On World Earth Day.....

        Happy Earth Day!!!!!

The Earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth.
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. 

Earth day is honouring our planet and reminding us to handle it with care.
This Earth day let's promise mother earth few things which are small but really important to protect mother earth and conserve it for future generation.

1-Plant  more trees and protect them for life.
It's not about just planting a tree, it's very important to take care of it after plantation.

2-Say no to plastic bags, bottles,containers,utensils etc.Start using biodegradable materials from now. Get earthen utensils and pots from local vendors it will not only look cool but also protect you from harmful effects of plastic.

3-Save electricity for one hour every day...switch off all the lights,fans,A.C.,Television and other electrical goods and enjoy natural sunlight and fresh air.

4-Save water as much as you can.Try to avoid wastage of water. 

Get yourself an Earthen pot (matka) this summer and say bye to fridge water.

5- let your kids play in the sand more than gadgets ...Let them feel earth,water,wind all the elements.

6-Take your kids to farms, forests, mountains,lakes,Waterfalls....spend more  time with Mother earth. Teach them to protect ecology over
7-Grow your own veggies and fruits. Have a family gardening or a farming day in a week ,involve ur family and friends.

8-Once in a week have one meal under the sky in your farm, garden or jungle. Feel more connected with the nature.

9- Keep some water and food on the windowsill,balconies and terrace for birds. It can save the lives of many birds dying due to dehydration.

10- Treasure every little thing nature offers you, be it fresh air, water, food ,flowers, scenic views etc.

There is no joy other than spending time with Mother Earth,so hug her with wider arms and open mind.
HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!!

Taj of the Deccan :- Bibi-ka-Maqbara!!!

   TAJ of the Deccan- Bibi ka Maqbara!!

When my husband got transferred to Aurangabad, first thought that came into my mind was how it would be, to be a part of the historical city which has nearly fifty two gates, Emperior Aurangzeb's tomb ,famous Daulatabad fort,Pan chakki, Ajanta, Ellora caves and most importantly replica of one of the seven wonders of world, Taj Mahal's mini version

" Bibi- ka -maqbara". 

I have seen Taj Mahal and I m still in the awe of its beautiful architecture and fascinating efforts.  Its unmatchable and unimaginable!!! No doubt it would be anybody's dream to replicate it for their loved ones.

The Bibi ka maqbara was commissioned by Aurangzeb's son Azam in the memory of his mother Dilras Banu Begam. It bears a striking resemblance to the famous Taj Mahal. 

It was a lovely sunny morning  when first time I saw bibi ka maqbara and I was taken aback!!!! Its beauty captured my heart at the first sight.

The mausoleum is entered through a main entrance gate on South which has excellent foliage designs on brass plate on wood. The screened pathway has a series of fountains at it's centre, which adds to further the serene atmosphere. Just like Taj Mahal, it is a symbol of typical Mughal architecture. The Charbagh or a Persian style of garden layout, is another distinct feature of Bibi ka maqbara where quadrilateral garden space is divided into four smaller parts.

Bibi-ka-Maqbara was designed by Ata-ullah,son of Ustad Ahmed Lahauri,the chief architect behind the Taj Mahal.

Just like Taj Mahal when u enter inside Bibi ka maqbara you get mesmerized by it's beautiful architecture and magnificent work. The carvings are beautiful and the work on the doors is also exquisite.

During daytime it looks awesome but if one wants to see this white beauty in the glittering silver moonlight you must take this experience during full moon night with the due permission from department of archaeological survey of India. In the moonlight this place looks Divinely beautiful and I can say this from my own experience. Moonlight adds more beauty to this epitome of love. In the peace and tranquillity of moonlight when you see this monument, you feel extremely proud to be a part of the glorious history of India where such an Amazing monuments were built.

Bibi ka maqbara is an Incredible Landmark built in the name of love of a son for his mother. It is called mini Taj or Taj of the Deccan but it still has it's own unique charisma and  its really an ultimate  place to visit for ancient architecture enthusiasts.

Summer delicacies- An integral part of Indian food culture!!!

In case you are wondering what i am making in this hot,sunny April morning, let me tell you..i am trying to make one of the very popular and local summer delicacy , that is sago potato chakli.

While making it one question came in my mind..
What reminds us more of our childhood summer vacations?
Long holidays ,chilled kulfi/ice creams , visit to our grandparents house,mangoes,Indoor games , swimming, family vacations,summer camps,afternoon naps,reading novels,playing with friends etc.
All these things were important part of our summer vacations. Apart from this  one more thing reminds me of the summer,that is Making of various summer delicacies.
Even  now in small towns it's a common thing in every Maharashtrian household to make sundried summer delicacies like different papad, sandage,kurdayi, pickles, chakli,murabba, masala etc.

But over the time we can see it is becoming rare in big cities as women are more bussy with their jobs and other responsibilities and really don't get time for making all these time consuming things. Another thing is that everyone has become diet conscious so mostly avoid deep fried things nowadays. Besides that we get all these delicacies in supermarkets easily...they are available and its easy to buy them.

But still I feel there is no match for Homemade delicacies. They are much more healthy and hygienic than packaged ones. We can maintain proper hygiene at home while preparation and use good quality oil and spices. Many vegetables and fruits are seasonal and not available whole year so we make different delicacies from such veggies and fruits and store them so that we can enjoy their taste and flavour whenever we feel like for example Mango,Amla,jackfruit etc. since primitive age we know the art of preserving various vegetables,meat and fruits by use of different preserving agents.
Different vegetables are marinated with spices then sundried and stored for a whole year.

I remember my Nani used to make all these delicacies with lot of enthusiasm. She used to get up very early morning and I could see her doing all the preparations with other ladies of household and even neighbouring ladies.
In small towns today also it is an important event where all the women staying nearby gather together and help each other in making all the summer delicacies. They roll different types of papad together and enjoy making all the delicious stuff in each other's company. In rural areas where there is no concept like kitty or other get togethers, these kind of activities  make them socialise a little  with other women, talk and share some moments together. I remember seeing my grandmom and then my mom making all walvan/summer delicacies every summer and I often used to participate in that. The process of making sago papad and potato chips was my favourite. Sago papad ,chakli and chips are mainly eaten during fast so my mother used to take lot of care while making them. I remember how me and my sister used to run towards teracce hiding from my mom to eat half dried chips and papad soaking in the sun. What fun it was!!
In today's metropolitan era and flat culture these things have become rare. Its really sad that home made delicacies are getting replaced by frozen and packaged food.
It's now proven by dieticians that eating pickle with meal can boost the probiotic content of any meal you eat, so its good to prepare it with good and hygienic things at home. Mango pickle..lemon pickle,dates pickle, mix vegetable pickles are good for kids than different sauces and ketchups of market. And home made vermicilli which is made from wheat is always better for kids than ready made  noodles.

Different home made papad such as  Ragi papad, Jowar papad,Moong and Urad papad, Rice papad can be a good evening snack or starter before dinner , if you want to avoid oil,you can roast them on gas or in microwave. I still remember my nani used to make  wonderful homemade tomoto ketchup for us as she never liked us having tomato ketchup purchased from the market. Its all about what you want to eat and how you want to get it. Our traditional Indian cuisines are the best and they have huge nutritional value.

Nothing can beat the homemade delicacies , so if  you have time and space this summer do try to make these summer delicacies at home...involve your kids, spouse,friends and other family members in the process of preparation. It will give knowledge to your kids about our traditional food culture, about the process of making and storing it for whole year, about your small efforts to give them good quality of homemade food , and trust me whenever you will make it for them they will enjoy every bite with lot of satisfaction.

Petrichor - God's own Perfume!!!!

On a very hot summery day of April while you are sitting near your window having a cup of tea and all of a sudden Mother Nature sends the winds to summon the clouds to rain...and..... it starts drizzling. The hot day of April turns into a beautiful wet rainy day....its so wonderful to feel  sound of the raindrops, smell of the earth after rains..and the calm before and after the storm.
As there is a famous quote " Rain is the sky descending to the earth,without rain, there would be no life" and its really true. It brings so much of joy with it.

I love everything about Rain..i have always found it very calming but my most favourite thing about Rain is "Petrichor"- the smell of earth after rain.
Do you know the term Petrichor is derived from the ancient Greek words 'Petra' ,which means 'Stone', and 'ichor', which is the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods.
The smell of the soil makes me mesmerized and more nostalgic everytime. Even today it reminded me of all the wonderful memories associated with Rain.
My childhood days when I must be very little in the arms of my mother watching rain curiously with questions like what is rain? why it rains?why clouds cry so much?from where this fragrance comes after rain?I found it mysterious always but as I grew up rain became my friend...my big saviour...Whenever it rained heavily in Mumbai  we used to get holiday to school so I used to pray to God for heavy rainfall during monsoons.
I remember smelling the wet soil from our school bus window most of the times during monsoons...those giggles ,talks with friend's, raindrops on our tiny faces,all that is still stored in  my mind with Petrichor.
It still makes me feel delighted.
And what to say about rains when you are in love....just walking in rain with your beloved person holding umbrella while u feel and inhale the earthen fragrance with every step....or sitting together watching rain with a cup of coffee....Its just so romantically beautiful.

One more  beautiful memory I would love to mention, couple of years ago we had gone for a musical show and the theme was Rain....all the songs were dedicated to Rain....and coincidentally it was raining heavily outside the auditorium that day....and surprisingly we could smell the Fragrance of Petrichor inside the auditorium which was closed....lateron we got to know that the organisers had got the petrichor perfume which they put into Air conditioning duct and whole auditorium was filled up with the  mesmerizing smell of Petrichor and melodious rainy songs. It was really an unbelievable and Unforgettable experience for a Rainlover like me.
Life is full of beauty...it is said that it rains when God is happy and that's why I feel he sprinkles his perfume on mother earth in the form of "Petrichor" which is probably the Best fragrance of  the world!!!!

Red chilli Paradise of Maharashtra🌶🌶🌶

I am sure you must be amazed to see this beautiful red carpet behind me....and that too of lots and lots of dry red chillies.

During the  season from  January to April you can see red chilli beds spread everywhere inside and outside the city area of Nandurbar district of Maharashtra . Once u enter Nandurbar,these chilli beds look so beautiful and widespread as if some red carpet is rolled up. Red chillies need to be  sundried and for that they are spread on available space and when it happens it's a time to visit this chilli paradise.

For majority of us Indians, a dish lacking in spice or without chillies is unimaginable. Most dishes served across The country involve chillies either by adding a dash of it or stirring in a liberal amount of it. Apart from its uses in cooking, it has medicinal uses as well. India is The largest producer of chilli followed by China. There are many varieties that are grown across India.

In Maharashtra Nandurbar district of Khandesh region is known as a Chilli Paradise of Maharashtra. After Guntur district of Andhra,Nandurbar is known for its Chilli production in India.

The agroclimatic conditions in the district, makes it most conductive for growing chilli.There are different varieties of dry red chillies famous in Nandurbar like Reshimpatta, phafda,bedgi mirchi etc. Chillies produced in this region are comparatively spicy.

The Maharashtra Government plans to create a food processing park for chilli in the Nandurbar...it will surely motivate local farmers for more chilli production and reach global market as well..hope it happens soon.