As the Crescent moon of Ramzan shines, one thing I fondly remember is sheer khurma. The more you have the more you want it. You can prepare it with special Ramzan vermicelli available in stores during the festive month .or even ready made Bambino vermicelli. For Blogadda's contest the procedure to make it is all doodled below. Read , eat and enjoy :) Ingredients
Vermicelli--250 gram
Milk--1 litre
Dates--1 cup
Almonds-1 cup
Cashew nuts-1 cup
Kishmish- 1/2cup
Khoya--150 gram
Sugar-- 1/4 cup
Saffron--few strands
Cardamom Green powder--small pinch
Coconut-- 1 cup
Cloves--2
Cardamom green--2
Pistachio-- 6-10 no’s
Please click on the below image for better resolution and to know the step by step procedure:
Click on the image for a better view and ZOOM TO KNOW STEP BY STEP PROCEDURE !
Sheer Khurma!
Topping/Choba
The above images are of real Sheer khurma made by mom On Eid-ul-Fitr(Ramzan).
Can any one behave smart when they face danger? Can you use your brain and think when you are surrounded by robbers? Can any one show valor when they are being tortured by rapists Nine out of ten times , it is tough to show courage when fear fills our heart. During such moments rather than using our own brain it is advisable to inform our near and dear about the situation. Some times even doing that seems a far fetched step , but pressing one button and alerting our parents , friends and getting our location tracked will for sure make us little confident. That's where the Smart Suraksha app comes in to picture.It helps us do the same and we can face the situation with a renewed courage
I wish she had "Smart Suraksha" with her. This is what I thought when I read about this app. Its not just about a particular "woman." I feel every woman or to that matter every man must have this app installed in the mobile. I wish the girl who was molested in Guwahati had this feature in the mobile. Not that she would have fought back the monsters by a single click but she definitely would have gained little courage to face them. I wish all the women who face anti social elements and criminals day in, day out have the facility to use this android app. When the surrounding public behave dumb at least smart apps like these come to our rescue. I think by using this app the frequency of eve teasing cases , robberies ,rapes and other crimes can be reduced. It will come handy to those employees who stay in office till late in the night and travel in cabs. This app will be like a virtual protective shield in their hands. Not that they become super women and fight back using their mobiles but they can stay assured that they are near to their well wishers. Not long back a fellow employee was robbed by an auto rickshaw driver . She was beaten up and her belongings , wallet , ATM card and every thing was seized and she was pushed out of the auto in an area far flunged from office. She was clueless and helpless. Other than crying and shouting out her plight to those who approached her after the robbery she could do nothing else. If only she had a smart app she would have tried to inform people by using it. People who are bullied every day, people who get ragged in a vulgar way, people who work in unsafe areas and get scared to travel back home. I wish each and every one install the smart suraksha app on their mobiles and stay safe. May be just may be the crime rate will be reduced when one starts using this app. This is my wishful thinking and I am praying my wish gets fulfilled. Of course the thing which I am not sure of is, will people get time to even grab their mobiles ? Every one has to be quick and witty to at least click the button! I wish suraksha app becomes available on IOS too :) Lastly a poem written by me for everyone. "If only people were smarter than the apps. If only every one had the courage to face the mobs. If only wits , actions and bravery over powered the fear. If only we had super powers we would have saved a tear. If only every one was loved , protected and fathered. If only instead of an app a fellow human being bothered!"
Note from "blogadda": The Smart Suraksha App is an Android Application that aims at making the women feel safe. This App, at the press of a single button, sends your message of help to five pre-chosen contacts from your contact list. An additional feature of this app is that along with your message for help, it also sends across your location even if the GPS on your cellphone is switched off. Thus, the women can be reassured that there is help available at all times.
Distant hill tops always look smooth and shiny. When you actually climb them you become sad and whiny. You wish to see your destination so soon. From where you stand beautiful is the moon! To see and meet the God is not an easy task. It is equally difficult to see the face behind the mask. It takes time to realize ,what you have is a curse or a boon. At times it is important to bluff yourself and act like a toon! Not every one can understand you or your intentions. Not needed that you will always have the right premonitions. Human craft is the work of god but not the way it functions. When in doubt don't take the support of assumptions! The priorities in life keep changing with every bend and a turn. When you are unsure wait for the moment to pass and do not run. Preserve your "trust" for the selected few and do not distribute it to all. If you are taken for granted try to be strong and do not wait for a pal! Gone are the days when people spoke in a respectable manner. Welcome to the era of confusion and the selfish demenour. It is tough to blend with every one and wear a smile. It is tough to meticulously plan a counter attack or a wile!
The calculations you do will never be equal to others' equations. For the equations others frame you can never find the solutions. For complex problems, theorems and axioms there is no dearth. This is the fact you have to live with from birth till death.
It is the year 3210. The epidemic is spreading quickly. After the fifteenth world war it has become tough to see hope and happiness on earth. Mayan's prediction finally is coming true. It sure looks like life on earth is about to end not due to natural calamities but due to the deeds of the earthlings, to be precise of humans. Rapists are still roaming freely on streets. Terrorists are still flourishing. Corruption is still prevalent and crimes are rampant. Killing each other for power , money and jealousy has become very common. Law and order has gone to dogs. People have lost control. Every one started taking law in to their own hands."The crusaders" started fighting and killing unconditionally to become powerful. "The governmentalists" tried and failed in peacemaking. They appointed a special squad with the name "The greyhounds" to deal with the crusaders. Greyhounds could curb the destruction by putting a check on the pursuits of crusaders but they couldn't totally eradicate them. Unfortunately many supported crusaders as they lured them with temporary perks and wealth. People lost hope on government and started following the path of crusaders. On one dull afternoon Jacob the astronomer who works at UK SETI Research Network was having a late lunch after some brain storming on how to track the extra terrestrial signals. As he was angry and frustrated at work he took a large bite of the hot dog to quickly finish the lunch, when he heard some disturbance in transmission in the near by machine. When he walked to the desk he realized that its not a normal disturbance. He could hear voices more like grunts and groans in the machine. When he adjusted the signal he realized that aliens were trying to send some messages. The translator in the machine read the messages. "Hi. We are calling from space shuttle MARSTRO20. We come from Mars." It was the text on the computer after translation. Jacob typed, "Hello. What do you want from us ? Where are you actually?" Alien : "My name is Juper. We are right now nearing the earth. We should be there in an hour or two provided your aerial traffic is clear. We have a proposal for you." Jacob: "What proposal is it?" Juper: "We need man power , resources and knowledge from earth to establish our planet. In return we can provide you advanced technology , weapons and battleships. We know that you are fighting against the crusaders. We can help you if you can help us." Jacob: "But if you have access to advanced technology why don't you do it yourself?" Juper : "Because we are very less in number. We can make space ships , advanced weapons, battle ships but not able to organize things in our planet. For that we need your help. We heard that the organisational skills of earthlings are commendable. We need some of your resources till the initial set up is over. If I say in the earth-slang we need technical support. Of course you will be trained in our technologies. We will give knowledge transition about our machines, way of life,so on so forth.We would love to learn the languages of Earth and the way a government is formed and all that. In return we will lend our warships and weapons to you to fight against the crusaders." Jacob was tempted by the offer but he was not very sure why the aliens were so confident that they should get help from them. Some thing seemed fishy to him. What if aliens are bluffing and want to occupy the earth! Jacob was lost in thoughts when Juper spoke up as if he was reading Jacob's brain. Juper: "We are not here to cheat you. Unlike you people our brains are corruption free. We never had wars and never really used our battle ships. I just want to take the "good learning" from the earth back to Mars with us." He replied startling Jacob. Juper's wisdom silenced Jacob but he still had his doubts and was not able to trust the aliens. There was a booming sound in the near by cricket stadium which halted Jacob's stream of thoughts. No one on the roads bothered about the sound due to the ongoing war. Jacob went to stadium along with his higher authorities to receive the aliens.
Juper and his fellas getting down the space ship. Image source :"here"
After a day long discussion Jacob and his bosses, co- workers , the grey hounds and govern-mentalists came to conclusion that this is the best option they have to eradicate crusaders. They brainstormed and prepared a war strategy. The war between Crusaders and the Aliens & Greyhounds lasted for about a fortnight. By the end of it Greyhounds tasted the victory. Crusaders tasted the wrath of the advanced weapons and didn't struggle much to continue the battle. Peace was restored again on earth. Aliens or rather Martians were honored by the Queen and the U.K. Prime Minister. A grand party was thrown to celebrate the success. However Martians didn't relish the lavish food spread. Juper: "We only have the Mother tree from where we get food. We bought some food with us in the space ship." Jacob: "Awesome man. I cannot wait to visit your planet!" Replied Jacob in an overexcited tone. By the next dawn Jacob and the team which included Charlie, Mary , Robin and few others boarded the space shuttle along with all other Martians. They got all the food supplies , water and all other essentialities packed for 3-5 months. As the earth was springing back to life Jacob and team zoomed in to the skies to help the Martians. In a week's time they reached Mars. The team from earth was spell bounded by Mars's beauty! The two asteroid shaped moons of the Mars adorned the sky and the sight was gorgeous. The team was given special armors to be worn on top of their space suits to stay safe on the Mars. The land was mostly barren other than the mother tree and few shrubs here and there.
Man on the Mars. Jacob exploring the Mars. Image source:"here"
All together there were 150 Martians residing on the planet. The number was too small for such a huge planet. Unless until you keenly observe you won't be able to see life on the planet.Mary and Robin joked that they can start real estate business on Mars and buy and sell lands. Mother tree acted as a house to many strange birds and animals. Each insect was the size of a sparrow. Charlie joked that MARS-quitoes are very strong and they might need 5litre blood on an average. Thankfully they had the protective armor given by Juper and Co which acted as a shield to marsquitoes and other strange insects and birds. It still was stifling due to the new atmosphere. The gravity of Mars is 62% of the earth. Walking is not that easy but with the special boots provided by Martians , the Terrans(Earthlings) could walk smoothly!
Jacob and team crossing the Mother tree. To their right you can see the huge Mars-quitoe and the space ship which just landed. You can also see the distantly visible earth in the sky. Click on the image for a better view!
Originally published at "Half Baked Voices Blog" Please leave your comments on the link above! Getting
clicked at the Pangong Lake is in my wish list. Bollywood does impact our wishes
and desires. After Ladakh is shown in many movies like 3 idiots and Jab tak hai
jaan I started loving it more. Not that I liked Jab tak hai Jaan but the part
of the movie shot in Ladakh was a delight to eyes. The pristine blue water is a
rare vision in India. The lake is heavenly and huge. It extends from India to
Tibet. Ladakh means “land of high
passes.” It is in the state of Jammu and Kashmir inhabited by Indo-Aryans and
Tibetans. Leh is the largest town of Ladakh.
Reaching Ladakh via road is challenging. People who go on a trek to
Ladakh carry heavy luggage which comprises of huge canvas tents and collapsible string beds as well. Trekking
to Ladakh is the most adventurous trip in India. People residing in Delhi and
nearby areas travel to Ladakh even on bikes. The journey is naturally
challenging due to dangerous and slippery narrow roads flanked by ice chunks on
the sides, reckless driving by many due to steep lanes and foggy vision but if
you go by bike you may get a chance to find unexplored hamlets and people. For
instance my friend went on a bike along with a group and they could stop where
ever they wanted to and explored many new places. People frequently suffer from
illness due to acute mountain sickness. I have experienced it during my trip to
Rohtang Pass. The same highway connects to Leh. It starts from Manali. Other
than the Manali-Leh highway two other roads which connect Ladakh are Zoji-La
Pass and Kargil route from Srinagar in the Kashmir Valley. The below pic is
taken by my friend who went from Srinagar to Ladakh along with fellow bikers.
It was clicked on the way.
They had faced many challenges during the
journey due to bad roads, flat tyres and mountain sickness but they made it to
Ladakh. The sense of accomplishment which one experiences on reaching Ladakh
can’t be explained in words. It’s more special when you travel all by yourself
on road. If you take the road from Srinagar you get a chance to visit dal-lake,
Kargil and many more beautiful places which you would have seen in TV all the
time. In peek winters the roads get
closed due to heavy snow fall. Khardong-La
Pass to Nubra valley has an alternate day schedule. It is closed on Mondays and
it usually gets closed by snow for several days in winter and spring. Nubra
valley is to the north east of Ladakh valley. We were told by our driver that
even in Rohtang pass snow falls up to a height of five feet from the ground
level in winter. Biking surely rushes the adrenaline and the trip becomes more
exciting. Bikers can explore many areas leisurely. For instance my friend
visited a village called Gondla and had to stay in a hospital as there were no
hotels or rooms to stay! They interacted a lot with villagers and made friends.
The above image is of a gorgeous girl from
Gondla village!
I am listing down few things which one has
to do during their trip to Ladakh:
Don’t miss visiting
the monasteries of Shey, Hemis, Alchi, Thikse and Lamayuru and many more. A
visit to monastery is always peaceful.
White water rafting
and trekking are the major adventurous activities.
Watching the sunset at
Nubra valley feels divine.
Drass war memorial in
Kargil is a must visit. After all saluting our jawans should be in our to-do
list. It will surely be a heart-warming experience and a moment of great pride!
There are many lakes
other than Pangong Lake.
Tso Moriri is one
such heavenly lake!
There are many valleys and highest passes to trek in Ladakh.
Each spot in Ladakh looks like God made it with high concentration and
precision. Divinely places are tough to reach but once you reach them you
forget your hardships!
The trip will surely make you experience
another dimension of Mother Nature. At the same time you will also realise that
it is intertwined with many challenges.
Altitude sickness, frost bites and getting migraines is common. You will
learn patience and co-operation during such strenuous trips. While climbing to
Khardungla top my friend’s palms were frozen. A local Nepali boy helped him to recover and offered him tea and biscuits free of cost. Hospitability is
something you can experience only when you travel to such places. Even at Drass
when their bikes broke down an army unit offered juice, biscuits, jalebi and
even invited them to stay there. Great
travels always give you great experiences!
Nina Davuluri is a house hold name now. More than her Miss America 2014 title it's the twitter which made her victory more special. She is the first Indian to be crowned Miss America. Nina tasted the victory just after September 11th which in the history of America , is a sad day. To that matter it is a sad day for all of us. Few ignorant folks imagined that she is an Arab , a terrorist or a member of Al-Qaeeda and got offended by her victory in the beauty pageant . The hate tweets followed like below.
How ever Nina didn't flinch. She says that she’s grown up with so many stereotypes about her culture that she just knew that it was something that she needed to advocate for. Even if she was slammed by tweeple it didn't effect her much. Few nincompoops can't take her title away. She sure made us all proud but the fact which I felt funny is few Indians raising their voices against the ignorant Americans. The same Indians who always stereotype others by what they wear , what they eat or how they look. We get united when we have to fight the foreigners but in our own country we have many stereotypical images strongly imprinted in our brains.
Every one who hails from North East is a chinki. If you are from Saawth you have to be dusky / black with a flat nose coz Dravidians were believed to be short , stout , dark with flat nose where as Aryans who are descendants of the Northies are supposed to be tall , fair and beautiful. I myself have faced this question in college , office , in the neighborhood and every where. Are you a Punjabi? Are you from North ? The only reason is I am fair/ white. When I say that I am from Andhra Pradesh people stare at me due to two reasons. One is my complexion and the other is my fluent Telugu. I am a Muslim and it is a norm to not understand Telugu and speak a broken language as per few ignorant souls who surround me! I am "used to" these kind of questions. If you are from Saawth you are a Madrasi. If you are from North you are mostly a Punjabi. It doesn't matter if you are from Mumbai , Bhubhaneswar or Goa. They all come under North in the customized maps hanging on the hazy walls of many fellow Indians. Their visions are blurred by their ignorance which is a pain in others asses!
There are many more age old beliefs people have which if I discuss here it may become a sensitive topic. One example I can give here is about Indian marriages. Various places have various cultures. Ultimately every one is getting married to start a new life. I was asked many times by many puzzled Indians that if mother in law is tying kalipoth (an ornament worn as part of the wedding ritual) then how will that marriage hold good ? Seriously other than giving a "I pity you" look I can do nothing when I am asked these questions! In a land of diversities it is a very common scenario to come across a bunch of people who believe that their traditions are sensible and everyone else's are weird! I love exploring and understanding others traditions. Different beliefs and rituals never cease to amuse me and my smile broadens when ever borders vanish during marriages. I enjoy attending a inter religious or an inter-regional wedding but I can never say , "Oh ! You do this like that. Will that hold good?" Gosh! I sound XS- Xtra stupid even when I type it here :)
A country where fair is considered as beautiful and dark is considered beautiful only when it is a mole that shines on the fair skin it is astounding to see the way every one supported Nina Davuluri. Had she not won the Miss America title she would have been pitied by fellow aunties and uncles that a little fair complexion would have helped her. I have a strong feeling that she would have faced such comments in her life. Nina Davuluri smashed all the stereotypes and won the title of Miss America 2014 which anyway will not change the attitude of many towards black / dark complexion and the practice of stereotyping a person by his appearance.
Nandita Das is running a "Dark is beautiful" campaign to imbibe sense in to people. We have to wait and see how much change this campaign will bring!
From centuries the fairness cream ads are ruling the TV where a girl uses the cream , becomes fair in ten days and wins the Miss India title. The above campaign is also protesting against the un-fair ads.
I hope people like Nina Davuluri should act in an ad and show it to people that it's not just the complexion which helps one to win the crown. The other skills do matter. 24 year old Nina Davuluri is from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh and I felt glad to see that she is born on April 20. No I am not stereotyping that all Aprilites are witty and charming ;)
Almost
every Indian who has access to media and cricket would know the declaration by
many die-hard fans that, “Cricket is their religion and Sachin is their God.”
There is no denial here. The three things which always
flourish in India are religion, Cricket and movies. Of course weddings can also
be added to the list. Be it legendary players like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil dev,
Mahendra singh Dhoni , Rahul Dravid or the master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, people worship all of them.
Even if hockey is our national game its cricket which strikes chord with the
nation. People celebrate if the team wins and don’t mind using profanities and
burning the effigies of their favourite players if the team loses. Our country
is obsessed with their cricket stars and celebrities. The coca cola caption works for most of us in
India which is – Eat Cricket, sleep cricket. Drink only Coca Cola.
Not
long back, when I was in high school I remember my dad pasting the newspaper
cut out on the cupboard. At first I thought it must be something related to
office. Later I realised it is the time table of the test match series of that season. I was surprised seeing how much my dad adored the game. The love for
game was contagious at home. My mom who doesn’t know the C of the Cricket
started learning the match. She understood what it means by no ball, run-out,
clean bowled and many more things. We also understood what it means by body
line bowling and match fixing. Our hearts always race when India plays with
Pakistan. I still remember the news program where Kapil Dev shed tears like a
baby when he was accused of match fixing. Anything related to cricket is hot
shot news and sells not for days or months but for years and centuries
including Sreesanth’s controversies !
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