Beat the Heat!!!

Finally, after a long time....got into a mood to cook! The soaring temp in Delhi tempted me to try out something chilled... So, on a lazy Sunday, I started my Beat the Heat Campaign!

A quick check in the fridge revealed a tumbler full of curd... And thus, came out two things:


Chilled Chaat

Iced Fruity Yogurt
Chaat is basically Dahi Bhalle with a difference. Bhalle was made by a short cut receipy ( Bread dipped in milk, cut in circles, filled with sprouts, sealed and marinated in curd). Along with adding green & imli chutney, added a tadka of mustard seeds, kadi patta, salt to give it a tangy, salty xing!

And Fruity Yogurt is even simpler: Curd was churned to get a creamy
texture, dollops of honey and chopped fruits were added,
garnished with coriander and cherries and kept it in chiller for an hour!


So, we had managed to beat the heat (even if for a couple of hours) and with what?
Curd, Honey, Fruits and Sprouts....Being healthy was never so delicious! :-)



P.S. Papa got a carton full of cherries.. So, looking for cherry receipies now!

Questions galore.....

Do you know yourself? If not completely, at-least reasonably well?
Have you ever felt out of place...lonely...while sitting with friends or family?
When everybody around you seem to be different and confident about their choices.. do you start questioning yourself?...wondering, may be, something, somewhere is wrong within you....
Do you enjoy your own company? Ever went to that coffee house and relished a coffee pleasantly engaged in your chain of thoughts? Ever explored a new place all by yourself without bothering what people around might be thinking?
Are you comfortable with your being, confident about your choices...or seek approval from your loved ones or even strangers?
Do you go with the crowd or follow your heart? Do you even hear what does your heart say?
Ever felt peaceful amidst chaos? or chaotic even in the peaceful lull of night?
Are you passionate about something in life? If asked to make a bucket-list for yourself, how many points do you think you can write down instantly?
Do you dream every night? Do you wake-up fresh and charged, ready to take-on the world?

Are you sure about what you want from life.... and what do you want to give back to life?
Ever pondered over it??

Be Happy!!!!

Was going through the Happiness Issue of Lounge, the magazine section of the newspaper Mint…. It talks about 101 ways to get happy!!
It reminded me of all the things I enjoy doing since childhood! Things that really make me feel blessed and grateful for everything around me… It further reinforced the idea that to be truly happy, one doesn’t need to be a millionaire…That the best things in life are free (almost)!!!!

Listing down few things that make me happy… not in the same order!!

1) Poring over my childhood family albums and going nostalgic over those silly stupid things I used to do… (Not that I have changed much now!!)
2) Enjoying a good movie not at the hall but at home on a rented DVD with family complete with home-made butter dripping popcorns and piping hot chocolate coffee!!
3) Munching on moongfali (ground-nuts) and chikki on a warm Sunday afternoon with family soaking in the winter sun, catching up on gossips!
4) Splashing beautiful colors randomly on a blank sheet of paper and claiming it to be a modern art!
5) Switching on the radio/TV and stumbling upon a favorite song I haven’t heard for a long time!!
6) Trying to get out from the warm comforts of the quilt early morning to go to office and suddenly realizing it’s a holiday!!
7) Gorging on a bowl of hot, delicious Maggi cooked by my kid brother!
8) Having a heart to heart conversation with a friend I haven’t spoken to for quite some time!
9) Shopping during Mega Sale season!!!
10) Seeing my Cheeku smile naughtily!
11) Playing Housie (Lotto) and Dumbcharates with friends and cousins all night!
12) Seeing roses bloom in my kitchen garden!
13) Traveling on the window seat of a train feasting my eyes over the passing lush green fields and huge mountains!!
14) A head massage with coconut oil by Mum on a Saturday night!
15) Reading and writing testimonials on orkut!!


Hope the list made you smile…. Do share yours!!!!! :)

Then and Now.....

Having traversed between Delhi (My home) and Mumbai (My previous work place) and lived two different kinds of lives, I feel I have embedded bits of me at both places...I feel I am living in a state of Euphoria, longing for how things used to be….

In Mumbai, I used to miss sitting idle..with no agendas, no plans for the day… here, (being out of job) I miss my working days..getting up and getting ready for an action packed day!
There I missed ghar ka khana.. dal, subji, ghiya, khichdi… here I keep looking for roadside mouth watering delicacies which were my meals in Mumbai (Dabheli, Mesal Pao, Mendu Vada)… I used to long for MacDonald’s Veg-Surprise burger there…now, I’m trying to replicate a vada-pao at home!
There I missed relaxing with yoga and pranayam to be in touch with myself...Now, I marvel at the fast paced life of Mumbai where I used to forget myself!
There I used to crave for chilly, shivery winters (Dilli ki sardi!).. now I smile thinking about refreshing Bombay rains.. those raincoats, boots, umpteen colourful umbrellas, Crocs and tapri ki chai!
There I could have happily given my right arm to have my daily morning punch of Nimbu-paani made by Papa, peppered with love and affection.. Here I miss the thirst quenching Chhaas (at office) and Oh-so-Yummy Coco! (concoted by a dear fren’s mum, Nirula’s Hot Chocolate Fudge (HCF) would taste like bournvita milk in front of that!)
In Mumbai, I used to babble about the beauty of lush green parks, trees and bird chirpings in Delhi.. Now I oogle at pics of beaches and sea faces I used to frequent there…
I used to proudly discuss about the AC metro trains of Dilli to every Mumbaite.. Now the thought of crazy, maddening Mumbai Locals fills me with Nostalgia!
Being a shopoholic, I missed Janpath, Sarojini Nagar… Now I flaunt my Linking road, Fashion Street purchases.
Surviving in a cramped, decrepit apartment, I used to miss my warm and cozy bedroom…Now I cherish those mid-night excursions with friends wandering on the sea- face, munching on chana-jor-garam and relishing sharifa-shake!
Most importantly, Earlier, I longed to get even a glimpse of my family, cousins and my Cheeku! And now, my smile brightens-up hearing my Mumbai friends on phone!
Really miss planning whacky weekends with my extended family and Loved ones there!!!!

Will I ever be able to have the best of both worlds????

Mum-bye!!

Finally back home after a 3 month stint in Mumbai.

Bombay is generally seen as a very fast paced, tough and ruthless city but my experience was totally different…

1) I had all the time in the world (Work was pretty easy going and there were no responsibilities outside work.)

2) Life was quite relaxed( I didn’t have to travel in the much dreaded trains everyday, my office and place of stay was at a stone’s throw distance!)

3) I found it quite warm, welcoming and fun (Thanks to a great bunch of buddies I got even before I landed there)

Even otherwise, I found Mumbaites very warm, helpful and accommodating. Being a foodie, I relished various local cuisines ( right from Vada pao, Mesal pao, Medu vada, Dabeli, Kokii, Chunda, Thepla, Paatra, Bakarwadi and the very special Farsaanddd :p)

Rains being my favorite, ofcourse, adored the weather! People there prefer getting into huge raincoats and knee length plastic boots instead of umbrellas ( Though I held onto my good ol’ blue umbrella printed with tiny colourful fishes) Discovered Crocs, a very cute pair of plastic rain shoes available in rich colours with tiny holes all over.(Got a peach coloured pair for my cheeku!)

The place, like any other city, has a different dialect and way of communication which is quiet mast and tapori style…words like nafat, halkat, chamri, chirkoot are liberally used, roadside tea is called ‘Tapri ki chai’, throwing tantrums is called ‘much-much karna’ few words used often: ‘Kya re?, kuuch bhi? Bas kya? Woi toh’…infact, I had great difficulty controlling my laughter when a senior colleague in office once said in a grave, serious tone,’ Nidhi, yeh file khopche mein rakh do!!’

Got a chance to witness few local festivals…Janmashtmi is celebrated by breaking Dahi Handi by groups of men climbing onto each other to reach the height of skyscrapers where the handi is hanged, and the price if they succeed ranges in lakhs!

Enjoyed the most celebrated festival of Bombay, Ganesh Chaturthi where entire city looked like what Delhi looks during Diwali.. was lucky enough to visit “Lal Bagh ka Raja” where the biggest idol of Lord Ganesha is artfully decorated and thousands of devotees come to get their wishes fulfilled.

Oops quite a long post already…before you start yawning and fall asleep on your keyboard… will continue about my sweet n sour experiences of Mumbai in the next post, Enjoyy!!

Those were the days....

Hyderabad…. A place where my journey outside home began… a platform that introduced me to wonderful people from Bombay...a place where i came all alone as a stranger but spent the days with an extended family....a place which was truly a paid holiday…where training meant full-on masti- 24/7!!
A place where morning meant rushing through breakfast n barging in the conference hall just in time at 9:30..where 1-2,1-2 meant getting divided into various groups…small tea breaks meant exploring various floors of the hotel from ground floor till terrace… where evenings meant going to a new place everyday..be it golconda fort, snow-world, 2 rows from the front in a movie hall at midnight, a peaceful boat ride with southies singing and dancing for you… :)
Where night meant meetha paan post dinner.. where we used to gather in one room to play dumbcharates, U.N.O. and consequences and laugh our way till well past midnight…where weekends meant shop visits and fun games in a resort….
A place where I was pampered and protected like a small baby... :)
Where every moment meant clicking a new pic in a different pose… at all places, be it lift, stair-case, corridors, classrooms, autos, footpath…. Eating, laughing, shouting, sleeping…. :p

Where last day none of us had the courage to sleep and let go of the moments that were slipping away…

I was effectively living in a dream world… As the song goes, those were the best days of my life!!

Out of the nest!!!!!

Finally the d-day has arrived.... bags r packed, advices taken, goodbyes said. All set for the new beginning, doing new things at new places with new people around.
Feeling lotsa excitement peppered with apprehensions... ate all my favorite cuisines, watched good ol' flicks, visited various places i'm attached to..... captured all my loved ones, various big n small corners of my house in the camera to make myself believe that i'm taking everything with me... already realizing how much i'm gonna miss it all!!!
But i'm sure this stint will be a good learning experience.... hopefully i'l get some sense, sanity n maturity n come back as a human being!! :p

Next post depends on where i get internet access..... Sighning off!!! take care.... :)

Bliss!!

Woke up to a lovely weather today.... Gusty winds..Silent drizzle and turquoise-coloured sky. Perfect atmosphere to relax in the holiday mood that i'm presently in.. with my MBA just completed and with a job starting in another fortnight, want to just soak-in the goodness of a chilled-out, tranquilized mind... the pleasure of doing things that interest me at my own pace.. with no tensions, deadlines.. Life's gonna take a 360 degrees turn very soon.. with student life ending, change of city, residence, people, weather,timings.. (Although i'm quite excited and looking forward to it) Right now, just want to cherish the inane pleasures of life...and the Rain Gods are with me.. :) :)

A mute spectator..

Few days back, In the morning, I was standing as usual, waiting for my bus; Ladies Special, new service by DTC (feels great to see the conductor n driver shooing away men who try to jump in, “ Aap ladies ho kya?? Chalo utaron yahan se!”)

While I was looking at my watch again and again (was getting late for the college annual function), I saw a small girl, around 10 years old, coming my way.. She was carrying a huge container filled with water (it must be around half her own height). The container was looking so heavy on her tiny head that she was not able to manage a balanced, straight walk. As she went past me, I could see water sprinkling on her face…. That stern, sad look made me unsure if it was water or tears flowing from her eyes… Difficult to forget that innocent face… Suddenly I realized it was women’s day…

There were many people standing there engaged in the usual chatter...
Unfortunately, I too, unsure of what to do, was a mute spectator…

En masse 08

The students of management program of SRCC, Global business operations (GBO) are organizing there first ever management fest, 'En masse 08'. its a two day affair (1st and 2nd march, very auspicious n special days i must say (My B'day) ;p!) .

There are various events like the Pop Night,Clash of the Titans, a series of management games like:: Consul Primo, Caritas Call, Trade Arcade, Quiz,Debate, Paper Presentation, Case Study
Some peppy stuff under: Isis Osiris, Melodyssey etc

All the arrangements, hard-word, running-around have been done by first year students setting a bench-mark for everybody...
check out the details here

Come, be a part of the most happening event in town :p

for details, contact:

Kanchan Singh kanchan7k@yahoo.co.in

Nitish Gupta nitishb4u@gmail.com

Karan Gupta karrykool@gmail.com

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