Showing posts with label Festival. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Festival. Show all posts

Friday 7 October 2016

Sometimes, it takes Blue to beat away the blues...

Sometimes, it takes Blue to beat away the blues!
Well, that's exactly how I like to describe today's Saree story...

All set to flaunt this Blue silk to work, as I left home,
The water filled pits outside my society gave me a welcome

They were in a mood for a splash
But I didn't want my plans to crash

Managing the bags, umbrella, pallu and holding the pleats a little above the land,
OMG! I felt like Goddess Durga, albeit with two hands!

I feared the Saree would crush
But the love for my saree asked me to hush

By the time I reached office, the rains decided to take a break
I had made it. Positivity and belief is all it takes

Basking in the downpour of compliments, I was elated to see many more in blue,
The blue did beat away the Blues, yes it's true!


Friday 12 February 2016

Basant Panchmi & School Memories

Like all new moms, I too have lost track of how days become weeks, and weeks months. When a festival is around the corner, my elder sister or my MIL act as reminders, suggesting the bare minimum rituals I should follow.

This morning, as sonny boy and I went to the park for our daily dose of Vitamin D, I was delighted to see a burst of yellow. Women dressed in yellow, yellow flowers shouting to be picked up at flowers, the familiar freshness in the air and Pandal with Ma Saraswati idol in the colony school – I didn’t take a moment to realize Basant Panchmi – Saraswati Puja is here!

While my family doesn’t practice any ritual as such, apart from wearing yellow and preparing sweet yellow pulav, Basant Panchmi occupies a very special place in my heart. Having spent 12 years in a Bengali dominated school; the festival has been a special occasion each year. After all, this was the only day in the year when we could wear the dress of our choice to school instead of the boring uniform! Unlike most kids who save the best dress for birthdays, girls in my school dressed their best on Basant Panchmi. The three day long celebrations provided us the much awaited break from classes, freedom to dress up as we liked, lot of fun, amazing Bengali sweets and bhog, and much needed blessings from Ma Saraswati before the final exams would haunt us!

A Day Before
A day before the festival, all eyes would be trained towards the school gate as we waited for Ma Saraswati idol to arrive. The moment we saw the tempo, we would leave everything and rush to the foyer. The entire school echoed with “Bolo bolo Saraswati Mai ki Jai” as we welcomed the goddess with flowers, songs and impromptu dance!

The festival
For us, this was the day of freedom, fun and festivities! Our usually over protective parents gave us the luxury of giving the school bus a miss. Instead, we girls took our sweet time to dress up our best and arrived at the school on our own, in groups. The security situation wasn’t as sorry as present, so the authorities let open the gates of the senior wings and one could enter and leave school premises at our own wish. For teenagers of a girl’s school, this was nothing short of living the college dream once a year! The senior girls would seize the opportunity to flaunt the best sarees and imitation jewellery, even as the eyes of senior teachers scrutinized the depth of their blouses! Best part would be the Pushpanjali time, when each one of us would pray to Ma for good marks and a bright career! Sounds of “Bolo bolo Saraswati Mai ki Jai” would fill the ramparts as those who waited for their turn took to dancing and singing! Wish we had mobile phones with cameras back then! The alumni also took this occasion to take blessings from Ma and thank teachers for shaping up their careers so well.

Morning gave way to the noon in no time and the aroma from the makeshift kitchen in the classroom signalled that the Bhog was ready. Our teachers displayed their culinary skills as they pampered us with the most delicious Bhog – the traditional Khichuri! After Bhog, we would dash to grab our boxes of Prasad which contained an assortment of the best Bengali sweets one could think of! 

Awwww! I miss my school!

As we progressed to senior classes, the later part of the noon became hangout time with friends at Connaught Place before we returned home.

Visarjan
This was a moment that came heavy on our hearts as the thoughts of Ma parting left us teary eyed. Moments after the tempo left the school premises, taking Ma away, we would keep looking at the gate with gloom. Then the teachers would lovingly ask us to return to our classes and be good students till Ma returned next year.

More than a decade after leaving school and more than a thousand kilometres away from school now, I still feel the fragrance of flowers and incense sticks afresh in my mind. As I recall those wonder years, I pray Ma Saraswati for blessing my little one with knowledge and creativity the way she has been generous to me.

To, the Goddess, the mother, and the power – Bolo bolo Saraswati mai ki Jai !!!


Sharing few pics of my visit to the Alma mater few years ago 
My Alma Mater

The Decor

Ma Saraswati

The lovely rangoli
Flowers in full bloom

Friends

Friends


Thursday 17 December 2015

Share A Hug

Friendship, like old wine gets better with age. True friendship is one of the most cherished gifts of life. Perhaps that’s why people go to any length to bring a smile on their friend’s face. Be it forging parents’ signature on school report card to save the wrath of parents, doing that “setting” with the girl your best friend has a crush on, sacrificing your pocket money for that perfect gift on your friend’s birthday and so on…

So, what is it that makes friendship, Yaari Dosti so special?

It’s the power of sharing and caring. No matter how many well wishers we have, it is only with a true friend that we can share the goriest details, the ugliest facts, the best emotions and the burden of a trouble.

A thing as simple as a hug can be magical when it is from a special friend.

I was in Class VII when my English teacher shortlisted me for an Extempore competition sponsored by a leading soft drink brand. While I was initially excited, my excitement soon vanished when I was told most other competitors would be from senior classes. During lunch break I was sitting alone contemplating withdrawing my name as it would be too embarrassing losing out to seniors. Just then, my best friend S walked inside and asked me why was I so aloof. When I narrated her the while story, she told me to consider the faith teacher had in me that made her shortlist me v/s my seniors. S’s pep talk boosted my morals and every day, we would practice Extempore topic during lunch break. On the D day, as I was nervous on the stage, I kept looking in my best friend’s eyes which reflected that all was going well. When my name was announced as the winner I just went numb however, I can never forget that impromptu dance by my bestie and the magical hug we shared! That’s what true friendship is about – taking pride in your friend’s achievement.

Our best holidays have been the ones with my hubby’s best friend. Sometimes, we women keep wondering at the perfect chemistry our husbands share and we often joke that they make the perfect couple. Best friends since Class 8th, they have stood by each other during good and bad times. While they will make us laugh till our stomachs cry out in pain, they are also most protective and know how to celebrate responsibly. That’s why we can be ourselves when partying with them.

When God created humans, he knew they would be social animals. So to ensure one doesn’t get deterred by the negativities in this world, God created best friends, our own powerhouse of positivity. True friends know the power of sharing and all they have to do to share a positive or low moment is to Share a Hug!


Looking for some positive moments in your life? Go meet your best friend and Share a Hug!
Source - http://www.liveinstyle.com

* This blog is meant for people above the age of 25 years.

Wednesday 8 July 2015

The explosion of freshness

There is a very famous saying –

Live like there’s no tomorrow,
Dance like no one’s watching!

In the daily rut of life, we often get into the auto mode. Life goes on but we just don’t feel the zing. Mornings signal the beginning of yet another round of routine activities and once we are back home, evenings remind us of yet another day spent just like that. Even if everything goes well without any deviation from the routine, gradually it takes away the freshness from our lives and dullness sets in.

Music has the power to heal the worst of the pains. It transforms us into a different world altogether, taking away the dullness and infusing freshness.

There are days on which I too get bogged down by the pendulum life between work and home. On such days music is my saviour. A good shower followed by a cup of cardamom tea and good music gets me into the grove. A couple of peppy numbers later, the elated me just lets myself free and I dance like no one’s watching; just like childhood when I would play my favourite tracks and dance for hours. After a good singing and dancing session, I am totally energized. The same boring day feels so beautiful, for music helps us listen to our inner voice and spend some quality “me” time.

I recently came across the “Taazgi Ka Dhamaka” video featuring Allu Arjun and Anushka Manchanda. Directed by the famous Pradeep Sarkar, the video truly is a dhamaka or explosion of freshness. The lovely Anushka brings a doze of freshness in an otherwise boring marriage. Good music is infectious. Soon, Allu too is forced to jump out of bed. After a quick doze of freshness with Colgate Max Fresh, Allu is all awake and ready to join the fun!

The choreography is natural, and watching the video I couldn’t help but appreciate these steps that so much relate to me when I too get in my groove...

While this step is not really what I would do, it reminds me of guys dancing uninhibited in weddings…when the sound of excitement in their hearts is more than a thousand musical instruments!


Now this is a must do step when you are dancing like no one’s watching. The bride sheds her inhibitions and joins in the celebrations.



The typical yo yo rapper step, I love the confidence and attitude Anushka displays here. Wear your attitude is the feel…


And sometimes, it’s good to break the rules and do a round of break dance! Just like Allu gets the whole crowd cheering with his cool moves!


And in true Rajani style, Allu flicks the taazgi ka dhamaka!




So, if you too are looking for a dose of freshness in your life, get your dancing shoes on!

The blog post should contain the mandatory code “I am blogging for #MaxFreshMove activity atBlogAdda in association with Colgate MaxFresh. Watch the Taazgi Ka Dhamaal video and enjoy the fresh moves!

Thursday 23 October 2014

The new face of Diwali!

Diwali – the festival of lights! A festival that is celebrated best on the funda “The more, the merrier”. So we love to have more of everything – more gifts, more crackers, more lights, more flowers, and most importantly, more love and wishes of our loved ones. For those who live away from home, there are few more of the mores – more struggle to book those leaves in office before anybody else grabs the offer, playing that fastest fingers first game on travel portals to book tickets, bearing with mammoth crowd at roads, buses and railway stations. All this just reinforces the fact that Diwali is best celebrated at home.

Having relocated to a new city recently, I feel like a bird in the sky. Sky is the limit to where the flight of destiny takes me and perhaps I should say, the world is now my home. Yet, on the festival of lights, when everyone around are looking festive and making merry, I am sitting in my balcony, venting my heart out on my laptop. While non-technically, this is my first Diwali away from home, technically, I have felt the same few years ago when I celebrated the first Diwali after marriage, away from my parents.

Diwali is the king of all festivals. I have fond memories of Diwali celebrations. Each Diwali, I used to be at my crankiest best, for the teachers used to select the girls with tall hair to play Ram, lakshman and Sita, and poor me with boy cut hair would be left out. With envy, I would look at them wearing mythological costumes and floral jewellery and wonder, all this because they have long hair! Once back home, I would announce to mom that enough was enough, and by next year, I would grow long hair and be the Sita at school function. Of course, it never happened as the Dilli ki garmi forced my parents to get my hair chopped.

Things finally got pleasant when I became part of the school choir, for diwali or no diwali, every function gave me a chance to croon on the stage, to my heart’s delight.

No matter how much I lecture about “say no to crackers”, throughout my school life, fire crackers were the best aspect of Diwali. A month before Diwali, I would hand over my list to mom, who would then take pains to go to Sadar Bazaar ( a wholesale market in Delhi) and get my stock full. I still remember, once as a 3 year old, I was handed over a burning fuljhari by my brother. I liked the sparkles so much that I decided to hold the fuljhari by the bright side. The rest, you can imagine, was an evening of hand dipped in ice water for me and lot of scolding for my brother!

As I grew up, Diwali brought out the creative best in me. We were taught to make Rangoli by our housekeeping teacher in college, and every since, Rangoli making is a tradition I follow every year. Each year, when my parents would go out to distribute sweets, brother and I would, like an express machine, decorate the house with flowers, make Rangoli and mom would always be surprised at our once in a year display of housekeeping skills.
A rangoli I made

While for the world, Diwali is a time to go out and celebrate, it creates havoc for our canine companions. Cotton buds, special room and what not – so much of effort went in each year to ensure my pet didn’t get into the panic mode by the sound of crackers.
Over the years, while the noise levels have increased, something that I see inversely proportional to it is the joy of sharing. Diwali during my parents time meant a mandatory visit to all the relatives to exchange sweets and pleasantries. But nowadays, our social sphere is going for a shrink. Is the inflation to be blamed? Well, sharing of sweets was just a bahaana…

In that respect, I appreciate the Mumbaikars living in Cooperative Housing Societies and chawls. Their houses might not boast of big balconies or private gardens, but they surely know best the joy of sharing. From kids to adults, I see them decorating every inch of my society like it is their own big home. The kids are preparing Rangolis all along the corridors and staircases.

Talking of sharing, let me share one thing that was shared to the utter discomfort of the those who share proximity. This morning, as I was lost in my dreams, the sudden sound of fire crackers at 6, woke me with a start. Was there an explosion in my dreams? I wondered. But I was awake and out of my dreams, and the noise was increasing every moment. As a surprised me, went to my balcony to check out the issue, I saw the colony kids, up and dressed up, burning crackers, at 6 in the morning! Apparently, there is some tradition among Maharashtrians to wake up early morning on Diwali, perform Puja and burn crackers before the rest of the world wakes up.

The world, truly is becoming my home!


Wishing a very happy Diwali to all my readers!

Sunday 3 November 2013

Diwali Delights – Besan Laddooos

I doubt if there is any other festival like Diwali…the festival of lights. Each festival brings its own joy but the euphoria created by Diwali is beyond comparison with any other festival. Since childhood, I have loved flocking to the market days ahead of Diwali to see the glitz and grandeur. Of course, with time and security breach incidents in my city, the trips have become focused towards malls. The unique decorations fascinate me and I keep standing there in silent appreciation of the creativity, till an irritated Mr. Hubby signals me to move ahead.

Each year, reports of adulterated khoya and sweets being seized hurt my ears almost like the loud bombs the naughty neighbourhood kids are splurging on, right now! Diwali is a festival of feeling the brightness and joy within and sharing it with people around. But I wonder what pleasure do some people get by spreading ill health, for some materialistic stuff called money that they would anyway end up burning in crackers.

So this year, Mr. Hubby and I decided not to take chances. Mithai boxes were replaced by juice hampers and dry fruits. Even the relatives loved the healthy transformation. But the problem was still not over. Lakshmi pujan is incomplete without sweets, however, I had decided to keep everything home made this time. As I was scratching my head heard for a solution this morning, I remembered a recipe I learnt during the initial days of my Hotel Management course. Besan Laddooos. 

Here’s how Mr. Hubby & I made yum and simple to make besan laddoos for the evening puja

Ingredients (For 12 laddoos)

Besan (ask for mota, thick besan) – 250g
Desi Ghee – 150g
Powdered sugar – 200g (can vary to taste)
Cardamom powder – 2 tsp
Assorted dry fruits – 100g, finely chopped

Method
We heated a kadai and poured the ghee into it. Once the ghee became warm, we put the entire besan and started stirring on low flame.

Tip: Patience is the key to getting the color and consistency right. Mr. Hubby and I stirred the besan alternately as it was getting painful and boring for one person to do it all alone.

After some time, the aroma of besan being cooked reach papa in law in the living room and before I knew, he was asking us when would the laddoos be ready as he was super tempted to eat them. “These are for Prasad papa, no laddoo before evening”, I announced as a helpless papa said “Oh…kay”.

It took us almost 20 minutes of constant stirring on low flame to get the colour right. The smell was more intense now and any more heat now would have made the mixture overdone.

We removed the mixture from fire and even though the smell enticed us to gobble up the mixture there and then, the Puja factor got us some patience. We waited for the mixture to cool a bit and slowly added the powdered sugar, mixing vigorously with hands. Mr. Hubby was hesitant initially but after he saw me enjoying mixing like a halwai, he too pitched in.

Along with the sugar came powdered cardamom and assorted dry fruits. The mixture was still warm when we made it into 12 small balls and kept aside.

Once cooled, the laddoos were all set to pamper Ganeshji and Lakshmiji.

Even though God might not speak explicitly, he loves the little gestures we do to show how much we love him. The laddoos were such a hit that Mr. Hubby and papa in law finished the entire dozen in few minutes (they would go to the kitchen at the pretext of having water and gobbled the entire lot, after the puja of course)…I really didn't know whether to frown or laugh as they looked at me like naughty kids trying to conceal a mischief!

Here’s the Traditional Diwali Menu for the evening -
Pethe ki sabzi
Aloo tamatar ki subzi
Poori
Kheer
Besan Laddoos
Choorma
Cost of the meal - Sunday afternoon siesta sacrificed
Look on the faces of my loved ones - priceless...

Just like our dear Lord Ganesh…I too love Laddooos. You can read my blog about the best places to have laddoos in Delhi here…do visit and feel free to add to the list!

Bon Appetit!


Happy Diwali!

Friday 30 August 2013

Janmashtmi – then and now

Beautifully decked up Gopis (aka galz of the city), gleaming lights spread across temples, the aroma of delicacies being prepared in the kitchen, the festivity in the air, and enjoying it all from his jhoola, our cuties pie Laddoo Gopala, with a flute in his hand and a cherubic smile on his face…

Happy Janmashtmi!

Being born and brought up in Delhi, Janmashtmi has always been a big affair for me. I have lost track of the time since when have I been fasting every Janmashtmi. As a kid, my house was near the famous Birla Mandir of Delhi. Every Janmashtmi, I used to be up and ready in my new clothes, pestering papa to take me to temple. At that age, more than the bhajans and puja, I used to look forward to the lovely Jhoolas right outside the temple. Birla Mandir used to have some amazing moving Jhankis, one of their kind at that time. Many TV channels and thousands of devotees used to flock the temple garden to catch a glimpse.

 Post examining each Jhanki & enjoying the yummy Prasad came the best part – the Jhoolas and the fair outside the temple! With a twinkle in my eyes I would rush to each jhoola. I was super greedy about the Giant wheel and loved the butterfly in the stomach feel whenever the jhoola came down at a great speed. Every circle meant waiving to Papa, who would patiently wait downstairs, lovingly watching his bundle of joy enjoying the ride! I had to be forced to return home where mom would be busy preparing delicious food!

We shifted to the new house & the joy of jhoolas and temple jhankis was replaced by our very own jhanki! Me and my friends would spend the whole day creating jhanki out of household stuff. Blue surf detergent used to create river, toys to create villagers…the jhanki would be complete with a small boy & girl dressed as Radha and Krishna. As neighbourhood aunties flocked to our jhankis & appreciated our creativity, we would swell up with pride at our labour of love! Some generous aunty would sponsor the Prasad which was distributed after the midnight pooja.

Those were the days…

And now…amidst the hustle bustle of the city swelling with new inhabitants everyday, the charm of Janmashtmi has reduced to watching live coverage from temples on TV. Grandmother’s bhajans have been replaced by “Radha on the dance floor”. But I’m glad the charm of the festival remains, albeit with a modern twist (oops remix) to it!

Once or twice, we tried going to the good old Birla Mandir & Iskcon temple, but the swarm of people overcrowding the temple premises left me feeling claustrophobic. The delicious preparations are still made, just that they are now prepared by me and my mom in law. With frequent security threats, the common man now fears to venture out in crowded places on such days. Even the local Gopis feel unsafe with many a Kansas hovering around the city!

As I look at Lord Krishna enjoying his maakhan mishri , I wonder and say “Is this your Gokul?” where the Kansas have outnumbered the Krishnas

The Gopi inside sings a silent song –

Kansa bharey chaaron or (Kansas hovering around everywhere),
Kare humein pareshan, machayein shor (Troubling us),
Chalao Sudarshan bachao humein, lao chain chaaron or (Use ur Sudarshan wheel and save us),
Coz this Gopi wants a safe city once more!


Tuesday 23 October 2012

Streetfood fest@ Sitaram Bazaar

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I just love October…the soft chill in the air, festivity, colors, sparkle, joy, excitement, shopping and my favorite…food! Delhites need an excuse to satiate their taste buds with the yummiest treats the city has to offer. Since I am not much into fasting, navratras for me are nine days of sheer gastronomical paradise. I get to savor the best of vrat (hindi word for fasting) and non vrat food. From the bhog at Durga Puja pandals to the specially designed navratra thalis at restaurants, it’s my yearly ritual to have them all. 

One event I really look forward to every year is the baadaa at Sitaram Bazaar, Old Delhi. Sitaram bazaar is Old Delhi’s chaat capital and when they come up with something special, it’s a must have. I first went there 4 years ago and since then there has been no looking back.

Baadaa is a midnight food festival (mela) organized during navratras and goes on till Dussehra. Nine days of festivities, late night melas and lot of joy. Sitaram Bazar, during the day is swarming with people. However, for the baadaa, shops close early and makeshift food counters are setup. 

The moment I stepped out of the Chawri Bazzar, the glitter, lights and the aroma of delhi’s delicacies surrounded me. Wow! I couldn’t wait to get started!

Chawri Bazar Metro Station


In front of Sitaram Bazar







The lights!

Making our way through the crowded lane and the umpteen rickshaws, we first reached New Ashoka sweets. An otherwise famous shop of Sitaram Bazaar, they serve special delicaies for navratras. All shops serve 100% vegetarian food and most will also dole out dishes you can have while fasting. In fact, I was surprised to see every second counter serving vegetarian seekh kebabs.  The shop was crowded as if it was serving food for free. The 20 min wait for my order was a torture as I could see (and worse, smell the amazing aroma) the delicacies people enjoyed and my mouth watered and watered. But the wait was worth it. Kebabs made of cottage cheese, served in spicy gravy, served with onion lacchha (salad) and rumaali rotis, made to perfection. I was amazed how, despite the mad rush, the order taker made no mistakes in delivery while the rumali roti guy dished out roti after roti within minutes. 


People waiting for their order

Veg Kathi kebabs

The rumali roti expert


Rumali Roti

Veg Kathi Kebab with Rumali roti & onion lachha

Next in line was aloo paneer tikki…flattened balls of potato and cottage cheese, spiced up and shallow fried till crispy. Tikkis have to be cooked on the right flame for the right time else the result gets messed up. Maybe thats why, people didnt seem that patient to wait and the stall was relatively less crowded. But patience pays.The guy served the tikkis with generous helpings of tamarind and mint chutney and … My mouth still waters as I write. Crispy, hot, spiced up, with dash of chutneys, I loved the tikkis.

Aloo tikki and chaat

I had heard so much about Kanji vadas from my mother in law, so the moment I spotted the cart selling them; I was after my hubby to try them out. Kanji vadas are pakodas (fritters) served soaked in spicy water (kanji) and is a must try whenever u come to Delhi. The pakodas could have been softer and fresh but the spicy water made up up for them.

Kanji vada

Once a week, I have a date with Chhole Kulchey, but the ones I had here were very different than the others. In a hurry, the guy, just sprinkled lots of masala on the chholey and sprinkled lemon juice without bothering to mix it up. But, voila, what a treat it was! Every bite a super spicy affair! My eyes were watery (tears of gastronomical joy!) and I was loving it.

Chhole Kulche

I also tried the moong dal chilla, pancakes made of moong dal, stuffed with coriander, cottage cheese and served with chutney. Didn’t find much difference between them and the usual stuff I get to eat at every second wedding.

Moong dal chilla











People waiting for their chilla

Right next to the chilla counter stood Om prakash Kulfi waala. The ice creams at Sitaram Bazzar are prepared in unique manually operated ice cream makers in front of your eyes, from real fruits, no added flavors. You won’t get this stuff anywhere else. A must try. I tried the mango and pomegranate ice cream and they just melted in my mouth! One of the best ice creams I ever had.

Kulfi cart

Manual ice cream machine


Mango ice cream











Pomegranate ice cream

I was about to leave when I spotted this cart with nankhatai. At Rs 20 for 100g, I got the freshest, warmest and softest nankhatais that only Old delhi can offer. I quickly gobbled few and got some packed for my tid bit treats at home.


Nankhatais

It was time to leave. The crowd was growing every minute and I was told this would be so till 1-2 at night. The liveliness was infectious and I didn’t want to leave. I filled the aroma one last time and hurried to grab the metro…

Some more pics from the fest...


Balloon seller

Masks popular with kids during Dussehra


Masks, bow and arrows 


Servers in traditional attire

Rickshaw carrying water jugs back from shops

   










Chuski shop

The joy of eating


Outside New Delhi Railway Station