Good NEWS.. :)

It has been a week since I first got to know that there’s a tiny living being inside me… 😀

I was feeling very queasy from Aug 14th onwards ‘cos of loose motions and food poisoning… But I never suspected that these were the symptoms of pregnancy…  I went to doctor multiple times but he didn’t give me any strong tablets for curing it since my periods were due.

Aug 17th, 2016 it’s really a very memorable day… I remember the morning of it very clearly… I was feeling very weak, ‘cos I didn’t get my periods, we were planning to go to a gynecologist for a checkup. But, my sis-in-law suggested getting a pregnancy test done at home before visiting the gynecologist.  My hubby got the kit, and with lots of nervousness I tested and it was POSITIVE.. !!

I couldn’t control my tears… I hugged my hubby tightly and was crying..!! My main issue was, will this delay my job hunting even further..! :O Then, he assured me don’t think much about it, You”ll for sure work some day or the other, now enjoy these precious moments… That really helped me in calming down…

We both told to my in-laws, they were overjoyed… My bro-in-law was excited too… My mom got to know through my mom-in-law. She was completely shocked and was crying happily over the phone.. 😛 I called up my dad and said the news… He was very happy for becoming a grandparent… I surprised my bro by calling him UNCLE.. 😛 He was jubilant and was saying, hopefully, it”ll be a girl.. 😀

Then we made an appointment with the doctor and she prescribed the pregnancy test again. The testing object’s result wasn’t as clear as the one which I had done at home… I and my mom-in-law were a bit tensed until the doc confirmed that, I am OFFICIALLY PREGNANT..!! She prescribed some tablets and asked me to come after a week for the scan… Once I came out of the hospital, I called up my mom and said it’s true… 😀 Then she informed the news to our relatives and everyone congratulated me… I was happy… 🙂

That day, I couldn’t believe that I gonna become a momma.. ! I really didn’t know how to react to it.. 😐 Anyways, I decided to go with the flow and just accept the situations as they come and cherish the moments…

That evening, my dad was very happy and was chatting comfortably in whatsapp.. 😀 My bro-in-law bought for me varieties of food items to eat.. 🙂

The next few days went well and I installed an app called “What to Expect During Pregnancy”, it showed that I conceived in 3rd week and the embryo started developing from 3rd week onwards… The app really is helpful to understand the precautions to take during this period with other helpful blogs, and it clearly show’s the size of the baby every week:

• The Fourth week the baby’s size was as much as a POPPY SEED (Teeeeeeny -Teeny- Tiny)
• The Fifth Week was as much as an ORANGE SEED (A bit bigger :P)
• The Sixth week it is as big as a SWEET PEA (A lot bigger than the Poppy Seed :D)

And so on… The App gave the estimated date as Apr.23.2017..! 🙂

My First Scan was scheduled on 24th Aug, a week after my pregnancy test result. I was quite relaxed that day for the fact that  I would know exactly what was going on in my tummy.. 🙂

The scanning was done and there showed two fetal sacs with two cells in it.. :O One of them started the heartbeat but the other one didn’t develop the heart yet..! The scanning doc said it shows like twins but it is not clear yet, please come back after 10 days. I was very nervous and my mom-in-law also was clearly tensed… When the main doctor checked me, she said confidently that, since its early pregnancy scan, it shows sometimes false sacs, no need to worry, it”ll be only one healthy one… That really eased us up..! My god.. that day I was so tensed…  And the next scan is scheduled on Sep 3rd..!!! She prescribed me some Folic acid tablet and an injection that day for the growth of the fetus…

That weekend my mom and dad came from Hyd and were so happy to be with me… 😀 🙂 My mom prepared various dishes for me so that I can relish them.. 🙂 I vomited the first time on Tuesday morning… My parents felt little sad but my mom said that’s the way it”ll be this 9 months… It is completely unpredictable, don’t worry about it…  They went back that evening…I was also very happy to spend time with them the past 4 days…

And I am just spending my days walking.. learning something.. reading books and helping at home…

After my second scanning, ITS CONFIRMED THAT I”ll have TWINS.. 😀

I could hear the heartbeats of two babies during the scanning time… 🙂 Every one of us is nervous but I hope that all will be well… 🙂

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I am writing this blog today after almost a year…  I”ll sum up the points which I recollect..

My pregnancy was the most beautiful journey of my life… Every day I was thinking about my babies and hoped that they were well inside…

We purchased car during the third month of my pregnancy and I felt very happy going to hospital visits in our own car… 🙂

During my third month scan, my mom and dad were present and we felt very happy seeing two tiny forms in my tummy…

My 5th-month scan was scheduled on Dec12th and my mom came from hyd to be with me. I clearly remember that day, me, mom, in-laws and hubby went to the scanning center and during the scan, the doctor said that there’s some anomaly in the babies and we should do an even thorough scan. We all were very tensed and my gynecologist was out of town that day and we couldn’t understand anything out from it. From that day there was an eerie silence/fear in everyone’s heart but nobody said it out as it may dishearten me and I may lose my moral. But in next 2 days, we went to another doc and she said, there’s no problem and nothing can be done now. So don’t worry much.

We were very clear from the beginning that my delivery will be happening in Hyderabad, so my hubby thought why not get the proper treatment from there itself. So we all reached Hyd on Jan1st 2017. The first few visits to Fernandez Hospital were not very encouraging. Then we were recommended to Dr.Susheela as she was the multiple pregnancy specialists. When we met her the first time itself she lifted our spirits and said do not worry about the babies at all. They are perfectly fine and as long as mom is happy babies will do well… Her dialogue was “Happy mother – healthy fetus.” She really was a beam of hope to all of us. She mandated me for undergoing weekly scans and checkups every fortnight for regular monitoring of the babies. She insisted me on eating lots of pomegranates, beetroots and I followed it 😉

Special mention to my hubby for fulfilling all my weird cravings and keeping me very happy and loved. Everyone played a very vital role in making this journey a special one and that includes my in-laws, parents, brothers, uncles, aunts, grandparents…

My doc suggested that I should go for a Cesarean during my 36th week of pregnancy, as one of the babies is in Breech position, i.e in a horizontal position. All of us were a bit tensed as it”ll be kind of premature delivery, but I was very happy as I couldn’t wait any longer to see my babies… I assumed that they were boys but it was a surprise till the last moment, as no one gave any hint about the gender.

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The big day MARCH 30th 2017 came….!!! Doc suggested me to eat idli before coming to the surgery but out of nervousness I vomited 😛 That day around 8 am we reached the hospital, and 11 am I was escorted to the operation theater. Everyone was praying for a healthy and smooth delivery.

I remember changing into pink clothes and entering the operation theater. There was a team of doctors and everyone made me feel comfortable and anesthesia doctor gave an injection which was direct to the spinal cord and it made the whole lower body numb. That was the scariest part of the operation. I wasn’t worried at all for the procedure but the spinal injection scared the hell out of me.

Within few minutes Dr.Madhavi announced that “Congratulations…!!!!! It’s a GIRL..” We were so happy as we were parents then 😉 Immediately in next minute my second twin baby came out and she again said… “Congratulations..!! It’s a GIRL AGAIN…” 😀 They took the babies for their first bath and cleaned them and showed me for just a few seconds… Those first looks of my darlings I can never forget in my LIFE… Thank you my little munchkins for me making me MOMMY.. 🙂

They were safe and healthy though prematurely born, that really relieved all of us.

The next day, we were told that the elder twin will be shifted to our room, we were anxious the whole day and as soon as she arrived, we were jubilant. The younger baby was born with low weight so she was under observation for 4 more days. My doctor recommended me for exclusive breastfeed instead of any formula and I am eternally grateful to her for encouraging me with that option. Once she was fine we went back home. 🙂 🙂

I got milk after 3 days of my delivery. Till that time, my elder twin was sucking and stimulating which was very important for the production and in turn making it easy for the younger baby.. 😉

I was breastfeeding my little ones, my mom-in-law and the lactation consultant at hospital motivated me a lot, saying though there are two babies there will never be a shortage of milk as long as I eat and sleep well. She asked me not to listen to any suggestions which hurt my morale. Being happy was the first criteria for having good milk supply.

The first 10 to 20 days passed in a jiffy, getting adjusted to the kids’ schedule, their sleeping patterns, their hunger everything was in a haze. I too recovered from my postpartum slowly. The feeling of two teeny tiny humans besides me was the most unexpressed feeling. It was a mixed bag of emotions.

The first one and half month I had to sit and breastfeed my babies even at nights as they were very young and there was a high chance of not latching properly. Sometimes they would continuously latch for 50 minutes… Though it was very strenuous initially, after almost 2 months I got the hang of it and felt that’s the most beautiful thing which a mom can give to a baby.

We were a team in taking care of the babies for the initial 4 months… My mom, dad, bro, and hubby used to take care of them till 3 am in the early hours. I would get up periodically for feeding the babies. There were ample of sleepless nights but slowly we got adjusted to their schedule. My maternal grandmom would cook and take care of the house along with my grandpa. My uncles , aunts and all my relatives were very happy and helped me a lot during this wonderful phase.

When my babies were 3.5 months of age, we attended my cousin’s marriage, had been to another cousin’s house warming ceremony too. Thankfully both the experiences were smooth. 🙂

Now my babies are 7 months old, they play a lot and are very curious to observe all around. We can learn from babies so many things like, to easily forget and forgive, always smile, etc.

There are so many points to reminiscence which I experienced during this wonderful pregnancy to being MOMMY stage but will jot down some other time… 😉

BTW my darlings names are SIDDHI & RIDDHI. 😀

The Exalted Village

 

The last month my parents visited an ancient goddess family temple.. During my childhood I visited it multiple times but it never occurred in my mind to know its history or the story revolving in that temple with that goddess until my hubby asked about it..

That piqued my interest and I pondered on it.. I knew the goddess was called “Devi Bhuvaneshwari” but nothing more than that.

I thought the best person to answer my questions was my paternal grandfather who has certain pious relationship with that temple for the past 60+ years… And so we started talking about it…..

My grandfather began saying..

“Chunchanakota is a Village in Cherial Mandal in Siddipet district. It is located around 77 KM towards west from District head quarters Warangal, 7 KM from Cherial. Siddipet which is 30 km afar is the nearest town to Chunchanakota and is connected by roadways.

Once upon a time in a village called Gajavelly near Pragnapur further away from Siddipet, there lived a brahmin called Mr. Chandramouli Shastry. He had some family problems with his wife and they separated and she with her parents. They both had a son.

He was vexed with his life and wanted to get solace by performing rituals and wanted to live in the presence of spiritual being. Then he got to know that in a village called Marukuupu near Gowraram there was a famous Guruji by the name Narayana Baba. So, he reached there and took the blessings of the Guruji and started living there.In the same ashrama my grandfather’s elder brother Mr. Muralidhar Rao Nedunoori was a regular visitor and believed in the preachings of the Guruji. After some days they both became acquaintances and learned about their backgrounds, villages and their lives.

One day, still not satisfied with his life, Mr. Chandramouli Shastry asked his guruji to direct him for a well balanced and peaceful life. The Guruji asked him to walk very far away to a place called and turn at the first corner, he said that he”ll experience something there. So, as directed by his Guruji he went there and as soon as he turned the first corner he met an old lady who was very weak. She asked him to take him to the nearby hills. As they were nearing the foothills they reached a village called “Chunchanakota” the old lady suddenly disappeared. Mr. Chandramouli Shastry was surprised and thought that she could had gone to one of the houses in the village. So he probed into the houses in the small village for her. But nobody knew anything about the old lady.

Disappointed and tired he finally reached a very poor Brahmin’s home for some shelter. In that house lived Mr. Seetaraama Shastry and Mrs. Narasamma they were very happy to receive Mr. Chandramouli Shastry and offered him some food and shelter for that night. The childless couple asked him about his whereabouts. He said that he is separated from his wife and doesn’t have any family. Determined to find the old lady Mr. Chandramouli Shastry didn’t leave the village and searched for her the following day.Mrs. Narasamma was very happy to host Mr. Chandramouli Shastry daily and considered him as their child.He was very grateful for the couple and looked after them.

One night Mr. Chandramouli Shastry dreamt the old lady in full glory. She had very rich ornaments, beautiful saree and was the epitome of goddess. He was mesmerized and prostrated in front of her. She said ” O! Chandramouli I want to live here, make arrangements for that. ” He was startled and woke up, felt very privileged and made an oath to build a temple for the goddess.

Since they were very poor family, he wondered how he could arrange for a temple let alone an idol. But his determination to build the temple was so strong that he got help from his fellow villagers. He even wrote letters to his friends from his Guruji’s ashrama and explained his intentions of building the temple for the goddess. Many helped him and even my grandfather’s brother was very keen to contribute and suggested him to go to Rajasthan and get the idol made from there. He went to Rajasthan and ordered for a beautiful marble statue and paid for that by receiving alms over there. He bought it back to Chunchanakota with utmost devotion and established the goddess there.

He believed in the goddess and named her as “Goddess Bhuvaneshwari Matha“. He performed very strict rituals and stipulated some rules to do the pooja daily. Since he never married again, he adopted a son Mr. Shankar Narayana from another Brahmin family and taught him the rituals so that the pooja and the rituals continues thereafter. His children who are temple priests now manage the temple and organize the events. This is the history of the temple.
The main priest in the temple is prominently known as ‘Pedda Ayyagaru’ and the priest will inform the solutions to the devotees if they ask him. Entire priest family does not aspire for any kind of monetary benefit. Goddess Bhuvaneshwari Matha is enshrined on Srichakram and is in the form of a small girl, established many years ago by the priest’s ancestors.

In olden days, for every small task the priests would seek the permission of the goddess by rolling rice grains and there would be a calculation, if 11 grains comes then it was a YES and if 12 grains come it was signified as NO. It was similar to playing dice but with rice grains.Eventually this practice was stopped but the intense devotion for the goddess never ceased.

Every year in the months of Jan-Feb there will be “Navaratri ceremony” held. During this time, people from nearby places visit Chunchanakota and perform various poojas and make it a spectacular event. In the Navaratri Ceremony, many pious poojas and rituals are celebrated.

• The First day will be dedicated for “Kalasha Sthapana pooja” which is a pot considered a symbol of abundance and “source of life” in the Vedas. The Kalasha is believed to be a symbol of auspiciousness embodying either Ganesha, remover of obstacles, or his mother Gauri, the goddess of household bounty or Lakshmi.Some people do a “Paada-yatra” meaning walking for certain number of kilometers and reach the temple premises on the first day
• On the Second day “Kumkuma-Archana pooja ” which is auspicious for ladies and their household is performed
• Third Day “Chandi Havanam” which is a a ritual sacrifice with a specific objective is performed
• On Fourth day “Pushparchana” meaning decorating Goddess Bhuvaneshwari with plenty of flowers. It will be an enchanting event.
• Fifth day “Rudra-Abhishekam” which is a sacred cleaning ritual performed to please Lord Shiva is performed.
• On Sixth day “Maha-LingaArchana pooja” and “Poornahuthi” is performed
• On Seventh day “Satyanarayana Pooja” is performed and it can be done by anyone irrespective of their caste and creed.
• On the Eighth day “Kalasha-Udhvasana” meaning thanking the gods for the successful pooja ceremonies and in the evening “Pallaki-Seva”, the goddess will be placed in a chariot and is carried by devotees in a procession throughout the village.
• The Ninth day officially marks the end of the Navaratri ceremony.

During these nine days various kinds of foods are offered to goddess and are consumed by devotees as her “Prasadam” gracious gift. Even tea is offered to the goddess first and is regarded as the holy “Prasadam” and then the devotees drink it.

Different kinds of holy bhajans like “Chakka Bhajana” and chants are done during this time. Many devotees stay up late night for such holy chants and enjoy dancing to the tunes of the devotional songs.

“Sree MatreNamah” is the holy chant that will always reverberate in this temple. And it is the holiest way to please Goddess Bhuvaneshwari Matha.

And thus my grandpa concluded the brief history and the importance of this holy place “Chunchanakota”.

I feel fortunate and privileged to write about Goddess Bhuvaneshwari Matha and hope she showers her blessings to our entire mankind.

||Sree Matre Namah||

Animals in Hindu Mythology

Animals always played a significant role in the Hindu Mythology.. The main theology associated with Hinduism is ‘God exists in every living being..!’

During ancient times,  people understood the importance of animals in their daily lives and gave them an immortal place by including them as mythological gods..

For example,

• ‘LORD MATSYA‘ is considered as the first avatar of Lord Vishnu and is in the form of a giant FISH. Matsya is believed to symbolise the first stage of evolution, as aquatic life was the first beings on earth. So Matsya is a very significant form in Hindu mythology.

Matsya may be depicted as a giant fish, with a human torso connected to the rear half of a fish.

Lord Matsya

• ‘LORD KURMA‘ is considered as the second avatar of Lord Vishnu and is in the form of giant TURTLE. Life moved from water to the land, the amphibians were found and hence denoted the evolution from sea to land.

Lord Kurma

• ‘LORD VARAHA‘ the third avatar of Lord Vishnu is in the form of BOAR and is depicted to save Earth or Bhumi devi from the demon. This showed the evolution of life to the wild animals stage.

Varaha Sculpture in National Museum, New Delhi 

• LION considered as the king of the forest is a very powerful animal. Our ancient people gave utmost importance to the lion by incarnating it as an avatar of Lord Vishnu and is termed as ‘LORD NARASIMHA‘. NARA – meaning human and SIMHA- meaning Lion, so it means lion headed person. He is known primarily as the ‘Great Protector’ who specifically defends and protects his devotees in times of need.

The appearance of lion with its huge mane and the strong features would had intimidated our ancestors and they would had felt it can be signified for imbibing fear for the wrong-doers and hence this form was created.

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Lord Narsimha

• ELEPHANTS were majorly used in Warfare, carrying bulk and transporting people.. The intelligent/fore-sighted people , incarnated an Elephant-headed God whom we call ‘LORD GANESHA‘, so that nobody in future would torture/disregard the elephants. They imbibed a certain fear amongst people so that , if they harm the elephants in any way, they incur the wrath of god Ganesha..

As days kept progressing many stories were weaved to provide factual support to the existence of the elephant headed god. Elephants are naturally wise and intelligent creatures, hence Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles,the patron of arts and sciences and the lord of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies.

7th to 8th Century Ganesha Sculpture

• ‘LORD HANUMAN’ is an incarnation of the MONKEYS/vanaras.. Although the word Vanara has come to mean “monkey” over the years and the Vanaras are depicted as monkeys in the popular art, their exact identity is not clear. The Ramayana presents them as humans with reference to their speech, clothing, habitations,etc.. It also describes their monkey-like characteristics such as their leaping, hair, fur and a tail.

According to one theory, the Vanaras are strictly mythological creatures. This is based on their supernatural abilities.

Hanuman is mentioned as an avatar of Shiva or Rudra..Hanuman is worshiped also to get rid or win over demons, demi-gods , evil spirits and other powerful negative energies, which find their mention in Hinduism.

The genetic code of monkeys and other apes is much closer to the human genome than any other animals, so monkeys are often used to test new medicines, as they are likely to react in the same way as human. Maybe that’s the reason the ancient people incarnated monkey-god to stop any ill treatment to the monkeys and otherwise..

Lord Hanuman’s Sculpture during 11th Century, Chola Dynasty

• BULLS are much more muscular than cows, with thicker bones, larger feet, a very muscular neck, and a large, bony head with protective ridges over the eyes. These features assist bulls in fighting for domination over a herd. Hindu mythology provides a special place to the sacred bull as ‘LORD NANDI‘..

Bulls appear on the Indus Valley seals, including the ‘Pasupati Seal‘, which depicts a seated figure and, according to some scholars, is similar to Shiva. The close association of Shiva and Nandi explains the presence of a statue of Nandi at the gate of many temples dedicated to Shiva. 

And bulls have always been farmer’s friends..They help in irrigation and ploughing the fields so the bulls are immortalised in the hindu mythology as the vehicle of Lord Shiva..

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Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati seated upon Nandi, Cambodian Sculpture 

•  ‘Naga Devatha‘ or the SNAKE god is prayed by the people from centuries together. The place of snakes are immortalised in Hindu mythology by associating them to ‘LORD KARTIKEYA’ the commander -in chief of the Devas and the son of Lord Shiva as well.

Snakes helped our ancient people by getting rid of rats and other small animals which in turn helped them in preserving their yielded crops etc. Though they are poisonous animals, the belief in snakes had helped in community bonding and celebrations.

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World’s tallest statue of Lord Karthikeya at 42.7m high near Kuala Lumpur, Malayasia 

• Other animals like Squirrels, Parrots, Vultures, Cows are also given utmost importance and are termed as helpers to the gods in their missions and are therefore highly revered.

Squirrels are referred in the Ramayana, they helped Lord Ram by carrying few stones for the construction of the bridge to Lanka.

VULTURE is also referred in Ramayan as ‘Jatayu’, he tried to rescue Sita from the clutches of Raavan after he kidnaps her.

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Raavan slashing Jatayu’s feathers

 

Parrot faced person named as ‘Shuka‘ was the main narrator of the Bhagavat Purana and he was the son of Sage Vyasa.

COW is a very sacred animal in Hindu Mythology and is called as ‘KAMADHENU‘ the provider of plenty to its owner. She is respected as the mother of the cattle and is a very divine creature.

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Kamadhenu

• The references to other animals in Hindu mythology is depicted by associating various animals as the vehicles (vahanas) to the gods.  Some of them are as follows,

1. Brahma – seven swans
2. Durga –  the lion
3. Ganesha – the mouse
4. Indra – the elephant
5. Kartikya – the peacock
6. Lakshmi – the owl
7. Saraswati – the swan or the peacock
8. Shakti – the bull
9. Shani – the crow
10. Shiva – Nandi, the bull
11. Varuna – seven swans
12. Vayu – a thousands horses
13. Vishnu – Garuda, the eagle & Adi Shesha, the serpent
14. Vishwakarma – the elephant
15. Yama – the male buffalo

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These are some of my humble observations regarding the animals / legendary creatures found in the Hindu Mythology, I feel that our ancestors were highly intelligent people and the knowledge which they passed on as stories help us in understanding our eco-system and give importance to every living being on this earth. The abundant knowledge found in our ancient scriptures called as the Vedas are yet to be deciphered completely and once discovered it helps mankind in every possible way..

 

Sandwich..

In India, sandwich is a novel word. We generally call it a burger. Me being a veggie, I devour veggie patty burgers. And if there’s extra cheese slices on it.. its my heaven..! 🙂 With the influence of McDonalds and Burger King and other such western franchise in India, sandwich became a household food item..

 

In my country, there is an other dish prepared with the burger buns.. It’s called Vada Pav – it means deep fried potato veggie patty in batter along with salt and spices and dipping it with chutney and  the Pav which is the burger bun. Its a very popular snack in India and is consumed at any point of the day..

There’s another dish called the Pav Bhaji which means the burger bun consumed with spicy vegetable curry and lots of butter and onion slices on the side.. It is also a popular dish enjoyed throughout the country..

 

Be it an Indian burger or the Western Sandwich I love them in any forms.. 🙂

via Daily Prompt: Sandwich

Shravana Month

The month of Shravana is considered very auspicious for the Hindus. Shravana usually occurs during the months of Aug – Sep every year.

This Shravana month began on Aug 3rd and will continue till Sep 1st.   Every day of the month has a particular pooja associated with it.

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Legend Behind Shravana month :

As per ancient legends, the churning of sea ( Samudra Manthan ) was done during this month of Shravana. It was a combined effort done by both, the Devatas ( Gods ) & the Danvas ( Demons ). The Sumeru Parvat(Mountain) was used for churning and the Snake Vasuki which circles around the neck of Lord Shiva was used as a rope. Large number of invaluable Gems came out of sea as a result of this churning. However, at the end, Halahal( Poison) came out which had the capacity to destroy everything. None of the Gods or Demons were able to deal with this poison and ultimately, Lord Shiva came to the rescue. Lord Shiva drank the entire poison and stored it in his throat which turned blue due to poison. Hence, Lord Shiva got the name NeelKanth ( Blue Throat ). This way, Lord Shiva gave a new life to everyone during this month and therefore, this month is supposed to be very auspicious.

Pic : Churning of the Ocean  @Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok

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In our house Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays have utmost importance and are celebrated with pomp and ceremony.

Every Hindu house has a special god associated to their house. Since ours is Lord Shiva (The Auspicious God), Mondays are dedicated to Lord Shiva’s pooja. All Mondays which fall during Shravana month are considered highly auspicious for fasting. My Mom-in-law prepares multifold varieties of delicacies and offer it to the Lord as the Prasada (The religious offering to God) and break the fast.

Tuesdays are significant for the newly married couples who performs the Goddess Gouri Devi (The Prosperity Goddess) pooja for the well being , to seek conjugal bliss and prosperity of the family.It is usually conducted for the first 5 years of the marriage.

Fridays are considered the most holy days of the month. It is the day dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi Devi (The Wealth Goddess)  . Some women perform VaraLakshmi pooja on the second Friday of the month and it is a reason for the community bonding to happen.  The women gather together and exchange holy “kumkum & turmeric” and sing songs to praise the goddess of wealth for their wealth & prosperity. In our house, Lakshmi Pooja is done throughout the Sraavana Month and not just specifically on the Second Friday’s..

In some houses Saturdays are dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara (The Protector God) or Goddess Lakshmi and perform the poojas according to their stipulated norms.

The full moon day in Shravana is called Rakhsha Bandhan (Protection Bond) , the significance of this day is to celebrate the bonding of brothers and sisters. The sister ties a holy red thread to their brother’s wrist and brother in return gifts the sister.  And it depicts that the brother will always protect his sister at all times. 🙂

Nag Panchami is another traditional day to worship the serpent Gods observed by Hindus throughout India. In Hindu calendar, some days are considered significant to worship serpent Gods and Panchami Tithi (5th day after New Moon)  especially during Shravana month is considered highly auspicious to worship serpent Gods.

On every such auspicious days, lot of importance is given to the food preparations.The women usually dish up delicious food items using all the diverse items like rice, vegetables, dairy products and various kinds of flours like Jowar, Wheat etc. And special Sweets are cooked using dairy products , jaggery or sugar to enjoy during the festive days and are enjoyed with all the family members. 🙂

These are some of the festivals and poojas done during the holy month of Shravana. Throughout India it is celebrated joyously and the procedure to perform the poojas might differ in accordance with the region but the reason to celebrate all Festivals / Poojas implies family bonding and sharing happiness. 🙂

Reminiscence..

Its been 1 month 10 days since I left Minneapolis…

India is a different place altogether..  There is lot of chaos and that’s what makes this country special.. 🙂

 

The first 2 weeks I was in Bangalore and then traveled to various cities.. My hometown Hyderabad, was the best place for me to relax and I really felt amazing staying with my parents for a while..

I miss the pure, clean air which is found abundantly in Minneapolis.. The lakes – Calhoun , Harriet, Loring Park which we usually go during the weekends are dearly missed.

 

I miss the metro stations and view from the train window  while going to “Mall Of America” , the most accessible mall by metro, where we would go for movies or shopping..

I miss the downtown and my apartment and especially Target , Lunds & Byeryls , Macy’s store where I would go for shopping in a jiffy..

I miss WALKING , the most.. The sidewalks were very convenient for long walks and the Hennepin Street was the most happening street to go during any point of time..

Its summer in Minneapolis now, and I deeply miss the biking trails and the planning involved for exploring new routes, so that we could cover more miles during that day.

 

 

I miss my friends and KOSAMA the workout place.. 😦

The time I research on YouTube, to experiment a new dish and prepare so that my hubby could devour it however it turns out 😛  I miss that feeling.. 😦

I miss the SNOW… and all the wonderful seasons like the FALL , Summer, Spring which can be experienced only in MINNEAPOLIS…

I miss traveling to other cities and exploring USA..

I miss the feeling of “JUST THE TWO OF US”..!

BUT…

Being in India, makes me happy so that I am always close to my family.. And there is a sense of belongingness being in one’s motherland..

Though its overly populated, it has space for everyone.. !

It will still take time for me to adjust to this environment and love this place like before…

Adiós Minneapolis

Beautiful Moments, Ever lasting Memories.. I would yearn for this place, City for a very long time.. 

I will miss the Frigid  Snow, the Frondescence Spring, the Calescent Summer and the Bewitching  Fall.. I just loved all the 4 seasons this city had made me witnesses.. 

The Lakes, the bike trails and the very easy Metro Transits I will miss them all.. Traveling  through wind, snow, rain and sun I had experienced amazing views, rides and every season had its own charm which cannot be described… 

The friends I made here , the people I have met and my daily experiences ..And Kosama my workout place.. Oh!  I will miss them too… 

My cozy apartment through which I could see the hustle and bustle of the downtown Minneapolis and the photos I took of the rain, snow and sunshine through my apartment’s window.. I’ll miss those moments.. 
This place made me realize my potential to Cook new cuisines especially Italian (which I love) , read novels and finish them in record speed, watch marathon TV shows by abjuring  sleep.. And discovering my personality through various means…. I’ll miss these..!

But as they say, THE BEST is YET TO COME and I’m all set for the new beginnings and a different phase of my life ….. I am confident that I will be experiencing many such beautiful moments and meet new , interesting people and live in exciting places..  

Looking forward for my next Stop!! 😀 And with a Heavy Heart ..’ Until Next Time Minneapolis’ !! 🤗

Springing Forward..

My favorite season ‘Spring’ is here.. I get utmost joy when the leaves leaf-out and develop into lush green trees..

The long and weary winter is finally over and genesis of new life arise .. I can go out finally without wearing anymore Jackets, vest-coats, etc and just chill on my usual dresses. I don’t need to hibernate at home just gazing the snow..

Photo: Dew drops on the Grass

This Spring I started “Roller-Skating” and I am very eager to learn and master it. 🙂 It’s kind off giving me a new perspective in balancing and controlling my body. I never thought I would get a chance in participating in this sport but I”m glad that I”m learning it. I am amazed by the teachers and their patience to teach each of us, they are all above 50 years of age and are very supportive in every class.

And the next interesting hobby of mine is “Cycling / Biking”, Minneapolis has a vast number of trails and they are easily accessible from where I live.  The trails connect both the twin cities and are maintained very well. There is exuberant green foliage on either sides of the trail and biking on that path gives me immense pleasure. When cool breeze touches the face while biking, that feeling cannot be expressed in words. It’s magical..

Since Minnesota has 10,000 lakes it is called LAND OF LAKES and Minneapolis too has major big lakes in and around the city.

The major Bike trails and lakes around which I biked are as follows:

• Lake Calhoun:  This is one of the largest lakes and it has stunning bike and walk trail. People come here for lying down near the lake and jog around. I see many people biking, doing feats, reading and relaxing on hammocks, jogging and other physical activities.The lake is part of the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway, connecting with Lake of the Isles on the northeast, Cedar Lake on the northwest, and Lake Harriet on the south.

 

• Lake of the Isles:  It is connected to Cedar Lake and Lake Calhoun. In winter it is used for ice skating and hockey. This lake is perfect for kayaking, paddle-boarding and such other activities due to its serene nature.

 

• Lake Nokomis:  It is located in the southern part of the city, west of the Mississippi River and south of Lake Hiawatha. The lake is oval in shape. This is my favorite lake and the kayaking experience in this lake is awe-inspiring. I just love the vast expanse of trees surrounding this lake and I built sand-castles and had fun on this beach.. 🙂

 

• Kenilworth Trail:  This is a paved bicycle trail in Minneapolis. It runs nearly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and acts as a connector between the Cedar Lake Trail in the north and the Midtown Greenway in the south. Like the Cedar Lake Trail, most of the route is composed of a triple-divided cycleway/pedway with a pair of one-way paths for bicycles and another path for pedestrians.

Photo: Pathway in the Trail..

Photo: Pink Colorful tree

 

• Midtown Greenway:  The Midtown Greenway is a 5.7-mile (9.2 km) rail trail in Minneapolis. It is used both recreationally and for commuting, the partially below-grade Greenway runs east-west about one block north of Lake Street. It provides cyclists, inline skaters, runners and pedestrians a virtually traffic-free route across the city.

 

• Minnehaha Falls:  Minnehaha Creek extends from Lake Minnetonka in the west and flows east for 22 miles (35 km) through several suburbs west of Minneapolis, and continuing through south Minneapolis. The watershed for the creek covers 181 square miles. Along the creek is a 53-foot (16-meter) waterfall, Minnehaha Falls, which is situated 3/4 of a mile from where the stream empties into the Mississippi River.
  

  John Harrington Stevens House near Minnehaha Falls:

  John H. Stevens was granted permission to build his house on land controlled by Fort Snelling in exchange for providing ferry service across the Mississippi River. In subsequent years it became a hub of civic and social activity. Dubbed the “Birthplace of Minneapolis”, both Hennepin County and Minneapolis were organized in Stevens’ home; it was in this home that the name ‘Minneapolis’ was suggested.

Photo: Minnehaha Falls

 

 

 I would go on and on describing my experiences in this wonderful city but wanna keep this blog short and simple… 😛

Minneapolis has gained a special place in my heart, and I cherish the memories this city has given me forever.. 😀 🙂 

 

 

Baking..

Being a Vegetarian, I always felt Baking involved Egg ! But living in US, tempted me to try various baking goodies..

I was always fascinated to the idea of baking Cakes, Cookies etc.. And when I did my research for Egg substitutes , I was surprised by the number of options which were available..

Since Conventional Ovens are the basic amenities provided here in US, I never actually used it, but its in-built light was the only one which I used extensively for preparing the Dosa batter in fermentation process.

My first Conventional Oven usage experience was when I baked the Veggie-Puffs which we call as Curry-Puffs back in India. I bought a pre-packaged dough for the puffs called as Pastry Sheets, which should be thawed and filled with whatever curry filling you need, and bake it in the oven for 25-30 minutes. It was a very easy process and I felt happy doing it. My hubby was over-protective of me and never allowed me to remove the puffs from the oven by myself. He was very helpful though.. 😉

I loved the way this oven worked, the flat pastry sheets nicely puffed up to become the Airy-Curry Puffs.. It encouraged me to make Curry Puffs twice ‘cos it came out so tasty…. 🙂

Then after few days, I again tried roasting the Vegetables like Green and Red Bell Peppers, Zucchini, Egg-Plant, Cucumber in the conventional oven. They were roasted perfectly and had a nice crunch to it. Then I used those roasted veggies onto toasted bread and made Crostini

I baked a cake for my Hubby’s b’day last year, the dough was store bought and I just had to add water, oil and the eggs. I searched online for egg substitutes and found this picture..

I used the flax seeds substitute and since they are having so many health benefits, I felt its wise to use too..  Just ground them to a coarse powder and added water to form a viscous gelatin like substance and used it as an egg replacer.

The chocolate cake turned out good and I did my artistry with the icing for his birthday.. 😉 And that was my first cake-baking experience but I wasn’t fully happy ‘cos half of the ingredients were ready made..

After a few days, one of my friend baked Banana Bread at her home and told me how easy it was. The bread was delicious and I urged to make it myself, then after browsing from various websites and her recipe I came out with my own Egg-less version and it came out OKAYish.. But then I tried it once again after few days, then it reached my satisfaction level of soft, smooth and deliciousness. And since all the ingredients were made from scratch, I really liked it and my hubby devoured it too.. 🙂

This new pastime of baking forged my interest to bake cookies..  And being a chocolate lover, I relish Chocolate Cookies.. 🙂

There were numerous recipes to bake choco-cookies and brownies I followed the one which was on the Nestle Cocoa powder box and they came out the way I wanted in the first try itself.. Soft and gooey in the middle and had a nice texture outside. The golden brown color was perfect…

I just loved to bake and made me realize that for any dish to come out perfectly, Patience , perseverance and interest is required. This can be applicable to any of our daily situations too.

Everything will turn sweet, perfect and gooey JUST THE WAY YOU LIKE IT once the time comes..  🙂 😀

Clone Wars..

I just had a random thought.. if I could clone myself.. What would I do..?

 

I am delighted by the mere perception of it…  Let us consider the situation in which I am really cloned and see how it goes..

My first clone I”ll call it as ‘A’ because it is the first letter of my Name.. 😉 This ‘A’ will be first sent to India to my parents so that they can never miss me again and I will always be with them , Well ! at least my clone 😛

My second clone ‘P’ will be with my in-laws and family to spend time and accompany them.. 🙂 And this ‘P’ will be enjoying the city life of Bangalore ‘cos I have never experienced it fully before..

Third  ‘U’ will be with my bro and we would be having lots of fun and it may even go with him to his college and all the secret places he visits to have fun… 😀

Fourth one ‘R’ will be the GeEkY one, lots of studying, coding, programing, preparing for some exams and things like that. I actually like this one quite a lot..

Fifth ‘V’ will be the Fun one who will be partying , staying with friends and the HiPpiE type. I am not more into it so at least ‘V’  can enjoy being that..  😉

Sixth ‘a’ this will be the one who will be cooking, cleaning and maintaining my house and other daily chores.. As I usually dread the thought of cleaning and arranging, let ‘a’  take that responsibility of it and leave me peacefully.

I think these many clones are plentiful for me.. If I get more I may create an army of myself which will be disastrous.. 😀 and as my title suggests it may lead to Clone WARS… !! 😛

And now I have MY-OWN-SELF… Since I have delegated most of my works and responsibilities to my Clones ‘APURVa’ I will have ample of time to take care of myself, be healthy by working out, doing Cardio, Yoga  and other forms of Exercises… Just chill, spend time with my hubby, may do a World Tour and gain lot of Traveling experience… and maybe volunteer for some non-profit organizations and serve the humanity. 🙂

I assume whoever reads this blog, will give a thought of cloning themselves and share me their thoughts of how they want their clones to be.