Angels in my Garden

Hey! This is a picture of my garden in India. And the angels in it.The pictures were taken during a rainy night with a flash camera. If you don't know what the angels part means read this.

And now, as a spoof of 'Which one is the angel?',I present to you

Where is the angel?

Racism

I have not been posting much since month as I was very busy in packing and leaving for Bristol. Now that I am here, let me start. Firstly Bristol is nice and pretty. I don't know why but the word beautiful does not seem fit here. It is a great city to walk about, enjoy the weather and cozy up with some loved one(s). But, exactly that makes it such an unlikely place to bury yourself in books. Anyways, I will leave myself to discover the fine balance between the two polarities for later on. Before coming here I was really worried about racism. I talked to a few people about it and here is what we came up with.

MOM : I think you study hard and become the monitor of your class. People will respect you and be attracted towards you.

Umm thanks Mom! That is a great idea for Utopia but not Bristolia.

Now Ali and I spoke about this, and he give alot of ideas. All his replies are to if some Brit says ' You bloody Paki!' or something similar.

ALI : Yes, Darth Vader!

ALI: Yes, you bloody German!

ALI : I am Paki and you are Potty!

I loved Ali's ideas and I think I should try them just to see the look on the racist's face.

Last I spoke to Ramnik Sir about it. He said first thing don't bother about all this. But never take any disrespect. So when someone says ' We ruled your country!'

RAMNIK : ' Actually, you struggled to rule us for 300 years but failed and went away at last!'

He said it with such pride, I instantly knew what it meant. Nothing in the world beats being an Indian. And the more time I spend abroad, the more it becomes apparent. The feeling is entirely experential. Nothing I say can make you feel what I have.

But back to the point, yes these are some nice healthy ways of responding when faced with racism. Have you any other ideas?

Five Great Date Ideas

Get Your Feet Scrubbed!I mean get a pedicure, or another such relaxing beauty treatment. A head massage, back/ body massage for a couple can be good substitutes, depending on your level of intimacy. But a pedicure tops my list for it not only allows you to get relaxed and clean but also talk simultaneously which is an important ingredient of a good date.

Breathe!The logic behind this is if you are happy with yourselves, you will be happy with each other. So light up a few nice candles, put up a nice meditation CD and both of relax into divine bliss. If you are particularly experimental you can try chanting or dancing meditations as well. But remember, all of this happens with eyes closed.

Go Back to School!Take a class together. Find a short course which is either a couple of hours or if you think you can bear it, a couple of days. In the honeymoon period, a good idea is to take a class which interests both partners. Later on, to spice up things learn something about which none of you have a clue . Few fun ideas are pottery,chocolate making,wine tasting, salsa, photography, vegan cooking, yoga.

See the Unseen!Buy a Traveler’s Guide about your own city. Then, mark out the things both of you haven’t seen. Make it adate by visiting all those places in your city you have never visited. Trust me, you will be surprised at the hidden treasures in your city.

Blind your double!This one is for the daring adventure seekers. Fix you partner with a blind date and let him/her do the same for you. Then all of go out together for a double date. Don’t let the blind dates know that you guys are already together. Enjoy the comedy (or the tragedy) that ensues. Caution : Doing this too often can lead to pre-mature breakup.

My UP Story

As per Bawa's Weekend Competition, this is my entry. He has not declared the winner yet, so I have my fingers crossed.

The sun had been UP for hours. As he woke UP after midday, he could not make UP his mind about what to do next. Life was all UP and around him still he felt left out, unable to keep UP with it. He got UP, fiddled around for a while and then went UP the stairs to watch some television. As raised UP the volume he saw his favorite team was winning by being 57 runs UP. Yet, this brought him satisfaction only UP to an extent. He had a nagging doubt in his mind that his life was UP. He could add UP all he had done till today in a nanosecond. And the total was only something which brought UP his despair more explicitly in front of his eyes. He felt that UP till now, his life had been a mere zilch. Being born and brought UP in an obscenely rich family which way was way too UP in society, he never was given the encouragement to stand UP on his own feet. Leaving the thought of his uselessness he strolled UP to the kitchen. He saw the cook lying on the shelves with his face UP. He suddenly spoke UP, "Oi! Why are you always UP to nothing? Get your butt UP before I beat you UP. Get UP before my temper flares UP and I hang you on the road UP some street light." The cook being used to such impotent threats took his pleasant time in getting UP. He yelled again, "Oi! Hurry UP and make me some eggs! Sunnyside UP!"The cook took no notice. The sudden UPs and downs in his master's behavior were not new to him. He had given UP any hope for change and had learnt to put UP with him. As he gobbled UP his eggs and toast, he felt a sudden urge to do something today. It had been very long since a desire to be in useful in any way had reared UP its head. But he decided to go with it and not stand UP against it. After all, sometimes even million dollar babies want to face UP the biting realities of life. He hurriedly climbed UP the stairs again and took a shower. He got dressed UP and gelled his hair to stay UP in a stylish Mohawk. As he strode UP to his sports car, he noticed that the sun was high UP in the sky. Not being used to such bright sunshine, he covered UP his eyes with his hand. He drove UP to his father's office at a leisurely pace. As he reached the street of the office, he realized it packed with cars UP to limit. For a moment, he thought of turning around and giving UP this being a good-boy-today, but then he churned UP his brain again and decided to stay. He parked the car UP on the footpath and got out and walked UP the road. When he stopped, he looked UP the street to see the towering office, standing UP alone, one of its kinds UP north. A sudden pride surged UP in him. He felt that if he came UP here every day, things may begin to look UP. Of course, he was not UP for everything that happened inside the office. Things needed to be stirred UP. To be set UP in a new, more him-friendly atmosphere. He realized if that was ever done and worse kept UP with, this large family business would die out in a year. He had put UP no lies about himself in his mind. He knew he was a lazy loser. Again throwing UP his vestigial thoughts into the air for no one particular to catch he walked UP to the office door. The gateman for a moment froze UP to see the important yet infrequent visitor. He relaxed after a few seconds and opened UP the gate for the visitor. As he marched inside he noticed like always the office was UP to the mark. Suddenly his gazed got fixed UP on the ceiling. UP there was a tiny lizard. It was running UP and down, shooting UP its tail now and then. Gazing fixedly UPon the lizard, a new analogy to his previous realization crept UP, slowly rising in him. He was like this little lizard, UP on the ceiling of the world, thinking it was all UP to him to hold the ceiling. If he ever moved, the ceiling would fall and break UP into a million pieces. Poor misled lizard and poor misled him! But it was all his own doing. He had blown UP this bubble of the lizard world. And now he had to live UP to it before someone came UP and burst it UP. Time was UP. Today he will do something definite. He took a deep breath. He could not sometimes surface UP in the clutter of his own mind. The confusion in his mind left him all roiled UP. He just wanted to shove these thoughts UP somewhere once and for all. Unable to keep UP with his mess of a brain, he walked towards the elevator and pressed the UP button. As the elevator door opened UP, he saw inside the face of his cousin- the very same one who had beaten him UP black and blue as a child and now had lapped UP his father and become his favorite. He walked UP to his cousin and shook hands. The door closed UP and the elevator began to go UP. The boys first kept quiet and then managed to start UP a polite conversation. As the elevator reached UP to the top floor, they sighed with relief for none of them was being able to keep UP the conversation. They both walked UP to his father's office. The father too was shaken UP to see his son. All three men whipped UP the same old pleasantries. The cousin left the office, lest he blends UP things to become more awkward. The father gave him a complete UP and down look. Finally he asked him, "What's UP? What brings you UP here today?" He stayed muted UP for a few minutes. Then he moved UP to his father and looked into his eyes and said, "You know what is UP. Please stop pumping UP this big ball of pretense. You know things are so mixed UP between us that if we don't fix them UP now, we never may again." The father was again shaken UP. Not in long time had such emotions been tossed UP inside of him. Instinctively, he went UP to his son and hugged him. The son looked too placid all of a sudden. He drew UP a dagger from his hip pocket and thrust it inside his father's guts.
At night, when the moon was UP, he slept silently covered UP with his blanket. Tonight was different. He won't be UP till early hours. The insomnia was gone. Softly he dreamed of the old man lying on the floor, spewing UP blood.

Satvic Burritos

Hello everybody! Today was my last day of Ayurveda Cooking Course. And we had a cooking competition. We had to make any dish prepared with ayurvedic methods and keep it satvic. So I made these burritos with red beans and Pico de Gallo. Guess who won the competition! :) So here is the prize winning recipe for all of you.

You will need:

For Pico de Gallo

½ cup fresh coriander

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 green chili

Juice of ½ a lemon

Salt

For the Beans

I cup red beans, soaked overnight

1 cup tomato puree, made by steamed tomatoes

Oregano

Salt

For the tortillas

1 cup Whole wheat flour

½ tsp Chili flakes

½ tsp Oregano

Water

You will have to:

1. Take all the ingredients of Pico de Gallo and put them in a mixer. Mix till it becomes thick, chunky paste. Check the taste. If it is too sour you can add a bit of crushed jaggery.

2. Take your soaked beans and add salt. Steam till cooked. Add tomato puree, salt and oregano and run in the mixer for a few seconds, just to have the beans and puree mixed well.

3. Take the flour. Add chili flakes and oregano. Add water and make dough. Now, make balls of the dough the size of balls of chappatis. Roll out the balls as thin as possible and prick it with a fork to prevent inflation while heating. Cook them like chapatti.

4. To serve,take the tortilla. Put a layer of Pico de Gallo. Add the beans. Roll the tortilla. Put a toothpick to secure it into place.

The recipe ensures satva as it is steamed and not pressure cooked or fried. Also you may have noticed we have used NO oil at all.

Pull me a Face!

Some teachers pride themselves for teaching and some pride themselves for getting a salary. They are easily distinguishable from the way they teach, their strictness in punishment and tolerance of humour in classroom. The former are obviously much agreeable. But the problem is that you may not like to attend classes of either or for that matter any classes at all. So to save you from the dungeons of hell, I have come out with my first hand experience of facial expressions which when pulled will help you go through these classes unnoticed, undisturbed.

Teaching teachersFor them you ought to look pleasantly interested. A slight smile, eyes a little wide open and nodding gently now and then.


The other kind
A look that says I am seriously interested. A decent frown, eyes small as if narrowed with concentration. If you can manage to look totally non-kissable while pouting, then pout.


Golden Rule
Practice at home in front of a mirror before trying the face in front of a prof.
Best of Luck!

Special thanks to Ali for being the great model for these pictures.

Ayurvedic Cooking

Today is my Day 4 at the Ayurvedic Cooking Course. The name being a misnomer, for cooking is only the tip of the iceberg. The workshop is about cooking, eating, thinking – basically living the Ayurveda way.

But, for me this course was actually about being amazed. Firstly, at the recklessness and disregard we show for our bodies. Next, at our absolute ignorance or neglect of fundamental principles of healthy living and eating. Then I was amazed in a good way when I witnessed the most hideous (my personal prejudice against pumpkin, okra etc) being transformed into the most delectable of dishes. The wafting concoction of flavors and aromas has never been so sensuous before. And yes, at the most unconventional, the most healthy and by the mysterious ways of God the most easy methods of preparation and cooking.

At the level of learning, the course illuminates the basic principles of Ayurveda so as to enable out of (good) shape people like me to become healthy.

Happy Janamashtmi!

I danced before my Giridhara.
Again and again I dance
To please that discerning critic,
And put His former love to the test.
I put on the anklets
Of the love of Shyam,
And behold! My Mohan stays true.
Worldly shame and family custom
I have cast to the winds.
I do not forget the beauty of the Beloved
Even for an instant.
Mira is dyed deeply in the dye of Hari

-Mirabai

Hung Curd Sandwiches

One of my favorite fillings for a sandwich is hung curd. I always feel I don’t use it frequently enough. So here are a few ideas for using hung curd as a sandwich spread.

Ground Work
The basic thing to do in any of these recipes is to hang some curd. So, take a muslin cloth (a handkerchief, mom’s dupatta all work just fine) and put the curd into it. Now tie up your cloth and hand it up. Please put a bowl beneath the hanging curd so you can collect the whey and use it later on. Ideally, the curd should hang about for 12 hours but anything after 4 hours suffices. In very hot summers, the curd may become a little sour as well due to not being refrigerated, so you may need to add little bit of powdered sugar to suit your taste. Click here to see Bawa’s photo by photo version of hanging curds.

The Hungarian Sandwich
This one I have altered from Nigella Lawson’s recipe. Take your hung curd. Add equal amounts of cream (malai does the job) and grated paneer. Take a slice of some nice whole grain bread. Put a thick layer of the spread. Now spread a layer of any flavored jam you like. Try cherry, strawberry and blueberry. Put another slice of the bread, cut in half and enjoy!

Easy Teasy Sandwich
Divide your hung curd into two parts. In one part add mint chutney. In the other add tomato ketchup and jeera powder. Layer the two spreads on two slices of bread. Add a third slice to complete the sandwich. You can try interesting shapes like the pinwheel with this.

The Veggie Filler
Mix some grated carrot into your hung curd. Spread this on one slice of nice sandwich bread. Put a leaf of lettuce. Add slices of tomatoes and cucumbers. Add some slices of olives (for that matter any other veggie) if you like. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Add the second slice of bread.

Honey Chunks Sandwich
Take the hung curd. Add a little honey, chopped walnuts, grated orange rind and salt and pepper. Spread on a slice of bread and munch. You can use this one as a dip as well.

Dupatta Tera Sat Rang Da

Hello! I am bringing to you another translation of a superhit Punjabi song. It is Dupatta Tera Sat Rang Da by Surjit Bindrakhiya. The lyricist is Shemsher Sandhu (and hence the reference in the last stanza) . The song has a very rustic feel to it with traditional Punjabi lyrics. You will find conventional style of poetry (danna danna danna and taiyaan taiyaan taiyaan).

Also I have not translated the word Dupatta. If you don't know what that means (gasp!), then well let this whole song be a puzzle for you to solve. And yes also, the word Heer. First, I thought I should translate it as Juliet, but decided against it for once again I expect everyone to know who Heer was. (Hint - Her boyfriend was called Ranjha) If you want to hear the song click here If you want to watch the video (which I recommend) click here

Modhe ton tilkda jave
Sataraa wal khave
Dupatta tera satrang da,
Sohniye
Dupatta tera satrang da,
Mundeyan nu barda tardpave
Seene agh lave
Dupatta tera satrang da

Heeriye

It keeps slipping away from your shoulder
Twisting itself 17 times
Your Dupatta of seven colours
O gorgeous
Your Dupatta of seven colours
It stirs up the boys
Igniting their bosoms with passion
Your Dupatta of seven colours
O Heer

Oh sakhiyan che rehaniyan tu rani ban ke
Oh sath wich lange patrani ban ke
Peeng ambharaan de wich ehe pave
Ni jadon leherave
Dupatta tera satrang da

You behave like a queen with your girlfriends
With me, you walk past like some hotshot
Forms a swing in the skies
When it flutters
Your Dupatta of seven colours

Kehande he jawani hundi pukhi pyaar di
Taang ehnu rahe sada dildar di
Taiyan taiyan taiyan
Dupatte utte morniyan
Dus kede shownk nu paiyan
Sajana noo piya eh bulave
Na bhora sharmave
Dupatta tera satrang da

They say youth is hungry for love
Always yearning for a beloved
Taiyan Taiyan taiyan
These peacocks on the duppata
Were embroidered out of what inspiration
Saying sweet nothings
Without a trace of bashfulness
Your Dupatta of seven Colours

Mirgan ne tor hey udhari tethon mangi
Mitran dee jaan ni toon
sooli utte tangi
Danna, danna, danna
Dupateyah sach das ve,
Mein kehrde pind muklave jana?
Kittey chan na koi nava hee chadave
Kasoota jabh pave
Dupatta tera satrang da

The deer have borrowed their gait from you
The life of your suitors you have hanged on the gallows
Danna Daana Daana
Tell me the truth oh Dupatta
Which village will my husband be from
Hope it does not do any new mischief
Creating trouble
Your Dupatta of seven colours

Sandhu dekh hoya nee shudayee phirda
Photo teri batuey che payee phirda
Geet teri hee dupatte de oh gave
Nee man lalchave,
Dupatta tera sat rang da

Look! Sandhu has gone crazy
Roams around with your picture in his wallet
Sings now only of your dupatta
Tempting his heart
Your Dupatta of seven colours

The Guru of Joy

A few days back I read The Guru of Joy. It is Guruji’s biography penned down by Francois Gautier. Well first things first – it has the best cover jacket in the world. There is a picture of Guruji and it just compels you to pick the book up and read it cover to cover. Second thing that really impressed me was how well Mr. Gautier wrote. Unlike the disdaining francophone, Gautier writes English effortlessly (I would like to think he thinks bilingually.)

Now coming to the book, it is amazing. It is a biography but only of sorts. It really has no more than one out of its 13 chapters on Guruji’s life. Rather, it narrates personal experiences, anecdotes from other teachers, and other Guru stories from devotees far and wide. It’s actually a delicious melting pot of devotion.

His prologue is excellent. Further into the text, he maintains the tenderness of new love, respect of an oriental student and yet the mind of a modern critic. Gautier weaves yarn after yarn of tales of Guru love, miracles and faith. And also the tooting of his own critical somewhere in the background. I believe that is what makes The Guru of Joy such a fine book. The ‘Testing the Guru’ Stage is part of every disciple’s life. And that is why any devote can relate to Gautier.

The book is mostly enchanting, especially when Guru Stories are being related. Also, my heart was overwhelmed with joy at the idea of little Guruji and his divinely cute mischief. But at the end, I found it a little dawdling when it spoke about all the AOL courses at length.

All in all, it is a great handbook for any devote.

Rating- 4 / 5

Hello There

So this is my new blog! I like this so much better than msn live spaces. Firstly it takes so much lesser time to load. It is easier to use and is definitely much better looking as well. Yes, so being a student of literature (techno n0t-savy), I tried my best to import my previous blog. But all in vain! So I have just copy pasted the blog entries. The photos of course are missing. But if you really want to see them, which I whole heartedly doubt, just visit- www.waamed.spaces.live.com

Well, now keep reading my blogs!

Bye

NACHOS AND SALSA

Hello, everyone. I took a Mexican cooking class a few weeks back and the lady taught us very nice nachos and salsa, besides other things. So, I tried the recipe a few days back. It came out very well. The nachos which could last for 10 days in an air-tight jar were gone within two. So, I am sharing this recipe with all of you. Hopefully, my teacher will never read this, she might just dies of shock to see that I have posted her prized recipes on the net for free.

YOU WILL NEED
For the nachos
1 ½ cup Maize Flour ( Makki ka Atta)

1 cup wheat flour (Atta)

3 tsp oil

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp chilly flakes

1 tsp oregano



For the Salsa
3 tomatoes chopped finely

1 freshly chopped green chili

1 spring onion chopped finely

2-3 tbsp fresh coriander

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tbsp chili sauce

Juice of 1-2 lemons

Salt and pepper



YOU WILL HAVE TO
1. Make the dough for the nachos using all the ingredients and water.

Make small balls of the dough (approximately the size of the ball for a chappati). Roll out the balls into thin circles (the size of chappatis) and prick with a fork.
2. Cook on both sides on a non stick pan. Don’t cook it properly. Make sure it is a little raw.
3. Cut these circles into halves. Cut the halves further into halves. And now cut these quarters into 3 pieces. They should be all triangles like pizza slices.
4. Deep fry them and spread on paper napkins. Store in air tight containers.
5. For the salsa, mix everything together. Adjust ingredients according to your taste.


TIPS
1. For a low fat version, brush the triangles with olive oil and bake them instead of frying.
2. If using red onions, soak them in water for 10 minutes and squeeze them to take out the pungent flavor.
3. Add capsicum to the salsa for a slightly different flavor
4. Replace mangoes with tomatoes for an entirely different flavor

A STORY ABOUT DEVOTION

This is a story I heard from Pankaj Bhaiya at the Punjab AMC in the Bangalore Ashram.

Nizam ud-Din Auliya, a great Sufi saint was being visited by a man whose daughter was getting married. He asked Nizam ud-Din for gifts for his daughter's marriage. The Nizam said he had nothing to give, but whatever offerings any devote brought, the Nizam would give it to the man. Thus, the man started waiting, waiting for a devote to come by with gifts. A day passed, but no gifts came by. Disappointed, the man asked the saint for the permission to leave. The saint asked him to wait some more. Yet another day passed and there was no sign of any gifts. The man finally told the Nizam that he had to leave now, for otherwise he would be late for his daughter's wedding. It did not matter if there were no gifts. The saint's blessings were enough for him. But the Nizam said that he could not send the man home empty-handed. Saying that his slippers were all he had, the man could take his slippers. The man felt less than excited at the sight of Nizam ud-Din's old tattered slippers. Nevertheless, he took them along for he wished not to disrespect the saint.

On the way home, the man saw a huge caravan with queues of camels, laden with gold and jewels and riches. The caravan owner came up to the other one and asked for the slippers. The man refused saying that these slippers were given to him and thus he would not give them away. The caravan owner was desperate and kept on persuading the other one for the slippers. Finally, the caravan owner offered his entire caravan, loaded with wealth in exchange of the slippers. The man instantly agreed and was overjoyed to be taking home such riches for his daughter's marriage.

The caravan owner took the slippers reverently and went to the Nizam. And he placed the slippers down and said, "My beloved teacher, someone was taking away these slippers of yours. I gave him all I had and have got them back to you."
And you know who was the caravan owner. He was Amir Khusro.

And you know what did the Nizam say? "Still, it was a bargain.