If Only... Let's Hope & Pray...

• If Only our world was a world where nobody starves and all necessary facilities are available to all irrespective of caste, creed & color.

• If All countries of the world could cooperate to eradicate misery, poverty, hunger & other human calamities.

• If Each country could pledge and sign a no - war peace treaty and all disputes among nations could be resolved peacefully, cooperatively and non - violently so that the huge expenditure incurred on different weapons of  mass destruction could be diverted for the welfare of the citizens -- to spread education for all, health services, sanitation, awareness to make this world peaceful and worth living in for everyone.

• If All independent states of different nations could respect freedom of the neighbouring countries and could say no to violence and destruction.

Let us hope that a day will come when good sense will prevail in this world to sign a real peace pact for the well being of all. Cooperation among all is the only key to resolving distrust among people.

The World would be a much better place to live in if each one of us has the capacity to tolerate others despite all differences.

It can wipe out even social evils like terrorism and corruption which are burning problems of today's times.

Let us pray to God to bless us with wisdom to live and let live.

Who Is Responsible --- Kids/Parents Or The System ?

Every coin has two sides but why is it that every thing in our society turns out to be such that it carries a negative side to its positive side ? Why can't we just enjoy & enjoy it all ?

       I am here referring to the board results of Class XII.
 A wave of good news to be read and so many happy faces of teenagers cherishing their happy moments which they achieved after years of hard work.

         News of differently abled children doing so well too.
         Govt school children who for years turned out to be dark horses now winning the race since few years.
         Girls once again over shining boys in the run.
         So many statistical reports and overwhelming parents whose children did them proud.

  But then the negative side erupts from nowhere ! Two girls kill themselves after seeing their board results. God forbid, I wish we don't have to get any more of such news (although we get to read many every year).

       

What is this the pressure of? Who is responsible for all this? The child himself/herself for not being able to cope with the failure! Or the parents, who perhaps pressurized their wards so blindly that he/she chose the wrong path of suicide instead of facing them! Or the norms of our society which puts the pressure of stigma on the family which in turn is transferred to the child!

          Why does the result become the ultimate yardstick of the child's future and even  the deciding factor of his life or death? Is there nothing beyond this in sight? Is it all dark for such students?

           I think its time to show them that there  are so many options open in life for them too. Although counselling lines are being set up by the board, still first hand immediate assurance from the friends, parents, relatives & neighbors ( who are in their immediate vicinity ) can help a lot.

           Please keep your eyes, hearts & minds open and accept all high & low caliber children  with equal weightage. Everyone in this world is destined to carve his/her own niche.

Medicinal Plants ----- Ancestry Being Carried Forward ----- Sequel

I hope you would have tried the remedies written in my previous post here and hope that they proved to be beneficial.

Now, try some more of these.

• Chamomile  soothes Stress & relaxes.
  
• Feverfew reduces frequency &  severity of migraines.
  
• Witch hazel reduces Swelling & soothes Body Aches.
  
• Cloves soothe Toothaches.
  
• Ashwagandha helps in reducing  Obesity.
  
• Salvadora or Meswak has antibacterial properties thus used in toothpaste.
  
• Ziziphus Jujuba or Baer provides Joshanda - a medicine for Coryza.
  
• Drumstick helps to keep Sugar levels in control.
  
• Fresh Aloe Gel relieves Burns & Sunburns.
  
• Mint leaves relieve Nausea & Cramps.
  
  
  
  Bless All A Speedy Recovery If Suffering From Any Of The Above Mentioned Ailments.

Medicinal Plants ----- Ancestry Being Carried Forward

Since ancient times India is popular for its herbs and their medicinal effects. Although now - a - days people have very less knowledge about the medicinal values of such plants which are available easily in our vicinity and few can be grown in our kitchen garden too.

   Some people are ignorant about these miracles of herbs to cure various diseases and some are reluctant to try them lest they have any side effect. Don't worry, these herbs are quite effective and don't have any side effects at all (like so many allopathic medicines which can be very risky at times.)

    I would like to share names and properties of some of these medicinal plants with you all.

• Bryophyllum or Pattharchatta acts as a cure for Kidney Stones.

• The Arjun tree's bark provides cure for Cardiovascular Diseases.
  
• Banslochan is used for treating Calcium Deficiency.
  
• Garlic reduces Cholesterol and the risk of Blood Clots.
  
• Brahmi  helps in enhancing Memory.
  
• Echinacea increases immunity to combat Common Cold & Flu.
  
• Guggal  helps in relieving symptoms of Arthritis.
  
• Cranberry Juice  fights Urinary Tract Infection.
  
• Eucalyptus Oil  provides relief from Cough & Cold.
  
• Lavender helps in subduing Bronchitis.
  

Bless All A Speedy Recovery If Suffering From Any Of The Above Mentioned Ailments.

To Be Continued.....

Food For Thought ----- Bon Appetite ----- An Evening To Remember

~~~

It is always fun to organize a party but when family is involved, it demands responsibility too. But my endurance faced a test when I had to impress my would be brother-in-law and his family. Actually my sister got engaged last month and I welcomed my would be brother-in-law and his family for dinner.

I wanted it to be a homely affair - so venue had to be my home's hall room. So, The First Step - Venue was quite easy to decide.

The Second Step to take was the Ambience. It had to be mushy, fresh and romantic. So I chose my georgette curtains, fresh roses, orchids and red anthuriums along with mushy room fragrance. To give it an ethnic & traditional touch, my daughter made a beautiful rangoli at the house's doorstep.

The Third Step - Music, was quite easy and tough both - easy because songs and music had to be soft music and romantic songs for the would be couple. But tough as out of so many songs the best ones were difficult to choose. I took my hubby's help (who himself sings well and remembers so many songs of all the times) and my daughter for the present day genre songs. So I selected the following numbers:

1. Aaj unse pehli mulaqat hogi, phir aamne saamne baat hogi... (आज उनसे पहली मुलाक़ात होगी, फिर आमने सामने बात होगी ...)
   
   
   
2. Phalak tak chal saath mere, phalak tak chal saath chal (फलक तक चल साथ मेरे, फलक तक चल साथ चल ...)
   
   
   
3. Tujh mein Rab dikhta hai, yaara main kya karun... (तुझमे रब दिखता है यारा मै क्या करूँ ...)
   
   
   
4. Tere haath mein mera haath ho, saari jannatein mere saath hon... (तेरे हाथ में मेरा हाथ हो, सारी  जन्नतें मेरे साथ हों ...)
   
   
   
5. Mera man kehne laga, paas aakar tu na dur ja... (मेरा मन कहने लगा, पास आ कर तू न दूर जा ...)
   
   
   
6. Aisi chale jab hawa, ishq hua hi hua ... (ऐसी चले जब हवा, इश्क हुआ ही हुआ ...)
   
   
   
7. Khuda jaane ke main fida hun, khuda jaane main mit gaya, khuda jaane ye kyun hua hai, ke ban gaye ho tum mere khuda... (खुदा जाने के में फ़िदा हूँ, खुदा जाने मै मिट गया, खुदा जाने ये क्यूँ हुआ है, के बन गए हो तुम मेरे खुदा… )

         All young couples at the gathering enjoyed dancing to these soft melodies.

Lots of music! Naah.......... Music is the soul of life. These songs playing in the background enlivened the romantic feel. 

Ok. So entertainment part was 80% dealt with and for the rest 20% we chose a skit with light jokes which my daughter and her young cousins decided to show their talent with.

Last but certainly not the least - The Menu - to savour everyone's taste buds - a must for my gourmet party to be a big hit.

To start with in this scorching heat, Chilled Khus and Phalsa Sharbat followed by a round of a round of snacks - Aloo Tikki with Tamarind & Date Chutney and Besan Chillas with shredded Mango Chutney proved to be a hit as I trusted Kitchens of India for the task.

Now for the Main Course also I put my bet on Kitchens of India's curries so that I could also get some time to spend with everybody to enjoy the evening.

I served Dal Bukhara, Mughlai Paneer and Chicken Darbari along with Mirch Ka Salan to server with Butter Naans, Paneer Kulchas and Rice Pulao.

Everybody loved the food (as expected Thanks to the Kitchens Of India).

Then the last sure shot hit item - Jodhpuri Moong Dal Halwa from the Kitchens of India did the trick and everyone looked pleasantly satisfied with the lip-smacking delicacies. They asked me if I had given my sister the tips!

"Will we be getting such tempting delicacies daily?", I smiled and winked at my sister to interact silently (about the Kitchens of India's magical culinary delights).

The evening proved to be a smashing hit. What else could I have asked for? Yes, Kitchens of India helped me a lot in achieving my target.

This post is my entry for the "My Weekend Party With Gourmet Food" Contest organised by ITC Kitchens Of India in association with IndiBlogger.

This post was adjudged as one of the winning entries by Kitchens Of India for a Rs. 1000 Voucher here.

Thanks to KOI and IndiBlogger.

Carbon Footprint - Is Yours As Big As That Of Hulk Or As Small As That Of Stuart Little?

For those of you who don't have the idea about it - A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on our environment, in particular, climate change. It relates to a number of Greenhouse gases produced in our day to day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating, and transportation etc.

        Our carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce and has units of tonnes or kg of carbon dioxide equivalent.It is made up of the sum of two parts, the primary footprint and the secondary footprint.

         The Primary  Footprint is a measure of our direct emissions of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels including domestic energy consumption.We have direct control on these.

           The Secondary Footprint is a measure of the indirect carbon dioxide emissions from the whole lifecycle of products we use - those associated with their manufacture and eventual breakdown.

            Global warming hence is really the result of our unwise & unchecked fiddling with our natural resources. In all our consumption behavior our guiding principle should be 4R's --- Recycle, Reduce, Reuse and Recover.

             Hence if your footprint is as big as that of Hulk, few quick ways to reduce your personal footprint to as small as that of Stuart Little, are to employ eco-friendly methods to travel, follow environment-friendly diets, minimize the use of plastic & save electricity & water.

Do Your Bit.....

           Let's join hands to reduce our ecological carbon footprint and protect our Mother Earth.

Match Fixing Or Mind Fixing ? - Bringing The Nation Shame.....

Our nation's pride is to have won the World Cup Cricket Tournament in 1983 & 2011.

We Indians are so crazy about the game that many take leave from the office to watch the match on television, many take and give stress to themselves and other family members - less interested in the game to watch the match instead of any other program on television. Many waste hard earned money (once kept aside for buying any important article for home) to buy front row tickets in the stadium to watch the match.

       So many efforts and time and what do they watch? Not a real game  but a pre - fixed match where so many moves of the batsmen and the bowlers are manipulated - at times to make their team win and at times to lose - as guided by the BOOKIES.

        Players - few had come in light in the past years, few are in recent days and few will be in future too - but these few are only those who got caught. Many of them are still doing it and couldn't get caught. They have become puppets in the hands of these bookies and should not at all be considered as sports persons.

         Secondly, players now-a-days are after money - whether from match fixing or from commercials or from franchising. They are more interested in after match parties - girls and liquor.Game has become secondary for them. It's passion is gone and it has become the source of gathering money only.

           I wonder after seeing and hearing all this for the last so many years , why do people still go hysterical for this game? Why do they give so much importance to a single sport that all type of misuses have erupted out of it?

          Cricket has become a game of the bookies now and has lost its status of a Gentlemen's Game, sadly. Here instead of players, bookies play the game. Then what do we see? Why do we feel elated when our favorite player makes runs or a bowler takes or perhaps doesn't take a wicket? Why do we feel sad that our hero batsman had a bad day and that is why he got out at duck! Maybe he earned lakhs for doing what he did and hence it was not his bad day (as we presumed ) rather a lucky day which he himself earned.

          So, don't you think that this is MATCH  FIXING for the players & the bookies but MIND  FIXING for the people? Our minds are being manipulated and we are being made fools of to believe what we see. Although the irony is that  'What we see'  is not actually  'What it is'.

            Where is the end to this all? Why are we increasing the shameful acts in each & every field of life? Why are we running after money so blindly?  When will it be that our pride will gain more importance in our life than the worldly pleasures? When are we going to feel CONTENDED?

.

Delhi --- Rape Cancer Spreading Fast ---- Capital Turning into Mental Asylum ?

The reality remains the same as pointed out  here - Its spreading fast & how!

Do we deserve this??!! Daily, Pick up the newspaper & read all the bu##$@!t  !
Keep on turning pages and along with the rising mercury, my brain's temperature also keeps on rising.

      At times I feel how helpless the healthy minded people have become in front of these sick minded people who are increasing day by day and are hiding behind masks and therefore are difficult to detect.

       What's the problem of these filthy people? Why are they so obsessed with sex? Can't they see anything in life beyond this? Why are they targeting young innocent kids who are so unaware of all this rubbish? What are they imprinting on their psyche  and body?

        Till now we were reading about aimless man of lower strata doing heinous rapes and other sexual abuses on all- young girls, boys and kids.But today I was shocked to read the confirmation of the medical report that female maids who worked with a reputed public school in Gurgaon were sexually abusing an eight year old girl - even by using foreign objects! They confessed to the crime, What type are women are they? How can a woman - a mother do it?

          Is it some sort of frustration which is leading them to this shameless path or simply the sickness of their psyche? Where & when is it going to end? Are these people totally devoid of conscience? It is high time, we have to strive for some very serious introspection - find the root cause, educate & counsel them. Both mental & physical discipline is the need of the hour. Otherwise it seems that we are sending our to a jungle daily (and not to schools) which is full of sick minded beasts and we are not at all sure of our children's security unless they return home.

Indo - Pak Relations ----- Jealousy & Frustration Paramount

What happens when inferiority complex is combined with aimlessness?
Output is for all to see what Pakistan has been doing for all these years.

     After partition, India strived for growth, development, economical upliftment of people, industrialization, innovations in all the fields whether it was Green Revolution, White Revolution, Nuclear Science development, IT Revolution or the placement of India on International scenario increasingly progressing day by day.

      On the other hand Pakistan could never attain any of the above progressive milestones. Obviously as they opted for the regressive path of destruction - terrorism as their main aim. Political destabilization due to recurrent clashes between the party in power and the army always harmed the nation.

      All the friendly gestures by our nation from time to time kept on going futile. Pakistan always behaved like a stubborn cry baby all this while and hence all the efforts went in vain. Pakistan always ditched us whether it was by performing terrorist activities in J&K, Bombay, Hyderabad etc. or crossing the  LoC in Kargil,Tiger hill etc.

       I don't understand why Pak doesn't learn from its idiosyncrasies and try to resolve all disputes with our nation. Instead of being jealous of India's progress, Pak should try to learn from us and start paving the path for progress leaving aside the way of terrorism from which they are never going to attain anything progressive.

Let both India & Pakistan  keep the "Aman Ki Asha" alive.....

Has Our Nation Become A Slave At The Hands Of Money ?

Ridiculous to accept but as they say, "Just by closing its eyes, a Pigeon cannot save itself from its predator Cat".

The Pigeon And The Cat

Similarly, just by denying this bitter truth we can't feel proud of being citizens of a "Dudh Ka Dhula Desh"  ( which we used to be in ancient times ). But now, pollution of all types - both materialistic & humanly has smeared so much of tar on the face of the nation that if  continued like this ( i.e. without any reforms), then I doubt that we can take even the baby steps towards becoming a developed nation.

A Never Ending Black Money Hurricane

       The way the Common Man is trying to run away from all the devils of corruption, inflation, scams, blackmailing by private companies who are climbing the ladder steadily towards becoming billionaires themselves & making the politicians too with whom they are working hand in hand, there doesn't seem to be any way out to protection.

       When the savior himself becomes the predator, where lies the Hope ?

Why the corrupt politicians are busy in scams and controlling the CBI so that their misdeeds never manage to see the light of the day ? They fail to comprehend that The Common Man very well knows it all and they cant hide their misdeeds & misintentions however hard they try to. The only problem is that he is so busy in earning his daily livelihood that he can't run around for years in never ending judicial procedures and this is what these politicians are taking advantage of.

Blind Hope 

         May God give them the purity of thoughts, mind and soul so that they realize that this money which they are stacking up by hook or by crook will be left here only but their sins will certainly accompany them in Hell. So better not make our beloved nation a Living Hell for The Common Man & in turn expect a place probably in Heaven.

Ring The Bell - No Excuse For Domestic Abuse

Woman - The Mother - Infinitesimal Reflection of the ultimate creator - The God.

This fact is more than enough to treat her with respect. Yet she strives to fulfill her roles as a sister, wife, daughter and friend as well. In various cultures women are treated in different ways - at times worthy of them and at times in such insulting ways that one doubts whether the man committing the barbaric acts is worthy even to be acknowledged as humane.

I had a firsthand experience of it few days back. My maid servant is quite jovial but at times she used to be very quiet and looked stressed. Many times I saw some blue black marks on her face, arms etc. I tried to ask her on those tense days of hers about the problem but she used to divert the topic. Still I could intuitively guess that it was not just any wound or fall as she tried to depict but a case of domestic violence.

Her husband is a drunkard and although is a rickshaw puller but I witnessed myself that he used to just sleep in his rickshaw by the roadside and deny the passengers as he wanted to avoid hard work and just idle around.

One day she came with a broken hand in plaster and was crying. Before she could tell me anything I guessed it right. Her husband beat her up mercilessly for want of money to buy liquor which she denied because she needed that money to pay their children's fee.

I asked her if I could go to their house with her to talk to her husband and counsel him to stop his ridiculous and brutal behavior. This time she agreed although hesitantly. I asked her to wait in a secluded corner near her house.

I RANG THE BELL of her house. Her husband came out. Thank God, at that time he was not drunk. I told him - "The mother of your three children has met with an accident and she is critical. Now there is no one to take care of your kids and no one to fetch your needs too." He was terrified and asked me to take him to his wife. But I refused and told him that she didn't want to see him anymore and she had asked me to bring her kids back to her. He started crying and cursed himself that he was not able to control his drinking habits which frustrated him more and that made him perpetuate violence against his wife. He said that he couldn't live without her and hence promised to never drink in future and would mend his habits of violence. He resolved never to beat her again and to work hard and take care of her and their kids once she returns home.

I told him the truth then and called his wife. He was so happy to see her well and I was glad that I could make him realize his mistakes. He apologized to her and promised never to repeat his misdeeds. After that day my maid is quite happy that she is getting her due respect.

Don't Let Her Life Become A Living Hell...

Be Resolute Enough To Ring The Bell...

So I request everyone to RING THE BELL for IndiChange to bring domestic violence to a halt and bring about the breakthrough to build a strong foundation of human rights and culture.

Size Does Matter - But Of An EGO ? - Say No To Big One

In our childhood days, we all used to love playing with balloons - big inflated balloons. But I wonder as we grow up, does that air from those balloons enter our brains!

If not then how come percentage of persons with inflated egos is increasing day by day? What does this type of ego supply? Ego satisfaction? Does it - really?

I doubt, when I see someone zooming at a speed of  a hundred kilometers overtaking another car to feel elated but then is found standing amid other vehicles at the next red light as he doesn't have a flying gear. 

Rickshaw pullers and carrier autos show off their inflated egos when they ply at 5-20 kilometers per hour but still move in right lane and don't give way to fast moving vehicles even on persistent honking by them (though they don't want to honk but have to do). Does it really satisfy their egos? I wonder - does their ego not deflate when these fast moving vehicles overtake them (although they have to do it from wrong side thanks to these stupid driver's egos). 

Those pedestrians who walk in the middle of the road as if they are having their morning walk in the garden and as if they are deaf when vehicles try to warn them by honking horns - Doesn't this inflated egos of theirs at times cause them their limbs or even their lives? So what is the use of such inflated egos? 

The previous day while on wheel I saw one learner in a car jumping the red light and I was confused whether it was the learner's ego to cross the road first or the trainer's ego who instead of teaching him never to do it, taught him the lesson of doing something which he himself did every now and then.

People jumping the red light when bang their vehicle in another person's vehicle who is crossing the road when the signal is green for his side, not only hurt themselves but the other person also gets hurt because of no fault of his. So has one person's inflated ego to cross the road first helped anyone? Certainly not. People read about and see such accidents so many times but still the condition is not improving. 

So let go of your EGO and let PEACE prevail in everybody's life.

DECREASING the size of EGO by one person can INCREASE the happiness and peace in so many person's lives whether of his family or the society.

~~~