Nagpur ---the heart of the country

RIGHT  in the centre of the map of INDIA.

THE  heart of the country. yes the zero mile here is the 0 mile of India.

Nagpur is located at the exact centre of Indian Peninsula  The city has a Zero Mile  stone locating the geographical centre of India, which was used by the British to measure all distances within the Indian subcontinent.

When in school I would at times think why don't they make it the capital of the country !!!  centrally located ,sprawlling ,beautifull surroundings  everything that one needs to make a city a capital.

But the authorities knew better. or thought different.

They did make it the winter capital of Maharashtra  though.

It used to be the capital of the old province of C.P.and Berar later on when the state was divided into Madhya Pradesh and Maharshtra   [this included old Bombay state] Bombay became the capital of Maharashtra with  Bhopal becoming the capital of  Madhya Pradesh  But  nagpur could't be denied its value and importance and it was made the Winter Capital of Maharashtra 

Its got rich mineral resources and dense forests around it .

It was a bit sleepy and a typically middle class town but now it is fast on the tracks of becoming a mod city .

It has a good past to boast about .

Foundation laid by the GOND king of DEOGAD   BAKHT BULAND SHAH in 1702.It gets its name from the Nag river which flows through it.

It has received an award for being the cleanest and most perfectly planned city in India  and also the 2nd greenest city in the country  According to a survey by ABP News-Ipsos, Nagpur has been identified as the best city in India by topping the liveability, greenery,public transport, and health care indices. Nagpur has the best literacy rate, 93.13%, among cities with more than 20 lakhs population in India. It is famous for the Orange fruit  and is known as the "Orange City" for being a major trade centre of oranges cultivated in the region.

.Nagpur is also called the "Tiger Capital of India as it connects many tiger reserves in India to the world.

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra 

Pench National Park

Nagzira-Navegaon Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra

Melghat Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra)

Bor Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra- 

 It is among the important cities for the information technology sector in Maharashtra. Nagpur is located in the centre of the country with the Zero Mile marker indicating the geographical centre of India.Nagpur is an important city for the Indian armed forces. Maintenance Command of Indian Air Force has its current headquarter at Vayusena Nagar in Nagpur. It houses Mi-8 helicopters and the IAF carriers IL-76 and handles the maintenance, repair, and operations of all aircraft, helicopters and other equipment.

The ordnance factory and staff college of ordnance factory Ambajhari and National Academy of Defence Production for Group A officer of ordnance factories are in the western part of the city. The 'raison d'être' for Kamptee, the military cantonment, is still operational. Kamptee Cantonment houses the Officers Training Academy for National Cadets Corps, which is the only one of its kind. It is also the home of one of the oldest and most respected regiments in the Indian Army, the Brigade of the Guards. Guards, located at Kampthee 

Though nothing to brag about it is also the 114th largest city in the world.

The Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN) is a project for the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur. It is the biggest economical development project currently underway in India in terms of investments. The project aims to exploit the central location of Nagpur and convert the airport into a major cargo hub with integrated road and rail connectivity. This project consists of two parts:

In 2013, ABP News-Ipsos declared Nagpur the country's best city for health care services. The city is home to numerous hospitals, some run by the government and some private. Nagpur is a health hub for Central India & caters to a large geographical area arbitrarily bounded by Delhi in the North, Calcutta in the East, Mumbai-Pune in the West and Hyderabad in the South. People from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana regularly come to Nagpur for their health needs.Nagpur boasts of super-specialty physicians & surgeons serving its population in both public sector government run hospitals and well equipped private hospitals catering to all strata of society.

The plan to bring   AIIMS  to Nagpur is the latest feather in the cap of Nagpur health care services.

And now about the connectivity of the city to the rest of the country Nagpur is a major junction for roadways as India's two major National Highways Kanyakumari Varanasi Highway ( Natinal highway No 7)  and Hajira --Kolkata  (National Highway No 6 )), pass through the city. One more highway ( highway No 69),  connects Nagpur to Obaidullaganj near Bhopal. Nagpur is at the junction of two Asian Highways namely AH 43  Agra toMatara, Sri Lanka and AH46 connecting Kharagpur, India to Dhule, India.

The new state highway, Nagpur–Aurangabad–Mumbai express highway, built on the national highway basis is also sanctioned by the state and central government. This highway connects the state capital Mumbai to Nagpur via Aurangabad and significantly reduces the distance travelled by NH 6 and NH 3 between two cities.

I would like to take all of you on a little bit of armchair tourism   and  .....here we go.........

HEY WELCOME  I am here to receive you.

 this is Nagpur Airport photo credit wikipedia 

and this is the railway station---whichever suits you .( photo credit wikipedia)

This is where battles are won and lost The Vidhrbha Cricket Association ground ( picture credit Indianholidays,co,uk

(these three pictures are taken from the internet and I have no right on them )

But no -the best way to know about a city is to use its roads, because this will acquaint you with the real city the day to day activities , the kind of people who stay here and once you travel on the roads and see for yourselves the truth about the city you will know why I am advocating its promotion . I will hand you the keys of my Tata Indica V2 and you can see for yourself you can judge and then form your opinion about my city NAGPUR.


The picture below is of the roads we tread on daily and its taken from my moving Tata Indica you can see partially the bonnet of my car its Ocean Blue in colour the second picture shows you the  Ganesh statue on the dashboard of my car . No the car parked ahead is  not  mine though it is also a Tata Indica same colour All these pictures are taken from my moving car and
they are all clicked from a cell phone.

                      the roads we tread on daily

                         parks for children and elderly dot the city

                                  Our Pavements

                                                                     

                           




our architecture 

RAMTEK TEMPLE
this is where Ram Sita and Lakshmana are supposed to have halted on their way to the woods for
VANVAAS



hope you enjoyed the tour folks and hope Nagpur has impressed you enough to spend  your next vacation here ---be my guest friends .

http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/--------is the link to this post 

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AMRIT for dessert

Ingredients


This post of mine finds a place inttp://www.evergreendishes.com/
 in their Diwali special page 



Curd -------------3 cups
Rose water or  gulabjal------2 tea spoonfulls
Chopped lotus seeds ( makhana) ---1 cup
chironji seed--- ( half cup )
Seeds of one pomegranate
Kishmish ( raisins) ------half cup
Some chhuhara ( dry dates ) and chopped almonds  about half cup each  .
Sugar  -----according to taste can be substituted with sugar free natura
Some milk
Some  water
Basil ( Tulsi) leaves chopped half cup
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Method 

Churn the curd to a very smooth paste of  thick liquid consistency mixing water to it .Add milk if the curd is  very sour .

Now add all the chopped dry fruits and mix well .and also add the rose water.

Add Sugar free Natura to sweeten according to taste . Mix the chopped Basil ( tulsi)  leaves for that unque flavour.

Let all this soak for  at least one hour before serving as the dry fruits take some time to soften and mix with each other thus enhancing the taste and flavours. Lotus seeds should be soaked about an hour before the rest as they  take more time to absorb.
   .

Pour in goblets or simple bowls ( katories) and serve  chilled . sprinkling a little pomegranate seeds and tulsi leaves  for added decor . ,

This desert is very healthy , can be made without any hassle and is suitable  in any weather ---specially after a particularly heavy and rich meal . In summers it is very very welcome as the curd has a cooling effect on the stomach .

Nutritional value --

Lotus seeds also known as fox seeds are a good source of protein , carbohydrates,  fibre , magnesium , potassium , phosphorus  , iron and  zinc they are also low in sodium .

The health benefits of raisins include relief from constipation , acidosis , anemia , and fever . and have  a positive impact on eye health , dental care and bone quality .

Chironji seeds help in cooling and gradually lowers the burning sensation in the body


Tulsi as we all know is a medicinal plant which has unlimited benefits it has anti fungal and anti biotic properties it is good for the heart , excellent in treating diabetese and also helpful in disolving kidney stones and of course good in cases of cough and cold

 Dates are an excellent source of sulphur, phosphorus , iron , potassium , calcium, manganese, copper and magnesium

.Almonds are rich in fiber , Protein ,fat, Vit E  Manganese and magnesium among other precious nutrients

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This dessert which is my  variation of the Panchamrit  used in pooja  as Prasad is a very healthy  dish and is actually Amrit or nectar ..

My guests agree with me when I serve them AMRIT  as dessert .

Kissanpur – Discovering Real Togetherness

The best thing that is the result of being born on this earth is that we are all social animals if there is life it thrives and relishes being in the company of alikes   . Animals , birds , reptiles ,and even trees love the company of their own species . Its so pleasing to see animals frisking about and playing with their own kind .

Given below are a few lines from an article by Elisa Novick It tell's us about the social life of trees 

They communicate with and heal each other and give to us of themselves unceasingly,They are social beings, forming communities, sending warnings to each other, coordinating actions. Trees decide how to grow, which branches are necessary and where to place them, what size the leaves should be in different parts of the plant. And the older they are, the more wisdom they accumulate and can pass on through their genetic coding. 

The moment we are born we become a part of a social unit " our family " which i s the first unit of society  to which we will belong all throughout our lives and even in death . However digital and technically advanced we may become we will need people to carry us to the grave or to the funeral pyre. Just as we needed people to pull us out of  our mother' s womb . '

Our social life takes shape as we proceed from family to , neighborhood , to play group to school to college to work place to bigger horizons of exploration and ambitions But at every step we interact with humans and thrive with their love  and support . The best thing about belonging to any or all of these social set ups is that we become to belong to the members of these groups , an affinity is developed which gives us a feeling of security .  

Though a great admirer of technological advancement and specially the cell phone , its various apps and the internet , an internet addict my self  I spend most of my time , blogging , and chatting and my shopping is mostly done on line , but still I personally feel that real togetherness is when we meet our friends and relatives in person .Seeing each other in person is so much more fulfilling . Why otherwise would we all be using  "Skype"  only because we consider it a boon to be able to  see each other while talking long distance . 

Communication is an important aspect of human life  lot of things can be achieved by talking --we have all heard the expression ---lets solve this matter  across the table---that means its easy to communicate and explain oneself when facing each other , its easier to convey when eye to eye contact is possible than over the telephone ---why else would political powers hold summits and meetings . Similarly the need to touch and be touched is equally important a child would respond more to a hug or to a cuddle than to a plain smile . . Irrespective of whether we know it or not we all have a need for touch which could be the desire either to touch or to be touched. 

Studies that have been done on the subject have clearly demonstrated that those who know the value of touch and constantly engage in it are happier and healthier. .

Thus we see that coming in close personal contact and experiencing each others presence physically is so much more important than keeping in touch digitally . 

In  recent days  we have  been  seeing a spurt of old age homes, and poor homes coming up where people come  and lodge their old parents and relatives saying they don't  have either the time or  the money to look after them . But then little do  they realize that these same  elders  would and could be such better substitutes as compared to servants and creches  to look after their kids  once  the parents left for work.   Grandparents have their  personal  interest in the well being of their grandchildren . We not only look after their physical needs like giving them healthy food , bath and sleep as do servants and creches but we tend to see about their growth as a whole we love reading to them and I personally love taking my granddaughter for "nature rambles",  as we call them ,we have a bird house at home and we also plant trees and  watch their growth daily. Nature is a very good source of bringing people together because it has the ability to keep us tied up together we love to see and discuss birds nesting  and if they have laid eggs or not , how many chicks have come out , has the seed sprouted is the plant coming up well , we talk about the various stages of growth and learn a lot through these interactions --in fact it was in  one of these nature ramble activities that my grand daughter learnt that we should never pour water over freshly sowed seeds as they get drowned ..

Its sheer bliss going for walks with her , telling her about the various things we come across  and trying to pacify her curiosity It does give me a feeling of achievement and satisfaction when she shares  her knowledge at school and  also with other members  of the family .who have started coming together to discuss and add their two bits to these nature discourses Nearly every member of the family contributes to these discussions and is as curious as the two of us about the developments.Everyone seems to be coming together automatically no one has any problem donating a few minutes to come and peep at the fledgelings or to see the mango plant grow.

We are all looking forward to receiving our sample of tomato seeds from KISSAN   and the pots have been made ready too with supporting sticks and all .

This is Real togetherness isn't it ?

Given below are some picture of a goat at the roadside and a snail in our joggers  park where we go for our walks , the bird house at home and a mango seed planted in a pot .a picture of our" together visits " to the vegetable market and of course the not to be lagging  behind  digitally alert and mobile savvy Ananya

 http://www.kissanpur.com/.



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The Tapping Game ---a road to peaceful coexistence

Its unbelievable I know,but the more I am growing in years --the more intolerant or childish I am becoming . Whereas  all these years I used to be the mom or wife or sister who would willingly forego all the pleasures of life for my loved ones, now I  must have what I want my favourite food , my favourite clothes and accesories ( however expensive or difficult to procure)  , and my favourite TV programmes .

My loving family (??) does not mind obliging me with all my demands sometimes willingly sometimes    grudgingly but when it comes to watching TV they show their real colours not one of them is ready to forego their pleasure . I know you would say why don't I buy another TV for myself banning all  others from even touching it !  I have already done that my near senile brain is active enough to look after my own comforts But my problem is so different from what anyone can ever guess Tell you what !! since I am a little hard of hearing and like to keep the pitch of the volume a little high they all insist that I use earphones !!! atrocious isn't it ?? Previously they used to rush and close the door of my room as soon as I would switch on the TV then one windy day the door got stuck and I was  locked inside the room  !!! and God did everyone get panicky   ?? They did and me too.What a scene  I created  . So then they decided that they would gift me with earphones and I will wear them while watching TV  or listening to songs . Now this is really atrocious so I was  relieved and  over joyed when I read about the "TATASkyTransfer" and the facilities it provides . 

Another reason for my going overboard on reading about the   "TATASkyTransfer" was the  time slot allotted to the various programmes  by different channels  eg. two of my favourites " Terey shehar  mein" ( star plus) and "Doli Armano ki" ( Zee ) overlap each other , whats more even the sponsors have chosen the same time to show their adds .

 "Dreamgirl"  is another favourite specially  for the strong personality of the character in negative role "Ayesha Sareen", it is one serial I would never miss but then at times "Yeh Rishta Kya kahlata hai"  also shows how  some   real  issues should  be tackled which I like to see and both these serials overlap.  The same goes for "Reporters"( Sony )  and "Diya aur baati"( Star plus)

Another Big favorite of mine and which though it has no programmes overlapping its telecast but has bigger real life distractions overlapping it and they cannot be overlooked or ignored.My grandson and grand daughter both of them feel hungry  in  the same time slot , both of them want me to  help with their home work again in the same time slot  --the time slot being 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm and the serial " Merey Angane Mein . Now this is my  biggest favorite at the moment  directed brilliantly with excellent acting from both   stalwart veterans as well as the new comers   , dialogues that seem so natural the dialect too kept in mind I have yet to find any flaw in this absolutely natural family drama  being enacted on the small screen . One feels as if one is actually a part of a home in UP . Everything is so natural 

In fact I would request people to view this serial if not for anything else at least for the superb direction and acting ---though people from UP and Bihar and specially the "Kayasths" would enjoy it more and identify with the characters too --incidently though it is about a Kayasth family  (and I belong to one )  but  all over India the relationships shown in the serial follow almost the same behavioral pattern .

So as soon as I came to know about the TataSky Transfer I was very happy now I could record my favourite serials and see them at my convenience and even view repeat performances. If any of you wish to see the trailer of any of my favorite serials do let me know and I will transfer the best episode ( recorded) for you to see and decide .


Its all very easy actually just child's play I would say as  shown in the video embedded below   
All we  require is the new " Tata Sky set top box "it allows us to transfer /stream our favourite recorded shows directly on our Android or IOS device anytime anywhere through TataSky+Transfer 

You only have to follow the rules as  mentioned below in the Tata Sky Transfer advertisement ______

1. Subscribe to the Transfer pack for each registered device on which you wish to access the service by -
   1. Tapping on the ‘Transfer’ icon in the Tata Sky Mobile app – following which the pack will get added automatically to your account
   2. Adding the pack to your account at www.mytatasky.com
   3. By contacting our helpline
2. Ensure that your Tata Sky+ Transfer box and device are connected to your home Wi-Fi.
3. To be able to transfer content, you need to have recorded content on your Tata Sky+ Transfer set top box.
4. Launch the Tata Sky Mobile app, login and tap on ‘Transfer’ on the home screen.
5. If your set top box and device are on the same Wi-Fi network, you will see your recorded content displayed in the ‘My Box’ section.
6. Select the content of your choice and once you tap on ‘Transfer’, the transfer process will start.
7. Once the transfer is complete, you have to visit the ‘My Phone/My Pad’ section to view this content and just tap on ‘Play’ to view your recorded content.
8. 
   

Simple isn't it .I suppose this device was made with people like us oldies and small kids in mind we  are always dominated by adults and constantly get bullied ----now both our age groups will not be at the mercy of bullies because a simple tap will do the trick , no struggling with buttons just a tap and it works.

Why don't you too get a TataSky transfer connection and watch your favourite TV programmes with peace . Now that the Mahatma Gandhi Nelson Mandela cricket series is also about to begin .  I am a great cricket fan and never miss a single match (  here of course there is no tussle between me and my family we all sit glued to theTV during cricket matches the only bone of contention is the " volume " which will now be solved with TataSkyTransfer ) In  my days  we had great players like Farukh Engineer , Chandu Borde . Hanumant Singhetc  Prasanna . Bedi .Chandrashekhar , Venkat Raghavan '

And yes please don't forget to watch  the  programmes I have mentioned "Dreamgirl"for the grit shown by a woman , it may be a negative role which will ultimately show her defeated but I loved her acting and the scene where when asked by her husband to give him a divorce and leave his house  she demands her share in that empire which had been built by her equal contribution .She had helped him rake in all the moolah by giving excellent performances and the people had thronged the cinema halls to see her acting it was she who had  turned  those movies into superhits  so she deserved fifty percent as alimony and a share in the production house ---and this unnerves the husband --wow!! what dialogue delivery by the actress  who plays Ayesha Sareen !!!

And ofcourse "Mere Angane Me" is a must watch you will know why it is a must watch only after you see it .

So do get your TataSky Transfer and Here's Me wishing you many many years of Happy and Peaceful entertainment .

the link to this post is -------http://www.tatasky.com/transfer/

Speed Crazy!!! go for Airtel4G

A few years back I was hounded by the term 2G ,3G etc. for a person like me a mobile phone is just a device a portable device which makes it easier for me to stay connected with my loved ones wherever I am and whenever I want to.The computer for me is something which helps me with social networking and blogging and of course helps me stay connected through  mails etc So when the world went abuzz with terms like  3G etc I just couldn't understand what the people were talking about   I tried to fathom it all with the help of friends called "search engines"  and gathered that these terms  were  a kind of mobile  broadband Internet .The “G” was  short for generation,. Enlightened at last I now  wanted to understand how were they of use and why were the people going gaga about them.

As we all know  Mobile broadband is the marketing term for wireless Internet access through a portable modem, mobile  phone, USB wireless modem, tablet or other mobile  devices. The first wireless Internet access became available in 1991 as part of the second generation (2G) of mobile phone technology.

Fully enlightened I now understood  that 3G was a faster connection than 2 G .

As soon as I had rested from my toils Airtel introduced its 4G .

By now I had understood that 3G was faster than 2G so naturally 4G must be faster than 3G .

  3G and 4G represent the third and fourth generations of mobile broadband Internet.  a 4G connection  is  faster than a 3G one .

Airtel has launched its  4G services across the country in 296 cities making itself the first telecom operator to roll-out the next-generation mobile Internet technology in most parts of the country.It helps one to enjoy 4G speed with  4G data card, WiFi hotspot or 4G wireless router. Airtel 4G  is the fourth generation standard for mobile communication. A successor to 3G, 4G technology offers ultra-fast broadband Internet with higher data transfer speeds and improved services. Also referred to as LTE (Long Term Evolution), Airtel network is equipped to offer max speeds of up to 45Mbps (megabits/seconds). With such high download speeds, users can enjoy zero buffering while streaming high-definition videos. Also, at peak speed a 1GB file would take roughly about three minutes to download.

Airtel has also tried to help its  customers to get their  4G facility with ease  and given below are some of the methods

To upgrade your old SIM to Airtel 4G?
 Airtel has launched a dedicated website where one can check if his/her  number is eligible for the 4G upgrade. If yes, one  can request for a free 4G SIM right way, which will be delivered at his/her  doorstep within four hours.

Step one:

Visit the dedicated Airtel page  and enter your Airtel contact number. If it shows that your number is eligible for the 4G upgrade, click on next and fill in the required details. Depending on the availability and your locality, the new 4G enabled SIM card will be delivered to your doorstep within four hours, or on the next day.

 Step two:
Once you have the SIM card, you will have to text the 20-digit SIM number to 121. It will ask you to confirm SIM number change, just select 1 to confirm and within the next one hour, your new 4G enabled SIM card will get activated.

Step three:

Insert the new SIM card in your handset and you shall get a welcome message along with Internet settings. Once all this is done, just make the top-up data refill (on prepaid) and you’re ready  to go and use the high-speed 4G services.

Get the same data benefits as your 3G pack and enjoy superfast 4G speeds at no extra cost.Free upgrade

Airtel 4G is the first telecom operator to roll out 4G services

Nationwide roll out across 296 cities   cities like Mumbai , Chennai  , Bengaluru etc

4G available at 3G prices

Getting a 4G SIM is just a tweet away - #GetAirtel4G

Free home delivery of 4G SIM

 All you need to  get started is a 4g device, a 4G sim and a 4G plan because it supports up to 32 devices   ----a mobile , a dongle on the go  and at home  all your WiFi enabled devices such as laptops, smartphones, gaming consoles, smart TVs and security systems

          .One of their advertisement says     " If you crave speed, Airtel 4G is for you."  and very rightly so .

           To prove their efficiency, dedication and sincerity Airtel  has also thrown a challenge which           says "If your network is  faster , we will pay your mobile bills for life"  now doesn't that show how confident they are of their product !

So this laywoman has now decided to opt for Airtel4G---and my city is among the 296 chosen ones. WoW!! I don't want to be lagging behind in any way in reaping the harvest of any sort of technological advancement during  my living days . What if I belong to the senior citizen group !!! I am a modern  21st century  woman  and I am worth it .



The link to this post is ------http://www.airtel.in/4g/.

Buddy Parenting---khushiyo ke pal

Like “sport” or “champ” of an earlier era, “buddy” has quietly evolved over the last 20 years into the go-to nickname for American parents, particularly fathers, looking to chum it up with their sons and daughters. “buddy” has for better or worse taken a starring role in the lexicon of modern American parenting.The gist of Buddy Parenting is that the parent’s goal is to be more of a pal than really the parent, the monitor, the overseer,” Friendship means “nobody is in charge.” Friendship is strictly egalitarian. Neither partner exercises authority over the other.

That much for what Buddy parenting literally is .

But put into practice Buddy parenting can take innumerable forms and can involve innumerable characters : parents, grandparents, teachers ,elder siblings , aunts and uncles  to put it in words anyone who is a well wisher of the child can take to   Buddy Parenting .

Buddy Parenting is of course about the kind of friendly parent child relationship where the parent is not a terror who should be avoided ,  who should be kept away from  one's likes and dislikes  one's secrets and some one who should never  be confided in In other words Buddy Parenting is about a parent or a guardian who should be exactly the opposite of all the above mentioned descriptions . Its not only about teaching and guiding but "about confiding and loving ".

In my case this beautiful relationship is between my grand daughter Ananya and  me . WE are both the closest of buddies or lets say the closest of pals bosom pals ,We enterred into this closeness by just a stroke of destiny --it so happened that she was put in my charge as her mother is a senior executive   in a multi national and  I volunteered to look after Ananya as a guardian .  I took charge of her daily life you can say this Nani ( granny) became a glorified Nanny with slightly more authority . Here I took special care that she become a perfect child  in every respect  of health, manners , knowledge, talents because I had to prove to the world and to myself that I had not  committed a mistake by taking up this responsibility. 

It was during this process that we became the best of buddies . She has given me so much popularity every one in this area  knows me through her because as a baby she used to be  very cute  so people started recognizing me as the cute baby's granny . Now she is  five years old and this "Nani and Anny" duo is the most popular . Every evening she accompanies me to the market and I tell her about the things that are to be bought . She with her sharp child hood memory keeps on reminding me about my requirements , at times I ask her " anything  else ? have we forgotten something ?' and she reminds me of the missed articles -. Once back home we get about keeping things in their proper place and she helps me do it all, in fact she has become quite efficient in housekeeping --she knows that coriander roots should be chopped off before storing coriander leaves in the fridge and many a times she admonishes me too if I try  to skip doing this  . There are times when I pretend that I can not find a particular object and she knows the right place where it should be traced , almost always she reminds me that I have forgotten to add Baking powder in the cake batter .My husband too never fails to praise her for her efficiency ----all this makes her feel so responsible and grown up  . She has automatically picked up the habit of keeping things in their proper place. I keep asking her about the next step and she keeps on telling me the correct procedure and the actions and acting which accompany her instructions make it all the more interesting for us . Her observant nature has always been of great help to find things ,  , she knows where to find what and also is responsible enough to keep the things back in the right place.

We  too treat her with equal importance asking for her advice and in the meanwhile not forgetting to tell correct her if she is wrong --and she doesn't mind this at all because we do not preach or admonish we confide .At times the correction is accompanied with  this kind of a dialogue ".... you know one day I too did this .... but then found out that this was not  correct so ......" and she doesn't mind taking the advice from someone who has herself learnt through the trial and error method.  


Isn't this buddy parenting !!

She knew I wanted to see a particular  movie and she kept on reminding me that it will be telecast on a Saturday but somehow I missed it on both the last two Saturdays ---then yesterday(friday17th ) she came at about 9 pm " sorry Nani I forgot to tell you its being telecast now --you have missed the beginning but you can watch at least the rest of the movie " Can anyone care so much for a person except a Buddy ?

She knows I have diabetes so whenever she sees me eating a fruit she asks me " are you allowed to eat this ?"and this query almost always puts an end to my drifting away from the right path .

If I go on narrating incidents I may never be able to stop because the fact is that she is  the life line of our family ---some one who keeps the clock ticking for us the two senior citizens of  who have no reason to feel old with her around .

We share a rapport with her which is so special . I Feel Buddy parenting is not about the child enjoying his parents " loss of authority " but its about the child feeling mature enough to be relied upon , he/she feels that even if he/she has committed a mistake its only normal everyone commits mistake and he / she is not  foolish or immature to have done that . 

Buddy Parenting can be put to  best use if we want to teach a child something because it takes away the drabness from teaching it takes away the high handedness which is so often resented by the child .

Thus Buddy Parenting is not about Loss of authority of the parent but its all about the building of confidence in a child and the establishment of a rapport which brings about love and trust .


The link to this post ---  https://www.facebook.com/mychocos.

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Love you Honey

In this fast food era any kind of celebration or jubilation leads us to a junk food store and we all , the young as well as the old and also the very old tend to drool over Pizzas, samosas burgers, and gulabjamuns and rassogullas resulting in large  to extra large bellies  and then we come across an invitation to a get together where we want to look ravishing and want to wear that ravishingly beautiful black dress but the mirror does not comply with your wishes and you are aghast on seeing those bulges hiding the curves ( for (girls) or those bulges hiding the 6 pack abs ( for boys) And we tend to go for crash diets which do more harm and less good these very low calorie regimens are based on the wrong theory that the body needs help eliminating waste they are called Master cleansers this involves drinking only a water , lemon juice and some other ingredients and nothing else for several days This does bring about   fast weight loss but this rapid weight loss results in slow metabolism leading to future weight gain .Crash diets can weaken the immune system and increase risks of dehydration , heart palpitations and cardiac arrest .All the shrinking and growing results in tears which create a set up of atherosclerosis .Crash diets can also cause a drop in blood pressure and sodium depletion.But its important to lose weight the best way to do so is to exercise regularly and follow a simple diet ---but what about the weight which is already accumulated ? for this start and stick to a diet comprising of fruits, vegetables, lean meats fish and whole grain and for that extra speed in other words to accelerate go to the shelter of NECTAR !!! yes known as  HONEY 

The nutritional and medicinal qualities  of honey have been accepted since time immemorial It has been mentioned in the Vedas , as also in Greek, Roman Christian and Islamic texts .The healing qualities of Honey have been mentioned by Aristotle, Hippocrates and Arab physicians too.

Over four thousand years ago Honey was used in Ayurvedic medicines to treat material imbalances in the body . The pre Ancient Egyptians used it to treat wounds The Greeks believed that Honey could help you live longer The Qoran also praises  the healing powers of honey .

Honey is specially beneficial in wieght loss programmes because it helps in digesting sugar , utilizing vitamins and minerals stored in the body thus using up many essential nutrients which are essential for dissolving fats and cholesterol.

Sugar lacks in vitamins and minerals that is why we gain weight when we eat too much sugar whereas Honey is a good source of nutrients such as proteins , water, energy , fibre, sugars and also minerals like iron, sodium, potassium.phosphorus zinc and calcium The vitamins present in Honey are folate, niacin, riboflavin Vitamin C and Vitamin B6 and it has the ability to mobilize stored fat .

Honey is one ingredients which is very very useful in weight loss diets .

Nearly all of us know that drinking lemon juice in warm water together with a spoonful of honey first thing in the morning is ideal for weight loss ---this is because it helps to increase body metabolism .

Honey and cinnamon dissolved in warm water too work in the same way and are supposed to be very effective in weight loss in addition it also controls cholesterol .

Ginger tea which is an excellent metabolism booster by itself works miracles for weight watchers/losers when taken together with honey twenty minutes before meals .

 There is another Good news for weight watchers and this one seems to be alluring too because it is called the HIBERNATION DIET --now everyone knows the meaning of hibernation so what can be more tempting than sleeping and loosing weight . 

Hibernation diet says that if we take a spoonful of honey  before going to bed either as a warm drink or straight from the jar it will fuel the liver , speed up fat burning metabolism and also ease stress hormones .This discovery is made by British pharmacist Mike Mclnnes  and his son Stuart a nutritionist .

Apart from these  benefits for weight loss honey has other benefits too it is good for the skin , the eyes and an excellent throat soother and also a purgative .

With so many health benefits Honey which is made from the nectar of flowers is a NECTAR  in the real sense of the word.

UC Browser's special gift to cricket lovers

This  is the smartphone era that means  you have everything from phone, to camera  to radio to the internet within  the boundaries of your palm or lets say at your finger tips .No one has the time to sit down and indulge in his/her hobbies  .Everyone wants to enjoy and work simultaneously they don't want to miss a single moment of their life every single moment is to be utilized so the only solution is a mobile phone / smart phone and the various apps  

.And as we all know  UC Browser is the world's No.1 third-party mobile browser with over 14% market ... In addition, UC Browser is compatible with all mainstream operating systems  .

When one  logs  in into  UC browser, one ceases to worry that any data, including bookmarks and settings can only be saved in one computer because in a UC browser  bookmarks, tab page, browsing history, and other preferences will all be saved and synced to one's account. Then, when we use other computers or devices, we can reload these settings by logging in UC browser anywhere and anytime. in addition if you download "SafeBrowsingDataBase" it is for  the safety of the browsing data , you can just download it and no need to extract or install and it helps in minimising or even avoiding some  typical defects identified through browser compatibility testing---eg

1. Content Mismatch
2. Inappropriate Response
3.  Alignment
4. Alignment issues on different web pages
5. Security Certificate errors - and other script errors

Knowing very well that Cricket is the one stop destination regarding out door games for Indians and the craziness which engulfs all, when cricket matches are being played anywhere in the world . and also aware of the working hours lost due to absentism  during  this period because the patriotic spirit takes over whenever the home team is playing and we Indians don't mind taking leave without pay and forgoing a days salary when  it comes to cheering our team  UC Browser for Android, India’s most popular mobile browser, has updated its cricket service, UC Cricket, with a  match reminder and an optimized comment section.

For all the cricket fans around the world UC browser has introduced a new feature called UC cricket which provides the users with information regarding the cricket matches. This will help the cricket enthusiast to keep in track matches between which teams will be played and when. 

The UC Cricket provides the following features

-One-stop cricket information hub--- here  UC Cricket  provides live scores, previews, commentaries, news, interviews, stats, photos, videos and more. It’s easily accessible with a single click on UC Browser’s home page

-In its Match Reminder and Comment Section -----UC Cricket provides a reminder feature which will send a notification before every match. For setting up a reminder one has to simply click on the yellow bell on the right to follow ones  favorite match, and one  will receive an alert 15 minutes before the match begins, even if UC Browser has been completely exited. Through this user will not miss any match of their favorite team

Comment section-----If a user around the world wants to share their thoughts and opinions about the match, they can do so via the comment section. User can customize their ID, and use emoticons to  interact with other cricket fans.

Now, cricket fanatics around the world can  enjoy without worrying about missing their favorite games.Even as a sit at home house wife I feel this facility is a boon because however much may  society  belittle a house wife's job we do work hard and round the clock to keep the house clean ,do the cooking washing dusting , then looking after kids , doing the shopping so where's the time for me to pursue my favourite hobby of watching a cricket match I can't afford to sit down and watch a match on TV or the Desk top ---so this is where this "UC Cricket " has proved to be a Godsend all matches and favourite players in my hand ---watch while you work ------no loss of man power or work hour. Incidently let me tell you I have been a die hard cricket fan , used to spend  school lunch break to watch matches( my school sports field is adjacent to the Cricket ground  here ) and my collection of autographs is a treasure. I belong to the era of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Salim Durrani, Prasanna Bedi and Venkatraghvan ,Chandrashekhar, Wesly Hall , Clive Lloyed, Sobers, Barry knights, Bobby Simpson Farukh Engineer  you name them and I have their autographs  --so you can well imagine what a trying time I have  been having all these housewifely years not getting to watch cricket with a peaceful mind ---but now  thanks to the "UC Cricket" facility I am back on the field and that too with exciting IPLs and twenty twenties  and other one day matches apart from the good old Test Matches .

UC Cricket.yes UC Cricket  is such a welcome gift for all us cricket fans ( that comprises of 90% of the Indian population rural and urban )

 http://www.ucweb.com/---is the link