Mouthpiece #32

Food and I

Food and I - the relationship that we share, has undergone tremendous change over my life of four decades.  Food during childhood was quite an insignificant and inconsequential part of the routine. I don’t remember having registered much during that time. A big reason for that was my lack of interest in eating. I would not call myself a picky eater because that was absolutely not allowed at home, but we all (siblings) never picked any sweet to put in our mouths. None of us had even an iota of what is normally called a sweet tooth, even to the extent that we hardly had any biscuits either. Sweets did enter our home but that was more as a ritual and we kids almost had to endure partaking a bite which could be as tiny as a pea. Overall snacking was almost absent in our home. continue here...

Mouthpiece #31

एक श्रद्धांजलि (a tribute…)

बैठी हूँ चिंतन में एक और समय के पड़ाव पर, देख रही हूँ उम्र के एक और सावन को बीतते हुए | अब की बार तपते मन को शीतल नहीं कर पाया है ये सूने मन को अपनेपन से सराबोर नहीं कर पाया है ये | continue here...

Mouthpiece #30

Being an Indian

There is an online magazine to which I have contributed my book reviews some 2-3 times. I keep getting their mail inviting contributions on the next month’s theme and sharing the link of the published issue. In the recent mail, they are inviting writings on the theme ‘My India’. Though I did not send them my entry but it made me think what does India mean to me actually?  What does being an Indian mean to me? What is Indian-ness? Never gave a thought to it. Is it hard to describe because it is an abstract noun or is it an emotion which is actually unknown to me? I cannot really answer this myself. Sometimes when we are in a certain place all our lives and that is the only sample space that we have seen, it is hard to think of anything beyond that. Moreover, we do not spare much thought to what is already ours, perhaps this is what permanence does to our mind. Our being and identity get ingrained and integrated with the thing, here, it is the country. continue here... Nothing new in Kitchen but still very special... To celebrate the 30th mouthpiece, here is a special recipe that, I can say, got refined with every single iteration(preparation)of it. Rajmah is supposed to be a part of Sunday ritual in many of the Punjabi homes, but I think it comes out a little different in every kitchen. There is not much difference in the style of cooking in my parental and my marital home yet some changes are inevitable and as I started cooking independently, how my recipe of rajmah evolved, it feels as if it is an assimilation of the taste of those two kitchens. continue here...

Book Review : The World Outside My Window

Title : The World Outside My Window

Author : Ruskin Bond

Publisher : Rupa

ISBN : 978-81-291-4179-8

No one does it better than Ruskin Bond - yes, here I am talking about the way he discusses and writes about nature. His knowledge about insects, birds, trees and flowers is not acquired through any biology book rather this is what he has garnered over the years by being an inseparable component of nature. 'The World Outside My Window' is yet another of his creations which actually opens a small window for the readers into the world that he enjoys to be a part of.

Through different sections on small insects, winged creatures and flora, he delightfully explains their unique characteristics and his personal interaction with some of them. One can find some lifecycles, adaptations, singing notes, viciousness, tenderness and much more in this book. A great book for students as a convenient guide for easily noticeable living creatures. A wonderful gift to those who love to understand the language that nature converses in.

The essence of his writing is beautifully conveyed through the concluding verse 'All is Life'.

Whether by accident or design,

We are here,

Let's make the most of it, my friend.

Make happiness our pursuit,

Spread a little sunshine here and there.

Enjoy the flowers, the breeze,

Rivers, sea and sky,

Mountains and tall waving trees.

Greet the children passing by,

Talk to the old folk. Be kind, my friend.

Hold on, in times of pain and strife:

Until death comes, all is life.

After reading his books on nature, many things cross one's mind - how most of us lead our lives unaware of so many of the living creatures that co-exist with us in the same domain; how the author is blessed with an eye, a heart and a pen to notice-acknowledge-appreciate-chronicle his connection with flora and fauna; and how his writings work wonderfully in alluring the readers towards natural environs.

Personally I enjoy reading Ruskin Bond is an understatement because his description of nature strums those chords deep inside me which rejoice with the rhythm that the divine musician creates.

Available on Amazon

Mouthpiece #28

24 Gurus of Dattatreya

(continued from the previous issue) Snake  Snake teaches one the great lesson of detachment - one, how a snake easily discards its cloak and gets into another and second, through the way it stays away from gatherings and crowds. Dattatreya observed that familiarity not only creates tangles of attachment but clouds one’s reasoning and awareness. The attachment is not only on the physical plane but on the mental surface too. One needs to learn the art to shake away the clutter and crowd from the mind - of unnecessary and harmful thoughts so that there is space to prepare for the state of consciousness.  continue here... What's brewing?  With temperature soaring high, it becomes a challenge to work in the kitchen. Here is a simple, easy to prepare salad for those muggy evenings.  Lettuce : 4 (leaves)  American corn : 1 cup (boiled) Moog dal sprouts : ½ cup Cucumber : 1  Tomato : 1 (medium) Onion : 1 (medium) Celery leaves : 5-6 (optional) Salt : to taste Black pepper : 1/3 tsp Olive oil : 1 tsp Vinegar : ¼ tsp Mayonnaise : 2 tsp recipe here...

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Mouthpiece #27

Insightful

I was reading something when I came across the story of Dattatreya, the son of Maharishi Atri and Anasyuya. While there are many stories related to his birth, what fascinated me the most is his conversation with King Yadu in which he says that he is a student of as many as twenty-four gurus and goes on the explain these gurus who happen to be a part of this grand creation. The list includes Earth, Air, Water, Sky, Fire, Moon, Sun, Ocean, Pigeon, Python, Firefly, Bee, Elephant, Honey-gatherer, Fish, Deer, Pingala, Sparrow, Child, Girl, Archer, Snake, Spider and Wasp. I would like to start from some of the most surprising ones here. continue here...

What's new in the kitchen?

Although monsoons have not made their ceremonious entry, yet the expectation is in the air. The traditional punjabi dish to celebrate rains happens to be kheer-puda(crepe).  Kheer Milk - 1.5 l Rice - ¼ cup Condensed milk - ½ tin (milkmaid) Desiccated coconut - 2 tbsp Almonds - 20 (soaked, peeled and sliced into thin slivers) Cardamom powder : 1/4tsp recipe here...