Pineapple Malpuas

To truly savour the quintessential culinary offering, one has to commence into the most abiding recipes my mom has to offer. Endowed with ‘golden hand’, she is epitome of cuisine and her forte is Bengali sweets. One’s palate will definitely be seduced by her cooking known for its incredible fare. Her overtly generous servings of love and opulent food- a result of generations of passionate obsession with its creation has resulted in creating this masterpiece.

The Call of Paradise

As travel enthusiasts, we were looking for a break in 2014, a sabbatical, albeit with a purpose - probably the smartest and exciting move for urbanites like us. During one such orientation programme for college teachers, ‘voluntarism’ was part of the itinerary which offers one the unique opportunity to combine a tour with a social cause. Needless to say one also discovers in the process about the varied tapestry of cultural and natural diversity while travelling. For all the teachers it was a shift in the paradigm – to gain new perspectives, to interact with people and expand our horizon.

My tryst with nature

What would life be without the illuminating and intrigue consciousness of nature? The treasure trove of natural abundance ignites our basic curiosity and awakens the intense energy hidden in the depths of our minds and familiarises us with our surroundings. Be it the famed natural resorts or picturesque locales, or any other verdant vista, nowhere can you get as close to nature as with the first hand experience with our environment or learning life skills. Taking a panoramic view of my life, I reflected the moment where my grace shined the brightest. My tryst with nature at a tender age has imbibed me with a sense of realization of my surroundings. Nature empowers us with value based learning that updates us with environmental facts and providing a new dimension to reality.

Epitome of Smell

A young boy called Mussallam once joined my tuition class. Teaching has been my profession for almost two decades and I prided myself on being a good disciplinarian. Most of my students therefore, treated me with deferential respect with the newcomer being an exception. Each time I meet a new student, I’m reminded of an incident that happened two years ago; my encounter with a smelly person that still resonates deep in my mind.

Funzoa will Never Beat Reality

To be honest before I start opining about Funzoa, I’m not a technophobe. The modern trend decrees that we must be techno savvy, but- rather like a robot or a device without any originality, we are ever becoming a soulless fad-albeit the fact that it supplies us with gadgets, widgets and apps to distress us from monotony. The funzoa currently leads the funny videos in our smart phones andlaptops - Youtube.com/FunzoaTV with the catchy, colourful songs that cater to friends, families and mostly kids. Most obviously, the Funzoa Teddy appear very cute with eye-catching appearance, super speed acrobatics cum percussion skills thereby creating hilarious sight for the onlookers evoking light hearted comedy. The realm of Funzoa Teddy is a regular feature in birthday or anniversary bashes or any occasion for that matter creating immense amusement for people. A teddy bear perhaps has become a universal life tool as it fosters a great sense of well-being. Unarguably the healing power of the velvety soft teddy bear with a gentle approach is synonymous with a positive effect for people of all ages.

A Lease of Life

Human existence is punctuated by various phases: from one particular stage with its joyfulness and specific crisis to another realm. We therefore, have to alternate between exuberance and apathy, when life is light and easy, and those periods when obstacles block us in every direction.

For Maniamma, a woman hailing from Muthukulam village in Kerala, it was the veritable test of time, loyalty and patience when her husband met with an accident while climbing a coconut tree. On that fateful day, Maniamma and her husband accompanied by a few villagers were on their way towards the coconut grove to fetch the coconuts from the trees.

Chapati Noodles

Ingredients

• Chapatis - 4
• Bell peppers - 2
• Garlic - 1 tsp
• Onions - 2
• Ginger (chopped) - 1 tsp
• Butter - 2 tbsp
• Soya sauce
• Lemon juice

Process

Cut the chapatis into thin strips like noodles. In a pan, fry the chopped bell peppers, garlic, ginger, onion and pepper powder in butter. Add a little soya sauce and lemon juice. Serve hot. Garnish with chopped green chillis.