Memories are forever.

A year that starts with apprehensions,

not knowing what’s in store,

Guess that was with you all too.

It was again another journey.

A journey that became so very eventful,

So full of memorable experiences...

 Little did I know, at the end one would crave for more.

The session started from being difficult (for you all)

 to being very endearing (to me) and dear.

Today was a day .....

so overwhelming,

 so surreal,

so very emotionally charged.

I am more than happy I was destined to be a part of all these momentous moments.

It’s lame to say ‘bye’ as I personally always believe I do meet my co passengers again.

 I will keep prodding and keep nosing to keep a track of your lives.

 I know for sure you all will shine in your own field that you choose.

Sincerity,Genuineness,Hard work,Dedication is all in you...

You just need to  grab the opportunities.

Be good, stay healthy and keep smiling.

class 3 ..epic...

III - D

            The owl's name was Robin. The old owl could not fly. There was a river next to the mango tree. In the river lived Ninja the turtle. Ninja and Robin were very good friends. One day a fisherman comes to catch fishes with his net. The turtle along with the fishes gets caught in the net. Robin sees his friend, Ninja being caught in the net. He started hooting desperately. Hearing this, the snake who also lived near the tree came to his rescue, he heard from the owl about Ninja. Without wasting a second, he left. The snake reached the river, and saw the fisherman pulling along the net with all the fishes and also Ninja. The snake went up to the fisherman and coiled up around his legs, the fisherman got so scared that he started shouting and in the process, the net slipped from his hands. Ninja and the fishes were free now, ---- swam deep into the river. The snake now left with the fisherman panting. He left his net and his other belongings and ran away from that place.

III – E

            He had a friend, Mito, who also lived in the same tree. Both of them enjoyed the mangoes during summers. One day few villagers passed by the jungle. They saw the ---- mangoes and thought of plucking some. They climbed up the tree and plucked all the mangoes, while Mito and the owl were sleeping. When Mito woke up, he was more than surprised to see not a single mango in the tree.        Both owl and Mito flew to Rocky, the kingfisher to relate their sad story. The kingfisher knew the headman of the village. He advises them to talk to the headman.

III – C

            In that same tree there also lived a king fisher. There was a river next to the mango tree. The kingfisher every morning would go to catch fishes. The kingfisher and the owl were best friends.

            One day, the kingfisher invited the owl for a fish party. The owl went for the party and there he met many other birds, who were also invited for the party. The owl, the kingfisher and all his friends, had lots of fun. The party got over very late and they all went to their homes very happy.

            The next day a snake comes to the tree. The kingfisher and the owl got scared. The snake saw this and told them not to be ----- she didn't ---- any harm. She said she needed a safe place for her eggs. The owl and the kingfisher had a talk and agreed to share the tree with snake and her eggs. The snake moved in to the hole at the bottom of the tree. The next day the eggs hatched and there were seven baby snakes. Mama snake was very happy and proud. She thanked the owl and the kingfisher for letting her stay there. Kingfisher got fishes for them too. They all took care of each other. The baby snakes grew to adult snakes and decided to look after the awl and kingfisher too. They all lived happy as a big family. 

III – B

            There was another mango tree growing next to this old tree. Another old owl made the other tree his house. At the bottom of the second tree, there was a hole, and there lived a snake. Both the trees were home to many other birds. Families of squirrels lived in those trees too.

        One day a boy chanced to pars by the trees. Seeing the juicy mangoes, he quickly climbed up to pluck some. He sees the owls and also the bird nests full of eggs. The boy wanted to take the eggs home. The owls will see him and started hooting. The snake sensed the danger and climbed up the tree, the boy by his name Krishna Pal, got scared and fell down. The boy ran home. All the birds thanked the snake. The boy reached home and told his mother about the incident. The mother told his son that its bad to be thinking of destroying the birds eggs.

        The boy realized his mistake and never did the same. But there were other boys who knew about the tree and its juicy mangoes. They were all planning to go and pluck those mangoes. Krishna gets to know about this and   seems to warn them of the snake. He also explain them how its important to leave the fruits for the birds and animals too.

III – G

            On that same old tree, there also lived an old parrot, and a crow and a pigeon. All these birds were very good friends. One day a new bird, bulbul, came to tree. The owl, welcomed bulbul and made friendship with her. A hunter came by and found the tree very shady. He decided to take rest for some time under the tree. The hunter woke up after some time and saw the birds. The hunter seeing this took his net out. The hunter spread the net on the ground and put grains on it. The birds come down to eat the grains, but they get trapped. The hunter will put them one by one into his bag.

            He took them all keeping the bag to his shoulders and kept walking towards home. After a while, he felt tired and again taught and taking a small nap. Meanwhile, bulbul who was smart enough had not same down to get the grains, followed the hunter. Bulbul on her way informed their house friends, the movement thay saw the hunter taking rest, the mice & bulbul opened the knot of the bag off flew the birds. Each of them by turn dropped a stone into the bag. Mouse tied the knot and left the bag as it was. The hunter woke up and totally unaware of what's happened, took the bag and keeping into on to his shoulders. ---------

III – J

            The old owl was very hardworking and during summers he would enjoy the mangoes. On the same tree there also lived a parrot; The parrot was a very helping --- over to the owl.

            One night, when the owl was out looking for food, he saw the lion crossing the river. The owl immediately understood that the rabbit in her friends, who were having a party, the other side of the river were in danger. The owl quickly flew that side and warned the rabbits. The rabbits ran off and hid behind the bushes. The lion reached and realized he was tricked; he got angry and roared -------------. The lion understood that it was the owl who had warned the rabbits.

            The lion went up to the mango tree, to talk to the owl. He growled loud and owl come out of his hole. The lion assured him why he tricked him. "My intention was just to save my friends" amid the owl. Just then a leopard came by with a huge piece of meat; the lion smelled the meat and went upto the leopard. Lion assured the leopard he could share his meat ---------. The leopard assured under the condition that when the lion gets a prey he'd share ---------- . The owl now told the lion how friends help each other and why he should not be upset with him for waning the rabbits. Friends in need are friends in deed.

III – A

            The owl found the mangoes very sweet. The owl had friends pigeons, parrots and a crow, they all would come to meet the owl and enjoy the mangoes during summer. The owl always treated his friends with mangoes, and when they would leave, owl would pack them more so that they could carry back the sweet mangoes home of them all, the parrot enjoyed the mangoes the nest.

        One day the owl invited him friends/ families for a mango party. Everybody came for the party and were enjoying a lot, when they heard humans talking. They ------------ hearing to what they said. The party mood became ------------ as they heard them say that they are planning to fell the tree. As they soon sat for a meeting and started thinking of ways to stop the ------------ . They decided to take to the wood cutter and explain him how important the tree is for them and even for humans. The birds stayed back that night with the owl. The next morning the wood cutter came with his axe the birds all together ------ down the wood cutter was taken back. Before he and realize what was happening mr.owl started requesting him not to cut the tree. The wood cutter agreed on one condition, the birds to give him mangoes every summer.   

III – F

            The owl was too old and he couldn't fly to get his food. The owl's friend, a parrot also lived in that old tree. Because of his old age the owl was very week. He had to depend on his friends for food. The most special part about the jungle was, every animal and bird knew how to talk. Seeing his friends flying the owl also wished, he could also one morning the parrot came upto the owls branch and asked him, "How are you, dear friend?". The parrot also asked  the owl if he needed any help.

            The owl said, "I want to fly , can you help". The parrot could not think of anything, but to go to the wise monkey for help. The wise monkey heard what the parrot told and had an idea in his mind. He asked if the owl could sit on his back, the monkey can fly from one branch of the tree to another.

III – H

            Once there lived an old owl, on the top branch of a very old banyan tree. It was a sunny day. A fox looking for some nice cool place, come under the tree. There was a mouse who also lived in a hole at the bottom of that ols tree. The fox saw the mouse, and thought to himself, "I don’t have to go hunting for my lunch this mouse is quite a fat meel". Mr.fox was aso very lazy. Just then a hunter came that way, The hunter saw the fox, and then the net on him. A rabbit passed by, seeing the rabbit, the hunter ran after her to catch her too.

            The fox started yelping and crying. The mouse came out, and decided to free the fox. The fox was free now, he thanked the mouse and ran behind the bushes.

            the hunter missed the rabbit and came back to the tree to take the fox home. As he reached the spot, his eyes popped out to see his net in shreds. The fox was gone. he ----- his lunch and left for home. The fox goes to his cave, calls out his family, and relates the incident to them. They all now went to the tree again to thank the mouse. The wise owl said they all need to help each other to live happily.

live to live...: The other side of the firings..

live to live...: The other side of the firings..

The other side of the firings..

Staying fit is fun,yum and no tum.

Anytime and everytime I tell my folks back home I had bittergourd salad and grilled tomatoes with my phulkas for my lunch they feel sad for me and the expression goes like why are you torturing yourself.....we dont think you need to lose more weight,you are perfectly fine ......but what I fail to convince them everytime is that I am not torturing myself,I enjoy making each and every meal of mine and I relish each low cal dish that I toss up for myself, plus eating right and staying fit is not always to do about weight loss, it is all about feeling good and not taking self for a ride on the contrary it is about taking very good care of self .Eating good doesnt necessarily mean it only has to be the sinfully overcooked and oiled up curries and rice,parathas, served with liberal doses of ghee....I seem to disagree ....and believe me one has to try bittergourd salad with smoked ham(very oriental).
The earthy flavours of roasted or baked veggies is of course quite appetizing …nothing can be more soothing to the gastro route than salads….salads can be as interesting as the colours and hues of an artist…..one can be as creative as possible with trying out salads.nutty and crunchy salads are just too convincing about their looks as they are of the taste and calories.Salads are not just the circular slices of cucumbers ,tomatoes n onion rings anymore. The evolution has gone too far. One can toss up ones salad as what and how the mood would demand…feeling low, mood enhancing salad would do the magic, in a naughty mood the nutty green salad is the answer….the cheesy green salads would be perfect for people in love…
Eating good and healthy is important and it is to be remembered that its important to live healthy, so some knowledge about healthy cooking and changes in diet gets very essential. One can have better, healthier, lighter n tastier meals that will not have one either starving or craving for unhealthy foods one has been trying so hard to give up. Healthy cooking does not mean eating only bland vegetables. One excellent healthy cooking technique is sauteing the vegetables. Usage of tiny quantities of chicken or vegetable broth as a substitute for oil, along with a few herbs adds to the taste. This healthy cooking technique gives vegetables a new, zesty flavor. Another alternative is using roasted vegetables. Roasted veggies served with a dash of chilly olive oil and chopped chives would surely give the taste buds a jingle.
Our age-old Indian cooking technique of using a yogurt marinade is wonderful for chicken and lamb. The marinade if left on for eight hours or even overnight and there comes up a wonderful flavor. The acid in the yogurt tenderizes the meat. Healthy cooking does not mean having to do without the dessert. Fruits are always a welcome addition to healthy cooking. Wonderful as a side dish, mixed berries with a topping of fat free vanilla yogurt will make your taste buds happy, while keeping you healthy as well. Another good option, sauted bananas, is an unbelievably sweet treat will make you wonder if you are still on a diet. A dash of honey on a chunk of paneer comes as a good balm for people having a terrible sweet tooth.
So staying fit and healthy involves eating healthy and good but along with healthy food one needs to sweat a bit also. And of course sweating being very important to keep the endorphin flowing so one can enroll self to any of the gym in the neighbourhood(as they seem to be mushrooming like theres no tommorrow).religious visits to the gym has been more than profitable. markets are flooded with the gym wears and accesories. More than one reason why one should feel all the more glamourous in the gym and reasons to hit the gym if one is still thinking. the chitchat happening there surely would keep one abreast of the gossips. The gym is also a place to discuss all our health issues. Sometimes one can overhear the family problems, maid issues and local gossips along with a chat on latest movies. Loosing weight(if required), feeling fit, nice and good and letting go of the gloominess comes as a wonderful package. It is interesting to know that for some the gym is a meeting ground . Did somebody say fitness and romance go together? Also gym is a place to throw up comments, both positive and negative. Sometimes I receive encouraging comments on my figure and that suffices for the thousands of rupees I pay to the gym owner and sometimes comments disappoint me making me feel like quitting. Mirrors ,mirrors on the walls whos the fittest of the all.I wonder why the walls of the gym are fitted with mirrors. whatever reasons can be listed for the mirrors , one thing for sure is, its nice admiring ones own figure.
Joining a gym is of course not the only way to sweat it out. can be any kind of exercising ones limbs. Most essential in trying anything is making things interesting. In order to make exercising fun one should try to find the types of exercises that one enjoys.The most easy and convenient being walking. Most people have some favorite sport that they like, some like tennis, some prefer swimming, one can swim as often as possible. if one picks up the favourite sport, theres no trouble in self motivation because this should be something that one would look forward to doing every time. So its understood that exercising is critical to staying fit. However, exercising by itself is not enough. And it wasn't that I got distracted from the main topic,with which I had started, cooking healthy food and eating right and enjoying eating healthy is still on mind . Excercising and eating right are like the two sides of a coin. So one must watch what one eats. Fast foods, fats, and simple carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour should be avoided, Instead, fruits and vegetables, lean meats and whole grains should be eaten. , And something not to be forgotten is that the fad diets should be a big no no.
There is no question about the benefits of being fit. Fitness improves ones health, gives more energy, enhances the appearance, and builds self-confidence. And to stay fit one needs to eat right and indulge in some exercising of ones limbs also.The moral of the story being making of healthy food can be so creative and innovative hence so much fun in making it,plus exercising, when made interesting, makes one sweat little more,the end result being fun, yum and no tum.
So why aren’t more people fit? Why aren’t my people inspired by healthy life styles. Anyways for all those who still have to realize such myths and truths its never too late.

Maid in India.

She stood in the doorway leaning against the side a hand cocked on her hip. She would flung herself at her work with such velocity that it becomes necessary to put the glassware away, lest the crystals would inevitably crunch somewhere in the pile. Cant even ask her to be careful with my very precious crystals lest she might start off with her cv, in the sense, where all she has worked till date and that everywhere she has handled glassware with ease so I shouldn't have my lungs in my mouth even if she would be juggling with my favourite pieces.
I thought how different are we. I used to fancy her earthy language , rural aphorisms utterly unlike the prattle of the so called civilized chattering classes and we presume that we are so different….I am talking about my domestic help,without whom I am sure life would be different ,good or bad, cant say.
So typically a wife she is ,waits for her man to call up, something like a JLT (just like that)call which for sure we all wait for.when you dont get it your fingers itch and you give a call or maybe a missed call.
She was making real round and fluffy chapatis and I was trying hard to decide what veggies to be cooked to pair up with the chapattis ,there her phone sings, she mindlessly presses on the phone not bothering that her floury fingers would make her set little fair but not lovely. Sad to say her excitement was so short lived .I could just guess it right I smiled to myself and asked her ,what happened ,did he ask you WHAT IS IT,a gruff was it,she was embarrassed and just gave an affirmatve nod.
That happens ,those small sweet little snubs ,.i told her , all our husbands(generally) are like that.She felt nice,Saab bhi,she said. I was in some mood to talk,I asked her what does she think otherwise ….they I believe fancy that the other side is quite a colourful romantic thing …..something like what one sees in bollywood flings.I couldnt but smile.sahab roz aapke liye phool laata hai kya, aapke ghar mein hamesha phool hote hain,he makes the morning tea too,she asked me with that queer innocence on her face. I didn't disclose that, I actually buy the flowers.
My husband tries to do weird thngs these days,she said.whats it,I asked, thinkng and fearing he is seeing some other woman.He helps our girls dress up for school and plays with them,asks me if I need help also. Yesterday he didn't allow my girls to play in the mud and wants them to be always dressed up clean and prim,she sounded so exasperated as she talked.I appreciated and understood that her husbands going through some kind of a process of sanskritisation and trying to spend some time,like we say quality time, with the kids.My kanta bai couldnt stop complaining,and i had no heart to disrupt her litany of complaints as it kept flowing. He takes his dose of alcohol(once a while as she says)in a special cut glass that's specially high raised in the room,she said.The girls and I are not allowed to use it,it was getting difficult to supress my laugh hearing to her,but I wouldnt dare do that,her displeasure would be the last thing I could ask for. I acted so very patient and empathetic,as always(and i also knew she would leave in a hurry after this,leaving half of my work unfinished),but her tales and dramas of tragedy, misery, honesty gifts me a peek into her life and ways,and i can barter some time and labour for that .He calls me fat and wants me to go for morning walks,where do I have time madam, for walks and all.Mera aadmi toh paagal ho gaya hai,Sahab aapko kabhie moti nahin bolte honge,she had a typical pout as she told this. Thats actually nice, I thought, but she thinking that we never fight and disagree on anything,how true was that.I better not reveal.
As the chappatis got done she started her regular n religious crib as to why I simply never allow her to entertain my chappatis with her liberal doses of makhan. How can I manage eating dry chapatis and just one or two,really worries her,she has to spend some time giving her sermons everyday.The curries you make looks like its made for sick people, how can the curry taste good without lots of oil and masalas,on and on she would go on. She complains she has never got the job satisfation of her cooking at my place.Madam, you people eat so less still many of you are so very healthy but we eat so much still we don't gain much. Its just that this man in my house thinks I am fat and tells me not to eat so much for which I tell him I earn my bread so I can,she yapped confidently,financial independence really empowers a woman I thought.
Its like an unsolved puzzle game that she wanted to fix up,but i never helped her out much.I guess if its helping her out and enhancing her life styles and thought processes and reigns her from yelling at the top of her voice to her kids(she thinks i never shout at my child),then nothing like it.But true within some years I will surely miss her innocent and earthy flavours.

Whats about onions.

With few exceptions onion has become an essential part of cooking in almost every culture across the globe.Members of the onion family have been cultivated ever since people started to form communities and grow their own food.There is no country where this indispensable vegetable in one form or the other is not grown.

Onions belong to the allium family,which contains more than 300 species. The pungent onion smell is caused by the presence of allicins ,chemicals that include volatile sulphur compounds,which are released by the action of enzymes when any part of the plant is cut or bruised.It is these compounds that make the eyes water when an allium is chopped and which gives onion that are used for cooking their characteristic flavour and bite.Its believed that researchers in New Zealand are working on a tear-less onion.

From the earliest records it appears that onions have always been regarded as important foodstuffs and imbued with religious and symbolic meanings.Onions can be found in important tombs and paintings.The relationship of the onion family to people throughout history is marked by contradictory attitudes.While they are revered and praised and popular in dishes around the world they are also frowned upon and rejected by many cultures and social groups.In ancient India only the lowly castes ate onions,the honourable castes stayed away from it.Despite the beliefs that the devil in onions present in their fiery bite and effect on the palate would incite men to lust and carnal desires,people fell prey to the temptation and everyone irrespective of castes fell for this wonderful thing,onion. And fighting the long religious and social taboos the onions have successfully established a niche in the gastro world.The growing love affair that the world had with Indian curries especially after World War11,did escalate the demand for onions.

However onions and their relations are often taken for granted and tend to be used simply as the basis for whatever savory dish we are preparing.One should celebrate the onion family not just as kitchen staples,but as star attractions in their own right.

While for most onions are just accompaniments and basic ingredient for curries we lose out on the availability of onions in different varieties ,colours, and sizes .Some are better suited to roasting, others to frying some are delicious when cooked while others are better for chopping slicing and eating raw.There are yellow onions, red onions, white onions, cipolla onions, shallots ,grelots, pickling onions,potato onions etc..There are many ways of cooking onions all of which will produce very different results both in the flavor of the onion and in the dish in which it is used.frying onions can be quick frying or slow frying,sweating ,caramelizing,paste cooking,roasting,pickling.Doubt if any of us gave a thought to how versatile our onion can be.

Other than they being kitchen mates,there goes some useful old wives tales too...
It soothes a dry and painful cough ,a spoonful of honey mixed wth a little crushed onion.
It was once recommended that a roasted onion be applied to the affected ear for earaches.
Believed to cure baldness, rub the sap of a cut onion mixed with honey on the bald patch until the skin reddens.
A cut onion is said to attract all infection from the air into it and will kill airborne infection.
..............Whether one loves the melting sweet taste of slow-cooked onions or whether one deteste the piquant flavor it,onions have come a long way.....so cheers.....