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!

Morally Meaningful Musing…..

Which are the important aspects in life that need extra care? TRUST and COMMITMENT because they don’t make a noise when they break! In any relationship, the essence of TRUST is not in its bind, but in its BOND!

What do you do when people throw stones in your path? Depends upon you! Build a wall or construct a bridge!!

Crying for someone? Don’t! The person for whom you are crying doesn’t deserve your tears, and the person who deserves your tears, won’t let you cry.

Want to know how rich you are? Count the number of hands that reach out to wipe your tears.

How do you treat someone who is rude to you? Simple! With courtesy ‘cause there is no point in lowering yourself to their level!

Are you responsible for what people think about you? NO! You are only responsible for what you give them to think about yourself!

How does a relationship blossom? Not by shaking hands but by holding hands firmly in critical situations.

Does a tree withdraw it’s shade from a woodcutter? No! Your enemies will realize your worth some day. Keep doing your Karma!

When should you strike the iron? When it’s hot??? Naah! Keep striking the iron continuously till it’s hot enough for you to mould it the way you want.

What’s life? It’s an echo or a boomerang! All the good, the bad, the false and the true comes back to you.

What should you do when you fall? Get up and look at the place where you slipped not at the place you fell because learning from mistakes is better than crying over the mistakes committed.

What is confidence? All the villagers gathered on the fields to pray for rain..but. only one came with an umbrella!

How do you achieve something worthwhile? Work for it! A duck looks smooth and calm on top of water but underneath there is restless peddling.

What’s attitude? The eagle avoids rain by flying above the clouds while other birds take shelter. The problem is common to all. Only attitude makes a remarkable difference!

Who is the best couple one must’ve ever come across? Smiles & Tears! They meet rarely. Ohh! But the day they meet… need I describe such an emotion?

How does one win the world? By not changing one’s originality for the sake of others because no one can play your role better than YOU!

What should we ask God for? Don’t ask Him to lighten your load, just request Him to strengthen your back!

In what way can we change someone’s attitude towards us? Change your own attitude because the same sun which can melt butter is also capable of hardening clay. Life is the way you look at it!

What is a full stop? Definitely NOT an end! Remember! We can always begin a new sentence after …..

The race isn’t over yet… because, I have yet to WIN !!