The Hallmark of India- Unity in Diversity

In India intermingling of various religions, traditions and customs create a beautifully unique picture of a real way of life. It may represent a state of complexity to others because giving everybody the Right to Religious Freedom may invite clash of personalities , interests and conflicting ideas. A nation having diverse faiths and cultures may not appeal to some as it may represent a state of chaos. But to us it represents a  complete picture of a perfect world which is to stand united even with our differences and appreciating as well as embracing each other with all our strengths and weaknesses. In a country like this , one learns to be more religiously tolerant and culturally sensitive than others which is so required in a world of today which is becoming so divided because of faith and religion.

 We may have our share of problems as each religion has a strong identity and roots in our land which gives them strong expressions. But despite our differences we stay together whatever may come our way. We may have conflicts from time to time with each other as naturally happens in a big family but we also become each other's strengths when our country is attacked and make up for each other's limitations. We are living in the true sense as a family...a family that fights and disagrees and yet stays together anyway.

I say that just as opposites attract , we with our different faiths, customs and cultures are in fact each others' better halves in a way as we complete what the other lacks and make up for each others' limitations which makes us complement each other in the true sense. Recently someone commented that how can everyone in India come together as One to stand united when we do not follow each other' customs ,beliefs and way of life. But my take on that subject is that we can  be as different as possible and still appreciate and respect each other all the way. We do not need to become like one another to go the same way. 

We can retain our own identities and individualities and yet be with each other all the way. The secret is just to appreciate, respect and subscribe to each other's way of life when we interact without actually giving up one's own way of life or strictly following one particular way of life. This is the beauty of democracy and secularism. The hallmark of India is Unity in Diversity ! India is heading towards a global power status because like the United States of America it draws on the rich traditions, skills and intellect of diverse faiths and diverse backgrounds of citizens.

Japan Exchange Teaching Programme

Japan Exchange Teaching Programme ( JET) 

 Once a JET, a JET forever... We are celebrating 30years of Japan Exchange Teaching Programme.  JETs worldwide are expressing their gratitude on the JET Arigato Campaign Page . I feel deeply honoured to have represented my country as a cultural ambassador on JET. And it is my pleasure and honour to express my gratitude through the JET Arigato Campaign. 

Great sentiment was attached to my selection as JET because it meant a lifetime achievement for me to go back and renew my four years of childhood roots in Japan resulting in a lifelong attachment to the Japanese people and their culture. 

JET gave me a newfound identity, fame and recognition in Japan as well as in the Japanese community back home. I am what I am in my life today because of JET. 

Being assigned to Ise was an added reward. In my own time I could go there and be in communion with the holy, serene and beautiful surroundings of the Grand Ise-shrine.

JET gave me an opportunity to teach as well as enjoy cultural interactions which was a very rewarding experience. It gave me a chance to represent my country in a way that I had always wanted as well as bridge the psychological and cultural differences between people by introducing them to the similarities of their cultures.

 Arigatou gozaimashita JET ! Kokoro kara kansha shite orimasu.

 SIMRIT KAPILA ( INDIA) Misino Mura, Ise-Shi 2001-2003

ALT Junior High School/ELM. School & Board of Education Officehttps://twitter.com/arigatojet/status/758253210435850240

Life , You & I

Life has it's moods...Life has it's seasons...Life decides what to throw our way eventually even though we may feel that we control the events of our lives and work towards it accordingly. As much as we may like to believe in making things happen on our own, life has it's own plans for us. How we react or adapt to those decisions of life is totally in our control though.
Life can be good or bad and sometimes a combination of both...Life can surprise us pleasantly or unpleasantly. We have no choice but to accept the unfavourable verdicts of life in the best possible way we can and meet them with all the strength reserved in us and generous amount of patience.
What is important is to live with renewed hope and fresh dreams everyday even though the end decision lies with life. What is essential is to live life as positively as possible despite the occasional disappointments, roadblocks, heartbreaks and pain. We cannot control the results but we sure can put our best into all our moments everyday to enjoy the journey without worrying about how it all will turn up.
 The ending is not ours to decide but the journey is what we make of it. As they say, live like you have never lived before every day to make it the most memorable and maybe then life too may be motivated to give you what you hope for because positive actions do invite positive outcomes according to Law of Atrraction.

Rajasthan

MEHRANGARH FORT Jodhpur

A beautiful door in a part of Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhour- By Simrit

Ladakh

Leh- By Simrit

Japan

Spain in Japan

Carmen Hall in Spain Mura, Mie- Ken - By Simrit


This is one place you should consider going to  if you want to witness a mesmerising performance of Flamenco dance in Mie- ken Japan. I loved visiting Spain Mura ( Village ) when I was living in Ise-shi. One feels as if one is in Spain !

Shimla

An afternoon in Shimla

Japan

A famous tofu restaurant...Ise, Kawasaki - By Simrit

Ladakh

A  glimpse of the lovely interior of The Grand Dragon Hotel

Ladakh

Another view of Pangong-Tso Lake - By Simrit

Moments well lived

Life should be lived in such a way that it is completely abundant with beautiful memories and the warmth of relationships. Life should be abundant with memories of all moments well lived and not just moments meant to be lived only for the sake of living...

There is one life and sometimes we take it so much for granted that we don't realise how special every moment is as each moment is one moment too which is lived just once. Life may be bitter and sweet for some or mostly bitter and even mostly sweet for others but what really matters is that each moment is considered as valuable as every moment in one short journey and each moment is greeted with gratitude in happy times and some amount of acceptance in tragic times. Maybe that thought would make the journey of living worthwhile.

We just have to remember that each moment gives way to another and each moment is different from the other as nothing lasts forever. Nothing lasts forever be it happiness, sadness, contentment, peace or pain. But what lasts forever is your willingness to try to make every day as best as possible and your thought on how you face and deal with each moment that life sends your way.

Golden Temple Amritsar

The way to pray-Devotees at the Golden Temple

The " Pehredar"- Guard & Protector of the Temple

Definition of Travel...What is it to You ?

Travel holds a different definition for everyone. Travel involves visiting new places and learning about other cultures, customs and traditions through that journey. It enhances your knowledge about other places and introduces you to a new way of life. But travel to me also means exploring oneself and the discovery of your strengths and weaknesses in the process. Travel gives you a new understanding of yourself in the way you adapt to another culture or a new surrounding. It introduces you to a side of you that you forget in the daily chores of life or a side you did not know existed in you.

Travel is adventure and learning...Travel is great times and enjoyment.  Travel is also rough times as well as dealing with all that comes with it to the best of your abilities. It makes you grow as a person and revitalises you to deal with everything that awaits you in your life back home with a newfound confidence and energy. Each travel greatly contributes in your life through the various experiences and memories you carry back with you from there. Most of all it teaches you to survive in new environments out of your comfort zone. Travel also gets you on the path of cultural sensitivity and cultural tolerance. In your travels you educate yourself as well as others that you meet along the way through cultural exchange and that is a wonderful way of connecting people with differences through many similarities. It combats cultural indifference and teaches one to accept and appreciate people different from you. Accepting people with all their differences is exactly what travel teaches you and that is needed all the more in the modern world where even in our advancement we are actually going backward in our thinking.

An understanding of other cultures is achieved through travel which will help in erasing any doubts or fears about an unknown culture and that is so needed in today's world where more intolerance and suspicion is born every day because of being intimidated of the unknown. Also it helps in learning new languages and recognising the value of each culture or religion. As I always say it helps you connect to people deeply to break the psychological barrier that exists between people of different nationalities and religions. It certainly makes you recognise people in a new way by getting introduced to their lifestyle. Travel increases your knowledge about different ethnicities and nationalities and equips you further in distinguishing between different nationalities through their clothes, customs, languages, local cuisines, facial features and clothes. Through your travels you learn to draw an impressive comparison between different cultures or find striking similarities . It leads to a new way of understanding History and Geography from a close view.

In Shades of Darkness White colour is needed to dilute the intensity

In recent times peoples' lives have been threatened by the raging hatred, intolerance and anger around us. As a result of it fear, insecurity and uncertainty are residing deeply within the world. We all are in a conflict within ourselves and outside. The heightened danger in cities and countries are giving a different shade to humanity, a shade never seen before...a shade so dark and intense that it will not get easily washed away with goodness, faith and efforts of peace.

The damage has been done ! But it is not too late to hope or pray for a change of times. It is not too late to hope for better days to arrive. If we do not do something now we would eventually be stuck in the quicksand of more terrible and destructive times.

 We are living in difficult and dangerous times ! Suspicion, rage, rigidity, lack of sensitivity  are some words that come to my mind when I think of what is going around us be it on the roads, streets or places. We are facing an unseen enemy all the time in the names of many faces and even within us. We have to first fight ourselves to fight others.

In today's times Peace is just a word we can only dream about. But peoples' actions today will determine the fate of humanity tomorrow. It is a very tough job to maintain peace, cultural sensitivity and empathy in today's times in our own countries as well as abroad when we are surrounded by such events that deeply disturb our belief in humanity and goodness but we have to try anyway as that is the only choice left to maintain the last remnants of peace and sanity in this world. The colour white symbolic of peace is needed to dilute the intensity of the colour black symbolic of darkness...

We have to combat any thoughts that draw us towards negativity and for that it is absolutely necessary to control our own impulsive reactions to certain situation that may cloud our judgement and may not help us to assess the situation correctly in order to take the appropriate action. We are often told that life is unfair and most times some have to pay for the actions of others but that should not be done or allowed. And so all the more it is very important to inform and educate people as much as possible regarding the difference between right and wrong and motivate them not to harm or threaten innocent lives. We all should be able to walk together as ONE with all our differences of identities, nationalities or religion to save the world from threats of negativity.

ONE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO ALL ! We as ONE can make the difference !

We as ONE can be the ONES to make a difference to ONE & ONE and thus All... There comes a time when ONE must stand up for their Rights to help others and oneself.

 We all feel strongly about certain causes that are close to our heart. Sometimes it is important to create time to support people to get justice. However justice may not be always served but it is important to work in that direction and put all your efforts in it. Of course that can be very time consuming specially when you research on a particular subject to support any cause. The last month has been a month of fighting for my Rights be it with a reputed Indian Bank or a famous British Telecommunication Company. I have also been making efforts to support other causes concerning safety of women or getting justice for a courageous prisoner of war who was tortured endlessly in a way that abuses humanity and Geneva Convention. I have also stood up for myself and others and that is not easily accepted or digested by many people from where I come from as women are supposed to be more passive around here and not really have a voice.

Causes may be big or small but they all hold relevance in making a change in the society for the betterment of others as well as yourself. Some people think it is a pure waste of time and some think it is a never ending story which will not really change anything ! But change your thought and motivate yourself to bring about positive changes in any field and you would be giving back to this world a better place to live in and a better experience of living. If we want a good life then we have to create that environment around us by doing positive things around us and by working towards bringing about positive changes in the world however challenging that may be !

https://www.change.org/p/trai-department-of-telecommunications-vodafone-s-dishonest-business-tones?recruiter=409748796&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive

Ghevar- A traditional Rajasthani Sweet

 Rakshabandhan ( the auspicious Hindu festival that celebrates the bond of protection between a brother and sister ) is later this month but we celebrated it a bit earlier this time before my brother left India.
This time we got the Rajasthani filigreed delicacy " Ghevar " which is a traditional sweet usually prepared during Teej and Rakhi festivals. This traditional  disc shaped sweet is a very fine sweet prepared with flour, ghee,milk,sugar,almonds, cardamom and saffron. Like most Indian sweets this Rajasthani delicacy also is decorated with 'varq' which is a sort of garnishing foil made of mostly pounded silver. ( Varq is edible and is safe to consume. Varq is used to decorate various foods to make the food look attractive)

Mysore Pak - A South Indian Dessert

[ India has a variety of sweets and desserts to offer from different States. Some sweets are seasonal and some are specially made only on auspicious occasions and festivals. It is a tradition to gift a box of mithai  (sweets) when visiting someone at home. It is a symbol of happiness and festivity. At weddings there are always different types of sweets and desserts included in the menu. Boxes of sweets are also distributed amongst close family and friends when sending wedding invitations and to celebrate the birth of a child.]

When I was working in Japan, I noticed that sweets were presented at offices too specially brought back as "omiyage" ( gift) by someone returning from a vacation or an official tour to another prefecture or country and that reminded me of India. Here too we like to gift a box of sweets that city is famous for to our colleagues visiting from abroad or other States. Whenever my brother visits Bangalore on a work trip, he is always gifted a box of South Indian mithai (sweet )called "Mysore Pak".  It is made of pure ghee ( purified butter), sugar and gram flour. Some contain cardamom too. This famous and rich  South Indian desert originated in Mysore and it is known that it was prepared by the palace cook.

 This time my brother's office staff presented him a box of Mysore Pak from this famous shop of  sweets " G Pulla Reddy Sweets". I have been introduced by my brother to various types of such sweets from different sweet shops of Bangalore but I thoroughly enjoyed this one from G. Pulla Reddy Sweet shop. I have tasted  Mysore Pak sweet before but have never tasted one as delicious as this. I loved the velvet buttery taste as it melted in my mouth to unfold hints of a caramel taste. This sweet from this particular shop not only tastes delicious but looks lovely too with hues of golden mustard and warm brown. A dessert looking so appealing and inviting as this tastes even better ! The Mysore Pak from G. Pulla Reddy Sweets is the best I have tasted so far with a soft texture and great flavour.

When I searched for this shop on Google, I was amazed to find out how famous this shop is. And the owner and founder  Mr. G Pulla Reddy was even more famous. He began selling sweets in 1948 on a small cart and his business flourished so much that he opened shops in India and abroad.

UNPOLISHED BOOTS

On the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas as an Army Officer's daughter,  I write this article as a tribute to the serving soldiers and military veterans-

An officers pride shines not only in his discipline or courage in line of duty, it also resides in correct turnout of his uniform and boots. An officer's uniform is starched and ironed immaculately without even a doubt of crease. His shoes or boots and belt are always well polished . His medals and stars of gallantry shine brightly in all glory. His beret adorns his head proudly.

As long as he is in the Sevices, there is always someone to attend to him all the time and decorate his uniform as well as prepare his shoes to shine brightly for the day. He is respected by his juniors and admired by his seniors for his commitment to duty . His work is appreciated and recognized.

But the day he retires the dullness and monotony of his life reflects in his boots which stand unpolished now in a cupboard somewhere or are given away. For so many years those boots could not be separated from him and travelled  with him to adventurous , mysterious and faraway places. Those boots carried him through thick battles and areas of conflict. They have been an important part of his life but later those boots are taken away from him in a way as his life of service to the country retires. From a serving officer his title then changes to a veteran. From a life of challenges, hurdles and adventures, now his life alters to that one of simplicity and serenity. His social activities and parties decline in numbers though he still visits the Defence Clubs and enjoys other amenities as an ex officer. But somewhere he actually misses his old life and tries to catch a glimpse of it every now and then in his memories. He lives his old life through the narration of his interesting stories of those glorious days. He has real life stories to speak of his valour and dedication in serving the nation. His old life speaks of his sacrifices in the line of duty in being separated from his family on field postings or roughing it out in dangerous, intimidating and strange environments which at one time or the other has challenged his health too. But through it all he had tons of reserves of iron like determination and courage.

Now too after retiring he had not changed as age is just a state of mind and his courage and discipline remain intact and are visible in his life...but somewhere the creases of tiredness of the past that he acquired while serving in harsh weathers and places now reflect in his face and walk. Now as age catches up with him, there is nobody to wait upon him like his staff, attendants and juniors did back then. Now people even forget his achievements as a serving officer and he leads an ordinary life in contrast to the glorious as well as glamorous cantonment life he led. Of course he leads a good quality life after retirement too and is well settled with his pension too even if he chooses not to work. His children having not forgotten his contribution to the best education he could afford for them now strive to give him all the comfort and luxury he so deserves but he only feels truly alive when he is back in his army environment and he eagerly waits to be a part of it every now and then through reunions and parties.

Somewhere his soul cannot adjust to this new destination in his life called retired life and somewhere he feels ignored and neglected. He tries to attach the same meaning his life held in those early days but when at times he can't find it, he feels lost. All the more we need to give back what our veterans gave us and serving officers should not forget that they too will be in their position one day. More respect has to be demonstrated towards veterans in Military Hospitals and Canteens where the civil staff forget that these ageing veterans were once dashing heroes of our services and have to always be remembered and treated that way. Just because his boots lie unpolished now does not mean that he is not the same person he once used to be. He still has the right to the same importance and attention. Serving officers should ensure that the lives of the veterans remain well polished for life and shine as brightly as ever through their support. 

Cooking adds more flavour to life !

I just came across a contest on Facebook and the question was what made one a happy chef...I also participated in it and on a spontaneous note wrote the following-

" The smiles on our faces while enjoying delicious home- cooked food cooked by my mother makes her feel very contented as a wife, mother and my cooking teacher. That is a very fulfilling experience for her and that makes her immensely happy. That is what makes her truly a " Happy Chef" and in her sharing her treasured age old recipes from various cuisines with her family and friends. 

After all there is happiness in sharing as well as caring when you share your time, knowledge and experience to give delicious moments to your loved ones and it certainly begins from the kitchen !

 She has also shared her cooking secrets that she learnt from her mother in her book published on Indian Cooking in Japan and in doing that as well as introducing Indian cooking to the Japanese world also made her a Happy Chef ! Be it my father or mother, both are Happy Chefs as whatever and whenever they cook for the children reflects their love and happiness through the flavours and aromas...

Enjoy cooking and add all the ingredients of love and care in all your dishes and you will surely earn the tittle of a Happy Chef and that is what I follow too...:) "

I feel that cooking adds more flavour to life and it is one of the best ways to express the deep affection you hold for your family as well as imparting the right taste and flavour to others' lives as well. So learn cooking and enjoy cooking with family and friends ! :)

Sikkim

NaTula/ Nathula Pass 

I took this beautiful picture from the Indo- China Border at 14,150 F. We visited our Indian Officers and Soldiers on Independence Day, 15th August 2011. What better way to celebrate our Independence Day ! The entire journey to such a beautiful and historic height can never be forgotten even though it was a long challenging journey and I even fell sick on the way down. But any day I would travel there again if I could. The entire experience of travel there would be always treasured and the memories of the mesmerisingly beautiful landscapes created by nature would always be remembered.

Mesmerising view from Nathula Pass- By Simrit