EXTRAORDINARILY ORDINARY

LOVE OR LACK

2014-05-15T08:52:00.002-07:00

Is it love or the lack of it
That gives so much pain
Of compassion or the lack of it
That brings all to vain
We bond so well
But you do not share
Your pain , your sorrow
Your love
I keep waiting until then!!!!

MY MOST MEMORABLE ROAD TRIP

2013-06-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

"Twenty years down the line,you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do .So throw off the bow lines ,sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore,Dream,Discover"
~MARK TWAIN

Road trips to dream destinations are often a potpourri of treacherous roads,scandalous heights,picturesque landscapes and mesmerizing locales,truly driving home the point that journey is often more beautiful than the destination.

We had been on a 6 (six) day road trip to North Sikkim from Kolkata,West Bengal in the month of May 2013 and believe me ,it turned out to be our most memorable ever .Just to inform the world that our kiddo was not going to be the one to quietly absorb the tranquility and sheer scenic beauty of the mountains and valleys.All it meant was loads of packing ,lots of patience and ensuring all of us were sufficiently rested even if we had a hectic schedule to cater to.

Day 1 :Kolkata to Siliguri
We started enroute from Kolkata to Siliguri at 8 pm sharp and it took us around 12 hours to reach Siliguri junction ,in West Bengal.This place forms the corridor to the hills in the east.We drove past the busy roads of Siliguri and stopped at a place for quick breakfast and refreshment and we were back again on our wanderlust for bliss.........

Day 2:Drive from Siliguri to Gangtok

Drive from Siliguri to Gangtok which is also the capital of Sikkim ,in our hired Mahindra Maxx ,through the twists and turns of a typical hill station was thrilling although it was just the tip of the iceberg compared to the entire experience that awaited us.

A grand welcome to Gangtok ,the capital of Sikkim by such serene and sweet little smiles at the dawn of our journey just made our day.We put up at the Anola hotel in MG Mall Road ,in Gangtok and enjoyed relaxed evening by the busy market road,shopping and strolling.

Day 3: Gangtok to Lachen ,North Sikkim

The very next day we were back on our odyssey from Gangtok through a diverse terrain of narrow roads of NH 31A and it turned out to be quite a hectic one.We stopped midway at a small eatery and held our nerves for the latter part of our journey to Lachen which was partly disrupted by a petty land slide on the way although it was swarming with men at work who controlled the chaos within a few precious minutes .

We reached the small hamlet of Lachen in the North Sikkim district , located at a height of approx 8400ft and took a night's refuge in a small hotel called 'Eco nest' with a beautiful and pristine view of the small village under the moon lit night.It was equipped with all the basic amenities and the most important of them all a hot water geyser .Dinner was a sincerely cooked veg meal which was quite sumptuous after the day long travel.We ensured the 'Early to bed....' formula coz the next day was the onset of early and an unforgettable journey which we could not afford to spoil.

Day 4:Lachen to Gurudonmar lake
We were woken up at dawn ,around 3.15am, with two hot cups of tea by the hotel felas .Just when the stunning morning sun rays starting to light up the sky ,we were on yet another expedition.
.
We drove through some of the most awe inspiring locales and spectacular landscapes then on, which left us speechless

We even traveled over the clouds .............................................................................................

We stopped at Thangu for a quick breakfast of the ever delicious maggi and a hot cup of tea at around 6.30 am.

It was around 9 am when we reached Gurudongmar lake & what a pristine beauty it is .....

It was just one experience of a lifetime one can hardly forget ....

Legend has it that the lake never freezes completely owing to some divine intervention.
I want to believe it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On our way back we stopped by millitary check posts and camps.Our brave jawans were already on guard at such heights as the chilling wind blew from the Tibetan plateau......A big salute to them !!!
Way down the hills through valleys and streams was yet another joy ride.

We had our lunch at Lachen and hit the roads no sooner towards our next halt Lachung, a small town in North Sikkim located at an approx height of 9600 ft. Got to know that Lachung is the base camp for Rhododendron valley trek which starts from Yumthang valley to Lachen valley.This will surely be my next itinerary to the region.......

We put up at Season's guest House in Lachung with excellent view from our rooms.

Next day's journey began at 5 am from Lachung to Yumthang valley and further to Zero point.We witnessed Rhododendron forests in full bloom on both sides of the valley leaving the onlookers spell bound at the flora and fauna of the valley.

We even saw yaks grazing in the valley

We stopped over at a small tea stall at Yumthang valley and geared up for the last leg of our journey upto Zero point through an array of zig zag roads .

Zero point is the end of motorable road in North sikkim .......

We had our fair share of fun and play with snow balls and snow fall at zero point .Suddenly the weather turned around and it started to get colder than usual.We felt it prudent to call it a day and off we were on our way back to where we started .....

All said and done, it was sure that life would never be the same from now on....

I just felt as though some blessing had come my way that I felt so close to being in paradise ....

"And if travel is like love,it is ,in the end,mostly because its a heightened state of awareness in which we are mindful,receptive,undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed.That is why the best trips like the best love affairs,never really end."

~Pico Iyer

My love affair has just begun!!!!!!

This is my entry for Indiblogger 'The Perfect Road trip'.For details ,click on the following link...

facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia

PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

2012-12-02T06:54:00.002-08:00

In today's times ,such a simple word as 'Happiness' seems to be so elusive.Are we really happy? What drives our happiness ?Whether material wants or immaterial benefits.What is it that we all are seeking?....Just the other day,one of my senior colleagues asked me such a simple question 'How are you?You look gloomy ...is everything all right "...Just this and a whole burden of emotions just flashes through my mind and I felt lke crying a bucket full of tears...''No everything is not all right,I am not happy'',I said.''And I really dont know why?''....He just stared at me and said "You are such a brilliant girl with a job in place and a family to love you and care for you.It just shoudnt happen.There has to be some pain elsewhere".He just uttered it and I so remembered that I had a small fight with 'A' which perhaps was aching my heart.I smiled at him and went off.

In our daily instances perhaps we forget to put our smaller things right and feel ached ,pained and frustrated.We do jobs we dont like.We live anonymous lives with our own partners.We dont like the traffic,the traffic police,the ruffian,the chief minister,the prime minister,the local DADA,the price rise,the cylinder saga,and so on and so forth....The list just increases....We have become so cynical that we completely ignore to take care of what we may like, what makes us say 'Hurray'.It could even be a visit to a local park....May be just being in the calmness and serenity of nature....Or it could be a few sips of tea in the verandah.....It even could be family time over dinner......Or even doing a bit of crayon with your child on the wall.....Wow...seems so refreshing !!!!
But wait.....Do we really want to be happy?If yes ,then what are we doing about it.....Most often the answer is nothing...
Life s not about reaching milestones of 'Paisa ,Biwi,Gaadi aur Bungalow'.Its more than just materialistic gains.Or even spirtual gains....There has to be something more to search for blogdosts.Life is for living,expressing and loving they say!!!....
I plan to start it afresh from now on...
1st step...The small tiff with 'A'needs to be pacthed up....
And Mr Senior Colleague ,next time no asking personal questions please!!!!!!!!!

SHHHH......KOI HAI !!!!

2011-12-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

And thats fiery(Courtesy :Hongkiat.com)
Ok Ladies and gentlemen ,please keep quiet.No 'Shor in the city' please!!!!

No Shor about any saint or any political bigwig and ya no derogatory remarks about anyone in the creamy bandwagon!!!You are free to malign the nearby 'kirane wala' for selling you adulterated food.You are also free to have a war of words with your saviour maid although ocassionally.You can even sit down in the streets with your list of maladies about price rise, economic slowdown ,health industry in shackles,corruption ,social and political apathy and all those day to day socio-economic issues ,inflicted by the people who you elect to the parliament.Go on a fast if you want but save your soul and its freedom of expression as your virtual limits are now going to be decided by the 'Mamu of Virtual space'.

The 'Mamu of Virtual space' has come up with a noble intention of not hurting the religious sentiments of people,of filtering offensive material etc etc.and so many other noble causes.

Mr Mamu ,to tell you very frankly,this kind of policing takes away my freedom of expression ,my fundamental right and this is what makes me fiery.!!!To tell the truth ,you have put me in a very awkward situation.I really dont understand whether the circus is to be managed by Mamu or the law making bodies.....

I am not here to start a revolution against you to topple your government as has happened in a handful of FACEBOOK friendly countries .I just want to express my emotions ,my angst,my pain ,my gratitude and my love too with some relative peace of mind
.....................................................
Dear Mamu I also felt like writing many other things after the last word above but fearing I may have to let go of a handsome amount from my pocket as fine incase you didnt like it I preferred to abstain from it.
Please fill up the blanks yourself.

O Mr Mamu ,amongst other things ,I felt like informing you that I am unemployed.
I am educated ,but in the absence of a job and any social standing or political connections,I suffer from mental depression and a frail health.Does that make you fiery too!!!!!!!!!!

Sleepless

2011-05-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Twas just last night when I was sleepless
Just me and the sight of the dim lights in the darkness hue,
An endless gaze for hours together,
When I realise I was missing you!

My life's most cherished,my love ,my dearest,
Theres none like you.
You and me together..
Seems like ages have passed by
Since we had last been with each other.

During my toughest ,you stood like a rock
You just took me in awe of your love so unconditional,
You fought with me
As also did you laugh and cry.

I dream about those times spent with you
Yearn hopelessly to be with you
But here I lie sleepless in the darkness hue
And I terribly miss you!

REAL BEAUTY -A GRANDMA's LETTER

2011-05-29T05:11:00.000-07:00

Dear All
The other day I was having a chat with my 6 foot tall,handsome grandson Rohan ,sipping my cup of tea .He said that his friends who are fellow writers were having a tough time finding out what real beauty meant .

I laughed .

I laughed because I have always known that real beauty is not a thing to be discovered but to be felt.

The beauty of the early morning,the birds chirping,the cows grazing and even the cool breeze is just magical.
My village happened to be a very beautiful one with lush green and yellow fields all over.That banyan tree where we had our swings (jhoolas) tied up was one of a kind beauty.She had all little children playing around her whenever the sun would set .Those were such beautiful moments.
A little further away from the vast stretch was the nearby river flowing ever so beautifully through the lush green fields.I remember sitting by its side ,watching it meander its path through the fields hours and hours together while being lost in some beautiful dreams very often.

Beautiful was my school tucked away 15 km from my village,the only one for 12 hamlets around it.

Finally ,even if I list out all the things of real beauty,none can surpass the beauty of my mother.The inner beauty that she epitomized could make anybody be in awe of her .Just that I coudnt be around too long with her.

To tell you the truth ,the quest for physical beauty has overwhelmed today's times.Anything and everything is marketable if it is presentable.And that desire to to be marketable has possessed almost all of today's generation.

Keats had put it " A thing of beauty is a joy forever".Surely the appearance of something goes on to become everlasting source of joy and inspiration.Its also true that appearances are transitory and never everlasting.

But beauty lives on.

Beauty lives on through beautiful souls

So my dear friends ,real beauty has more to do with your inner self than your outer self.Loving beyond limits,caring with no expectations,laughing on your worries,living with enthusiasm,living for others and keeping the faith qualifies you for one with real beauty of mind ,body and soul.

I am a 96 year old crippled lady with just wrinkles as my adornment but when I look at my grandson eyes filled with so much love for me ,I am made to feel really beautiful.I am made to feel that I still have miles to go before I sleep.

Real beauty is to be felt my friends.....

All the very best from my end .

Regards
Rohan's grandmother.

[ This is not my take on 'Dadima ke nuskhein', but hopefully will throw some light on what real beauty means.
Yahoo Real Beauty,is a one stop destination for discovering beauty at its best.From grooming tips to health & fitness to loads of tit bits about beauty,do visit it for more.]

EMILY IN TSUNAMI

2011-03-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

She was watching her sing and play,
Moving around in happiness and gay.
A day in the life of Emily
Is celebrating life with glee,
Cuddling and loving her little one
Loving her like a special someone.

All was well when it struck!
A devastation like never before
T'was all screams and shouts near the shore.
She held her tight and closed the door,
And must have prayed for sure.

And then dawned the troubled waters;
Horrifying and O so tall!
This was Armageddon she felt,
The end of all.

It all collapsed one by one
Every tree,every brook,every marvel diligently done.
A catastrophe so unreal,so untrue
A tell tale of horror,so fresh & new.

Today Emily lives on,but not her little one
One tall wave took her away,she was gone.
And she knows that life shall never be the same as it used to be
That she has now to dwell in misery.

PS: As I was writing the poem,I was just shuddering even to feel how Emily (name changed),one of the Tsunami victims,would have gone through the whole episode of having survived and lost her little one.
Just a request to all those who have read it through, KEEP PRAYING.

This Post has been Published as a part of

A MAN'S DAY OUT ON A WOMAN'S DAY

2011-03-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

8th March it was for all the women out there and all the men too!The 100th year running for IWD and many more years perhaps for world to recognise the needs and rights of women.I might have already started to sound as a profound feminist ,but wait a minute I say!I am going to change sides this time and enjoy all the fun.This story is about a day in the life of Ganesh aka Gannu ,just that it was not any other day but International Woman's Day.

So our Gannu sets out for office as any other usual day and gets stuck in a traffic jam just like any other usual day.Roadside protests are common on his way to office but this day is special.Women of 'Nari Jaago,Aadmi Bhaago ' NGO have taken to the streets.Shouting slogans on streets ,these women reminded Gannu of some women terrorists taking the city on a rampage.Finally though ,Gannu reaches his office , just to find his women colleagues hanging around in groups and ,hush hushing and laughing . Some were ornate with exclusive jewellery,others clad in some of the most gorgeous outfits.
"Whew whats with the women today !" Ganesh thought to himself

"I never knew Meera could look so beautiful.No wonder Chamku has his eyes on her ".

For the learners , Meera is Ganesh's colleague sitting diagonally next to him & Chamku 'THE BOSS' always finds his way to her desk for some work or the other.No prizes for guessing that Chamku is the nick name for their bald headed boss in the gossip corridors of office!

Gannu settles down at his desk only to find an avalanche of mails on women mostly from his female colleagues.He sorts them out and chances upon the one doled out by his boss addressed to ALL.After reading it he exclaims with joy that today there will be a half holiday on account International Women's day but wait a minute, ONLY FOR THE FEMALE COLLEAGUES.'What a gender bias !!!!!!!!!!!

Gannu however also manages to take permission to leave early only to be sneered and booed at for being the only man amongst the woman to leave early.He decides to have a walk by the road side and is bewildered & shellshocked by the business of 'Woman's day celebrations'.There are flat 50% discounts all over ,free beauty treatments for all femme fatales,promises of free sumptuous dinner at the famous restaurants.Gannu cursed his stars wishing he could be Gul just for the day.

Finally he reaches home and desperately waits for his only girlfriend in this big bad world , 'Kanta bai', until the mobile rings and you surely know who's on the other side.Kanta bai informs that she has to attend a meeting of 'Naari Jaago,Aaadmi Bhaago' organisation of which she is a volunteer and inspite of his repeated attempts to woo her,this is what she says
"Itne paise me itna hi milega"!!!!
To hell with women and their day.

PS: The whole world celebrated 'Inernational Woman's Day' on the 8th of March,2011.Alhough nothing changed for me this day ,heres hoping it made a difference to a woman's life somewhere !!!

HOW I LOVE THE RAIN

2011-03-06T08:17:00.000-08:00

How I love to see the rain from my window

When the pane wears a frosted look,

When the misty translucence and rain drops

Conjure a mysterious form of art,so fresh ,so pure.

How I love to see the rain from my window

When the azure blue wears a cloud cover,

And the splendid radiance cannot but be charmed

By the glitter of crystals on my pane shining through.

How I love to see the rain from my window

When love is so mushy and romance so surreal,

When the kuckoo loves to hum those timeless melodies

And O the spellbound me to its rhapsodies!

How I love to see the rain from my window

When the tiny little princess steps out of the door

And dances in the rain like never before

And how I wish I could be her with no inhibitions or despair.

O how beautiful is the rain!

PS: Just to inform my readers,I had plans of an outing this Sunday and how the rains washed it all out .!!!!

How I love the rain :-)

TOO BUSY TO CARE

2011-03-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

In our day to day lives ,we hardly have JAAGO RE moments to swear by .We are so used to the mundanity of life that our list of activities is charted out right from the time we rise up from our cozy couches .‘ TOO BUSY TO CARE’ SYNDROME naturally becomes one of our alibis to evade any additional responsibilties that we might have taken up had we been INSPIRED ; Inspired by WORDS ,CAUSES AND ACTIONS for the common good .

To tell you the truth INSPIRATION happens to you by chance. It could happen to you at the age of timid ten or in the late eighties, at places where you could never think it could meet you. The bus stop ,the cheap roadside tea stall ,the railway station could just be the hideout for your lifelong inspiration. One such inspirational incident had happened to me in my life too.

I was in my Final year of Engineering and with my group of friends we had gone to one of our favourite hangouts- Dildar’s Dhaba ( If you must be wondering about the origins of the name ,lemme tell you Dhabas all over the country have such eerie names ;MEHBOOB DHABA ,HEROINE DHABA are other names of mention which I know about !!!).We ordered our CHICKEN BUTTER MASALAS and ALOO KA PARATHA to our very own ALAM ,the boy aged probably 9 or 10.For introduction’s sake ALAM is the shabby little waiter of ‘DILDAR’S DHABA’.A Jack of his trade, Alam never notes down menus,the numbers and the types and yet delivers the same with absolutely accuracy and hygiene.(The last word may be not be true)

We were all enjoying our epicurean feast when the fat lass next to me spurted out a question just for mere time pass “ Alam tum school kyun nahi jaate? ”And boom came the answer straight at our face “ Mai nahi ja sakta “ as he ran away. Throughout the time we were there ,we could see Aalam’s pale eyes looking at us as if wanting to scream and say something ,as he was serving food to his guests .We came to know later that he was an orphan and had been employed much before we were thrilled to get our first job.

That incident had inspired me in many ways than one to be truly grateful about my own bag of goodies that life has bestowed upon me .While I would not like to preen about it ,I would say that I am rather satisfied with the way I have made a difference in some way to some lives .

Coming back to Alam ,from that day onwards ,strangely we never went to “Dildar’s Dhaba” and never came to know the whereabouts of Alam .Probably he is a veteran Chef now or may be the owner of ‘Alam’ s Dhaba’.Or it could just happen in the wildest of probabilities that he went to school and completed his education. Lets believe the last to be true!!!!

I am too busy to care, but want to do something. Jaago Re and BlogAdda.com are helping me do my bit for the society

WHY SOCIAL NETWORKING ?

2011-02-25T13:52:00.000-08:00

An article published in New York times recently states that Bloggers are losing their blogdosts ,fans and followers to Friendsters like Facebook and Twitter .So my dear friends its true that the blogosphere is shrinking in size even when its in the expansion mode.Whether thats good news or bad ,its always interesting to see how and why this exodus is taking place .Here are some of MY takes on the WHYS of SOCIAL NETWORKING !!!

REASON NO 1-ITS THE IN THING
Lets take it friends. Networking sites are popular .Their UBERCOOL QUOTIENT single them out as sheer favourites. And who wants to be an odd one out ,right?

REASON NO 2-YOU GO GAGA
Its attractive and automatically allures the user to the ease and charm of it all.

REASON NO 3-HALL OF FAME
Who doesn't want to become the talk of the town ?Did I hear its you ?.C'mon you are lying!!! Just upload a profile pic and see how many views you get .

REASON NO 4- LESS IS MORE
You need to talk about your toothache or may be your doggie's appointment with the dentist !!!!Just go ahead and tweet it out .Those 160 characters are all yours.

REASON NO 5 -FRIENDS WE SHALL BE
Well,theres this MAHA KUMBH MELA called LIFE where you just lost touch with some of your most cherished friends of childhood or neighbourhood or Collegehood !!! And voila you just find them busy giving status updates on their WALL OF FAME ,and that smile on your face surfaces.Yippee ,you have found them!!! .

REASON NO 6:TOTAL TIME PASS
Its all about updates ,comments,tweeting ,tagging,poking ,uploading ,gaming and so much more.If theres nothing better you have to do,go for it!!!You are having a cuppa coffee and Total TP is at your disposal.Enjoy!!!

REASON NO 7 :YOU ARE ALONE
No you are not!!!You have a whole virtual media that talks to you ,talks about you ,sings and dances for you too.

What you dont have is a single friend who will drop by and ask whether you are doing fine. All said and done ,in this scenario of the avatarized social media , where you propose to your girlfriend on facebook or your tweet is all that matters when you want to spill the beans about your recent breakup ,it is pretty shuddering to think what comes next in the offering!!! But who really cares? As long as you uploaded pictures of how yummy GAJAR KA HALWA you made and THE WORLD LIKED IT .(see image)

51,517 people like this.

SHE IS THE ONE

2011-02-02T23:06:00.000-08:00

Almost all of us remember & cherish the many firsts of our lives.These first milestones go on to tickle our grey cells till our last.The first time you had a crush or fell in love ; the time when you excelled in your boards;your first day in college;your first date ;your first job ;your first salary;YOUR FIRST WIFE (OOPS,pun unintended).

29th of Jan ,2011 was also one such first in my life ,infact our lives.Our daughter with those baby steps proudly announced to the world that SHE IS ONE and that she had completed one full circle of the many firsts.Her first cry,first smile ,first grin , her first glam pose for the camera ,first poop in the dress,her first clap ,her first babbling ,her speaking the word 'mum' for the first time ,her first crawl,her first walk,fall and again the rise ,these all can only go to win a million hearts and bring a glad smile to an amused onlooker .And its so true that these KODAK moments cannot be traded even for a fortune.

The beautiful sunny Friday morning when those tiny eyes first saw the light of the world still flashes in my mind ,vivid and clear.Even the period before ,I mean the ten month period also had a story to narrate.( You are right its not a nine month story for a woman but another month to take in her stride )Those were also some firsts to swear by.The first time you feel nauseated and cant pop up any medicines..The first time you have to take it easy even if you are a MARATHAON RUNNER .The first time you just love looking at those USG images about somebody living alongside you ,sharing your happiness and your mood swings.The first time you realise your baby may just grow up to be a kick boxer ,just going by the manner you wake up at the middle of the night due to a kick boxing session inside your belly..The first time you just crave for that chocolate pudding at 2 o'clock of the night and still manage to have it somehow.The first time you realise that you are nature's precious one for you bring to the world ITS PRECIOUS ONE.

So its all wait for the much talked about Friday morning ,29th Jan ,2010.The doc had fixed up the time for C Section delivery.IT WAS THE FINAL COUNTDOWN ,and you must have guessed by now that I couldnt get sleep the night before , utterly overwhelmed by the whole episode.My mind was filled with umpteen number of questions."The baby is coming all right ,but will I come back alive?"and then " I heard it pains ,can I bear it "and also "God ,please ,please ,please get me out of all this" and too many calls of the inner voice ,I was literally shuddering to answer.

As I held my BUNDLE OF JOY in my arms ,I realised that life is but a miracle and I am holding it .And as we live it ,its the sweet and bitter experiences that manifest into small miracles every moment,every minute and every hour passed by .

It was the first night of our daughter at home .I had planned to watch my favourite byte on television before retiring to sleep until I came to know that our little one wanted to take me for a joy ride.I spent the whole night attending my baby and changing her diapers .Motherhood had taken me completely by surprise and I realised that my life is going to change forever .Whatever I told you about bitter sweet experiences!Lets believe its all a miracle and SHE IS THE ONE !!

IDIOT IDIOT BOX

2011-01-27T15:16:00.000-08:00

I am sure this happens to you.You open the IDIOT BOX and really dont know what to watch.There are too many channels at your disposal and you just have time to watch a single show.You end up spending more amount of time surfing than watching.The result ,well ,you just switch it off.
Seriously,what all happened to the television media!The charm and the elan is missing .Sensalisation and the momentary excitement it generates is the crux of anything called entertainment these days.

In the Indian league too,everybody is running after exclusivity ,breaking news stuff and melodramatic bakwaas,be it the avalanche of 24x7 news channels showing you exclusive pictures of the witch next door or may be the saas bahu bullshit with saas,bahu and the vamp doing rounds in most of the serials.

Music channels are less into music and more into stunt shows .An individual's talent is as good as the number of votes he can garner and it is these votes that can make an IDOL out of an INDIAN .

Welcome to the world of Reality TV which is out there to portray and make money from the fact that world is full of 'Peeping Toms'and that behind every Dr Jekyll there is also the ugly Mr Hyde. The camera is the ubiquitious little creature that pervades from your living room to the trial rooms of air conditioned shops and malls.The only place where it hasnt risked its entry is into your toilet,God knows why they left that blissful place .

News channels have too much breaking stuff to break your head with. News is fabricated,scandals are glorified and a fish is smelt at every deal done.And the TEHELKA it generates just goes to increase their viewership .The truth is the business of media has now become the business of TRPs.

So where do I,you,he and 'She', as an ordinary soul,an ordinary viewer stand in this melee and utter chaos.Well just to mention another related incident ,'She'had auditioned for a prime time 'TALENT SHOW' as a choreographer and has been selected opposite a film celebrity.And till date I have sent 200 smses to JDJ<SPACE>12 to 52525 . The show starts in half an hour's time and I am already having my mobile set in front of me.
Just a request ; Keep voting.

TOMATOR CHUTNEY

2011-01-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

Nay this is not another cookery related blog and I am confessing it out loud that I am not at all a good cook even if I am a married Indian mother.But I also have to mention that I am a foodie and I like eating good Indian cuisine .
This awesome little dish takes your breath away when had with parathas ,kulchas or even after your meal.After the meal is how we Bengalis savour it.
I am posting this dish because its a quick fix dish and can be a culinery delight in your list of mundane day to day food list.

INGREDIENTS

Tomatoes -Quantity as required.Take a thumb rule of 3/4th tomato per person.(At least I use that)
Bay leaves (Tezpatta)
Paanch phoron
Cloves
Cardamom (elaichi)
Red chilly powder
Ginger paste
A few raisins

PROCEDURE

Heat oil in a pan
Add bay leaves ,paanch phoron and ginger paste subsequently and saute
Add the tomatoes and cook
Add sugar ,loads of them really, as much as needed to entice your palate
Add cloves,cardamom and red chilly powder ( just a bit)
After all the ingredients are cooked well ,add raisins for garnishing

And voila 'TOMATOR CHUTNEY' is ready

PS: No pictures of the dish has been taken

EXTRAORDINARILY ORDINARY

2011-01-10T13:56:00.000-08:00

Well this is my first post and am pretty new to blogging as it just might be evident from the way I might just end up writing the whole thing (Wishing it turns out fine).

Starting with the title of this blog which also turns out to be the title of my first post.I was just musing on how our lives are a bunch of ordinary lives with everyday turning out to be EXTRORDINARILY ORDINARY.The daily battles ,daily baffles and at the end a family to return to consumes all our time and energy.Probably this post is just my own effort to take some time out of the ordinary and do something different and thats extraordinary for me.I am a mother,new on the dock and right now a homemaker ;so just needless to say how precious some free time is for me.This post is dedicated to the free time I am able to get ( now that my baby is sleeping).

Last weekend marked the first day of 2011 and the party fever of the last year's last night woudnt just leave the hearts and minds of old and young alike.We had planned a short trip to Philadelphia downtown and that by train ride .This was the first time our li'l one was travelling in this sheer cold weather .Luckily weather .com had given a pretty congenial forecast of the weather although there was lilkely to be some precipitation in the evening.So by evening we are back to our cozy homes.
Its afternoon 1.30pm and I am still doing the last minute packing up of foodstuff and other paraphernalia for my baby .The train was at 2pm.Its high time we set out for the station which we did.
"But wait a minute !I didnt pack her diapers ",I muttered to my self as we were half way up to the station.And this every parent knows how jittery you can get when you have just missed out on something as vital as baby diaper for you can never predict the number of times your baby may need it (Just to let my readers know that my baby was suffering from diarrhoea since a past few days and even on New Year's eve).
I was becoming paranoid at the whole idea and to top it all the train had arrived when we reached the station.It was one run with my baby from the parking lot to the train I will never forget.We caught the train (just like one of those hindi movies ) even if we we were left panting for breath.Dont you think that was pretty extra ordinary ?We could have very well missed it.

We reached the Philly station and were out on the street.It was the first day of the New Year and felt like it.The mood was high in the air.As we started making our way to the Liberty bell area ,the chill in the air started getting over us and darn I had also not packed warm clothes for my baby in case needed .After getting past the long queue we were busy photographing the marvel of American independence.

The next destination was Pennslanding .We decided to take the horse carriage route.Through the busy streets we finally reached our destination.It was pretty awesome to stand by the side of the Delaware river and pose for some of our lovely family snaps.We had our bit of see of the ice skating rink and how novices were right there falling and then again getting up and yet loving the very experience.Our return journey was coincidentally with the same lot of co passengers we had gone with earlier.

All in all it was a refreshing new start to the new year; not really "a day in the life of "experience but surely out of the ordinary.
Heres wishing all my readers a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR ,2011.