Me and Him III

He is my North, my South, my East and West,
He is my Working week and my Sunday rest…

He is my moon, my Sun, my Midnight and Dawn,
He is my Talk, my Thought, my Dream and song…

He is my Soul, my heart and my Karma (destiny),
He is my Love and I am his Enigma…
....

He is like...
That first drop of Rain…
That scenic Terrain…
That early morning Dream…
That long forgotten Song…
That misty Morning…
That Starry Night…
Through his eyes, everything looks so divine…
When I am with him, I am no longer mine…

...

All My Life, I Want to remain
Drowned in those beautiful eyes...
Mesmerized by that velvety voice..
Wrapped in those strong arms...
Engulfed by his presence...

...

Those eyes...
That look...
The adorable you...
Makes me wonder...
If my world is still revolving,
or stopped at you!

Edible Fire!

Edible Fire: Mango Avakaya Pickle

I know! I know! I am as shocked as you are..I never thought I would one day think of preparing this pickle...but I did and it feels great..I just had a hearty meal with it and I feel good about my culinary skills :) Here is the recipe, if you would like to try it out. I would have taken some pictures of the preparation if I knew it would turn out this well..may be, next time :)


Spices required to prepare the pickle:
3 tbsps Mustard Powder
1 tbsp Fenugreek Powder
1/4 tbsp Fenugreek Seeds
4 tbsps Red Chilli Powder
1 1/2 tbsp Salt-if required more salt can be added at a later stage
4-5 tbsp of Nuvvulu noone (Til or Sesame Seed Oil)

Mix chilli powder, mustard powder, fenugreek powder, seeds and salt.Take a wide vessel, add the above spice-mixture and the chopped mango pieces. Mix the mango pieces well with the spice-mixture and slowly add the oil and combine with the pieces till well coated. The mango pieces should be well coated and wet with the spice mixture and oil but not dripping with oil. Store it in a cool dry place for 48 hours ( I didn't touch or didn't mix it) and on the third day it is ready to use! Enjoy it with hot steamed rice, Ghee and Dal as I did just now :))

Store the pickle in a clean glass jar for future use!

Nikon Knows IT!

Photography is my passion! Maybe I should say my current passion. Couple of years back I wouldn't have even thought that I would take a proper picture..even now I don't, but still photography is my passion. The person with a passion is a person possessed! You can't think of anything else or whatever you think, it will eventually end up back at your passion. I remember the first days of my craziness. I was so obsessed with my camera that, I even turned the door knobs as I would turn a Camera Lens...!

I hope this passion will last a lifetime...Here are some pictures my Nikon has eyed so far :) Enjoy!

Black Magic

Wildnerness of the West!

Nature Beckons!

Solo Players

Hot Palate: Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

Well..Every Hyderabadi would know this recipe..What makes it special is the way it brings out the nostalgia about Hyderabad. This recipe is not new..its an age old nawabi dish but revived by me (I did add my style of cooking here and there). My idea was introduce a spicy yet authentic dish to my non-indian co-workers and it did turn out well!!!

Ironically, when I prepared it for the first time for a potluck at work, it was on a Thursday and as I don't eat non-vegetarian on Thursdays as it being my SAI's day, I did not know how it came out. I was really worried that it might spoil everyone's appetite. However all ended well and spicy! :)

I got good feedback from almost everyone who savored it, but this comment from a white co-worker lingers :)
'This is so hot..I almost feel fumes coming out of my ears. But this is so yummy, I can't help but continue to eat this damn thing...' :)

I also remember my friend Annie gulping down ten bottles of water to beat the spice! LOL..




Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks - 14
Basmati rice - 6 cups
Onions - 1 (big size)
Cardamom - 6
Cinnamon - 2 sticks
Cloves - 6
shahjeera - 1 teaspoonful
Thick curd - 1 cup
Chilli powder - add per your spice levels
Turmeric powder - two pinches
Ginger garlic paste - 2 table spoons
A bunch coriander &mint leaves
green chillies - 5
Ghee - 2 tablespoons
oil - 1 cup

Garam Masala Ingredients: (Grind them to powder)
Cardamoms - 6
Cinnamon - 2
Cloves - 6
Shahjeera - 1 spoon

Green Masala: (Grind them to paste)
Green chillies - 10-15
Coriander - 1/2 bunch
Mint - 1/2 bunch

Method:

1. Marinate chicken with curd, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, Garam masala powder,red chilli powder, green masala paste, juice of one lime & salt.
2. Fry finely sliced onion, till brown & crisp and add to the marinade and let it stand for 4-8 hours.
3. Cook rice separately (1 cup of rice :1 cup of water ratio)
4. Fry the marinated chicken till oil separates and chicken is well cooked.
5. In rice cooker, layer the cooked rice and chicken in alternate layers. Ensure that the first and last layer should be rice.
6. Heat 2 or 3 spoons of ghee and pour on top of the layers and cook till the rice cooker turns from cook to Warm (usually takes around 45min)

Me and Him II

When I first came to know about him, I was just a 13 year old giggly and silly self..though some of my friends and relatives knew about him, no one ever discussed much. Even now when I rake my brains hard, I don’t exactly remember how he came into my life. But, when he came , he came to stay forever. If someone ask me the top list of influences in my life, his name would come first. I vaguely remember someone showing me a picture of him. When I looked into those soulful eyes in the picture, a cord struck and a connection was made...

Then I saw him everywhere..friends' houses, on streets, in malls, in movies..actually wherever I went. He slowly got into my system I should say..The first thought when I got up everyday and the last thought when I slipped into sleep was his. As days went by, my love and devotion for him grew leaps and bounds..obviously when something grows out of moderation becomes obvious! So is my love for him..everyone started noticing it. Some thought it is pure insanity, while others just watched me in awe. While few really appreciated.. few felt that I should be left alone...whatever were the reactions, me and him were noticeable! My madness was such..whenever I wrote something, I would start it with his name!

We met almost everyday..I would rush to meet him, bring him goodies..sometimes fruits, sometimes flowers, sometimes just whatever I have handy...and sat there enjoying his presence. We seldom talked..but when we talked, it was mostly me. He would sit there with this serene look and watched me with loving eyes. I went to him with all my sorrows, joys and idiosyncrasies. Whenever I saw him, either tears would roll up my eyes or a wide smile lit up my face..whatever it was, it was pure ecstasy to be in his presence. Just watching him and his smile was sheer ecstasy. Sometimes when he is free, I would sit at his feet and press them..I would say nothing is compared to the joy that being with him gave me. He is like a God, Father, Mentor and Friend to me!

Then days passed by…my job demanded me to travel out of India..to USA..though I was excited I was sad too..because he was not coming with me..I just carried a small picture of him, some literature and whole lot of memories, but my heart and soul stayed back with him…

In US, his memories kept haunting me. I tried finding him in my thoughts, replenish his memories..but nothing really worked..I was missing him! Then..someone told me that he is in US and is actually staying pretty near to my place..I rushed to his place…when our eyes met, while I cried with happiness, he just looked at me and smiled..My life is complete again! Love you SAI! Love you forever!!

Me and Him I

I read somewhere....


Love marriages around the world are simple:
Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy.
They get married.


In India, there are a few more steps:
Boy loves Girl. Girl loves Boy.
Girl's family has to love boy. Boy's family has to love girl.
Girl's Family has to love Boy's Family. Boy's family has to love girl's family.
Girl and Boy still love each other. They get married...


Mine stopped somewhere in between...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I suddenly felt like writing something here today....it’s been a while since I came anywhere near to this part of my world..was I too busy??? not really sure if falling in and falling out of love is being called busy at all...Damn! what a phase it has been..and what a phase it is now..I am always amazed at the complexity of love itself..nothing is simpler here..everything has to turn, twist and twirl before it comes to a dead stop!

Though love is truly painfully cruel yet incredibly compulsive phase one can ever go through, it does come out as self-revelation act too! All along, I discovered and re-discovered myself when I was going through the whirlpool of strongest emotions ever. I was never famous for being eloquent about my thoughts, I actually been cajoled many times that I don’t speak what I think or I don’t speak at all. From being tight-lipped to aggressively expressive, my journey through love has been astoundingly different from my original persona! Loving someone unconditionally, caring for someone with so much abandon and going above and beyond for someone, let alone writing about someone is not what I thought I am capable of. I felt I can go to the end of the world for him. He was my Sun, Moon, Desperation and Obsession. When I thought about him, words simply flowed, sentences simply formed and I lost myself and found him in those lines… when I write this now, a intense pain engulf me and pull me into gloom. I can’t help but say, blessed are those who never had the taste of love and its aftermath!

As I sit here alone and lonely with all emotions spent, like a broken doll...my heart thuds with a dull pain and conflicting feeling of loss and anticipation. My heart still keeps hoping that he comes back..SOME DAY!

Late regrets

I just finished my volunteering at SAI temple and was ready to go home. I came out of the temple and got into the car. As soon as I turned the ignition on, a wonderful voice came on the radio. It was the living legend SP Balasubramaniam's voice. The weather was just perfect, cloudy with soft light and was drizzling a bit. It was heavenly listening to this wonderful man narrate his successes and aspirations. Few years back I was not even ready to listen to his songs, let alone his talk shows. I actually deplored him, so much so that, when I saw him in Hyderabad Airport on one of my trips, I ignored him. How perceptions change! What a Ignoramus I have been. Now, I would give my best day to spend few minutes with this highly talented individual. It took me quite a bit of growing to understand that it is not the attitude but the talent that makes a person and its not attitude but the perception that makes you see a person in true sense!

As Nikon see it :)