Sunday, November 30, 2008

feather in the cooks' hat: dalia soyachunks khichidi

30-Nov-2008:
"what shall we have for breakfast?', spoke I to Satya soon as I woke up.  No wonder, he gave his uth-gaya-saala stare!!! He was used to this waking-up-hungry habit of mine.
One staying in Bangalore would admit this lazy weather, on this Sunday morning today. Since 07:00 I was lying in bed, thinking of excuses to stay late :-) 'enough !!!', I thought, with my N73 already showing 08:00, 'too lazy !!'. My roommate was already up and reading the newspaper. I was less curious about following the mumbai news anymore.
It's only on Sundays or holidays that we get to prepare breakfast too at home. It is always a rush-for-the-bus routine everyday otherwise. We made the idea of preparing something nutritious and healthy. Browsing through this recipe site, we found exactly what we were looking for:  Wheat-Dalia-Soyachunk khichidi.
We got the required ingredients from a nearby shop. Preparation was not difficult. We just followed th instructions given on the site. It came out great. Well, don't go by the photo given here. I have taken it from the site. Our preparation looked little different :-)
Yet another dish added to our cooking list. I must recommend the website for a variety of dishes listed. The author lady is sure a good cook and documents well too. Do check out the site to find out about the preparation. Am sure you would also like it. 
Photo coutesy: Sailusfood.com All Rights of the author are respected

Friday, November 21, 2008

Poetic words : Why Daddy's not here

Got this poem as a Fwd from a friend, couldn't resist sharing it with others. Really touching.
 
Daddy's Poem

Her hair was up in a pony tail,
her favorite dress tied with a bow.
Today was Daddy's Day at school,
and she couldn't wait to go.



But her mummy tried to tell her,
that she probably should stay home.
Why the kids might not understand,
if she went to school alone.


But she was not afraid;
she knew just what to say.
What to tell her classmates
of why he wasn't there today.


But still her mother worried,
for her to face this day alone.
And that was why once again,
she tried to keep her daughter home.


But the little girl went to school
eager to tell them all.
About a dad she never sees
a dad who never calls.


There were daddies along the back wall,
for everyone to meet.
Children squirming impatiently,
anxious in their seats


One by one the teacher called
a student from the class.
To introduce their daddy,
as seconds slowly passed.


At last the teacher called her name,
every child turned to stare.
Each of them was searching,
a man who wasn't there.


'Where's her daddy at?'
She heard a boy call out.
'She probably doesn't have one,'
another student dared to shout.


And from somewhere near the back,
she heard a daddy say,
'Looks like another deadbeat dad,
too busy to waste his day..'


The words did not offend her,
as she smiled up at her Mum.
And looked back at her teacher,
who told her to go on.


And with hands behind her back,
slowly she began to speak.
And out from the mouth of a child,
came words incredibly unique.


'My Daddy couldn't be here,
because he lives so far away..
But I know he wishes he could be,
since this is such a special day..


And though you cannot meet him,
I wanted you to know.
All about my daddy,
and how much he loves me so.


He loved to tell me stories
he taught me to ride my bike..
He surprised me with pink roses,
and taught me to fly a kite.


We used to share fudge sundaes,
and ice cream in a cone.
And though you cannot see him.
I'm not standing here alone.


'Cause my daddy's always with me,
even though we are apart
I know because he told me,
he'll forever be in my heart'


With that, her little hand reached up,
and lay across her chest.
Feeling her own heartbeat,
beneath her favourite dress.

 
And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,
her mother stood in tears.
Proudly watching her daughter,
who was wise beyond her years.


For she stood up for the love
of a man not in her life.
Doing what was best for her,
doing what was right.


And when she dropped her hand back down,
staring straight into the crowd.
She finished with a voice so soft,
but its message clear and loud.


'I love my daddy very much,
he's my shining star.
And if he could, he'd be here,
but heaven's just too far.


You see he is a soldier
And died just this past year
When a roadside bomb hit his convoy
and taught brave men to fear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,
it's like he never went away.'
And then she closed her eyes,
and saw him there that day.


And to her mother's amazement,
she witnessed with surprise.
A room full of daddies and children,
all starting to close their eyes.


Who knows what they saw before them,
who knows what they felt inside.
Perhaps for merely a second,
they saw him at her side.


'I know you're with me Daddy,'
to the silence she called out.
And what happened next made believers,
of those once filled with doubt.


Not one in that room could explain it,
for each of their eyes had been closed.
But there on the desk beside her,
was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.


And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
by the love of her shining star.
And given the gift of believing,
that heaven is never too far 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


My kudos to the poet, who put the feelings of a little daughter, in few verses. All rights credited to the poet of the content above.