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Showing posts with label ENGLISH WRITE-UPS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ENGLISH WRITE-UPS. Show all posts

Thursday, December 19, 2013

MASQUERADING...



Smile when heart wants to weep, laugh when heart wants to cry. This helps in gaining control over our emotions. I think masquerading makes us stronger...





pic courtesy- aerographics.co.uk 

Thursday, November 21, 2013

GOD'S GIFT TO MANKIND...... AYURVEDA



Winters make me very nostalgic, especially during late afternoon and in the evening. I cannot help but look out of the window with my coffee mug in my hand and take a fascinating stroll down the memory lane which takes me back to my school days and college days. School days they say are the best days of life when you can put aside all the worries and enjoy your childhood and carefree adolescence. I had an extermely wonderful childhood and most of it was spent playing outdoor games with friends after returning from school.. we had a great time riding bicycles, playing cricket, badminton, pitthu, gulli-danda, dodge ball etc etc. This also meant eating right and healthy since falling sick would mean missing school and also no play which was purely undesirable.


Our guardians (moms who were mostly hands-on), had a tough task at hand of keeping their children disease-free and they depended mostly on natural remedies. I remember our mornings would start with juice of chirota/ chirayta (SWERTIA CHIRATA) , every alternate day and a teaspoonful of Dabur Chyawanprash  . This worked wonderfully well for the immune system and later when we attained adolescence this ayurvedic medicine prevented the skin breakouts with pimples and acne. When I was a toddler my mother used to massage me with an uptan of freshly pasted haldi/turmeric, Dabur Honey and milk which had a long lasting benefit, and trust me I never encountered a pimple outbreak in my growing up years.
























I must mention that when I was doing my graduation, my grandmother would take lot of pain in preparing masoor dal and Dabur Honey paste in summers and a mix of  Dabur honey, rose water and glycerine (all in equal proportion) in winters. At times I would be too tired to go through all the fuss of applying the pack but she would coax me till I applied the pack. When I look back I can hardly stop marvelling at the patience she had after a long day's work to do so much for me and that too with a smiling face.







This practice was handed down to me by my grandmother and mother and I used to apply the same pack along with Dabur Lal Tail when my son was a toddler. It worked better than the baby products available then in the market.. Also when he started taking food supplements like cerelac and lactogen, I would dab a little piece of gauze in Dabur honey and wipe off the milk residue from his tongue with that. The sweet taste of honey made the process easy and the goodness of honey protected him from cold and cough.

There are no short cuts in life really, in nothing that we do. It really petrifies me when I find these teenagers depending so much on artificial and chemical based products to look beautiful. Out of ten atleast seven have artificially straightened hair which is also artificially coloured. The excessive use of eyeliners and make up is also very common amongst these youngsters. This should not be encouraged.

But honestly children nowadays are little disobedient, becoming couch potatoes with ample access to television, mobiles and computers to mention a few. Then there is an added pressure to compete in various exams, projects, coaching classes and extracurricular activities.The stress generated as a result affects the immune system and we make umpteen rounds of the doctors chamber.


In situations like these we as parents feel very helpless. Dealing with children is very challenging at times and one feels clueless when it comes to convincing them about the natural remedies. I am an ardent fan of natural products and herbs and believe in eating a balanced diet, therefore as and when required I put my foot down if my child refuses to listen to me. Its Dabur Honey all through the year, in a glass of warm water, lemon juice, on breads, with chapatis and also sometimes I add it in his favorite chicken and prawn also. He likes it. In winters I make it a point to bring home a bottle of  Dabur Chyawanprash and Honitus is a must.It substitutes for the extract made from crushing the tulsi leaves and adding it to honey to cure cold and cough. The foundation has to be strong if we want to build a mansion. So healthy children would mean better future...

















Since my son has a sensitive skin, I also give him a cotton ball dipped in Dabur Gulabari whenever he is playing games on internet so that he can at least wipe his face with that while continuing with the mindless video games. Believe me it has had brilliant effect on his skin. The skin looks cleaner and clearer. In a life so fast paced and busy if we can keep aside just a few minutes for ourselves and instil the same discipline in our children, then life will certainly become more beautiful. We can also save time and money by avoiding endless trips to the hospitals.

































An expensive facial or a face lift can give you a beautiful face but only for a specific period of time that too with hundreds of side effects. Botox, age defying creams, fairness creams etc are nothing but artificial means to an end. It is better to age gracefully, eat healthy and stay away from diseases as much as possible. What could be more better than incorporating some natural products in our regime. A spoonful of Dabur Chyawanprash and Dabur honey in the morning and littlebit of Dabur gulabari for the skin should take of our body. Then we have Hajmola to take care of indigestion. Actually, Ayurveda has solutions to all our problems, all that WE need is a little bit of patience. Discipline is the key word, the results take time to show but they are very long lasting unlike the chemically enhanced products. Truth is, nature is the best doctor, who helps us to make ourselves beautiful inside and out....






















This post is written exclusively for www.Indiblogger.com & "Dabur Chyawanprash" Immune India" (www.daburchyawanprash.com)




LINKS-www.daburchyawanprash.com
http://www.slideshare.net/soumitrakisku/dabur-portfolio-2011-2012

PIC COURTESY-

www.topnews.in
www.gopeppers.com 
www.herbalremedy.in 
freewalamaal.in 
www.herbalbeautysalon.com
www.firstpost.com -
www.firstpost.com -
daburstore.com 


Saturday, November 16, 2013

CRACK UP



Kali Puja to Diwali to Chhath Puja to Jagadhatri Puja...and now cricket, more so because of Sachin's retirement...no respite at all...Every few seconds there is a cracker or a bomb bursting somewhere. Is this how we celebrated auspicious occasions in the past? The other day I was having an insightful discussion with my father on the same topic and that is when I realized that people have become so impervious towards the major environment related issues and the problems that the old and sick people have to encounter because of so much air and noise pollution. Think about the new-borns, the bedriddens, the animals, birds and the poor and penurious, think about the money that is being wasted especially when the times are so difficult.. I have a pet dog who could not eat properly because of these high decibel sounds.

We keep blaming the ruling party, the entire system and the circumstances for our plight. But are we not equally responsible for the ruckus that is being created , are we not part of this system? Yes, I am referring to the way we celebrate Diwali and Kali Puja. We are all aware of the turmoil that our beloved earth is going through, then does it make sense to add to the sound/noise and air pollution? What kind of world are we leaving for our children?

At the risk of being criticised by the admirers of the ruling party, I want to ask what is this with their double-talk? Why do you make rules when you allow people to break them? In the very first place, why do they issue permits to sell these harmful crackers? The decibel marauding firecrackers and the microphones blaring from all four directions, is this right? Politically may be, but for the common man who hates too much noise, smoke and dust these merriments are becoming nightmarish.






Tantriks and purohits, in the olden days, used to perform Kali Puja when it was pitch dark outside on the night of amavasya/ new moon, late at night in the quietness. The sadhna, the ritual was so difficult and demanded so much concentration that any distraction would mean displeasing the Goddess. Thus using  firecrackers was out of question. Even during Diwali (Diwali literally means a "Row of Lights", celebrated on Krishna Chaturdashi ), one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year, a time when Indians all over the world rejoice .It is the darkest night of the darkest period, yet it is a celebration of light! Diwali is presaged as the victory of good over evil.

Diwali celebrates Lord Rama's glorious and long-awaited return to his Kingdom of Ayodhya after his fourteen long years of exile in the forests. It celebrates Lord Krishna's victory over the demon Narakaasura who had kidnapped and terrorized the gopis of Vrindavan. When the evil Naraka was finally killed by Bhagwan Krishna and Satyabhaama, he begged pitiably for mercy; thus, upon his entreaties, it was declared that this day of his death would be celebrated with great joy and festivity. It is also celebrated as the day Bhagwan Vishnu married Maha Lakshmi.In general, Diwali signifies the triumph of good over evil, of honesty over deceitfulness, of truth over lie, and of light over darkness.

Burning candles, fireworks and sparklers are brilliant methods of conveying our joy. But, they are not the only or true meaning of "light." Diwali means dispelling the darkness of our ignorance; it is a festival of the light which shows us the way on our journey through life.  The purpose is to glorify the greatness of love and truth, triumph of good over evil. Lighting diyas or candles is still fine but the crackers! Hard times are ahead we all know, infact difficult times are already here. What with the rising prices of potatoes and onions without which Indian cooking is unthinkable, still we burn money all in the name of festivities.

Well, some may think that I am preaching but no.. honestly I abhor the kali potkas and chocolate bombs or any other form of firecracker. Not just because of my allergy and respiratory problem but also because the elderly people find it very difficult to step outside or sit in the puja pandals. I felt very dearly for my pet dog who could neither eat nor sleep properly all because of this undesirable noise. The explosives made him very restless and nervous. I am sure others have had similar experience.

One may justify the use of firecrackers as the fumes produced by the crackers kill a lot of insects and mosquitoes, found in plenty after the rains. But here, in and around my building and also in many other places in Kolkata I see no reduction in the population of mosquitoes and other insects...

There..another one goes.. today happens to be the eve of Kartik Puja/ Poornima …so one has to bear with this once again...




pic-


Thursday, November 14, 2013

RECONNECTING...



Reconnecting with my bestie Anindita after 23 years that too on the eve of Childrens' Day ...Wow! Thanks a ton Eva.

Life gives us so many reasons to celebrate .. God has been kind..very very kind. Reuniting with school friends brings back so many memories, the sweet ones ofcourse. We did not have gadgets like cell phones or tabs or even digital cameras in those days to capture each and every moment anywhere and everywhere. However, every moment pertaining to my schoollife has been inscripted very efficiently in my memory..

It has been a year of reconnecting with old friends, friends I had not seen in more than 20 years.Friendships can fade away, can lose importance or even die gradually due to time, distance or challenges thrown at us. But a strong conviction and old feelings of trust make it easy to reconnect (glad that I read and believed Rhonda Byrne - "An affirmative thought is 100 times more powerful than a negative one" ). ...

I really could not believe how close we felt, and how quickly we connected. Nothing has changed...nothing. Reconnecting with these friends has made me exteremely happy. I am grateful. Facebook is amazing !! And yes, when your past comes back to add some goodness to your present then that takes away the pain, stress and suffering which the complications of the present and the unpredictability of the future bestows upon us. Really friends, a little dash of happiness can make you look younger by few years and how!! Now I can easily proclaim that 40 is the new 30... so move on !!

"Like a roller in the ocean, life is motion
Move on
Like a wind that's always blowing, life is flowing
Move on
Like the sunrise in the morning, life is dawning
Move on
How I treasure every minute
Being part of it, being in it
With the urge to move on..."

http://youtu.be/Kc7b_cEE7ys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc7b_cEE7ys&feature=youtu.be

Friday, October 25, 2013

ONION REPUBLIC OF INDIA



I am still cooking dishes which have onions,
I am not having my jhalmuri sans onions,
I am enjoying the hyper Newshour debates on onion price hike
I am amused by the images of agricultular minister in a baffled state
I am complaining yet purchasing onions @ 80/kg
I am not surprised when Sen Cabin charges a few extra bucks for the chicken curry
I am Aam Aadmi after all





(TITLE- COURTESY- SHIBAJI BOSE- From his facebook status update)

Friday, October 18, 2013

DURGOTSAV....

The annual Hindu festival, Durgotsav or Sharadotsav is one such auspicious occasion in every Indian's life, especially Bengalis, when they leave aside all the negativities, pessimisms and bitterness and indulge in shopping, cooking, eating and travelling. Precisely one of the reasons why I did not post anything since last few days.
Everyone, irrespective of their financial status celebrates Durga Puja with great aplomb, welcoming the Shaktirupa with a clean heart and wearing new clothes. Pandal hopping, good food, a mandatory visit to the parlour, meeting up with friends and relatives are all integral part of this festival which lasts for five days. Dashami, that is the last day of the festival is marked with sindur khela and bijoya. We had  a great celebration at our building, 'Sohum Apartment', with great puja, bhog, prasaad, adda and cultural programmes. I think the pictures that I have shared here are descriptive enough and need no further explanation.


MAHA PANCHAMI





MAHA SHASHTHI






MAHA SAPTAMI





MAHA ASHTAMI AND SANDHI PUJA









MAHA NAVAMI










DASHAMI AND SINDOOR KHELA








CULTURAL PROGRAMMES


















VISARJAN (IMMERSION)





MAA TUMI BHALO THEKO....

SOME OF MY FAVOURITE POSTS

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