Making all the hullabaloo, teasing, flying jets, chatting, hooting, reading comics and the list can be endless….

 

Yes, all these become interesting when done during the class hours and the Ma’am is going full throttle…it really is entertaining and thrilling to do all the mockery sitting down there while the teachers are struggling hard to keep the class in bottle and keep the interests of the minority alive…

 

Anyhow, ever given a thought to the one standing there and battling? if you thought it s a cakewalk, you are still ****** student who should be screwed. Even if you have come across teachers who handle the pressure produced by the academics and students with great ease and élan, it certainly is not bed of roses for a beginner….esply if you are deepu's place lol  

 

Doing all the blabbering for nearly an hour, with choke dust flying all over, trying to make a point home, your (im) patience will surely be tested. Finally, when you say, that’s for today, you would realize, your spirit is probably damped, and if lucky you still have same frame of mind set with which you entered the room!

 

In any case, at the end of the day, sitting back, relaxing, reflecting, evaluating the whole show you realize, you weren’t far better as a student lol!

Room for improvement!   

Out of the blues fell…

In great need and in testing times….

Sth to keep him engaged…

To shed the blues, bring glee…

Make light moments….

Bring smile…make smile..

Melodious tunes, mellowing tones..

Games, capturing snaps..

Functions multi…

 

 

Well, now on he wont be feeling bored to death when power gods call it quits and the rains lashing down squaring him to a corner….

His brother has sent him a gadget just as he was in need…..

Lo and behold…and it’s a suave beauty in black…. 

you dont believe? ummm well, very less chance unless you live in similar conditions here....

 

Morning he woke up to see sky dark n gloomy and he could still hear the shvooo voice and drops of water splashing down....

 

and obviously no power...his cell phone urging him to recharge and so does his ipod...brrr....when no, these things come in handy like never....

 

you just cant go on living in such conditions for long you bet...and the newspaper said, it will be harder today :-( but , they were wrong... thats a predictions gone wrong in our way ;-)

 

but...there you go, as if god heard the prayers of many, it all took a 'U' turn for good....first wind slowing down its furious race...then rains drizzling to naught.....and came booom came power....wow!

 

emergency lamps, torches, cells, ipods, back ups…ohhh hehe….all made a bee line to the nearest plug points as if they were just about to breath their last, and truly so…who knows!

 

heyy there is some sign of sunlight...at least the atmosphere is bright now...

you thought that’s nt a miracle?? nha?

 

Ummm….life teaches some hard n harsh lessions every other day…. :D)

 

Onasadhya is the most delicious part of the grand festival called Onam. It is considered to be the most elaborate and grand meal prepared by any civilisation or cultures in the world. It's a feast which if enjoyed once is relished for years.

Onasadhya is prepared on the last day of Onam, called Thiruonam. People of Kerala wish to depict that they are happy and prosperous to their dear King Mahabali whose spirit is said to visit Kerala at the time of Onam.

Legend goes that Mahabali who was so attached to his people that he requested Gods to allow him to visit Kerala every year. People of Kerala wish to convey that they are enjoying the same age of prosperity as was witnessed during the reign of King Mahabali by preparing a grand Onasadhya.

Rich and the poor, everybody prepares Onasadya in a grand fashion as people of Kerala are extremely devotional and passionate when it comes to Onasadya. So much so that, it has lead to saying, 'Kaanam Vittum Onam Unnanam'. Meaning - men go to the extend of selling all their possessions for one Onam Sathya.

The Meals
Rice is the essential ingredient of this Nine Course Strictly Vegetarian Meals. All together there are 11 essential dishes which have to prepared for Onasadya. Number of dishes may at times also go upto 13. Onasadya is so elaborate a meal that it is called meals, even though it is consumed in one sitting. Onasadya is consumed with hands, there is no concept of spoon or forks here.

Traditional Onam Sadya meal comprises of different varieties of curries, upperies - thigs fried in oil, pappadams which are round crisp flour paste cakes of peculiar make, uppilittathu - pickles of various kinds, chammanthi - the chutney, payasams and prathamans or puddings of various descriptions. Fruits and digestives are also part of the meal.

The food has to be served on a tender Banana leaf, laid with the end to the left. The meal is traditionally served on a mat laid on the floor. A strict order of serving the dishes one after the another is obeyed. Besides, there are clear directions as to what will be served in which part of the banana leaf.

These days Onadaya has toned down a little due to the urban and hectic living style. Earlier, Onasaya used to be even more elaborate. There were about 64 mandatory dishes - eight varieties each of the eight dishes. At that time three banana leaves were served one under the other to accommodate all the dishes. How exactly they were accommodated in the tummy..is a food for thought!

How is it Served
There is a distinct order of serving the the grand feast of Onam. Pappad or Pappadum is to be served on the extreme left. On top of the big pappadum banana is served. The banana can be 'Rasakadali', 'Poovan', 'Palayankodan'. From the right pappad - salt, banana wafers, sarkarapuratti fries are served. After this, ginger lime and mango pickles are served. Next comes 'vellarika', 'pavakka', beetroot and 'ullikitchadi'. 'Kitchadi' made of pineapple and banana splits or of grapes and apple is served along with this. On the right, 'cabbage thoran' is served. Then comes a thoran made of beans and avil followed by bread and green peas mix 'thoran'. The meal will be complete with the 'avial' and 'kootu curry'.

Rice is served when the guests seat themselves and just two big spoons is considered enough. After this 'parippu' and ghee is poured. Then comes Sambhar. Desserts are to begin with adaprathaman followed by 'Kadala Payasam'. This colourful arrangement on the lush green banana leaf makes the food look even more tempting and irresistible .

Hold on...Be a little patient....you need to wait a little before you start gorging the lip smacking meal. There are some rituals which need to be followed. First full course meal is served for Lord Ganapathi in front of a lighted oil lamp (Nila Vilakku). This is in accordance with the Malayalese trend of starting everything in the name and presence of God.

More About the Meal
For a better understanding of the Onasadhya meal let us now go through all the dishes in a little more detail. If that temps you too much, and enjoy your Onam whenever you want.

Erissery
This is either prepared from pumpkins/red beans or from yam and raw bananas cubes. The spices used in this include split green chillies, ground coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric and red chillies. Erissery is seasoned with mustard seeds spluttered in oil. This is a main stay for the occasion, though not very popular these days.

Kalan or Pulisseri
This is prepared from buttermilk. Ingredients consist of sliced plantains called nenthra-kaya and yams or chena. These are boiled in water with salt and chillies. It is flavoured with ground coconut and mustard seeds spluttered in oil. Some even add cucumber cubes to Kalan.

Olan
Olan is prepared from sliced cucumber and brinjal. Sometimes pulse is also added. They are boiled in water with salt and no chillies. When properly boiled, some fresh coconut oil is poured. The dish is seasoned with flavour kariveppila (curry leaves).

Aviyal
This is kind of a mixed vegetable as all sorts of available vegetables are added to it. All vegetables are first boiled in water with salt and chillies. Tamarind and well ground pulp are added at proper time. Aviyal is flavoured with coconut oil and Kariveppila.

Thoran
Thoran is prepared by slicing beetroot and several other vegetables into very small pieces. These are then boiled in water with some salt and chillies till all the water dries up. Water can also be strained away. For seasoning, ground coconut pulp and mustard fried in coconut oil is used.

Mulakoshyam
This resembles olan. It is a special Onam delicacy from the state of Kerala and has been recently added to Onam Sadhya.

Koottukari
This is a curry consisting of a variety of vegetables and some Bengal gram. It differs from Aviyal as it does not contain tamarind.

Sambar
This is an extremely popular recipe from South India and relished by the whole of India. It consists of dal and a variety of vegetables like brinjal, drum-sticks, pavakkai (bitter gourd), etc. All vegetables are first boiled in water with salt and chilies. Tamarind is also added to enhance the taste. Other spices like coriander, cumin seed etc. are fried in oil and powdered. Sambhar is flavoured with mustard seeds and asafoetida.

Pachchati, Kichchati

These are types of curry consisting chiefly of cucumber, mustard and sour butter milk or curds. In Kichchatim, young and tender cucumber is added

Rasam
This lip smacking recipe is prepared from tomatoes treated with tamarind juice. It is seasoned with bay leaves and mustard seeds spluttered in oil. Some people take rasam with rice. Rasam also helps in digestion.

Payasam
This is an extremely delicious dish and is a sort of pudding. It is prepared from boiled potatoes mixed with molasses and coconut milk. The mixture is flavoured with spices. There is another type of payasam called 'Pal Payasam' in which rice is boiled with milk and sweetened with sugar.

Prathaman
There is a whole variety of Prathamans such as ata, pazham, parippu and palata prathamans.

Beverages
A special drink is prepared for Onam in which water is boiled with a combination of cumin and dried ginger (chukku). This is beneficial from health point of view.

Upperi or Chips
Upperi is prepared from various things like raw bananas (kaaya), yam (chena), jack fruit (chakka), bitter gourd (pavayka) and egg plant fruit (vazhuthanga). Slices of the ingredient are fried in coconut oil to a crisp condition.

Pickles (Achaar)
These are prepared well in advance of Onasadhya. Pickles are chiefly made from mango, lemon, ginger, chillies and curry naranga.

Pappads (Pappadam)
These are prepared from black grams and are fried in oil. Pappadams are usually served in three sizes - small, medium and large.

Fruits
Chiefly plantain fruits of various kinds are served along with other articles of food at meals.

 

( http://www.onamfestival.org/onasadya.html )

 

          

Dream high. Get closer to your dream land inch by inch, taking one step at a time.

Never stretch your leg before sitting down…

Cell phone, bike, lap, car…he got it all, as he wanted it….

His maxim is simple ‘dream what is achievable’! And you will get it. Well, that’s his younger brother…..his another step will be landing on a foreign soil …..dont think that’s  too long before he gets there..

 

Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do. Not very often does life bless us with everything that we aspire for us….

 

Possible the bounty of life is generous at times and we will be rewarded unasked and unmasked….however, the other side of the story need not be always pleasant and smooth…

 

“Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath. “I have learned that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

~Henry David Thoreau

 

Be glad today, because life gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars, touch the rains, to kiss, to miss, to love, to forgive, to smile and to make others’ life worth living as well….

you think thats an uphill task? well, possible if that hasnt been your dream.....!!

what if we are doing everything as we planned?

what if get whatever we wish?

i want to this, that and a third thing...and it all gets done...will we be happy?

Does that make some sense to you? Think about a situation where you are craving so much to get sth or you are all thrilled about going somewhere and at the final moment you realize, it’s not going to materialize…what would you do? Grin n gnash n whine?

 

You have seen lil children from whom their mom takes away some toys under some pretensions….they cry but soon get attracted by something else….they move on…nothing is there that holds them back to the loss….

 

Is it that as they say in philosophy, ‘out of sight, out of mind?’

 

Imagine a scenario where you are enjoying sth…say a gift that you got …..you hardly think about anything else…..while it is fine to give some attention to what we have, it sucks a lot from us when we fail to look around…..

 

‘You don’t step in to same river twice’ ….enjoy the first moment of cool waters kissing ur feet and be done with it…for it s gone already……

 

When Life Gives you 101 reasons to Cry. Show That U Have A Million Reasons to Smile.

 

 

A glorious rainbow, drops of rain, awesome flowers, chattering birds, a child’s laughter. ..We miss out on a wide range of marvelous gifts around us, the small little things that can cheer up our lives.

 

We are at times too busy to observe the happenings around us. Office timings, busy traffic, unending meeting schedule, piles of files, timetable to follow…we have hundred and one things to worry about. Who then has the time to look around to take pleasure in and appreciate the beauty around us? But, how much more relaxed and tension-free this world would have been if everyone made sure to spend some time off his/her busy life schedule. But alas! It is not to be so.

 

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”

John Lennon