Rogan Josh ka tadka... Anng anng bhadka!

I thought of cooking Rogan Josh,
It's been a really, really long time,
That I've been so very saintly and,
Not committed even a single crime!

So I got us some mince and chops,
I feel sad for the poor goat, I dooo!
But I thought of sparing the veggies,
Aww! Come on! They have life too!!

I first took some garam masalas and...
Ground them to a very fine paste,
Along with some garlic and ginger and..
Of course some salt to add taste.

Chopped some naughty, hot chillies,
The pungent green and Kashmiri too,
Didn't spare the onions and tomatoes,
As it is, I had nothing better to do!

I heated ghee generously in a huge fat pot,
Added onions, chillies n' tomatoes to it,
Send the spicy masala paste in for company,
Cooked, till the ghee separated bit by bit!

Then went in the marinated mutton,
And the curd joined his yummy buddy,
They cooked till they were tender,
The gravy thick, spicy and ruddy!

I added some saffron and cashews,
Garnished it with coriander leaves,
Now this could be had with rotis,
Or loaves or rice, if you please!

Well! I hope I won't be a hapless goat,
In my next birth, that is, if there is one!
Coz some EX goat would surely compose..
A poem on me and have loads of fun!

Life's design....

Mamma has this lovely habit of keeping herself really busy,
Her stack of embroidered hankies yet make me feel so dizzy.
As a child sitting on the floor, I'd casually looked up to see,
From underside, her embroidery, to me, looked so messy!

"What's this jumbled mess you're making", I asked her one fine day,
She would laugh heartily at my innocence and then would proudly say,
"You're looking at it from your angle! Why don't you see from mine?
Once I'm done with embroidering this hanky, Itwilll be really fine!"

I gathered an armful of books, and after an hour of reading or two,
I got bored and went back to Mamma and asked her if I could help too!
The sight I saw amazed me and I asked, "Was this the same design?"
'Cause when I saw it earlier, from underneath, it didn't seem so fine!"

"It did look lousy!" said mom to me, "But Neetu, don't you realise?!
There was a design traced on it earlier that I followed with my eyes,
If you look at it from underneath, confused you will appear to be,
But look at it from my perspective and then you will clearly see!"

The pretty little rainbows, bees, flowers, butterflies and such,
Were a beautiful sight to behold and to me they meant so much!!
Several years have passed since then, now it's quite clear to me,
I shouldn't be complaining about my life's messed up embroidery!!

That it's God's way of mixing life's dark threads with the bright,
And if I see from His point of view, there'll be a wondrous sight!!
So if I follow His traced design, the picture will be clear to me,
And I shall see my life unfold just the way He's planned it to be!!

Is this love??

Love is always expressed in a myriad of ways,
Nature mesmerizes us through it's nights n days,
This twilight too has a lovely story to share,
If you spare a small moment, you too will care,
To notice how the bold sky kisses the deep sea,
While the setting sun at the horizon peeps slyly!

The tumultuous sea waves rippling in ecstasy,
Masking it's mysterious desire so gracefully,
Churning, heaving, rolling only from without,
So unexplored, exotic and exquisite no doubt!
Tranquil, cool, lonely yet lively from within,
Welcoming the dear sky for it's love to begin!

The vast, crimson sky with it's deep orange hue,
Heralded with urgency the dark night that was due,
Beckoned the impish sea not to torture and tease,
As the darkness advanced with less time to please,
So the magnificent sky planted a sweet, lingering kiss,
Twilight!! A precious moment, it didn't want to miss!

From behind the lazy clouds, the naughty sun cast a glance,
Did feel shy at first but not wanting to miss the chance,
Of eying this clandestine rendezvous of the sky and the sea,
Felt quite dejected and forlorn while it peeped so slyly,
Then decided to make love to his precious, lonesome night,
And next day, he romanced the morning, his darling delight!!

Daddy's girl!

Take the smile of a li'l rosebud,
And the cool depth of the sea,
And some warm, bright sunshine,
And the benevolence of a tree,

Add the steadfastness of a mountain,
The transparency of morning dew,
The generosity of mother nature,
The glory of the sky so blue,

Pick the comforting arm of darkness,
The charm of a morning in spring,
The calm patience of an eternity,
And a merry dance in full swing,

Choose the feeling of pure belonging,
The kiss of heart-felt trust,
The protectiveness of a firm grasp,
Add lots of love if you must!

Blend the humor and wisdom of years,
To this,the need of family you add,
And when, what you have is all ready,
You ought to know.. That's your DAD!

 A father is loved by his daughter because,
Well! She knows it and you would know too,
At least there is one man in this world,
Who would never hurt her like others do!