(I)...(I)ndia...(I)ndependent

The clock has struck 00:00 hrs and the date on the calendar has changed to 15th of August...a special day for everyone out there called an Indian. The very date on which this identity was forged is here again...it's been 62 years now since that fateful night when Indianness became a word in the consciousness of the people of this country and it's been a ride, for sure.

Abhi Na Jao Chod Kar

Originally published on PFC...check it out here

"Abhi na jao chod kar ke dil abhi bhara nahin"

And yet he did go away...on that fateful day dated 31st July, 1980 the world lost it's greatest singer ever. Leaving behind a legacy of humility and gentleness Md. Rafi passed away to other shores but definitely not oblivion. He left behind a body of work which is as gloriously mesmerizing as it is deliciously varied. There is not a known genre of songs in Indian cinema which Rafi did not perfect...be it the trademark soft romanticos to the high octane dance numbers, the melancholic sad tunes to the pulsating qawwalis, the traditional ghazals and bhajans to the comic styled songs designed for laughs...he did it all and how!!!

The magic shall always be

Today was the last time The Famous Five painted the town red probably for a long time...day after tomorrow we split officially with one member leaving for Delhi and another leaving for Chennai the next day. Time will surely bring us together again or it may choose not to but even time cannot deny that it's been one amazing journey...a journey which lasted for five glorious years and which was filled with fun, frolic and and a lot of joy, with a dash of trivial fights and heated arguments.

SummerNova

Of early mornings, sweltering noons and welcome evenings

Of languid baths, baked pancakes of faces and cold water face washes

Of kacche aam ki sharbat, aerated soft drinks and just about anything liquid

Of wishing classes got over early and rushing back for basketball sessions

Of Chutti Chutti, Jungle Book and Alif Laila

Of Ducktales, Chandrakanta and Chitrahaar

Of power cuts, shadow games and spook stories in the dark

Of Antaksharis and Dumb Charades

Of holiday homework and planning pranks

Of Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and Famous Five

Of visits to the village and reunion with cousins

Of days spent in the playground with illusions of greatness

Of nights spent on the terrace making patterns in the sky

Umeed

Andheron ki god mein chamakta ek tara
Lehron ke bawandar mein tinke ka sahara
Zindagi ki bheed mein ek apna sa saaya
Gheebat ki aandhi pe insaaf ki chaaya
Sannaton ki bheed mein ek dabi si aahat
Ghamon ke sailaab mein halki si muskurahat

50 and counting...

One fine hot summer day in May, a visibly bored yours truly was browsing through communities on dear Orkut randomly hopping from one to the other with absolutely no end purpose...then in one of those random communities (dun even remember which 1), in the members section a face was spotted...a photoshopped hazy picture which did not hide the fact that the face was actually quite captivating:D (dun know whether the picture was made hazy to hide that fact or not)...but naturally yours truly reached that profile and among other things found a hyperlink with a funny name beside the "webpage" option...curios me could not resist and in the blink of an eye the hyperlink was clicked...redirected to a new page and voila...the enchanting blogosphere was discovered, rather stumbled upon...

From Sepulchre To Saim

Hii soulmate...how are you dese dayz??? Kinda rockin I hope...pretty busy too considering that you haven't been visiting me very oft these past few weeks...

You know it's been kinda lonely without you...not that am complaining or something, I mean am too exalted and honourable to be bothered by your absence...yes, some of your human friends do visit and often scribble some words, generally a message for you...seems I have bcum sort of a post box for u eh eh:)

Silken Salute

Imagine a scenario when you, after having been fed on a sumptuous course of delicious delicacies on a regular basis, are then suddenly denied the privilege of those same delectable dishes...suddenly you get those dishes only as a rare occurrence and the really frustrating part being that it's not coz you don't have the means to access those dishes rather they have just been stopped being made as a regularity.

That has been the exact same feeling that every Sonu Nigam fan has been put through in the past two years. After the appetite being whetted beyond imagination during the course of a decade of soulful singing, there was suddenly a lull...and the desperate us, such badly addicted that we have been to his lilting voice, just didn't know where to put our ears. Of course, his mastery over his craft is such that hadly any blame can be put to us poor souls for getting hooked on in such massive proportions.

*Desi Girl*

I love it when that dazzling smile comes on your face illuminating all n sundry.

I love the mischievous twinkle in your eye just b4 pulling a prank.

I love the jingling rhapsody created by the friction between your bangles.

I love the sunlight reflecting off your earrings breaking into various hues.

I love the intricate patterns that you make on your hand with henna.

I love the rosy red that adorns your cheeks when I praise your beauty.

I love it when you dance in the rain.

Thank you 4 d memories...

Sourav Ganguly is on his last lap...arguably India's best ODI player, definitely it's most successful captain and probably the greatest player on the off side ever...Sourav will say his final hurrah in the upcoming home series against the Oz. Fittingly so too, coz it's the Aussies against whom Sourav has had the most memorable of his battles...right from that amazing series in 2001 to that keenly contested one in 2004...from the 2003 World Cup Finale to the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy quarter final...it's India vs Australia which has been the marquee series in world cricket in the last decade and Sourav has had a lot to do with it becoming so.

Ramzan Delicacy---"Haleem"

The month of Ramadaan is on in full glory and while the month is all about performing your religious duties to the best of your abilities, demonstrating piety n humbleness, abstaining from any sinful act and leading a good life as prescribed by Allah...what it also is about is "iftaar"...i.e. the traditional breaking of the fast at sunset...and while there are a number of delicacies which give "iftaar" it's flavor, there is none more worthy than that special dish, available only during this month, called "haleem".

Ramadaan is incomplete without the lip smacking delight of haleem, a stew/porridge made by slow cooking a combination of lentils, wheat, tender meat and a variety of spices. It's very high on nutritional value and serves well to energise the body after a day long fast.

It is available across cities in India...one can find a stall/joint selling haleem from deghs (big copper utensil) in every Muslim neighbourhood during Ramadaan...however the dish's lovers cut across religious divides. The Hyderabadi haleem is famous all over though I can vouch for the fact that Kolkata has some very worthy chaperones of it's own.


INGREDIENTS :-

500 gm mutton/chicken/beef cut into small pieces
3/4 pieces of cardamom n cloves
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds or zeera
1 cup moong dal
2 Tbsp chana dal
1 cup of broken wheat
2 onions, fried n crushed
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 bunches of coriander leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp curd
Salt
Oil

PREPARATION :-

Soak the wheat separately and the dals together for about 6 hrs
Pressure cook separately with water for upto 4 whistles each
Heat oil, pop the cumin seeds, cardamom and cloves
Add the crushed onions and ginger-garlic paste and fry
Add the meat, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander leaves and salt and cook for upto 4 whistles
Add the curd and mix well
Add the cooked dals and wheat to the meat
Mix well and serve hot with ghee n lemon



P.S. The recipe is not mine:)

Salaam INDIA...

Today we the people of this country of ours unite in the celebration of our INDEPENDENCE DAY...61 years since that fateful day in the summer of 1947, a day which saw us emerge from the shadows of anonymity to embrace destiny...and trust me, it's been a journey. A ride through crests and troughs...we have kept bumping our way forward in time.

At the stroke of midnight...00:00 am, 15th August,1947...Pandit Nehru in his "tryst with destiny" speech remarked "At the stroke of the midnight hour...when the world sleeps...INDIA will awake to life and freedom" .....and awoke we did, riding out into the world chartering out a new path...rewriting our destiny.

I have often recklessly commented that India would have been better off in the hands of the British and this almost blasphemous comment finds its way out of my vocal chords in view of the present "rosy" scenario of our country. To every championing voice of India's independence...the cynic within retorts "how about being independent from corruption and communalism, from economic disparity to bursting population, from political shams to sporting wilderness".....yet today I would rather talk about the positives. Yes, there have been blots which have caused a severe dent on our "democratically successful" credentials...yes, there have been events in the face of which golden words like "democracy", "liberty" and "freedom" have seemed hollow and pointless...yes, sometimes this whole "largest functioning democracy" thing all seems a huge charade and a humourless joke...yes, there are times when it seems there is absolutely no hope for this country.....yet, INDIA has come through and will continue to move forward...with all its faults and problems, we will walk the road ahead...

I congratulate all my fellow countrymen for their part in this enchanting journey...I congratulate you for breaking through...I congratulate you for keeping faith...I congratulate you for being Independant.............. INDEPENDANT INDIANS!!!

P.S. Also hereby, I would like to wish the whole of Pakistan on their Independence Day...njoy...live freely!!!

TEACH INDIA

"KNOWLEDGE IS POWER" ...and to empower the downtrodden, "education"--- our only tool. For education allows one to do what he must rather than do what he can. Of course, education is just not about books...books after all just make you literate, but they are a good stepping stone towards wholesome education. In this regard, no praise is worthy enough for The Times of India's latest nation building initiative "TEACH INDIA". This is a social initiative that brings together children in need of education and people who can contribute a little time towards teaching them.

Launched initially in Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi the project aims to reach the remotest corners of the country in the near future. The initiative is asking it's volunteers for just 2-hr shifts at their own preferred time and location...the shifts ranging from just 2 shifts a week to five or six depending on the volunteer's choice.

TEACH INDIA aims to help undereducated children through a slew of programmes including basic education, support classes and story telling. The response to the initiative has been tremendous to say the least with more than 55,000 individual volunteers signing up for the cause in just 11 days. Also, a number of top level corporate houses have joined the initiative thereby lending more solid support to this humble cause.

But as they say, there's never enough goodness...so let this be a plea from my side to all of you wonderful people of bloggerville...please encourage this initiative in every which way you can...if you are in one of the above mentioned four cities please volunteer for the initiative if you haven't already...ask your friends, relatives, colleagues, neighbors, etc to come forth and strengthen the initiative...four hours a week is too small a price for the impartment of education to the uneducated children of our country...for once my friends, we have a chance to contribute to the development of our society, our nation...let this not go to waste.

MOTTO:-

Education here isn't something which lets a child get to the next class...but to a future free of poverty and deprivation.

P.S. Guys, am really sorry for not commenting on all your wonderful posts...but was a bit down, please forgive me!!!