It was around 3 years back that we went to Naukuchiatal for a 4-day extended weekend jaunt. But with the memories still so vibrant (of some adventures as well as misadventures!) and the photos leaping out of my laptop every time I go back to my archives, I had to do a post of that trip!

My daughter (Pari) was almost 6 months old then but she was the most notorious kid when it came to zzzs She would sleep intermittently for a few hours at night and even then, would be least bothered about compensating during the day. With a full time day job (from home) and tackling the nights with an almost nocturnal kid, I needed a break for the sake of humanity! To restore my sanity…

Heading off to the hills seemed a perfect antidote to our stressed city life. We decided to do a family trip to Naukuchiatal by road. Chose to skip Nainital because peace was what we required then. Nainital gives Delhi a run for its money for the crowd and decibel levels.

The Lake-shaker!
Nau-kuchia-taal (nine-cornered-lake) is in the lake district of Nainital in the foothills of Kumaon (part of Uttarakhand in North India). The area surrounding Nainital is aptly called the ‘Lake District’ as there’s a generous sprinkling of lakes all over this region! As if nature had a shaker full of lakes and sprinkled on this green salald-like Kumaon region. (see info on how to reach etc at the bottom of this post)

From the eye (nain)-shaped Nainital to the interconnected 7 lakes of Sattal, from the nine-cornered Naukuchiataal to the biggest Bhimtal with an island in the centre, you can spot a lake in every nook and corner of this Himalayan land!

“The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty – to think, feel, do just as one pleases”

The road journey from Delhi was very lively with we stopping over for frequent “dhabe ki chai” (tea), parathas, pakoras and photography (my bro and me). This meant that we had overstretched by at least a couple of hours.

So, after a 9-hour car journey – wherein, the last stretch meant negotiating treacherous gyrating curves , but devouring gorgeous views of the Himalayas, dealing with that repulsive motion sickness but inhaling moisture-laden purest of pure oxygen, we finally were there where we could see the heavenly view of the Sattal lake.

The Magic of Himalayas….
It was a celestial feeling! Avie (my hubby) and I held out Pari to the cool moisture-laden breeze to have her lungs filled with the air so fresh and pure.

We could see that even Pari felt exalted being surrounded by the greenest of green and dense oak and pine forests at an altitude of 1370 meters above sea level!

We stayed that evening at the http://www.kmvn.org guest house which wasn’t welcoming enough to say the least. However, it was only for a night and we managed. We decided to have a Kumaoni dinner in the nearby tiny market.

In the middle of 70 acres of Oak forests….

In the morning, we set off for Naukuchiatal. The kmvn guest house in Naukuchiatal was much better than Sattal’s but one look at the Lake View resort and we fell for it.

Built facing the Naukuchiatal Lake itself, the resort is set amidst 70 acres of dense Oak forests. The rooms offer a fascinating view of the lake and the surrounding nature. The forests around the resort are frequented by hundreds of migratory birds.

The resort’s architecture has a very open, spacious feel to it. Every room opens into the lush green slopes overseeing the lake. The rooms are aesthetically done and are filled with natural sunlight. The place exudes exotic fragrance and colours of the vibrant Rhodenderons, Himalayan Blue Poppy, the brilliant blue Bell flower, Balsam, Cobra Lily, blue Geraniums and many many unusual species of Himalayan flora.

And then…we rejoice in the ethereal beauty of the lake….

A few hops down the flight of stairs and we stood mesmerized before the shimmering waters of the huge Naukuchiatal lake. The tranquil blue waters were breathtakingly beautiful and held us spellbound!
We couldn’t wait to go knee deep and strip ourselves of all the weariness.

I feel that we beings have an innate desire to get intimate and bond with water in its natural form – be it river, stream, lake or sea! We let go of our adult controls and become child-like and fancy free at the sight of the blue waters!

The Naukuchiatal lake is considered the deepest amongst all the lakes in the Kumaon region. They say, it’s fed by an underlying spring. We were cautioned not to venture too far without guided help. We hopped on to a boat (Shikara) and all of us tried our hands at rowing. This was a pretty large boat and there were 5 of us, so it wasn’t easy…

‘Nirvana’ is here…!

The clouds were leaning over the lake waters for a glimpse of their own reflection while the mist was blinding their view. It was breathtakingly beautiful and a soulful feeling being in the lap of nature.

We negotiated the periphery (4 kms) of the lake to catch a glimpse of the Himalayan birds, butterflies etc, we ventured right in the middle to hang our feet and splash, we parked the boat at the edge of a jutting rock trying to count the 9 corners, which we could.

The legends have it that whoever manages to view all nine corners of this lake in one glance, attains ‘Nirvana’. Now, we could not manage this but the whole experience of being so close to the pristine waters was nothing less than ‘Nirvana’!

My brother and I spotted a Kingfisher miles above us and we kept everyone else mediating on the boat while we tried to capture it to the best of our ability.

The resort had a private access to the lake which meant that we never missed an opportunity to hop away and go knee deep, or just sit there, or trek along the periphery of the lake. Fishing here is a great stress buster for many but then we coming from a very vegetarian mindset stayed away from this activity!

Engulfed in spiritual peace…

Just looking at the vast expanse of the blue waters and the dense greens surrounding it gave me a euphoric feeling. I felt so much at peace with myself. It was as if I had discovered a new life and me.

Here, I felt the joy of being alone and yet felt connected with some supreme power. I felt the power and bliss of motherhood. I had left the physical as well the mental chaos behind me. This is the magic of the Himalayas…..

Trekking through the glorious greens…

The next day and the day after that, we trekked through the dense oak and pine forests, explored the nearby village with wooden roof huts, caught glimpses of wild Himalayan birds, spotted exotic flora (some poisonous ones too) and fauna and also did some horse riding.

The Monsoon rains (it was August) being in full glory, we couldn’t do paragliding, which is another adventure activity one can enjoy in Naukuchiatal.

But….something else was in store…!

The day we had to return, it had been raining like there’s no tomorrow. We delayed our departure by a couple of hours but the rains were in no mood to stop or even become less intense. We could not have postponed to next morning as all of us had bosses to answer to! So, however much we were shocked at our decision later on and even to date, at that point, we decided to go ahead. The return journey through the Himalayan curves is something that we will remember, with goose pimples, forever!

The fury of monsoons…

We had gone a few miles ahead when we could sense there was more than just rain pelting at our car roof. The high ridges all along the road were being mobilized due to incessant rains and the debris were crashing and falling. My brother, who was at the wheels, was keeping a brave front, maneuvering the curves and now trying to duck the debris.

But this was just the beginning. A few meters down and some boulders came almost crashing in. Our hearts leapt out! While we avoided yelling and cursing (except for some occasional uncontrollable shrieks) so that the person who was driving could stay calm, there was a deathly look on everyone’s face. We also considered returning or parking somewhere, but roads behind had fallen apart and there was not a sign of human dwelling.

A thin line between life and….

My bro kept moving ahead with gusto. And then, the coup de grace. The curve ahead was almost hanging precariously! A large part of the road had been smashed by a boulder and due to the impact, that already narrow bend had its outside curve completely chopped off.. That meant that if we tried to negotiate that hacked weak curve, chances were it would refuse to take the weight and the car would go crashing down the ridge – more than 1300 meters deep into the dense thick forest!

Fingers Crossed…

We had to decide and fast! All we ladies got off the car so we would cross the curve and get on the other side. Once we crossed one by one, the debris pelting on our heads, I with a 6 month old in arms – my brother and hubby were now left in the car facing the moment of their lives, for their lives. We were praying in our hearts… Those few seconds, we were frozen to death. And then they were there on our side of the road. There wasn’t much time to rejoice. We still had our fingers crossed. God only knew what would ensue next….

But thankfully, we had crossed that vulnerable stretch. After an hour or so, at the Kathgodam rail head, we stopped for some refreshments and to catch our breath!

Where Next in the Himalayas?

It was a vacation that both dreams as well as nightmares are made of! But today, I wish to remember only the soul stirring beauty of the magnificent Himalayas with much fondness.

I am fortunate to live only a few hours’ drive from such angelic beauty of nature. The Valley of flowers is my next dream destination in the Garhwal hills of the Himalayan range. I hope I can experience it soon and come back and share wth you all…

Some facts and how to reach Naukuchiatal:

- Nearest Rail head: Kathgodam (online booking can be done here: http://www.irctc.co.in)
- Distance from Kathgodam – 25 Kms
- Trains: Ranikhet express from Delhi

Places around Naukuchiatal:

- Pandegaon: Only 4 kms from The Lake Resort is the ‘take off” point for Paragliding
- Bhimtal: 4 kms
- Nanital: 22 kms

Some relevant related links:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Flowers_National_Park
• http://www.naukuchiatallakeresorts.com
• http://www.kmvn.org

Some more related pics from my bro’s (Manish Jaju) flickr photostream:
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/manishjaju/3255744959/
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/manishjaju/3256576714/

Leave your precious comment!
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All content and pictures in this post (and blog) are copyright of Rashmie Jaaju and should not be copied in any manner without my prior explicit permission.

I guess I need to hide quickly! Your employers (I am self employed ) will be after my blood reading this post title! But what the heck! Why are we always doing the opposite..? That is – why are we our least spirited selves on weekends? It may sound weird to you but wait a sec! However much gung-ho we are prior to weekends, when it is actually there, all we are found doing is clearing that long list of mundane ‘To Dos’ – wardrobe cleaning, piles of laundry, doctor visits, grocery shopping, parent-teacher meetings (PTMs), visiting friends and relatives (yes, sometimes that can become a mere ‘To Do’ rather than fun). The list goes on…

Amidst all these, we never really take the time to indulge in a thing or two that we love doing. Let alone ‘doing’, there are some of us who don’t even know what is it that we LOVE doing – on a regular basis. Do we?

How many of us can name 5 things that we love doing or we would love to do? I would request you to go back and think about those 5 things. May be take a paper and start jotting down. When you do that, don’t think about how trivial or un-useful it is. Don’t care for the ROI! It could be as banal as ’sleeping the whole afternoon’ or it may sound as extravagant as shopping for big brands. Just brainstorm. And then, start ticking those that are doable and something that you will have lots of fun and satisfaction doing. Once you have done that, take it seriously.

Take the resolution to do something about it. But yes, first and foremost, share it with your family (spouse/parents/kids), tell them how you want/crave to do it and you’ll see how they will rally around you so you can do what you want to do. And then, remind yourself everyday, write it down on a white board – in office, at home, block some time for it on your calendar (in your mail box) and when the weekend is there, just grab some time for that love of your life!

Okay, now that you’ve started to scribble down what you’d like doing, let me share some of the things to do that you might want to consider:

1. Grow a green patch in your balcony/backyard. You could plant herbs (basil, mint, bay, thyme…), flowers, and vegetables – without investing much. You will need to find a sunny spot in your house if you don’t have a backyard. A balcony, porch or a large sun-facing window sill is enough! The returns on this investment are an immeasurable amount of satisfaction, fresh bounties for the kitchen, a healthy workout, a house with natural beauty and much more..! You can even start a ‘green group’ in your society/neighbourhood to connect with people who have a similar interest. You could barter seeds, saplings, bounties. Plant trees in and around your neighbourhood and more.

2. Start a tiny library: If you buy books, you will read them. Fiction, biography, self-help or even comics – find a quiet, cozy corner in the house, coffee shop, park or a beach; sit back with your big cup of tea or coffee, and devour your Jane Austen or a Mills & Boon, a Harry Potter or the ever so readable – Paolo Coelho. From the country side of England to the vineyards of France and from the carnivals of Brazil to the ‘gullies’ of Varanasi; as they rightly say, books let you travel the world without moving an inch! And then, you can start a book club with friends and neighbours to get together for a review, exchange books etc.

3. Take dance/music/singing classes: If you have an inclination/bathroom talent for music or singing, consider yourself lucky. There’s nothing more relaxing, more spiritual and more fun than music and dance – be it singing, playing an instrument or shaking a leg. And, its the best detox for your mind and body!

4. Educate a child: Well, this sounds more like a social service but there’s immense satisfaction and fun one can derive from this. In India, we have a humongous percentage of kids and youth that are illiterate. If you genuinely feel for this cause, why not spend some time shaping a child’s future and in the bargain, connecting with the person inside you who’s yearning to give back to the society.

5. Decorate a corner of your house: I find this very very therapeutic and I am sure many of you do too. The catch lies in doing this as a fun activity every weekend. Not just when we are expecting guests. Because, a hobby is something we do for our own pleasure and not for someone else’s There are some excellent online sources and blogs to gather ideas from – http://www.bhg.com/, http://anindiansummer-design.blogspot.com/, http://www.thekeybunch.com

6. Ah…..the flavours from your kitchen are making me hungry (again!): Many of us love cooking but do not have the time (or energy) to do it at or own pace and as suits our fancy! Why not keep the weekend aside to explore the varied flavours from your kitchen and lay the table with a surprise new dish for your family? Actually you could even do a pot-luck by calling over friends and family and getting to eat a potpourri of dishes without spending a buck for a buffet outside…

7. Time to let the camera manual see the light of the day! I know how you appreciate a nice photo, and how you happily clicked away to glory the last time you went on that vacation! So, its time you recharge your camera batteries, bring out that manual that you never read beyond the cover page, and start clicking around at the first sign of a photogenic beauty (well, I didn’t mean your next door neighbour )… Jokes apart, photography is a creative pursuit and is very rejuvenating. You can also join some photo community network like flickr (www.flickr.com) to share your clicks and see others’ works and make new friends in the process. I share mine here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rashmiejaaju/

8. Start a blog! If you are the sorts who keep a diary, love writing mails rather than mere forwarding and are always reading up and seeking information, you may pretty much find it fun and worthwhile writing a blog and connecting with the whole wide world. The subject could be anything – an expertise area, your hobby, a news journal, a photo gallery etc. There are many free and paid platforms – www.blogger.com (free), www.wordpress.com (free), www.typepad.com (paid) and many such.

9. Travel/Explore: Well, you might ask me – “how’s it possible to travel every weekend?” Nah…not travel as in travel outside your city. What I mean is – go see different places. These could be outside your city/state/country AND, they could be right there in your own city – just miles away from you! How many of us can confidently say that we have seen every single interesting place in own city. I, for one, have not There are at least a hundred places to see in and around Delhi that I have not seen yet…! So, go plan your itinerary – for your own city

10. Movies, movies and more movies! – Hey folks, how cool is this! We all love watching movies. Well, most of us! But, making it a regular weekend activity and a planned one? Not really. Not many of us do that. Not me. As yet. There are hundreds of movies made by master filmmakers that are worth a thousand experiences. Why not start watching them one by one every weekend to rejuvenate and regale in the kaleidoscopic journey to Hollywood, India, Japan, Iran, France, Italy, Ireland. Check out this Wikipedia page to see an elaborate list of the best movies from various countries and across genres. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Films_considered_the_greatest_ever

11. Play a sport, be a sport! Soccer, Cricket, Squash, Swimming, Badminton, Table Tennis or Lawn Tennis – take up one sport and sweat it out. This is much fun and physically rewarding than a boring treadmill or push-ups!

Someone said, “The only reason why we ask other people ‘how their weekend was’ is so we can tell them about our own weekend.”

So, go on – rave about your weekend love…! Or better still – blog about it!

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All pictures and content on this blog are copyright of Rashmie Jaaju. Do not use photos or copy without my explicit permission.

Flax is nature’s miraculous cure for our heart, blood, joints, colon, aging, brain and even peace of mind!

It was during my pregnancy (4+ years back) that I started reading and researching on natural food, cures supplements, herbs, lifestyle, therapies and more. And I continue to do so till date. Infact, now it’s become a mission for me.

Among all natural food and cures that I have studied so far, one that is discovered to be nature’s most miraculous and versatile medicines is Flax seeds (*Hindi – Alsi).

*scroll to the bottom of the page for the name in other Indian languages

I can’t write enough about the nutritional benefits of Flax seeds and oil. As this food is being rediscovered the world over, Nutritionists rank it among the top 10 health foods.

Flax seeds are the richest source of oil containing Omega 3 fatty acids - that extraordinary component, the deficiency of which may lead our body to cripple and collapse. “Flax seeds also contain over a hundred times more of a phytonutrient, known as lignan, than wheat bran, buckwheat, rye, millet, oats, and soybeans. Lignins have received a lot of attention lately because of possible anti-cancer properties” – Dr. Sears

Here is a long list (trying hard to present in a nutshell!) of health benefits from Flax.

Boosts Immunity: With, H1N1 scare dictating our lifestyle and affecting mental peace, boosting the immune system has become a top priority. Studies have shown that school children who are given about 1 teaspoon of flax oil a day had fewer and less severe instances of respiratory infections (linked to swine flue) than those who were not supplemented with flax oil.

Healthy Brain Development: This is very important in the first few years of life when a child’s brain grows at a rapid pace and even more so – during the fetus stage and infancy. The Omega 3 fatty acids in flax are key to brain building. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, mothers should supplement their diet with 2 teaspoons of flax oil, if not more, to provide the essential fats to the growing baby.

Heart Friendly: The Omega 3 fatty acids in Flax reduce bad cholesterol improving heart health. Also help in regulating blood pressure.

Healthy Skin and Lustrous Hair: The healthy oils in Flax are beneficial for people who have dry or sensitive skin and are prone to sun burns. Flax is also helpful in reducing dandruff.

Helps in Joint Pain and Osteoarthritis: Flax and Cod liver oil, the richest source of omega-3 fats, have been shown to reduce the pain and inflammation of arthritis.

Helpful in Diabetes: Flax may lessen the severity of diabetes by stabilizing blood-sugar levels.

Cure for Post Partum Depression and Hormone Regulation: The lack of essential fatty acids in pregnant women might be a cause of postpartum depression, say experts. Flax can be a cure for this. It also helps normalize hormones during menopause and premenstrual phase.

Cancer Preventive and Healing Properties: Flax seed oil is rich in Lignan, so consuming it can help prevent the occurrence of breast cancer, colon cancer or any other type of cancer.

Stress Releaser: As a result of our processed-food-rich diets, we’re consuming large amounts of omega-6 fatty acids and little or zero omega-3 fatty acids, which is a recipe for feeling “stressed out”, says Dr. James Boschman based on his years of research. The essential fatty acids in Flax have calming effect on us releasing stress.

Great for Weight Watchers: Large amount of soluble fibre in flax slows the release of carbohydrates into the bloodstream, helping control insulin levels and prolong energy. Soluble fibre, when consumed, satisfies hunger pangs by giving a sense of fullness. For this reason, people who are trying to lose weight should increase their consumption of soluble fibre. When I work late nights, I would rather reach out for the box of ground flax seeds than cookies or chocolates..!

Helps in Constipation: Soluble fibre in Flax acts as an excellent laxative.

Overall Health: The Omega 3 fatty acids have shown to improve high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and inflammation, eczema, psoriasis, and many others as per health experts.

Using Flax Seeds and OIL – Dos and Don’ts

Flax oil should not be used for cooking as it is very heat sensitive and is rather harmful when heated. Flax oil or ground flax can be added to food after cooking.

Flax also turns rancid very quickly. Hence, flax oil and seeds should always be refrigerated with the lid tightly on. Should not be exposed to heat or light. When purchasing, look for refrigerated oil stored in dark colored bottles.

Flax seeds, because they contain high amount of soluble fibre, are more beneficial than their oil. Hence, it’s worth the effort to grind fresh flax seeds. They can be grounded coarsely rather than a very powdery form.

Preparation and serving:

Flax seeds have a yummy nutty flavor. Ground flax seeds can be sprinkled on salads, cereals with cold milk, buttered bread along with jam, in smoothies (soak the flax seeds and blend with any fruit and water/milk).

But, never use it in cake batter, roti/tortilla dough etc because flax loses its nutritional value when exposed to heat (when making rotis over heat).

Flax oil taken with a meal can actually increase the nutritional value of other foods. Mixing flax oil with yogurt helps to emulsify the oil, improving its digestion and metabolism by the body.

So, have Flax, stay fit and turn the life’s clock backward!

References:

- Miracle Cures by Jean Carper
- Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 2 by Michael T. Murray,
- Mike Adam’s – http://www.naturalnews.com
- www.askdrsears.com
- The New Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford
- Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 2 by Michael T. Murray, ND

* Name for Flax in other Indian Languages: Flaxseeds are known as Alsi in Hindi, Gujarati, and Punjabi, Agase in Kannada, Ali Vidai in Tamil, Jawas and Alashi in Marathi, Tishi in Bengali, Pesi in Bengali, Avise ginzalu in Tamil and Cheruchanavith in Malayali.

15th August – Independence Day – was more or less like any other National holiday in India and yet, there’s an unspoken feeling in our hearts about this day that tells us that it’s more than just a holiday. The tricolours of the Indian flag were everywhere – in houses, in cars, malls, schools, in the attires of people, on faces..! The patriotic fervour and sentiment echoed in the songs that were being played on TV. Despite the terror of Swine Flue looming large in the atmosphere around us, despite the threats of terror attacks filling the news pages around this time of the year (well, most part of the year, unfortunately..), people in Delhi and everywhere else around the country, filled the Independence Day parades, movie theatres, malls and more.

Is it the great Indian spirit that makes us go on with life, come what may? Or is it that we have become habitual of living a rough, unpredictable life that calamities, terror attacks, riots – all seem to us a mere part of life? Is it that fatalistic philosophy that declares – “what has to happen, will happen” that makes us take life for granted..? I don’t have the right answer but I do feel that life is too short and too precious to live in fear and hatred. If there’s a time to relish life, it’s NOW. If there’s a time to live our dreams, it’s NOW! If there’s a time to be good, it’s NOW or never….

One of my good friends – Vitoria – shared a very beautiful message with me today morning. It has been often circulated on the internet. However, I would like to share it again here as my salute to our soldiers who sacrificed their dreams, their families, their lives – to defend the honour of our motherland. They did this so we could live, let live, love and fulfill our dreams.
Please read this message through the end and read it again and again because it’s all about celebrating the gift that life is…

Happy Independence Day. Sawtantrata Diwas ki shubhkaamnayen!:)

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ”In five years, will this matter?”.
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
34. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

As moms, we are always juggling with a dozen tasks a day and switching from one role to another. But it seems, that one activity over which we beat our brains out is – “what to cook”! However trivial it my seem, but it’s definitely not a no brainer…

More so, when it comes to cooking for the preschoolers and the growing children. They are not the ones to understand why they should eat more green veggies, or more calcium-rich or more iron-rich and stuff. All they go by is their mood and palatte.
And we busy moms, donning multiple hats, don’t really have the time or energy to do elaborate 4 meals a day (breakfast, lunch, evening snack, dinner!).

Today, I want to share a recipe keeping in mind the evening snack time which is so very crucial for the growing kids. As they get ready to play outdoors in the evening, its important that they have the essential energy levels. This snack is so convenient to make, you can even whip up during journeys.

Adults and weight watchers will relish it as much. The best part is it does not require oil nor any cooking in real sense.

For 2 adults/ 3-4 kids aged 3-4

2 cups curd/yogurt
1 cup poha (i think it’s called beaten rice in English speaking countries. See the pic to get an idea)
2 cups diced fruits and veggies (banana, pomegranate, cucumber)
2 teaspoons natural brown sugar or jaggery
1 pinch of salt

Method:
1. Clean the poha with water so that it becomes soft and fluffy. Drain the water in a colander (a container with big pores to drain water)
2. Add natural brown sugar or jaggery to the curd and beat thoroughly to get a smooth consistency
3. Add sliced banana, diced cucumber and pomegranate
4. Add poha and mix all ingredients gently
5. Garnish with pomegranate seeds
5. Serve slightly cold

Note: It should be a thick consistency and yet juicy enough. There should be some amount of curd even after the poha has soaked up most of it. You can add or remove any fruit or veggie as per taste. I, for one, like the uniqe flavour of the banana and cucumber combination.

This snack is rich in calcium (curd, banana), iron (pomegranate, brown sugar/jaggery), dietary fibre (poha).

We want to give the best life to our kids. Toys, books, bags, trendiest clothes, cycles, gadgets – we don’t want them to feel deprived. We don’t hesitate once to provide them with materials that will feed their imagination – crayons, chart paper, computer paper, water colours, glitters, glue…

In our well meaning intentions, we sometimes forget that we may also be encouraging the kids to generate immense amount of waste. Paper once scribbled may go into the dustbin in a jiffy, those plastic toys will stop interesting them in a matter of days, bottles of poster colours are emptied in a couple of afternoon activities and tossed in the bin. Why, don’t we keep telling them to clear clutter from their desks, keep the rooms clean. Well, this is a good habit to instill but what about the bigger consequences of first creating all that mess and then dumping it all in the dustbin in the name of clearing clutter? Are we actually clearing
the cutter or just adding more and more mess to our eco-system…?

It’s high time we encouraged our kids to start reusing, recycling, upcycling, buying less and hence generating less waste. Before I delve deeper into this topic, let’s have a quick look at this somewhat lesser known and even less understood term – *upcycle. Upcycling is similar to recycling in that we take something (that we may otherwise throw away) and revamp it into a new form for continued use. Read more about it in my previous post…

Reusing, upcycling – all this can be a lot of fun and deeply satisfying. I will share a few experiences from my effort to reuse old stuff and ingrain this spirit of creating ‘treasure from trash’ in my 3+ daughter – Pari. These are some small things that are now becoming habit forming with us.

1. Revamp old clothes (and no, you don’t need to know sewing for this!)
Instead of buying more and more clothes for the preschoolers and growing children, we can give them a project to revamp their old clothes. It may be as simple as doing some block printing using some fabric colours.

In the picture, Pari (my daughter) and I revamped her old white T Shirt last year by printing ladyfinger cross sections in the Indian flag colours – saffron and green. She was thrilled to bits to see the new look of her T Shirt and infact she wore it for the Independance Day celebrations in her playschool the next day. ater on she went on to colour her father’s old T Shirt as well which he would proudly wear outside during his weekend activities.

2. Good old slate and chalk
For practising aphabets, numbers etc, our older generation relied on the cheap and simple slate and chalk/cacium carbonate pencils.
That practise has somewhat diwndled these days. Come to think of it, a simpe slate can save tons of paper being wasted everyday for these writing practise sessions with the kids.

3. Pamphlets, hand-outs, greeting cards – more useful that you ever thought!
For Pari’s nursery craft projects like “collage of my favourite things”, or “summer/winter/spring collage”, we generally need picture cuttings. I have realized that instead of wasting magazines by cutting out pics for those projects, its a nice idea to save the pamphlets, ad insertions, greeting cards, hand outs in the malls etc. They aways come in handy when looking for pictures of food, veggies, fruits, places, buildings, toys, dresses, festivals etc.

4. Make puzzle out of card board box!
Cut out a not-so-complicated cartoon/picture from any magazine or newspaper. Glue it onto the cardboard. With a very sharp utility knife, you can cut this into pieces to make a homemade puzzle.

5. Old waste materials as tools for painting.
We don’t have to buy expensive paint brushes every now and then for the preschoolers. Old tooth brushes, straws, icecream sticks, tooth picks, feathers – all these make for great brushes/tools to make some unique art work and paintings.

I will keep adding to this list as and when I come up with newer ideas. Do share from your experience in the comments section.

I wanted to post some ideas on how to encourage our kids to reduce waste by reusing, recycling and *upcycling* and then realized ‘upcycling’ is a relatively lesser known and even less understood term and hence we just may confuse it with ‘reusing’. So, here’s a quick post on what ‘upcycling’ actually means, how’s it different from ‘recycling’ and ‘reusing’.

Upcycling is similar to recycling in that we take something (that’s otherwise a waste) and revamp/remodel it into a new form for continued use. However the main difference is that in the case of upcycling we generally do not alter its form back into its components for reuse. Also, in recycing – the quality of the original material may degrade (recycled plastic) but in upcycle, we actually retain the quality of the original product and infact sometimes enhance it.

For example, we have an old glass bottle.

In recycling, the recycling center sorts the glass from other recyclable material and sends them out to be recycled, where the glass would most likely be melted down to make a new bottle/jar along with all the other glass containers that are no longer in use. In upcycling we would clean the glass bottle, beautify it with some glass colours etc and reuse it as a flower vase!

Upcycling is different from simply ‘reusing’ the product for same purpose – for example, reusing the glass bottle to store oil or juice.
Reusing it as a flower vase means upcycling. The glass bottle got a new lease of life when we revamped it to use as flower vase.

This term (‘upcycling’) was originally coined by the authors McDonaugh and Braugart and is being extended to revamping anything for a different use/purpose. Anything that was intended to end up in the landfill.

Upcycling reduces substantial amount of waste and industrial production. Besides being a boon to environment, its wallet friendly as well as we buy less. I find it much more satisfying than just ‘creating’ anything new because in upcycling, we are reinventing and repurposing an old item that may have outlasted its purpose or usability. When we repurpose it, we are giving it a new life and meaning…

Hello friends,
This is my first post and I am so excited that I have finally kick started something that I have impatiently waited to start for long..! Really long, now!

Through this blog, I want to explore, share and chit chat about doing small things that can make us healthier, happier, and turn our everyday mundane days into dozens of satisfying moments. Sometimes (most of the times actually), we don’t need big achievements and events to bring us happiness. We can find joy in simple things and by doing small things in a more meaningful way to attain deep satisfaction.

I feel strongly about natural living and naturopathy, parenting (kids activities, diet etc), jewellery creations, home decor, DIY projects, environment friendly lifestyle, and more! Well, that’s a long list really. But I can’t help it…
There’s so much to do and so little done, so little explored. So let’s just dive in and make our lives a lil less ordinary.. )
While I share my ideas and thoughts, I would really be interested in knowing what you guys think, read and experience. A one-way conversation is not fun at all!

Let’s explore those simple joys and make life more gorgeous