A little care can make them feel special

She is childless and a widow. Whenever I see her she is cheerful and tells a lot of stories in a single breath. No regrets, no complaints nothing. What she needs is just someone to be by her side and tell all what she has to tell. She has stocked a box full of chocolates to all the kids who visit her.

These days in our day to day chores and busy life we fail to spend time with elderly. We had a period where kids grow up with the grand mas, hear a lot of stories with them. Now everywhere kids go to play schools.

We used to seek blessings of our elders before an exam, interview, marriage etc.

After retirement, many elders feel they are being treated as burden.

We can learn a lot from the elders.They have years of experience and wisdom.

These days many elders are being abandoned by the children. They tend to forget that we all will be becoming old one day .If we don’t treat our parents well,  what can we  expect from our children.

I have seen many parents tend to lack care and affection in their old age.  What they need is the presence of the children and not their money. The loneliness they feel in a big empty house is a terrible feeling for them.

Many would like to enjoy the warmth and joy of family life. But their circumstances prevent that. Elderly people should be treated as blessings

Ada Dosa

Ada Dosa

1. Raw Rice - 1 cup
2. Ponni Rice - 1 cup
3. Uzhunnu - 1/2 cup
4. Toor dal - 1/4 cup
5. Kadala Parippu - 1/4 cup
6. Cheru Payar - 1/4 cup
7. Pepper -1 spoon
8. Hing - a pinch


Soak the ingredients overnight. Grind it with 4 small onions and curry leaves and 2-3 red chillies in the morning. Make tasty and nutritious dosa with the batter. 

Dried prawns fry recipe - Unakka Chemmeen Varuthathu

Dried prawns fry recipe - Unakka Chemmeen Varuthathu

1. Fry prawns for 5-10 mins till it becomes brown in a nonstick pan
2. Wash it and then remove the head and tail
3. Cut small onions and crush in a mixie
4. Crush 2-3 red chillies, ginger and garlic
5. In pan, add little oil and add crushed onion and fry till it becomes brown
 color
6. Add crushed ginger garlic, curry leaves and little salt
7. Add chilly powder
8. Add roasted prawns and fry in low heat till it becomes brown

Best lyrics I enjoyed in the recent times

Best lyrics I enjoyed in the recent times

A song that I heard which I liked very much. This song Ananda Yazhai from the Tamil film Thanga Meenkal made me listen it repeatedly.I watched the video and again it was awesome. A song which pictures the love between a father and daughter.

Beautifully sung by Sriram Parthasarathy, beautiful lyrics by Muthukumar and beautiful music by Yuvan Shankar Raja.

I couldn't understand the meaning fully, but it didn't create any problem in enjoying the song.

I searched for the lyrics and the meaning and here it is.

magalgalai petra appakkalukku mattumdhaan theriyum (Only the fathers who have daughters will know)
mutham, kaamathil serntha-dhillai endru (that Kissing is not Sex or is not related to Sex)

anandha yaazhai meetugiraai, adi
nenjil vannam theetugirai
anbenum kudai-yai neettugirai
adhil aayiram mazhaithuli koottugirai

you are playing the happy veena
you paint lovely colors in heart
you share a umbrella of love
you collect thousands of rain drops under it

iru nenjam inaindhu pesida ulagil
baashaigal edhuvum thaevai illai
siru pullil urangum paniyil theriyum
malaiyin azhago thaanga villai

Language is not a necessity when
two hearts share the thoughts
beauty of a dew drop on a grass
might reflect a mountain

unthan kaigal pidithu pogum vazhi
adhu podhavillai innum vendum-adi
indha mannil idhu pol yaarumingey
engum vaazhavillai endru thondruthadi

Path led by your tiny finger holding
on to my hand never gets over
I feel that there is no one on this earth
living like us

anandha yazhai meetugiraai adi
nenjil vannam theetugirai
anbennum kudaiyai neetugirai
adhil aayiram mazhaithuli kootugirai


thoorathu marangal paarkkuthadi
devathai ivalaa kaetkkuthadi
thannilai maranthey pookkuthadi
kaatrinil vaasam thookkuthadi
adi koyil etharkku deivangal etharkku
unathu punnagai pothumadi

Trees are looking at you
and presume that you are an angel
flowers blossom at the sight of you
and the fragrance fiils the air
why do we need temple, or Gods
when your smile hangs around

indha mannil idhu pol yaarumingey
engum vaazhavillai endru thondruthadi

I feel that there is no one on this earth
living like us

anandha yazhai meetugiraai adi
nenjil vannam theetugirai

you are playing the happy veena
you paint lovely colors in heart

unmugam paarthaal thonuthadi
vaanathu nilavu sinnathadi
megathil maraindhey paakkuthadi
unnidam velichcham ketkuthadi
athai kaiyil pidithu aaruthal uraithu
veetukku anuppu nallapadi

Moon in the sky looks small
when compared to your smiling face
moon hides its face under the cloud
and asks for brightness from you
hold her on your hand, offer consolation
and send it back to her home

indha mannil idhu pol yaarumingey
engum vaazhavillai endru thondruthadi

I feel that there is no one on this earth
living like us

anandha yazhai meetugiraai adi
nenjil vannam theetugirai

anandha yazhai meetugiraai adi
nenjil vannam theetugirai

you are playing the happy veena
you paint lovely colors in heart
you are playing the happy veena
you paint lovely colors in heart

This song won the National Award for best lyrics.

Step out of your comfort zone

It is only when we Step out of your comfort zone, that we enjoy life fully.

I  have observed that if we are chained up in our beliefs, we are limited in achievements. An artificial mental boundary is created within which we feel we are secured and out of which you experience great discomfort.

I have met quite a few who themselves think they are weak and not able to handle the responsibilities. Excuses excuses everywhere and are tied up in their beliefs. They blame their circumstances, their choices etc.

They are  accustomed to the comforts of "I cannot","it is too difficult" and helplessness.
We tend to forget that we are becoming weak by allowing others to do things for us.

But the other set i.e strong people don’t sit around feeling sorry about their circumstances or how others have treated them.  They take full responsibility in life, do all the hard work and knows life is a mix of good and bad moments.

If we are used to our comfort zone, we are not learning, growing, developing, or progressing in life.
As long as we remain in our comfort zone, life continues as usual.

There are many ways to get out of this comfort zone

Make more friends
The more we associate with people, the more our world and mind expands. Make connections with people who can influence you positively.

Challenge yourself and take responsibility

Mistakes may happen, but it  allows you to discover a lot of exciting things in the journey.
Celebrate your victories, and efforts.

I have met many people who fear change so much and they  stagnate the growth of the organization/associated people. They are against innovations and new ways. 

When we push our boundaries, our comfort zone grows, and we grow.

We all are used to the safe known path.

Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable

Examine your core beliefs. Don't be rigid in your thoughts.

Do all that is necessary in life and give the best to your life. Take risks in life whenever needed.

Two easy recipes - Cabbage Koottu and spicy kozhukkatta

Two easy recipes - Cabbage Koottu and spicy kozhukkatta

Cabbage Koottu

Ingredients

Toor dal - 1/4 cup

Cabbage - 1/2

Sambar powder - 2 spoon

Chillies - 4

Mustard - 1 spoon

Method

1. Pressure cook tool dal with turmeric powder for 3 whistles

2. Add Cabbage chopped into fine pieces, salt, sambar powder, curry leaves, little ghee(optional) and cook for 3 whistles

3. Grind coconut, Jeerakam, Red chillies and add to it.

4. Season it with mustrad, red chillies, Urad dal, Curry leaves and 1 spoon coconut fried till red.

This is a good side dish for rice or chappathi.


Spicy Kozhukkatta

Method

1. Grind rice powder(2 cup), 1 red chilly, 1 spoon pepper, 1/2 spoon jeerakam in mixie with little water

2. In a pan, add some oil, fry mustard, red chillies, green chillies and chopped onions and the ground mixture and fry the mix till it becomes thick

3. Make small balls of the mix and steam it for 10 minutes.

Can be prepared easily and served as a tea time snack.

How Giving/Generosity can help you to be happier?

We all are in some way or the other grateful to others. Many of us during our tough times would have met many saviors sent by God.

It may be during our studies, getting our first job, seeking an alliance for your son/daughter, accompanied by someone for a checkup, helps/support can be in many forms.

Is there any relation between our financial status and giving nature? Is it always the rich people who give more than the poor. No, not always. We have to be rich in mind to offer someone a help. A help which we does at the correct time will always be remembered. It surely will make a huge difference in the life of the recipient. And for the giver, it will give an enormous amount of joy.

We meet both generous and stingy people in our life, what I have observed is that generous people are more happy than the others. The generous help through their actions  get closer to God.

The stingy ones perhaps may be because of feeling of some insecurity on their life.
I have tried to analyze the reason behind being generous and stingy.

If a person always felt anxious about money during his childhood as a result of believing that his family didn't have enough money to spend on him then he might grow into a stingy adult and this insecurity may prevent him from giving his share  to others.

People who are obsessed with money and materialistic things might find it very difficult to donate.
May be they thinks it would be a loss. So reasons could be fear,insecurity and ignorant of the happiness in giving.

Anyone who offers Financial, Physical, emotional support gets an enormous amount of self satisfaction. There can be nothing equal to the joy of a person who has received timely help. And just to see a smile on his face can be most satisfying to us.

Gratitude is what happens when someone does something to you that causes you to realize that you matter more to that person than you actually thought you did.

Helping others while on the job could boost your happiness at work.

Many of us believe that happiness  lies in financial status and accomplishments. We fail to recognize that the secret to happiness does not lie in money, relationships or achievements, but rather in what we can give, not just material gifts, but gifts of time, love, our presence.

Compassion makes us happy  by broadening our perspective beyond ourselves.

Anyone who has ever helped someone knows that the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that we feel is a happiness far beyond that of any material success.

The material things give us only short-term pleasure. Compassionate people are happy,healthy and  wealthy,

Think about what the other person wants or needs. Sometimes just being present and available to a loved one who is having a hard time is the greatest gift you could possibly give.

Each day life presents us with hundreds of opportunities to be generous in one way or the other. Giving makes the world a better place for us all to live in. If everyone did their part and what they could, maybe we could all reduce the amount of misery and suffering.

I have met few persons in life who are aged. They are not financially sound. They all once were very wealthy and are famous for their character of giving. Though they are much wealthy now, I am always able to see them with happy faces always.




Once a relative was undergoing Cancer treatment. We went to see them in the hospital. Since their children were away, they couldn't come and see him. Even after years, and though it was a small deed, they always feel grateful for it.

Some quotes I like

I've always respected those who tried to change the world for the better, rather than just complain about it.

When wealth is centralized, the people are dispersed. When wealth is distributed, the people are brought together

I would rather have it said, 'He lived usefully,' than, 'He died rich.'

It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.

It's not just about being able to write a check. It's being able to touch somebody's life.

Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give

“You can have everything you want in life if you just help enough people get what they want in life"

Be generous and share with others – Give more than you receive because being generous will make you happy. Every charitable act is a stepping stone towards heaven. It is the action of kindness that make us more close to God.