DesiReflections

   यह देश अब तुम्हारे  इशारे पे चलता है  क्या  बिगाड़ लेगा  कोई तुम्हारे पास सत्ता है खेल  तुमसे किस तरह कोई जीत  पायेगा   तुम्हारे  हाथ में तो  छुपा  तुरुप का इक्का है  कितनी   किताबें लाद दी हैं  नन्हे कंधे  पे  यह कोई मजदूर नहीं  स्कूल का  बच्चा है   बेवजह गलियों में भटका  दिया है  देश को   क्यों नहीं आगे बढ़ते  जिधर  सीधा  रास्ता है   मजा उपज का बिचौलिये उठा  रहे यारों   किसान  तो  बस साल भर खेत में तपता है   

Dollar is ruling world's most preferred currency in the international Trade since 1920 after replacing British Pound Sterling. Many efforts have been made from time to time to replace dollar with other options. Birth of  European Union and Euro posed a threat to it. Despite the Euro being in existence for close to twenty years now, it had only a small impact on the dollar dominance, in fact it has replaced dollar in a limited way, mostly in the trade transactions among the  European Union countries . And before the Euro, it was the Yen. Yet there never seems to be any real, tangible shift in the global trading system.  The dollar’s share of allocated currency reserves, or those reported to the IMF, rose to a record $5.05 trillion in the October-December 2016 period, or nearly 64 percent,   , the d ollar remains the world’s reserve currency. In March 2009, China and Russia called for  a new global currency. They want the world to create a reserve currency...

During my visit to Cambridge City this May, we were just passing through St. John Street around 3 pm, we saw signboard La Patissier , suddenly I remembered recommendation of a friend of mine to visit this place for Afternoon Tea. Before that I did not have any idea how elaborate afternoon tea can be. When we enquired, we were told that they have the best package of British Pound 25.00 for two.  Initially I thought it to be  a costly affair. But once the order executed and tray arrived, then we realized what afternoon tea means, a big pot of tea accompanied with oven-fresh  scones, cup cakes, buns, pastries, sandwiches, variety  of jams, jellies, cheese, butter, clotted cream and honey. Enough to miss your dinner.  Thereafter, we come to know about long tradition and history of afternoon tea, that most quintessential of English customs is, perhaps surprisingly, a relatively new tradition. Whilst the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millenniu...

From last twenty years, I spent my time in big cities only  where the whole emphasis is on continental, Mughlai or South Indian food.  But when I recollect my days in Rudrapur which is now a part of Uttrakhand,  this area is basically dominated by Sikh and Punjabi migrants settled after partition. I fondly recollect Makki Ki Roti, Sarson Ka Saag followed by rich helping of Gur and dollop of desi ghee. Another rich memory of various delicacies made of Gur were Gulgule made by my grand mother during winter time. Come  Winter, our Grand Maa used to serve  Gur and Bajre kee Roti loaded with desi ghee and  saunf  during dinner time. To this day, the rustic earthy scent rewinds the clock and takes me back to my playful childhood days. Gur is a part of our rural ethos. It is made and used  in all parts of country. Different regions different names.In English it is Jaggery, 'Bellam' in Telugu, 'Vellam' in Tamil, 'Sharkara' in  Malayalam, '...

Remember your childhood days. During sixties and seventies, we used to eagerly wait for our summer vacation and Christmas-New Year holidays, these were the only two occasions when family could plan an outing. The vacation or holiday in those days meant spending quality time at Nana-Nani's or Dada Dadi's place or a short trip to a pilgrim place. Journey to a tourist destination was a  sheer luxury.  Most of these journeys were performed  by train. Believe me, train journeys of those days were great fun. Almost each next stop used to be a foodie destination and  known for the distinct flavor and taste. People still love to rub shoulder to shoulder at Hapur station for Papad, Mathura for Peda, Agra for Petha, Sandeela for Motichoor Ladoo packed in Handiya, Gajrola for Kheer, Nagina for Chai, Ambala for Kulcha Chola, the list is endless.  But this time,  when I traveled from Bombay to Ludhiana it was a shocking experience for me. At most of the st...

I traveled to Kangra a week back. It was a visit almost after a gap of thirty four year. I could feel lot of subtle changes taken place in between. I have a very strong emotional bonding with the area as my forefathers had a strong connect with it. Then they migrated to Western UP 150 years back. In old time migration due to natural calamities was a common phenomenon. The area has been prone to earth quake, one major earthquake devastated big part of the Kangra and its most flourishing Tea Gardens some 100 years back. Brijeshwari Devi, the mother goddess of Nagarkot is our Kuldevi. Our grandfather, father used to pay their respect and regard to her on regular basis, before a marriage or any other auspicious event in the family it was almost mandatory to visit the temple. This was old way of connecting to the roots. Kangra is the most populous district of Himachal. Dharmshala is the administrative headquarters of the district, only 22 km away from Nagarkot or Kangra t...

                    Indian actor Shahid Kapoor crowned as most Sexiest Asian Man in the world  award this year replacing  British singer Zayn Malik.  The popular Bollywood star topped the 50 Sexiest Asian Men in the world list for the first time, dethroning chart-topping pop star Zayn who has been awarded the accolade for the previous two years. The stunning victory for Shahid in the 2017 edition of the globally renowned list published by UK based newspaper Eastern Eye rounds off an action-packed year, which saw him win a number of Best Actor awards for his stunning performance in 2016 film Udta Punjab. Bollywood heartthrob and previous winner Hrithik Roshan ranked second for the third year in a row with last year’s winner Zayn falling to number three. Shahid Kapoor, was ranked seventh last year. He expressed  surprise at topping the list and dedicated the stunning victory to his legion of fans who voted for...

Bitcoin is just like any world currency like Dollar, Pound or Indian Rupee. But Bitcoin  is a digital currency which means there are no printed notes or coins. Think of it as having money in an online wallet. This unique  currency was invented by a programmer (or group) by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto , no body for sure knows about the real identity of people behind it. First time it was released in 2009. It allows for Peer to Peer fast transactions. It is denoted by the symbol BTC and are further divided into smaller units (just like Rupee is further divided into paisa or Dollar is divided into cents) called – ·          Millibitcoin – Thousandth piece (1/1000) of a bitcoin. It is denoted by mBTC ·          Microbitcoin – Millionth piece (1/1000000) of a bitcoin. It is denoted by µBTC ·          Satoshi – 1/100000000 part of a bitcoin...