Getting high

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Kaushal's funny lines of the day:
[10:35:47] Desai,K,Kaus: hello?
[10:35:57] Shinde,P,Pav: hi - on a call
[10:36:35] Desai,K,Kaus: i used to get hi when i used to drink a bit too much
[10:36:43] Desai,K,Kaus: never heard of getting hi on a call
[10:37:03] Desai,K,Kaus: besides, it's not socially acceptable
[10:38:09] Shinde,P,Pav: Social casualities are quite commonplace for me these days

Land Ambassador

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I nurture an unflinching love for my beloved motherland; but I’m not to be mistaken for an eccentric flag-waver. Over the last two years of my life that I have lived overseas, I’ve grown to believe that I am an ambassador of Indian culture. As a young independent lady, I feel that I’m an icon of a positive and progressive image of modern India. And unknowingly, it has been my endless endeavour to educate people about ‘India Shining’. To shred the ugly garbs of sati, superstition, dowry and communalism that veil our many achievements.

During each of my escapades to the countryside, I’ve found people talking to me with awe for India. I have been asked queer questions and have been given unexpected compliments. I’m reminded of this one afternoon in May ’07. I was waiting for my friends on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, soaking in Scottish hospitality. A well dressed elderly gentleman walked up to me with a faint, yet welcoming, smile on his face wanting to know which part of the world I belonged to. I had travelled from London where I had been living for the previous 8 months; even so, I said aloud that I was an Indian. I still don’t know if it was my response or the pride that was evident in my voice when I spoke about my nationality that sent him into a brief length of senile silence. Recouping, he asked me various questions and we discussed my opinions on Scottish history, people, tartan and spinning mills and some other related subjects. Since these subjects did not visibly pose any impending threat to international security, I remained vocal about my views.

After we had had a long talk, with an impressed look, he asked me if it was common for young girls in India to travel overseas alone. I tried not to look startled and explained how different India is now and how much freedom we girls get. We went to discuss more about women’s oppression in India and I elucidated the circumstances that existed a few centuries ago, reminding him of witch burning that was widespread in this part of the world and which even had royal sanction. In fact, I’d like to tell you as well, that the beautiful gardens at the foothills of Edinburgh Castle has


... to be continued

Berozgaarie blended with poetry!

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One of my friends pinged me today while I was busy work. I was absolutely tied up, yet, the persistent bugger wouldn’t let me work in peace. Here’s what transpired :


srivastava,G,gaurav,DKL C [12:19]:
       howdy?
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:20]:
       Goody
srivastava,G,gaurav,DKL C [12:20]:
       busy?
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:25]:
       thodi
srivastava,G,gaurav,DKL C [12:25]:
       Ghodi
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:25]:
       lambe race ki
srivastava,G,gaurav,DKL C [12:25]:
       bina shoe lace ki
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:26]:
       aur pencil heel ki
srivastava,G,gaurav,DKL C [12:27]:
       ankhein hain cheel (kite) ki
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:28]:
       tareef ho rahii hai .. bade der ki
srivastava,G,gaurav,DKL C [12:36]:
       so now u know main hoon kitna free
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:38]:
       par kaam hai mujhe abhie bhie bahut saari
srivastava,G,gaurav,DKL C [12:38]:
       uff yeh tumhari roz roz ki beemari
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:56]:
       beemari to lagi hui hai pehele se hi
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:56]:
       shayad 20-Feb-06 se hi
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:57]:
       ilaaj hai iska sadhaaran si hi
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:57]:
       update karo apna CV
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:57]:
       aur daalo ek site par jiska naam hai naukri
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:58]:
       nahii hai vikalp aur koi
Shinde,P,Pavan,ANP1 C [12:59]:
       batao, samajhdaar hai na davai humaari ?

Doomsday Conspiracy

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Arguably, I think the worst time to find a life partner or get into a relationship is soon after a break-up when you are at an all-time emotional low. You struggle to suppress the maelstrom of feelings and the whirlpool of thoughts so that you can pick up the pieces of your life and move on. You fake a smile at your colleagues and associates so that they don’t get a peek into your morose and melancholy life. You lie when you say you’re doing fine but you know in your heart of hearts, that you desperately long to turn the pages. The overbearing void begins to engulf you but you continue your solitary battle against dejection.

It is in such a state of mind that you tend to become vulnerable and manipulatable. Inevitably, you find yourself drawn to the first person who shows you sympathy (whether it is heartfelt of not). Sweet words are what you want hear and a shoulder to, maybe not cry on, but at least to rest your head on is what you need. And no matter who it is, as long as you get to hear sweet expressions of love, your heart will get filled with joy. The once overwhelming vacuum diminishes. So does your abiity to distinguish true from fake. You overlook any signs of imitation; convincing yourself that what you have found is best for you, most true to you.

If, God forbid, the person intends to use you, then you have conveniently let yourself walk into doom’s lair. Giving the reins of your life in the hands of another, you allow yourself to be manoeuvred. Obviously, to not to suit your better interests but to serve someone else’s. After the initial charm wears out and you see the true layers, by the time you return to senses, it might just be too late.

Coming of age

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Off late, I've begun to certify several things as having come of age. I'm not sure if it is actually the object in question or it is purely my perspective that has come of age. Anyhow, the latest to be certified in this category is the Indian advertising fraternity. How exactly they have managed to please me is what I'm about to tell you.

I stumbled upon an Indian commercial today that casts my heartthrob Abhishek Bachchan as a Sarpanch. (For those with limited knowledge of Hindi and/or Indian democracy, a Sarpanch is the head of the local self governance body in rural India.) The ad goes like this: a village is torn apart by riots between rival castes. The Sarpanch restores peace by advocating that everyone be known by their phone number and none by their caste.

I must say that I am quite impressed at the choice of such a sensitive subject. It portrays the contrast between the volatility of caste co-existence and its prevalence in modern and progressive times in a country where even the illiterate and the poor can enjoy the comfort of a cellular phone.

I’m also impressed with the ingenuity with which the ad makers have comfortably maintained political correctness and averted enraging any regional groups. Not sure where I’m coming from? You wouldn’t have noticed it but the accent in which the Sarpanch speaks has a Rajasthani / Haryanvi touch to it. The set and villagers in the ad give you a distant feel of UP / Bihar and the music at the very end of the ad has the distinct Maharashtrian beat. Subtle. Uncontroversial.

Nothing about the ad as such, but I can’t hold myself from complimenting Abhishek for his distinct style which keeps me asking for more. You will notice the soft, yet powerful expression that he gives at the fag end of the ad when the punch line ‘What an idea, sirji’ is spoken – nearly tending to superiority and dominance, I’m sure he means to say, ‘I’m innovation’. And the unshaved look does kill!



You can watch the video on youtube :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp-Zc1X_9_4

Conversations in poetry

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From: Pavan
To: Tanu

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     Chorii…

     Tumhaari P gayi landoon,
     Kiya hai wahan se teliphoon,
     Tumhaari yaad satatii hai
     Par tu call naa uthatii hai :-)

     Phuun kiya tha maine abhie abhie
     Tumne receive na kiya tabhie tabhie
     Gaana sunn rahii hogii Rabbi Rabbi
     Bol ab call karuu kabhie kabhie?


And in response Tanu wrote:

From : Tanu
To : Pavan

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     Sweets phone vibrate mode me tha
     Mainey aaj subeh hi dekha
     Main maangti hoon tumse kshama
     Humsey rooth tum na jaana
     Kya aaj baat karney ka time hoga ???

Ambigram Magic

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Have you ever tried searching for yourself on Google? I just tried today and surprisingly, I found 2 search results that were indeed related to me! There are some comments I’ve put on the Yahoo! Widgets page; that makes up the first search result. But the second is more interesting. Its an ambigram that Rajdeep Paul had made for me years ago; and has posted it on his blog. It was very interesting to find Google tracing me down!

The one in which the laptop gets fixed

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Guess what, my laptop has been fixed now and a few folks have just enjoyed platinum privileges being the first people to know about it .. the motherboard was fixed yesterday and the display is now working fine... I wasn’t able to connect to the internet though .. because there was some problem with the network card ... so I’ve been busy trying to fix it ever since I woke up (and did some basic tasks, of course) .. the fan is blowing on full speed for some Toshiba-alone-knows reason ... I'm now searching for ideas (read recipes) for breakfast.. or brunch, because it’s nearly noon now...



I read a story written by a friend last evening and I must tell you that he’s got a gift. I, on the other hand, am not very good with fiction, so it pleases my ego to believe that I am better off with travelogues. That too, I must confess, I’m very sporadic at. I’m gonna find out what the URL of his blog is because I am not entirely impressed yet



My agenda for today includes, apart from the unavoidable cleaning chores, a trip to the post office to send a bunch of bills on behalf of my friend (who’s busy wooing his girl). Since these bills (of his Munich trip) total a jaw-dropping figure and now that the fate of the reimbursement totally (or, greatly) depends on my making a trip to the post office (and sending the bills in time), he has offered to buy me chocolates. I strongly believe that it is sinful to refuse chocolates and so I have persuaded myself and agreed to this arduous job



While I am enjoying the joy of working from my laptop with the comfort of uninterrupted (by VPN timeout) broadband, my stomach has escalated the request it raised this morning for food. So if you would, please allow me to cater to the needs of my 1500cc tummy which is rumbling a storm now!

Adam-teasing

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TANU : Breaking newz!!! Anoop has colored his hair !!!
PAVAN : Florescent pink like a punk?? Send me a pic !!!
TANU : No it was more of a jaded brown like junk :P
ANOOP : Hehe.. tanu’s been seeing a whole lot changes in me everytime.. Right Tanu ?? Once it was double barrel Moustache :P
PAVAN : Seriously ???? Gosh!! Anoop are you deciding on what looks best on you before you fly to McUSA?? ;-)
ANOOP : Well.. next I’m gonna shave my head and burn a tattoo on my head :P And keep a double barrel moustache. What Say ?
PAVAN : You’re attracting some ‘Adam-teasing’ for yourself ;-)

A song we sang on Radio!

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This is one of my favourite patriotic songs .. composed by Jayashankar Prasad

Courtesy:
http://www.anubhuti-hindi.org/gauravgram/prasad/himadri.htm

My Love Bhavishyavaani

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A light hearted post for a change! I was aimlessly exploring the different applications on Facebook and hopped from one to another till I landed at an interesting one - my Love Bhavishyavaani (fortune in Hindi)! Whether its true or not, time will tell and my partner will testify but reading it was so amusing that it instantly made me feel good :D

Here's what it said:

Profile:

You are very protective about your beloved. You are totally indulgent and like to woo the opposite sex in style. Candle-lit dinners, flower bouquets, mushy greeting cards, chocolates are your weapons of choice. You are a very passionate lover. Pleasure is foremost on your mind. You know how to make your sweetheart feel special. At times you get jealous in your relationships.

Bisibelebhaat

Habbadoota!
Karnataka is the land of recipes of rice. Talk about 'chitranna', 'puliyogare', 'vangibhaat' or or even the candid 'anna-saaru'. You have an 'anna' for every 'habba'! And while we're talking about rice preparations, one cannot afford not mentioning 'Bisibelebhaat'. One of Karnataka's signature dishes, Bisibelebhaat is a favourite with the young and the old. 'Bisi' means hot in kannada; 'bele' means daal and quite explicably, 'bhaat' is rice. An extraordinary combination of spices. Like most traditions, the blending of spices to form the masala used in bisibelebhaat changes from family to family as the secrets of the winning combinations are passed on from mother to daughter. And like you must've guessed, my bisibelebhaat masala comes from my lovely mother. Though, traditionally served on large plantain leaves with 'Kosambari', a lentil salad and some 'Palya', a vegetable side dish, or even 'mosuru', that's yogurt, it goes extremely well with potato crisps, especially Pune's 'Budhani Wafers', an all time hit with my Dad!


Ingredients:
1 cup of rice
1/2 cup of toor daal
1/2 cup of potatoes
1/2 cup of peas
2 tbsp of tamarind pulp
5 tbsp bisibelebhaat masala
1 tsp red chilly powder
2 tbsp ghee


Method:
Boil the toor daal. When nearly done add the potatoes and peas to it.
Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract its pulp.
Cook the rice.
Add the daal, potatoes and peas to the rice.
Mix the bisibelebhaat masala with a little water, stir and add to the rice.
Add the tamarind pulp, the chilly powder and salt to taste.
Serve with ghee.

Pasta

Apparecchia la tavola!

Let's revive our Italiano
Apparecchia la tavola! (literally, set the table): (ah-ppah-re-kee-ah la ta-vo-lah)to prepare the table that will receive yours friends.
Gira il sugo (literally, turn the sauce): (gee-rah il soo-goh) say this when making a sauce which needs to be stirred with a spoon.
Buon appetito (have a good meal): (boo-on app-èt-it-oh) before a dinner with friends say this to the whole company and expect the same answer in return. it is a blessing for the meal to come.
Complimenti alla cuoca (compliments to the cook): (com-plee-men-tee alla coo-oka)after enjoying an excellent meal, say this to compliment your hostess and (female) to demonstrate your appreciation of her efforts. The male version is "com-plee-men-tee al coo-oko".
La specialita' della casa (the restaurant specialty): (le speh-cee-ah-lee-tah della ka-sah) use this expression to ask for the dishes characteristic of the restaurant.
Pizzeria: (pee-zzeh-ree-ah) very common restaurant where you eat the most famous Italian dish, pizza. We especially recommend pizza margherita, pizza quattro stagioni and pizza capricciosa.
Ristorante Italiano (Italian restaurant): (ree-stoh-ran-teh ee-ta-leea-noh) has an elegant atmosphere where one can enjoy typical soups, pastas, gnocchi, risotti and interesting meat and fish dishes, and where every dish is accompanied by the appropriate wine.
Antipasto (the appetizer): (an-tee-pah-stoh)it's an excellent idea to begin the dinner in the best way.
Primo piatto (the first course): (pree-moh peea-ttoh), generally it consists of pasta, soup or rice.
Secondo piatto (the second course): (she-kon-doh peea-ttoh), generally it consists of meat or fish.
Contorno (side dish): (kon-tor-noh)i is the food usually served with second course, and is usually vegetables.
Cena a lume di candela (light candle dinner): (Ce-nah a loo-meh dee can-deh-la) a romantic tête-à-tête with a special person…
Ho una fame da lupi (literally I'm hungry like a wolf): (oh oo-nah fah-meh dah loo-pih)) if you feel especially hungry, say this as a little joke about how hungry you are.
E' una buona forchetta (literally he is a good fork): (éh oo-na boo-oh-na fork-eh-ttah)an expression used to describe a gourmet, someone who enjoys eating well and appreciates high quality dishes.
Sono pieno come un uovo (literally I'm full like an egg): (soh-no pee-eh-no ko-meh un oo-oh-voh) say this when you've just finished eating and you want no more food, as an excuse for not eating anymore. It actually means that you are full, literally, "as full as an egg".
Ho l'acquolina in bocca (my mouth is watering): (hoh lah-ck-ooh-oh-lih-nah in boh-kah) say this when you see a particularly inviting dish.
Pasta al dente: (pas-tah al den-teh)when pasta is well cooked and seems almost hard and dense. This is the best way to eat pasta.

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Ingredients:
2 cups pasta
3 cups water
1 cup milk
3 medium onions, chopped
3 chillies, chopped
450g tomato puree
peas
broccoli
cauliflower
salt to taste
oil for cooking
cheese for garnishing

Method:
Boil the water and milk. Add the pasta and bring to a boil. Continue to boil till the pasta is well cooked.
Meanwhile, pour some oil in a pan. Allow it to heat.
Add the onions and fry.
Add the broccoli, cauliflower and peas. Fry for a few minutes.
Add the tomato puree and stir. Add a pinch of salt.
Add the chopped chillies.
Add the pasta to this sauce and stir well. Allow it to boil.
Add salt to taste.
Buon appetito!

Punch line

Ingredients:

Method:

wash and Boil masoor with 2 kanda and 3 tomato

separate excess water and mash

oil

heat

jeera - fry till colour change

curry leaves

ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp amti powder
1/3 tbsp chilly powder

fry for one sec

add daal to this

turmeric

coriander

1/2 sp cutneypudi

salt

toop

Chole masala

Spicy and hot!!

The other day, I was lunching with my collegue who has never been to India in his entire life and yet knows 'chole', the better known name for chick peas in Hindi. And that made me think how big a small-town dish like chole masala had made it! So, here's to chole! Served with rotis, batures or rice, but necessarily served hot.

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Ingredients:

1 cup chole
4 medium sized white onions, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped (alternatively. tomato puree)
3 potatoes, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard
4-5 curry leaves
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp amchur powder
2 tsp chili powder
salt to taste
oil for cooking
coriander for garnishing
lemon for garnishing


Method:
Soak the chole overnight. Boil for an hour with a bay leaf.
Meanwhile pour some oil into a pan. Allow it to heat.
Add the mustard. When it starts to splutter, add the cumin seeds. Saute.
Add the curry leaves. When it turns crisp, add the bay leaf. Saute.
Add the onions and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the ginger garlic paste.
When the onions are nearly done, add the potatoes and fry.
Add the tomato (or puree) and fry.
Add the masalas (garam masala, chilly powder and amchur powder).
Add the salt to taste. Add water to match the required consistency.
Garnish with coriander leaves and lemon
Savour!!

Misal

Self Torture !!

Ingredients
200g matki
3 medium onions, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
½ tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp kanda-lasoon masala
1 tsp red chilly powder
½ cup water
salt to taste
oil for cooking

Method
Soak the matki overnight.
Drain the water and keep aside for (12+12+12) hrs so that it sprouts.
Boil the matki.
Pour some oil in a non stick pan. Allow it to heat.
Add some ginger-garlic paste. Stir twice.
Add the onions. Fry till it is half done.
Add the potato. Fry till it is half done.
Add the tomato. Fry till it is half done.
Add the kanda-lasoon masala. Follow with the chilly powder. Top up with the garam masala.
Add the matki. Add the salt to taste. If required, add the water till the consistency is satisfactory.
Relish.

Varan

It doesn't get any better than this!

Each day, I suffer the phobia of answering the question 'What shall I cook today?' and each time, Ma comes to my rescue. I still have the emails which she'd sent me in October 2006 explaining how to make Varan. And guess what, it also included tips like when to turn the stove on and off. I still remember one of her mails instucting me, 'Sona, don't eat the cardamom pods - keep them aside while eating'. That's how caring my mother is. And she gives importance to even the minute details!

Serves 4
Time taken 60 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup of toor daal
3 medium white onions, chopped
5 green chillies, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp of jeera
1 tbsp of mustard
4 corns of black pepper
5 curry leaves
1/4 tsp of ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1/4 tsp of garam masala
salt to taste
oil for cooking
coriander for garnishing

Method:
Boil the toor daal till it is soft and nearly melts into the water. This should take around 30 minutes. Once done allow it to cool. Separate the daal from the water. Mash the daal.
Meanwhile, pour oil into a non-stick pan. Allow it to heat.
Add the jeera and mustard. Follow by adding the pepper corns and curry leaves.
Add the chopped onions and chillies. For for about 3 minutes.
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry a little more.
Add the chopped tomatoes. Fry.
Add the mashed daal. Allow it to boil.
Add the turmeric, garam masala and salt to taste.
Add the coriander for garnishing.
Serve piping hot.

Picture unclear. Title unclear.

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Someone mentioned today that the problem with me is not my work or my ethics. The problem is that I do not know what I am going to be doing tomorrow. True. The picture, honestly, is not quite clear to me. But more than that, i was told that I’m not stong. That I don’t always stand for what I believe in. Rather, I don’t believe very strongly in many things. Particularly, those that are related to my life. Strange, that I have very strong and clear pictures and ideas about how the world should be or what other people should do, and yet at that same time a very poor picture about what I should be or what I should do!

I don’t plan my work. I think, I can do with organizing myself a bit. I’m quite loosely held in terms of my tasks for the day. Lets see, this is day 1. From historical data, not sure if I will even see day 2! Its time to go to sleep. Can I wake up at 0540? Well, when I had to write the J2EE certification, I could! I was OK to sleep for 3½ hours that night.

Or maybe it was just a moment of weakess in which I must have appeared to be miserably disorganised. Or, maybe the picture really isn't clear. Damn. Whatever.

The best trip with my best buddies

We spent about a week in Scotland and another in England. It was Christmas/ NewYear's of Dec2007/Jan'08 and my parents were visiting me. Once they landed at LHR, we spent the first day in the suburbs of London just relaxing and giving them a chance to unwind from the 10 hour long flight.


Next, we took a train to Edinburgh reaching there in the morning. We spent the first day enjoying the tour of the castle and the other attractions on the Royal Mile covering everything on foot right down till Hollyrood Castle. We stayed in Edinburgh that night and rented a car the following morning. We drove around to Linlithgow Castle, Doune and Stirling; explored the Trossachs and the Three Lochs Forest, spent some time at Loch Lomond, met Hamish at Callander and stayed the night at Stirling. The following day, we drove via Glencoe to Ben Nevis, Castle Stalker and then followed the A82 by the side of Loch Ness, spending some time at Fort Agustus and then to Inverness where we just crashed for the night. The next morning we shopped at Inverness (it was Boxing day!) and visited Urquhart Castle before starting our drive through the beautiful Cairngorms, to reach at Dunfermline for the night stay. We returned the car the next day and embarked on our journey to London.


Once back in London, we rented a car again to do a series of day trips around London to Cambridge, Windsor, Hampton Court etc. We used the tube and walked around to get to the usual attaractions: Lords stadium, Wimbledon, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, Greenwich, Buckingham Palace, Westminister Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, St. James Park, St. Paul's, etc.


What made this trip the best one was not the beautiful locales were in or the weather, food or culture but the amazing company I had - that of my parents - my most amazing travel buddies from whom I have inherited the travelling bug! 

Edinburgh

0740
After a night journey of 8hrs 40min fron London Victoria, we arrived at the central Bus Station at St. Andrew Square. After some hot coffee and a light refreshments, we locked our haversacks away in the lockers and geared up for the day ahead.

0900
Hmm, the first views of Edinburgh! As we stepped out of the bus terminal, we found then unfamiliarly bright December Sun shining down at us. Telling ourslves that we knew the weather better, we strode toward Princes Street passing by the Royal Bank of Scotland (Incorporated by a Royal Charter, 1727). As we arrived at the intersection of Princes Street, it was difficult to miss the towering Walter Scott Monument or the magnificient Edinburgh Castle. Built in the years between 1841-44, the Scott Monument is a victorian gothic monument in the honour of Scottish author Sir Walter Scott (remember 'Ivanhoe' and 'The Lady of the Lake'?)