Creative Pottery!

In my balcony garden some pots need to be replaced so I decided to bring some new ones. I went to that market place where there were some good pottery shops. I was amazed to see the variety of designs they had! White fat hen and brown duck were new designs which I saw for the first time. Snail, frog, conch and tortoise were available in different colors. The rectangular and circular shaped pots were of different sizes, shapes and colors.

I liked these pottery animals and bought them. I put the plastic pots containing beautiful plants in them which fit in perfectly. Still a thought is pondering my mind which animals are these?

Ice cream only!

I took my plate and reviewed the tempting dishes displayed in a buffet. Alas! I was invited in a party on the day when I had fast. I could not even taste the yummy recipes and had to survive only on fruits, milk products and sweet besan products. I didn't take salty food on the fasting days. In party, there were no fruit platter. In sweets there were gulabjamuns and kheer. Both I couldn't take because they contained maida (refined wheat flour) and rice. The only option left with me was ice cream. But there was only ice in the huge bowl and no ice cream.
"Please bring the ice cream." I asked the waiter.
"It is coming in a few minutes." He replied.
I waited patiently. And there was no other option except to wait. The waiter put the bowl of ice cream. There was no ice cream scoop for serving rather a large spoon, may be to decrease ice cream consumption.  I took the serving spoon and fill it with ice cream from the bowl. The ice cream was so sticky that it didn't come out of the serving spoon even after applying little force three four times on the spoon. I applied more force and finally some of it drop on my plate. Wow! I got some! I was delighted like a child. I repeated this not so interesting phenomenon six times. I found a seat for myself and enjoyed the ice cream.
My belly was not filled. I decided to take more. I took my plate and went near the ice cream counter. A middle aged man was trying to get some ice cream out of it but he didn't. He wiped the ice cream from serving spoon with his finger. Oh God! If he was a non vegetarian and had eaten meat with his hands and didn't washed it. What should I do? 
I took the serving spoon filled it with ice cream and emptied it again on one side of bowl. Now I could use it for serving ice cream as I had cleaned it with ice cream. For the first time, I used ice cream as a utensil cleaner agent! I took some more ice cream by applying some little force again and again on the spoon till ice cream dropped on my plate. When I turned around to go to my seat eleven persons were eagerly waiting to hold that spoon from which ice cream did not come out without applying trick!     

Scary earthquake

"Yesterday, I was coloring a clown. Suddenly my table started shaking. I bent down but there was nobody. It was very scary. My granny told me earthquake was coming. We all have to take stairs and go down." Baby 'G' told the kid 'V'.
"So, you came out of the building?" He asked.
"Ya, What you were doing at that time?"
"I was in the toilet."
"Then what did you do?"
"What one does in the toilet?"
"I mean whether you took stairs and came out of the tower or remained in the toilet?"
"I was in the dilemma as what to do? Before I decided tremors ended."

Morning cuppa

Everyday, I take my morning cuppa in my balcony because I love to watch nature. The wind, sky, clouds, rain, trees, flowers, birds and sun are my best pals. I never get bored of with them. The spectacular view of the park in the society is eye catching, although from some height as my flat is on the third floor. It’s my daily routine to have my morning cuppa in the balcony to start my day with a celebration of life i.e. a date with the nature!

Experiencing the gentle wind on my face energises me, awakens me and relaxes my mind to the full. Fatigue, boredom, frustrations all evaporate as soon as the soothing breeze caresses my body. Creative thoughts and innovative ideas start hitting the mind as soon as it is delightfully relaxed with the beauty of environment. Not only it calms down my mind but also refreshes my soul. 

I take three deep breaths to inhale fresh oxygen which rejuvenates mind to such an extent that it is relaxed through out the day. I look up at the sky to enjoy the blue vastness or the ever changing shapes of clouds. Luckily, sometimes dark clouds pouring rain to nourish the mother Earth and cleanse the dirt suspended in between. Life is ever changing like the sky!

Stunned with the magical beauty, I view different shades of greenery from pale green to dark green in the park. The swinging tree branches depicts that they are too in a festive mood. Rainbow colour floral beds are the feast for my eyes. They bloom irrespective of thorns and hardships. The chirping of birds like Indian myna, Tree pie, Humming bird, Seven sisters, Parrot, Sun bird blends so well with the whispers of the wind in the trees. The birds too seem to enjoy life like a big occasion. Seeing them I can’t control myself and start singing songs to express how beautiful life is!

The orange ball slowly rising, glowing and becoming brighter giving me a warm hug and energising me to face all the difficulties with strength without being getting effected by them. The sun moves with its own grace while I drink not only the warm liquid in my mug but also that is pouring from the sky feeling warmth inside as well as outside.

A morning cuppa with nature is a blessing for the whole day! It is a soul uplifting experience.

Dear readers, you can also enjoy nature and life in Kolte Patil Developers projects. “#CelebrateLifeAtIvy by owning a dream home atIvy estate, an 85 acre estate with 34 acres of greenery and open spaces. Join the 1600 happy families already living here. Check out this walkthrough video and decide for yourself.” They feel that a good house is the best way to celebrate life every day.

Nine year old blogger

The most delightful experience in Indiblooger Meet at Gurgaon was to meet a young girl who blogs. She is only nine years old. She writes about her school experiences. In the pic above one can see her mother standing beside her. Her mother encourages her to write and blog about her life. Blogging at such a young age amazed me! I hope to you also! :)

Aditi Singh Sharma

I heard Aditi Singh Sharma live for the first time in Indiblogger Meet 2015 in Nautanki Mahal of Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon. She sang 'Suraj Dooba hai' from the movie 'Roy' which I liked the most. Her voice is amazing. Her costume is wonderful. The special effects made the event even more special.

Biggest IndiBlogger Meet 2015

I attended the biggest Indi blogger Meet at Kingdom of Dreams, Gurgaon. This is the group photo of all the Indibloggers present in this function. Can you recognize me? ;)

Cooked by my mother

"What do you like to eat?" I asked a kid.
"Paranthas." The kid replied.
"Which parantha? Aloo, gobhi, cheese, onion, peas??"
"Paranthas cooked by my mother." 

Kundalini Awakening

"What is Kundalini awakening?" One of my yoga student asked me.
"Kundalini is dormant spiritual energy that lies in every human being. It is described as a coiled serpent within us waiting to be awakened. It is awakened for union with God. Kundalini awakening results in deep meditation, bliss and enlightenment." I replied.
"I have heard that one's Kundalini awakens just before experiencing God and when one reaches the highest level? Is it true?"
"Kundalini awakening is the first step of spiritual journey which later on results in Samadhi."
"How does one come to know that one's Kundalini is awakened? I mean to say what are the symptoms of Kundalini awakening?"
"After Kundalini is awakened, one can feel the throbbing at the base of spine, involuntary body movements and choking in throat while meditating."
"Have you ever experienced any of these?"
"One of my student had a very unique experience just after practicing concentration exercises, pranayams and meditation for only three months - tears started flowing out of his eyes while meditating. What to say about seeing inner lights and hearing inner sounds!" I smiled like a child.

Magical warm water

From the past six months I was suffering from gastric problems. The pain was shifting sometimes around the navel, sometimes in lower left abdomen and sometimes above the navel on left side. The pain was not subsiding even after my regular control over my diet. I was taking light food like khichadi and porridge, fruits, buttermilk and curd. I took homeopathy medicines thrice a day. They too gave me temporary relief but as soon as I stopped taking those medicines the pain reappeared.

I decided to do some home remedies. I searched the net and found that drinking warm water can cure gastric problems. I drank warm water five six times in a day and found amazing relief. Pain and heaviness disappear. I had never thought of that my stomach ache would disappear with just a glass of warm water!

Sweater - Dil ki Deal

On a dark winter night it is so easy to get into the bed and it is too difficult to get out of the cozy bed on a foggy morning. Like everybody, I too consider it a tedious job. To be out of bed, going towards main door of my flat to open it, is like to climb Mount Everest without an oxygen mask! Invincible!!

“Ding Dong!”

My maid, Samoli was a live alarm clock. She daily rang the bell sharp at 5:30 a.m. without a minute delay. Her accuracy always surprised me, as she was illiterate and never wore a watch. I wrapped my self in several layers of woolens covering all my body parts except sleepy eyes.

“Ding Dong!”

“Coming!” I screamed with a bit of irritation in my voice.

She had become impatient and couldn’t wait till I protected myself to wrestle with the harsh weather. In a short period of time, she had belled twice; I would definitely scold her. I opened the door and was about to utter some bad words out of my mouth but controlled myself as she was standing in front of me without shawl, sweater, socks and shoes, wearing a plain sari and blouse! Seeing her gave the impression that weather outside the flat is of summer and inside is of winter. My anger evaporated.

“What happened? Why are you wearing such thin clothes as if it is summer season?” I inquired.

She explained, “Last night, when I was going back home it started raining which completely drenched me. I couldn’t dry my clothes as there was no electricity last night. My loving husband gave this to me.” She showed proudly her right hand with a woolen green glove on it.

Phew! A dil in vibrant crimson is patched on it to hide the raveled part. I asked, “He could have given you a shawl as well.”

“All his clothes were also drenched while returning home. Only a pair of gloves was left which was in his inner pocket. I can’t stand and talk as I am getting late for my work in next house.”

She hurriedly went into the kitchen and I in my room. I shuffled my wardrobe to search a suitable sweater for her. I couldn’t find an appropriate one which could give her proper warmth. In one corner of the shelf, I found the sweater knitted by my granny. It is white color with rose flowers patterned on it in a vertical row. My granny had given it to me with her blessings that whenever I would receive my degree of doctorate on that occasion I would wear it. I had kept it for years and yesterday was that day, special very special! But now, my maid needed this sweater more. I made up my mind to order a designer cardigan on Snapdeal at economical price. Its quick delivery would surely make me centre of attraction in the function! I gave my priceless treasure to my maid and asked her to wear it right now. She couldn’t utter a word but her moist eyes were saying more than that. After all it was ‘Dil ki Deal’!

Dear readers, I am participating in the #DilKiDealOnSnapdeal activity at BlogAdda in association with SnapDeal. Hope for the best that I win a prize for this post! J

Spinach recipes

"Most of the recipes you try out have the main ingredient - spinach; like spinach barfi, spinach makki roti, spinach dokla, spinach mor kali, spinach salad, spinach idli, spinach tikki, spinach guliyapas, spinach stuffed chilas, spinach bhujiya. Is spinach your favorite vegetable?" Mrs. 'L' asked.
"No, No, Not at all! Actually I always wish to be like Popeye - The Sailor who eat spinach to gain strength. I try out different recipes in a hope that one day I can also relish spinach like him." ;)

Old advertisement

Yesterday, on a sns I posted Rekha's photo and asked she is going advertisement of which product?
A guy answered - Earrings! :)
Can anyone guess which product is she advertising?

God gave us the BEST!

I am following Swami Tejomayananda on Facebook. He wrote these words which I felt so true. Therefore, sharing with you.
When I prayed and did not get what I wanted, I felt sad. But God gave me the best – better than I ever dreamt of. - Swami Tejomayananda

Most of the time we prayed for materialistic things and did not get them like the way we desired. Then we feel disappointed. Time flew and after some years we realized that what God did was the best for us. He could see the future more clearly then what we could and gave the better things and options than what we have ever imagined for us. How big is God's heart! 

Colors of sky

Whenever I have time I love to watch changing colors of sky. The sky with clouds is always more interesting to observe as it changes with just a blink of my eyes. It amazed me with the variation in patterns, designs, shapes and colors. Whenever I am feeling down, the sky's changing colors give free advice that however may be the worst circumstances they will change just like the sky. Nothing is permanent! Neither happiness nor sadness!!

My videos on Youtube

Now you can watch videos shot by me on Youtube. Right now I have uploaded two videos there.
One is about the bird and its babies and other is about my childhood sewing machine toy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a6uqrQ1ttY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8vZ76wUvWo
More are coming soon. :) You can now follow me on Youtube. :)

Need a dentist

Mrs. 'P' who has just moved from Mumbai to Gurgaon said, "I posted on a networking site that 'I am having sever pain in my teeth. Please tell me about a good dentist in Gurgaon.' That site was about to seek information about maid, driver, doctor, helper, carpenter, gardner, good eating places in Gurgaon. I got overwhelming response. And surprisingly, Gurgaonites told me about 32 different dentists."
"You should give each one a chance by getting checked your each tooth with a different dentist." I chuckled. 

True colors

As soon as one gets the chance to sit on a chair, one starts showing its true colours. ;)

Teesu Flowers

I clicked this pic of beautiful red flowers while my regular evening walk. These are teesu flowers which are used to prepare natural Holi colours. The tree grab one's attention as there are only flowers and no or very few leaves during these days. Eye catching flowers and birds feeding on them are very common site during the month of March. 

Jnana Yoga

Jnana Yoga means liberation through knowledge. Knowledge is truth. And Truth is that God is everywhere and in everything. He is in all beings and all beings are in him. There is no difference between the Self and God. One can practice this with the technique of self inquiry and by asking question ‘Who am I?’ The thoughts arise as soon as ‘I’ thought arise in mind. All the thoughts are based on ‘I’ which is the root of all thoughts. If the root is pulled out then the tree dies similarly if the root thought ‘I’ is uprooted all the thoughts vanishes. Hence, seek the root ‘I’ by questioning ‘Who am I?’. Find it and remove it. The question ‘Who am I?’ is like a stick to gather the scattered wood in the bon fire and in the last the stick will itself burn. It destroys all the other thoughts and finally kills itself also.

(Excerpt from 'Japa Meditation - The Easiest Way to Calm the Mind' by Chandrika Shubham. This book is available online at amazon.in)

Obstacles in meditation

Obstacles appear in meditation somewhat like the obstacles appear while performing any other work. Whatever obstacle comes one must try one’s best to overcome it. One should never stop practice. One should not lose heart. Irregularity in practice, diet, laziness and drowsiness, useless conversation, negative emotions, ego, not finding Guru, lack of faith are some of the problems which a beginner experiences. One should keep moving further without getting distracted because of the obstacles. One should not be discouraged as the journey is very long and can’t be completed overnight.

(Excerpt from 'Japa Meditation - The Easiest Way to Calm the Mind' by Chandrika Shubham. This book is available online at amazon.in)

Karam Yoga

Every action is spiritual, if it is done without any selfishness. If there is selfishness in doing a task then it is only ‘action’ and not ‘karam yoga’. Karam yoga can be practiced by detaching oneself with the fruits of actions. If the result is not upto one’s expectation then one should not get angry, irritated or unhappy. One has to forget oneself in doing the task assigned. One has to erase the factor ‘I’ from it and has to wipe out ‘I did that work’. This is what meditation means to be completely absorbed in work without thinking about the factor ‘I’. 

(Excerpt from 'Japa Meditation - The Easiest Way to Calm the Mind' by Chandrika Shubham. This book is available online at amazon.in)

Shinni with a twist!

My friend told me the traditional recipe of shinni as mix raw flour, unboil milk, ripe bananas, grind sugar and chop fruits. I decided to give it a twist. I poured desi ghee in hot pan and roasted wheat flour in till aroma came and changed its colour to light brown. I mixed the ripe bananas and bura (grind sugar) in a separate bowl. Then added the cool wheat flour in it. Mixed them thoroughly. Added chopped apple, orange and grapes for taste and colour. The result was very delicious.
You must try it if you have a sweet tooth. 

Trick photography

These days it is very common that people click the photos with trick photography. Some try to touch the top tip of a tall building, some try to grab the sun like a ball and some try to push a tall building and some try to hold another person on the palm. The list is endless as our imagination! Here is one pic clicked by me with trick photography. Hope you all like it.

Red-whiskered bulbul

Bulbul is a very common bird in India. They are so friendly that a bird lover can feed them on his palms. Many years back, in our courtyard a bulbul used to come and sing. My mother named her 'Nayantara' and fed Marigold biscuits, its favorite on her palm to it. She sometimes gave it some bits of fruits while peeling them for the family. In fruits, it like pomegranate the most, may be that is the reason of her sweet voice.
The most common variety of bulbul seen in Northern India is red-vented bulbul. One can see them anywhere and everywhere. Many a times I have seen pic of red-whiskered bulbul in books and on net. For the first time I spotted it on top branch of a tree while walking on the path in Mughal Gardens, New Delhi. 

Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti Yoga is the easiest form of God realisation. It is a beautiful way to show love towards God. Bhakti means ‘to worship’ or ‘to be attached to God’. One cannot attain God through logic and reason but from pure faith and devotion. One yearns for God and God alone. In this form of love where there is no expectation. It purifies one’s heart. In sakam bhakti, one desires for materialistic gains and in nishkam bhakti, one desires of God and nothing in return from Him.

(Excerpt from Japa Meditation - The Easiest Way to Calm the Mind by Chandrika Shubham. This book is available online on at amazon.in) 

Acknowledgements of 'Japa Meditation - The Easiest Way to Calm the Mind'

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my utmost surprise, I completed this book from idea to print in only seven months. This book was my dream. There are many who helped me generously in converting this dream into reality. A big thank you to all those who supported me!

I wish to thank my Ma, Sarita Saini who taught me how to hold the pencil and to write the first alphabet ‘A’. She was always with me and guided me to overcome the obstacles whenever I stop in my path. My father, Madan Lal Saini gave me a break from business so that I can devote full time to it.

Kaushal Saini, my nanaji for telling me about the power of chanting mantra. Sumitra Saini, my naniji for telling me spiritual stories in my childhood days. That interest later developed into reading spiritual books.

Specially, Neelam Prabha who motivated me from the very first day to write, gave her genuine suggestions and constant feedback. Geeta Davar, who read and critically reviewed the manuscript making it more readable and insightful. I would thank Kiran Bhatia, for adding a tinge of bhakti by improving script in Devanagari. I extend my wishful thanks to my good friends Shrimi and Paulami. Their suggestions about incorporating anecdotes here and there colored my dream with rainbow hues. 

I extend my sincere appreciations to Sanjeev Saini for drawing illustrations and Rajeev Jain for publishing this manuscript.