2412: A Simple Experiment, A Deep Shift

 "I am started to heal."

A simple line from an experiment by a motivational speaker.

Participants were asked to repeat a few such positive statements daily, at their own pace, just loud enough to hear themselves. No pressure, no targets.

Over time, something unexpected happened.

Two girls shared that, without even realizing when, their line had changed to
"I am started to live."

They paused. Reflected. And were surprised.

Because healing, in its truest sense, is the beginning of living.

That subtle shift in words carried a profound shift within.

Isn’t it amazing how quietly our inner dialogue evolves, and with it, our experience of life?

This experiment stayed with me.

Because communication is not just external. Self-talk shapes everything.

I still remember a simple exercise from an FDP where we were asked to pat our own back. It felt small, yet powerful.

Sometimes, growth does not need big actions. Just a gentle word to yourself.

2411: कधीतरी थांबून बघू या

 माझ्या आईची एक खास मैत्रीण होती. ती आधी आमची शेजारीण होती, त्यामुळेच कदाचित आईची ओळख झाली असणार. काकांची निवृत्ती झाल्यावर त्यांनी गावाबाहेर एक बंगला बांधला. तरीसुद्धा, त्या काळात कुठलेही सोशल मीडिया नसताना देखील त्यांची मैत्री कायम टिकली.

त्या मैत्रिणीची तर होतीच, पण त्या वेळी हे एक अनोखं असलं तरी सर्वसामान्य सवय होती. सकाळी उठलं, सगळं आवरलं की लगेच कणकेत पाणी टाकून ठेवायचं, ती मुरायला ठेवायची. त्यानंतर डाळ (बहुतांशी तूरडाळ) पाण्यात भिजत ठेवायची. ज्यांच्याकडे शक्य होतं ते थर्मासमध्ये किंवा भांड्यात गरम पाणी करून ठेवायचे  म्हणजे ते डाळीत, कुकर लावताना, चहा करताना, भाजीत रस्सा करायचा असल्यास आणि इतरत्रही उपयोगात येईल.

माझ्या लहानपणी बहुतांशी बंगलेच असायचे, त्यामुळे मी चुली, बंब यांचा वापर जवळून पाहिला आहे. ते घराची आणि अंगणाची शान असायची, आणि त्याचा पुरेपूर उपयोग केला जायचा. एका चुलीवर दूध उकळत राहायचं, दुसऱ्या चुलीवर भात. ते झालं की मग राजमा/छोले आणि इतर वेळखाऊ पदार्थ चढवले जायचे ज्यांना शिजायला वेळ लागतो आणि धगही लागते.

या सगळ्या तयारीमुळे मुख्य स्वयंपाकाला लागणारा वेळ कमी व्हायचा, म्हणजेच इंधनाची बचत व्हायची. त्यात संपूर्ण लक्ष पदार्थ बनवण्यात असल्यामुळे तो चविष्ट आणि उत्कृष्ट होत असे, आणि गॅस किंवा इंधन वाया जात नसे. एक सुंदर सवय होती, स्वयंपाक झाला की लगेच पानं वाढली जायची, पहिल्या वाफेचं अन्न खाल्लं जायचं. पुनःपुन्हा गरम करण्याची सवय नव्हती. एक वेळ, एक जेवण.

अर्थात, सध्याच्या परिस्थितीत हे सगळं शक्य नाही. मग आज काय करावं? तर फक्त लक्ष देऊन स्वयंपाक केला, तरी गॅस हवा तेवढाच वापरला जाईल. उदाहरणार्थ, माझीच बाई कित्येक वेळा तवा किंवा कढई तापत ठेवते, का, हे विचारण्याची सोय नाहीच! आणि खरं सांगायचं तर ही सवय अनेक ठिकाणी दिसते. “गॅस आहेच, संपणार नाही” हा पवित्रा, किंवा सवयीचा भाग, कारणं अनेक असू शकतात.

झोपेच्या वेळा वेगळ्या, त्यामुळे खाण्याच्या वेळा सुद्धा बदलल्या आहेत. त्यामुळे गॅसवर किंवा मायक्रोवेव्हमध्ये वारंवार गरम करणं सर्रास चालू आहे.

नुसती डाळ शिजवण्यापेक्षा डाळीचा भरडा किंवा पावडर करून वापरला तर? वेळ आणि गॅस नक्कीच वाचेल. मायक्रोवेव्ह, एअर फ्रायर, सोलर कुकर, ओव्हन, राईस कुकर... यांचा योग्य वापर केला, किंवा फ्रिजमधून पदार्थ आधी बाहेर काढून रूम टेम्परेचरला आणून मग शिजवलं, तरी गॅसची बचत होईल.

एक वेळचं जेवण “वन डिश मिल” पद्धतीने केलं, तरीदेखील गॅस वाचेल, ही फक्त आताची गरज नाही, तर नेहमीच उपयोगी गोष्ट आहे. फळं, सॅलेड यांचा वापर वाढवला, तर पौष्टिकताही वाढेल आणि गॅसची बचतही होईल.

हे सगळे पर्याय नवीन नाहीत. सगळ्यांना माहितीच आहेत. पण कधी कधी विस्मृतीत जातात, म्हणून हा पंक्तिप्रपंच.

“गॅस न वापरता / इंधन न वापरता केलेले पदार्थ” हा एक छोटासा प्रयोग मी अनेक वर्षांपूर्वी, मुख्यतः मुलांच्या उन्हाळी सुट्टीत केला होता आणि खूप मजा आली होती! काही पदार्थ असे असतात, जे अधूनमधून गंमत म्हणून करता येतात. वेगळं काहीतरी करून बघायला काय हरकत आहे?

मोड आलेली कडधान्यं चुलीवर थोडी शिजवणं हा एक पर्याय, आणि ती पूर्ण शिजवण्याऐवजी हलकी ठेवणं हा दुसरा. मोड आलेल्या कडधान्यांचे सॅलेड्स तर जगप्रसिद्ध आहेतच!

एका सुप्रसिद्ध चित्रपटात दाखवल्याप्रमाणे: एकदा तेल तापलं की गॅस बंद करूनही पुऱ्या तळता येतात. म्हणजे शक्य सगळंच आहे.

गेल्या काही वर्षांत एक नवीन लाट आली आहे  अमेरिकेसारखी पूर्व-cooked पदार्थांची सवय, आणि थंड + गोड पदार्थांचं वाढतं आकर्षण. नवीन पिढीने हे फक्त स्वीकारलं नाही, तर अगदी उचलून धरलं आहे. वेळ, ऋतू, वातावरण काहीही असो  कोल्ड कॉफी, आईस्क्रीम बारा महिने हवेच!

मग विचार असा  कधीतरी याचाच उपयोग करून पाहूया का? कदाचित त्यातून थोडा व्यायाम वाढेल, स्क्रीनपासून थोडं दूर राहता येईल, आणि आणखी काही चांगले बदलही दिसतील.

नाही का?

सोयींच्या शोधात आपण सवयी गमावल्या, आता त्या परत आठवायची वेळ आली आहे.

2410: “Come on, Come All” V 4.0

Something I have been experiencing in the recent past is this sudden urge to eat a different dish, dessert, or something sweet out of nowhere. With a lot of time in hand for experimenting, and now having a companion at home, this urge has only grown stronger.

For me, it is quite a challenge to be with someone who continues to sit at the dining table even after the meal is over. When asked why, the response is :

 “Don’t you think it’s time for dessert?”

 OMG… and this comes very regularly!

That’s when I started making a few homemade, perishable desserts so they stay around for a couple of days and satisfy these sweet cravings for ex. ladoos.

This “someone” is my elder brother, currently undergoing dental treatment, and a huge fan of sweets. He is, in fact, one of the sweetest people I have ever met, a complete contrast to me, a spice lover. As if that wasn’t enough, sweetness literally runs in his system too! Of course, he is mindful of portions, but having a sweet dish after every meal is almost an unwritten rule.

To handle this delightful challenge and to take care of sudden cravings for overloaded dry fruits I found a middle path.

So here’s what I did.

I soaked a very soft variety of dates in boiled and cooled milk. Along with that, I soaked golden raisins (kismis) in milk too. After a while, I ground them slightly. I made a fine powder of cashews, almonds, and other nuts. Then I prepared rice kheer with cardamom, nutmeg, saffron, and milk masala.

Once the kheer cooled down, I mixed in the date and raisin blend.

And there it was, an absolutely delicious rice pudding! Thick, chilled, uniquely flavored, and completely free from added sugar or jaggery.

We enjoyed it for two days in a row. I, of course, couldn’t resist topping my tiny scoop with some crunchy nuts.

And then, why stop there?

Rice was graciously replaced with broken wheat and we had yet another out-of-this-world dessert. Truly fun to cook, serve, and enjoy, completely guilt-free. An awesome use of time in hand, and a beautiful detour back to traditional dishes.

Now next in line is experimenting with fresh fruits instead of dried ones. Let’s see what’s in our kitty!

Do share if you’ve tried your hands at completely sugar-free desserts in the recent past, I would love to explore more.

#SugarFreeDessert #HealthyIndulgence #HomeCooking #TraditionalWithATwist #MindfulEating #FoodExperiments #DessertLovers #GuiltFreeTreats #IndianKitchen #CreativeCooking

2409: Joy at its Core

It was yesterday afternoon when I was climbing down the stairs and noticed a housekeeping staff member wiping the common area of the floor. As is my habit, I stopped to say hello, assuming she was the regular cleaner. But she was someone different, a replacement, as the regular staff member was on her weekly off.

Our society currently has three occupied buildings, with two more to be ready soon. There are six girls managing the work, two per building, ensuring everyone gets a weekly off. This means the replacement staff member works almost every day, moving from one building to another.

We paused for a short conversation. She appeared happy and joyful right from the beginning. When I thanked her for cleaning the floor so neatly, her smile only grew brighter.

Again, out of habit, I asked her whether working inconsistently, sometimes here, sometimes there, felt difficult.

Her response stayed with me.

“It’s beyond fun,” she said.

She went on to explain, “Each building is structured differently because of varying apartment sizes. So, I get different types of floors to clean every day. People are different too. The safety doors, shoe racks, even the way garbage is kept outside, everything reflects the family. I really like this change. I get to work in a different building or floor every day.”

After a long time, I felt I had met someone truly happy at work. So content, so involved, that it almost felt like work was her vacation.

Such joy in routine, such meaning in the ordinary, feels rare these days.

You too must have come across someone so genuinely satisfied at work sometime recently, right? Do share, I would love to hear those stories.

2408: "Come on, Come All" V 3.0

Previously, in 1998, I got to know from one of the Punjabi families about Bura – the raw form of sugar, unpolished and a good choice for sweets. I kind of ignored it then, as there was no fuss about sugar at all. But I still recollect that Bura was different in color, the taste was good beyond just sweetness, and maybe because it was in raw form, it always enhanced the overall taste. I ate countless sweets in their house, hence I can vouch for it.

So now in 2026, just yesterday, my hung curd was all set and ready to be groomed into shrikhand. I had planned my festival platter ahead of time and accidentally bumped into Bura again. That was it, I went ahead and used it in my shrikhand to enjoy it completely guilt-free.

So I went with hung curd, Bura, saffron, cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, dry fruits, and a pinch of dry dates powder. Bura enhanced the look and feel of the dish. Because Bura is blessed with a natural color, the shrikhand became really beautiful, attractive, and almost impossible to resist. Wow, it turned out to be my version of shrikhand without loaded sugar. It all started with homemade curd, hence it was not sour at all, so I won it there with less requirement of sugar. Dry dates reduced the need further, and raisins came to the rescue too. This version added more flavors to my New Year yesterday.

The hung curd came out so well that I even had it just like that, super thick, quick, and easy to make. It fits perfectly in the space of frozen yogurt and ice creams, now this version, loaded with dry fruits, is a supreme, easy, homemade, and healthy option for summer.

I am now waiting for mangoes, so that I can create yet another version where the sugar will be reduced even further, as natural sweetness will take over.

I now know why I was introduced to Bura back in 1998.

Prevention is better than cure, so to remain healthy, this dish is a must-try. So come one, come all, come over these days to enjoy this newest version. All are welcome.

2407: The bond that spoke without words

Late post

I wanted to write this since long, but today finally it is happening.

Only because my most beloved son, who loves food varieties like me, introduced me to a MasterChef program. He insisted that I watch it, and I was really not for it, especially because when the judges pressurize contestants, I feel the same unnecessarily. I found a way out and used the mute button on the remote smartly this season.

It was a unique concept implemented this year,  "pairs". As I sat glued to my sofa from day one of the show, and with my observational skills to the core, I was astonished to see the bond, quietness, smile, patience, peace, and rhythm in only two pairs: one from my orange city and the other from Jay Jagannath's place.

Throughout, they maintained their smiles. No shouting at each other. They were strong enough to handle the pressure and still do their best. Of course, they too failed at times, but they rose again gloriously. Wow. So much to learn from them.

Every other pair had some issues for sure,  consistent cribbing, showcasing their anger and disagreement on national TV. But these two pairs bonded so well, again and again. Initially, I thought the TV program might not be showing the complete picture. But it is possible to hide only so much. Never was there any anger-like expression visible in their body language or in the way they treated each other.

It is beyond awesome, actually. Speechless to witness this.

So when someone asks why I watch reality shows, here is the answer, dears.

I sincerely wish to meet both the pairs in person and be in their vibes, just to retain a smile on my face too, always.

On this beautiful note, let us all carry a smile within us and nurture it further.

2406: The Pregnancy No One Talks About

I could not hold myself back from writing this.

One of my closest friends recently shared a real-life story with me, brief in words, yet deeply layered. Seen through my own lens, it felt profound.

She once thought she would wait for a year to celebrate this phase, like most do. But nine months felt complete… almost like nature had its own quiet timeline.

And in that moment, as I listened to her, this journey transformed into a “pregnancy” in my mind.

To cut it short, this is a tale of two vibrant girls, a single mother and her newly married daughter. For the past nine months, they have been living separately. In a way, it felt like a “pregnancy” for both of them, but with a beautiful twist.

After these nine long months, both feel as if they are born again, with renewed mindsets.

Their journeys began together, yet unfolded separately. Staying alone after more than two+ decades of togetherness is no small challenge. And yet, both have not just survived, but soared, at least in their own eyes. Society’s opinion? Irrelevant.

They navigated everything on their own, food, health, emotional balance, and survival. Quietly. There were no regular updates, no complaints after a week, ten days, or even months. Only when the “term” was complete did their stories emerge, like a newborn finally ready to face the world.

The mother seems reborn, with a spoonful of experience in her mouth. The daughter, on the other hand, carries freshness, experimentation, zeal, youthful energy, AI, and what not.

Both moved to different states. Everything was new, food, neighborhood, language, culture, people, just like how a newborn opens her eyes to the world for the very first time.

Watching their journey, I couldn’t help but call it a “pregnancy”, the duration, the silent struggles (beautiful in their own way), the sustenance, and finally, the breath of fresh air.

And now, there is no looking back.

Their strength lies in their silence, no interference, minimal communication, connecting only when possible. No complaints, no crying, just complete faith in each other’s abilities.

Kudos to these two incredible girls, who are very dear to me.

I had tears in my eyes while listening to their story… and even now, as I write about this kind of “pregnancy” I never knew existed.

Not every pregnancy creates life outside; some give birth to a stronger self within.