Mouthpiece #59

Sometimes one just needs a nudge for the deep-seated feelings to come pouring out. This happened with me recently when I was asked to compose an article on Bangalore for a prestigious magazine ‘Atulya Bharat’ and after writing it, I felt, perhaps this is what I have been wanting to do for a very long time. So here is a tribute to my soul-city : Bangalore.

बैंगलोर - कुछ ज़्यादा अपना सा

जीवन पर्यन्त हम अनेकों शख्सियतों से मिलते हैं | कइओं को करीब से जानने का मौका मिलता है तो कइओं से सिर्फ औपचारिकता का सम्बन्ध ही बन पाता है | पर कुछ ऐसे व्यक्तित्व के मालिक होते हैं जो हमारे अति आत्मीय जन बन जाते हैं| उनके साथ चाहे कम ही समय व्यतीत किया जाए पर ऐसी अनुभूति होती है मानो वे हमें सदियों से जानते और समझते हैं और ऐसी ही भावना हमारी उनके लिए भी होती है| उनके साथ किसी भी औपचारिकता की कोई आवश्यकता ही महसूस नहीं होती| उनके साथ बात करना ऐसा जान पड़ता है जैसे हम अपने आप से ही बात करे रहे हों| continue here... What's Cooking? Samosa's Twin-Sister If anything comes close to my all time favourite samosa, then it has to be aloo tikki. And if served with mildly-spiced chole, chopped onion, tamarind chutney, mint chutney, grated radish and curd on top - what else can one ask for? A perfect tikki brings about the perfect contrast between crispy exterior and the soft inside part. While samosa making is a little more involved and time-consuming process, tikkis can be prepared in relatively much less time for satiating the taste buds royally. recipe here...

Mouthpiece #58

Precarious first steps...

The first couple of pencil marks on a blank paper, in an attempt to begin a sketch; the first few stitches of an embroidery on a fabric laying the foundation of a beautiful tapestry someday; the first sparse strokes of a loaded brush hoping to give shape to a beautiful image on canvas; the first few disjoint sentences jotted down to build a fluid story over a period of time, the first few jerky steps taken, hoping to get in a rhythm of running and many similar such - all begin with a mixed feelings of unsureness and an optimism of seeing something getting created sooner or later. continue here... Psychological impact... I feel, psychological influence is quite underrated. Sometimes, in very mysterious ways, logic and reasoning don’t seem to work at all. However, what can work as magic is the confidence that one seeks from the loved one in the time of personal crisis. I remember the time when I was coping with grief a few years back, dragging of days and nights during that phase is nothing more than a blur to me now.  continue here... What's cooking? Wheat-flour halwa This dish has a very special place in my heart for many reasons. How can I forget that this was the first dessert that I attempted to cook independently and can still recollect those doubts that were creeping up almost at every stage of halwa preparation. It was the day when I was to remove my auspicious chuda (a set of red and white bangles that are traditionally worn in a Punjabi wedding and are taken off after minimum of 40 days) in US. I was advised by the family back home that I should prepare some sweet dish to offer to the Gods and to mark this occasion. In my parental home, Suji halwa was a regular but not the wheat flour halwa so I had not seen it being cooked from close quarters. But my fascination for wheat halwa had started long back when I partook it in one of the Gurudwaras in Chandigarh and later many times in Dukh Niwaaran Gurudwara, Patiala. recipe here...