Add some tang to your life ! (NaBloPoMo Post #5)

I decided to make Pasta for dinner today. I boiled up some pasta, sautéed some vegetables and then tossed the two together. Finally I added some garnishing. But I was not too happy with the result. It was same old boring pasta with a lot of vegetables in it ! Then I added some of this.

And the result was some yummy tangy tongue tickling pasta ! All it required was some tang to turn a boring pasta dish into something that tasted so divine!
That’s what happens with life isn’t it ! We lead boring routine, predictable lives, and after a while nothing seems fresh and exciting!.Sometimes we need to add tang to our lives by shaking things up a bit! It needn’t be something as drastic as changing your job or going backpacking across the world ! All we need to do is make some simple changes. Here are a few things I do to bring the zing back into my life !
1) Change is always good !
It could be something as simple as changing your hairstyle, revamping your wardrobe, or simply changing the way furniture is arranged in your house.

2) Try something different !
How about going to the see a play instead of catching a movie ! How about trying Mexican or Lebanese food rather than the same old Thai or Chinese that you eat whenever you go out ! Bored of jogging everyday? how about learning pilates instead, or something as simple as swimming for that matter !

3) Learn something new
It could be anything, cooking, pottery, painting, gardening, or learning a new language. Learning something new stimulates the mind and you end up meeting a lot of new and interesting people too !

4) Spontaneity is the spice of life !
Do on-the-spur things. Predictable is boring and spontaneity sure adds spice to life! Do something totally unplanned! Just pick up those car keys and go for a long drive, Pack a overnight bag and just take off for a weekend holiday !

5) Take up a challenge
It could be anything, blogging everyday for a month, taking part in a debate, signing up for a marathon !
So what are you going to do to make your life tangy !

Ladka Bikau Hai ! (NaBloPoMo Post # 4)

So on the way home from work, I was sitting in the cab quietly minding my own business while the guy next to me was regaling everyone else with the marriage proposals he is getting.
“ Ek ladki to Lucknow ki hai, uske father railways mein hain acchi khaasi kamayi hai, doosri delhi mein naukri karti hai, software engineer hai, uski bhi salary achi hai, onsite bhi ja kar aayi hai, paisa to kamaya hoga, ek aur hai jo teacher hai lekin father ki property bahut hai Bareilly mein”
(One girl lives in Lucknow, her dad is in the railways, he must be earning really well, the other girl is a software engineer, she earns well, has been to onsite so must be having quite a bit stashed away, the third one is just a teacher but her dad has a lot of property in Bareilly)
What shocked me was that he was only concerned about the financial status of the Girls family. It was as if he was not talking about marriage but a business deal.Then came the biggest shock, he said
 “Haan Haan shaadi to wahin karenge jahan paisa jyada milenga”
(Ya ya, I am going to marry in the family that gives me the most money)
So finally my feminist self couldn’t take it anymore and I retorted –
“phir to aisa karo ek board laga lo apne ghar ke saamne jis pe likha ho Ladka Bikayu hai !” (So why don’t you just put a board in front of your house that says Boy for Sale!)
But seriously, this guy is an educated software engineer! Isn’t education doing anything to change our mentality?
I wish I had a begging bowl for each and every male out there who thinks like this!

The “Wallahs” of our country! (NaBloPoMo Post #3)

There is one thing in India that we don’t find in any other country. And no, I don’t mean the heat and dust, the pollution or the corruption :) I am talking about the various vendors that roam the streets selling everything under the sun! I call them the “wallahs” of our country, since we simply name them by affixing “wallah” to whatever they are selling! For example doodh-wallah, Sabzi-wallah etc etc. :D
I don’t think we realize it, but they are an indispensable part of our life. Our morning starts with the Doodh-wallah ringing our bell with fresh milk in huge steel vessels or dolchis as they are called. (Well now things are modernized in most parts of the country and these fellows are replaced by the more modern Doodhwallahs who brings our milk in tetra packs along with our eggs and bread). They are followed by the Sabzi-wallahs. They come calling early in the morning bringing fresh vegetables on a thela (cart), loudly proclaiming how red their tomatoes are, how crisp their cabbage is and how fresh their ladyfinger is at the top of their lungs. They are a boon for those of us who rarely have time to go out vegetable shopping during the week and only realize we are in trouble when we start cooking in the morning and realize that we are out of onions or potatoes or ginger! A quick shout to the sabzi wallah and we can buy whatever we want right at our doorstep while still in our pajamas! It’s so much better than getting packaged vegetables from the supermarket. After all buying vegetables loses most of its fun without the bargaining and the supermarket doesn’t give us free dhaniya and mirchi, does it! Once the Sabzi-wallahs leave, the Nariyal-Paniwallah comes to stand just outside the park, strategically placing himself in the path of all the joggers who are bound to be thirsty when they leave the park after their morning exercise! Next comes the Istri-wallah. So convenient to get our clothes ironed! All we have to do is tie them up in a bundle and hand it to the fellow and we get them back stiffly starched and ironed by the end of the day!All through the day comes a procession of these people. The Fruit wallah, jhadu wallah (he sells everything from mops to dusters to brooms), the chaku-tez-karane wallah - he will sharpen your kitchen knives till they are razor sharp! And how about the kabadi wallah that comes every weekend! These are the guys who buy our old junk and recycle it. What a novel way to dispose of our newspapers, old boxes, utensils, buckets and even electronic items! Imagine getting rid of our useless items and getting paid for it too!
Besides these roaming salesmen on bicycles, I don’t think any other country has the variety of small shops that repair anything from torn shoe straps to electric kettles. Sole’s come off your shoe? Not to worry, just walk over to the nearest mochi sitting under the tree and get it repaired! Handle broken off your pan! No problem! just take it to the guy repairing utensils and he will fix it in a jiffy! Not only do these people make our lives very convenient they are also very inexpensive. I remember in Tokyo the strap of my otherwise perfectly all right handbag broke and when I went to a shop to get it repaired, (it took me two days of search on the Internet and a lot of asking around before I could find a shop that repairs leather items); the cost of stitching the strap was more than the cost of my pure leather bag!
How about the various food vendors that we see everywhere. The chaiwallahs who do a brisk business throughout the year, the nimboopani and juice wallahs that appear every summer, the moongfali and popcorn wallah that come every winter and the Bhutta (corn)wallahs that turn up as soon as the rains start ! And my all time favorite the Chaat wallahs. Ahh the joy of gorging on golgappas and telling the chaatwallah “Bhaiya thoda aur teekha banana” or “bhaiya thodi imli daalana !
So tell me do you deal with these “wallahs” every day and which one do you like the most?

Wordless Wednesday #10 (NaBloPoMo Post#2)



Delhi Haat (Click to enlarge)



The Power Of faith (NaBloPoMo Post # 1)

 

Tomorrow is Shivratri, Lord Shiva’s birthday and somehow I always associate Lord Shiva with Peace, serenity, solitude, mountains and snow. That is why I am so fond of going to Kedarnath. I find the scenic beauty as well as the spiritual grandeur of that place unparalleled to anywhere else. I have blogged about my visit to Kedarnath here and here.
Whenever I think of Kedarnath, I am reminded of a certain old gentleman we met when we went there a few years back. We were a group of around 10 people, all of us in our 20s and 30s except one old gentleman who was then in his late 70s. He was the uncle of our friend ‘S’ and soon we had all started calling him Uncle. He had a round and cheerful face and was very sprightly inspite of his age. He was filled with incredible enthusiasm and zest for life. All through the journey he regaled us with countless stories about Shanti Niketan where he had spent most of his life. Inspite of the huge age difference between us, we were really having fun with him. We reached Rishikesh late evening and decided to make the night halt there. After dinner we were all sitting in the guest house lawn talking when uncle suddenly fainted. One moment he was walking towards us and the other he had collapsed on the grass. Fortunately there was a clinic nearby and we could get a doctor quickly. The problem was low blood sugar and uncle revived after he was given some sugar water and sweets. In no time he had regained his cheerfulness and had dismissed the whole incident laughingly.
The next day we reached Gaurikund, the last stop before the climb to the temple starts. The previous day’s incident was still fresh in our minds and we asked uncle if he was sure he wanted to climb up till the temple as it is at a very high altitude. “Off course I will come” he said. “How can I go back without darshan when I am so close to my destination? “. He seemed unperturbed when we pointed out the health risks to him. A few of us brave souls decided to climb up the 17 kms till the temple. The rest decided to go by Ponies. Except uncle, he wanted to walk with us. We looked at him as if he was crazy and in one voice told him to get atop a pony. He refused. He said he was confident he could make it walking and there was no way he was going to the temple of Mahadev sitting on a poor animal’s back. No amount of pleading and argument worked. He was adamant. He told us that we were too pessimistic and that he was sure nothing would happen to him. He looked so determined and had so much faith that he would reach the temple safely that we all reluctantly agreed although deep in our hearts we were very apprehensive. The first few kms passed easily, we climbed at a steady pace, laughing and making jokes. But as the climb grew steeper, the air became thinner and the weather became more and more unpredictable till it finally started to rain. Breathless, tired and cold we were all feeling out of sorts. All, except Uncle. He was as cheerful as ever and told us not to concentrate on the negatives but enjoy the scenic beauty around us and think about the wonderful temple we were about to visit. We were amazed by his attitude. Here he was, nearly three times our age, frail and definitely not in the best of health yet he was walking undaunted, almost without any worry. We could see he was tired and panting with exertion, but the smile never left his lips and when he was not chanting mantras and singing bhajans he was pointing at the rare flowers on the path or at the snow peaks with child like delight and enthusiasm.
By the time we reached the half way mark almost all of us had given up and decided to cover the rest of the distance on ponies. We tried to persuade uncle to take a pony as well. He waved us on cheerfully and told us not to worry, “Mahadev will take care of me”.  S decided to walk with Uncle. The rest of us found ponies for ourselves. Finally we reached the small guesthouse we had booked near the temple, tired but ecstatic at having made it. Now we all waited anxiously for uncle and S to make their way to the top. We were quite worried and wondered how uncle was faring and what S would do if uncle collapsed on the way .They appeared after 2-3 hrs, S looked exhausted and barely in a state to talk. He simply collapsed in a chair. But what shocked us was uncle. We were prepared to meet a very tired if not sick uncle and had even discussed what to do in case we faced a medical problem. Uncle was undoubtedly tired, but his humor and enthusiasm were intact. Not once did he complain of the bad weather, or of the difficult climb, or of his aching joints. In fact he broke into a Bhajan as soon as he saw us, he was so happy and filled with devotion. S later told us that even he had started to feel the strain at the end of the journey and thought that he couldn’t make the last 2-3 kms. It was uncle, himself tired and worn out who had edged him on, motivating him!

We were amazed. So frail of body yet so strong in faith Uncle had managed to achieve the impossible. I don’t know how he did it, was it his unwavering faith, his willpower or simply the power of positive thinking? What do YOU think?