Producing a book.... back stage drama

Today I am an author.My maiden book 'Reverse Gear' was released last month.  How did this happen! How at the age of 76 I conceived and produced  a book!! How could I complete this voluminous task!! After all, I was  just raw and had never ever in my dreams thought that one day I too will be a part of  the band wagon  of writers. Once  you get into it, there is no stopping you.It becomes a craze, a passion and a fad. This mania of developing and producing something is so overwhelming  that one  cannot  wriggle out of it.

  Soon after retiring from active service one gets a feeling of becoming useless, good for  nothing .A waste, which has been discarded after years of  slogging, and   labouring hard. I also had  my share of such emotions engulfing me for sometime.But  soon  such thoughts were driven away.Every one young or old, my friends, ex colleagues and  family prompted me to write. 'You are an educationist' and 'you must write' was the 'advice' given  by one and all. These words were merely  words for me. They refused to  make any imprint on my mind. Years rolled by and with the passage of  time all  this was  forgotten and erased from memory. 

It was the month of May 2011. The children were away during their vacations. Time was literally hanging.The bubbling and effervescence of the gay laughter of the kids was missing.My son,who was home convalescing after a brief illness suddenly repeated the long forgotten advice and said,"Mom why don't you write something?"These words struck a chord in me! Within five minutes I spontaneously started writing. This is what I wrote then and there."Today when I am in evening of my life past memories are flashing on the screen of mind like video clippings.Something within me is prompting me to write something about myself, my near and dear ones, my friends  and my colleagues."Thus  the foundation  was laid for me to pen my thoughts. Then there was no stopping me. Letters, words and sentences started pouring out  on the 'real' screen of my computer. Incidents, events and  happenings  which I never thought about, gushed forth effortlessly. The problem was not in marshaling the facts but in putting them in their proper slots and perspective. When  this was surmounted, another dilemma cropped up, What to be junked and what to be taken on board.Writing became a passion. My mind was always engrossed in my manuscript. Sometimes in the middle of the night  a thought  would  surface  and I  was unable to  resist the urge to  pen it down immediately.Within a period of three months I had  jotted down  more than fifty thousand words; words which were concealed and lying dormant within  the folds of my subconscious mind,became a reality and appeared in black and white in front of my eyes.

        Whatever came to my mind was reflected in  page after page.It was  now  time  to edit the manuscript. By this time every member of the family was  involved in this project.All the paragraphs were arranged  and categorised  under appropriate  headings. Editing is  a very important  task ,which requires the eyes of a hawk ,to be able to detect  all aspects of  the script.Checking  fullstops, commas and semi colons seem to be simple task initially but as I proceeded it was a gigantic  task.Whenever I read the text, some omission was noticed. Quite often I read the text loudly so that mistakes could be  pin pointed .Each word, each sentence, each paragraph, and each section was minutely  checked.I fell in love with the'book'and nurtured it like a baby. The irony is that inspite  of all this scrutiny the  end product could not escape a few glaring  mistakes! I consoled myself  that being a novice  I had not acquired nuances of writing and editing. Moreover, I had  not written the book for sale or profits. All this took more than a month.

          Now I had reached a stage, when  a title  had to be conferred on the book. Every one suggested a title, but no unanimity could be reached. 'My Memoirs', 'Twilight Remembrances' 'Fusion of the  South and North' and many more titles were considered and rejected.My husband  suggested 'Reverse Gear'. Instantly  and unanimanously it appealed to one and all. It was  the most appropriate  title for a book authored by a seventy six year old! Delving into the past with an unmatched alacrity and briskness seemed to be like driving   smoothly and effortlessly in reverse gear.. Now came the question of  designing the cover. My daughter-in-law came forward to  get the cover designed.The co-operation  and  involvment  of the whole family was over whelming.My grand children came forward  with a foreword for Reverse Gear. I had reached the last and the most important stage of getting the book printed. It was a hazardous but rewarding task.Finally the task was accomplished  and saw the birth of Reverse Gear.

examination scare

Examination is here again!Almost every household is afflicted by the scare of Exams ,which strikes  at this time of the year.It is like a legacy passing on from generations gone by to  the youngest member of the family.Whether a child is in Class 1 or in the last class of school or college,no one can escape its clutches.. It is immaterial,what exam  the individual is appearing for.To each one his own!! Every stage is important.The transition from a lower class to a higher one is a challenge  not only for the examinees but for the entire family .

                We have all grown facing the onslaught  of an exam year after year.Whether it was  the initial class of the school or the last class of college or for that matter a competitive exam for appointment/promotion  in our profession, the psyche is the same.The stress and strain  engulfs everyone who is going to appear for the exam! Sometimes this tension filters down to the entire family.  As the exams approach nearer  all leisure plans, parties and outings are suspended  Every body forgets the age old dictum,'all work and no play' makes Johny a dull boy'.The child,who has to appear for the exams, needs some relaxation,something light, to refresh him and to enable him to have some diversion.This well earned  leisure will take him much ahead of those who  sit in front of books  brooding!
  It is very essential that the child should get adequate sleep.Some children take pleasure in stating that they study the whole night.This habit does more harm than good.A human body needs 6 to 7 hours of sleep every  day. A  good sleep refreshes,recuperates and rejuvenates not only our body but also our soul.It activates the brain.Prolonged and excess sleep  makes a person dull,listless and lethargic. Early to bed and early to rise is  an  age old saying that  still holds good.It inspires and invigorates the individual.
               The environment where the child  studies must be congenial.All clutter should be removed.A peaceful and clean surrounding  will go a long way in enhancing the will to read.
           The examinees,when preparing  for the exams, must take good and nourishing diet.One should never  skip breakfast. For the students preparing for the  exam it is all the more important to  have breakfast A boiled egg should form a part of the items served for breakfast..The meals should comprise  a healthy and nourishing combination of  food  items. The student   should take food which  has more protein's and less carbohydrates.Such food will give more energy and strength.Dry fruits like almonds , raisins, and walnuts can be consumed  as they act as tonic for the brain. Fruits should be given to the child at regular intervals. Fruit juices and lime water provide   lot of energy.Fluids have a quality to remove body fatigue  and release tension .I am giving below a recipe  to make Suji (Semolina) ladoo, which is tasty and nutritious.It is easy to make . I remember my Mom used to prepare  them and release one every day.    
  Ingredients:

• Suji (semolina ) coarsely ground  2 cups
• Sugar                                            1 cup
• Milk                                              3/4th cup
• Cashew nuts, almonnds,raisins    1/4 cup
• Ghee                                             3 teaspoons   

Method:

• Heat the ghee
• Add dry fruits and  stir till golden in  colour   
• After removing  the nuts, in the same vessel add Suji and stir till light brown   on slow heat.
• Now add sugar and continue to stir  till the Suji is becomes  sticky.
• Add milk slowly and carefully,stirring all the while ,so that no lumps are formed.
• Keep stirring till the milk evaporates. 
• Add the fried nuts and remove from the fire

Grease your palms and take little portions of Suji and form them  into lemon size balls. Keep them on a greased plate and allow them to solidify. When cool, store them in an air tight container.
With proper planning  the examination need not be a tear jerker but a pleasant experience!!Good Luck!!!                                                

Fun and Frolic

Ha,ha,ha ,,,,,,what's this sound? Where is it originating from? Ya,yah, yah, yes it is very much the sound of . laughter  emanating from the next room. Why should I not join? Laughter is infectious,yes more  infectious than  cold  or  cough.A broad smile  involuntarily surfaces on the contours of my lips.As I join the crowd this smile turns into uncontrollable  laughter. After all  laughter is a free commodity.It is under no trade mark,no limitation and no restriction. Its has no boundaries, no religion, no countries and no divisions. It is all pervasive!!A smile starts from the lips,a grin spreads to the eyes

                      A humorous person is  instantly  adopted  in any gathering.His pleasant demeanour,and strong  sense of  cheer binds him to others. Laughter is like a tonic. It acts strongly and effectively  to pull you out of any sort of stress.Laughter Clubs all over the city are an interesting site to watch. Fifty or  more people, with   hands raised high, laughing simultaneously at the pitch of their voice, release  not only  their tension but also of  the passers-by, who partake in this laughter  by default, leave their stress and tension  there itself. This is the effect of laughing It evokes a joint  spirit of togetherness and at the same time binds them and strengthens  their intimacy.Over and above it does not cost any thing.Smile and laughter will make your day sparkling with happiness!!

       In the work place, if a person is sociable and pleasing, he will be sought after  by everybody.It  is a powerful antidote to tension and conflicts,  it  eases  the atmosphere of burden and increases the energy  of the employees and induces  alertness in them.Have a hearty laugh at every amusing situation.Even on those days when the boss is in rage,  a  smile will make the situation lighter and bearable.In professions, specially teaching and medicine ,a smiling face can work wonders.

·         “A smile starts on the lips, A grin spreads to the eyes, A chuckle comes from the belly; But a good laugh bursts forth from the soul, overflows, and bubbles all around.”This famous quote  lays down that we should have full hearted and full throated  laughter. Imagine a  glum faced teacher entering your class and business like utters a few words, which  no one appreciates.On the other side a pleasant looking and a jovial teacher  attracts great  interest  and attention.The same is true of  Doctors.

      We should  consciously develop our sense of humour.We should not take ourselves too seriously.We have all heard the famous saying  Laugh and the world will laugh with you;cry and you will  cry alone.The word humour  in itself  ,when expanded contains the following elements, according to  my understanding.

      H  for    Hilarity

      U  for    Ulta-pulta

      M for    Mirth

      O  for    Oddity

      U  for     Upside down

      R   for    Revelry    

       I will conclude this piece with a quotation from Sebastien Chamfort--"The most wasted of all days is the day one did not laugh".In any case I agree with Arnold Glasgow that laughter is a  tranquiliser wity no side effects and as penned by Mary Poole "He who laughs, lasts"

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

 

g

·        

Modern Gadgets Have they made life worth living.

Scientific advancement  has completely transformed 

the fabric of society.  It  appears that the world  has come closer. Gone  are the days when  it was an uphill task to contact your friends and relatives staying in distant places.   You had to completely depend on  the  red  coloured dome–like structure, the  letter box, fixed  in every  colony emptied three  or  four times every day.The   question frequently asked was, ‘when is the next  post?’ The  letters, which were treated as urgent,were hurriedly completed to  catch the next post. The   people used to  wait expectantly for the  postman to bring their letters  of  appointments, results,news from their  friends  relatives or  parents. The arrival of the postman  was  hailed. He too became a harbinger of joy, and  sorrows for some.The postman was a sort of family member partaker in the the joys and sorrows of the families.Now the post men  are a rare species.We oldies look at the transformation with awe and wonder at the speed with which the gizmo's are replacing the old order at a marvellous speed. But for the young  generation all this change is a routine matter.They proudly flaunt  their new acquisitions .Sms's and e-mails have have taken over as new modes of communication.Just by  pressing a button we can have access to any part of the world within a blink of the eye.It appears that we hold the whole world in our palm!!  I  remember that when I was in School(in the year 1950) we were asked to write an essay 'India in the 1980's.At that time we could not  even visualise onslaught of the wonders of technology at such a rapid pace.The mobile phones  have stormed the society as no other  invention.The mobile phone is no longer  a wonder which you can flourish  with pride as it is now become commonplace.It is a different matter that new features are being added to the mobile phones every day.
  Recently I finished writing my autobiography.This was a gigantic task This could be accomplished with the help of a computer.This is another marvel, which is the gift of  modern technology to mankind.You just press a button and lo! the whole world unfurls before  you.In its bowel are hidden all that is to be known.Whether it is entertainment, cooking, philosophy, spirituality, or science......you name it and with a click of  the 'mouse' you have it!! Like Alladin  and his magic lamp nothing is impossible!!It is a wonder of wonders that you play gamesBridge,Scrabble,Rummy,Chess and several other games with opponents across the world.You can chat with friends and send or receive mail.This innocuous looking box keeps you wondering that what all is hidden within its belly.
   Another awe inspiring gizmo is the Skype.From the comfort of your home you can, not only speak. but have a tete-a tete with friends and relatives face to face.It is a boon for the people who  live far away from their  dear ones and can freely converse within the precincts of their privacy. 
  There are innumerable  wonders which are the gifts of advancement of knowledge.They have made life  more comfortable and satisfying.From morn to eve you are surrounded by all that is beautiful and wonderful.Early morning you go to the wash room,keep your hands under the tap and water starts flowing freely, come to the dining table and steaming hot  breakfast  is ready with the microwave. Go to office in an air conditioned car without sweating  and swearing.In the office you are surrounded by a multitude of gadgets, waiting to assist you and make your  working enjoyable.Go home and relax in your electronic blanket.No struggle, no labour and no pain.                                     

.

From my kitchen diary part iv

Today  we had Sambaar and rice for lunch. My daughter-in-law's mother,  who   is  staying with us  for the last few days,was surprised at the quality of the Sambaar.She is a connoisseur of cooking.She prepares delicious  food.Edhthiamma,as I address her, could not believe that the sambaar was cooked without coconut.I told her that it was Punjabi  or, let us say, a North Indian version of sambaar. The Sambar,  though not as perfect as she makes, was quite good and could pass muster from any quarters.This incident  set me thinking.
 Born and brought up as a Punjabi, I married a Malyali boy from Kerala.I had no knowledge of cooking even  North Indian food. Cooking South Indian food was thus far from the domain  of my thinking.It goes to the credit of my husband  that he adjusted  very well to North Indian food  and never complained.I have a sneaking  suspicion  that  in fact he was enjoying it.I however felt I must introduce Kerala cooking in our kitchen.Thus started the fusion or should I say confusion between north and south Indian style of cooking. I adapted quite a number of recipes from Kerala to Punjabi method of preparation. The main difference between the cooking of both regions is that whereas in the North  emphasis is laid  on thorough  roasting of  onion/tomato and ginger/garlic paste, in the south the importance of boiling the basic ingredients  and garnishing it  with  coconut is of utmost importance.Since there was time constraint,I managed to cook  the vegetables without any add-ons using only the traditional tempering with mustard seeds and curry leaves.I am giving below the recipes of some of the Kerala dishes  which have been adapted in Punjabi style  and still  taste  good.I don't claim that they taste better ,but  I  can safely state that they come very near to the  original.I will start  with Sambaar.
Ingredients:
1.Tur dal(arhar dal)  1/2 cup
2.Any vegetable can be used,(popular ones are onions tomatoes, white ash gourd, brinjals, drumsticks)
3.Tamarind-- size of a medium lemon soaked in 1/2 cup of water.
4.Asafoetida powder --  1/4th tea spoon
5.Sambaar powder-- 2 table spoons full
6.Mustard seeds -- 1/2 teaspoon
7 Curry leaves--  one or two twigs
8 Coriander leaves finely chopped 2 spoons

9 Salt

10.Cooking oil for tempering--  two teaspoons 

Method---- Boil the Tur dal  in a pressure cooker along with  salt,a  few curry leaves and asafoetida. In a separate pan boil the vegetables,chopped in medium size....When the vegetables are nearly cooked add  tamarind solution and sambaar powder and boil for a few minutes.Now add this to  cooked dal. Stir well and boil  for  one or two minutes.Before removing add the coriander leaves.The Sambaar consistency  should be  neither too thick nor too thin.For tempering,  heat two teaspoons oil add mustard seeds.When  they start  spluttering add curry leaves and pour  on the Sambaar. and mix well.Edethiamma was amused  by the method by which the Sambaar was prepared.I told her that it was a north Indian version. In Kerala Sambaar coconut  is used and  instead of Sambaar powder  fresh powder is prepared.

The second recipe is  for making Olan..This dish  is  very simple to  prepare..
Ingredients;
1.Pumpkin             1 kg. chopped  in medium size rectangles
2.Onions                2 medium size-- length-wise thinly sliced
3.Green Chillies    4 or 5  length-wise cut.
4.Ginger                1 small piece thinly cut.
5.Small red lentils {optional)  1 handful
6.Curry leaves         two twigs. 
7.Butter                    1 table spoon
Method;
In a pan boil the  lentils till half  cooked.Add   pumpkin ,green chillies, ginger  salt  and curry leaves  and boil till the pumpkin is done.Ensure that it is not over cooked. The consistency of water should be thick. Add   butter and remove from the fire. Goes very well with  rice.In Kerala, coconut milk is used instead of water.
       The next recipe is for Masala Curry. Whereas in Kerala the main ingredient  is  the  potato I have replaced it with  mutter  (peas).The method of preparation is the same as Sambaar.The only difference is that in mutter masala curry neither dal nor tamarind is used.The  other ingredients and method of preparation remain the same. Needless to state that in potato  masala curry coconut is also used.
                I make Stew  which, if made in traditional Kerala style is  very time  consuming,as it requires to extract milk from coconut. I distinctly remember that  a Malayali friend advised me to substitute  ordinary  milk instead of labouring  to extract milk from coconuts.
I started making Stew with plain milk.Adding Paneer
1.Potatoes  3 medium size cut into small pieces
2.Onions      3 medium-- Sliced length-wise
3. ginger.      a small piece cut into small pieces
4. Green chillies 5to6 cut length-wise
5.coconut milk   200ml (available in the market)
6. curry leaves   2 twigs
Method:    Boil all the ingredients in water and  half of the coconut milk.When the potatoes are done lower the heat and allow the stew simmer for 3to4 minutes.Just after removing from the fire add the other half of the coconut milk and and butter. Tastes good with Idli,Dosai and rice.Instead of potatoes you can add  boneless marinated chicken.
   I  wish to  mention here that Upma too has been converted into a North Indian dish. In Kerala traditional homes no vegetables are added. In the North  we add quite a number of veggies like peas,carrots, beans and potatoes which enhance the taste and also makes the upma look colourful and attractive.Without  dwelling on the conversion of Dosa into  a  North Indian version this article will not be complete. In Kerala Dosa is mainly eaten plain, in the North several fillings have been invented.Potatoes are widely used as filling.The flight of imagination of the human mind has entered new 
chapters in the history of fillings for the Dosa.These are Egg dosa, Paneer Dosa, Dry fruit Dosa and even Keema Dosa.
      Even though that was not my intention , Edathiamma  might have left confused.I may add that these  recipes  will not disappoint anybody who ventures into this cooking.

from my kitchen diary --Part iii

Cooking for your  family is always a pleasure. The dishes that you dish out evoke  mixed response from the dining area.Some may find your concoction very yummy, there may be others who are indifferent and will gulp down any thing laid on the table with an expressionless face and some others who fearlessly go on commenting on the shortcomings of the dish placed before them without realising what goes behind it.
  'What goes behind it' is the  thing that matters.The food which is served on the  table with garnishing  and exotic  dressings has a back stage story. Kitchen misery or kitchen mishaps are  nothing new for a housewife.  We may be experts in cooking but  some time or the other we are faced with peculiar  situations which not only delay the cooking  but create situations which sometimes become embarrassing.My  first test in kitchen management surfaced on the day after my marriage. My sister-in-law and her family had come from Kerala.I did not have any expertise in the art of 'cooking management'. In spite of my servant's   counsel to make less than what  I wanted him to prepare I ensured that he made the quantity  specified by the mistress. An  embarrassing situation  arose when my sis- in -law commented that I had been too generous and prepared food for the whole marriage party.Not even 1/10th of the food was consumed. My mother had sent her own servant to our house knowing fully well that her daughter was a novice and would not be able to  handle kitchen affairs.Thereafter I stopped interfering and gave him full freedom!!
        After the exit of the boy the charge of the kitchen came on my shoulders.It was no easy task.I used to mess up things quite often.At least five days in  a  week milk was spilled.Sometimes the dough for preparing  chapatis became too watery.I rolled it it in a newspaper.It was put inside  a  dust bin to brood over its fate!!   It is a very common occurrence that the family is seated at the table waiting for steaming hot rotis,when  without any notice the gas flame will go off,an indication that the gas has let us down at a crucial moment.The arrival of guests at the last  minute tests the efficiency of the housewife.. You don't know how to manage the food for additional  numbers.You enter the kitchen and hurriedly  churn out  whatever is available. The greatest kitchen crisis unfolds when the maid  decides to take an off without any prior intimation. Surrounded by a mountain of vessels, you have to dispose them off by cleaning them.In the process you break  a glass bowl or a plate and curse yourself. But there is no way out. Do or die!  I read some where that a messy kitchen is a happy kitchen.  I personally don't believe in this dictum. I want my kitchen to look spic and span.
       Last week I had to face another peculiar situation. I was baking Christmas cakes. I had to make five of them. Four cakes were baked without any hassles.The fifth one was put in the oven.  Hardly ten minutes had  passed,when the electric current decided to go off.I was in a state of  shock!!The cake was liable to be spoilt. Immediately it was kept on gas stove. It was but natural that the last cake was a flop.Few days  back another incident occured in our house.There were guests at home. While serving  rice the tray full of rice slipped from the hand. The rice fell on the floor and could not be retrieved. The very next  day there was a repetition of the previous day's incident. This time it was chicken curry instead of rice. This episode was performed by my daughter-in-law. The poor girl felt very awkward.Every one laughed away the incident,terming it  as  kitchen  disaster!!
 Mishaps in the kitchen are universal. Every body has to face unwarranted situations in the kitchen. Some days back a friend of mine was stuck in such  a situation.It was her daughter's birthday and she was preparing chicken for dinner. When the onions were being sauted she had a look at the chicken.It was nowhere near the one she had ordered. She called the shop and ordered for another one.In the mean time the onions got burnt.How sad! She kept another batch of onions for roasting.While this was going on  the call bell announced the arrival of fresh chicken.The onions got burnt burnt again.Oh my God!! She  wanted to prepare rice but found it was insufficient for the family.How precious time is wasted  in the rigmarole of kitchen needs!! Now  finally after finishing  cooking chicken and biryani she started with a cake. Here too,she found herself in an unenviable situation.The butter cream did not get the desired consistency.It must have been bugging.In fact after getting very tired she told me to narrate this funny situation to others. She also told me that once she kept baby feed bottles for boiling,and slept .Morning she found  the gas on and the plastic completely melted.  Her kitchen was saved .It would have been catastrophic if the kitchen had caught fire!Such mishaps are scary. In my kitchen also such a situation was averted.
  Such situations can turn ugly and tragic.Even though we laugh away these disasters, it is . essential that we take them seriously.We must take basic  precautionary measures to avoid accidents in the kitchen.Some measures, which I can think of and are simple to implement, are being recounted ;

• a.  the kitchen should not be cluttered.
• b.  all  the items required for cooking a particular dish  should be placed at a convenient spot so that they can be easily accessed.
• c.   when leaving the kitchen ensure that the gas and other electrical appliances are switched off.
• d.  the gas burners tend to clog so it is essential to clean them.
• e.  when removing a pot from the fire one should be extra cautious.

Hope these little  suggestions  ,if implemented ,will go a long way in preventing mishaps which occur in our kitchens. Happy and safe cooking!!

    

much maligned new year resolutions.

The new year is round the corner. The spirit of  joy ,anticipation  and reflections  on past achievements  and failures  are  the thoughts that  are uppermost in the the mind of  every  thoughtful  individual. This is but natural.While  some one may proclaim that he has not  thought about  plans  for the future or contemplated   upon  unfulfilled  desires or tasks,  there may be others who rejoice over their  gratifications of the past  and look forward enthusiastically  towards the future.This is the genesis of new year resolutions! This is the time of the year when such thoughts  come to the fore.
   My rumination takes me  to  the distant  past. As a child I used to hear  seniors in the family discussing  their resolutions and how they succeeded in achieving their goals.As I started growing  up  the terminology  was heard more often.I think I was in class iv when I made my first resolution.I publicly announced that I would work hard and stand first in the class.My Mom and Dad were very happy that their daughter had determined to stand first in  her class. This  resolution remained only a resolution!! After a month or so the monthly tests were held.In spite of my steadfast effort my position   in the class continued to be as in the the previous tests.The whole resolution  forming  faculty  went haywire.After this incident every year  a new resolution was made only to be broken.I thus became an adept in making resolutions  and equally adept at breaking them!I have several times made a resolution that I will go for a walk early morning but it never saw  its  fruition. I am not the only person  who cannot  adhere to their own self made  determinations. There are many others  also who suffer from  the same malady. I recently  read  somewhere  that while 52% people feel happy at the success of the completion of their resolution,in reality  it is only 2% people  who actually  get the fruits of their efforts.!!
 The resolutions which people generally  make  on the advent of the  new year are related to health issues eg. wishing to reduce weight, going on  a diet,  giving up smoking   or drinking  alcohol etc.
 I am now in my twilight   years. I have seen life from very close quarters.I have seen several ups and downs in my life and  faced many detractors. I have suffered  many physical ailments. and have even undergone  major  surgeries including  cancer  surgery.All these adversities  have made me stronger. My only wish at this stage of life is to pray for physical and mental strength. As age advances you do not make any resolutions for your own future. Your thoughts turn to the well being and happiness  of   your family and near and dear ones.On this new year's eve I pray  that  God   shower  His mercy, prosperity and happiness on my family and friends. I wish every body a very happy new year 2012.