PUNJABI FOOD

By Omesh Verma

Punjabi food is so popular in whole India with its world famous delicious, tangy and very fragrant energetic dishes. Punjabis are very fond of eating vegetarian and non-vegetarian mind boggling food.

Punjabi cuisine is cooked with large amounts of Deshi Ghee (Butter) while at home people apply spices flavoring in from minimal to very high. Punjabi food contains a lot of forms of  tandoori dishes like Tandoori Rotis, Malai Tikka, Tandoori Chiken, Naan etc. You  can enjoy Paranthas, Bread (Rotis), Kulchas which are very popular and tasty. Tandoor or oven are customary in the rural side of this colorful state. Commonly, a Punjabi will take roti, sabji, chunk of butter of ghee, onions, green chilies, lime, and plenty of luscious creamy Lassi. Punjabis take milk products in various forms of recipes. Kheer (Rice cooked in milk) is widely taken in whole state.

Punjabi philosophy is well known to eat, drink and make merry. They don’t like confusion in anything and often put it aside by saying-‘Ki farak painda, take this or that.’ (No worry, do this one or that!.)

We will know here about some popular recipes  of Punjab:

Sarson ka saag: 

Its is cooked with mastard leaves and Indian corn and is very popular in Punjabi culture. A lot of Punjabi songs on ‘Sarson ka saag’ can be often heard on many occasions. This green gravy type dish is very nutritious and tasty containing iron and protein using green mustard and spinach,

Makke di Roti:

It’s a popular and nutritious cuisine cooked of Indian corn on tava. Sarson ka saag is must with make di roti and this combination has been in use for centuries in this state.

Tandoori Chiken : This cuisine is prepared of chicken, yoghurt and spices and cooked in a tandoor or barbecue grill. 

Prantha: 

Pranthas are cooked in two ways: Aloo Da Prantha filled with potatoes and species while stuffed prantha filled with cheese-cauliflower-potatoes combination. They are taken commonly in break-fast with Lassi or tea. Pranthas are also cooked with other stuffs filling by cooks in this state and in rest part of north India.

Other popular cuisines of Punjab are:

Vegetarian cuisine are: Amritsari Dal Makhani, Rajma, rice, rongi, chholey with naan or kulcha, aloo puri, Khichadi, Sahi Paneer, Khoya Paneer, Paneer Kofta, Amritsari Paneer, Matar Paneer, Paneer Parantha etc. Panjiri or Dabra, Pulse, bean Saag, Baingan Da Bharta, Punj Ratni Dal (containing 5 lentils), Punjabi Kadhi Pakora or curry with pakoras or rice, Punjabi Lassi Paneer, Zeera Rice,

Punjabi Snacks: Pakoda ith Pudina chutney, Samosa with chutney, Sattu etc

Raita and chutney  are commoney served with snacks and meal. Chutney is  made of imli, pudina, dhaniya, pudina, anar and mango etc. while Raita is made of yoghurt , onions and a little addition of spices. 

Sweets and desserts: 

Seviyan (Vermicelli), Halwa, Gajar Ka Halwa, Jalebi, laddu, Khoya Barfi, Katli Barfi,  Besan, Gulab Jamun, kala Jamun, Khoya Jamun, Besan Laddu, Petha, Badana, Gajrela, Khoya gajrela, Kalakand, Peda, Balu shahi, malpua, Sheer Korma, Kulfi and ice-cream like dessert, Rabri etc. 

Types of Bread: 

We find a variety of Punjabi breads like flatbreads and raised breads in common. Raised bread is called Khamiri roti. Breads are also baked with sunflower and flax seed some times. Bread which are baked in Tandoor are called Tandoori roti, naan, kulcha or lachcha Parantha. Breads baked on tava or griddle are phulka or chapatti, jowar ki roti, bajre ki roti and makke ki roti etc. These are various forms or roti famous in whole India. You can take other forms of Bread like paranthas, keema parantha, aloo parantha, Mooli parantha, Paneer prantha, palak parantha, aloo paneer parantha etc and deep fried breads as puri, bhatoora etc.

Punjabi Beverages are sweet and salted lassi, mango lassi, neembu paani, tamrind juice, tea or chaay, mango milkshake, shikanji, jal jeera and sattu.

MY CINE LOVE

WHEN I WAS IN FOURTH STANDARD, I had a great inclination towards acting and film production but those days it was very tough to find a platform where new talents could get there dream come true.  I was in continuous search to find some ways to show my  talent. As later on, I started to prove it by my tasks.

I asked some of my friends who were my classmates too, that I was going to show them movie in my home. All got excited because that time we had no TV even, so, how I managed I tell you this interesting incident.

I got a lens and covered it with a square paper leaving a space to reflect sun light into it which I managed to put a mirror facing the sun throwing sunlight direct to the lence which I had to hold straight taking sunlight and reflect it to the other side wall of white color as the screen.

Now, I had already collected some waste of movie reel pieces. I did one of piece downside and the image appeared quite clear and strait up. All were cheered up with premier show of my movie show. The show was of different cinema reel pieces of wastage thrown by cinema projector operator daily while cleaning the projection room.

Now, all of my friends and their friends too started to come to my show every after noon. My room got crowded daily. When my parents knew everything they chided me lovingly but they were pleased seeing my cleverness about my interest.

I continued it this way. But, slowly I was in search of some upgraded formula in which images could move.

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I queried in the city market if they had some projector, but they not only but also smiled at me. I felt I was asking about some strange thing. During this query schedule a shop keeper showed me a projector which was hand operated machine and a reel was thus taken into movement like hand operated gramophones. I was very happy to see that projector as it was like a boon bestowed upon me by the shop keeper. 

I asked the price. He told the price (I don't remember now) which was out of my pocket money budget. I had to return without projector. I kept on wondering and wandering to satisfy my creativity. Suddenly an idea struck in my mind. Winter was coming near so many groups of city were preparing for staging Ram Leela shows. I didn't approach them instead I assembled my friends and asked them to stage Ram Leela show in our colony. They laughed at me. I asked my parents, they also laughed on my idea. But I didn't give up. I got stronger with my idea and held upon again our friends assembly. 

I told them that I would surely stage Ram Leela with or without them. Having known my strong desire most of them agreed to support me. Now we decided that none of us was  

Bollywood Dream

Most of Indian youth want to be a movie hero or heroine but most of them get failure and leave their dream after some time. Is to keep a dream to be a hero or heroine is wrong? No, but approach must be right. We will discuss some of the points in this article today.

Indian youth is crazy for cinema and film stars. They dream to be a star one day on celluloid screen. Many people having crossed 50 or 60 of springs but still feel a flame for films deep within. We see youth copy film stars in every aspect of their life. The hair style, the dress trend, the behavior, the conversational way, the attitude for career, the vehicle which is used by their favorite stars, etc. all the things are deeply affected by cinema. Some girls leave their parents home to make their dream come true. They reach Mumbai. A few of them get chance to act while a majority get failure and helplessly choose other carriers instead of acting. Many young men waste a lot of money for their dream in Mumbai and when they don’t find right opportunity, they return. There is also a majority of such people who has crossed 60 and still feel a flame for films.


Dream to be a hero or heroine
It’s very ridiculous to see that every body wants to be a hero or heroine. Everybody feels a hero or heroine hidden deep in them. This hero or heroine teases them at times. They should know one thing why many heroes and heroines who act in one or two movies and disappear suddenly; nobody knows where they have gone. Even many sons and daughters of famous film stars are launched with a huge pump and show but there is no guarantee to be successful surely. When they are not signed again they have to sit at homes. There are a lot of examples in the Mumbai film industry. This is true. That’s why heroines in film industry often seen in search of some successful businessman or cricketers or any other field’s player who can be trapped to marry and provide them a financially secure life instead of film stars whose name and fame are very momentary.

Fraudulent agencies

The youth is always in search of some person, agency or institute to get an opportunity to take a jump in the film industry. There are a lot of advertisements are published in the all mediums of media who boast to give a guarantee to make them super star. But, most of them are found failed to do so. They exploit youth in various ways mostly. Aspirant females are misguided and diverted to sexual exploitation, while males are monetary exploited; in return they curse their fate and travel back hopelessly. Many of them don’t come back and disappeared in the Maya Nagari (The illusive city).

How to get in

It’s not a crime that you want to make your career in film line. There is a proper way to be successful there. First of all you must evaluate yourself. Analyze yourself what you deserve to. Every body is not born to become a bollywood hero or heroine. Suppose, what would happen if every youth was selected as hero or heroine? Who would become villain? Who would play side roles and junior roles without which a screen play is never written? Amrish Puri played mostly negative roles whose importance in a movie often considered more important than a hero. It was taken for granted that if the villain character is Amrish Puri then the movie would get its cost definitely. Who can forget an immortal character of Sholay the dacoit Gabbar Singh?
So, first you have to estimate your personality carefully to what you are suitable for exactly.

Acting is not cake walk or picnic. A producer or director or investor is not a child who will invest his movie on a newbie who even doesn’t know what the frame of a camera is. There are many things to know before to face the camera as body language, voice modulation, pronunciation, modern acting techniques, correct way of speech, ancient and current theater, inner creativity search, character and story analysis, movie and acting analysis, understanding short scenes, understanding camera-dance-action, dubbing, relaxation of body and mind, mirror practice etc. A lot of things are to be understood before rush to Mumbai.
So, it is always a good thing if a newbie has at least one month acting training to try to search opportunity in movie industry. Some untrained youth think their money will give them opportunity as to capture a movie immediately. Infect, it’s a coincidence and misunderstanding which is not a right way to try.

Success
There are a lot of acting schools in almost every city of India or some near by big city where acting schools and drama groups run their activities. There is a trend these days that two or three dramas are thought to be a green signal to find an opportunity in acting industry.
Acting field is emerged into a very lucrative field where one can find name, fame and money in a short period. Growing channels and a lot of film productions even in various cities can give a handsome income plus satisfaction. A low talented person also can get opportunities in own or near by city in working video albums, tele films and dramas and if he has passion for his interest then sky is the limit.
Infect, talented actors are hardly required everywhere and casting directors, directors, producers, event management companies are always in search of them.
So, first of all test your hobby as to fulfill your satisfaction or to doing it just to show others you have done a project co incidentally.
Prepare a plan to be an actor just as we plan to start a business. If you go proper way, you are sure to get the success. That’s not impossible. So, best of luck, friend!

BRAND NEW YOGA

Yoga...Yoga...Yoga...! Everywhere a lot of Gurus...trainers...experts are before us. We are in confused, who are the right for us. So we try out one by one...! If not resulted positively we are negative about this great thing which has been bestowed upon us by the great practioners of ancient India.
Today, we see a lot of halla-gulla is being created by some so called experts of Yoga, they are right in their way, but it means we are wrong and we have to reselect another one to know Yoga. Consequently, we try and try out till our oldness reaches to hug us, suddenly we find that we are too weak to practice yoga, the great motive of Yoga about which we could not know has been lost unknowingly.
Is Yoga so important for us to live on this planet? We can live without Yoga too, but Yoga has many reasons to be practised from young age till old.
The great actor Amitabh Bachchan has gained everything he wished, may be, but I dont think so. He is in need of one thing more yet, he likes it to get but he doesn't know how to get.
( Rest in next....)