Ahead!!

With a sudden streak of hurry, the call to go has come
Somewhere far from here, leaving a lot of genuine charm
Memories don't fade away, thoughts perhaps fly
Pictures don't fade away, the frames turn into ply
Logical realities are beyond negotiations
While friends that we made become distant realisations
New places have their own attractions
But right now they are quite like refractions
Faith has to be without questions they say
A true believer always gets his way. Sphere: Related Content

A simple Mutton Mince Curry

Since I am making it just now I thought I would write down the ingredients and process.

1 Kg Mutton Mince (Not Lamb please) - Washed and drained

3-4 Cloves

1 Bay leaf

3 tsp Garlic Paste

1 tsp Ginger Paste

1/2 inch Cinnamon Stick

4 Green Cardamoms

3 tsp Kashmiri Chilly Powder(Less Heat More Colour!!)

3/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 Medium sized Tomato

2 Medium Sized Potatoes

1 Medium sized Onion

1/2 Cup or more Oil (Depends upon your tolerance ..3/4th cup will be good)

Process:

1. Peel and Cut Potatoes into small cubes.

2. Heat the Oil in a P Cooker

3. Fry potatoes and when done keep aside for later use

4. In the same oil now put in the Bay Leaf, Cloves and Cardamoms.

5. Fry the onion until Golden Brown

5. Put in the Diced Tomato

6. Saute over medium heat and when tomato water dries up, put in the pastes.

8. Saute and when the oil leaves the masala(that mash in the cooker), throw in the Mince.

9. Now increase the heat and some amount of water would come out of the meat. Stir a few times so that the meat does not get stuck. It would when the water has completely dried up and that's the time you pour in hot water...the level about 1/2 inch above the mince!! This is the time when you add in Salt!!

10. Put on the lid and the weight and leave it on full heat.

11. On the first whistle lower the heat and cook for 4-5 minutes max.

11. Open the cooker(for opening - pour cold water on the cooker for the steam inside to relax , alternatively place the cooker under a running tap and then take off the lid)

12. Put in the forgotten fried potato cubes and stir it in. On popular demand I have put some peas also. (Microwaved the frozen peas at 450W for about 5 minutes with little water and salt). Increase the heat and let the thing boil for a minute and no more!!!

That’s it. 30 minutes of my time in the Kitchen for a reasonable dinner!!! In the meantime Rice would have got cooked and would have heated some left-overs!!

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Mud Rocks while Brook Shields

We all watched Reality TV at its best today evening as it was being played out in the British Parliament located near WaterLoo station in Central London. The motley crew of well prepared British MPs grilled the Murdochs for about two hours or more along with Rebekkah Brooks. Earlier we also saw the Police Commissioner deceiving the team with uhs and oohs and a lot of Negatives.

The questions were quite relevant and tricky but at the end of it the performance was of an extreme high order. The Senior Murdoch thumped the table and denied most of the allegations and suppositions. The Son you could make out was well trained to try and divert most questions or beat around the bush and he did manage that except for a few small hiccups. The commissioner was blatantly lying while Brooks knew nothing at all.

Why was this important in the first place? First of all it was in an alien country and it was all about a racy tabloid that apparently bribed the police for hacking phones and computers of celebrities and others to expose private sleaze. We were of course interested since these things happen in India too and that’s the similarity. More than anybody else it was the Press who were in focus themselves.

Debates were on throughout the evening on how are JPC proceedings should also be telecast. I feel they should so that a) preparation is proper b) relevant questions are asked c) the proceedings are objective and we as common man can then absorb and think and judge or opine about our leaders. This would be an important democratic process where we as Mango People (Aam Janta) can be actively participating and not wait for 5 years like dumb asses.

I always feel that the process is more important than the outcome. We all know about the outcome whether positive or negative but the process is where we go through the cycles of success and failure which is KARMA.

So it is really not important to me that we did not get any answers from the Murdoch’s and their team. Now that we have seen the act, don’t we know the “truth” in some form in spite of the investigations still due.

And somebody did raise the question about the pie throwing incident being a setup!! Anything is possible these days. Surprises are the order of the day.

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Cold Fire

The sound of a bomb could trigger different reactions for people in the vicinity. Some would fearfully closet themselves, some would rush out and try to figure out, some would call their near and dear ones and some would try to gauge the situation and react. The place where the bomb would explode would be visually of gore, flesh, blood, melted steel, other earthly matter and would be added by sounds of despair.

The scenario is same, whether it's X or Y City or Place. However, we can safely with the help of Theory of Probability calculate the risks and come to a conclusion that whether you like it or not Mumbai is definitely a High Risk Category. Now this is not new since these started in the early nineties.

Its about 4 days now since the last event happened. Print journalists have written or still writing about the event. They are writing about the anger, pain, spirit and resolve of the Mumbaikars. TV journos did zero on the place and asked questions to the common man. Some did not like the intrusion and a particular gentlemen on a talk show almost made it a Delhi vs Mumbai fight!!

The TV programs are still at it. Yesterday I watched We the People where an insipid ex DGP of police made some ridiculous comments on Govt purchasing processes while the Time Out Editor totally missed the point on Mahesh Jethmalani's premise of India learning from USA regarding beefing up preventive security measures internally!! Some said we have to live with it, while some said we should wake up and do something. But overall the atmosphere was of despair except that of the compere's last piece of act, where she questioned this hapless blast victim. People cried, TRP soared. All along NDTV knew that he had a story to say, kept him for the last when there was no time left. A planned climax!!

The politicians as usual have been vomiting out stereo type statements on courage and resolve. A PM takes 24 hours to comment and the Home Minister says there was no Intel and that's not a failure!! Rahul Gandhi's percentage comment came at the wrong time and the best would be to ignore him.

So where does the common man go? Processes are interrelated and the me and you don't understand them. The worst part is that we seem to have all the answers. The ruling party has the answers, the oppositions have them, the celebrities have them, the "civil society" has them, the poets have them, the NGOs have them, the talk shows have them. The common man however has to earn his bread and go on with life. I guess there is no more frustration. There is just this seething anger in the person going out for his daily job, while we wait for the next blast.

Can't we change the pattern? Sphere: Related Content

Music of the Sand

The man in the oasis had a flute in his hand.

Was he a pied piper playing alone on the sand.

A storm was on its way, the desert clouds of dust!

Which tune was it? His mind was sorting the past.

The scorpion on the ground ran to find a hiding place

The rock that was there was the only saving grace.

An old desert song was lurking in his thoughts

And the scorpion underneath was looking for the slots.

Divine was the flute and the sound was magical.

The wind calmed down , the air was surreal.

Kept on playing the flute until the desert moon shined

I belong here said he, and the desert has a mind!!

Sphere: Related Content

The Curse of Freedom

Without fail repeatedly comes the evening daily

The dusk caresses the feelings of mine rather lonely

Questions there are – answers I do not have

Often they are just queries, replies I do not crave

The lamp flickers like the hopes in my mind,

The shadows trying to bring my thoughts to a grind.

The window is beyond reach and its rather too high

My connection with the world is just that little sky.

Tomorrow I am going to leave, I would be free

This is home now, from there I don’t know where to flee!!

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The Last Smile

There I was lying on the bed half awake
The room was full, all surely for my sake.
Looked around, found all near and dear
Saw your eyes from behind trying to peer.
Flowers and cards strewn all over the place
Scattered thoughts of mine that I could’nt trace.
Memories of events flashed by - good and bad
They were the possessions that I really had.
You came by and sat for a while
My spirits really soared – more than a mile.
Held on to my hand where I felt your hidden fears
I just smiled and then traveled the destined tiers. Sphere: Related Content