HAIL THE MIGHTY PANEER !

LOVE IT OR HATE IT, U CANNOT IGNORE PANEER.

Though a poor, country-cousin of the city-bred amul-cheese, paneer is omni-present in the fabric of our everyday pallete. Would we really relish it being a fleeting afterthought, it is thrust into our faces, time after time, ‘n’ number of times.

As such it has played its part in most global cuisines, but its energetic dominance over the Indian-menu cannot be taken lightly! Any food-joint of even a remotely decent standing, without fail, dedicates a string of pages to vague sounding paneer-delights….paneer-kurma….. pepper-paneer….. paneer-pasanda (uh-ok…)…. paneer-dikhush (u don’t say !!)….paneer-shahi (indeed !!)……paneer-kadhai (Zzzzz….)…Oh!! The list is crushingly endless……..
Much to the glee of the indian consumer it comes dressed as a spicy brazilian bride, doped with salsa-sauce at McDonald’s or as paneer-extravaganza at Pizza-Hut !!

At a glance, u could say there are two types of people in our world – those who eat paneer, and then those who don’t!! the paneer-eaters swear by their stock as though ‘roti-, kapda, makaan aur paneer were the aspiration of any ‘normal’ family. In northern India, paneer commands a near God-like veneration……if u are a welcome guest in a Punjabi-houslold, chances are you shall be appeased with a generous offering of hot paneer samosas, and paneer-pakodas, and paneer-patties….and…sigh…!

The non-eater clan wouldn’t be caught dead with paneer in their mouths, come hunger-pangs or sheer fainting-spells, their prejudice can only be described as unwavering!!

Well, let’s be fair! Paneer is the vegetarian’s fowl. Paneer is the implacable, invincible avenging hero of the “grass-eating” gentry! While the “meat-mongers” dig their teeth into succulent pieces of tandoori-chicken and exclaim a dismayed “tch-tch” at meager veggie plates, paneer sashays in and holds a decent front!! Besides, paneer has played a prophetic bit in saving the day for many a hostesses, drowning in the wake of unexpected dinner-guests!

In spite of the European-enlightenment and Americanized-options like macaroni-n-cheese, cheese-topped burgers, cheesecakes, paneer’s first-cousin cheese suffers the label of being “waist-expanding”…..therefore, ladies and gentlemen, an irrefutable component of every delectable banquet – PANEER IS HERE TO STAY !!

OH BLUE !!!

Forgive me, for i fear i tread on you,
But for your gentle caress i yearn,
Never away from my thoughts are you,
Only for you my heart does burn,
I cannot bear to be far from you,
And soon to you, shall i return,
Forgive me, Blue, for i tread on you,
But don't you see, Oh BLUE, that i'm in love with you !

This poem is not mine, its been written by someone who inspires me everyday
My love, speaks here of his first love....the vast sky.........he's a true pilot !!

THE EVOLVED WOMAN

This was actually inspired by an e-mail sent to a friend during an ongoing debate on what actually makes a woman “ THE WOMAN”…….a complete woman, an enriched one, a happening woman, the 21st –century woman ??

She rather brashly categorized women into three categories…the motivated “career” types, the “um-somewhere-there-in-the-middle” types, and the unmotivated, non-receptive-to-a-career, “prefer-to-have-babies-breeding-like-rabbits” types!! It goes without saying that as far as my young friend is concerned, the third variety deserves a severe lashing!!

The categories got me tickled and indignant all at the same time, got me thinking, really,…….i’m a 21st- century woman, too….where do I fit?....more than that….what would be the categories I would assign to my fellow-lady-ducks….and most of all,…. what makes us complete, as women, finally? Is career the only scale on which we rate ourselves in today’s world? Is that not too narrow a landscape to separate the “whole” from the “amiss”??

I would categorize the educated, urban women into three categories too.....

The caterpillars...........those who live their whole lives in comfort, provided first by their fathers and then by their husbands, who never make a decision involving more than what to get made for lunch or which nail-polish to buy, who never bat their heavy mascara-loaded eyelids to global-warming or the plight of Somalians: they run their air-conditioners on high and gorge on McD’s aloo-tikki burgers….
they never step out of their silk-cocoons. Unloved, yet-content, they live a caterpillars life in happy-oblivion....
they are redundant, stunted, unchallenged and unchallenging.....
nothing against them, though, God makes all kinds......

Then, there are those who are feminists…….they have a big-time sixties’ “women’s-liberation” hangover!!
True, they say no to safe cocoons, they step out in the man's world, striding ahead, they are driven, strong, even-brutal.........they move fast......single-minded towards "success", which can only be described as a “pat” on the back by a more successful man......
but while they're busy doing what they are doing, the essence of a woman's mind, body and soul deserts them and fades away. Poor girls don't even realize what they missed until its long-gone. They are left alone, unhappy, soul-less, neither man nor woman, wallowing solitary, in ...."SUCCESS" .
these are the ugly moths, they burn-out.

The third would be butterflies.........women who soar high on sunlit wings. Who have known love, love as women are supposed to know it. These women could be a little bit of caterpillars, or feminists even. But they are different stil, for they have been touched by the irrevocable-power of love that only a soul mate can give....these are EVOLVED WOMEN….....who see priorities differently, who seek new intelligence everyday, have enormous powers of comprehension for they have comprehended the elixir of life - procreation, yen-and yang, light and dark, they have seen GOD and BLESSING in their loving-homes and they know how hard it can be to create a loving home, and how much it means to those they create it for!!

They have experienced the one thing that makes a woman whole.....giving- the ability to give....now that’s a woman….....who gives selflessly, every time, gives a bit of herself everyday, it makes her divine to those she loves...........
Yes, she takes care at setting the lunch-table sometimes…..matching plates and cutlery, and yeah!!..sometimes she just pigs-out of the serving-bowl while watching TV……..produces like rabbits too!!...ha, ha…..she revels in it......it makes her Madonna-of-the-rocks, the holy grail, Margaret Thatcher and Madame-curie all rolled in one....

21st century, or freaking pre-Christ times....a woman is a woman, her beauty and radiance lies in her ability to love selflessly, procreate, nurture, mold, define.......that's why the world is beautiful and life is livable....its stupid to stoop-down to the level of men and compete with them on any scale.....there can't be a comparison.....woman was made superior by God himself....
for she was given a womb.................
……….
....giving birth can easily be called THE MOST DIFFICULT thing in the world, u might be PT Usha, Britney Spears or Hilary Clinton.....this is your GREATEST achievement.....nothing comes close to it.........GOD is holding your hand that fateful day, he's caressing your hair....carrying u through death and back.....can there be a greater revelation/redemption/blessing ????!!!!!!
To take good care of a child who's come into this world so helpless and innocent, a gift of God and Love......the first time she clasps your finger, u melt…....the unwavering love and trust that little thing entrusts u with is HUMBLING.......u melt u cry u laugh, rejoice and crap-bricks at the same time....takes a hell of a woman to bring that little baby as , above all , a good human-being, a capable person......

Hey, I’m a girl, and God knows, I’ve been a bit of all three above at different turns in life…..that makes me human……..but for all those little-girls prancing around out there who shall shape this world tomorrow, lets pray that they grow into the “right” kind of 21st century women……strong, modern, yet rooted in realism and tradition…lets wish them a fulfilled-life, a loving home, a wonderful partner, children, and strength to tackle adversities