Free Will or Destiny?

This is a oft repeated question in philosophical discussions and we always have people taking the side of Free will or Destiny... But the best answer to this vexed question, according to me, is how H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji explains it.

He says and I quote, "When people consider the past as free will they are filled with remorse and regret. When they consider the future as destiny, lethargy and inertia set in. A wise person will consider the past as destiny and the future as free will. When you consider the past as destiny, no more questions are raised and the mind is at ease. And when you consider the future as free will you are filled with enthusiasm and dynamism. Of course there will be some uncertainty when you consider the future as free will, and some anxiety, but it can also bring alertness and creativity. Consider the past as destiny, the future as free will and the present moment as Divinity.

This is like the Last Word on this subject isn't it??

Inghe Brahmanan!

Before I realised, our home had an influx of brahmin priests - come to perform a homam. We usually don't have such events at home and so was rather uncharacteristic. The occasion was our house re-warming after a complete makeover that we subjected it to:)

It was quite a task organizing for the event, ingredients for the homam, per se, and the most important of all, arranging for lunch.. A very enterprising lady bravely announced she could cook for the 30 plus guests with ample help from her assistant... So, off I was from work... shopping in Mylai streets for sticks / dung / flowers / fruits / spl ingredients for the homam, not to mention groceries and veggies:-). On the whole the exercise was enjoyable but I wonder if I will inflict myself with such an event if I had a choice:-). Check out the snaps in the link provided here

Those of you who are wondering why I have given such a heading for the post, there is a serial currently showing in one of the tamil channels - Enghe Brahmanan that talks of the life and times of the brahmin community:)

Peanut butter

This one amazing simple recipe that many don't seem to know.... Oh, its available in supermarkets but its not the same like it comes out fresh and yum at home.. take 200 gms of roasted peanuts (with or without the skin - I prefer with the skin), add 2 tsps of sugar, a pinch of salt in a mixie and grind. At first, you will get a fine powder and with more spins on the mixie, the oil from the peanuts break out and you will have a smooth paste of peanut butter!! Transfer to a container and store. Refrigeration is not required. Goes best with bread toast and spreads well.. Enjoy!

Heritage temples

I chanced upon a group that conserves and reconstructs heritage temples back to their glory with minimal changes to architecture and settings.. We were a motley group of 25 people from varied backgrounds on the trip to Pazhaverkadu.. I was quite impressed with the passion and commitment from some of the key members of the group who run an NGO called REACH. I must say that they are doing an amazing job of finding out heritage temples in ruins and building them back. For more info about them check this link

It just occurred to me that even economically, apart from the spiritual and mythological angles, such an activity spurs rural economy. Restoring a temple in a town /village brings back temple tourism and the town slowly can develop into a temple city and the economy can revolve around it.. Quite fascinating it was to see pics of the Adi Narayana Perumal temple back in 2006 and now in May 2009 after considerable cleaning and maintenence from local folks.. Calls for a lot of patience and perseverence but well worth the effort!! Kudos to REACH and their ilk!! May their breed flourish

M S Dhoni

I like this guy's ishtyle! He is good on and off the field, indeed. Yesterday, our media reported some rift between Sehwag and MS Dhoni. But I liked the way he gave it back to them... We've had captains caught in similar situations before but they have usually chosen to be silent and deny only when asked.

But our man addresses a customary pre match press meet with his full team present, says what he wants, and leaves before any media guy could begin asking a question. He simply rubbished the report and apparently as he was leaving, he tossed a stack of printed copies of his statement at the reporters and said, "here, otherwise you will misquote me on this as well [Nahin toh tum log isko bhi ulta likhega]".
I do particularly like it when the media is put in place:)

Home

Yes, we recently had a make over of our home.... it was a crazy one month and more but was exciting in many ways... Discomfort apart, I liked the choosing of tiles, flooring options that I learnt, and how quick some carpenters can be:).. I am happy to post a link for you guys to see and comment.

If any of you are planning a similar exercise, I will be more than glad to help you out. What's missing in the link, but a major exercise we undertook are the Fenesta windows. They are the current rage...UPVC windows and they sure look neat and chic. I liked their options with bug screen and different glass windows to suit the place. They are amazingly sound proof, with triple sealing, channels to drain rain water and glass that keep out the heat by 30% (unverified:-))

With regards to flooring, we experimented with a wooden floor for the master bedroom. Looks grand.. I highly recommend it to people, particularly rooms that have less traffic.. It definitely feels nice and easy to walk on it, barefoot... can't say the same of the vitrified tiles we have laid in all other rooms. Oh yes, they are easy to maintain and no hassle at all but hard on the feet, while the wooden flooring requires a whole new set of rules for inmates, maids etc.. But nett nett its worth the effort and more..

As we all know, the soft furnishings like curtains, light fittings have actually made the home very inviting, cosy and warm. So, look forward to welcoming you all home!!

Improvised Dosa

Happened to share this recipe with a friend and thought it was a good idea to post it... Till I shared the recipe, I had no idea that it was a little known variety of dosa. So here it goes.... when the dosa batter goes sour, no sweat, that's when this improvised version tastes best:-) ( hey, that rhymes well). Deep fry moru mollaha ( green chillies soaked in butter milk and dried in sun) and add to sour dosa batter. Mix well and make these dosas in a kadai.. The downside is it consumes more oil than the regular dosas but its not every day that you're gonna have sour dosa batter at home.. so go ahead and indulge:)

To the uninitiated on kadai dosa, put a little oil in kadai, when ready, place a laddle full of batter, spread and leave the laddle over it to ensure the dosa spreads evenly. And in this case, ensure, there are enough moru mollahas in each dosa. Alternately, spread the dosa batter and insert the moru mollahas into the dosa in such a way that every piece you eat will get a bit of the chilli. Turn it over and ensure both sides are done well. And volia... tasty dosas ready to down, with no side dish required. Polish off with some buttermilk to have a complete fill.

Those of you planning smaller cocktail dosas can also try this one out! Do let me know how it turns out!