Picnic anyone?

Had a sudden idea like a news-flash and thought of journal-ing it before I forget! The party will be at a park near my house – yes, it will be a cute Victorian picnic! Don’t you think it is just out of this world to go to a quite place with your friends in tow, look at lovely surroundings and eat and laugh and joke all together? 

 And, of course, everyone has to come with their picnic baskets!!!

Given that most green patches from the city are being removed, this park is also tiny but still it has these trees and a gazebo to sit in the middle. I have seen people sitting an eating there sometimes so I am assuming they won’t kick my friends out.

The theme of my party would be potluck picnic! I intend to invite only my 6 closest friends, which 2 couples and another girl and a boy. This girl is a fabulous cook who cooks divine Italian fare and hence she will be given the onus of getting two types of pasta as main course. I am thinking that the red sauce one can be vegetarian, probably with mushrooms added, and the one in white sauce can be non vegetarian with chicken.

This other girl lives alone and has mastered quick bites, hence she will get some small eats as appetizers – mostly they will be cheese toasts, bhel puri and fruit chat. The other couple will get their lovely collection of games – they have taboo, Pictionary and scrabble. Plus they will get some bed sheets, mats, napkins and other things required for the picnic. And the lone boy shall be summoned to bring fruit juices and lemonade to keep everyone hydrated! He is also the clown of the gang and will also keep of us regaled with his jokes and anecdotes :D

As for me, when I have Kitchens of India why do I worry? Planning the last two parties has been so addictive and easy that I already picked up couple of gourmet food items that I am ordering right after finishing this post. Plus, we have all used ITC products all our lives and know that you can shut your eyes and trust their quality. Plus plus, in most of the Indian cities, the ITC restaurants are among the top 3 in terms of food and so if their internationally renowned chefs are devoting their energies to prepare some exclusive dishes, they have to be the very best. For this party, I will pick the gourmet desserts from KOI which includes their gourmet collection of halwas. 

The Jodhpuri Moong Dal Halwa is a Rajasthani desert made from moong dal simmered in milk and garnished with almonds & saffron. It promises to give your taste buds a royal treat after a gourmet meal. The Awadhi Badam Halwa is a delectable delight made from the choicest almonds, grated and simmered in milk, ghee and khoya. Native to Lucknow, this halwa tastes of all the richness and finesse that the Nawabs stood for. These halwas are in ready to eat form and can be consumed straight out of the pack – since we’re normally used to warming them, I think it will be great to eat them at room temperature, as a change for this party. 

This party is going to be awesome! *dreamy*

This could be the party I will host for my friends if I win the Kitchens of India contest ;)

WeLaugh when WeChat :)

My sister has gotten me hooked on to all these new gadgets and apps! Now that I have a smartphone, internet is being surfed effortlessly, Facebook is being updated regularly, e-mails are being answered promptly and chat groups are being rocked regularly. My new obsession is Friend groups on Chatting apps. My beloved friends and family spread across the world are constantly subjecting each other with their news, voices and videos, but ofcourse nobody is complaining!

So now when I saw a new contest on Indi, courtesy WeChat, about having a chat group on my smart phone, I was so excited! I have been thinking about it all the time and had to write two entries since I’m bubbling with ideas! Well, one thing is for sure - this chat group will clearly be an awesome one filled with fun and laughter.

Want to know who is on Canary’s version of Ocean’s five? My WeChat group will have the naughty and adorable Calvin (yes, of Calvin and Hobbes fame), the gluttonous lazy Garfield, the beautiful dreamy little mermaid, the brave and yet goofy Popeye and the mischievous cute Jerry (from Tom and Jerry)! I think life is short and as clichéd as it may sound, it is not well lived if not in the company of loved ones, laughing, sharing and having fun! And who else can we have better fun with than these timeless cartoon characters that can lift your spirits whenever you are low, make you laugh when you need it, help you bond with friends, show you a new way of looking at things and telling you that at the end of it nobody gets out of life alive. My WeChat buddies will always have a smile on their faces, lighten up any moment and make my world even more wonderful! I will be elated to have all you guys on this group too and can surely promise you endless joy :)

So what do you think this group be like? What riots do you expect, what hilarities do you imagine?! Let me show you a small and simple slice of their chat:

p.s. Wrote this post for WeChat, a snazzy new way to connect!

p.p.s. Though my lack of skill at the video software did not allow me to add further audio, effects and animation to make it more than the basic version that it seems right now, but still this has to be the toughest post I have ever put up. But then, also the most entertaining! :)

Bell bajao! Because you can make a difference.

Enough has been said about violence everywhere. And violence of any kind. Whether be against women in the Delhi incident, in Kashmir through militant action, in Turkey through police brutalities or in Karnataka through political manipulations. I have been thinking a lot about it, especially each time I read a harrowing story in the newspaper or watch a bloody saga on the TV. Each time I find my eyes swollen with tears or my heart in pain, I ask myself if I am taking the easy route out by just sitting in my living room and venting my emotions.

Should I step out there and do what it needs to stop this violence? Should I take part in the actions against the violence and then earn myself the right to even cry over it? Yes, I should, ideally. But will I be much good at it? Am I somebody who will be good at mobilizing people on the streets, visiting slums and educating women on their rights, talking to school children and telling them the difference between right touch / wrong touch or marching against police / political exploitation rampant everywhere?

Honestly, no. Probably the best I can do is express myself through words. I can voice out what I have been observing in the world through them medium of blogs, social networking, mails and discussions. And then hope that whoever needs to read it, will read it. And some of those who read it, will get affected. And some of the affected ones will be prompted to take an action. And each of them will chose what is that best way in which they can make a difference, in which they can stop this mindless violence that is killing our human spirit slowly, every day. So this is the way I will ring a bell. I promise to write and voice every time I notice something that should not happen, that is a stigma on humanity and goodness, that needs to be told, sung or cried out. And you?

Please do check out Bell Bajao's webpage as there is a lot more you and I do to salvage goodness and humanity and make this world a giant loving familyP

The vintage magic

I have been planning a farewell bash for one of my friends who is moving abroad. Now this a chick who loves her music, dance and colors. So as I sat down to plan a party for her, I thought what better theme than Bollywood! And since I always like to do things a little differently, I thought of retro Bollywood instead of today’s loud and garish trends. Here is what everything including the ambience, entertainment, location and food will look like:

Location: My beloved living room that has enough capacity to swallow a crowd.

Ambience / Decorations: My husband has these cool vintage records that will add well to the ambience. I will make strings of them and hang them around, now that there is no player to actually play them. Last Sunday I went to the nearby party store and picked up some 70s looking disco balls that will pump up the décor. These will help me create a disco dance floor space complimented by some colored lights which I will make by pasting translucent paper to my regular lights and bulbs. The retro décor will make my chief guest and all the other guests feel like they have stepped back in time. As a cherry on the icing, I plan to organize a best costume contest as it will help me make everyone dress in the 60s and 70s style!

Food: If I want it to looks realistically retro, I will have to tie the theme into the menu. I googled a bit and realized that the 70s were simpler times, so serving nostalgic, simple dishes will work great for this theme. Firstly, there will be some classic vintage cocktails and what is vintage more than a martini! For finger good, there will be lots of cheese puffs, chips, samosas and chicken wings to take care of both the vegetarians and the non vegetarians. For the main course, again I will fall back on Kitchens of India again just because they are so reliable and will take off a load off my back. Also, after drinks and appetizers, most of my friends hardly eat anything. Since the chief guest is a proud Tam will a lineage of awesome Chettinad food, I will get atleast 10 packets of Chicken Chettinad and 5 packets of Paneer Darbari. With some ghee rice prepared easily at home, I will be all set for a lip-smacking feast!

Entertainment a.k.a. Music: Well, isn’t this the easiest? Retro music was magical and I just have to pick any 50 songs off the internet or my own playlists and play them on loop. All the favorite artists of my spunky girl are going in there: Steely Dan, The Beach Boys, Diana Ross, Bee Gee’s, Marvin Gaye, Barry White and K.C. and Abba.

Thanks to awesome Google tips, Indiblogger and Kitchens of India, I am ready to have a groovy time at my retro farewell party!