The other side of me!

On a day like today!

2011-12-27T09:03:00.000-08:00

It has been a long but rewarding day today...

Some good things in office, some ideas coming up; looks like I am going to have a rockig 2012 :)

Learnt two new recipes today... They are Harsh's favorite so fingers crossed!! I am confident they will turn out good!!

Managed to speak to Mom and Mummy while working in kitchen... That's also something that makes me happy :)

Basically, doing those small things for people which gives them happiness... I should be doing them more often... It feels good to see smiles on the faces of your beloved.... Isn't it?

I always ask my boss at work - Amitabh, as to how does he find time to blog... Probably this is how it is to be managed... Stealing minutes here and there :)

Anyway, it's time to hit the bed... Good night...

Visit to Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar

2011-09-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

I visited Amritsar and Wagah border over this weekend. Let me tell you that this was one the most memorable outings that I had recently.

We went to Jallianwala Bagh on 18th Sept 2011 morning and I was amazed to see the odd architecture of the place. I thought I could visualise how it must have been even then in 1920. That small, narrow entrance lane still remains the same opening up into a big open space now converted into a memorial and garden.

There's an Eternal Flame or 'Amar Jyoti' is lit in the memory of those who lost their lives in the massacre. The walls still maintain the bullet marks. Edifices bear the information like where the bullets were fired from, where did Brig General Dyer posted himself and his troops... The well which became the final destination to close to 120 people is now sealed with wire mesh.

The last but not the least, is a small picture gallery with the paintings of those who were related to this incident or later participated in various acts to avenge the massacre.
The most moving painting was that of widow Ratan Devi who lost her husband in Jallianwala Bagh massacre and who had to spend the entire night there with the corpse of her husband amongst other hundreds of dead bodies and blood pool! The narrative read that Ratan Devi waited for help all the night, only to carry her husband's body to a dry place (because the entire Jallianwala was covered in a pool of blood). However, a curfew was placed immediately after that, she had to stay all night in the ground, all by herself, by the side of her husband's dead body!

We can possibly never understand the pain of those people who were related to this incident, who suffered death, who suffered loss and deep sorrow. Those who tried to take the revenge, did succeed and then offered their lives for the sake of it.

Sitting here, in my confortable, warm home, I can only make a feeble effort to imagine the situation then. All I had was an unfathomable mix of feelings which later on translated only into one - sadness. I felt sad to read the count of Ratan Devi, I felt sad to see those bullet holes in the walls... I felt sad to read the entire story of Jallianwala Bagh. I felt sad to know so many innocent people lost their lives in protest of the foreign rule. What happened there was so unfortunate... I think I can never ever forget my visit to Jallianwala Bagh and especially the count of Ratan Devi... I pay my best regards to all those unknown people who became the target of those bullets and left for heavenly abode.

Time for some yummy recipe!!

2011-05-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

Friends, for a change I thought of posting some yummy recipe of Raw Mangoes...

This recipe is a typical Maharashtrian dish... it is called as Kairichi Daal (Chana Daal with Raw Mangoes)
Ingredients:
1 large Raw Mango (shouldn't be soft), Chana Daal, Cumin Seeds, Coriander Leaves, Green Chillies. Salt as per taste, Sugar as per taste, Oil, Mustard Seeds (Rai/Mohari), Asafoetida, Turmeric Powder

Recipe:

Soak Chana Daal overnight in water

Drain water from Chana Daal at the time of preparation.

Take around 1 small spoon cumin seeds, salt and green chillies and grind well in the Mixer.

Then, grind soaked Chana Daal along with the above - grind to coarse particles only.

Then add the grated raw mango to the above mixture and grind again. Ensure that the Chana Daal is not ground too fine.

Take the entire mixture in a bowl and add some sugar.

Heat 1 table spoon oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds. Let the mustard seeds pop completely and then add Asafoetida. Add some Turmeric Powder as well.

Pour the above on to the mixture in the bowl and then mix properly.

Garnish with finely chopped Coriander Leaves.

This dish is mouthwatering mix of Raw Mangoes and Chana Daal.... the right taste is sweet and sour taste... it can be eaten with Chapati or can be eaten just like that!

Try this at home, I am sure you will love it... I have been carrying in my tiffin all the typical Maharashtrian Raitas (or Koshimbir as they call it) and all my colleagues at Mohali seem to really love it...

Try this and do let me know how you find it!

Have fun!!!

2011-04-19T00:03:00.000-07:00

Writing from Mohali....
Uncertainty prevails!! Sitting in Mohali office of Swaraj Tractors, I wonder what's going to happen next.
Someone might just wonder how come I am writing in Office time. But sometimes, your mind is really cluttered with thoughts and you need some place to vent them out. For me, the blogger has always served as that space to vent out my thoughts... however weird they may be!
After deciding to shift here, last one month has been full of stress - uncertain environment, people behaving in a very interesting way!
Good part is that, I am in Mohali now and will soon shift here - officially... This is a wonderful place with lots and lots of clean air to breathe and lots of greenery around! A complete contrast to Mumbai, Chandigarh-Mohali come as a pleasant surprise to me.... This being my first stay in North India, I am looking forward to a great quality personal life here....
Team is nice, young and fresh! I guess it would be fun to work with them...
What more - I hope to write more, read more, work out for a better health and spend moer quality time with family! Work will always remain an integral part of life, but how do I balance it with personal life is the key to good life!

Running with time...... are we missing something called life??

2010-05-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

I know it's been too long since I've really written something. But as the title of this post suggests, I have been competing with time..... trying to control it...... but lately I've realised that we can never win it....... instead we tend to miss the seemingly insignificant but most important moments of life..
I just read an email sent by a friend. It was a story about a world famous Violinist..... the story goes like this:
In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning, this man with a violinplayed six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people wentthrough the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-agedman noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a fewseconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
About 4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping,continued to walk.
At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started towalk again.
At 10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look atthe violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning hishead the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent -without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After 1 hour:He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was norecognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in theworld. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seatsaveraged $200 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organizedby the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people'spriorities.
This experiment raised several questions:
*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playingsome of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made . .
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?
Life is really very small....... I know we get trapped in the rat race of living... but do we really take time to appreciate the beautiful moments that life brings us every time? How many of you have lately, smelled a flower, taken a deep breathe, wondered about the clouds, listened to the birds...... or said a 'I Love You' to your life partner??
Think about it.... there's so much to do in our entire day..... but we spend all 24 hours worrying about a better house, a big car, a fancy living......... and what not...... can we not just stop by and acknowledge the beauty of life??
One weekend, go on a long drive, see the trees, the rivers, or a setting sun, or an afternoon reading your favorite book while listening to your favorite music, or just a walk on the sea shore, or a simple dinner with family at home, maybe meeting your cousins and reliving your childhood days.....
Believe me, it's just too lovely...... I did it this weekend. I met my relatives, I had a blast with my cousins... we recollected our childhood days when we would play in sun all day, climb that old tamarind tree....put up stalls in Navratri, or simply play pranks :).... I also went to a fort today..... and could not stop imagining how beautiful it would have been, how beautiful it is still today.......
Don't get trapped...... just stop for a minute and think, is this all that you really wanted?? When you retire and sit back, what would you like to think of??? What would it be, you can always think of when you're stressed and want to relax....
It's not late...... world wouldn't stop if you slow down a bit...... but for your people it will mean heaven if you give a bit extra....
Have fun..... Life is good, go out and make the most of it!!

My encounters with nature!!

2009-11-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

Recently, I went to 2 places - Girgaum Chaupatty (people may wonder, what's so new about it) and Mahabaleshwar. And I am going to write about something specific which I experienced there.

Scene 1 at Girgaum Chaupatty
I and Harsh (my husband) went there after office, just to have some air (can't call it fresh really!) and some open space to walk about.... after some time, we settled ourselves onto the beach, sitting there in sand. The sea was only about 30-35 feet away from us. We could see the waves coming, slowly and gently. And then just a wave here or there, which would make more splash. So while we were talking, I paid attention to the sound of the waves...... and I became more attentive to what Harsh was saying. And at that very moment, it reflected on me (as it always does), proximity to sea always makes me introspective, more sensitive, more thoughtful, overwhelmed with emotions...... it has a magical effect on me. I just tried expressing it in words, but I couldn't. I think this is the effect - whenever I am close to sea, the experience is always - beyond words....

Scene 2 - at Mahabaleshwar
We had been to Mahabaleshwar 2 weeks back. And we saw the weather changing from a mildly hot, sunny day to a cloudy atmosphere, then to dense fog where visibility was not more than 5 feet. I found it quite amazing and wonderful - it just gave an insight - never underestimate nature - it has power enough to weaken you, to shake you from roots..... to teach you, to help you learn and grow....

Wondering again, as to what I am trying to say??? Well, it's just that, I am urging you all to pay attention to nature's way of communicating with you. In doing so, you start communicating and connecting more with yourself - something that you probably miss out on doing, in this rat race.

Connecting with nature can provide you a good way to connect with yourself. Try it to believe it!

I am back!!!

2009-11-26T05:14:00.000-08:00

First and foremost - my gratitude to my colleague in office, for inspiring me to write - for motivating me to leave everything and hit the blog!! My sincere thanks to my friend Harleen who actually gave me that stream of thoughts - something which I always look for before blogging. Didn't get it? Confused?? Ok I am making the matters simpler.

I haven't blogged for... how many weeks... I don't remember. And I did have some topics in my mind, but it was this particular conversation with Harleen which triggered the thought process and ignited me to be back with a bang!

I've been married for almost 5 months now, and almost everyone asks me, how's life after marriage -- some people may try and rhyme it with -- how's life after death!!! Well, just kidding!! Then they also ask me, is there anything exciting happening???
And my answer always is, there's nothing exciting like that, but I am enjoying the feeling of being contented, the feeling of not being alone to fight the big bad world, not alone to take care of all problems - pipes leaking, fuses going off, payments, cleaning up and all.... there's someone with me now, who shares every moment with me. And that in itself is such a beautiful feeling.
But while talking to Harleen, I realised that there is so much excitement in this!! I mean, my priorities changed almost overnight, the way I behaved, the way I thought everything changed overnight, and believe me that is the most exciting transition you can ever have!
I remember those days exactly a year back and I am seeing how it is now.... when I look back, I can see how far I have come, how I have changed, and that IS exciting!
I think, excitement is not only your adrenaline rushing all the time - excitement can be felt subtly also, like this, observing changes, savouring those moments, learning some new recipe, or just doing things together - even if it means watching TV! That is so very exciting!
It's just fun observing how your language changes from 'I' to 'We'.... how you make changes to your name, to your details in office, to the way you carry about....... everything!!

And, I only pray to God, let this feeling of excitement last forever....

Yes, it is exciting... life after marriage is exciting!! Change is exciting!!

Questions questions every where

2009-09-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

These days, only questions keep popping in my mind as if there's a popcorn machine in my head...... and there are so many moments when i feel ecstatic about doing something small, but in a positive direction and then the will to get up after every small failure or a mistake.... these days I keep wondering, have I always been like this??

I do not know what I should call this, but I tend to have gone in an introspective mode.. where I write down my one point lessons, where I make every effort not to procrastinate, and I put in every little cell of mine in a constant run of being better... every time with each second passing by.

Friends, I am enjoying this phase a lot.... and many of you will agree that every person encounters such a phase in his/her life.... and then suddenly, after all the introspection and reflection, there comes a beam of light.... dawning thru that little crack.... giving you the hope for future.... a lovely future.

Enjoy your life every moment, for every moment is unique.... there's no xerox machine with Time!!

6 W & 1 H....... no more so

2009-09-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

All 'Quality' people out there...... you knew about 6 W & 1 H........ ever heard this???
And am sure, all the married and 'single but not available' men are going to agree to this....... ok... i am not giving you a shoulder to cry on..... but giving a reason to have a hearty laugh :) :)

If Columbus had been married he might never have discovered America because of the following:
Where are you going?
With whom?
Why?
How are you going?
To discover what?
Why you?
What do I do, when you are not here?
Can I come with you ?
Coming back when?
Dinner ghar par hi khaoge?
Mere liye kya laoge?
It seems you deliberately made this ....
Don’t lie....
Why r u making such programs
You seem to be making a lot of such programs
Why?
I want to go to my parents place
I want you to come and leave me
I don’t want to come back....
I will never come back....
Why are u not stopping me....
I don’t understand what is this discovery chakker?
You always do like this.....
Last time also u did like this....
Now a day’s u always seem to do like this.... [ I loved this one]
I still don’t understand what else is balance to be discovered...

Keep smiling :)

A brush with fear!!

2009-07-23T09:39:00.000-07:00

This is a real life incident...

It was 9:30 pm on 8th July. A woman was standing near an ATM center in the main square of Varca, Goa... while her husband was inside the center withdrawing money...... he came out, counting the currency and lo!!! it started raining heavily, out of no where...... as heavy rains lashed the small, sleepy village...... suddenly all the lights went off and a lightening flashed across the dark sky.... giving that old church at the square an ominous look.... the main square of the village, which 2 hours ago was so crowded, now wore a deserted look....... not even one human being or an animal could be seen anywhere..... and in that darkness, stood both of them.. the woman scared to her death, praying that the rains stop and power gets restored.... but probably God had also pulled up a blanket and slept cosily in heaven..... coz suddenly the man started laughing....... louder and louder..... the woman was scared even more... she couldn't really understand if he was the same person whom she called her husband....... with no signs of the nature or the Electricity Board of Goa being kind to the poor couple.. they stood quietly.... the woman frozen on her feet and the man still laughing out loud...

10 mins went by like this.. in darkness and stillness... and then the Rain Gods showed some mercy by slowing down.... the woman pleaded to her husband to start the bike immediately and take her to their hotel... still smiling, he turned the key and the engine came to life!! As they again started their journey back to their hotel, leaving behind the shadows of the darkness, the woman calmed down but still an iota of fear lingering in her mind and praying to God, they managed to reach their hotel....

The woman heaved a sigh of relief, got down from the bike and walked into the hotel, hand in hand with her husband with a new confidence... as if nothing had happened 15 mins back!!
I am sure each one has had such an experience, at least once! Sounds so familiar, isn't it? When the devils in our own hearts take over the senses, it becomes difficult to fight them off and then when you are out of it and look back, you realise what have you conquered.
Conquering your own fears is a great victory. So next time you are afraid of doing something, go ahead and do it!!!
Keep smiling!! Keep Conquering!!

Sincere Request

2009-05-11T11:01:00.001-07:00

It's my sincere request to all of my friends who post their comments on my blog - kindly send me your profile link or your blog url so that I can also visit your page and read your posts. I have sent this link to many people in my company and my group and at times I am not able to identify who's who? Please do not misunderstand me but in such a case, sending your url will only help me to identify and acknowledge you in a better way.
For this, you will have to provide me with an access to your blog.
Thank you.

Power of Apologies

2009-05-09T00:08:00.000-07:00

So many times, we get in arguments with people just because they say or do something which is completely against our beliefs and we feel hurt. You may say something to him/her, get away and then feel sorry that you argued. At least I feel sorry whenever I have an argument with someone, even if my point of argument is logical or not. I feel sorry that I had to argue to get across my point. And there's one thing that I have learnt out of it. In the heat of the moment, you may say something which you wish you hadn't, but then going back to that person later and apologizing for you said can work wonders.

Words have great power, if you really mean what you say, it can turn your world around!!

Benjamin Franklin has said - "Words may show a man's wit, but actions his meaning". So let your words be put in actions!!

Incredible nature

2009-05-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

Friends, recently I had an opportunity to visit Lonar - small village in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, famous for the lake that has been created due to impact of a meteorite that fell in this region about 30000 to 50000 yrs ago!! The water here is not exactly salty, but it has a very different taste than sea water. There are no living beings, or many sea plants growing in the water except for some dried sea weed floating on water. Very surprisingly, there was a small puddle near the lake which had sweet water!!!
Close to the lake are some very old structures - mainly temples built by famed Indian architect Hemad Pant. Though our very own negligent Indian people have now reduced the temple to notice boards and name plates, the build, the carving of the temple are noteworthy.
What surprises is that the area is quite inaccessible, with extreme climatic conditions, which we don't know how they were in past- people took pains to build temples near a lake which doesn't have potable water. Nature is really incredible, the lake is locked in a perfectly round chain of hills that surround it from all sides, prompting you to think that it has been caused by a meteorite - though there are disputes on this. Though the water is not really potable, but it is said to cure skin infections!! There's a place close by which has a continuous stream of sweet water flowing, the origin of which cannot be traced!
I was really amazed to see all this and urge all of you to go visit Lonar whenever possible!!
If you want to see the pictures, please visit my Orkut account.
Take Care

One Step Extra

2009-04-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

Ok... now I have some people telling me that why do I have to have Funda classes separately when I do circulate a thought every day to give them their regular dose of philosophy??? Are you listening??
Well, today I saw for myself what happens when you really focus on something and do it.. and the exhileration it gives after overcoming that hurdle...... today I could overcome my fear of failure by taking a step extra... It felt good, really good to see people getting your point of view and appreciating your courage.. the result?? more openness than before.. isn't it great?

My First Blog

2009-04-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

It's just few seconds away for the new day to begin... I am writing my first blog.
You know what, there's one thing which might be true for most of us.... when there's a thought in mind, something great, something different, something very genuine.... it should be penned down the moment it flashes in your mind otherwise it is lost.. in a snap.. like a lightening!! It should be captured and shared... who knows, the turning point of your life may be hidden in it!!
So, I am looking forward to penning (or keying??) many such lightening thoughts on my blog which may give me a turning point. What say??
More until later..