back after a long time

it’s been a while since i wrote something here. Have been very busy with work. Meeting deadlines, going an extra mile to achieve more than the planned goals, trying to make a difference, trying to achieve something for myself — all these have kept me very busy, so busy that I never ever had time to remember any sad memories of the past. The last few months (a year actually) have been an ordeal, a fight with my own feelings and emotions, a fight within myself to stand up for myself, to regain my confidence, to be me … and today i can happily say my fight has been worth it.

here are a few lines that states my feelings … in the last one year and now ..

I Have Conquered The fear…
Have Taken A Risk….
I Will Erase The Boundaries…
Will Beat The Odds…..
I Trust My Instincts…..
Have Taken Up a Challenge….
I must Have To prove Myself….
I will Push The limits….
I M ready To face The Demons…..

Its My Time……..
I will Make It Mine For Ever………

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” – GBS
“If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” – Winston Churchill

Remembering the victims and the martyrs of 26/11 … a year after

26/11 reminds us of the carnage that brought Mumbai and India to a standstill for more than 60 hours. Gunshots and grenade blasts, fire blazing from the Taj and Oberoi hotels, bodies slicked in blood on the floors of the CST station and Leopold cafe, a 2-year old’s parents lying dead in Nariman house, and the shrieks of helpless people trapped in the terror strike … these are the memories that haunt us even after a year since those terrorizing hours.

For most of us the tryst with this carnage was through news channels unfolding the terror hours in our living rooms. Yet, we all felt shaken and horrified at the cold- blooded massacre carried out by the terrorists. But for those innocent lives trapped there and the brave policemen and commandos fighting, it was death playing hide n seek in front of their eyes.

Innocent lives lost and brave men sacrificed. 174 lives lost, 12 policemen, and 2 NSG commandos. Kamte, Salaskar, Karkare, Sandeep Unnikrishnan are a few names who lay down their lives in this battle of good n evil. There are unsung heroes who despite losing their all, bravely saved others lives. One such person is Kang, the GM of Taj hotels, who lost his wife and 2 children in the attack, yet with tears in his eyes saved the lives of many others. The 26 year old Salvi, working with Italian Tourism, rushed into Trident amidst the firing to save the 12 Italian delegates. The brave hotel staff who did their duty till the end, giving up their lives trying to save their guests.

Those terrifying hours and the courage of these people brought tears to the eyes of all Indians; it led to a lot of anger in every Indian; candlelight vigils, sms and email campaigns followed.

But has anything really changed? One year on, the blame game has started again. Some politicians are trying to cash on unwarranted comments from some other politicians. But does the government has answer to that one question in every Indian’s eyes today — are we prepared to combat such attacks?? I guess not!!

How many of us have really remembered this incident in the last one year? It always takes an anniversary, or another similar incident to remind us of the terror attacks. Bomb blasts across India, IC-814 hijacking, akshardham incident — it always took another terror attack to remind us of these.

We have learnt to ‘move on’ in life and we just get ‘used to’ everything.

Today, while remembering those lost lives and saluting their bravery, let’s pledge to take a step forward in our fight against terrorism. One small step each from a billion Indians can create a revolution. The first easiest step we can take is not to move on and not to forget how India bled on this day, and not to get ‘used to‘ it.

Let’s not erase the scars from our hearts and minds.

Jai Hind!!

Sunday Cooking

my experiments with cooking continue …  🙂

what forced me to cook today was the chicken turning into ice in the freezer and the cauliflower

threatening to turn black. 😦 that’s what happens when you store them in the freee for 2 weeks. 🙂

so, I cooked Srilankaindian (sri lankan + indian) chicken curry and cauliflower pulao. well, actually I started

cooking sri lankan chicken curry and mid-way realized that I didn’t have a few ingredients, so the later half

of the curry-making adventure tuned out to be purely indian.

The experience was good with quite a few good lessons learnt. Do check the “Lessons Learnt” part towards

the end of this post – i m sure this would benefit a beginner as well as an experienced cook in a hurry. 🙂

Now, let’s get to the receipe. First, marinate the chicken with salt, turmeric, and ginger paste for sometime.

Finely chop one onion. Then, cut  5 to 6 green chillies lengthwise into thin strips, and remove the seeds from

them. (Mine aren’t really thin strips. :-D)

Heat ghee or butter in your cooking pan, and add onion, garlic paste, chillies, turmeric powder, and

coriander powder to it. Saute the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes.

After that, add the chicken pieces and add water to it. (Now, here’s where I switched to Indian chicken

curry – used water. If you want to continue with the sri lankan recipe, then add coconut milk to the chicken

pieces instead of water.)

Let the chicken cook for 45 minutes. When it’s cooked properly, switch off the gas, sprinkle half tbs kasoori

methi on the curry, and cover the pan with the lid. (In sri lankan recipe, after the chicken is cooked, add

coconut cream and lime juice and simmer for 5 minutes.) Done!!!

This was one of the simplest and quickest chicken recipes. 🙂

Now, Cauliflower Pulao – very simple.

Take 1 cup of basmati rice, wash, clean, and soak the rice for 30 – 40 minutes.  Cut cauliflower into small

florets. Now, finely chop one medium-sized onion and 2 tbs coriander leaves. Heat 4 tbs of ghee or butter in

a ccoking pan with a thick bottom or you can use a pressure cooker.

Add six cardamoms and a 2-inch cinnamon to the butter (or ghee). Stir for a minute.  Add the finely chopped

onion to it and cook till it’s golden brown. Then, add 1 tbs coriander powder, 1 tbs clove powder, 1 tbs red

chilli powder, and 1 tbs cinnamon powder and mix for 2 minutes.

Add the rice and the cauliflower florets to the mixture. Add salt to taste. Stir and fry for 3 – 4 minutes. Add

2 cups of warm water and boil the rice. (If you are using pressure cooker, let 2 whistles go off) After the

rie is cooked, garnish with coriander leaves.

Lessons Learnt Today —

Before you start cooking, make sure you have all the ingredients. or else, you will end up making

srilankaindian dishes. 🙂 This emphasizes the importance of planning.

Keep your nails short. Or else, you may end up chopping your nails while chopping onions. 😦

Do not try to peep inside the pressure cooker to smell or see the masala mix. Your face will turn red hot with

the steam.

Use a glove made of cloth while cooking, or else you may end up holding the pan with bare hands and get

your fingers burnt. If you do burn your fingers, hold them under running tap water for sometime and then

apply toothpaste. Yes, you read that right!! Toothpaste!! Very effective in healing light burns.

Wear an apron while cooking if you do not want to soil your clothes with oil and masala.

If you have cut your fingers while cutting and chopping, remember to wash the cut and wear a band-aid

before you start washing the utensils. The cuts hurt when soap touches them. 😦

What forced me to cook today was the chicken turning into ice in the freezer and the cauliflower threatening to turn black. 😦  That’s what happens when you store them in the freezer for 2 weeks. 🙂

So, I cooked Sri Lanka – Indian (Sri Lankan + Indian) chicken curry and Cauliflower pulao.

Well, actually I started cooking Sri Lankan chicken curry and mid-way realized that I didn’t have a few ingredients, so the latter half of the curry-making adventure turned out to be purely Indian.

The experience was good with quite a few good lessons learnt. Do check the Lessons Learnt para at the end of this post – i m sure this would benefit a beginner as well as an experienced cook in a hurry. 🙂

Now, let’s get to the recipe. First, marinate the chicken with salt, turmeric, and ginger paste.  Finely chop one onion. Then, cut  5 to 6 green chillies lengthwise into thin strips, and remove the seeds from them. (Mine aren’t really thin strips. :-D)

Heat ghee or butter in your cooking pan, and add onion, garlic paste, green chillies, turmeric powder, and coriander powder to it. Saute the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes.

After that, add the chicken pieces and add water to it. (here’s where I switched to Indian chicken curry – used water. If you want to continue with the Sri Lankan recipe, then add coconut milk to the chicken pieces instead of water.)

Let the chicken cook for 45 minutes. When it’s cooked properly, switch off the gas, sprinkle half tbs kasoori methi on the curry, and cover the pan with the lid. (In Sri Lankan recipe, after the chicken is cooked, add coconut cream and lime juice and simmer for 5 minutes.)

And you are Done!!!

This is one of the simplest and quickest chicken recipes. 🙂

Now, Cauliflower Pulao – very simple.

Take 1 cup of basmati rice; wash, clean, and soak the rice for 30 – 40 minutes. Cut cauliflower into small florets. Then, finely chop one medium-sized onion and 2 tbs coriander leaves.

Now, heat 4 tbs of ghee or butter in a ccoking pan with a thick bottom, or a pressure cooker.

Add six cardamoms and a 2-inch cinnamon to the butter (or ghee). Stir for a minute.  Add the finely chopped onion to it and cook till it’s golden brown. Then, add 1 tbs coriander powder, 1 tbs clove powder, 1 tbs red chilli powder, and 1 tbs cinnamon powder and mix for 2 minutes.

Add the rice and the cauliflower florets to the mixture. Add salt to taste. Stir and fry for 3 – 4 minutes. Add 2 cups of warm water and boil the rice. (If you are using pressure cooker, wait for 2 whistles.)

After the rice is cooked, garnish with coriander leaves.

Now, the most interesting part — the hard lessons poor me learnt today … this will tell you what pains i had to take to feed my hungry tummy. 🙂

Lessons Learnt Today —

• Before you start cooking, make sure you have all the ingredients. or else, you will end up making Sri Lanka – Indian dishes. 🙂 This emphasizes the importance of planning.
• Keep your nails short. Or else, you may end up chopping your nails while chopping onions. 😦
• Do not try to peep inside the pressure cooker to smell or see the masala mix. The steam will hit your face real bad and turn it red hot.
• Use a glove made of cloth while cooking, or else you may end up holding the pan with bare hands and get your fingers burnt. If you do burn your fingers, hold them under running tap water for sometime and then apply toothpaste. Yes, you read that right!! Toothpaste!! Very effective in healing light burns.
• Wear an apron while cooking if you do not want to soil your clothes with oil and masala.
• If you have cut your fingers while cutting and chopping, remember to wash the cut and wear a band-aid before you start washing the utensils. The cuts hurt when soap touches them. 😦
• Most important – have fun cooking 🙂

trying my hand at fiction

Beads of perspiration formed on her forehead. She could feel her body go numb. She huddled in one

corner of the room between the bed and the wall, as far away from him as possible.

He glared at her. He had a devilish look in his eyes. He looked ugly in his dark brown dirty attire

and long whiskers. He kept inching towards her.

She wondered how he came in, and looked towards her balcony. Oh no!! the french window is open.

He must have entered through that. Oh!! why on earth did she not close the window. Now, it was too

late. Within minutes he would be on her.

Her sister was watching TV downstairs. She could hear the TV. It was so loud that her screams (if

any) would be drowned by the TV sound.

The door was open. If only she could run out through the door. But she could not move. She felt

weak. Her legs were numb with fear. Tears swelled up in her eyes.

Were those footsteps on the stairs? Yes!!! her sister must be coming up. May be her sister would peep

in her room and then she would be saved. But no!! the footsteps were going down again.

She must do something. she must scream. She must call her sister for help. He would be on her any

moment now. He was so close that she could feel his breath (or so she felt).

She mustered all the strength she could and yelled “heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp me…

heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp”

The footsteps came running to her room. There was her sister at the door. Her sister ran in and

picked up the book from the table and hit him hard. Then picked him up by the whiskers and threw

him out of the window.

She heaved a sigh of relief. She suffers from katsaridaphobia.

Beads of perspiration formed on her forehead. She could feel her body go numb. She huddled in one corner of the room between the bed and the wall, as far away from him as possible.

He glared at her. He had a devilish look in his eyes. He looked ugly in his dark brown dirty attire and long whiskers. He kept inching towards her.

She wondered how he came in, and looked towards her balcony. Oh no!! the french window was open. He must have entered through that. Oh!! why on earth did she not close the window. Now, it was too late.

Within minutes he would be on her. Oh what would she do. She felt paralyzed with fear.

Her sister was watching TV downstairs. She could hear the TV. It was so loud that her screams (if any) would be drowned by the TV volume.

The door was open. If only she could run out through the door. But she could not move. She felt weak. Her legs were numb with fear. Tears swelled up in her eyes.

Were those footsteps on the stairs? Yes!!! her sister must be coming up. May be her sister would peep in her room and then she would be saved. But no!! the footsteps were going down again.

She must do something. She must scream. She must call her sister for help.

He would be on her any moment now. He was so close that she could feel his breath (or, so she felt).

She mustered all the strength she could and yelled “heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp me… heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp”

The footsteps came running to her room. There was her sister at the door. Her sister ran in, picked up the book from the table and hit him hard. Then picked him up by the whiskers and threw him out of the window.

She heaved a sigh of relief. How she hated cockroaches. She suffered from katsaridaphobia!!!