A peep into past

The extent to which life has become eventful is beyond comparison with the yesteryear. The much-awaited lazy Sundays, when we, as kids, would get ready and all set for the He-Man to flash his sword sky-high and proclaim, "I have the power of the universe" is etched in my memory forever. ...an elusive thing, albeit!

The zeal with which we used to patiently wait for Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana; and more than us, it was our grandparents who 'ld even bow to the supersonic echo of the conch on TV, signalling the start of a fresh episode ...it all seems so surreal now!

Our simple games -- i-spice, stone-hopping, local football and plain old doll-games...feeding doll all the leaves, pebbles and sticks i could find on our terrace garden...it's something that has a photographic image in my mind.
We were not a luxury-craving bunch running after all the hubbub, just so that we could buy an ever-illusory lifestyle. The equation is absolutely inversely proportional - it has always been so!

The most caring and thoughtful gesture of letter-writing is now replaced by online communication - E-mails. We do not want so much as to pick up a pen and write to our dear ones from our heart; pick up a phone and just dial to know how our loved ones are doing. Instead, we would rather leave a casual cliche - "How r u" on a social networking site -- and we are set! No strings attached! And yet we are attached! How cool and intelligent we have become! We stylishly run about daft, soaking in the madness of competition of any and every thing. We are so much richer by all the artificial expressions yet we are left poorer with emotions. We have come a long way, indeed!

                                                                                                                                                 -- T

Deep ...10 Under!!

Mother nature is full of breathtaking beauty both on land and under water. Having said that, the pristine charm blanketed by the Turquoise sea compares to none!
Underwater is resplendant with myriad colours, awesome creatures and virgin mass. In order to explore it with our own tiny eyes, we braved the challenge of scuba diving.
Looking at the huge, fuller oxygen cylinder/air tank (as big as me), i had 100% doubt whether i'ld be able to carry it on my back. But to my relief, the instructor made use of the buoyant force (long studied and forgotten in school) while in water, to help each one drown perfectly. And we were so up for it! The art to hold the regulator was a challenge in itself - no kidding. Every time we were asked to repeat one of the tactics, the salty water would go inside. Later, after nearly 5 dry runs, we got the method right!! (hush hush)

After all the gear-ing up and training in the sea, our PADI instructor took us deep down below. There was one instructor to each. We were four of us.
The experience is enthralling but the excitement dawns only after the intial struggle of good an hour and a half (..or so)! The pressure mounts on the lungs, ears, neck and God alone knows where and where.
The lungs start to gasp for breath. The ears start behaving crazy and their way of mutiny is by gifting a chilling, sharp pain that seems to crush the entire jaw line. While all this lasted for as long as we were under water, we constantly made an effort at equalizing pressure through the nose. Don't wonder how! Won't be able to demonstrate it in writing! :-P

The hands....they move around a bit. And then become lunatic in a longing to catch what the eyes see. The legs forget they have fins to their respective ends and that they have a purpose. Silly limbs! With all kinds of mismatch and pathetic motor skills, 10m under water, below the crushing weight of the sea, the colourful marine life is cent-percent ravishing! Truly, totally!

Sea horse, super colourful fish varieties (purple, blue, yellow, zebra stripes, green, orange, silver and even multicolored), molluscs, corals and their amazing chemistry left us bedazzled. The marvelous experience we gained underwater was completely out of this world--both literally and figuratively!

-- T :-)

On our way to Havelock

With exactly two packets of Tom-Chi Bingo, Dark Fantasy and Bisleri we set sail for the most pristine of beeches in the Andamans--at--Havelock island!
While excitement was at its peak, we both were anxious, alert, snoozy, amazed and super thrilled--experiencing a concoction of 'n' number of emotions and their very natural permutations and combinations--all at the same time.
...even one dolphin leading the ferry would have proven an added treat for us; notwithstanding the aforesaid goodies our executive engineer provided us with.
...10-15-20 minutes..and that's it. We could no longer bear to not go in the open and let the sea tease us with its ever charming blue water. To hell with all the style, hair and sunscreen! And since God takes care of everything, we left our luggage to Him and sprung out in the open on the deck. ...Lost count of minutes, hours and for that matter even our age, admiring, playing, marveling the solid blue of the sea our ferry seemed to slice through, thereby churning the white foam and cool splash- again, again and again.

While we were lost in the beauty of this vast expanse, the sun started to blush red, bidding bye for the day. The jetty appeared within sight. Yahoo! we had reached Havelock. The rich golden rays dancing in the sea gave us a grand welcome, assuring us of far greater experience that was in store for us. :-) :-)

A moment of joy that's etched in our memories forever.

-- T :-)

Fireworks Boom

Somehow, i have never been able to understand the necessity of bombarding the Universe with Aloo Bomb, Mirchi Bomb, Ladii Bomb and God-alone-knows-what-all-bombs! Come Diwali, and somewhere in my heart I dread the acoustics my poor ears (and other sensory organs) 'ld be subjected to. A sheer torture for them. Therefore, in my quest for digging logic, if any, to such an endearing ritual of this festival, I thought of actually probing the WHY factor. And here is what I collected - Nothing. Mind you, i said, i wanted to find a LOGIC behind such supersonic-types fireworks. Where the hell will ATMAN (the inner self) rise and illuminate if, with every spark, and with every Boom, the entire Nervous System ducks inside the core. Whether people do something constructive (or not) with their very Lakshmi is their own choice. No sermons intended. However, bursting Lakshmi (apply transitional logic to it--->you spend thousands/or whatever amount buying these crackers---> it indeed boils down to banging up Lakshmi) into thin air (sorry, Smoke-laden air) defies all the fervour with which people worship the same Lakshmi just a day or two before, on Dhanteras. So, is it that we first plead for wealth ...so that we can burn it all at will?

Where is the ATMAN? Still very much ducked inside the bill (...aahh.. will)!

                                                                                                                                                -- T :-)

City Market ! zzzzzzzzz

Every time I think of visiting the city market, I get cold feet! Nevertheless, today hubby and I braved this challenge and went hunting for a copper water tanker of sorts (mini version).  The umpteen meanders of an old city area are exactly like the jigsaw puzzle. You have to be really fast and aware of the gullies in order to reach a certain destination. Notwithstanding the rocketing spittle that may come from any direction on to the road. And if you are not alert enough, you may become the target of the spitting spree that comes jetting from almost every shop lining the cramped space. It takes years to become a pro at dodging these incessant showers, you see!

While the entire area seems covered in complete chaos, thick noise and heavy dirt (..in this exact order), there is some predominant laidback method to everything. For instance, even a dog enjoys all the chaos while sitting cuddled, right in the centre of the terribly crammed alley…with dreamy eyes and a steely will of not budging from that position, whatsoever! 

To complement this moony expression donning every dog (and every human being) in that market comes an old hag of a PMT bus, every 5 minutes, honking uselessly to match the thick noise in the air. Absorbing every bit of this adventure, we finally came across one small shop with exactly 2 dozen salesmen vouching for the copper tanker. By the Great God’s Grace, we did get the deal and returned home richer by a water tanker. However, we still dread this excursion. Till we get laden with yet another totally compelling need….

                                                                                                                                                      -- T :-)

Bajra Wada

At first i was about to name this recipe 'Bajra Balls' but then i refrained from doing so! hahahahaha :-D :-D
Never mind the name, rest assured the recipe is quite simple, is quick and is tasty - not the usual types we gorge on in our normal routine life. And i must give credit to my M-IL (Mother inlaw) from whom i learnt this. :-)

Ingredients:
Bajra flour - 1 bowl
Gram flour (Besan) - 1/3 bowl
Wheat flour - 1/3 bowl
Curd - 3 tablespoons
Garlic - finely chopped
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
White Sesame (Til) - 2 tablespoons
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilly/ Green chilly - 1/2 teaspoon / finely chopped (according to taste)
Salt - to taste

Directions:
Knead all ingredients into a dough with very little water. (You may even add finely chopped Methi or Palak while kneading). Make equal sized balls out of this dough and flatten them using just a drop of water. Deep fry. Serve hot hot with Dhaniya-Pudina chutney or tomato sauce. :-)
Happy Eating!!

-- T:-)

Finger Chips with a Twist

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 1/2 kg
Rava/Suji - 250 gm
Green chilly - 1
Ginger
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Cut even-sized potatoes into fine fingers. Wash and keep aside.
Make a thick batter of rava/suji by using very little water. Continuously keep stirring the rava batter till it reaches a thick consistency.
Mix ginger paste, salt and finely chopped green chilly to the batter. Mix well.
Now coat the potato fingers in this batter and deep fry.
Serve it hot with coriander/pudina chutney or with tomato ketchup and enjoy the delight.
:-)