Unveil the Other Side

Wishing you all a very happy Ugadi/Gudi Padva[Lunisolar New year]. ಚೈತ್ರ ಮಾಸದ ಮೊಟ್ಟ ಮೊದಲ ದಿನ ಚೈತ್ರ ಪಾಡ್ಯಮಿ ಬಂದಿದೆ ಹೊಸ ಚಿಗುರು,ಹೊಸ ಚೈತನ್ಯ ಹೊಸತನ ಎಲ್ಲೆಡೆ ತುಂಬಿದೆ ! ಮನೆ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ ಸಡಗರ, ಹಸಿರು ತೋರಣದಲಂಕಾರ,ರಂಗು ರಂಗಿನ ರಂಗವಲ್ಲಿಯ ಮೆರಗು,ಅಭ್ಯಂಜನ ಸ್ನಾನ, ಬೇವು ಬೆಲ್ಲ ಸೇವನೆ,ಹೊಸ ವರ್ಷದ ಪಂಚಾ೦ಗ ಶ್ರವಣ - ಇವುಗಳೇ ಈ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಅಂಶಗಳು. ಮುಂಬರುವ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಖ ದು:ಖಗಳನ್ನು ಸಮನಾಗಿ ಸ್ವೀಕರಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆನ್ನುವುದೇ - ಬೇವು ಬೆಲ್ಲ ಮಿಶ್ರಣವನ್ನು ಹಂಚಿ ಸವಿಯುವ ಸಂಪ್ರದಾಯದ ಸಂಕೇತ. ತರಹ ತರಹದ ಒಬ್ಬಟ್ಟು, ರುಚಿ ರುಚಿಯಾದ ಅಡಿಗೆ - ಅದರಲ್ಲೂ ಯುಗಾದಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ವಿಶೇಷ ಭಕ್ಷ್ಯ ಬೇಳೆ ಒಬ್ಬಟ್ಟು ಸವಿಯುವುದೇ ಒಂದು ಗಮ್ಮತ್ತು. ಮಾವು ಚಿಗುರಿದೆ,ಕೋಗಿಲೆ ಕೂಗಿದೆ - ಯುಗಾದಿ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ ತುಂಬಿದೆ. ಖರ ಸಂವತ್ಸರ ಕಳೆದು "ನಂದನ" ಸಂವತ್ಸರಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಲಿಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ನಿಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಯುಗಾದಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಹಾರ್ಧಿಕ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು . "ಈ ಜೀವನ ಬೇವು ಬೆಲ್ಲ ಬಲ್ಲತಗೆ ನೋವೆ ಇಲ್ಲ "

" W o m a n is the one who knows the " W ays Of M arketing, A dvertising and N etworking love ;)" Came across this wonderful meaning for a "Woman" while I was searching something unique about being a women. It is apt and sounds absolutely true. Ain't it beautifully worded? Today at office, in a small all-ladies-get-together, I was asked to talk on "why I feel special being a woman?" Interesting question but was not prepared for it. You know, I am very bad at giving lectures and on top of it - this was an impromptu speech. :/ I blabbered whatever was on top of my head at the moment. Later when I returned back to my seat, the question was still lingering in my brain, from the hardest corner of my cerebrum came a reply though and I thought I'd share it with you all. "Woman is tough, she is capable of achieving what she dreams, excel in all walks of life, confront the challenges along the way. She is stronger than the hardest diamond unerath...

I had a post on this festival last year : Sankranti 2011 So I thought I would not post anything about the significance of the festival. But then why do we have another post with the title Sankranti? Somethings cooking!! yeah really.... Yes Indeed. Sankranti Special this year at home - Rice flour sukha roti and 3 layered kaju katli/Barfi. Rice flour sukha roti : Ayyo! the recipie is not as complicated as the name goes.It is plain and simple. A dough made from rice flour mixed in boiling water with a pinch of salt. Make small ball of them by smearing a few drops of oil on your palms.Roll them softly and gently after a tap on rice flour. Put the roti on the tawa kept on a medium flame for about a minute on one side . Turn it on the other side.Using a spatula hold the roti right over the flame without the tawa so that the roti pops out nice and fluffy. 3 layered Kaju Katli/Barfi: For those of you who had watched the Masterchef India episodes of season 2 the name of the dish may sound fami...

On a lovely day of Christmas Amidst carols and the mass Stood I, waiting for Mr. Claus Presents , gifts and cards Filled the stores and carts In search of one, was my heart My feet - walked the snow covered street Feeling the showering sleet. Far I had traveled On spotting the reindeer, almost stumbled And Santa's "Ho ho ho" got me dazzled Wrapped gift in his hand Gentle smile on his face And the warmth he brought along I opened the gift-box A set of puzzle blocks In time all the words unlocked "Share and Care" was in Bold My hand hold - A warm message in Gold Eyes opened And I questioned Dream? all this while?

On a casual thursday afternoon, Friend 1 : The roads were crowded today. So I logged in late. Me : Hey today it is Hanuman Jayanti.. That might be the cause. Friend 1 : Oh Yeah in Orissa its Guruvaar(Thursday). My expression :/ and I blurped out : Oh madamji its Guruvaar throughout not just Orissa ... Well she meant it was the Lakshmi pooja that they perform on all the Guruvaars/ Thursdays in this particular month. And that day being the last one of the month is supposed to be auspicious and celebrated with zest and fervor. A good piece of information it was, received in a hilarious way. On searching the net for more, here's what I extracted. The whole month of Margashira is spent in worshipping the Goddess Lakshmi in Orissa.The festival is known as "Manabasa Gurubara" or "Lakshmi Puja" which is performed by the housewives. This festivities include the houses getting cleaned and purified with the plastering done using cow dung, a jhoti[rangoli design] drawn usin...

I will not bore you all with the facts about this festival cause there is plenty of information about it on the net( Wiki ). Here I like to describe how Onam was for me this year. Though had heard a lot about Onam from my Mallu friends, I witnessed the real spirit of Onam at office this year. Main highlights - officially declared to be a traditional day and a competition for vegetable carving . Well before you guess anything more. No I did not participate. Now that I have seen so many great artists , glad that I did not compete :). Some pictures I'd love to share(some captured by me and some not) . They are very interesting ,have a look. This was the welcome each employee recieved at the reception in office - Pookolam(Rangoli of flowers). The first prize winner - A beautifully carved "Eco system"! The typical Kerala Onam scene - Boat race won the 2nd place Another Carving of a pookolam out of vegetables An interesting scene from Kerala. It was fun to watch ...

Significance of Durgashtami: Durgashtami or Durga Ashtami , is the eight day of the Navaratri and Durga Puja celebrations. Durgastami is also known as Mahashtami and is one of the important days of Durga Puja . Weapons of Goddess Durga are worshipped on the day and it is known as Astra Puja . The day is also known as Virashtami as there are displays using arms or martial arts. It is one of the most important day for Goddess Worship in Hindu religion. There is also a belief in some regions that Goddess Kali appeared from the forehead of Durga on this day to annihilate Chanda and Munda and Rakthabija . During the Durga Puja rituals on Mahashtami day the 64 Yoginis and Ashtanayikas – the eight consorts – of Durga are also worshipped. The eight consorts of Durga, also known as Eight Shaktis, are interpreted differently in different regions of India. But ultimately all the eight goddesses are incarnations of Shakti with different aims. Sometimes they are also an attempt to giv...

Wishing all readers a very Happy Krishna Janmaashtami . For who do not know about the festival - Janmashtami is celebrated to welcome and enjoy Lord Krishna's birth. It is believed that the birth of Lord Krishna took place when the various planets were in auspicious places. Lord Krishna was born in Dwapuryug (Iron Age) in Mathura. If you'd like to know more of this festival and the diety - lots and lots you'll find in any search engine. What interests me most on this day is the various mouth watering delicacies - laddoos and fried crispy murukkus(chakkalis ), kodubaLes . Hmmmm as I write these lines my tummy is calling for some.. I'll leave you with a kannada poem which talks about a devotee who is trying to call the Lord Krishna -who has disappeared in Kalyug. Offering his devotional prayers he'd love to hear Krishna as an infant or young boy playing a flute. He wants Krishna to bring joy, love and happiness into all spreads of Life. ಬೆಣ್ಣೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ...