The Writer's Blog

Vedic Reflections - Shri VishnusahasranAmam (Stanza 30) The main aspect of the 30th shloka is the comparison of His radiance with the rays of the sun and the moon Ojastejodhyutidharah prakAshAtmapratApanah riddhah spashtAksharo mantrash-chandrAnshurbhAskaradhyutih ओजस्तेजोध्युतिधरः प्रकाशात्माप्रतापनः | रिद्धः स्पष्टाक्षरो मन्त्राश्चन्द्रान्शुर्भास्करद्युतिः || OjastejOdhyutidharah  The One who is filled with super strength, courage and brightness prakAshAtma The One whose Atma is radiant and bright, the enlightened soul pratApanah The One who heats up the enemy. Another aspect can be the One who heats up the universe. Thus, a source of energy that provides heat, which we all know is an essential energy in itself and is as important for life's sustenance as is water   riddhah  The One who is rightly filled with all the qualities   spashtAksharah The One who is uttered by clean and clear words. aksarah also means that which cannot be destroyed , therefore this can

Litti aur Chokha Bihari Cuisine Recipe MY RATING - 8/10 Source - Nutan Srivastava - http://www.biharandjharkhand.com/recipe/ranu_littichokha.htm Ingredients for Litti Aata (wheat flour) - 250 gm Besan (gram flour - made from chana daal) - 100 gm Sattu (baked gram flour) - 250 gm Ajwain - 5 gm Mangaraila - 5 gm Onion - 2 (finely chopped) Garlic - 1 (finely chopped) Dhaniya Patta - 50 gm (chopped) Lemon - 2 Green Chillies - 4 (finely chopped) Salt to Taste Method of Preparation 1. Mix aata and besan thoroughly. Add ajwain, mangaraila, salt and water. 2. Knead into a soft dough and keep aside. 3. Mix sattu with onion, garlic, lemon juice, dhaniya patta, green chilli and salt. 4. Divide dough into medium size loyias. Put a little sattu mixture inside and make balls. 5. Bake these balls/littis in tandoor or cow-dung (goytha) fire. Ingredients for Chokha Round Baigan (brinjal) - 500 gm Tomato - 250 gm Mustard Oil - 1 tbsp Green Chillies - 4 (finely chopped) Salt to Taste Method of Pre

Vedic Reflections - Shri VishnusahasranAmam (Stanza 23) The 23rd Shloka describes how the Lord NArayana has the potential quality to observe everything that is happening even when He is in His yoganidra . The Lord of such great power must be attained at all costs, He is the way to self-realization, He is the way to moksha. We also relate this with His first incarnation ( avatAr) of the great fish, matsya, that saves mankind during the first pralaya (Apocalypse) guruh gurutamo dhAmah satya satyaparAkramah nimisho'nimishah sragvi vAchaspatirudAridhih गुरु: गुरुतमो धामः सत्य सत्यपराक्रमः | निमिशोअनिमिशः स्त्रग्वी वाचस्पतिरुदारिधिः || guruh  The One who is the instructor of all knowledge gurutamah The greatest among the instructors ( Guru - Instructor & Uttamah - Greatest ) dhAmah  The One who is the lustrous residence of knowledge, reaching where and/or whom jiva attains moksha satyah The One who always speaks the truth, whose words always is the truth. Bears atonement

Rice Pongal Tamil Cuisine Recipe MY RATING - 9.9/10 I explained Huggi, which is a Kannada variation of the North Indian Khichdi. Now, I give you the Tamilian variety which is very famously known as PONGAL .Perhaps the most important dish for the Tamilians, since they celebrate their harvest festival of Pongal with this very dish. Nutrional values go far above any other dish and is recommended for all ages and sexes! Source - http://www.pongalfestival.org/rice-pongal.html Ingredients » Raw Rice -300 gms » Moong Dal (yellow or green) 100 gms » Hing powder -Half tsp » Cummin Seeds- one or two tsp » Black pepper- 10 to 12 » Cashew nuts-10 no » Ginger- 1 inch piece » Turmeric powder- half tsp (optional, if you like the colour) » Clarified Butter or liquified Ghee- four tbsp » Curry Leaves- 10 no (optional) » Salt- to taste Method 1. Heat Kadai. Dry roast rice and moong dal till they turn hot to touch. 2. Transfer the rice and dal to a container and wash three times

SOURCE - Espncricinfo.com Mahela Jayawardene will captain Team Kochi in the 2011 IPL. The former Sri Lanka captain was asked to lead the IPL franchise whose squad also includes his fellow Sri Lanka team-mates Muttiah Muralitharan and Thisara Perera, on Tuesday, and said he would be "thrilled" to do so. "Leading an IPL franchise will be a really exciting personal challenge for me," Jayawardene said. "The fact that Kochi is a new franchise with such a passionate and knowledgeable fan base in Kerala makes the captaincy even more exciting." Jayawardene was Kochi's big signing, who bought him for US$1.5 million at the IPL auction in January, and said he is pleased with the mix of players in the side. "We have a very interesting mix of Indian and overseas players in the squad including a lot of variety in the bowling, a key factor that is crucial in T20 cricket. We also have some fine batsmen and some useful all rounders. With the right preparation a

Vedic Reflections - Shri VishnusahasranAmam (Stanza 15) The fifteenth stanza of sahasranAmam of Maha Vishnu lays stress upon the number 4 and it's direct relation with Mahavishnu. You will read it in the following translations. लोकाध्यक्षः सुराध्यक्शः धर्माध्यक्शः कृताकृतः | चतुरात्मा चतुर्व्यूहा चतुर्दाष्ट्र चतुर्भुजः || lokAdhyakshah surAdhyakshah dharamAdhyakshah krtakrtah chaturAtma chaturvyushvaturdashtrashvaturbhujah lokAdhyakshah The One who is the master or in command of all the living beings of the world - LOKA ADYAKSH surAdhyakshah  The One who is in command of all the surAs or Gods dharamAdhyakshah  The One who is in command of Dharma or righteousness krtakrtah The One who grants the fruit or result according to our Karma or Doings in this world/life or a previous life chaturAtma  The One whose glory is fourfold chaturvyuha The One who is the four vyUhas (viz vAsudeva, sankarshana, pradyumna & aniruddha) chvaturdamshtra The One has four protrud

CHENNAI As many as 13 light houses across the country, four of them in Tamil Nadu, are set to become heritage centres that would portray maritime history of India. The project, is the first of its kind, is the initiative of the directorate of light houses and light ships, and envisages turning light houses into major tourist with spas, cottages and hotels. Ancient light houses in Chennai, Mamallapuram, Muttam near Kanyakumari and Rameswaram are to be renovated in the first phase. "The proposed National Maritime Heritage Museum at Mamallapuram will showcase centuries-old vessels being used in the Indian sub-continent. As maritime history and the ocean always excites the common man, we are trying to portray the life of mariners and vessels in these museums, near the light house structure near Mamallapuram," said K K Braroo, deputy director general of light houses and light ships. "In Chennai, the proposed museum depicting maritime history will be showca

The Haryana government Monday approved allocation of Rs.900 crore (Rs.9 billion) for metro rail-link project in the IT city of Gurgaon. The metro-link will connect Delhi’s Sikanderpur station to national highway no.8 in Gurgaon. The total length of the line is 1.2 km on double track and 3.7 km on single track. There will be six stations on this stretch, an official said. Gurgaon, a suburb of Delhi, is linked with the national capital through two major roads - the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road (MG Road) and Delhi-Jaipur highway. Another metro-rail link between Delhi and Gurgaon is under construction along the MG Road. Source -  http://gurgaoncitynews.com/ Gurgaon city news, City round up, Life in a Metro

The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon has come up with a novel scheme to involve residents in developmental work being carried out by it. The Corporation will constitute citizen supervisory committees to monitor the process and execution of development work in their areas. Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Khullar told mediapersons that now, instead of calling Detailed Notice Inviting Tenders for development work in Gurgaon, tender-cum-community participation applications were being invited by the Corporation. The work order will be issued to the contractor in the presence of the supervisory committee. Khullar said people should read the Corporation’s tender notices carefully and any one who has a stake in that work can apply for becoming a member of the committee. The committee will have six members and if there are many applications, members will be selected through a draw of lots. The number of members can also be increased after looking at circumstances. Priority will be given to

What started off as merely an impossible wish of a deluded soul has finally been deemed COMPLETION. 10 days ago, running through RAC's and merely leftover seats to Tirupati and now here I am, back at the comforts of the sofa at my Gurgaon Apartment, wondering where did it all come from?  http://1.imimg.com/data/5/0/MY-84426/moti_boondi_laddu_250x250.jpg Anyway, something that I wanted to share, something delightful, related to Tirupati....... LADOO....The patented ladoos which are now termed as the best and the most unique in the world. So, Sorry, I can't share the recipe of the Ladoo...those who want to eat....Please visit the Lord of the Seven Hills at Tirumalai and earn yourselves the right to feast upon his blessings as well as the most delicious sweet in the world . I am going to share a few interesting facts about the famous Ladoo. I found this on a blog titled hindu-blog.com Around 150,000 laddus are made daily. One laddu is given free to each devotee; the number o

Here's another reference to the unity of the Vedic trinity . Any person following the vedic traditions would tell you that Rudra ( रूद्र )is the name of the ' Hindu' Lord of destruction, more commonly known as Shiva ( शिव ). Now what is this name doing in the Vishnusahasranamastotram? Well, that's one way of pointing to existence of SINGLE GOD concept of MONOTHEISM present deep in the vedic religion. Hinduism is often the point of laughter among the Western as well as Arabic faiths because of the presence of a quarter to billion Gods and goddesses. They often ask, how lamer can it get? Well, the modern hindu doesn't know the meaning of his/her own religion. Vedic religion promotes the belief of a single God and did it much before the story of Jesus or Prophet were even narrated. I am not trying to prove any supremacy here, but trying to put this point forth, that the real Hinduism is in fact a MONOTHEISTIC religion. Rudra literally means the One who destr

Ghugni (Pea Curry from Odisha/Orissa) Oriya Cuisine Recipe MY RATING - 8/10 Source - http://oriyafood.blogspot.com/2007/05/ghugni.html Ingredients:  2 medium sized potatoes boiled, pealed and sliced into medium dices  2 cups of dried peas soaked overnight in water  3 small tomatoes sliced into small pieces  1 small red onion  1 tsp chopped ginger  1 tsp chopped garlic  2 cardamoms  1 tsp of cumin seeds  2 small pieces of cinnamon  3-4 cloves  1 tsp of cumin powder  1 tsp of coriander powder  Fresh coriander leaves  Red chilli powder to taste  2 Green Chilies  Turmeric powder  2-4 tsp cooking oil  Salt to taste Method: Make a ‘masala paste’ of onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves with a little water Boil the soaked peas with some salt till soft (You can pressure cook the peas) Put 2 tbs of oil in a frying pan and put the cumin seeds and let them splutter Add green chillies Add the masala paste prepared earlier Fry them till light brown Add turmeri

Avial:: This is a semi-dry preparation which is a mixture of all sorts of vegetables. Kerala Recipe MY RATING - 8.5/10 Ingredients:  (Serves 10) Yam sliced thinly into 11/2" length pieces 1cup Cucumber sliced lengthy into 11/2" thick pieces 1cup Snake gourd sliced into 11/2" length pieces 1cup Carrot sliced into into 11/2" length pieces 1/4cup Long runner-beans sliced into 11/2" length pieces 1/2cup Drumstick cut into 2" length pieces 2nos Raw bananas sliced into 11/2" length pieces 1no Mango pieces for sour Turmeric powder 1/2tsp Salt to taste Grated coconut 1/2quantity Green chillies 5nos Cumin seeds 1/2tsp Curry leaves 2sprigs Coconut oil 3tbs Method: Coarsely grind the coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds. Keep it aside. Clean the vegetables. Heat 2tbs coconut oil in a thick bottom vessel.  Add the vegetables and cook in a low flame.  Do not add water. When it is done, add turmeric powder, salt and mix it well.  R

Indori Puri Palak Ki  (Madhya Pradesh Recipe) MY RATING - 8.1/10 Source - http://www.indianfoodsco.com/RecipesRegionalIndian/MadhyaPradeshRecipes.htm Ingredients:   http://bp3.blogger.com/ 2 cups plain flour 2 tbsp.. ghee 1 cup fresh spinach chopped 1 tsp.. ginger 5 green chillis 1/2 tsp.. cumin seeds crushed coarsely 2 tsp. plain yogurt Salt to taste Ghee for deep frying   Method :   Wash and boil spinach in very little water. Grind ginger into a paste. Blend spinach with its water and mix till smooth. Sieve flour with salt. Make well in centre. Add all other ingredients in well except ghee for frying. Knead into a slightly stiff but pliable dough. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes. Knead again till smooth. Divide into small portions. Roll into 4" diameter rounds. Heat ghee, then add two puris at a time. Puff by pressing gently with back of flat slotted spoon. Flip and fry other side.

Vedic Reflections - Shri VishnusahasranAmam (Stanza 11) Today, I shall try interpreting the 11th stanza of Vishnusahasranaama stotram with respect to Science (as I know it) अजः सर्वेश्वरः सिद्धः सिद्धिः सर्वाधिरव्युक्तः | वृषाकपिरमेयात्मा सर्वयोगाविनिस्रतः ||     ajah sarveshvarah sidhah sidhih sarvadiravyuktah... vrishakapirameyAtmA sarvayogavinihsrtah... ajah - The One who is not born (Scientific interpretation = Energy that can not be created) sarveshvarah -  The  Lord of all Lords ( Scientific interpretation =The greatest energy, source of all energy) sidhah - The One who is complete siddhih - The One who is the form of wisdom sarvAdhih - The One who is the reason for the beginning of everything ( Scientific interpretation =The cause of the Creation???) achyutah - The One who can never fall ... vrsakapih - The One who lifted the Earth from below the oceans when it was needed ( Scientific interpretation = The force that has pulled land out of water???) ameyAtma - The On

Chana Madra Himachali Cuisine Recipe MY RATING - 8/10 Source - http://www.surfindia.com/recipes/channa-madra.html Ingredients 500 gm: Yogurt 250 gm: Kabuli chana-boiled 3 tsp: Raisins 4: Cardamoms 5-6: Cloves 1/3 tsp: Black cardamom-powder 1/3 tsp: Clove-powdered 1/2 tsp: Turmeric 3/4 tsp: Cumin powder 1/2 tsp: Salt 250 gm: Ghee Method Heat the ghee in a pan. Add cardamoms, cloves, black cardamom, clove powder, turmeric, cumin and kabuli channas and mix well. Then add the salt, raisins and yogurt and cook on low flame for 20 minutes. Serve hot with rotis.

Kashmiri Dum Aalo MY RATING - 8.6/10 Source - http://www.surfindia.com/recipes/kashmiri-dum-aloo.html Ingredients 500 gm : Potatoes (small) 1½ cup : Yogurt (Dahi) ½ tbsp : Gramflour (Besan) 4 no : Green cardamom (Chhoti Elaichi) ½ tsp : Dry ginger powder (Soonth) ¾ tsp : Fennel seed powder (Saunf) 5 no : Cloves (Laung) 2 no : Cinnamon sticks chutney (Daalchini) 1 ½ tsp : Chilli Powder Sarson (mustard) oil for frying Method Grind together - bari elaichi, laung and daalchini. Put aside until further use. Boil potatoes until half cooked. Peel while still warm. Pierce each potato 2-3 time with thin wooden toothpick. Heat oil in a kadhai, fry potatoes on medium heat until floating on top and golden brown in color. Drain excess oil and keep aside. To the dahi, add salt, besan and 1 cup water. Whisk well, until smooth and lump-free. Reheat 4tbsp of the same oil in another pan. Add red chillies and chhoti elaichi and fry for a minute. Remove from flame, allow to

The music, the backdrop and the model...err...the actress Anushka Shetty....blend perfectly with the beautiful silk sarees by Chennai Silks. This commercial is one of the most beautiful and intricate one's that I have seen in recent times...I love it...wanted to share with everyone...an authentic Indian commerical..

For the past 2 and half months, clusters of men clad in black drapery have been trekking their way to finally reach their destination- SABARIMALA (शबरिमाला / ശബരിമല). The journey spanning a treacherous path of thorns and keeping alive severe worldly austerities on this journey to visit His Highness, Lord Ayyappa. Who is Ayyappa? People in the northern India often find the name funny and unsuitable for a God! Well, No offences, lack of knowledge can lead to such ignorant thinking. Lord Ayyappa is perhaps the most important Hindu deity for the people of Kerala and He is also followed in Tamil Nadu & Karnataka. Lord Ayyappa also known as Manikantha or the one with the bell around his throat is touted to be the son of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. Startled??? Surprised??? Shocked??? Well, the story dates back to the great Samudra Manthan (The churning of the Ocean) epic in the Hindu puranas. The clash took place between SurAs(Gods) and asurAs(Demons) to claim Amritham, which was a milky

Here's Wikipedia's excerpts on this Indian Festival that marks the sun's transit. Makar Sankranti (Sanskrit: मकर संक्रान्ति, Assamese: মকৰ সংক্রান্তি, Telugu: మకర సంక్రాంతి, Marathi: मकर संक्रान्ति, Kannada: ಮಕರ ಸಂಕ್ರಾಂತಿ) or Sankranti or Sankranthi marks the transition of the Sun into Makara rashi (Capricorn) on its celestial path. Traditionally, this has been one of many harvest days in India. Makaravillakku Ceremony in Sabarimala (Kerala) Owing to the vast geography and diversity of culture in India, this festival is celebrated for innumerable reasons and in innumerable ways depending on the climate, agricultural environment, cultural background and location. Sankranti is celebrated since last 6000 years, as archeological findings in Latin America prove that the Mayans celabrated something similar to Sankranthi with Pongal, Pala kayalu, as some kind of spring festival. Sankranti is the Sanskrit word, which refers to the transmigration of the Sun from one Rāshi(z