100 Happy Days: Day 80 Favorite Dhal

Happiness is cooking to revive childhood memories.

One of my favorite meals is 'Mah ki dhal with puffed buttered chapati.' The memories of enjoying this particular dhal traces back to childhood days, when my uncle used to enter the kitchen to churn out his favorite cuisine.

The word would spread around the house that nobody should enter the kitchen on that particular day; all the women of the house could attend to the other chores of the house and let uncle rule the kitchen. There were no pressure cookers and kitchen gadgets in those days, so the dhal would take hours to simmer on low charcoal fire. Everybody would wait anxiously for this special meal, and although it was just a simple dhal, it was cooked elegantly emitting rich flavors. At the end of the meal, everybody in the house would praise uncle profusely for having cooked a masterpiece.

Today, during lunch, I missed my uncle but had made the dhal following his recipe.

So here I am, with the project of ‘100 Happy Days’I am posting pictures each day here on my blog then sharing the link on my page on FB too. You can enjoy my work either here or on my page at FB at Pushee’s World

100 Happy Days: Day 79 Sunday

Happiness is spending Sundays with family.

Every Sunday is a special day. I belong to close-knit family. I love spending time with my sister’s family, relaxing. Special meals are prepared every Sunday, everybody is in holiday mood, and we spend time eating, watching TV, chatting and playing cards. No computer, no Watsapp, no appointment with friends, its just family time, and strengthening the family ties.

So here I am, with the project of ‘100 Happy Days’I am posting pictures each day here on my blog then sharing the link on my page on FB too. You can enjoy my work either here or on my page at FB at Pushee’s World

100 Happy Days: Day 78 Friends

Happiness is spending time with close friends.

Friend says ‘Don’t cook too much, just make a simple meal, dhal and rice will do, food is not important, we will come over and spend some time with you.’ She does not want to burden me, but I enjoy cooking. I invite more friends and decide to make something special. Friends come over; each one brings something to share (no, its not Dutch party).

There are cakes, chips, chocolates, strawberry milk shake, falooda and ice cream. “We will eat later” they say. There is so much food and too much variety. I should have told them what to bring, planning helps.

Now I need to call another set of friends to finish these goodies.

So here I am, with the project of ‘100 Happy Days’I am posting pictures each day here on my blog then sharing the link on my page on FB too. You can enjoy my work either here or on my page at FB at Pushee’s World

100 Happy Days: Day 77 Freedom

Happiness is being content with whatever we have.

Today I feel philosophical, and want to understand the meaning of life. Why do we need 3 different types of gadgets if we can use just one? Why do we need to accept every invitation if there is nothing new to learn? 

I have realized that main cause of unhappiness is desire, desire to achieve something beyond our means, desire to be somebody else, desire to have power over others.

I feel happiness is in freedom. Free from desire and lust. To be like birds, be able to fly free in the sky, to go where the wind takes, rest under a shade or simply hop on water and sand.

Have the freedom and be content with whatever we have. We have just our self to please.

So here I am, with the project of ‘100 Happy Days’I am posting pictures each day here on my blog then sharing the link on my page on FB too. You can enjoy my work either here or on my page at FB at Pushee’s World

100 Happy Days: Day 76 Holiday Memories

Happiness is refreshing the memories of another day.

Sometimes, when I sit alone, in my own world, mind wanders off to the places I have visited before.

Just few months ago I was in Las Palmas, an islet of beautiful Canary Islands. I was in deep pain and could walk for not more than ten minutes, but the lovely family that I belong to, would not let me sit bored at home. What is pain, it comes and goes. My nephew drove me in his comfortable car around the island from North to South, for ten hours.

We passed the curvy hills, through the thick foliage of pine trees, to the beaches by the waterfront. The air was crisp and cool; the climate differed drastically as we drove from very cold North to very warm South. We visited typical Spanish villages, stopped by farmer’s market, ate the local cuisine.

Didn’t realize my tiredness till I touched the bed, late at night.

So here I am, with the project of ‘100 Happy Days’I am posting pictures each day here on my blog then sharing the link on my page on FB too. You can enjoy my work either here or on my page at FB at Pushee’s World