Sundari Venkatraman's Blog, page 71

Sharing: GANESH PANDAL HOPPING

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

Pudchya Varshi Laukarya!


Today being Ganesh Visarjan , I bring you pictures of Lord Ganesha from the different pandals - Sion & Matunga - that I visited this year.





Ganesha!

This is my neighbour Ganesh's Ganpati. They keep the Lord for five days. The backdrop has been designed by his wife Shalakha, She has also made the flowers in the arch. Lovely, isn't it!





Vigneshwara!

This idol was at Joglekar Wadi next to our building. This pandal is maintained by South Indians and as you can see the Murti is designed accordingly.





Devadeva!

I found this Murti at a pandal outside Hotel Ashray International, Sion West. I think this was probably started recently as I have never seen a pandal in this area before.





Ekadanta!

I found this idol of Lord Ganesha at Mira Mansion, Sion West. The blue colour is for Lord Vishnu and the leopard robes denote Lord Shiva. Ganesha in the combination of Shiva & Vishnu is what I understood. A few kids were in charge here. One little girl of probably 10 years, gave me prasad and thanked me very sweetly for visiting their pandal. I was impressed!





Gajanana!

This Murti was at Indira Market, Sion West. You can see the Lord sitting atop an trumpeting elephant. Doesn't he look majestic?





Gadadhara!

I found this idol of Lord Ganpati near the gates of Mira Mansion in Sion West. It was on the footpath and taken care of by a poor old man.





Lambodara!

This Murti of Lord Ganesha had been installed at a pandal organised by Sion Cricket Club on Road No. 3, Sion East.





Mooshikavahana!

This Grand Lord is environmental friendly. This pandal at Prem Sagar Society has received awards from Times of India, many times over.





Omkara!

This Supreme Lord had been installed at a pandal opposite Asthika Samaj in Matunga. It was so crowded that even I don't quite know how I managed to get a picture without people in it. I just have to thank the Lord for that.





Shoorpakarna!

This Tamil Lord was located at the car park outside Matunga Station. I think this pandal is maintained by the famous or notorious (as one sees fit) Varadaraja Mudaliar's family.





Lalbaugcha Raja (Pic courtesy: Jeetu Gursingh)

I have been to see Lalbaugcha Raja just once in my life and that was very many years ago. A friend gave me this picture when I requested him. Jeetu visits this pandal every year along with his family. Don't miss the crowd at 5.30 am. Amazing!

Recipe: RAGADA PATTIES

Ragada Patties aka Ragada Pattice

I have my friend Pooja to thank for this recipe. She makes excellent Ragada Patties and I am an able student.



INGREDIENTS



For Patties



Potato – 1 kg (Boiled, peeled and smashed)

Bread – 4 slices

Turmeric Powder – 1 pinch

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying





Cooking on the skillet

For Ragada



White Dry Peas – ¼ kg (soaked for 4-5 hours)

Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp

Salt to taste



For garnish



Green Chutney

Imli Chutney

Ginger-garlic Chutney

Crunchy Puris (those used for Sev Puri)

Chopped Onions

Chopped Kotmir (Coriander leaves)



METHOD



1. Pressure cook the soaked white peas along with turmeric powder and salt. Keep it on for 8 whistles.

2. Soak the bread slices one by one in water for a few seconds, squeeze the water out completely and add to the mashed potatoes.

3. Add salt and turmeric powder and mix well to make a dough to the consistency of roti dough.

4. Make balls the size of a small orange and flatten it into half-inch thick patties.

5. Heat an iron skillet or non-stick tawa and smear it with oil.

6. Cook the patties on the skillet on both sides, adding a few drops of oil now and then, till they turn a golden brown.

7. Take the cooked white peas in a large vessel, add two glasses of water and boil it on the gas for a few minutes before switching off. This is the ragada.





Place the patties over the bed of ragada and chutneys



How to serve



1. Take a small plate and pour two serving spoons of hot ragada in it.

2. Add two teaspoons of Imli Chutney over it.

3. Top that with one spoon of Green Chutney.

4. Sprinkle a few drops of Ginger-garlic chutney over this.

5. Place two patties on this bed of flavoured ragada.

6. Garnish with one teaspoon of chopped onions, a couple of crushed puris and a few bits of chopped coriander.



Tuck into the most yummilicious Ragada Patties . You will soon become an addict, I promise.

Recipe: PALAK PANEER

Palak Paneer

I have been making Palak Paneer since many years, adding and deleting ingredients but never satisfied with the taste. The last time I made it, I hit upon the perfect recipe. My family members loved it.





Palak Bunch

INGREDIENTS



Palak – 3 bunches (coarsely chopped, I don’t remove the stalks)

Turmeric Powder – 1 pinch

Paneer – 250 gm (cut into cubes or lengths)

Jeera – ½ tsp

Bay Leaf – 1-2

Oil – 5 tbsp

Salt to taste



To grind



Cashew nuts – 6 (soaked in water for ½ an hour)

Onion – 2 (peeled and cut)

Garlic – 4 cloves



Cubed Paneer (cottage cheese)

Ginger – ½” piece

Green Chillies – 3-4



Masala Powders



Dhania Powder – ¼ tsp

Jeera Powder – ¼ tsp

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

Mirchi Powder – ¼ tsp

Garam Masala Powder – ¼ tsp



METHOD



1. Boil the palak along with a little salt and turmeric powder. Once cooked, use a hand mixer to coarse grind it. If you are using a regular mixer, wait for it to cool down.

2. Grind the five ingredients listed together into a smooth paste.

3. Take a saucepan, heat the oil and shallow fry the paneer pieces and remove to a bowl.

4. Heat the leftover oil and crackle jeera and the bay leaves in it.

5. Add the ground masala and fry for 3-4 minutes.

6. Now, add the masala powders to the cooking mixture.

7. Mix well and add some salt. Take note that some salt is already added to the palak.

8. Cook for another couple of minutes before adding the palak to this.

9. Mix thoroughly, check for salt and cook for 3 more minutes.



Add the aromatic palak gravy to the shallow fried paneer and there you have the Palak Paneer. Serve hot with rotis, puris or rice as you please. It tastes absolutely delicious.

Recipe: GINGER-GARLIC CHUTNEY

Originally, I learned to make this chutney from my friend Pooja. Later, I added a bit of my own innovation to end up with this final product.



INGREDIENTS



Garlic – 10 cloves

Ginger – 2” piece

Red Chilli powder – ½ tsp (if you like it really spicy, increase this quantity)

Oil – 1 tsp

Salt to taste








METHOD



Add all the ingredients to the mixer and beat into a smooth paste. Add a spoon or two of water only if absolutely necessary. The chutney is quite pungent and should be used sparingly. It can be refrigerated for about 10 days.



Ginger-garlic chutney adds flavour to Pav-Bhaji and Ragada Pattice. It will probably work for a few Chinese recipes too. I am yet to try that. Will keep you posted!

Film Review: SHUDDH DESI ROMANCE

They had a fabulous combination of actors and still managed to botch up the film. That needs talent, I am sure! 



Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Parineeti Chopra, Rishi Kapoor, Vaani Kapoor

Director: Maneesh Sharma



I thought Shuddh Desi Romance was the tagline and kept searching for the name of the film for a while before I realised that that was the movie title. I was keen to see it as it is starring Parineeti Chopra and Sushant Singh Rajput. Vini was also keen on seeing it and we managed to catch it along with a friend a week later on Friday, the 13th at 11 pm at Cinemax Sion at one of the mini theatres.



THE STORY



Raghuram aka Raghu (Sushant Singh Rajput) gets cold feet at his wedding to Tara (Vaani Kapoor) and runs away just before tying the knot. There is a reason to it. He meets Gayatri (Parineeti Chopra) on his way to the wedding and feels the instant chemistry.



Later, he meets Gayatri again a couple of weeks later. Soon, they are living together. After some time, they decide to get married. Again, Raghu is nervous at the mandap, but this time it is Gayatri who runs away.



There’s more, but I will not bore you with it. If you still feel you would not mind watching the film, you can catch it at the theatres. If not, there’s always the idiot box where you can see it a couple of months down the line.



MY PERCEPTION



The film is actually made from a short story – I am sure – that has been expanded into a film that runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes. The same sequences and dialogues repeat over and over. If the film had been any slower, a snail would have beaten it at the race.



I could so relate to the concept of the fear of permanence of marriage in today's youngsters. It is a huge commitment and quite difficult to face when you want to feel free.



They had a fabulous combination of actors – Parineeti Chopra, Sushant Singh Rajput, Rishi Kapoor and Vaani Kapoor – and still managed to botch up the film. That needs talent, I am sure.



Parineeti Chopra was excellent in the role of Gayatri – a woman living by herself, running through boyfriends as she is disappointed with them, every time. She’s independent and fun-loving. She is not able to relate to marriage, as in a permanent commitment.



I saw Sushant Singh Rajput in Kai Po Che. While I did not like the film, the actor was good in it. He’s handsome and dashing and can act very well. The chemistry between Parineeti and Sushant sizzles. Their eye expressions are definitely worth a watch.



Newcomer Vaani Kapoor is quite good, considering that it’s her first film. Her character Tara is also interesting, quite cheerful and could not care less whatever happens.



Rishi Kapoor literally glows in the character of Goyal, a marriage contractor. His second innings in Bollywood promises to be even better than his earlier stint.



Then why did I not like the film?



I couldn’t stand it, in fact. With all these features, the presentation was terrible. It’s like you have the right ingredients to prepare a dish and it fails because of overcooking. The film deserved to be 40 minutes long. There was only that much story and dialogues in it. The rest of the time, everything was repeated. I am sure you get what I mean.



I realised why the theatres are crowded even one week later. A lot of cheapskates land up there to watch the smooching scenes and making lewd comments throughout. There were at least three such guys in front of us and it was obvious that they were not watching the film for the first time. It was just too irritating for words.



I am glad that we could go only to the mini theatre where the ticket costs Rs. 150 per person instead of the usual Rs. 250. But still I feel the film was not worth it.



VERDICT: Watch it at your own risk!



RATING: ** Shaky



*Silly

**Shaky

***Smart

****Snazzy

*****Super

Product Review: ECOFILS

My ECOFILS

It was by chance that I came across Ecofils highly recommended by my friend Pooja’s son, Jeetu. I got a few water bottles of Ecofils to check them out.



The water stored in these bottles does not acquire the plastic smell that is usually carried by water stored in the regular pet bottles that I have at home.



Ecofils look cute and I hear are also extremely durable. They have the clarity of glass but the advantage of being non-breakable. They last long, I believe. This I am yet to find out, of course.



They are also scratch-free. So far, so good!



One thing that I really liked about the bottles is that they are leak-proof. The lid closes so snugly that there is no fear of carrying this bottle around in one's handbag. Even if it lies down flat inside the bag, there is no chance of the bag getting wet.



What I liked best is that Ecofils are made keeping the environment in mind. There is no wastage during manufacture. The raw material is manufactured in the USA and the product itself in China. This is then imported to India and sold here at various retail outlets.





They don’t just have water bottles, but also steel tiffin boxes with Ecofil lids that are transparent. I am yet to try out those.



There are other manufacturers and importers of similar products. But, what I can see from the material I came across on the net is that Ecofils offers the most competitive rate and this is probably because the product is manufactured in China.



What Mayank Dedhia, the ECOFILS importer has to say about the product



We would like to introduce to your stores our brand "Ecofils" which is a range of 100% BPA Free Products made from certified food-safe materials. We would like to bring to the consumers food-safe & eco-friendly products complying with international food safety standards that are highly durable and definitely a health & safe alternative to regular plastics.



The following are some of the key features of ECOFILS



• Made from eco-friendly materials that comply to international food safety standards & FDA Approved, NFS51 approved.

• Break Resistant making it incredibly tough

• Can be used for hot water as well

• Odour resistant

• Stain resistant

• No residual aftertaste

• Glass like clarity without the weight of glass

• Vibrant translucent colors



• Highly resistant to wear & tear



What is BPA-Free?



BPA is an ingredient used to make everyday plastics. Research has shown that regular plastics made with BPA (bisphenol-A) are toxic for everyday use. Over regular use BPA seeps from such plastic products into our water/food & enters our body when we consume such water/foods. This BPA has been linked with brain & hormonal development problems in fetuses of young children as well as a higher incidence of heart diseases, & growth abnormalities in adults. Further research has shown that BPA can promote cancer in humans.



We strongly believe in the safety of our materials & are proud to present ECOFILS - 100% BPA-free bottles that comply with international food safety standards.



Do you think it’s viable for a market like India at the prices mentioned?



Consumers in India are very price conscious & we have priced them very reasonably. It is complete value for their money as the consumer is buying a product which is made from raw materials that comply with international food standards, are BPA-Free, appealing & the quality of our products is acceptable internationally. We have also packaged our products accordingly, to empower the consumer to make an informed purchase.



We have received very encouraging reviews from the consumers & our products are stamped "BEST PRICE PROMISE" on fabfurnish.com. We believe that consumers are willing to pay the price for Quality, rather than making spending repeatedly on buying a sub-standard product. And we are offering them a product which qualifies across all requirements like durability, quality, safety and appeal while giving them their money’s worth.





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Book Review: TWIN OF ICE by Jude Deveraux

Twin of Ice is a Historical Romance set in pre-independent America. Houston Chandler is engaged to Dr. Liander Westfield aka Lee, the man she has been in love with since her childhood. She lives with her mother Opal, her stepfather and her twin, Blair.



Her fiancé calls Houston an Ice Princess as she does not respond to his kisses. She is a cool lady and believes that passion does not exist.



Kane Taggert arrives in town. He is filthy rich and owns the biggest house. But that does not stop him from being uncouth. His manners are terrible and he is a total misfit in society, not that he is interested in fitting in. Every woman around appears to be interested in him. It looks like Kane is keen to wed a lady and that is none other than Houston.



She refuses his proposal of marriage in the beginning. Things change on the night when Blair takes Houston’s place for a date with Lee while she herself goes to see Kane’s grand home. But will marrying Kane bring Houston happiness?



MY PERCEPTION



I thoroughly enjoyed Jude Deveraux’s TWIN OF ICE. It’s romantic and witty all in one. Houston is one fiery character under all the ice. Then, there is Kane. Having grown up as a stable lad, he is keen to become a millionaire when his employer kicks him out for loving the daughter of the house. He achieves his dreams. But revenge is not as sweet as he had imagined it to be.



The story is set in a coal mining town and shows the pathos the people suffer. The mentally strong Houston gets together with her husband Kane to help the townspeople. And they finally find love with each other.



The author has written a lovely romance with a lot of humour entwined in it. I found myself laughing a number of times while reading this book for the second time. It was as absorbing as it was the first time round. It is most definitely worth a read if you like romance genre.



Great one by Jude Deveraux!

eBook Review: THE PERFECT GROOM

I finally got my hands on The Perfect Groom a few days ago. After reading a few pages the night before last, I got time to read it only last night at around 12. I could not stop reading till I finished Sumeetha Manikandan’s book at 1.30 am. All I can say is The Perfect Groom is a perfect novel with all the right ingredients.



Nithya is the elder daughter of a widow and they are dependent on an uncle and aunt who are quite nasty. When Nithya gets married to Ashok in the USA, everyone insists that she is the luckiest woman on earth as all expenses are taken care of by the groom’s family. But is that the truth?



There is Vasu who has also been ill-treated by the same uncle-aunt duo. His is a rags-to-riches story. He goes to California to receive an award. That’s where he meets Nithya after a ten-year gap. Nithya is excited, but feels that she has no right to be. Will she ever find happiness?



From Chennai to California to Mumbai, Sumeetha Manikandan has woven a lovely story about Nithya’s life in the first person. Having lived in Chennai myself and also having undergone immense interference from a number of relatives, I could so relate to the circumstances surrounding the widow and her young daughters. There is an excellent twist in the tale and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The best part was that the author has not shown any of the main characters as bad, just different. Beautifully penned! Congratulations Sumeetha!



And why would Ashok get married if he is not interested in his wife? You will have to read the novel to find out.



The cover by Shehna Khan looks very attractive. But I so wish it had a South Indian look instead of a North Indian one. There is a huge difference.



CLICK HERE to purchase your copy of THE PERFECT GROOM by Sumeetha Manikandan on Indireads .

Book Review: THE KRISHNA KEY

THE STORY from www.ashwinsanghi.com



Five thousand years ago, there came to earth a magical being called Krishna, who brought about innumerable miracles for the good of mankind. Humanity despaired of its fate if the Blue God were to die but was reassured that he would return in a fresh avatar when needed in the eventual Dark Age, the Kaliyug.



In modern times, a poor little rich boy grows up believing that he is that final avatar. Only, he is a serial killer. In this heart-stopping tale, the arrival of a murderer who executes his gruesome and brilliantly thought-out schemes in the name of God is the first clue to a sinister conspiracy to expose an ancient secret, Krishna’s priceless legacy to mankind.



Historian Ravi Mohan Saini must breathlessly dash from the submerged remains of Dwarka and the mysterious lingam of Somnath to the icy heights of Mount Kailash, in a quest to discover the cryptic location of Krishna's most prized possession. From the sand-washed ruins of Kalibangan to a Vrindavan temple destroyed by Aurangzeb, Saini must also delve into antiquity to prevent a gross miscarriage of justice.



MY PERCEPTION



A humongous amount of research has gone into this book. So much so, that the way it’s been presented makes the reader wonder whether the book is a work of fiction at all. It so reminded me of the novel ‘ Prizes ’ by Erich Segal. Prizes was like reading a physics text book. The author had obviously done a lot of research and was using his knowledge. That’s fair to him. But what about the one who is looking forward to reading a work of fiction? And then finding so much knowledge crammed down one’s throat. I am sure there is a subtle way of doing this. In fact, I have garnered a lot of my knowledge through reading fiction. The presentation counts, doesn’t it?



There is a point at which Professor Ravi Mohan Saini’s student Priya tells him to stop his boring lectures. She could not be more right. He does go on and on about history and mythology. I love both the subjects, but definitely not the way they have been packaged in this book.



How could the professor come up with his answer in a jiffy, every time? He guesses most of them. While they are based on his knowledge, it’s still strange the way he keeps going by hunches and the reader is given the impression that he comes up trumps each time. Everything is happening in Ravi Mohan Saini’s head. Difficult to swallow!



I have read Ashwin Sanghi’s (as Shawn Haigins)  The Rozabal Line . Well researched, fast paced, logical, fascinating and beautifully written. It’s difficult to accept that the same author has come up with The Krishna Key.



I was so looking forward to reading the book and was terribly disappointed. Well, the book has its moments when I came across different religious symbols and stuff that are common globally. I was glad to read about those and could also relate to them.



The brief snippets surrounding Lord Krishna’s life in the first person were not too bad. But I could not make the connection between those and the present day scenario.



The end was worse. Everything is based on conjecture and the reader is left hanging in the air wondering about the purpose of the gruesome murders. It did make me question the reason for the book at all.

Sharing: MY VERY FIRST AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Rubina Ramesh is the owner of the blog The Book Club where she writes book reviews and author interviews regularly. These pertain predominantly to the romance genre while she also writes about other books.



Rubina has done me the honour of not just reviewing my book DOUBLE JEOPARDY, but also doing my very first interview as an author. I am super-thrilled to present it here.



Here is an excerpt:



Q: As a writer when you blog your stories, don't you feel that you are losing out on publishing your stories. That you would do more justice if you publish them, even as a self published ebook?



A: I am 'publishing' my books on my blog. Yes, I lose out on the royalty. There are two angles to publishing. One is being read by people across the globe and the other is money. For 13 years, I had neither. Atleast over the past 3-4 years, my work is read by a number of people. Even if I am published by the best brand, what is the guarantee that my books will be sold? Yes, it would be fantastic if I turned out to be a JK Rowling or an Amish Tripathi. So far there is no indication of that.  I just got fed up with waiting and 'published' my own work for free. I have no regrets. This way at least I write regularly and do get feedback occasionally. Then there are those page hits. Total nasha!