MARIGOLD FLOWERS SIGN IN FOR SPRING

Waiting for the colors of spring to inundate our lives with beauty and joy!

On February 10, here in India, we celebrated "Basant Panchami”. It is one of the sacred days in the yearly calendar. People weather cold wintry conditions to take dips in holy rivers and offer prayers to goddess Saraswati.

In northern India, young boys fly kites and make merry as the educational institutions are closed. People wear yellow colored dresses in tune with the golden spectacle of sheets of blooming yellow mustard plants in the fields. The spirit of joyful abandon is palpable in the air. Sweet rice prepared with yellow food color and saffron threads is a traditional dish associated with this festival.

Mustard blooms, courtesy Wikipedia

Culturally it signifies the preparation for the advent of spring and marks the lessening of winter’s hold. People wait for signs of warmth in the air. There is a saying “ae Basant pala udant.” That is when ‘Basant’ comes cold disappears.

Here are some images of marigold flowers attired in their very best to welcome spring, the queen of seasons.

         Image above was captured at 'Nature cure Institute' in Banglore, India.

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EATING WISELY MATTERS

To keep  the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.      -  Buddha

To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear. Buddha
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/good_healthT

Worryingly a significant number of global populations are in the throes of the epidemic of obesity. It is a modern phenomenon and a huge one. There are hosts of health issues, which are in some way, or the other related to this. In terms of financial, drain on health care systems of the nations it needs prioritized attention.

This leads us to the need for a serious look at what we eat. There is a plethora of websites and medical reports underlining the measures to control and prevent this debilitating disorder. People are becoming conscious but the problem remains unabated. The knowledge regarding the problem is abundant on the internet but the willpower to follow the necessary preemptive actions is lacking. Strangely, a mindset is taking root all over the world of utter irresponsibility on the part of the citizens, while expecting quick fixes from the government or some other agencies.

Popping pills will not work here. It is a complex issue. An observable fact is that people with disposal incomes worldwide are new entrants to the burgeoning numbers of affected people. Unknowingly they promote the spread of this malaise. This segment of society performs stressful jobs and feel exhausted at the end of the day. As a routine, they bring restaurant meals on the way back home. Or simply place an order for a pizza. Now, these restaurant meals loaded with an excess of oils and harmful additives eaten day in day out can ruin your liver, gut health, and cardiovascular system. This apart, rampant alcoholism with its high caloric value, sans nutrients contributes to a host of issues including drunken driving leading to fatalities. The challenge of the living process has been taken over by thoughtless instinctive pleasures.

The question arises what to do about it. The answer lies in drastic lifestyle changes. The urgency of zeroing in on the concept of eating wisely needs to be understood more than ever.

Here are some general guidelines regarding eating a well-balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight. These are the ones garnered from my experiences, observations, google research and above all my mother's traditional wisdom.

A balanced diet promotes overall good health and protects us from various diseases.  Broadly, a healthy diet constitutes fruits, vegetables, carbohydrates, whole grains, beans and legumes, low-fat protein and dairy products.

Proteins provide macronutrients. They are the main source of our energy needs. Lean meats, eggs, fish and fresh or dried beans provide good protein to build muscles, bones, skin, and blood

Vitamins and minerals contain micronutrients for all over good health. To eat well we should consume a variety of foods. Wholegrain bread and cereals, lots of vegetables and fruit. All colored vegetables: pumpkin, zucchini, bell peppers, broccoli, beetroots, carrots, cabbage, avocados, spinach, and leafy greens are storehouses of nutrients. These contain fiber for an easy bowel movement.

Yogurt is a powerful probiotic and helps to maintain gut health. It also helps in reducing weight. Milk and milk products provide calcium.

Stay away from bakery products as they are packed with sugar and saturated fats. Cakes, pastries and butter cookies should be avoided.

Cook with minimum salt and fat. Use herbs, and condiments for enhancing flavor and taste.

All fried stuff contains Trans fats, which are harmful to heart health and contribute to weight gain.

Keep your body hydrated with enough water and other liquids. Soft drinks only give empty calories leading to obesity.

Diet alone is not sufficient to lose weight. A strict regimen of exercise is required for the optimum functioning of our system.

Learn to practice mindfulness and yoga for a holistic approach to good health.

.........

Friends below are a few captures of my kitchen tales promoting healthy food habits and convenience. This was the cooked stuff in my fridge yesterday, which I'm sharing with you!

 Homemade butter, which I prepare each week. Boil full-fat milk. Cool. Keep it in the fridge overnight. Remove cream which forms on the surface. Churn till butter separates from the milk. Scoop out with fingers. Press gently to let the remnants of the milk drop drown. Prepare cheese with the remaining thick milk.

Buy green chilies according to need. Snip the ends. Grind till it looks like a paste. Store in ziplock bags above. Freeze.  So convenient to use the quantity according to taste. Green chilies contain Vitamin C and give a special flavor to the food.  Can use it in omelettes and marinades also.

Spinach cooked with potatoes with the seasoning of onion and garlic. Just before removing from stove sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of all spices and some coriander powder.

Zucchini chunks cooked with light seasoning to retain its original flavor.

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DELIGHTFUL MUSINGS ON A SUNNY DAY IN WINTER

You don’t have to go out for dinner or watch a movie or go shopping to find delight and fulfillment. Exciting wonders and mysterious goings-on are happening right in your midst. Only you have to have all your senses in receptive consciousness.

Can words articulate the wow sensation of looking up at a clear, crystal blue sky waiting for your gaze of appreciation? The uniquely marvelous splendor of azure canopy above exhibits mesmerizing purity. It uplifts even sagging spirits.

At midmorning, you relax in your backyard under the warming rays of the sun. Baring your legs and feet, you roll up your shirtsleeves to allow the body to absorb the sunshine vitamin D. What a pleasurable feeling!  You sense a sweet upheaval-taking place in your skin pores as the warmth of the sun seeps teasingly in.

Next moment you happen to look right down and there is your silhouette eerily mimicking you. For a second you feel bemused on seeing the other eternally loyal you.

Suddenly your monkey mind changes the course of its thoughts. You’re reminded of a yogic practice-about which you’ve read a lot-, which involves focusing on your breathing even for the shortest time.  Amazingly wonderful experience as your heartbeat slows down and you feel serene tranquility.

A mild thudding sound from the neighbor’s backyard breaks the otherworldly reverie. You try to figure out the source of the noise. Instead, your gaze reaches the clothesline on the roof where a medley of wash is flapping in a jarring rhythm in the winter breeze- another familiar scene on a sunny wintry day.

Though it is winter, the neem tree outside our boundary wall still dons the boring brown leaves. The insect families in its crevices and chinks compensate by busily practicing their buzzing music. The warm winter day entices the sundry birds to play their orchestra now and then on nearby trees.

The delightful specimens of nature’s treasure trove are a legion if one decides to pen them for mutual admiration.

The sights and sounds of our daily life are as much a part of our survival as the modern day technological advancements. Both of them have to coexist amicably for a meaningful short journey on this planet.

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COLORFUL SUNSHINE MOMENTS IN THE PARK

Early afternoon shots when the sun is almost above our head. I's passing by alongside the park railing when I saw this profusion of golden blooms. They looked amazingly beautiful as the flower beds looked as if swathed in the yellow  glory of the sun. 

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A BEAUTIFUL DAY

Waking up to a beautiful dawn

Suffused with the surreal ambiance,

The gloaming light weaves a spell

Upon the dreamlike eerie hour.

The bashful morning’s golden chariot

Dressed up in the sun’s virgin glow,

Hauls up the yawning species,

Shames the slothful laggards.

 

The evening bows in thankfulness

To the sun’s daylong stoic presence,

The dewy darkness silhouettes the homeward bound,

The twilight signals the day to amble away.

 
The pale moonlight styles the night dusk,

With twinkling starry lamps and creepy shadows.
 

image internet

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“ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE” AND WE’RE SIMPLY ACTORS.

 “All the world’s a stage”

In  Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’ Jacques a philosophizing jester delivers a speech, which begins with the above statement and goes on to proclaim in a cynically despondent strain the fate of man after he appears on the stage of life. According to him, man passes through seven stages of utterly melancholic existence before leaving this world for good. His portrayal of human journey smacks of sorrows and sufferings and nothing else of significance.

Taking this as a starting point minus Jacques negativity, I  make an attempt to reflect upon human life as we live it. Yet agreeing with Jacques that life is a stage and we act different roles and depart. I'd be in a way stating life in a simplistic but thoughtful vein. 

Truly, we enter the world without our will and leave it when time’s mysterious wand weaves a spin and orders our disappearance. We’ve no say in either.

In fact, it is the period in between these two events; you may call it by any name you like that holds our interest. I’d call it the momentous conflict zone.

Childhood is a sweetly innocent, joyful, refreshing period solely driven by instincts and based on Freud’s ‘pleasure principle.’ However, it has its limiting challenges of recurring sicknesses and utter dependency. It is a slow build up to erupting of imminent lava waiting ahead, though.

The youth sits on smoldering coals. Raring to plunge headlong ever. It passes through grueling experiences. Buffeted by the whirlwinds of hormonal craziness, of uncontrolled impulsiveness, of ego rearing its satanic presence, and of the consciousness of self, make him an unenviable specimen. Coupled with a confused mental state including pulls and pressures of societal demands the youth elicits both our sympathy and disapproval. It has challenges galore yet it is the most romanticized period too. This act reaches the peak of dramatic interludes and scenes. It resembles a theatre of the absurd. The ever-curious audience laps up the embedded contradictions of the act.

The next act is that of graduating to manhood after climbing umpteen rungs of experiences’ ladder. Man earns some stability yet he enacts and faces unexpected crossroads.  Life is interspersed with stresses and strains in this act, the major being the economic one and balancing out the delicate human relationships. It is no less than a litmus test because a lot is at stake. Earning a livelihood and raising a family means tight rope walking. In short, it involves a little sweet and a lot of sour templates. It has struggle as its dominant theme. Only strength of character helps one to sail it through.

Next, the curtain rises. In this act, man bids adieu to the need to earn for his sustenance. He enters a retired life zone, signifying the fruits of his labor. He had longed to reach here. Foremost of all, he decides to finish the long pending tasks. Then he has all the time to strike a new beginning. He has innumerable options to indulge in.  He can pursue interests that he had postponed all along. He can pay back to society by disseminating the essence of his lifelong experiences through the instruments of his choosing. In fact, this can be the golden period of life if planned well. It is also a time to bow your head in gratitude for all the blessings.

The last stage of life offers a mixed platter. Lucky are those who can participate in the routine of life till the last day. 

Keep praying and wait for God’s messenger to deliver you an invitation at the appropriate time.

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SELF-APPRAISAL AND A PROMISE TO ADD ZING TO LIFE.

                                                     

I think it is incumbent on us to conduct a silent appraisal of the year gone by in relation to ourselves. What it involves is a reality check, introspection, and some philosophizing. Self-analysis of our thoughts, actions, behavior, and relationships is a pathway to self-improvement. Socrates said the unexamined life is not worth living. Likewise looking within is a movement towards a greater understanding of self which is akin to acquiring wisdom. It is an effort at learning lessons and moving on. 

Lack of self-awareness is one of the painful absurdities of life. It means a static existence, which like driftwood has no will of its own and can be hauled at any point. Even the natural world follows the cyclic rhythm, which glorifies each seasonal change and its’ potential. Nature weaves positivity in all its avatars that teaches us to balance life’s polarities and make it more meaningful.

This going within, examining oneself in all aspects of one's life is a never-ending process for an insightful being. It takes us beyond the limited mundane part of life and sows the seeds of developing an aspirational outlook

To make the most of this wonderful and blessed journey, why not add some zing to make it more exciting. Here are some suggestions for the likes of me.

•   Follow a fixed routine for reading and writing to exercise your mental faculties. Solve something interesting like Scramble (locate the words in jumbled letters) or Spellathon, (to make as many words as possible from the given letters in the puzzle) which most of the newspapers carry these days. Think of playing some computer card games to challenge the gray cells.

• Remain busy in some activity or the other, as it would also ensure compulsive grooming in the morning.  I for one try to dig out something to do if I have free time after finishing the designated tasks. I may do more than my share of routine activities but if I don’t accomplish something extra I feel my day wasted.

•  Don’t brood ever or have self-pity. I left it long back.  It is the easiest way to self-destruct. Getting bored is the luxury, which our short stay on this planet doesn’t allow. The negativities only cause mental and physical draining. Rather exult in being alive with manifold elevating choices waiting to be explored.

•  Surf the net to find solutions to minor health issues in place of rushing to the doctors at the slightest indisposition. Google search engine is of great help in selecting the right websites.

•  Learn new things. Be a jack of all trades. Open up to nature and its beauties. Click photographs and share with your loved ones. Time is bristling with a variety of picks. The initiator is only you!

•  Love yourself. Eat well. Exercise daily. Let the travel bug take you here and there.

I think these ingredients are enough to earn a zestful ticket to life


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