Concern is All We Need

Concern is an important term for all of us, as it soothes more than anything else.
We all seek concern in one or other ways, like when we are sick, sad, hurt, or upset.
 

But what's concern? Of course, you can't buy it.

It's just an emotional gesture - a combination of care and empathy.
Holding hands is concern.
A soothing touch is concern.
A hug is concern.
A mild kiss on forehead is concern.
Saying 'I'm there for you' is concern.

And so many ways...

It may or may not be infused with love, but is certainly infused with emotions and care. It gives a feeling of relaxation, and the relief that somewhere, someone is there for us.

Concern is all we need!

It's Okay to Make Mistakes!

There comes a moment in our lives when we feel just so lonely and empty, despite that we are so accomplished.

It’s strange actually…feeling lonely even when you have the most loving life partner, feeling deprived when you have just everything in life, and feeling neglected even when you are an eye candy for the people in your life. And that's when we make wrong decisions and mistakes.

Yes, this is weird. But not pretty much because we are humans.

Humans… who experience several mood swings in a single day, yearn for things that do not belong to them, and on the top of that do not value those things after they become their own.

We make mistakes in life, for some which we regret our entire life. But it's okay to make mistakes. And we should not be afraid of embracing their outcomes.

Because they are the greatest learning experiences; tell you what not to do, what choices shouldn't be made, and what'll do harm.

Don't worry; people won't remember your mistakes. The only thing that matters is what you learn from those mistakes and what you do with them. After all, we are humans!

Battered Baby Syndrome - Baby Ahuti - Yet Another Victim

 I’m not going to post any sensitive picture here, but yes, the issue is more serious than what it seems. Today, we have another battered infant ‘Ahuti’ beaten to death by her very own mother. 

Mother, who kept her in womb for 8 months (she was a pre-mature baby)…

Mother, who never wanted a girl child…

Mother, who mercilessly threw her anywhere and banged her with anything that came into her hand…

There are couples all around who beg (literally) to God to bless them with children. They live at the mercy of fate, and God, and the doctors, who they believe will bless them with the divine feeling of becoming parents some day. And on the flip side, we have stone-hearted and reckless people like Ahuti’s mother, who ruthlessly beat up an infant to death.

How reckless people can become? If they don’t need a girl child, the best they can do is to give-away her (yes) in an orphanage. This may be a boon for the child-less couples, and the child too, someday when the latter will be adopted and raised with love she deserves.

Spread the word!

Cumin Mint Delight - Mocktail Recipe

Cumin (zeera) and mint (pudina) are useful ingredients for summers as they offer several benefits.

Cumin contains a very high concentration of antioxidants. It enhances immunity, increases metabolism, improves digestive system, and boost the liver's ability to detoxify our body. Mint settles a nervous stomach, reduces irritated bowel syndromes, eliminates toxins, and is a very good cleanser for the blood.

Taking into consideration these awesome facts, I tried a new summer-cool recipe. Here it goes:

Cumin Mint Delight

 

Servings = 4

Time taken: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup crushed ice and few ice cubes

2 tbsp lemon juice
8 tbsp jeera syrup (I used Raj Jeera)
1 bottle chilled soda
Mint leaves

2 tbsp lemon juice

Cumin Mint Delight

Method

1. Dilute jeera syrup by adding 2-3 ice cubes, ensuring that it has a curry-like consistency.
2. Add lemon juice and chopped mint leaves. Mix well.
3. Take 4 glasses, and pour equal quantity of above mixture in each glass.
4. Top with crushed ice and chilled soda.
5. Garnish with mint leaves and enjoy!

The Shirley Temple - Recipe

I’m in an experimenting and cooking mood this summer (Yippee!), have been trying my hands on a variety of snacks and drinks. Following the recipe of ‘Lemon Mint Muddle’, here is my other experiment – The Shirley Temple.

Shirley Temple is a popular drink that suits both alcoholics and non-alcoholics. It is a sweet drink with a twist of grenadine flavor. Grenadine syrup is easily available in provision stores. It is actually a concentrated form of pomegranate juice; alcoholic or non-alcoholic. I used the non-alcoholic one from the brand Fiesta. 

Shirley Temple

 Here’s the recipe.

Servings = 4

Time taken: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup ice cubes
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp grenadine syrup
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp ginger-ale squash or a piece of fresh ginger
2 bottles chilled soda
4 cut lemon slices and few mint leaves

Method

1. Take 4 tall glasses, and place 4-5 ice cubes in each.
2. Add ½ tbsp each of lemon juice, grenadine syrup, sugar syrup and ginger-ale squash. Don’t worry if you don’t have ginger-ale squash at home. Grate fresh ginger, squeeze hard to bring out the juice, and mix ½ tbsp sugar in it. Use this instead of ginger-ale squash.
3. Fill each glass with chilled soda.
4. Garnish with cut lemon slice and mint leaves, serve immediately, and enjoy!

Lemon Mint Muddle - Recipe

Summers make feel us thirsty all the time, and a person like me is always in search of a cool drink (reminds  me of the thirsty sheep always asking of 'Cool Drink' in the 'Clouds & Sheep' Android game), to quench my thirst. While wandering on the web for a recipe, I found an interesting drink named 'Lemon Muddle'. So, here's my own version of the recipe:

Lemon Mint Muddle

Servings = 4

Time taken: 10 minutes

Ingredients

20-30 coarsely chopped mint leaves
2 tbsp finely chopped lemon
5 tbsp fresh lemon juice

5 tbsp sugar
1 cup crushed ice
1 bottle chilled carbonated water/soda water

Water

Salt

Lemon Mint Muddle

 Method

1.   Pour 1 glass water in a jug and dissolve sugar in it.

2.   Add salt & 4 tbsp lemon juice, and keep the mixture in the freezer for 5 minutes.

3.   Take 4 rock glasses, and place equal quantity of chopped lemon, mint leaves in each of them.

4.    Pour the above mixture and muddle the ingredients together.

5.    Place ¼ cup of crushed ice in each glass, and top it with rest of the lemon juice & chilled carbonated drink.

6.    Garnish with lemon slice and  enjoy!

Aye Rangrez Mere....Translated in English

Some timeless and classic words are often ignored, or do not get as much limelight as they deserve. I came across one more song of similar nature. This song is so close to my heart that I almost sink in its rhythm, whenever I listen to it. Yes, I am talking about ‘RANGREZ’ from the movie ‘TANU Weds MANU’.

The protagonist is asking his lover to blend him in her colors, make him just the way she is. She is everything for him in the world. He denotes her lover as RANGREZ, which means DYER or the one who colors clothes. For those who find difficult understanding this beautiful song, I am translating it in English.

Enjoy and sink in the colors of love!

Aye rangrez mere, rangrez mere

ek baat bata rangrez mere

ye koun se paani mein tune koun sa rang ghola hai,

ye koun se paani mein tune koun sa rang ghola hai

ke dil ban gaya saudai,

aur mera basanti chola hai, mera basanti chola hai,

Oh dyer of mine, Dear Dyer of mine,

Tell me a thing that what blend have you created of your colors and water!

My heart is all blue in love so profound,

And my cape is soaked in saffron…

Ab tumse kya main shikwa karun,

Maine hi kaha tha zid karke, rang de chunri pi ke rang mein

Par mue kapas pe rang na ruke

rang itna gehra tera Ki jaano jigar tak bhi rang de..

Jigar rang de…

What should I complain to you?

I like a stubborn asked you to color my veil in my lover’s color

Oh! Your colors dyed my fabric insanely

Deep within my heart ‘n soul everything is dyed of your color,

Color my heart away…

Rangrez tune afeem kya hai kha li,

Jo mujhse tu ye pooche ke koun sa rang?

Rangon ka karobaar hai tera, ye tu hi to jaane, koun sa rang…

O Dyer, Are you intoxicated on Opium that you are asking me what shade to come?

It is your business... Only you know what you should be coloring…

Mera balam rang, mera saajan rang, Mera katik rang, Mera aghan rang,

mera phagan rang, mera saawan rang,

Pal pal rangte rangte, rangte mere atho pahar manbhawan rang

Ek boond ishqiyan daal koi tu,

Mera saaton samandar jaye rang,

My beloved’s color, my soul mate’s shade,

My spring color, my autumn hue, my rainfall color

 Dye my all seasons and moments with your color

Add a single drop of your love and color up my seven seas

Meri hadd bhi rang, sarhad bhi rang,

Behad rang de, anhad bhi rang de,

Mandir masjid maikad rang,

Rangrez mere do ghar kyun rahe,

Ek hi rang mein dono ghar rang de, dono rang de,

Pal pal rangte rangte rangte rangte… naihar peehar ka aangan rang

Pal pal rangte rangte rangte rangte… mere atho pahar manbhawan rang

Neende rang de, karwat bhi rang,

Khwabon pe pade salwat bhi rang

Color me off limits, Color my boundaries,

Color me extreme, color my unceasing infinities,

My temple, my mosque, my entire world indeed

Oh dyer, why we are separated by two different worlds?

Paint just one single shade to both worlds with your embraces,

Paint every moment, the courtyards of my maternal and marital heavens

Paint every moment, drape all my moments in one a shade

Color my sleep, color my peace,

Color even the creases of my dreams,

Ye tu hi hai, hairat rang de,

Aa dil mein sama hasrat rang de,

Fir aaja aur vaslat rang de,

Aa na sake to furqat rang de

Darde hijra liye dil mein darde, hijra liye dil mein darde main zinda rahu,

Main Zinda rahu, zurrat rang de.

This is only you…color my amazement of you,

Come in my heart and paint my desires,

Come and color away our union,

And if you cannot, just paint our separation,

Even with the pain of being apart, I must live on,

Color my dare to carry on…

Rangrez mere, Rangrez mere,

Tera kya hai asal rang, ab to ye dikhla de,

Mera piya bhi tu, meri sej bhi tu,

Mera rang bhi tu, rangrez bhi tu,

Meri naiyaa bhi tu, majdhar bhi,

tujhmein dooboo, tujhmein ubarun,

Teri har ek baat sar aankhon pe,

Mera malik tu, mera sahib tu,

Meri jaa meri jaan, tere haatho mein,

Mera qatil tu, mera munsif tu,

Tere bina kuch sujhe na, Tere bina kuch sujhe na,

O dyer of mine,

What is your own real color? Show it now,

Oh you’re my lover, you are my resting place,

You are my color, and my colorful dyer too,

You are my sail, the center of ocean,

I sink in you; I come afloat under your beacon

Your every word is my supreme given

You are my owner and my master

My soul is in your hands,

You are my killer, you are my justice giver

I am clueless without you,

Meri raah bhi tu, mera rehbar tu,

Mera sarvar tu, mera aqbar tu,

Mera mashrik tu, Mera magrib tu,

Zahid bhi mera, murshid bhi tu,

Ab tere bina main jaun kahan,

Tere bina tere bina tere bina……

You are my voyage, my travel mate in sight,

My riddance, My genesis, My guiding light,

My lord is you, my disciple too,

Where could I go without you,

Where could I ever go without you,without you….

Aye rangrez mere, rangrez mere

ek baat bata rangrez mere

ye koun se paani mein tune koun sa rang ghola hai,

ye koun se paani mein tune koun sa rang ghola hai

ke dil ban gaya saudai,

aur mera basanti chola hai, mera basanti chola hai,

Oh dyer of mine, Dear Dyer of mine,

Tell me a thing that what blend have you created of your colors and water!

My heart is all blue in love so profound,

And my cape is soaked in saffron…

MAINE DIL SE KAHA DHOOND LANA KHUSHI

While sitting alone in my cabin today, I came across the song ‘Maine dil se kaha…’ from the movie ROG.  I remember when the movie released back in 2005, my only reason to watch this movie was this song…and of course the IRFAAN KHAN, and yes the exotic ILENE HAMANN! ;)

While the plot of the movie was disappointing, I liked the music, especially this song. Though some people consider this a sad song, I do not feel like that. It’s somewhat inspirational, rather motivational song…(just like I feel for ‘ABHI MUJH MEIN KAHIN from AGNEEPATH)

So, here are the lyrics that I transcript while listening…Enjoy!

Maine dil se kaha dhoond lana khushi, nasamajh laya gam to ye gam hi sahi

Bechara kahan jaanata hai, khalish hai ye kya khala hai

Sheher bhar ki khushi se ye dard mera bhala hai

Jashan ye raas na aye, maza to bas gam mein aya hai

Maine dil se kaha dhoond lana khushi, nasamajh laya gam to ye gam hi sahi

Kabhi hai ishq ka ujala, kabhi hai maut ka andhera

Btao kaun bhes hoga, main jogi banu ya lutera

Kahi chehre hain is dil ke, na jane kaun sa mera

Maine dil se kaha dhoond lana khushi, nasamajh laya gam to ye gam hi sahi

Hazaro aise faasle they, jo tai karne chale they

Rahe magar chal pari thi, aur peeche reh hum gaye

Kadam do chaar chal paye, kiye phere tere man ke

Maine dil se kaha dhoond lana khushi, nasamajh laya gam to ye gam hi sahi