A khatta-meetha take on life around me through my presbiopic eyes!
We have had the privilege of spending over 4 years in the beautiful state of Assam. The Kaziranga sanctuary is home to the one-horned rhino. Do not miss a trip to see this place if you do visit the state.
Other smaller sanctuaries also provide a home to this protected species.
The Orang sanctuary near Tezpur is one such. We had visited the place long ago in 1993 and had a hair raising but unforgettable experience.
Read about it here.
Ciao,
Archana
It is very heartening to know that our ads are making a mark at international ad forums. The ‘Happy Dent’ ad is said to have caused quite a stir a recent advertising award ceremony.
A supplement of the Economic Times has a very interesting section called ‘Best. Bekaar and Bewildered’. The experts analyse recent ads and put them into respective categories with a brief explaination for us ignorant masses. Do make it a point to check this section- usually on the last page of ‘Brand Equity’ supplement!
Yet, ads seem to coverge on us from every direction- at home- via TV, phones and door to door marketing. Once you leave the house advertisements are everywhere, hoardings, walls, radio, Internet etc etc.
How much do we register and does it really make a difference to our purchase decisions? Only the pundits will know….
My take as a hounded consumer has been selected at 4IW, click here to read on….
Ciao!
Our home seemed to have lost its sweetness over the past two days and all because of me. Of course my admission comes only now and not even medieval torture instruments could have wrung it out of me in the time under discussion here! Anything out of place or a broken glass, or happening without my prior consent meant frowns, grumbles and in some cases a major eruption.
My husband lived in mortal fear of using the wrong towel to wipe cups or the wrong vessel to boil milk for tea. My daughter who normally needed several reminders to make her bed, clear her table or submit her lunch box for cleaning did all these jobs and more before I could even say good morning!
I hurried through the kitchen shouting orders for all at home. Besides my voice the only sounds were of banging vessels and slamming cupboard doors. I drove out for work brakes squealing. The reason for all this upheaval was the missing M.I.P in my life. Before you get visions of any issues with mutual fund Monthly Income Plan certificates let me get the record straight. I am referring to the Most Important Person: namely Shardakka our house help.
You see, she was on leave for a week and the onus of managing house chores fell on me. Naturally this phase coincided with the added work at my office too. You may well ask why did I not appoint a substitute? I hate new people walking all over my kingdom and have proudly declared that she (Shardakka) is not indispensable and ‘I Shall Manage’.
But day 1 itself took its toll and I was at the end of my patience. The garbage collector too disappeared and now I had to deal with overflowing garbage bins in addition to a sink piled high with dirty dishes. Overzealously I decided to clean fans and behind cupboards just to prove my capability. At the second fan itself, I bitterly regretted my decision and could not give up now and risk losing face. You see both my husband and daughter had advised me against this.
Murphy made his presence felt, as friends and relatives chose that weekend to drop by! More work, and everything had to be perfect which meant I was continuously with a backache and a huge list of pending jobs. I really wondered how Shardakka managed to get everything done so fast. That’s when I realized that she got right of way wherever she went in the house. Be it to sweep any room, deal with the wet clothes or vessels in the kitchen. My husband preferred to be out of the house when she went about restoring cleanliness and order every morning or else he had to move of each room the moment he settled down! This is another benefit of daily morning walks, which fitness experts never mention.
By evenings I was thoroughly drained out counting down days when she would be back again. My husband’s standard accusation is that I have never spoken to him as sweetly as I do to Shardakka, one that I hotly deny of course. She is never reprimanded for broken crockery or for unswept corners and cobwebs. Ditto for chopping vegetables instead of julienne or making soft dough for puris!
But don’t take my word for it; ask any self-respecting Indian home manager the state of a home without any help. The reassurance of having this M.I.P is as much as having a hefty bank balance! And don’t be misled by advertisements that make home cleaning or cooking look a breeze. None of us remotely resemble the beauty without a hair out of place when we have to wade through entangled clothes mass in the washing machine or wield the broom!
My backbreaking weeklong efforts paid off in familiarizing my family members with various temperamental cleaning apparatus and cleaning agents! By day 6, I could see the silver lining on the clouds as I almost sang my way through dusting the inexplicably large number of artifacts I had collected over the years. I grudgingly admitted that Shardakka too had family commitments, probably more so than mine. Her husband spent days in drunken stupor and four adult sons shamelessly depended on her. She needed the break and I would get mine the moment she returned to work! I can take on a busy work schedule simply because I can depend on her to manage my home front. I overlooked her shortcomings knowing both of us benefited from this association.
M.I.P./ V.I.P/ Symbiosis, either way, I answered the doorbell with a huge smile on Monday morning at 7 AM sharp only to find Shardakka’s husband saying she would return to work a couple of days later…
Published in Maharashtra Herald on 24 Nov 2007 and at:
http://content.msn.co.in/Contribute/Lifestyle/UCStory1569.htm
Here is an interesting news item that appeared in the Times of India on 02 November 2007, that will gladden many a hearts!
According to a research carried out at the Granada University in Spain, a glass of beer is a better option than water to replace body fluids lost while exercising.
Read details here…
Obviously this need not be taken as a license to go overboard. Remember discretion is the key word.
🙂
The bottom line: exercise if you want to truly enjoy your pint!
Ciao
Archana
First published in Times of India, Pune Westside Plus on 16 Nov 2007
‘Florex India’ held at the Agricultural College grounds from 02-04 November 2007 was a treat for flower lovers. 
The first sight on entering the huge air-conditioned hall was a map of India entirely prepared using exotic flowers. That set the tone for the visual feast in the around 200 stalls. The predominant flowers were Roses – huge long stemmed varieties in twin or multiple shades and each at least double the size of what is commonly available. All these beauties are grown specifically for export with expertise from Netherlands and other countries in specially equipped farms on the outskirts of Pune. Despite the presence of thousands of roses, there was no fragrance at all, probably as they were grown from tissue culture techniques.
Large plate-sized Gerberas were yet another eye-catching presence. Bunches available at local flower vendors paled in comparison to the huge, velvety flowers with multiple rows of petals and double colours.
The Kerala stall had some exclusive flowers. Champagne ginger (of the same family as the ginger we consume) was a unique feature in the entire exhibition. It was rather like pinecones and was used in a table arrangement. Spider Orchids and Coconut Rose on show here again are grown specifically for export. Flamboyant Heliconia in red and yellow or pink and orange, Bird of paradise and different coloured Anthurium left no doubt to the origins of catch line ‘Gods own country’. Tamil Nadu too had a beautiful stall. Carnation and Lilium (both pink and orange) arrangements here silently invited each visitor get him/herself photographed with the blooms. States from the North East too had imposing offerings.
The exhibition attracted participants from Netherlands, Israel, Spain, Belgium, Japan among others. It was an eye-opener to learn that post harvest technology is a field by itself and several products to protect and hasten blooming of buds were on show.
A remarkable feature was that almost none of the flowers were on sale. One could buy the occasional Anthurim plant, Cactii (from the Orissa stall) or Poinsettia but no blooms. What one could buy was a range of saplings, some rare bulbs like Daffodils and Iris. There was a separate enclosure for nurseries where one could buy other plants, plant equipment etc.
The event provided a venue for those in the field to carry out business discussions and was a testimony of India’s strides in floriculture and agri-business. Do make it a point to visit such an exhibition next time around, to get a first hand view of our farmers blooming success.
Today India is poised to make a mark on world stage! Every company worth its salt is itching to enter our markets. Our huge population is suddenly lucrative to boost company bottom lines. Money experts speak of GDP and other gobbledygook terms but all convey a euphoric feeling about the future.
Other than their 12 hours put in at work what are the same millions doing about progress? We are full of ideas about how the authorities must solve civic issues- roads, transport, garbage etc but what do we do? Break traffic rules and indiscriminately throw garbage without a blink of an eyelid. Any person who tries to do the ‘right’ thing is ostracised and ridiculed.
They say adults must set a ‘good’ example for children. With these actions what do we expect our next generation to learn? We ape the west in fashion; food and consumer trends yet conveniently ignore their self-discipline and respect for rules. Indians willingly follow rules when they go abroad then why not here?
Every one is eager to take the government to task with the RTI. However we get our act together before we can demand the government to do its bit. Ask not only what your country does for you but also what you are doing for it. Remember every right involves a duty on our part. We conveniently forget these basics learnt in school the moment we cross the threshold into adulthood.
The race for success must not dilute or erase our social duties. Its time we took some responsibility. Its one thing to talk of social change with a coffee cup in hand but quite a different cup of tea to actually have the guts to go out and take the first steps- alone if need be. Indians are an intelligent hard working lot so why do we find it so difficult to follow rules meant for our safety?
If even a fraction of our teeming millions resolve to make a difference I think we will see an overnight change in our country. True, infrastructure has to improve but till then the existing one has to be used effectively. Practising self-control is a good way to begin.
Can we promise ourselves to follow at least one traffic rule everyday? Is it so difficult? No more excuses. These are our roads. We too have to work to keep them clean and orderly.
Lets help this 60-year-old toddler to run. No more words and token gestures. Let our actions demonstrate our pride for India.
Jai Hind!
One of our biggest festivals,Deepawali!
Wish you all a Very Happy Divali and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
Some may well question my wishing good health..
In today’s mad, fast world, each one of us is in a hurry to reach a goal. What that is may be unclear to some but its there…Just out of reach, always demanding that extra effort..
This leads to stress which affects men, women and children too.
‘Lifestyle’ diseases are accepted as inevitable instead of avoidable.
The body which is to take us to our goal itself gets ignored and abused in the process.
Result: Diabetes, heart problems, neck and back pain.
As we take a festive break this weekend, do spare a moment, reassess where you stand in life, where you want to go.
Are the sacrifices you make worth the end result?
Do resolve to make any necessary lifestyle modifications to stay healthy if you want to enjoy your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
Hence the emphasis on Health.
May Goddess Laxmi and Saraswati shower their blessings on all of us.
Let the this festival of light usher in peace for all Indians!
November has begun. Divali is just a few days away. Most of us would have done some shopping, for the entire family and the home. Gifts too should have been taken care of by now.
However do spare a few minutes for something divine to be made next month.
That’s right, the Christmas cake.
I was lucky enough to have learnt this recipie from the legendary baker, Selvaraj at DSSC Wellington. I can share it with you but later…
Right now, what needs to be done is marination of the dry fruits.
Clean and put together equal proportions of dry fruits- cashew nuts, almonds, manuka (black raisins) and candied orange peel. Some tutti fruti will add to the bulk if you do not wish to add too many nuts. Walnuts are not be added at this stage. Add a cup of rum and one teaspoon of Cinnamon and clove powder for 400 gms of the fruit mixture. Mix all ingredients well.
Place is a glass bottle and leave till December. The nuts absorb the rum and the mixture dries up. Shake the bottle once a day to ensure even spreading of the rum which tends to settle down.
I usually do this in August itself but up to 2 weeks prior to baking is fine.
Do this today itself for a delicious Christmas cake.
Ciao,
Archana
I have come across this story that actually advocates leaving beds unmade!
Yes you read that right…
🙂
Open the link below in a new tab to read the entire write up.
In case any of you has some information on the results of the next stage of research by scientists at the Kingston University mentioned in this article then do drop a note here. This article is dated 18 Jan 2005 but will be welcome news to many…
Ciao
Archana
Divali is just a few days away! Shops are ablaze with colourful lanterns, lights and many new decorations.
Many of us are getting our homes redone.
Some of us have planned to prepare new and old delicacies for the festivities.
Our physio clinics often see a huge increase in ladies with neck pain, shoulder pain or backaches post this extra work load.
Click here for some some basic guidelines to cook in a pain free manner…
Rgds
Archana
