CASUALS FOR KUKU ( First Post this Year, with 'CASUAL' Card for Kuku on his Birthday)

Hey Peeps!!!!!! I'm back with my first posting for this New Year........ Hurray!!!!!!! It's 2010!!!!!!!!!

I hope to see a better year...... free of sorrows & tears..... free of pain....... free of fear ...be it any sort..... Just let yourself free mentally & give way to happiness & joy to make its place in your lives.....

I loved the recent Ad I watched on TV.... based on Indo Pak relation..... (The AMAN KI ASHA - INDO PAK PEACE PROJECT) ..... It was so simple in its make & understanding..... There was only one basic thing to it...... EMOTIONS!!!! And the main base for it is TRANSPARENCY (BE GENUINE.......) Emotions are basically so simple & common across the world..... We make them complicated.....
BE TRANSPARENT...... EMOTIONS WOULD BE CLEAR...... Be it love or anger........

Do not make them so complicated, that you, just see yourself stuck in those tangles & knots..... finding it difficult to make YOUR way to LOVE & in turn making it difficult, for LOVE to make its way TO YOU........ When you realize the wrong you have done, put in all the efforts to not repeat them..... You say SORRY & continue doing the same... no use..... no meaning......

Let us all, let our emotions fly like doves, free & peaceful, around us...... Keeping fingers crossed!!!!!!

By the end of the year my cousin sis in-law flew down to India from UK, & I had to see her at my mom's place...... but could not.... again because of my health..... Later, when I went to my mom, mom gave me the goodies that she left for me...... COOKIES..... Yummy ones.... She had missed my brother's wedding & gave his wifey a jewelery box, which was splendid..... Beautiful & elegant in its own way.... I have no pic of that.....sorry!!!!! But here are the cookies, for u too.........

My New Year eve was boring & sad..... because of my health issues...... But thought would do something or at least prepare something interesting for my hubby...... My Badimaa/ Doddamma called, & asked me to have an early dinner, by evening, because of some bad effects of my stars & the eclipse that was to happen.... Hmmmm..... There we dropped the idea of making the eve interesting....

It never happens that she advices me often or in turn I follow all that she says..... When she was worried & concerned about me & my health, I thought why not I show her, that I cared for her, too..... What she expected was not something out of the world or something that I could not do..... Hence I did with my meals as she said & gave Kuku a usual but late dinner..... Kuku, is bad with his hunger pangs..... Thought why trouble him, with me & my screwed up stars......?????? So that was our New Year Eve.....

But the next day...... I wore my apron to give him a better or best lunch......& I did...... Nothing different, but our usual, that we love............. He was FULLLLLLL...... KHUSHHHHHHH...... He savored the meal with much appreciation & content...... I was happy seeing him happy.....

It is only with him, that I can be what I am, totally transparent, no covers, no pretenses..... HE IS ALL THAT I HAVE..... I THANK GOD FOR blessing ME, with HIM...... But sometimes I see myself failing him too, when I tend to stretch too much.... It is always better to make ONE HAPPY, than DISAPPOINTING them ALL....... I'll remember that..... forever.....!!!!!

When we begin with the new year & its celebrations...... my celebrations kick starts too...... Because 4th of Jan, is my Kuku's Birthday...... The auspicious day of Kuku's birth... The day God sent him for me, on this earth.... Sad that he had to wait for me, for two years..... And then, we both had to wait for 17 years, JAB WE finally MET.... We were both in college, that too different ones .....

Now when I sit back to think, I miss all those days, that we were away from each other.... those cute child like & childish moments that we spent .... those games we played as kids, those fights we fought, those laughs we laughed, those tears we wiped with our hands..... all alone, those growing up issues, those Crush we felt or experienced..... when we were ALREADY DESTINED to LOVE & LIVE for EACH OTHER..... I MISS KUKU in ALL THOSE MOMENTS........... Ooooooooops!!!!

I go nuts, thinking about how would it have been...... Anyways, now I try all that I can, to make up for all those days that I was away from him........ I even feel that at the time of my death... I would still feel, that I have not loved him enough............ Crazy!!!!!! In its true sense....literally....kuku..... Hmmmmm......

Coming back to where we stopped, I sat down to make a card for him on his Birthday........ I wondered what I would give him..... I love him in his casual Adidas T's... I wanted to gift him those.... but as usual he owns many & is into Garments himself... So I thought of this.....
JUST FOR HIM......

He loved, what I made for him..... I could feel his happiness..... & was moved too..... I played the birthday tune for him on comp & gave this card to him at 12:00 mid night.... The next day morning we went to temple & had a quiet lunch at home, since we had non veg already for the new year....& did not wanna repeat.... I prepared kheer for him, to celebrate.....

So here I am today, posting all these kiss-happenings in my life...till this day of the new year...... & looking forward to many more.....

BLOGFARES!!!!!!!!

This new year also got me few appreciations from my blogger friends..... Which I would love to flaunt here........... & of course take this opportunity to thank them for their kind gesture, too.........

I would like to thank For the Gourmet Delights or auxdelicesdesgourmets for passing on this conspicuous TOFA.....

& would also thank Aruna Manikandan for sharing this cute & lovable award with me.....

THANK YOU BOTH!!!!!!

With lots & lots of love & joy, Until we meet Next...... KEEP THE FAITH!!!!!!

PRE & POST DIWALI..........

I'm sorry for not posting anything.... after Diwali.... I was actually relaxing with my hubby.

Looking forward to Diwali.... is the best of all awaiting 's. The excitement it involves in shopping, in preparing for the festival by preparing delicacies, the hope to see your near & dear ones visiting you, the cleaning of every nook & corner of home.... I simply love all this.... And all our talks revolve around the festival of lights....

DIWALI!!!! DIWALI!!!!! DIWALI!!!!! & it's gone past now. Now look forward to the next year. Time flies like .............. I don't know what.........

Our Diwali celebrations were really a joyous occasion. I almost met mt parents & folks everyday for a week... for shopping, for preparing Diwali delicacies, & celebrating the 'D' day. I enjoyed every moment of those. The only sadness was I could not visit my in-laws.... Maa & Papa..... I miss them a lot... Yesterday was the first day of the ARAG (अरग ) of the Chatt festival at my in-laws... & tomorrow the final Arag for the God of the Sun. I love to be there with my family, as it feels good to help around...to be there to see it all.... to visit my sis in-laws... & their cute, naughty kids... I hope & keep my fingers crossed...to be able to make it to Ranchi, for the festival, next year... May God bless me....

The first day of Diwali was the festival at my hubby's place, so it is the festival for us to celebrate... But that day since I had to visit my parents for dinner.... We just performed a quick pooja, where I sang 2-3 bhajans..... lit those diyas & decorated them around my home.... And my maid Jaya & her mom, helped me with decorating the diyas outside... that is on our compound wall & terrace...

That morning my maid applied a simple & neat rangoli, if not an outstanding one, & in the evening she lit the diyas. As it involves all the mess with oil dripping, she helps me out every year with lighting those diyas outside. After that we just burst a few crackers which included sparklers & flower pots... some 3-4 & we left to visit my parents.. We burst a few crackers there, dined together & came back.... tired & just crashed...

Next day was supposed to be a small Diwali for us & bigger one for my parents. But then they were to visit us that day... Since we missed the first day we thought of really making it a celebration at home... We prepared for the pooja in the evening... & even for the dinner.....
My parents came home...I did the cleaning around & decorating & preparing for the pooja...I made small rangoli in a small area & decorated it with a wide mouthed pot, which was in turn decorated with flowers & floating candles & of course my Daadi's (Avva (ಅವ್ವ ) - as I called her) DIYA...an old antique piece....

Evening at about 6:00 pm, we sang full fledged bhajans, with so many in the chorus, it sounded good. Then we lit the diyas around & burst crackers for solid 2 hours..... We were all dead tired of exercising around in the process of bursting crackers... I do not burst any, other than sparklers & flower pots, but I'm tired because of my running around from the sound & crackers... that my brother bursts... Then it was time for dinner... My hubby helped me around in the kitchen... We prepared Pooris, Aloo Gobi Subzi & Rice Kheer. My brother was full on feasting on pooris & alu gobi.... My Maami, Kusum, visited us & she was so happy to be with us during the festival. After that yum dinner, we craved to drink a cup of tea & I offered to prepare tea for them...

After that tiring day, they left to their place & me & Kuku, were totally exhausted & crashed again.... Since my Maami was to leave to Mangalore, the next day, mom prepared chicken at home & we were invited for lunch.... We visited them again for lunch & returned back home, late evening. After we came back, I just lit few diyas around & just sat back to relax & called my Badimaa at Puttur, wished her & had a hearty chat with her.......

Hence we spent this Diwali, visiting, revisiting, calling, friends & family.... I would treasure these moments for the rest of my life.... My only sadness being not able to visit my in-laws.

THUS ENDED THE JOYOUS CELEBRATIONS OF DIWALI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Diwali Dhamaka goes to Purva's event (Indian Festive Food-Diwali Dhamaka)

AN AUSPICIOUS DAY OF MY LIFE................

A day after my birthday fell the festival of Teej. During those days of ill health, I thought celebrating Teej would not be possible for me this time. But I was totally fine & was happy about it. Teej is a festival similar to the karwachauth, celebrated in Punjab. Teej is celebrated at Rajastan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal etc., Since I'm a Biharan now, I get to celebrate this festival.



Teej is a festival for Hindu married women. It usually falls on the third day of Shukla Paksha in Bhadrapada (hindu Month). Normally in the month of August or early September. It is celebrated for marital bliss & the well being of the spouse. And it also paves way to the purification of body & soul. They worship Goddess Parvathi or Gowri. The festival is a day long celebration that combines sumptuous feasts as well as rigid fasting. Married women fast for a day(24 hrs.) without food & water called as the NIRJAL VRITH (निर्जल वृत).

Here in Karnataka the day is celebrated as Gowri Habba. Teej is usually celebrated a day before Ganesh Chathurthi. This time the festival of Teej & Ganesh Chaturdashi fell on the same day. My dodamma said that it was very auspicious that this happened, but in vain. It was very unfortunate for me because usually all these years I would fast on Teej & the very next day was Chauti, when I break my fast that morning. And would attend the Ganesh pooja at my mom's place & devour all the sumptuous Manglorean Delicacies.

My hubby asked me to skip & fast any other day possible, but I did not want to be an exception. When we follow something & do it , we do it whole heartedly. And this fasting was for my Kuku & how could I cheat.

Early morning at 4:00 am, I drank the nimbu paani & start my fast. Maa (Mother in law) prepares kheer too, to start of with the fast. We can eat fruits too. But who has the patience to eat all that early morning. I just drink the paani & go off to sleep. After we wake up late (an exception for the day, so as to not tire ourselves) we start preparing some delicacies & prasad for the pooja to be held in the evening. But this time as both Ganesh & Teej fell on the same day, I had to wake up early & perform a pooja before 10:oo am, as the time after that would be the auspicious time for Ganesh Pooja.

After the pooja at my place, we left to my mom's place to attend the Ganesh pooja.





I just watched everyone eat the yummy prasad & the festive lunch after that. The traditional prasad that is prepared at home is called as "PanchaGajjaya". Would write about it sometime later.



The festive lunch comprised of Mooode (ಕೊಟ್ಟೆ ಅಥವಾ ಕೊಟ್ಟಿಗೆ), ಕಡಲೆ, ಅಲಸಂಡೆ, ಹೀರೆಕಾಯಿ, ಗೇರುಬೀಜ ತ್ಹೊಂಡೆಕೈ ಪಲ್ಲ್ಯಗಳು, ಪಾಯಸ(ಸೀಯಾಣ), ಹೆಸರು ಕಾಳು ಸಾರು, ಹೀರೆಕಾಯಿ ಬಜ್ಜಿ, Chutney, ಅನ್ನ & ತಿಳಿ ಸಾರು. ಭರ್ಜರಿ ಅಲ್ವಾ!!!!!!!







I asked mom to pack up a take away for me which I would devour the following afternoon.





As the day comes to an end & the time is nearing for the pooja in the evening, we beautify ourselves by dressing up like a bride, with all the jewelry, mehendi, alta, new saris etc., We keep all the delicacies & the prasad prepared that day as a serving in the name of God along with fruits & other accessories that adorn a married woman. At about 6:30 - 7:00 pm, we begin the pooja by singing bhajans & aarthis. Then once the pooja concludes, we are or rather I am allowed to drink a glass of nimbu paani again, since my mother in law was lenient enough, when she made me take up the fast, the first time.





Then I go off to sleep & early morning at 5:30 - 6:00 am, we freshen up & perform another pooja & then our husbands feed us the prasad & we feed them too & take their blessings by touching their feet. When I do that my hubby avoids as it tends to become very formal, but I like doing that as I do that once a year with respect & the rest of the days I do it with love (!@##$%^^).
After that I drank a cup of tea & feasted on the pooris & chole masala that my hubby had prepared for me. But after I break the fast, I hardly feel like eating anything, may be because now I know that I can eat anything I want. I slept & relaxed that day as I had to focus on my parents anniversary gifts next, which was on the 26th of August.

All these auspicious days of my life were just behind each other. And I was literally on my toes all these days.

Life mein Kabhi Kabhi!!!!

The only prasad I prepared is called as Nimki (Namkeen). There at Ranchi, my maa in law also prepares Gujiya (padakiya), kheer & some two more delicacies of which I have no idea.

Nimki is very simple, easy & does not exhaust you much.

NIMKI:



Ingredients:

Flour (Maida) - 1 kg
Ajwain Seeds (carom seeds) - 1 tsp
Mangrela (black sesame seeds) - 1 tsp (I store a mix of both)
Oil - 3 cups (to fry) +1 cup (to mix the dough)
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

Mix all these above ingredients (OIL 1 CUP) in a deep wide mouthed vessel. Add enough water to knead a soft & smooth dough. Consistency to prepare rotis.



Keep it aside for sometime say 1/2 an hour.

Then make tennis ball sized balls of the dough & roll it with the help of a rolling pin. Do not roll it very thin. It ought to be a bit thick.





Once flat, cut the rolled dough into one & a half inch strips. Then further cut these strips into 1/2 a cm or a cm wide pieces with the help of a knife.



Transfer these cut pieces onto a plate or a bowl, keep it aside for a 5 minutes to let it dry.



Meanwhile heat the remaining oil in a wok or a deep bottomed vessel.



Once the oil is very hot, add few cut pieces of the nimki, at a time & deep fry till golden brown.

DIVINE RAKHI

Any events celebrating relations is auspicious. And today is the day that celebrates the beautiful & sacred relation, between a brother & a sister.

RAKSHA BHANDHAN is celebrated on the full moon day called as "Rakhi Purnima".



It is the day that sisters celebrate their divine relationship, their Love, with their brothers & pray God to shower His blessings on them. They tie a sacred silk thread around their brothers' wrist & pray to THE ALMIGHTY to strenthen this relationship every moment. They also wish their brother all the happiness that he deserves.

In return, brothers accept their sisters prayers & promise to guard them all their lives & bless them all happiness. And as a token of their love they present them with gifts, in money or kind.

With the change in time & trend, this custom has also gone through many changes.

Earlier it was the emotion behind the celebration. But now it has been commercialised to an extent that, people buy rakhis depending on their standards in society. You have diamond studded rakhis, gold rakhis, silver rakhis etc., etc.,



Earlier sisters or brothers, however far they were, made it a point to reach their siblings on this special day. But now, it becomes impossible to reach their siblings to just celebrate this day. That's THE CHANGE now. Siblings wish over phone, mail or even email. Just mail the rakhi, it reaches their brothers before, on or sometimes even after the auspicious day.



Earlier people knew the feelings & emotions behind this celebration. But these days in schools & colleges, girls have made this a day to earn their pocket money. Just tie a thread around the wrists of the guys, who are inturn running away from these girls, on this day. In return the girls recover their pocket money from them. Where is the DIVINITY that was supposed to be, behind this gesture? Hmmmmmmm......... Where are we heading towards???

All said & done, "Rakhi" is still a much awaited festival; a celebration atleast for those who believe in it.



Wishing One & All " HAPPY RAKHSHA BHANDHAN ". Do celebrate this beautiful day, forgiving eachother. That surely makes us see a bright path ahead of us.