Indian Army Day: 15th Jan 2013

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Tilgul + Haldi-kunku + Kites = Makar Sankrant

Makar Sankranti may be a day later than usual this year, but the mood in every Maharashtrian home is as upbeat as ever, with families gearing up to celebrate the beginning of the harvest season with traditional  fervour on Monday. Although the hectic pace of modern-day living has slowly brought in changes, the essence of the celebration is very much the same."The day" will begin with bathing in water sprinkled with sesame seeds. Lunch will consist of 'til gul' and 'gulaachi poli' holding pride of place on the table.

No doubt, the changing skyline of Mumbai, courtesy tall towers, and narrow compounds have dampened the thrill of kite-flying. The keen competitions where participants would erupt in loud cheers of 'Bo-kata!' each time a kite string was severed are now restricted to the few open maidans left in the city.Window displays in Dadar are adorned with black saris, for this is a rare moment when black is considered auspicious.

Keeping its theme in mind Abhishek Kapoor's forthcoming film 'Kai Po Che' will have a Makar Sankranti release Too.

On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti til laddoos marks a delicious, mouth-watering advent of the New Year! Celebrate with vigour and enthusiasm, as i show how to make these crunchy sweets.

Recipe for til ladoos:

Ingredients:

• 1 small bowl of coarsely ground peanuts
• 1 cup jaggery
• 1 cup til (sesame seeds)
• 1 cup grated coconut
• Finely chopped cashews and almonds
• Cardamom powder for taste, some raisins and clarified butter (ghee)

Method:

• Roast the sesame seeds. Once they turn golden brown, transfer them into a bowl. 
• Roast the grated coconut and transfer into the same bowl. To this, add coarsely ground peanuts. 
• Add finely chopped cashews, almonds and raisins.
•  Put some cardamom powder, according to your taste. Mix everything well. 
• Finally, melt the jaggery with 1 tsp of ghee and add to this mixture. Mix well to make your ladoos.

तिळगुळ घ्या गोड गोड बोला!!
तुम्हाला आणि तुमच्या पूर्ण कुटुंबाला मकर संक्रांतीच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा…!

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Lets Take Look On 2012

12th month of the year, last day of 2012 to end. yeaa yea..i know i got all my resolution done in the first month itself..!;) But seriously we get so busy in work, completing tasks, festivals that we forget that we have a backlog of some resolution pending which was to be completed.

Lets take a moment to stop and assess, then sip some tea, toast a few of these other special days this month, and then get back to work! Many of us are surely didn't realized how the year passed by and feels as if we are still in the new years hangover of last year. Time is running with the speed of air. Just gone by in a blink of eye. We have fallen from our horse of resolution because that's human nature to fall. To accept something new in our life it really takes effort. But still lets review the year, mainly what we all have seen in the blink of eye in the year 2012.

2 January: India-Pakistan exchange a list of their nuclear installations  

19 January: Delhi High Court grants bail for Suresh Kalmadi in Commonwealth Games scam 

8 February: Three Bharatiya Janata Party Ministers caught watching objectionable video clip in Karnataka Assembly, Resigns 

14 February: Blast at an Israeli embassy car in Delhi

16 March: Union Budget for 2012-13 is presented by Finance Minister Sh. Pranab Mukherjee

21 March: Soumitra Chatterjee selected for Dadasaheb Phalke award for 2011

8 April: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari visits India on a personal visit to Ajmer Sharif

18 April: Major fire in the signalling system at Kurla brings Central line and Harbour line of Mumbai Suburban Railway to a standstill and two commuters lose their lives after falling off an overcrowded local train.The loss was expected to be 17 crore (US$3.09 million) to the Central Railway

26 April: Sachin Tendulkar, Rekha and Anu Aga nominated to Rajya Sabha by the President of India

8 May: Over 100 Air India pilots go on strike.

13 May: Indian parliament celebrates 60th anniversary

31 May: Bikram Singh takes over as Indian Army Chief.

26 June: 26/11 handler Abu Jundal is arrested by Delhi Police.

8 August: Incident of violence against North-Eastern people in Pune as repercussion of Assam Violence following which exodus of thousands of North-Eastern people from Bangalore due to a rumour circulated among them through SMS & MMS that they would be attacked after Eid

11 August:Violence in Azad Maidan in Mumbai

12 August: London Olympics, India ended it with 6 medals, 2 silver and 4 bronze.

14 August: Union Minister for Science And Technology and Ex Chief Minister Of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh Passes Away.

17 August: Bulk SMS & MMS banned in India for 15 days to prevent a rumour of ensuing violence against NE people by Muslim fundamentalists

19 September: CBI makes first arrests in Assam Violence cases. Mohammed Hashem Ali, Mohammed Adom Ali Sheikh, Mohammed Hashim Ali Rehman, Mohammed Qurban Ali Sheikh, Mohammed Imran Hussain were arrested after detailed questioning by agency sleuths.

21 October: Indian Filmmaker Yash Chopra died.

25 October: Indian actor and comedian Jaspal Singh Bhatti died.

12 December: Pandit Ravi Shankar, sitar maestro, passes away in California

 16 December: A female physiotherapy student was beaten and gang raped in Delhi, when the victim and a male companion boarded a bus in South Delhi in the evening, after watching a movie. The incident was condemned by many foreign and women related organisations, asking the Government of India to react and work on safety for womens in India. Public protests took place in Delhi, where thousands of protesters clashed with police, and other force units. Similar protests also took place through out the country in major cities.

28 December: Sachin's retirement from ODIs marks the end of an era 

 29 December: Delhi gang rape victim, who was moved to Singapore for further treatment on 26 December, died due to multiple organ failure. Peaceful protests was again held in Delhi where people came in to mourn the death and demanded stringent punishment for the culprits.

So that was all  for 2012. Year of many ups and downs. The unsaid was Mayans prediction for 2012, a prediction which said the world will end. But we are alive, ready to party harder and see many twists and turns on the way with hope, smile, tears, love, humanity, strengths, failures, and many more.

Lets live 2013..! Cheers... A Very Happy New Year..!
 

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No Time

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can,
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,We have no time to stand and stare. 

 - W.H.Davies

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Why to take a Holiday?

Brought to you by Confused.com - Get your travel insurance sorted in minutes.

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A Super Adorable Element

As i was going through various website, learning various elements, i came across this super adorable element of heart, which parts when you moose over it to share the page. I was soo in love with this, but couldnt really figure out how to apply this on my blog. Finally i got through this website which helped me with this.
In short, sometimes it takes this small element to bring a big broad smile on my face..lol...

If you still couldnt figure out the new element, jus see on the left hand side, you will see a heart..did you see that?? Move your mouse there and see the magic...
Thanks for coming here to check my new element.

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The Importance Of Honesty

More and more as I observe relationships, whether they be friendships, family relationships, business dealings or romantic partnerships, I notice just how few people have the courage to be truly honest with each other.

More often than not, those who are silencing their honesty seem to do so to keep the peace. But how is peace truly kept if one person is not able to express their feelings honestly, without risking a dose of the other person's wrath? That relationship therefore, is not on equal, mature footing, but rather under the control of one person.

Such relationships may still bring joy in other ways, tending to hide much of the discontent. That is, until it festers to a point of needing expression. At this time, things often come to a head and what could have been expressed honestly, in a peaceful manner at an earlier time, are now expressed in anger, and as a result, any opportunity for understanding or being heard properly is lost immediately.

Is it not better to express ourselves honestly as the feelings arise, rather than avoid them to the point when they can no longer be expressed clearly, due to the accumulation of residual feelings that now accompany them?

Of course, there is no guarantee that you will get the reaction you hope for either way. We cannot control another's reaction. But at least we will have our own respect by communicating honestly.

People come and go in life. We share the learning we are meant to and then move on, sometimes naturally and smoothly, sometimes in a blaze of glory. The same goes for romantic partnerships, business associations and family relationships, as well as friendships. Many family relationships are some of the worst I have seen, for sweeping things under the carpet to keep the peace.

Honesty is not always an easy thing to share, nor is it an easy thing to hear. We don't have to agree with what the other person is saying though, just as they don't have to agree with us. But to be respectful of the other person's feelings and to honour the relationship enough to be willing to hear the person out, allows for healthy, mature growth in any type of relationship.

If after that honesty has been heard and no reconciliation can be found then it is time to move on. Bless the other person on their journey, whether they know it or not, let go and move forward. Space will be created in your life for more like-minded people to now enter. And most of all, you will know that you have honoured your own heart by being honest. Just because the other person does not like what you have said, does not mean you should not have said it, and vice versa. Either way, everyone has a right to be heard.

It is not always without effort to be honest, especially when most of the people in power are not. How can we expect politicians to be honest if we are not so ourselves? I am certainly not excusing politicians, of course, but the more honest everyone becomes on a personal level, the more we see through dishonesty on any level. As a result, those who are not honest with their people will lose power sooner.

It takes courage to be honest in any kind of relationship and sometimes choosing the right timing helps. But what sort of quality is it, if one person carries so much power and anger that the other person cannot be themselves? Is that sort of relationship worth holding onto anyway? No way.

I have found honesty to be one of the most liberating elements of my life. It lets go of unhealthy situations, associations that are no longer healthy for my wellbeing, and allows those other beautiful, mature relationships to grow to new levels and to bloom.

None of us are perfect and we may not always like what others have said, or even what we have said! But at least we earn our own respect by having the courage to express our feelings.

Honesty can be delivered with compassion and empathy, but those acts of kindness also belong to ourselves. By being honest, you are being compassionate and kind to yourself and that, above all else, is the most important thing of all.

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