Chaayos Opens Its Doors at GK2 M Block Market..!!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Chaayos recently opened its doors at M-Block GK 2 Market and also launched a 7 star new menu. This menu comprised of special teas, both hot and cold, some mouth melting savories and teacakes. I was invited for a review with my other foodie friends and I am grateful to my friend and a co-blogger Radhika for that, do follow her page on facebook

We began our tasting session with ‘Desi Sab Kuch Chai’. It was a very typical masala chai infused with spices like Cinnamon, Cardamom, Ginger, and Basil etc. A perfect companion for those rainy evenings or winter mornings. ‘Assorted Pakoras’ were served along with the chai and it made the perfect combination. The onion pakoras are just worth it, you will want more and more of them, they were so addictive. Its definitely a must try dish on the menu. Along with it we were served ‘Bun Maska’ and ‘Egg Bun’. I tried the Egg Bun and really liked it. It was soft and delectable. The taste was mild, as the egg was not loaded with too many spices; it was just perfect, and as soft and mild as the bun itself.
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Next up was a specialty tea, it was a lot of fun, because we weren’t told about the tea, we had to taste it and identify the ingredients. So after the first sip itself, I could gather that it was a honey lemon tea with a dash of ginger. It was amazing, and it had a very refreshing aroma, perfect for a sore throat or just to soothe it. From all the teas that I tasted, this one was my personal favorite. It came the ‘Loaded Chicken Cheese Max’. This one is a lethal combination, trust me. Don’t think much just go for it and I am sure you will love them both. There was a Paneer version too, but I gave it a skip, who wants to eat paneer when you can have chicken 🙂

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And now it was time for their very famous ‘Kulad Chai’, which was served in actual kulads. I am not very fond of teas otherwise, but the aroma of this tea made me go for it and I am glad I did. Its awesome. Those fond of tea, will love this preparation.

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The next tea that I tried was one of the most unique teas I have ever tried. It was the ‘Aam Papad Tea’. As the name suggests, it felt as if I was drinking a liquid form of Aam Papad. It had exactly the same taste, and aam papad is something I relish occasionally with the fear of having a sore throat. But just the way guys on TV promote Mango Drinks saying that the mango season never really gets over, you can similarly relish the taste of aam papad with this tea without any apprehensions. I loved it. From the savories, next we tried was the ‘Butter Chicken Wrap’ and ‘Kadhai Paneer Wrap’, I must say that the filling in both the wraps was very different, It was really loaded and every bite of it was heavenly. I wont really reveal what all it had; all I can say is that you must try it.

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Last but not the least, was the ‘Thandi Chai’. They have about 3-4 flavors available in the same, what I tried was the Saunf flavor. After trying all the savories and filling myself up, this saunf flavoured thandi chai seemed just perfect. I quite liked it and I am looking forward to try the other flavours on my next visit there.

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For dessert, there was ‘Bananaa Cake’ and ‘Lemon Cake’. The cakes were nice, but a little too dense for my liking. I know I know, I am little nasty when it comes to reviewing desserts, but what to do, I am a baker myself so I end up highlighting the negatives first. But nevertheless, the cakes weren’t bad at all.

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I had a lot of fun with my foodie friends and now its your turn..You must surely plan a visit to your nearest Chaayos and more specially this newly opened one in M Block GK 2 Market and enjoy a tea of your preference with some amazing food. I just love the warmth and vibrancy this place exudes, its so comfortable that you almost feel as if sitting at home with a cup of tea and some pakoras.. bliss!

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Chaayos Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Reebok Fight Night at Select City Walk- Engaging Fitness Enthusiasts

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Strengthening its position as the leading fitness brand in the country and to celebrate the growing enthusiasm around MMA, Reebok India organized a real MMA fighting cage to enthrall fitness enthusiasts with the world’s most popular sport of fitness. The ‘Reebok FIGHT NIGHT’ was organized at Select City Walk Mall, New Delhi.

Women fighters battle it out in the MMA cage at Reebok Fight Night

The ‘Fight Night’ witnessed nine intense fights, among 18 amateur fighters, trainers & athletes from the MMA community. Renowned MMA expert and Reebok Master Trainers Siddharth Singh and Deepak Karai engaged hundreds of fitness enthusiasts in a power packed MMA master class that covered tips to champion the mental and physical groundwork needed to become a successful MMA fighter, and the secret behind keeping one’s head in the game when on the ropes.

The excitement was palpable as the event kicked off with a one of its kind MMA flash mob by Reebok MMA trainers. Those who volunteered to participate in the MMA master class definitely returned home with their head high as it takes guts to stand in a ring with another person knowing that the impending skirmish can get ugly. Participants were drenched in sweat at the end of the master class that focused on essential self-defense and striking skills from Thai kick boxing.

A Reebok Fight Night winner with Silvia Tallon, Senior Marketing Director, Reebok India

Commenting on the special session and her experience at the event, Silvia Tallon, Senior Marketing Director, Reebok India, said, “Today, MMA is described as the fastest growing sport of fitness in the world. Though still at a nascent stage in India, combat training and MMA have seen great response over the last couple of years. Reebok has been at the forefront of defining this trend and today’s Fight Night event was our attempt to further popularize this fitness sport in India. It has been a fulfilling evening as we have successfully engaged with Fitness enthusiasts to adopt our ‘fitness is life’ philosophy and encouraged them to train with us.”

To promote Mixed Martial Arts, Reebok entered into a partnership with the largest Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Company in the world – the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC®) last year.

The brand has also launched its latest combat training collection across select stores in India. These also include the exclusive Tribute Collection Tee’s sporting global legends such as Ronda Rousey, Conor McGregor, and Chuck Liddell. To add to the excitement, fitness enthusiasts can buy gear worth Rs.10, 000 and stand a chance to win a full sponsored trip to UFC Fight Night at Manila scheduled for October. The winners also stand a chance to get merchandise worth Rs.20,000 and Rs.10,000. For more details on the collection, consumers can visit the nearest store or log onto www.shop4reebok.com

Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival Day 2- Dance Like a Man

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

The Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival by 3 Bells Productions truly came as something that provided me with a lot of man ki shanti. Spread over two days, it showcased 5 of the top plays of the country. I am glad that I managed to see at least 4 out of those 5. Day 2 on MSTF16 showcased ‘Uproute’(which I missed), ‘Dance Like a Man’ and ‘Massage’.

I cannot describe my experience of both these plays in one post and hence I am dedicating this post to ‘Dance Like a Man’ and would cover ‘Massage’ in the next post.

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I am doing so because both these plays were very different from each other and yet similar, as they had a strong message to give out. They rendered me speechless and now that I have found my words, here is a gist of what I saw and what I felt.

We often assume that men aren’t the victims of gender discrimination, it’s only the women who suffer, but it’s not true. Men also go through the agony of proving themselves on the yardstick of masculinity. Mahesh Datani’s ‘Dance Like A Man’ portrays just that.

Mahesh Datani in ‘Dance Like a Man’ has very beautifully shown the Indian culture and the social issues that have been in the society since inception. The theme of the play revolves around ambition, career, relationships, family responsibilities and society, all against the backdrop of dance as an art form.

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The play tells the story of three generations; Jairaj and Ratna, their daughter Lata and her finace Vishwas and also using the technique of flashback, Jairaj’s father Amritlal. Jairaj and Ratna have a constant conflict with Amritlal, who doesn’t understand their devotion to dance and more especially of Jairaj. As per him dance is made only for females and no respectable man will ever pursue a dance as his career or profession. He feared his son becoming womanly and hence it was unimaginable for him to see his son dancing.

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Dance had different meanings for different characters in the play. For Amritlal it was only a hobby that too for women and men shouldn’t pursue it at all. For Jairaj, it was a form of self-expression, and he wanted to develop a career in it. For Ratna, dance was her ambition, she had these slight shades of grey in her character, like she married Jairaj only because he was a dancer, as husband and wife they didn’t share a very loving relationship. In fact she even joins hands with her father in law in destroying Jairaj’s career as a dancer in order to pursue her own dreams. Ratna not only curbs jairaj’s ambitions and desires by constantly misleading him, but also moulds their daughter lata into becoming a traditional dancer. Lata on the other hand, though passionate about dancing, but did not think of it as a means to earn money or fame. For her dancing was an art form that she loved pursuing as a hobby. She had a balanced mind unlike her parents. She was strong headed too, she wanted to marry Vishwas but did not want to give up on her passion for dance. In the beginning of the play itself she once asks Vishwas if he would allow her to practice dancing after marriage.

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It’s indeed a beautiful play that touches hearts and brings in light the plight of our society and poses a question on gender discrimination. Datani has shown that not only women but also men suffer the burnt of gender discrimination and are not allowed to follow their passions if they aren’t accepted by the society. The actors are commendable. Each one of them seemed in the skin of the character. But a special mention for Gunit and Paras who played the roles of Lata and Vishwas and also the younger versions of Jairaj and Ratna. How comfortably they switched themselves from one role to another, it was a delight to watch. Also the director Prof. K.S. Rajendran’s control over the entire play is just amazing.

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Prof. Rajendran teaches at the National School of Drama. He is a well known director of plays in various Indian languages.
His directorial work ranges from adaptations of Shakespeare, Brecht, Ionesco and Genet to contemporary playwrights and authors such as Omchery, Shankara Pillai, Shiva Prakash, Tendulkar, Alekar, Kambar, Indira Parthasarathy and Lalit Mohan Thapalyal, besides Sanskrit classics by Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti and Shudraka.
He has conducted workshops and lectured on theatre in India and abroad.
His noted productions include MARAT/SADE, UTTARA RAMA CHARITAM, GirishKarnad’s WEDDING ALBUM, MACBETH, AURANGZEB and VIKRAMORVASHIYAM.

If you have missed out on watching it this time, plus do catch up whenever the show happens next, I am sure you will love it as much as I did. I am thankful to 3 Bells Productions for organising such a great theatre festival and giving us an opportunity to witness something as beautiful and meaningful like this play.

Mystical Mondays-Short Term Pleasures or Long Term Joy.. What Do You Choose…? By Manoj Lekhi

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Our Life is a result of the choices we make! When we look around in the world and observe people, we notice most people go after immediate pleasures for instant happiness which often does not endure for long. They indulge in short-term pleasures and in due course experience long-term discomfort in their life! You must be familiar with the adage SHORT TERM GAIN = LONG TERM PAIN!

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For example anytime we take a shortcut we may get instant results , but the pain we experience later is very disturbing. Take the example of a robber or a criminal who robs/cheats people. The gain is immediate but when he is caught and put behind the bars he is marred for life and that pain is very distressing! A short-term gain BUT a long-term pain!

Take an example of a business enterprise. Lot of people use shortcuts to climb up faster on the corporate ladder. The faster they rise for short term comfort, the faster they fall to an unpleasant long term pain. When we use incorrect ways to reach the top we do experience , short term gain that results into long term pain. There are many actors that reach overnight stardom with sheer luck. They are tremendously happy & joyous at the time. But when the fame disappears they are unable to face that. This of course does not apply to actors who have spent years and years in practice and gradually come to fame. One such actor that comes to my minds is Hrithik Roshan who put in a lot of effort in bagging his first hit.When interviewed he was asked, ‘How do you feel, becoming an overnight celebrity?’ He replied saying that this is not an overnight dream come true.What you see is just the outcome of years and years of practice which has made me famous today!

Life is not about shortcuts! Life is about taking the long route consistently with hard work and perseverance. It maybe painful and disquieting at the beginning but you will undoubtedly find peace and high divinity at the end. Lets take food for an example – people love to eat fried and junk food. It is very palatable and pleasurable but over a period of time it gives numerous problems to the digestive system resulting in ill health. Everybody desires the instant coffee!They consume considerable amounts for momentary enjoyment. Take drinking and smoking for instance. They give instantaneous pleasure but the damaging consequences to the body is known by all!. Now about Exercise. No one loves to exercise early in the morning. But many people take that effort of consistent exercise every day, realizing that the long term results is worth hundredfold.

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Many people ask me “What is the pleasure in getting up early every morning?”. But they later on realize its value as age catches up on them. I was one of those in the first 30 years of my life. I used to think why trouble the body so much? Reminiscing my foolishness at that time, I realize, I am now compensating for it. If we go the quick and shortcut way, we have to pay the price later on. If we go gradually day by day it will pay reap benefits in the long term.

With this experience and understanding we have developed a disciplined habit called – LiYA 1 hour. This includes vision book reading, setting your dreams and goals, being in gratitude , meditating and planning your day on a daily one to one basis. It is a very disciplined way which will pay rich dividends in the long run. But many people don’t follow it out of just sheer laziness or procrastination. The ones who follow it experience short term discomfort for long term comfort and fulfillment.

Take relationships also in this context. People want love instantly, but relationships is a process. It requires attention, energy and care. Just like the plant requires day to day water, manure, sunlight the same goes for the relationship which requires day to day nurturing. Anyone who wants a healthy relationship between two people need to work on it consistently. The same goes in the case of a marriage between the husband and wife both have to work on it consistently on a day to day, month to year basis.

About the Author:

Manoj Lekhi is a truth seeker at heart and a guide to thousands Indians all over the world. At the age of 25, he met Guruji Shree Rishi Prabhakarji, creator of the Siddha Samadhi Yoga (SSY) program. Under Guruji’s guidance and as his key disciple, Manoj Lekhi himself has blossomed into a Business and Life coach.

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He is a passionate trainer in areas like management and leadership development. He has been teaching management mantras to many corporate honchos for business expansion for over a decade. In the last two years he has conducted 250 programs across 11 cities and touched the lives of 15000 fellow Indians in India and abroad.

His passion for meditation and SSY has inspired him to adopt an entire village near the foothills of Pune. He has also started a school there inspired by the Gurukul structure. The Gurukul encourages community living and inspires everyone to become a contributing member of the society. The entire community stays, works, meditates, serves and plays together amongst the rustic dwellings and wide expanse of sprawling greens. Apart from this he is also the author of the books; ‘Your Child is your Parent’ and ‘ Money Wealth and Abundance’.

Manoj Lekhi’s love for Silence and Solitude makes him an obvious nature-lover. He loves trekking and loves taking a walk in the mountains and forests. Apart from this he also enjoys listening to the modern day Western spiritual and professional Gurus like Deepak Chopra, Wayne Dyer on one hand to ZigZiglar and Brian Tracy on the other.

To Know More Log On To: http://www.manojjlekhi.in/

S.O.A.R Success Over Adversity Reigns- Book Review

Posted on by Sunil Malhotra

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This is the second book by the author Abir Mukherjee who is an IT professional based in U.S.A.
The backdrop of the book is related to the IT industry.The three protagonists who come together in the book namely Uday, Adhyayan and Rajasekaran take you through a roller coaster journey of friendship, love, ambition and deceit.
The story rests on Uday’s dream of making it big. He hits upon a brilliant idea and leaves his job to pursue his dream. He ropes in his two friends Adhyayan aka Adi and Rajasekaran aka Raja to join him.
The three embark upon the journey which takes them through disappointments and trials and turbulations and breakups.
Then comes a huge shock as Uday gets embroiled in a case of cheating and is arrested.
Hearing the news Adi and Raja leave everything to be at his side forgetting the differences they had in the past.
The ensuing married life of Adi which suffers immensely due to the project and the new found love of Raja make a compelling parallel story.
Will Uday be cleared of the controversy, Will Adi’s married life get back on track and will Raja be able to marry his love, an outcaste marriage?
Grab a copy and find out. The book surely has some editing errors and could have been better in that area, nevertheless it makes a very interesting read for sure.

About the Author:

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Abir Mukherjee was born and brought up in Bardhaman, a small town of West Bengal. He is currently based in U.S.A having completed more than 8 years as an IT Professional. He has completed his B.E. in computer science and engineering in 2005 and started working in different software MNCs. ‘S.O.A.R’ is his second novel.Blackbuck Publication has published his first novel, ‘As Life Has No Undo’. He loves to sketch and write in his spare time. He writes to entertain people, not to teach them how to live life, how to be successful in life or any other philosophical lessons

Book Price: Rs 175/- available on Amazon

Rating: 4/5

Understanding Facial Serum, Its Demand & Advantages!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Facial Serum can be a moisturizer or your skin tonner; it can be your sun-screen too. There is no particular logic behind what it is because facial serum does not only work for one task. It prevents you from sun burn, wrinkles and many other signs of aging that actually you don’t want to see.

How it moisturizes your skin?

Chock-full of moisturizing ingredients of Facial serum helps to maintain the moisture of the skin, but it does not work in traditional manner. It does not create a barrier in deep skin and upper facial skin as other products do.
Doesn’t use face oil instead of facial serums?

Most of us are not having proper information about the difference between facial serums and face oils, we may use face oil instead serum due to improper knowledge. Serums are actually water based and facial oils are for sure being formulated on oil basis. Due to big molecules of face oils, it just rest on first layer of skin but, facial serums are having very small molecules which go under upper layer for complete care of it. So, don’t be confuse get the right product for your face.

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Check If Facial Serum Is Right for you!

Only serum with right ingredients will work for you, you can get it according to skin type:

• Acne-prone: Get vitamin C enriched face serum along with presence of retinol which is an antioxidant for reducing inflammation, zinc to sooth the irritation, salicylic acid

• Dry: Vitamin E facial serum is good for you; it should also contain niacinamide for improving skin elasticity, glycolic acid for lightening the skin color, and hyaluronic acid which retains the moisture.

• Dull skin: In this case, always look for antioxidants as green tea extract, ferulic acid, resveratrol etc for cellular recovery and prevention from sunlight.

Caution: before start using of facial serums always consult to doctor. Serum is super potent so, piling it on can damage sensitive skin. Only way to understand more is patch-test.

A great range of facial serums are available online these days, after proper understanding of the product you can get one of best facial serums in India. Properly check the ingredient list within it so that you can judge if the facial serum will actually help you to get back the glowing and charming skin. Best of luck to take a step to the glowing screen!

Laughter Comes In Its Best Form At The Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival- Day 1

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Laughter truly is the best medicine, there can be nothing better than to hold on to your stomach and roll on the floor laughing to the content of your heart. But in today’s stressful life, laughter doesn’t come easy and at such a time the Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival by 3 Bells Productions came in as a perfect rescue. Its a two day long theatre festival that brings five of the country’s top running shows, not just comedy but also some soul searching dramas. This was the second season for the festival and I am sure it would be much more successful than their earlier edition.

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Today being the first day, two shows were planned and both were in the genre of comedy. The first play was ‘Perfect Wedding’. An English Comedy Play ‘Perfect Wedding’, directed by Dushyant Babbar is a laughter riot with chaos and confusion created by an appalling situation.

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A bridegroom wakes on his wedding morning in his own bridal suite, with his bride-to-be about to arrive any moment, and finds a strange girl in bed beside him. What’s more an extremely attractive girl whom, in the depths of his post stag-night hangover, he can’t remotely remember even having been introduced to. Worse – during the ensuing panic to get the stranger dressed and out of the way, the bride arrives, the girl is trapped in the bathroom, the best man pretends the hidden girl is his girl friend, his real girl friend has to be kept ignorant of the fact, and the hotel chamber maid gets mistaken for everybody’s girl friend. By the time the bride’s parents and half the hotel staff get in on the act, the chaos reaches nuclear proportions! It is that rare combination – a riotous comedy and a touching love story at the same time.

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Dushant’s direction and his acting, both were commendable. He was simply the show stealer with his spontaneous act. Also the show is written very well, the dialogues are real and one can easily relate to them, they are simple to understand and yet very impactful. I loved the play and thoroughly enjoyed the confusions. There was a subtle message in the play that one needs to really be very sure of the decisions we make in life and especially like getting married to someone. One should not just go by what others say but really evaluate if we have found the right person and then only take such a big decision of life.

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Written and directed by M. Sayeed Alam, a political science teacher-turned-full time-theatre practitioner ‘Cut…Cut…Cut’ was the second show of the evening and having seen Ghalib in Delhi by Sayeed Alam, my expectations from this show were super high and I wasn’t disappointed a bit. Slapstick comedy which is built in day to day situations is an art that Sayeed Alam captures very well in his plays.

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Tragedy for them…comedy for us ‘CutCutCut’ comically deals with the chaos, catastrophes and calamities that strike Pierrot’s Troupe whenever it rehearses a play.
In the process, the play brings forth funny characters; hilarious situations; comic relationships and bizarre events, besides taking an amusing look into many more problems that a theatre group faces.

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The play opens with the director being stressed and harassed rehearsing for his upcoming show with his bunch of actors and the script writer whose only job is to correct the horribly wrong accent or ‘Talafuz’ (as called in the play) of the actors. The ego clashes between the director and script writer leave people in splits. The comedy isn’t forced, but built in beautifully in the situations. As they day of performance comes nearer, the irritation of the director keeps increasing, and so does the chaos. Finally the day of performance arises and is showcased very beautifully with both back stage and on stage drama. How the director keeps improvising his actors and prompts them to do better, his frustration on their wrongs and constant contrast of backstage and on stage is sheer fun to watch.

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Harish Chabbra who plays the role of the director was truly the show stopper. His acting skills are remarkable and the ease that he brings about in his dialogue delivery and his comic timing is just super. Rest of the cast was commendable as well. I really enjoyed the show and look forward to more shows by Pierrot’s Troupe as I have become a big fan of Sayeed Alam’s direction.

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It was a Saturday well spent and I am so looking forward to the plays scheduled for tomorrow. If you have missed being at the Mon- Key Shanti Theatre Festival today, please don’t miss it tomorrow. They have some amazing shows lined up. ‘Uproute’ which is a physical theatre piece exploring the subject of home and exile, based on three of Miguel Cervantes’ Exemplary Novels. The performance consists of three short pieces that explore the aforementioned recurring themes in Cervantes’ writing.
Mahesh Dattani’s ‘Dance Like A Man’ centres on an individual’s plight, where a dying form of art serves as the backdrop.
And ‘MASSAGE’ that tells the story of Happy Kumar, a common man who comes to the big city of Mumbai with his pockets empty but dreams of becoming a hero. He passes through ups and downs, successes and failures, hope and despair, joys and sorrows, lanes and by lanes of the city. In this two-hour monologue, Rakesh Bedi enacts 24 different characters.

For tickets and other queries, do follow 3 Bells Productions and make most of The Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival.Enjoy!

Soul Satisfying South Indian Food at Tirupati Vrindavan

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

South Indian food is something that I can enjoy only once in a blue moon because I don’t find that authentic taste at much of the places. But this newly opened place Tirupati Vrindavan has changed my perception completely. It not only serves amazing South-Indian food but also has a very peaceful and cool ambience, very apt to its name that is derived from two religious and spiritual places, Tirupati for Lord Tirupati and Vrindavan for Lord Krishna. It’s a place away from the usual hustle bustle, loud music or a fancy set-up that we normally see in the restaurants these days. This place focuses on the quality of its food and believes in ‘keep it simple silly’ funda. I was invited there by Dish Guide, who have this amazing app called Foodie, which helps you locate best dishes in your neighbourhood, do check it out.

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At the onset, we were served a welcome drink of Butter Milk, and I really have to say that it was the best buttermilk I ever had. It wasn’t anything like the regular buttermilk; this one had a nice ‘tadka’ of sarson, kari patta and jeera. It was very refreshing and I just loved every bit of it.

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The buttermilk was followed by an amazing ‘Rasam Shot’, I am calling it a shot because we got ourselves served in short steel glasses instead of the whole portion, but I suggest that you try and have the entire portion, its simply worth it. In fact I regret not ordering the full portion. It is one of the best things they have in their menu. It was served along with crispy papads.

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For starters we tried their special Fried Idly, Masala Idly, Dahi Vada and Medu Vada, which were served with an assortment of chutneys and hot sambhar. All three dishes were good, but I personally loved Fried Idly the most. It was crispy on the outside and yet retained the softness that a normal idly has. I didn’t even care for the sambhar, it was just great in itself. I loved the sprinkle of gunpowder masala over the idly which gave it an enhanced taste. The second best dish that I liked was the Dahi Vada. The dahi was perfectly sweetened, not over sweet, but just perfect and the vadai were mouth meltingly delicious.The masala idly was also good, as it was an idly tossed in brown onions and tomatoes masala. The medu vada was good, but nothing exceptional. For drinks I tried their Aam Pana, and you must definitely try it out, it was really good.

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Fried Idly

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Medu Vada
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Masala Idly

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Dahi Vada

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Aam Pana

We were a group of 5 people and hence wanted to make the most of our visit to this lovely place, hence we decided to order more number of dishes and share amongst us so that we get to try more variety.

For the main course, we settled for Masala Dosa, Mysore Masala Dosa, Curd Rice and Lemon Rice. Both the dosas were amazing, crispy and loaded with masala potatoes in the center.

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Masala Dosa
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Mysore Masala Dosa
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Lemon Rice
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Curd Rice

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The curd rice, I guess was prepared in a little hurry and was missing the tadka, it was nice, but I think by now I was expecting more out of every dish and thus it was a little disappointing. The lemon rice was just perfect and I relished every bite of it.

The afternoon of this great culinary experience was brought to an end with their special filter coffee. It was raining outside and I guess there is nothing better than a cup of hot coffee on a rainy afternoon.

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For those who love South Indian food, this is the place you must visit and those who don’t like South India food, I suggest you please visit this place and I am sure you will start loving this cuisine.

I also happened to meet the owner of the place, Shubham and he came across as a very warm and friendly person and I think it’s his persona that is reflected through the restaurant that he has made.

I really urge all my readers to give this place a sure shot try and you will love it.

Tirupati Vrindavan Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Freedom from Dampness This Independence- Get Waterproofing Solutions from Dr. Fixit

Freedom from Dampness This Independence- Get Waterproofing Solutions from Dr. Fixit

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Who doesn’t love the smell of wet mud, the thundering of clouds, the lightening and the drops of rain hitting the windowpane? Everyone enjoys a hot cup of coffee, some steaming hot pakodas and long drives in the monsoon season. But there are two sides of every coin; there is always a flip side. So is with monsoons, while we enjoy the weather, rains also bring with them quite a few adverse effects. In India, water seepage in homes and other buildings is one of the most common issues that results because of monsoon rains. Dampness has a lot of ill effects not just on the building and its infrastructure but also on the health of the people who live in these buildings.

 

It’s sad to see every second home dealing with such issues of dampness and yet people are so ignorant about them. In fact I just observed a damp patch on one of my room’s wall and I realized that we have been ignorant about it since quite sometime, and this monsoon season it has become more prominent than ever before. I immediately searched about dampness on the internet and learned so much, dampness is not a small issue, it can cause a lot of damages.

Bad design, faulty construction or use of poor quality of materials are some of the reasons that cause dampness. Dampness not only affects the life of the building but also creates unhygienic conditions.

Dampness tends to cause secondary damage to a building. The unwanted moisture enables the growth of various fungi in wood, causing rot or mould health issues and may lead to sick building syndrome. Plaster and paint deteriorate and wallpaper loosens. Stains from the water, salt and from mold mar surfaces. The highest airborne mould concentrations are found in buildings where significant mould infestation has occurred, usually as a result of severe water intrusion or flood damage. Molds can grow on almost any surface and occur where there is a lot of moisture from structural problems such as leaky roofs or high humidity levels. Airborne mold concentrations have the potential to be inhaled and can have health effects.

 

Health concerns around mold include infections, allergenic or immunological illness, and nonallergic illness. Asthma is also triggered by the sensitization of dust mites accruing humid, wet regions of a structure. Another health effect associated with structural dampness is the presence of bacteria in an indoor environment. Bacteria require water to grow and multiply. Bacteria are a source for the transmission of diseases, therefore putting occupants’ health at risk by water intrusion into the indoor environment.

To sum up, we can easily say that dampness can lead to following problems:

  • Reduce the life of structures
  • Causes bleaching and blistering of paints.
  • Causes petting off and removal of plaster.
  • Causes corrosion of metallic fixtures.
  • Deteriorate carpet & furniture.
  • Deteriorate electric installations
  • Causes spots on the floors and walls.
  • Causes rotting of wood.
  • Causes effloresce.
  • Dangerous for the health of occupants.

Though solutions are available people don’t take these problems seriously unless they become mammoth.

Watch this new ad by Dr. Fixit with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan where he has portrayed the importance of waterproofing in his amazing way!

It’s strange that on one hand we are celebrating 70 years of independence whereas on the other hand we are not even free from the adverse effects of dampness in our life. This Independence can we all take a pledge that we won’t let dampness ruin our homes and health of the people we care about? At least I am going to get my home sorted immediately and also urge my near and dear ones to do the same.

Dr. Fixit offers both preventive and post-damage care solutions.

So whether you are building your home or repairing it, Dr. Fixit has products that are of high quality and assure fixation of issues. From external walls, to roof protection, from water tank seepage issues, to internal wall cracks, Dr. Fixit has products for all your needs and they offer recommendations with the help of their technical experts.

So lets all take a pledge “This Independence Month, Say No To Damp Walls & Ceilings, Leakage and Cracks, let’s take the opportunity of this time of the year to take an oath to strive for Freedom From Dampness”

Also, next time when you want to get any tips or solutions to make you home healthy and happy, check out the Happy Homes Blog.

 

Best jobs to get into if you think about food all day! Guest Post by Manvendra Kikkeri

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

It doesn’t matter if you eat to live or live to eat, food is an undeniably important part of our lives. Most people now have a stable nine to five job where you walk in and meet the same people every day and get into a routine, being jaded is only a matter of time .For most cooking is a form of therapy, something that takes our mind off things after a long day of work .But what if you could be around food all day, here are some professions perfect for foodies!

What you will need before getting started :Before starting on your foodie dream I would recommend getting some experience in either a hotel or a restaurant so that you have a fair idea of how the business is run, better yet find a chance to do it overseas so that you can bring a new and exotic flavour to your cuisine .Check out some great job offers at Neuvoo.co.in .I personally did my internship at a Mövenpick hotel but it depends completely on your goal .

Food truck chef: This one has been a bit overdone in the past few years the number of food trucks went up exponentially, but there is a reason behind why the food truck is so popular .It’s because there are very little start-up costs, typically just a van and maybe a backup generator both of which are pretty much onetime costs. The second advantage of a food truck is mobility, you can test different parts of the city and evaluate how big the market is, and even play with prices to experiment and find out which is most profitable .The prices and market can then be compared with rent levels if you would like to start a restaurant in the future .This is something that many food truck owners often miss out on!

Take a look at Brothers Maine lobster and their success story

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Image source: www.tes.com

Personal Chef: This trend is really gaining momentum, the concept is cooking for a small group of people for a special occasion, most personal chefs often work on a free-lance basis but there are a few companies that offer the service and signing up with them could be looked into. The reason this is becoming so popular is the customer’s desire for personalisation and to get away from crowded restaurants. The biggest advantage about this job is probably getting to meet and cook for some VIP clients if you are really good!

Writing a cook book : The amount of paperback books being bought is definitely on the decline with more and more people become more conscious about the environment and fewer people having time to read .However social media has given us a way to put our recipes out there without having to find a publisher .Starting a you tube channel or a Facebook page could be an outlet that you could explore .I would also recommend looking into the Paleo diet (which is pretty much eating like a caveman) this age old way of eating has now become a major trend !

Food production and retail: Okay this one come with its large number of challenges ,but if you have the perfect recipe to make something that tastes great and you think you can make money on it then go for it .However bringing production costs down can be a big issue as finding a big kitchen to make your wonderful recipe would be expensive .Then when that is done having it in retail will eat into your margins (pun intended) .Online selling is a good option but shipping costs could make your product less competitive .

Take a look at a start-up that makes customized granola bars called element bars!

Food critic and columnist: This one takes a bit of writing talent, however could be a great way to try a different restaurant every day, it also means having a stable job with a newspaper or magazine.

Opening a beach shack: Okay so I saved the best for last .The lifestyle of having a shack is unbelievable not to mention your office will probably have a great view of the sea .The biggest difference about working in a restaurant that caters to leisure travellers as opposed to business travellers is the mind-set that your customers would have ,having a beach shack would mean your service time could be longer and you would probably have to deal with fewer complaints as most of your customers are in a holiday mood, paradise often comes with its dangers, competition can be stiff and business can be seasonal not to mention the licences that you would have to pay for in advance .

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Image Source:Phuket.com

Thank you for reading and let me know if I have missed out on any great foodie professions .Let me know what you think and do share your experiences if you have been involved in any of these professions yourself .

By :Manvendra Kikkeri