Living Raaga: No-nonsense philanthropy

There is a Chinese proverb that says "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime".

This is exactly what Vinutha had in mind when she began her philanthropic project -  "Living Raaga". The project is a simple, sincere, no-nonsense effort that aims at teaching underprivileged and orphaned women of Bangalore, artistic skills that enable them to earn a small living and help them gain confidence. Check out Living Raaga's web page and Facebook page for more info and to offer support.

 

Any doulas in Bangalore?

Every woman has numerous questions and fears during her pregnancy. The impending labour,delivery and post-partum care for oneself and the baby causes anxiety and nervousness in most first time mothers. What with the advices pouring in from all sides, one is torn between grandma's remedies, internet forums and the doctor's instructions.

If you need a personal guide to support you along your pregnancy, help you emotionally and physically during your labour and delivery, then you probably need a Doula. A Doula is a greek word that basically means "a woman who serves". However in the recent past, this word is being used for women who guide and support women during their pregnancy and labour. Though predominantly a western concept, it is fast catching up in India, and there are Doulas in most major cities of India. One has to undergo intensive training programs and get themselves certified as a doula. Certification is by DONA International, a non-profit organization for doulas. Doulas may come as a huge relief for couples where the husband wants to help, but doesn't know how or isn't sure what's the right way.

I have been enquiring about Doulas in Bangalore, for the benefit of a friend who is expecting a baby later this year. Came across the profile of Paige Trabulsi, who was a practising doula in Bangalore till couple of years ago, but unfortunately she no longer lives in the city.


If YOU are a doula practising in Bangalore or if you know of one, please leave a comment and your contact details.

More Than Paranthas: Less Than a Review

I was going to write a review on More Than Paranthas, but since I find many other reviews (and a number of them with views similar to mine), I am going to stick to a bullet point overview of my experience -

• They give you two menus - One exclusively for Starters - Kebabs and Chaat. The other for Main Course.
• The Mirchi Paneer Kebab is delicious. I hear they get the Paneer couriered in from Delhi everyday. But thinking about it, I've had better - At Samarkhand, Infantry Road. But this was circa 2004. Even those guys don't make it all that good these days.
• One out of the four chaat starters was unavailable. So I had to choose between Papdi Chaat, Dahi Bhalla and Pakodas. The Papdi Chaat to my disappointment came topped with loads of curd. The South Indian in me has a mental block - To me, having curd or any item containing curd marks the end of a meal. The only thing I like eating after curds is dessert. But then the Papdi Chaat was SO amazingly good that for once, I did not mind eating curd at the beginning of the meal.
• The price of items are not given in numbers, but are spelled out in words - like Rupees four hundred and eighty two. So if you're one of those types who scan the right side of the menu carefully before ordering, watch out !
• I order the "MTP speciality" -Jodhpuri crispy fried paratha. One Garlic , One Lal Mirch. I expect to see a nice round slab of paratha topped with a dollop of butter. I dream of tearing out a piece with my fingers, brush it on some pickles, dip it into a bowl of thick curd and eat it. But Surprise! The Jodhpuri parathas are actually are cut into pieces before being served. Somewhat resembled a Kothu Paratha .The presentation is disappointing( and far from "crispy fried"..GRRR!), but I forgive them- because it tasted rather different and interesting.
• Another Surprise - They don't serve curds with the Parathas. Can you believe it?!
• The Jodhpuri Lal Mirch Paratha is extremely spicy.. I mean the teary-eyes-runny-nose-burning-throat-hoo-hoo-haa-haa kinds. Steer clear of this unless you have intestines of steel.
• The Namkeen Chaach was well made. This a must if you are ordering the above mentioned Killer Lal Mirch.
• Save space for dessert. There are two dessert parathas on the menu which I could not try because the tummy was house full. Ordered the Kulfi which tasted stale.
• Meal for two with non-alcoholic beverages would cost around 1200/- I mean - Rupees One Thousand Two Hundred ;-)
• Will I go there again? Umm..I'm undecided.
  

Of the people, For the people, BY the people.. Really?

A week after 26/11, I was sitting at the office cafeteria, having coffee with a few colleagues. The topic of conversation was around the Mumbai killings: the failure of Intelligence & Security, corrupt politicians, useless government...and so on. Pretty much all we had been watching on all TV News Channels and reading in the dailies.

Just as the conversation was getting heated and one of our colleagues indulged in name-calling of political leaders, an expat working in our office, an American, stopped by to say hi. "Some serious talk goin on in here?" she asked. She pulled a chair and sat down while we explained that India needs better political leaders, and the ones in power today weren't deserving. She listened and then asked "So why did you guys vote for them?"

None of us had expected that! We all looked at each other. Straightforward, simple question. For which we had no answer. Rather, we were too ashamed to admit, that "We didn't!". We didn't vote for them. Infact we didn't vote for anybody, and we had never voted in our lives!

Turned out that of the 6 elite souls seated at the table, none of us had voted in the last elections. Only one person at the table actually had a Voter's ID and she had last voted in 1999. I am sure the statistics would be just as shocking if you expanded it to our city and the entire country.

We don't need a foreigner to remind us of our Fundamental rights and duties, do we? We may not be able to join politics ourselves and bring about the reforms that are needed. "It's too late to do that". "I am just settling with my job and life, I cannot make a U turn at this point". "The system is corrupt and very old, what difference will I make?" "Can I really be that selfless? " There are a thousand excuses, questions and doubts.

But the least we can do is to cast out vote and pick the right leader!

Bangaloreans -

Visit http://www.ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/ to find out how you can enroll yourself as a voter. The site will direct you to http://bangalorevoterid.org/ for all your Voter ID related questions including schedules for issuance.

All it takes is 2 hours of your time to get the Voter's ID. And another 2 hours on election day.

Please vote! I surely will.

100 things to do in 100 feet road

Yesterday evening, my new neighbour came home asking "Is there any place where you can eat, shop, and you know, generally hang out? I'm not really a mall person.."
I promptly suggested "Indira nagar 100 feet road!"

The poor lady made the mistake of asking: "100 feet road,huh? What can you do there?"

"What can you do at 100 feet road? What a question!!" I cleared my throat "Indira nagar 100 feet road happens to be one of the most happening areas of Bangalore, dear! You could..
Have coffee at Beanstalk, Café coffee Day or Barista..
Pick up a telephone connection at Hutch or Airtel..
Eat at Tangerine, Dominos, Kund, Cakewalk, Hot wok, KFC, Annachi, Pizza Corner, Take 5, The Village, Nandhini,100 feet Boutique, The Beach, Roomali with a view, Crossover, Little Italy, Takatak, Barbeque nation…(and more and more coming up everyday)
Buy furniture at Metro, Feugo..
Order a whole kitchen at Veneta Cucine, Kimera, Kitchenworld
Buy art at Indu, Studio 5, Manora, Natesans
(Window)shop jewellery at Trendsmith, srishti
Buy clothes & accessories at Jealous , Reebok, Adidas, Pepe, Bossini, Bandhej, Arrow, Indigo Nation, Levis,Lee, Wrangler, Dockers, Sanskruti silks, Jaipur Bandhni..
Book a car at Trident Hyundai or Maruti.
Book a two wheeler at Bajaj
Pick up home furnishings at Maspar, Zarah
Lose weight ;) at VLCC
Open an account with UTI, Bank of Baroda
Get home electronics from Pai, VGP or Viveks
Get groceries from Food world, Fabmall, Subhiksha, S.H Department Store, Pickles & Spices, Fresh & fresh......"

That’s when I heard the THUD! Turning around, I realized she had fainted ! So I took her to GG Hospital.....you guessed right, on 100 feet road.

By the way, happy independence day to y'all !