Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Cereal mixture (chevda)


This quick and easy snack can be made in 5 min! Very healthy and tasty! Let me know how it comes out!

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups cereal (Special K strawberry is what I used)
  • 1/4 cup pottu kadalai (roasted bengal gram or split besan)
  • 1/4 cup roasted groundnut
  • 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
  • 1/4 cup slided almonds
  • 2 tbsp Amchur powder (mango powder) - according to your taste
  • 1 tbsp turmeric powder
  • 1 to 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp Asafoetida
  • A few curry leaves
  • 1 tbsp ghee
In a big pan, add the ghee and roast pottu kadalai, ground nuts, sliced almonds, curry leaves for 2 -3 minutes. Then add the cereal, raisins and roast for 2 -3 mins. In the meanwhile, add the spices according to your taste. Ensure that the spices have mixed well with the rest of the ingredients. Switch off the stove and let it cool. Offer it to the Lord and then enjoy!




Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Our calendar of weeks and months

There are a lot of things that we follow or used to follow but these have just vanished in these modern times...but I like to get answers to why those were followed because I honestly believe that there IS a reason behind our everyday practices.

Read this on an article by Sri Sri Ravishankar (AOL Founder) and found this to be very interesting!

Question: Why are there 7 days in a week and 12 months in a year throughout the globe?

Sri Sri Ravishankar: It started in the Vedic time in India. The zero, seven days, and twelve months were first given here in India. Then Egypt copied it from India and from there it went all over the world.

In India, there are seven major planets. Though we name nine planets, two of them are shadow planets of the moon that don't exist. So for each planet one day was given. For the shadow planets they allotted one and half hours of time every day instead of allotting them one whole day, so it fit very well with the cosmic calendar. (That is how we have Rahu Kaala and Gulik Kaala.)
They formed the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm. And they said the Earth completes one circle around the Sun in twelve months and then they divided it. This was done some thirty to forty thousand years ago, or may be even more. Nobody knows.


Monday, November 28, 2011

Bhagavan -- the Life saver

This morning I wanted to do some preparations for cooking so I added little oil and mustard seeds in a heavy bottom pot. My 4 1/2 month old started crying so I went upstairs to add 1 more layer of clothing to him. In the meanwhile I forgot that I had something on the gas stove :( But I smelled something and thought I can switch it off...

But when I came back to the kitchen with the baby, I saw fire coming out of the pot and I didn't know what to do. I switched off the stove and turned on the fan. But the fire flame was becoming bigger and bigger. Then the fire alarm went off, the smell spread to the whole house and I panicked. I called my husband who was working upstairs and he brought the fire extinguisher to gush the flames. Our neighbor came and checked whether everything was ok since the smell spread outside as well. Thankfully the lid was half closed and flames didn't spread too much except for inside the pot and the lid.

We were saved only by the Lord's grace and infinite mercy and it's not an exaggeration. If the fire had spread rapidly, the situation could have been worser especially with a very young baby. Also my husband was working from home this morning and is scheduled to travel soon. Thankfully he was also here at home to help out as I wouldn't have known how to fix this situation with a baby in hand.

Lessons learned:
  • While cooking, focus only on cooking. Don't multitask.
  • Switch off the stove if needed and then turn it on when you can focus.
  • keep a fire extinguisher handy and open all the doors, windows to let the flames go out.

The lord has been very merciful to us on many, many occasions and prevented us from experiencing so many accidents not only on the road but even at our home while doing all the household chores. The only gratitude we can show is to constantly remember Him and chant His Holy name and serve Him....

Guruvayurappa Krishna neeye thunai!



Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Navarathri -- Saraswathi pooja


Today is the 9th day of Navarathri. It's a Navami day where we worship the divine in the form of Goddess Saraswathi and seek blessings for knowledge and wisdom (Jnanam), bhakthi (devotion) and prosperity (Aishwaryam) all to serve the Lord and His devotees. Traditionally, we arrange books (educational and religious), musical instruments, clothing, jewelry, photo or deity of Goddess Saraswathi and decorate with flowers, chant Holy names (archana), offer fruits, milk, payasam (ksheeram/kheer/rice pudding), vadai, sundal etc.

This day is also called "Ayudha Pooja" in South India where poojas are done in all the companies and factories. All the vehicles, machinery, tools are given a fresh wash and decorated with sandalwood paste (chandanam), vermillion (kumkumam), flowers to invoke blessings from the Lord. That's the beauty of Indian culture and tradition where we honor, respect, worship and show gratitude for the all the things we come in contact with in our everyday life.

Celebrate this divine festival and be happy!


Where to make your efforts!

Here is a very thought provoking story with a moral got from Art of living founder, Sri Sri Ravishankar.

A giant ship engine failed. The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine.

Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was young. He carried a large bag of tools with him and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully top to bottom.

Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed!
A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.
"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!"
So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."


The man sent a bill that read:
Tapping with a hammer...... ........ ......... $ 2.00
Knowing where to tap......... ........ ........ $ 9, 998.00


Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort makes all the difference!!


How true!


Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Happy Rama Navami


Today is the auspicious day when Lord Sri Rama appeared in this earth and showed the path of righteousness, truth, honesty and compassion to one and all. He was the perfect ruler and "Rama Rajya" is one that we all speak of even today as the IDEAL governance.

On this sacred day, let's cherish the various pastimes and the example He has shown to lead an exemplary life.

Jai Sita Ram!




Monday, April 11, 2011

How to make this the best year ever!

Read this at Robin Sharma's blog and wanted to share thru my blog. It's a gentle reminder while we go thru meanders of life to set a direction to it.


Enjoy and share your comments!

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62 WAYS TO MAKE 2011 YOUR BEST YEAR YET

1. Remember that leadership isn’t about your position. It’s about your influence.

2. Get fit like a pro athlete.

3. Lift people up versus tearing people down.

4. Protect your good name. An impeccable reputation takes a lifetime to build. And 60 seconds to lose.

5. Surround yourself with positive, ethical people who are committed to excellence.

6. Remember that even a 1% daily innovation rate amounts to at least a 100% rate of innovation in 100 days.

7. Believe in your dreams (even when others laugh at them).

8. Measure your success, not by your net worth but by your self worth (and how happy you feel).

9. Take an intelligent risk every 24 hours. No try-No Win.

10. Read “Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist“.

11. Watch “Man on Wire“.

12. Regardless of your title at work, be a team builder.

13. Remember that business is all about relationships and human connections.

14. Say “please” more.

15. Say “thank you” more.

16. Know your Big 5: the five things that need to happen by the end of this year for you to feel its been your best year yet.

17. Read your Big 5 every morning while the rest of the world is asleep.

18. Read “As You Think“. At least twice this year.

19. Be willing to fail. It’s the price of greatness.

20. Focus less on making money and more on creating value.

21. Spend less, save more.

22. Leave everything you touch better than you found it.

23. Be the most positive person in every room you’re in.

24. Run your own race.

24. Stay true to your deepest values and best ideals.

25. Write a handwritten thank you note to a customer/friend/loved one every day.

26. When you travel, send love letters to your kids on hotel stationery. In time, they’ll have a rich collection to remember your travels by.

27. Read “Atlas Shrugged“.

28. Be a problem solver versus a trouble maker.

29. Rather than doing many things at mediocrity do just a few things-but at mastery.

30. Honor your parents.

31. Commit to doing great work-whether anyone notices it or not. It’s one of life’s best sources of happiness.

32. Give more than you receive (another of the truths of happiness).

33. Have your 1/3/5/10/25 years goals recorded on paper and review them weekly.

34. Be patient. Slow and steady wins the race. The only reason businesses that went from zero to a billion in a year or two get featured in magazines is because 99% of businesses require a lot more time to win.

34. Underpromise and then overdeliver.

35. See part of your job as “a developer of people” (whether you work in the boardroom or the mailroom).

36. Wear your heart on your sleeve. When people see you’re real, they’ll fall in love with you.

37. Be authentic versus plastic.

38. Read “The Alchemist“.

39. Remember that life wants you to win. So get out of your own way.

40. Consider that behind every fear lives your next level of growth (and power).

41. Eat less food.

42. Drink more water.

43. Rest when you need to.

44. Read “SUCCESS” magazine.

45. Write your eulogy and them live your life backwards.

46. Demand the best from yourself.

47. Remember that the more you go to your limits, the more your limits will expand.

48. See everything that happens to you as an opportunity to grow (and therefore, as a precious gift).

49. Be obsessed with learning and self-development.

50. Become comfortable alone (you are the only person you get to be with your whole life).

51. Smile. It’s a stunningly effective way to win in business and life.

52. Reflect on the shortness of life.

53. Be bold when it comes to your dreams but gentle with those you love.

54. Remember that success is dangerous because it can kill drive/innovation/passion and going the extra mile. Be successful yet stay hungry.

55. Read “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin“.

56. Be of deep value to this world.

57. Own beautiful things but don’t let them own you.

58. Use excellent words.

59. Laugh more.

60. Don’t complain, gossip or be negative.

61. Plan as if you’ll live forever but live as if you’ll die tomorrow.

62. Feel free to pass these lessons on to those you want to help.

Written by Robin Sharma, January 3, 2010. For more information visit robinsharma.com. Robin’s new book “The Leader Who Had No Title: A Modern Fable On Real Success in Business and Life” will be published by Simon and Schuster in March. Many of the ideas above come from it.