I wish you were here
under the stars
sketching constellations with me. đ â
India
Blind Love
How often we have heard this phrase, “Love is blind”?
In a group of friends, we had a lot of jokes on this expression. Since many of the lads have never been in a relation, so when they see a decent guy with a girl who is beautiful, they say “Love is blind”. đ
For me,
Love is blind, when we don’t care how a person looks or how annoying they are, all we do is Love them unconditionally. đ
Here is a small story I came across,
Few days back in a cold foggy morning, I saw two people sitting next to each other outside the center court of the coffee halt. They look just like some other girl and a boy on this planet. But there was one uncommon thing in those two people sitting together. They were constantly facing towards the bushes, with one hand together. đ They never faced each other.
The air floating around had some good content of water molecules which turned everyone’s breathe to fog. And just like a little kid, I was enjoying my winter smoking that way. đ The place was quiet & I was looking in the same direction where those two people were looking at and waiting for my cup of coffee to come, all of a sudden I heard, “I Love You” from the boy. Within seconds I heard, “I too” from the girl. ⤠That brought a smile to me. đ
Just then my coffee arrived and I was still smiling. Serving the coffee the server asked me, “What’s special sir?”. I replied, “Good to hear the word Love in this cold morning”. He saw me looking into that direction and replied, “They cannot see each other, they are blind. Sir” and he walked back to court.
I still had a smile but with a thought on what love really is! It is not looks, it is a feeling which you never had before. It is a feeling for one another.
On that very day, I realized the true meaning of “Love is blind”. đ
Tweeting: @thebrokenspecss
A Indian Snack – Jhaal Muri/Bhel Puri
Welcome to India,
Here we are on the streets of Mumbai in search of a Indian snack, and also a type of Chaat. It’s called Bhelpuri, often identified with the beaches of Juhu in Mumbai. It is made out of puffed rice, vegetables and a tangy sauce. The recipe has spread to most parts of India where it has been modified to suit local food availability.
The Kolkata Variant of Bhelpuri is called Jhaal Muri. Jhaal Muri (Spicy Puffed Rice) is Bengali cuisine, a dry variant of Bhelpuri and is consumed after garnishing with onions, coriander and lemon juice. I think you are feeling hungry now. đ
Bhelpuri and Jhaal Muri belongs to the food family of chaats, which are salty and spicy snacks sold on carts throughout India. Bhelpuri has a typically Gujarati (Gujarat) balance of sweet, salty, tart and spicy flavors, with different textures as well, including crispy and crunchy from the puffed rice.
Bhelpuri can be served in many ways, but it is usually served in a paper folded in the form of a cone and is consumed using a paper spoon or by the ‘papdi’ which is itself an edible component of the ‘Bhelpuri’. â¤
Jhaal Muri/Bhelpuri can beat the packet of chips which you take for snacks costing nearly same or even less with vibrant taste.
People in UK can try to find ‘Everybody Love Loves the Jhal Muri Express’ ran by Angus Denoon. Angus is bringing the Kolkata street food to your door step. You can search him on twitter @jhalmuriexpress
Shanti Restaurant in Surrey is another place to visit to have some taste of Indian street food. The restaurant has some fabulous dishes in there menu with different style and taste.
People in United States, especially in NYC can reach out ‘Desi Galli’ in Lexington,NY. Desi Galli has many Indian street foods available under one roof. You can try ‘Kathi Rool’ one of the most yummy food on Indian streets. đ
So, plan out for your next weekend with your family and friends to get some taste of Indian street foods nearby you. Hope you Enjoy it đ
Namaste â¤
Children’s Day India
Hi đ
It’s 14th of November, 40 days to go for Christmas and 47 days to New Year but here we are celebrating children’s day in India. It’s a day to honor children. Universal Children’s Day takes place annually on November 20. June 1st is also celebrated as Children’s day in many parts of the world.
Childhood memories are sweetest of all. They can be savored for a lifetime. Children’s day celebration is fun for the little ones but it is important for the parents too. Every parent must understand the importance of the children’s day. Parents should be well aware about the little desires of their angels.
During my school days, November month was very exciting because Children’s day was celebrated in every school of India. Children’s who had performed well in there last year grades used to get prizes from the School Teacher. I was never the one getting those awards or prizes đ I remember many events used to happen that day and the assembly time was increased . In the end, children’s used to get sweets and chocolates. It used to be a very exciting day. đ
The guys who are currently in school needs to enjoy every moment of it. I know you hate school very much but honestly you gonna miss these days when you go to your university. These are the days you should make memories of, rejoice every moment of it with your best friends. Respect your teachers because they are making a sea of students ready for there future.
So, go out and celebrate, enjoy and remember your school days.
After all Children are like precious gems.. đ
Festival of Lights – Diwali
Happy Diwali.. đ
Deepavali.. a Hindu Festival celebrated in autumn every year  with great enthusiasm and happiness in India. The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair.
Diwali is celebrated around the world, particularly in countries with significant populations of Hindu, Jain and Sikh origin. It is celebrated in almost all the Asian countries, parts of Arab’s, Australia, New Zealand and  also in some parts of Africa.
Its celebration include millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples and other buildings. In India, Diya( Oil Lamp) is decorated. Diya’s are available in nearby and are made up of clay. An Indian potter paints earthenware lamps ahead of Diwali.
A Diya placed in temples and used to bless worshipers is referred to as an Aarti. Diya’s adorn every corner of the house on this very auspicious day and add fervor to the festive spirit.Moreover, a Diya also symbolizes knowledge.
Rangoli, a folk art from India can be seen on every doorstep. Rangoli patterns are created on the floor in living rooms or courtyards using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals.
The purpose of Rangoli is decoration, and it is thought to bring good luck. Girls, boys and women’s create Rangoli and other creative patterns on floors, near doors and walkways.
Decorative materials and statue of Goddess Laxmi and Lord Ganesha are brought to home.
The statue are decorated by pushp(flowes) and wore cloths. Later in the evening, during the pooja (prayer ritual) performed to host, honor and worship one or more deities.
Pooja ki thali is used to do Pooja and Aarti.
Statue’s of Lord Ganesha and modern day Diya’s.
Diwali is one of the happiest of holidays in India, with significant preparations. People clean their homes and decorate them for the festivities. Diwali is one of the biggest shopping seasons in India; people buy new clothes for themselves and their families, gifts, appliances, kitchen utensils, small to big ticket items such as cars and gold jewelry. People also buy gifts for family members and friends which typically includes sweets, dry fruits and seasonal specialties depending on regional harvest and customs.
Girls and women go shopping. It is also the period when little kids hear ancient stories, legends, myths and battle between good and evil, light and darkness from their parents and elders. Â Youth and grown ups graduate to helping with lighting and preparing for patakhe (fireworks).
Happiness is in the air, it’s Diwali everywhere, let’s show some love and care.
Wish you all a Happy Diwali, Namaste. đ
Summer 2014
If the summer of 2014 felt unusually warm to you, you were right – at least on a global level. LA Times made it official that Summer 2014 was hottest on record. It was not so in India, surely in the northern part. The Summer has passed very quickly and so do September, I feel like its been just 3 minutes when September started but it is almost over.
Summer is explained very well by by saying it as, summer .. when.. hair gets lighter, skin gets darker, water gets warmer, drinks get colder,music gets louder, nights get longer, life gets better.
For me the end of summer is less depressing because I have no more money to enjoy summer đ . I read this line.. ‘Life is like a flower you have to enjoy its beauty before summer ends’. I read this line when summer was about to start this year.
Leaving you with one of the song from the Band Green Day.
https://soundcloud.com/dullaghan/green-day-wake-me-up-when
Hope you had a wonderful summer and you’re ready to have a blast in the upcoming winter.. đ
India @68
“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.” Â Â Â – Â Â Jawaharlal Nehru, Indiaâs first Prime Minister
August 15, India completes 67 years of Independence.
A claimant to the permanent membership of United Nations Security Council, India has remained steadfast to the principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights. Once perceived as a land of snake charmers and jewel encrusted maharajas, it is now the software capital of the world, the top Asian destination for investment and as OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) put it recently âIndia has probably recently surpassed Japan to be the third largest global economy.”
Its not about the number of years but its about how much we are developing each day.
Viva La India đ
A delicate thread of love – Raksha Bandhan
India is known to the world for its spirituality. Nature is revered and worshiped in all formsâtrees, rivers, animals, grain even tools are all worshiped.
So, why the bond between us humans be left behind. Raksha Bandhan is one such a festival where the bond between a brother and sister is celebrated.
Sisters apply tilak on the foreheads of their brothers as they vow to take care and protect their sisters. A sacred thread is tied on the wrist. A time immemorial ritual and bond is re-ignited.
The festival is celebrated every year on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravan (August).
On the day of rakhi, the pooja ki thali is decorated with a deepak, the sacred rice grains mixed with turmeric and kum kum. With the brother seated in front, the sister both blesses and worships him by circling the holy fir, sprinkling the sacred grains, applying the tilak and then tying the rakhi.
Fire is central to Hindu value system. It symbolizes energy and ever-lasting vigour. The tilak is always applied on the temple, between the eyebrow where the spiritual third eye, the eye of wisdom and knowledge is supposed to be located.
In modern times, rakhi is often tied around the arms of people who actually protect the public today. It is common sight to see women tying rakhi’s on the arms of soldiers.
In recent times the festival is being celebrated by followers of other faith too. Beyond everything, it celebrates the affection between siblings.
There’s no other love like the love for a brother. There’s no other love like the love from a brother..
“Hey, India is no longer the country of Snake Charmers”
Earlier today I was in a conference on web and suddenly a women from the western world asked me “which country I am from?” I replied saying “India”. The very next moment I received a message saying “Its the land of snake charmers, right?”. For a moment I was completely shocked, as how much we have developed in the past 2 decades are not under consideration. There is reason behind it & I want to clarify to the world about our country.
Most of the western countries, including the USA, used to think India of a country with snake charmers and ancient maharajas, where they should visit only for photo opportunities and buying some artifacts. But a couple of years back, we have a US President touring India, who says he is here because he wants to create jobs back in his country. Hasn’t time changed? Or are the people in west are just fooling themselves?
Our surge in the sky of development in the field of science and technology is a clear signal in making world know that India in no more a country of ‘snake charmers‘ which had been portrayed by most of the English writer’s in the past.
We are modern and developed in our own sense of term. The great creates norms and the weaker follows it. We have charted out our own destiny and will continue to do so whatever the odds may arise due to reasons many to count. The ‘Indian-ness’ in our blood will always be there to guide us in all our pursuits of development and progress. We have been able to command and control our destiny and help others to achieve for themselves.
There are a lot of myths about India:
1. “Travelling in India is dangerous” – No No No, We have definitely hit by few terrorists attacks in the pasts but our security system has improved enormously. Specially, the people from abroad are given high security & we welcome you all with respect. “Atithi devo bhava” in Sanskrit, what we call as “The guest is God” in English is the way we treat our Guest.
2.“India is a Country“ – India is not just a country, It a place where many different religion live together without any disputes. It is a country where everyone has right to do anything they want to. Four of the worldâs great religions were born in India â Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism. Today, the vast majority about 82% are Hindus, but with a population of 1.2 billion, that still means that the other religions are well represented. Islam, with 12% of the population, has 144 million followers.
It will be more simple to explain India in the following lines –
When we greet one another, we fold our hands in Namastey because we believe that God resides in the heart of every human being. We come from a nation where we allow a lady of Catholic origin to step aside for a Sikh to be sworn in as Prime Minister to a Muslim President to govern a nation of over 80 percent Hindus. It may also interest you to know that many of the origins to your words come from Sanskrit. For example maatr becomes mother, bhratr becomes brother, giamiti becomes geometry, trikonniti becomes trigonometry. We have 5600 newspapers, magazines in over twenty-one different Languages with a combined readership of over 120 million. We have reached the moon and back, but yet you people still feel that we’ve only reached as far as the Indian rope trick. We are the third largest pool in the word of doctors, engineers and scientists. Maybe your ancestors didn’t tell you that we have the third largest army in the world. And even then, I fold my hands in humility before you because we don’t believe we are above or beneath any individual. And Namastey.. đ