ashram mates attended tourists and practiced an hour of silent weaving. By evening we were supposed to gather for the evening prayer, followed by a simple dinner. The last activity of the day was where we sat together for a reading of  Bhagwat Geeta (or biographies), formal introductions, sharing songs and experiences.

Though a short stay, it was full of newness. There were many things I was doing for the first time, there were moments of wonder as well as frustration….and that day was one such day…
—————————————————————————————————————————————–Working in the farm, removing weeds, plucking veggies, preparing new beds, I silently said to myself, ” it’s only been three days and every inch of my muscle is aching, I looked at my nails, my nails are all black and my fingers are swollen. It’s not all that fun after all.” At this point , the saying, “be a smart worker rather than a hard worker” was making more sense.

Before I could think any further , the little voice inside me was quick to say, ” Look Jolly, look around you…..”

I looked up, I saw Kusum Tai sitting silently at a distance removing weeds, she is 86 years old living here since she was 13. She rarely speaks until asked and least about herself. I was lucky to be sharing her room. Her day starts at 3:30 am and ends at 9:30 or 10 pm and in this mean time I never ever saw her taking a nap. She was either working in the farm, cleaning her house, reading, writing, meditating, weaving…gardening, attending visitors and don’t know what else as I was very regular with my naps.

With contrast to our modern day belief, where we treat our bodies as something that should be preserved, cared for, pampered, enjoyed and by the time we reach 60 or 70 then we tend to drag this body with heaps of medication as if, we have not had enough? As if there is still something left to be enjoyed , as if we are in a competition of ” who’s gonna live longer?”??

As thoughts got intense and unbearable I looked away and started working again. The chipping sounds from distance, trees swinging along with the wind and the sweet noise it made… now and then a cow mooed from the goshala, my hands felt the wet bed, the fresh green vegetables and the overloaded lemon tree from which bright yellow lemons were dropping now and then making a sound tap- tap, honestly at first the sound scared me, how often do we hear fruits falling from trees!? Soon, all these eased me.

I thanked God/ universe, despite all the odds it’s been kind to answer all my questions, allowing me to learn and grow at my own pace and many a time, things that appeared impossible, were made possible for me!
—————————————————————————————————————————————-Reading this page of my diary I feel so glad that I wrote down my experience in the very moment…now, it has brought back so many more memories….
Thanks Sandeep for making this trip possible!

Coconut oil: failed!

Photo Session!

I follow a lot of women bloggers and vloggers, especially the ones on simple & sustainable living. I love their stories, the tips and tricks they share, but, what I love the most are the pictures of farms with livestock, kitchen gardens, freshly baked breads straight out of the oven and hand made soaps on the counter tops!

Chopped & ready to into the mixer

Enough water to extract its juice

Well… I don’t just read, I try out different things, like crocheting or baking etc and there are times when things turn out exactly the opposite of what I have anticipated. That’s when I wonder, do other bloggers too make mistakes?? Don’t their cakes ever burn? Doesn’t a batch of soap turn out messy? It surely must be, so why don’t they share those stories? I would love to see them, infact that would be so relatable and real! Its a silly thought but it’s been in my head for a long time. Mistakes make things real…don’t they!? Well…I decided to share mine.

Extracting the juice from the coconut pulp/meat

I am always into some or the other projects, it’s not with any particular aim in  mind, I enjoy the whole process of brainstorming & creating, so it’s natural that I make tons of mistakes and disasters, here is one such project’s pics!

Added extra water and ready to sit for 3-4 days

Coconut oil; everyone of us at some point or the other have come across the benefits of coconut oil, coconut oil for skin, for hair, for tooth & gums, in thyroid, weight loss, alzheimer and many more. While I was going through the benefits and all the healing properties of coconut oil more and more videos popped up in suggestions. One thing led to the other and there I was, all set to make my OWN, PURE Coconut oil! That’s not all, there are two ways of making coconut oil, first; the hot processes, second; the cold processed. Hot processes seemed too easy to me, that can be done anytime I said to myself and finalized on making the cold processed. Rest part of the story… see the pictures!

A two days later

In cold pressed method, coconut is grated and juice is extracted, then the juice is allowed to sit for a day or two for the fermentation to take place. The juice gradually separates to three layers; water, oil and a creamy layer on top. The top layer is removed and oil is collected.

After another day or two

Not sure what went wrong… most probably I added too much water! To be honest, by the end I was filled with shock & disappointmet …..it was quite funny for DH though! In spite of all that, the whole process of waiting and checking on it, ensuring temperature, more googling was all overwhelming! Finally, lesson learnt and now I am better ready for the next time!

On day fifth!! Disaster!!

Dear Social Media

As I sat on the windowsill​, holding a steaming cup of tea,
I saw clouds floating and flags battling against the wind.
My jacket felt short and my heart smelled the smoke from chimney.
Oh dear, forgive me, I forgot to click!

As I climbed those hills, sweating inside yet rain outside,
My feet soured and make up washed, hairs all tangled,
I heard the giggling sound of rain washing down the hills,
Oh, dear forgive me, I forgot to click!

I slept at night, in socks and gloves without even changing.
The slightest move, brought down chills, I saw snow fall for the first time!
Ohh dear, that’s magic’s I breathed in, I was living my childhood dream.
But forgive me, I forgot to click!

P.S. It’s a wonderful world…

Jolly

A nest within my nest!

Have I not said this hundred times already! well, once again; I love birds!! I feel mesmerized when I see them sit quietly and attentively, I love listening to their chirping but I don’t like it when they fly away at the slightest of noise or movement. Every day, early in the morning while doing dishes I hear them chirping from my balcony. A bird feeder and water bowl waits for them.

Big world, little me!

All the houses I lived in my childhood have always been surrounded by huge trees; so, I am used to those morning calls and busy afternoons. Cows will hang out under those trees, strays almost took over our sitting areas and there were bugs, insects, butterflies, dragonflies and many more, so its natural to develop a liking towards them.

After moving to Hyderabad, I missed that all, so much so that I even dreaded to hear the crows cawing. Until recently different birds and crows have started flocking in, so I did my bit by hanging a bird feeder and placing a water bowl. A year back or so, a cute little couple  built their nest in my neighbor’s balcony who were out of station and I was overwhelmed, at the same time sad; overwhelmed because getting them to befriend me, was now a matter of balcony-to-balcony job and sad because, why not my balcony!?

Sorting out some misunderstanding!!

I could have just waited but waiting is difficult, isn’t it? So I decided to help them realize that they are welcome here, my home is a comfortable & cozy place, to convey this I built a nest! Yes…a man made nest!! I know, I know, birds sense human touch and have apprehension towards it, yet I did. I got different reactions, like, DH was speechless, some whatsapp friends were all aww….. and some were upfront, “Jolly, you are silly” they said.

Getting all creative….

The very first memory of birds in my life was the one that my sister shared with me. We are four siblings and the eldest, our sister raised us, as our mother suffered from schizophrenia when I was a toddler. When a sibling has to get into the shoes of parents, things are different…. and difficult. Its like four kids walking in the darkness, holding each others hand, one kid ahead of the other. In that circumstance, one learns fast & grows up fast. And the one in the front, takes the most strikes.

I have a picture of her in my mind, silently sitting alone on the varanda of our 1 bedroom house and looking at nothingness. May be that was her time of reflection. Once, after a stormy night she sat outside drowned in her thoughts; tree branches had fallen, the wind had carried with it dust, papers and wrappers: small stream of water was flowing along side the road, that’s when a little bird caught her attention, the tiny bird was busy picking up sticks, grasses, threads and whatever it could fit into its beak and fly away. The rain had possibly washed away her nest and there she was toiling hard to build back her nest. One stick in its beak and it would fly away, again it would come back to pick up a blade of grass and fly away just to return again. One thing at a time. She went on and on. Sis chocked while sharing this incidence with me. It was the manifestation of her own life, our life. Till date it is fresh in my mind …. as if it was yesterday, as if…..

Site inspection

That was a day and this is today, I find it easier to communicate with birds & strays more than humans. Today we are busy, we are so busy, that we don’t have time for anything. And the ones who are at most loss … are children. They don’t count stars anymore, they don’t climb trees, no more paper boats, they spend hours staring at TV and playing games on mobile phones. And this concerns me.

In the depth of my heart I know, that day, those little birds gave her (my sis) the strength to go on, and the many little birds and ants and lizards, insects that we grew up with, those trees that we climbed and the animals around us, give us the strength. That’s how my sister raised us into who we are today.

My self-made-nest stood their for the longest time, until one day I heard the sweetest noise I have been waiting to hear. They are here!!!

Home-Sweet-Home!!

I can’t dance!

Finally, Annual day function is over and now I can breathe a sigh of relief. Things did not go the way I wanted them to, but that’s the way, I was prepared for it. Two things I was looking after; one, a dance no. “Ande ka Funda”  which turned out good and then, a play on “Akbar & Birbal”, that too was fine. The day was so chaotic that I couldn’t get a single proper click. With kids, they are either hungry, thirsty or ‘urgently’ in need to use the wash room, and all this with their costumes falling apart… Lol.

A few days prior to the final day, while we were practicing, something happened, and that I am going to share. While dance & play practices were running full fledged, ‘Vasant’ who was one of the participants in a dance performance and also playing the part of Birbal in my play comes to me and says, ” Teacher, I can’t dance, I don’t dance!” What he meant was, he wanted to back out of the dance performance. I had overheard other teachers complaining about him, but I wanted to hear it from him; “Why?” I asked, he fumbled, Aayaan (another boy) quickly said, “Teacher, so and so teacher said that he is bad, he cant dance, that’s why he doesn’t want to participate”.
I very well know how this feels, I have been there, I guess we all have been there. As kids, we are often told what-all we can’t do, even before giving a fare chance. We are told that, “you can’t dance”, “you can’t sing”, “you are not beautiful” or “you are poor at Maths or English” etc etc.. and those remarks get carved on the delicate little minds forever.

Even though such comments might not be intentional, to kids they are verdicts. When we say something like, “you cant dance”, we are planting a seed, a seed of fear. Fear of looking bad, fear of being judged, fear of stage, fear of not knowing something which every one else apparently to know. Recall that situation when all kids are playing, dancing and there is one kid standing in the corner, away from all, that kid is tagged as shy or introvert. I say… think again,  it might appear as just another incident but for ‘that kid’ its a lost moment.

“You are doing fine Vasant!” I said, “See… we all have different bodies and different ways our body moves, Aayaan’s dance steps are too fast, Darshan steps comes easy, and yours are little slow, but there is nothing like you can’t do! Ww just need to practice! Tell me which steps you are facing difficulty in and we will work it out.”

Aayaan: “Yes teacher my mother also says the same thing, with practice you can do everything but if you give up you loose!”

That’s it! We practiced and they merge into their playful state and never did I saw anyone hesitating or shying away. Children are smarter than we think, they already know what they need to know. As teachers we just need to remind them and trust them.

As I write this, I am lying down with a sprain in my heels due to all those dance moves in the practice sessions! I too was told by some one that I can’t dance; so I never did. After all these years, with this event, I came face to face with my fear and realized it’s not true! I am okay … I am just fine.

Grey hat: Sai Charan, next is Darshan, center :Goutam, Vasant and Dillip, behind stands Aayaan!

Skin care and turmeric oil

This post got deleted in the final stage of editing…..

I am a homemaker, a teacher, an inquisitive  person, an experimenter and of course being a womdan, natural skin & hair expert!!

I used turmeric roots, homemade turmeric powder can also be used

I love turmeric and I can vouch on it, I have been using it since I was a child. During festivals or auspicious occasions my mother would make a paste of turmeric roots and apply on my whole body. The yellow tan did not matter much then, because many other neighborhood kids also roamed around looking like yellow zombies. It carried on to my teens and has continued till date, except that it has reduced from a bowl to a pinch, and from whole body to only face!

Grated the turmeric roots and cooked in coconut oil over low flame till all the moistures vapourises

Here I am sharing the very easy turmeric oil making process along with my recent experience, hoping it might be helpful. Around 2014 DH started getting small red patches over his forehead and cheeks, it was extremely dry and itchy, slightly swollen, it aggravated when exposed to sun. Every day he would return home with new the red patches which eventually turn into white dry patches. Soon my once carefree hubby was  under constant fear of getting out in the sun. And things looked  worse day by day. It looked dry so I guessed a good moisturizer would do the job but soon realized it was not so. Next we went for the sunscreen but that too did not do much good. Then an appointment with a skin specialist, who consoled us saying nothing serious and prescribed medicine.  Soon winter approached and with the medicine his skin healed.

Allow it to cool down

Up until the next summer, during which it all came back and this time doubled the size. We were at our home town, there we consulted another doctor and again medicines were brought. On returning back, I did my own little research  and found alovera gel to be magic cure, well no harm in trying I said, and DH was convinced. Patanjali Alovera gel was the brand I choose and even before any effect was visible DH kind of enjoyed the massage he was getting every night (which was in itself a proof of something good is happening). A few months into the regime, I added the second most referred ingredient to alovera gel and it was also my favorite! A few drops of turmeric oil (home made). Even after his medicines were over, we continued with our alternative therapy. It was nearly after four months, when we first saw its effectiveness. Soon, we were on our own, trekking, Goa tour, Pondicherry trip, Coorg trip and many more without any issue. Once a 30 minut to-and-fro ride from home to office left scars and itchy skin, we were more than glad with the results! First the itchiness was gone, then the reddenning due to sun and finally the white dry patches now slowly fading. With all that, we still continue the regime as its important to understand that any issue be it acne or eczema or anything, they are the reflection of some deeper issue, which might be pollution or immune system or age or anything else. We accepted that his skin has become sensitive and we will continue with this simple trick. We cannot say how long it will take to completely cure and we are not waiting for it. It’s just like applying any other moisturizer or sunscreen! We’re happy to know that if we can get rid of something in a natural and healthier way then why not!

Strain it and bottle it!

I have shared the turmeric oil making process, it’s simple and easy & I use it occasionally as skin moisturizer too. Other oils that I love and keep alternating with turmeric oil are coconut oil, almond oil, kumkumadi tailam. Other oils that sit beside my bed are castor oil for cracked heels, neem oil for acne, mustard oil for hair and feet massage ……and many more, will share about them in future.