Dare devil!

Calculated caution, or plain stupidity?

Unity is strength!

This video is a prime example of the wisdom behind the title of this post!

Coconut Chutney..

Fresh Coconut - Whole
Dry chillies - 5
Green Chillies - 3
Tamarind paste - 1 Teaspoon
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves
Small Ginger - 1
Mustard seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Bengal gram seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 Teaspoon

Cut the coconut into thin strips so that it grinds easily. Grind the coconut strips, Ginger, Green chillies, Coriander leaves, tamarind or tamarind paste and suitable salt, adding water as necessary until homogeneous paste is formed.
Take a pan, heat two tablespoons of oil, add Bengal gram seeds, Mustard seeds and Cumin seeds until Bengal gram seeds become golden brown. Add Dry chillies to it, and then add Curry leaves. Add the coconut mixture paste to this pan, mix well, let it simmer in low flame for a minute or two and get ready to RELISH this yummylicious preperation. :D

Love.

"If by bathing daily God could be realised
Sooner would I be a whale in the deep;
If by eating roots and fruits he could be known
Gladly would I choose the form of a goat;
If the counting of rosaries uncovered him
I would say my prayers on mammoth beads;
If bowing before stone images unveiled him
A flinty mountain I would humbly worship;
If by drinking milk the Lord could be imbibed
Many calves and children would know him;
If abandoning one's wife would summon God
Wouldn't thousands be eunuchs?
Mirabai knows that to find the divine One
The only indispensable is love."

The above poem is written by Mirabai, translated to English in "Autobiography of a Yogi" by Paramahansa Yogananda.
Online Reference: http://oaks.nvg.org/ayob.html#7

I loved the poem for its simplicity in conveying a truth that is mostly misunderstood.

The Village Schoolmaster

- By Oliver Goldsmith.

Beside yon straggling fence that skirts the way With blossom'd furze unprofitably gay,
There, in his mansion ,skill'd to rule,
The village master taught his little school;
A man severe he was , and stern to view,
I knew him well , and every truant knew;
Well had the boding tremblers learn'd to trace
The days disasters in his morning face ;
Full well they laugh'd with counterfeited glee,
At all his jokes, for many a joke had he :
Full well the busy whisper, circling round,
Convey'd the dismal tidings when he frown'd :
Yet he was kind ; or if severe in aught,
The love he bore to learning was in fault.
The village all declar'd how much he knew ;
'Twas certain he could write, and cipher too :
Lands he could measure, terms and tides presage,
And e'en the story ran that he could gauge.
In arguing. too, the person own'd his skill,
For e'en though vanquish'd he could argue still ;
While words of learned length and thund'ring sound
Amazed the gazing rustics rang'd around ;
And still they gaz'd and still the wonder grew,
That one small head could carry all he knew.
But past is all his fame. The very spot
Where many a time he triumph'd is forgot.

Taken from : here.
(The link also contains another poem, titled "Sweet Auburn", which is also a good poem.)
I loved this poem, "The Village Schoolmaster" for various reasons.
Most of us can fondly recollect their own school days when they might have had a stern teacher who was knowledgeable and fits into Mr.Goldsmith's description of this poem's protagonist.
The vivid detail through which he paints the picture of the village schoolmaster is praiseworthy. Also, he shows different people's perspectives on the schoolmaster.
The poem exuberates a strong sense of nostalgia with undertones of melancholy.

For teacher's notes and commentary on this poem, please click here.

Chikki.

This sweet savoury is made, following this procedure:

Take a few groundnuts and heat them in a pan them until they are fried - you know it is done when there are black spots on the seeds. You have to ensure through stirring that these black spots are evenly spread on all the nuts.

Transfer them into a plate and allow them to cool to the extent that you are able to break them into half using your hands. Also, take the skin off the seeds, and separate the half-seeds from the skin.

Take jaggery and heat in the pan, along with little water on medium flame. The jaggery melts and a paste is formed. The water mixes well and you see a dilute paste. Keep heating this while stirring occasionally. You know when this paste is ready when the following test is successful - take a glass of water and add a drop of the liquefied jaggery to it. If this drop spreads inside the water, it means that it requires further heating. If, on the other hand it stays solid and cohesive, it means that the syrup is ready for the next step.

Take a flat plate that has an edge to hold, add a few drops of oil to it and spread the oil on the surface of the plate. This ensures that the syrup does not stick on to the plate. Add the ground nuts to the syrup, mix well and then transfer this mixture into the plate.

Allow it to cool down. When it solidifies to the extent that when you tilt the plate, the mixture does not start flowing off, cut the chikki paste into pieces, and allow it to solidify further.


There you go! All you have to do is to wait until it solidifies, and Yuuummmm!!

Wanna be famous..