From my kitchen diary part 16

In winter months every one loves to have  some thing hot in the cosy comfort of their room..The question arises what to take.  In our house we love to have hot soup.I will share with my friends a recipe of a soup, which is relished by every body at home. During winter months fresh corn is not available. Of course we get  tinned corn .We can  use it but many people do not  like the  smell of tinned corn.I have found a way out.I use popcorns to prepare soup.Believe me it turns out to be as tasty as fresh  corn soup. 

Ingredients :

1Popcorn    2cups

2.Mushrooms   i/4 cup

3.Carrot and beans   1/4 cup

4.Salt        To taste.

5.Pepper powder   to taste

6.Butter      4 teaspoons

7.Refined flour  2 teaspoons

Method of preparation;

Cut  the carrots,beans and mushrooms into small  uniform pieces.Saute them in 2 tsps of butter. Remove from the fire when done.Keep aside. Boil popcorns in three cups of water in a pressure cooker. After two whistles remove from the fire. Sieve  the cooked popcorns in a soup strainer. Now put 2 tsps butter in a karhai and add the flour. Stir it for  a minute and add the boiled popcorn and   carrots,beans and mushrooms.  Add salt and pepper powder.Boil it well till the  it thickens. Remove from the fire.We can boil till  it gets the desired consistency.Serve piping hot.

 

Grand Daughter's Home Coming

Grand Daughter’s Homecoming

 

There is excitement and and more excitement as the time of her arrival is drawing near.Yes I am referring to our grand daughter, Rajita, who is studying in USA and is coming home today to spend her Christmas holidays at  home. We have been waiting for this day, since the day her flight tickets were booked. The day has    finally arrived. How many times we have checked the status of the flight since morning!! Numberless times we have logged on to Google to track the flight!! Now two more hours  left and she’ll be here.

All her favourite dishes have been prepared. A special cake is there to welcome her. Her favourite  Gobhi aloo  subzi is ready. Even though it will be past midnight when reaches home, she is sure to have Gobhi aloo  to her satisfaction.

Welcome home  dear  darling .We are all, including Elsa (our dog, who is very fond of Rajita)waiting for you.

Christmas memories

 

  Another Christmas has arrived.I remember a Christmas celebration of ten years ago. That Xmas was special for us.It was the first time that we celebrated Christmas in the traditional method.

Till then we just used to decorate the Christmas tree and children used to sing carols.

It was the year 2000 when around Christmas time we had guests. My cousin, Ramesh, his wife,Linda and daughter,   Sameera were with us. Sameera was excited  that she would be celebrating in India. A few days before Xmas  preparations started. A tree was purchased. Balloons, toys, trinkets, stockings, colourful papers, gum  and what not, were purchased.  Colourful  bulbs,gifts, and many more interesting decoration material was bought.My daughter-in-law, and grand daughters were more than excited. As the decorations were going on SM started  singing Carols. All four of them  sang with great enthusiasm. The  whole house was  reverberating with Jingle bells, Joy to the world, and many more carols evoked great excitement. A festive spirit  pervaded  in the whole house. The tree looked  exquisite.                                                               

 The morning started with gifts. Children were enthralled. They checked the stockings to see what surprise gift Santa had brought for them.

After the decorations  several goodies were prepared. Of course Christmas Cake was the centre of attraction.The cake was luscious. There was a big spread  for dinner. Different types of breads,  assortment of cookies, varieties of cheese and many more delicious and tempting flavoured  goodies were so inviting that we could hardly wait . 

I am giving here a recipe for Spinach and cheese mix.Actually this is a non vegetarian dish but  I have modified   it and turned it into a pure vegetarian dish. We specially prepare it for Christmas dinner every year.

Ingredients required

1.All purpose flour   4 spoons.

2.milk      250 ml.litres

3.cheese    200 gms

4 spinach    250 gms

5 salt  as per taste

6.garlic  3or 4 flakes

7.oregano   1 pinch

8. butter  100 gms

Method of preparation

Shred the spinach leaves finely and steam them. Keep aside. Put butter in a Karhai ,add crushed garlic flakes.Then add the flour.Stir  for a couple of minutes and add milk, stirring all the time, so that no lumps are made. Now add salt and the steamed spinach. Remove from the fire and add cheese.Mix well. Now add the steamed spinach. Sprinkle oregano.Serve with bread. 

In the end I wish all my friends and well wishers a very happy Christmas.

 

  Written for BAR Thursday  archives, The theme is festivals. Iam writing about Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital's shame!

Yesterday  a stunning news was flashed by all news channels about the rape of a girl, in her twenties. It was all the more shocking that this heinous crime was committed in  a running bus not by one or two but five men. It was bus was  a private bus  with  tinted glasses and heavily curtained. All the five were allegedly friends of the bus driver. The girl is a paramedical student She boarded the bus around 9.30 p.m. along with a friend. The  hooligans started teasing the girl and passing vulgar remarks.When her  friend objected , he was beaten up by the  goondas and pushed inside the driver’s cabin. Both of them were stripped and dropped   on the  road side. The  two were taken to  a hospital. The girl’s condition is  stated to be serious.  She is reported to  be on the ventilator.  All the miscreants along with the driver have allegedly been arrested. The question arises that  who permitted the private  bus driver to take passengers? Why were the glasses tinted, when it has been banned  under the law?

  Such news sends shivers  down  the spine.   This is not the first time that an incident  of this  kind has been reported. If such a ghastly  crime  can  happen in  the well protected national  capital of the country, what will  the state of affairs  in  less policed towns and villages.  

 How can such crimes be  prevented ?  This is a moot point. The guardians of law  have to be more  vigilant.All important bus stands  specially near   schools and colleges,  and  near crowded   market places  should have  round the clock vigil.  Any suspicious looking  characters  should be detained and questioned. The punishment in such crimes  should be fast and stringent and before the  incidence fades out of public memory.

  This post was written two years ago. It is matter of concern that the situation continues to be the same. Educated people and authorities that matter, must seriously consider what punishment should be given to the culprits in such cases. The punishment  must be stringent and the law too must be strengthened.

 

This post is being posted as archives for Blog a Rhyme ,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collection of Ghazals from Hndi Movies

I have already written  about some old Hindi songs which were appreciated by many  friends. To day I am presenting some ghazals.Actually the ghazals  shown in Bollywood films  are a different genre altogether.They are not ghazals in the real sense. But they have made a distinct place  for themselves. I am playing a few ghazals which  I hope will be liked by my friends.The first one is from the movie Mirza Ghalib.This movie had many famous ghazals  but my choice is for Dil-e-naadan tujhe hua  kya hai,sung by Surriaya and Talat Mahmood.

The next one is a popular ghazal from the movie Dushman,Na chithi naa sandesh .

 

 

 Now is the turn  of a ghazal  

from the movie Arth,Tum itna jo 

muskura rahe ho.This is

sung by Jagjeet Singh

  

 Sham e -gham ki kasam is a famous ghazal sung by Talat Mahmood.It is  very difficult to select a gazal sung by Talat Mahmood.All his songs  are equally good. 

 

 

 

 

 

                                     

      

 This ghazal is from the Movie, Aahista Aahista.It has  a very soulful music.

Last but not the least I am   reminded of K.L.Saigal, who can be called the King of ghazals. The song is from the movie My Sister, Ae Katibe Taqdir Mujhe Itna Bata De

Courtesy songs You Tube

 

 

Another instance of massive twin births.

In continuation  of  my post  on Twins in a Kerala  village I have a similar  report today. The Hindu Newspaper of today (16 th Dec.2012) carries another story. This states that in a U.P. village,Mohhamadpur Umri,  the twin phenomenon has been found.  Here too , according to the report are 120 identical twins in a population of just over couple of thousands. Another interesting feature of the village is that the girls born  here who go to far  off places have been known to have twins.
      Another amusing feature of this village is that animals too, produce identical twins  once in a while. Many researchers throng this village to  conduct studies about this strange phenomenon.Situated near Allahabad, the villagers are used to   numberless  visitors  such as scientists,students, medical researchers, and curious people ,coming there to find out the reasons for  unusually large number of twin births.

Record no. of twins in a Kerala village

Today I read a news item  which produced a report that  baffled doctors who are trying to unravel the mystery of an Indian village boasting more than 220 sets of twins born to just 2,000 families.
Experts who have visited the remote tropical village of Kodinhi, in Kerala, have been left scratching their heads over the phenomenon that has seen almost six times as many twins born than the global average.
In 2008 alone 15 pairs of twins were born in the village out of 300 healthy deliveries and this year is expected to top that number.
This  report pertains  to  village of Kodinhi in the Malapuram district of the Southern state of Kerala which  allegedly has more than 220 pairs of twins.Local Doctors are studying this miracle for the last two years. What is intriguing is that in the last ten years the the number of twins born has doubled.
The villagers state that this twin phenomenon started   three generations  ago. Dr.Sribuj, who is studying fascinating   occurence says perhaps it is something to do  with  what  the villagers are eating. If this is true then many childless couples can  be benefited by providing them the same diet.
The villagers  of  Kodhini  have started calling their  village 'twin town. and have  set up a 'Twin and kin' association TAKA. It has been set up by a local resident,who is him self a father  of  twin sons. The association  provides  financial and medical  support to the needy. It is stated that there are more than 600 members.
 Citing the immense scientific implications should Kodinhi's secret be discovered, Dr Sribiju is currently trying to assemble the research support he needs to delve deeper into the twin town of Kodinhi.

(Extracts  from the news paper The Daily Mail) 

I have taken this post from archives.   Date 31 08.2015
The latest position of twin population  in this village,according to Wikipedia is that there are twins practically in every family. One comes across a ''double role'' for  almost every second person. Actually Asia, is known for its low rate of twins, this village is an exception. Scientists have ruled out biological,climatic and heriditary causes,but are in the dark about the cause for this phenomenon. Another wonder is that the new borns are very  healthy.         

                                                                                                                                          

__._,_.__.

.

                              
Taken from a Kerala magazine.including the photos, dictated in English by a friend.
Submitted as archives to BA R