Historical place in Delhi – Red Fort!

Aira    Featured Post     Diwan-i-aam, Historical places in Delhi, Jama Masjid, Lal Qila, Largest monument in Old Delhi., Moti Mahal, Moti Masjid - the Pearl Mosque, Mughal courtiers, Old Delhi, Rang Mahal, Red Fort, Zenana

Have you ever been to Red Fort?? Isn’t it amazing to see the beautiful place? Yeah!!!

I have been there recently after so many years and enjoyed my weekends. It was a nice experience which I want to share with you all.

Red Fort is a historical place in Delhi, very beautiful and excellent place to hang out. Red Fort is the most important historical buildings in Delhi.

Well, in Hindi, it is pronounced as Lal Qil’ah or Lal Qila, powerful symbol of India’s sovereignty. Its significance has transcended time and space. It is relevant as a symbol of architectural brilliance and power. Inside you an see, Diwan-i-Aam, the large pavilion for public imperial audiences with an ornate throne-balcony for the emperor.

There is a Diwan-i-Khas, a pavilion clad completely in marble, the pillars decorated with floral carvings and inlay work with semi-precious stones. Then there is a beautiful pavilions called Zenana, Moti Masjid – the Pearl Mosque and Rang Mahal. Today, a sound and light show describing Mughal history is a tourist attraction in the evenings.

The general condition of the major architectural features is mixed. None of the water features, which are extensive, contain water. Some of the buildings are in fairly good condition and have their decorative elements undisturbed. There is a museum of blood paintings depicting young Indian martyrs of the 20th century along with the story of their martyrdom. There is also an archaeological museum and an Indian war memorial museum.

Overall, the place is so nice and beautiful. At the entrance, you can do shopping of different craft materials, and then jewellery, etc. The shops of that era sold pure silks, jewellery, gems, silver ware and other artistic objects and catered primarily to Mughal courtiers and noble families. The tea house, though not in its historical state, is a functioning restaurant. Public toilets are available at the entrance and inside the park, but some are quite unsanitary.

Well, it is the largest monument in Old Delhi. Finally, each building in the Red Fort displays the hallmark of perfect taste and elegance. Thus the Red Fort symbolizes the apex of Mughal cultural refinement. While you guys visit Delhi, hang out at Red Fort, one of the amazing places in Delhi.

Jama Masjid is just opposite to it. Most of the tourists coming top Delhi make it a point to visit this magnificent edifice. Enjoy!!

Love each other, for your child’s sake!

Aira    Featured Post     Children, Family, Father, Life, Love, Mother, Parents, Relationship

You can do anything for that smile on your little darling’s face. You can act like a monkey; treat him to an ice cream, read aloud his favorite story. But beyond the smile, for inner happiness, you have to love not only your child but your partner as well.

When a child grows up observing a close bond between his/her parents  and a relationship of mutual understanding, trust, and respect, he/she automatically becomes loving, and caring by nature. Such children  are more confident, more giving, more positive, more expressive, and much happier than children who witness quarrels and ugly scenes between their parents and experience negative strains in a relationship. The relationship between his/her parents is the first relationship that a child observes very closely.

If parents fight or talk disrespectfully to each other, children lose faith in relationships and fear entering long-term relationships. Not only this, they also lose respect for their parents. They nurse bitterness. Think of it this way. If you feel bad when your child is unhappy, how cans he /she feels good when you are going through an unhappy phase? They say the best gift a father can give his child is to love his mother. And the best gift parents can give their child is ‘to love each other’. What is ‘loving each other’? Never argue with or criticize each other in front of the child. Sort out your problems in private. Your child should know the language of love.

If it happens despite your best efforts, apologies to each other in front of the child. Show him/her that the misunderstanding is over. Your child should feel the power of love. Show respect to and deal with your partner lovingly. Your child should see the beauty of love. .

Love each other, for your child’s sake!

Enjoy every moments of happiness

Aira    Featured Post     Happiness, Happy moment, Joy, Life, Love, Mnd

We usually tend to believe that happiness  is rare. Our minds are so burdened with worries and thoughts about the future that we miss that small moment of happiness which keep sparking in our lives. In fact, these moments  of happiness keep coming into our lives but we ignore them because we keep waiting for a big bounty of bliss.

Osho gives a few clues for increasing these happy moments by becoming aware of them and strengthening them. Whenever you feel happy, look at a light; any light will do, just a candle, but do it only when you feel happy and relaxed. When something like joy permeates your beings, then look at the moon, at the stars or the morning sun or the evening sun; any light will do. When you feel happy look at the light and meditate on life so that light and happiness become joined together and there is a kind of conditioned reflex. After three to four weeks of practice you will be able to evoke that joy whenever you look at light; then it becomes simple. But first you have to make a deep association.

Whenever you feel happy, just repeat your own name again and again. Then the sound of your name and the feeling of happiness become intertwined. Later whenever you repeat your own name you will find that some source  has been touched and a great blissfulness has been released. Whenever you feel depressed or low, stand outside a room with closed eyes for three minutes before entering and put all your negative feelings  in a bundle. Deposit it just by the door and enter, and then forget about it. And you will be surprised; it is such a simple thing! Then when you exit the room, stand again for three minutes, put happiness in the bundle and collect it. Whenever you sit alone, not doing anything, feel light entering you from above. Soak it in, drink it; let it sink into your heart.

Let it permeate your entire body. You will find yourself disappearing as a material body and becoming a body of light.   So enjoy  moments of happiness!!

An Inter Caste Marriage.. Laugh together, Live together!

Aira    Featured Post     Family, Happiness, Humor, Intercaste marriage, Life, Love, Marriage

Well,  What do you think about it??

An intercaste  marriage is a myriad of sweet and sour adjustments. Unlike same caste weddings, the differences begin to show up even before the wedding ceremony takes place. An intercaste marriage raises more than just quizzical eyebrows.

Weddings being all about tradition, customs  and rituals, the differences are many. By and large these are marriages of choice or what we generally call love marriages where the girl and the boy make the initial decision to come together in a martial alliance. There may be resistance from the parents, making an intercaste alliance into a more complicated ‘arrangement’ than even the arranged ones.

But then, customs or traditions are seldom the reasons, which can break up relationships. The differences can be easy to handle if you mark out some basic rules for yourself. Especially the bride who may find it unnerving to be amongst people who speak a different  language, dress differently, have distinctly different eating habits  and follow a different set of customs than what she has been used to in her growing years. Naturally it requires a certain mental steeling of sorts.

One of the best ways to save yourself from a culture shock is to familiarize yourself with your husband’s family. If you know, for instance, that your mom-in-law follows and believes in certain religious or traditional customs, you will find it easier to handle the stark difference  when you are in her house. During your visits, take pains and ask questions on how they celebrate different festivals or observe fasts etc. You will find, that there are similar reasons and beliefs at the core of varying customs. It is just the exterior difference. Often, different castes worship different deities, but if you care to understand the philosophy behind the worship, you will soon feel comfortable. It won’t be very different from what your mother told you.

Believe in change. Yeah, surprisingly food habits are reported to be a real trying test in an intercaste marriage. Years of habit and liking rarely change. Idli-dosas may be savoury to your palate for a while, but you will soon start yearning for ‘your kind of food’. Also, some girls say that the different aroma in an unfamiliar kitchen can sometimes put them pickles are different, so are the homemade namkeens. Besides everything smells so differently! New aromas can be strangely alienating, making you homesick for your mom’s kitchen.

But hang on. Can’t you cook your type of meal off and on? Surely you could, unless your in-laws are deliberately hostile. You could introduce some of your favorites recipes now and then. Don’t deprive yourself of the food you love. Find a way around it. LAUGH TOGETHER, LIVE TOGETHER. Humour has no language, no olfactory contradiction. You can laugh in a sari or in a pair of tight fitting trousers. You can laugh if you are married to a Tamilian or if you have decided to wed a Kashmiri Pundit. Loving and living together has a great deal to do with laughing together. Cultivate a sense of humour in life. It should be the most important homework you do before getting married into a family or caste, which differs drastically from your own. You will discover a oneness, a sense of belonging when you find that human traits are the same, despite the difference in pickles, papads or the idol of the deity worshiped.

Shahi Paneer Recipe

Aira    Recipe     indian food, Paneer, Paneer recipe, Shahi Paneer Recipe, vegetable recipe

Method:

• Heat oil in a kadhai.
• Cut paneer into small cubes. Fry over medium heat until light brown.
• Keep the paneer pieces aside.
• Saute the dry fruits in one tablespoon of oil.
• Grind onion, ginger, garlic, green chilli in a blender and make a fine paste.
• Fry the mixture in the remaining oil until golden brown and oil starts separating.
• Add salt, red chilli powder, white pepper, turmeric powder, garam masala. Saute for 1-2 minutes.
• Add milk to make the gravy. Bring the gravy to boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the gravy becomes thick.
• Put a portion of the dry fruits in the gravy while it is being cooked. Keep the rest of dry fruits for decorating.
• Finally add paneer cubes and 1 tbsp cream. Heat for 5 minutes.
• Garnish shahi paneer with cream and dry fruits and coriander leaves.

Palak Paneer Recipe

Aira    Recipe     curry sauce, Indian dish, Palak paneer, paneer cheese, spinach recipe

1. 500gms Fresh Palak (Saag)
2. 100gms Paneer
3. 2 Onions grated Ginger, Garlic paste
4. 5-6 tbsp oil
5. 1 tsp pure ghee
6. Garam masala to taste
7. Red chili powder to taste
8. 1 tsp cumin powder
9. Salt To Taste

Method:

• Clean and wash palak (spinach) nicely.
• Boil the spinach in water and cool it.
• Now mash it in a mixer.
• Heat oil in a kadai. Add ginger-garlic paste and stir-fry for a minute.
• Now add onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add all spices except red chili powder.
• Now add the spinach (palak) and little water if needed and cook for 4-5 minutes.
• Cut paneer into pieces (Paneer can be fried to golden brown in a seperate pan or can be used as it is).
• Add Paneer pieces to the gravy and cook until done.
• Take out in a bowl.
• Just before serving, heat pure ghee in a small pan.
• Hold the pan over bowl, add chili powder and immediately pour on the indian palak paneer.

Mushroom Curry

Aira    Recipe     curry recipe, indian food, Mushroom curry recipe, mushroom recipe, vegetable recipe

Method:

• Cut the mushrooms into slices.
• Add 1 tbspn mustard oil in a pan and fry these mushroom with some salt and turmeric powder.
• Set them aside.Similarly fry the sliced potatoes and keep aside.
• Now add some mustard oil in the pan and when the oil is hot add garlic and fry till they are red.
• Then add the sliced onions and fry then till golden brown then add some salt,turmeric powder and green chillies.
• When the oil separates add the fried potatoes and mushrooms.Fry for a min and then add some water.When it comes to boil add the mustard and poppy seeds paste.
• Cook them until the potatoes are done and before you turn the gas off add half a tspn of mustard oil.
• Serve with rice or chapati.

Hang out at Jama Masjid- India’s largest mosque

Aira    Featured Post     Architectural Monuments of Delhi, Delhi, Friday Mosque, Historical places in Delhi, Historical Places India, India's largest mosque, Jama Masjid, Jami Masjid, Mughal emperor, Shahjahan

I love wondering new places especially historical places and in Delhi there is not one. Jama Masjid of Delhi is one of them, it is the largest mosque in India and being in Delhi, going to these places are just amazing. Last week, we planned to go the Jama Masjid which stands across the road in front of the Red Fort in Delhi. It is a very old mosque which was built between 1644 and 1658, and this mosque is one of the last architectural works of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

It was Sunday and as usual Old Delhi was crowded. But without crowd and a visit to Delhi would be incomplete without a trip to Chandini chowk. Chandni Chowk is the major street in the walled city of Old Delhi, crowd is the main attraction here. You can see different people from different city here, coming to see Old Delhi and the places.  Chandni Chowk was once the grandest of the markets in India.

Well, we have planned to go to Jama Masjid, Red Fort and to dine out at the places like Giani ka Falooda, Paranthe wali Gali and Al Jawahar is a must in Old Delhi. I was too hungry so before we proceeded to Jama Masjid, we went to have some food at the famous Al Jawahar restaurant and ordered Tandoori Chicken which was just awesome, Changezi Chicken, Butter Chicken Masala and Tandoori Roti which was just fabulous. Changezi chicken was spicy and absolutely delicious for my taste as well as butter chicken. This restaurant is authentic Mughlai cuisine at its best and is located across from Jama Masjid in a very busy and chaotic lane. It is not bizarre it is fabulous….

Well, after that we had some faluda at Giani and then entered the spacious courtyard of the Jama Masjid which holds thousands of faithful.

Jama Masjid looks so beautiful into the Old-Delhi skyline. It was built in red sandstone porch, has three gateways, four towers and two minarets. One of the minarets is closed. I have also entered one of them which was open for all. You need to buy a tickets to go there and from that minarets you could see the whole city.  The gateways is led by a fleet of steps. The main entrance is on the eastern side facing the red fort. It was probably used by the emperors. The tower of the Jama Masjid is made up of five distinctive storeys. Each one of the storeys has a projecting balcony. The adjoining edifices are beautifully done with calligraphy.

I would like to share one thing which is very important that one is allowed to enter the mosque bare-footed. Just cary your shoes or sandals along yourself and enjoy.

The Jama Masjid is covered with intricate carvings and the grand Red fort stands on the eastern side of the Jama Masjid.. you could see that from Jama Masjid. It looks so pretty. Oh, I was so happy and enjoyed so much. I went to the main prayer hall of the Jama Masjid which is made up of high cusped arches and marble domes.

I captured many photos so that I could enjoy it whenever I see..:-)

After that we went to Red Fort also which is very near just across the road.

Nariyal ki Barfi – Coconut Burfi Recipe

Aira    Recipe     Coconut Burfi Recipe, Nariyal ki Barfi, sweet recipe

Ingredients:

1. 225 gms Khoya
2. 225 gms coconut (dry and ground)
3. 1 tsp cardamom seeds (ground)
4. 1 tbsp ghee
5. 2 1/2 cups sugar
6. 2 cups water
7. 1/2 tsp almonds (grated)
8. 1/2 tsp pistachios (grated)

Method:

* Mix khoya and coconut and fry them lightly with ghee on a low heat.
* Add cardamom and mix well.
* Prepare one-string syrup by dissolving sugar in the water.
* Now stir the coconut mixture into the syrup.
* Grease the plate and spread the grated nuts on it.
* Spread the prepared evenly over the plate and allow it to cool.
* Now with the knife, cut it into desired shapes.
* Turn them over so that nuts covered part appears on the top.
* Nariyal ki burfi is ready to be served.

Thrilled on grilled..dine out!!

Aira    Featured Post     dine out, food, friends, grilled food, spicy

It is a freaky summer..Why planning to go outside…this was my word. But then I thought to give a break. Why the hell I am here at home in the evening when I have got the option to go out and hang out with friends..Yes, then I decided to get ready and take a break!

But where??? Ammm..to dine out!! Yes…this was a good idea to enjoy summer days. I went to GK I..May be you have heard the name, for grilled dine-a-bite!!!

Yes, the place is small though, I was feeling comfortable and cosy. So are its portions and menu cards – petite chic. But don’t get me wrong- in smaller lies a larger meaning, though. A wholesome approach to eating grilled food at regular intervals for a fitter you!! hehehehehe…

Look out for over 20 types of grilled ‘bites’ with 10 varieties of sauces to top ‘em up. So without sweating the small stuff, I opted for chicken stuffed with a trio of cheese with honey – mustard sauce. It was enthralling – plain, non-greasy and light for a muggy summer night.

I was up for seconds in no time. Well, I enjoyed the food very much.