Yogurt recipes

Published Articles, Reshma's Blog, The Hindu

So many optionsMaybe a smoothie…?

Curd is one of those must-haves in Indian kitchens. You can whip it into a thick lassi or a fruit smoothie or even make the traditional buttermilk or majjige as a quick trick to beat the heat. Here are three curd based recipes

 SWEET LASSI

Ingredients:

Fresh curd: 1 to 2 cups

Sugar: 5 to 7 teaspoons

Water: Half cup

Cold milk: 1 cup

Cardamom powder: One fourth tea spoon

Almonds: 5-7 sliced

A pinch of saffron strands (for garnishing)

Method:

Pour curd, water, milk, cardamom powder and sugar in a blender and make it into a smooth liquid for about 20 to 30 seconds. Do not go overboard as you may get butter floating which is not required.

Serve lassi in tall glasses

Add saffron strands for garnishing. You can also add a few sliced almonds as an option for garnishing.

Note-Lassi can be made thicker by increasing the quantity of curd and sugar.

BANANA APPLE SMOOTHIE

Ingredients

Chopped bananas: 1 cup

Chopped apples (peeled): 1 cup

Fresh curd: 1 cup (Most smoothies are made from yogurt. Curd can be used if yogurt is not readily available).

Milk/ water: half cup

Sugar: three tea spoons

Ice cubes two to five (optional) for garnishing effect or while blending the entire mixture.

Method

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend till the mixture is smooth and frothy.

Pour the smoothie in glasses and serve immediately.

Garnish the glass with a slice of apple.

 

MAJJIGE

Ingredients:

Curd: 1to 2 cups

Water: 4 cups

Salt: as required

A few lemon drops (optional)

To grind

Green chillies: 2

Chopped/ grated ginger: Half tea spoon

Tempering

Oil: 1 tea spoon

Mustard seeds: half tea spoon

Curry leaves: half tea spoon

Asafoetida: a pinch

Method

In a bowl add curd, water, salt and whisk the curd using a hand held whisk until you get a diluted liquid. Grind chillies, ginger and curry leaves and add to the buttermilk.

Dilute the buttermilk with water and lemon drops according to your desired taste and consistency.

In a pan, pour oil, add mustard seeds, asafoetida and a few curry leaves. Add this to the buttermilk.

You can strain the mixture if you desire.

Garnish the buttermilk with a few coriander leaves. Refrigerate for one to two hours for the flavours to blend well.

Serve in tall steel glasses or in small earthen tumblers for the authentic desi look to the drink.

In case you want to reduce the spicy flavour to give it to children, avoid chillies.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/yogurt-recipes/article5923429.ece

The stay-at-home women

Deccan Herald, General Thoughts, Published Articles, Reshma's Blog

Once upon a time, society questioned why a woman needed a career, when her man has one. Today, it’s a society that questions why educated women would want to stay at home, when they can make a career for themselves, muses Reshma Krishnamurthy Sharma.

Most of us would have met at least one career-oriented woman, a go-getter, who wears multiple responsibilities at home and at work, who wants to prove she is no less than her male peers.

There are also a few spirited women who try to get back to work, either through a part-time job, or by freelancing, or just lingering on to the hope that one day they will get back to what they love – working in an office set-up.

Then there are these other set of women who do not have great career ambitions; they might have worked once upon a time or never had a career.

They do not crib about not having a career, and never feel that they are missing out on something important in life.

 

Meet the new breed of educated, married and confident women who are happy to be “stay-at-home-ladies”.

There was once a time when the society questioned why a woman needed to work, when her man could do it.

Now, it’s a society that questions why educated women would want to stay at home! Throwing aside the somewhat feminist concept that women find contentment only when they get to have a sound career, stay-at-home-ladies are proving that women can create happy environments for themselves wherever they want to be.

Voicing it out in a recent interaction with the media, Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie said, “Acting’s a very lucky profession to be a part of, and I enjoy it, but if it went away tomorrow, I would be very happy just to be at home with my children.”

Says Smitha Rao, a young woman in early thirties, “When I got married over a decade ago, my primary focus was to understand the relationship and invest time in it. Life had changed and I wanted to take it in my own pace.
Stay-at-home women have to deal with a lot of unwanted questions and in my case, I was ever-ready to pounce at people and defend myself as to why I was not working. Today I have mellowed down and choose, many a times, to ignore unnecessary questions.”

It’s not easy to deal with questions that society demands them to answer, say some of these stay-at-home women.

It seems like everyone wants a justified answer trying to explain if you are educated, qualified, smart, then you cannot deny that you do not want to be a working professional outside home.

But it is the hardest when they start questioning themselves, they admit.

Women like Sindhu Sharath, a chartered accountant by qualification, and a mother of two, opines, “At times I do ponder over the question as to what I’m doing, not using my academic credentials. I also wonder what will happen when my little girls grow up and I will have nothing to do. But these are momentary botherations. What I do know is that at this very phase in my life, I want to be a complete mother and not bother about the judgemental eyes (mostly women’s) of the society. So I will figure it all out on the way; I’m in no hurry.”

Whether or not they have kids, these women believe the stay-at-home option is a luxury, for the simple reason that single income, in a time of ever-rising costs, is bordering on economical risks. But if a couple can afford it, then, why not?

After all, being pulled in all directions is not everybody’s cup of tea. It is a matter of personal choice.

Leaving their children in a day care, for pursuing a career, is not all that easy and nor is coming home to household chores after a hectic day at work. When such is the case, why not keep it simple and fulfilling, by choosing to bestay-at-home women if they can afford to, they ask.

 

 

A getaway from Bangalore

Reshma's Blog, Reviews
yercaud-review2
Getaway in the hills in South India

Four hours away by our own self-driven car took us sometime back to the hilly region of Yercaud in Tamil Nadu. Driving through the roads from Bangalore to the foothills of Yercaud at Salem is itself a pleasure to experience, a rarity in Bangalore when it comes to pushing your vehicle’s speed limit beyond 100kmph without any road hump or pothole.

This was not the first time we were there at this small town of Yercaud. But there was a considerable difference how we were going to enjoy our stay in a hill station thanks to the attitude and service given to us by two different hotels.

One claimed to be a historic hotel which was present in this sleepy town for ages and presumably we thought they would care about their guests too. But Shevaroys at Yercaud was a complete disappointment. Neither had they, had their loos up-to-the mark as should a hotel that charges over 3.5k per night in this part of the country nor they had bothered not to greet a new guest at their hotel with stained bedspreads, pillow covers or messy pathways. When complained about the dirty washroom in the room, they did attempt to clean up the space but still it didn’t remove any stain marks from the allotted washroom -hence dented the hotel’s image  in our perspective.

Earlier I was under the impression that it is the destination that makes the difference in a holiday. But over the years I have learnt about myself that I enjoy a holiday destination more when I am spending even a few hours in a clean, well-lit, airy and pleasant room hotel room. So thinking of our last stay at Grand Palace, we just walked into the hotel and asked them if we could see a room and book for a stay for the next night. We were shown a room and yes we were ready to pay for it almost triple the amount spent at Shevaroys with an extra family member in the room.

Getting a room booked instantaneously seemed heavenly and thankfully the next 22 hours at Yercaud made us feel luxurious and pleasant memory to hold on for a long time. The Grand Palace at Yercaud has some major plus points for a traveller who is looking for a relaxed holiday. Right from spectacular views from the hotel, the hotel is perched high above many other hotels and this is an advantage for the hotel and its guests. There is the option of choosing sunrise view room or the silent view. Opt for the silent view ones and you would be lucky if you are allotted a room that has an enclosing balcony that leads to the sprawling garden. The place also has benches spaced across the garden and one can spend the evening enjoying the views. There is also the swimming pool and it gives the view of swimming on top of a hill. Of course there is a reasonably good restaurant and a lounge bar apart from a small kid’s play area.

Make sure you carry badminton rackets, a ball if you are travelling with a child and even cricket set if are game to play the sport. There is enough space to play all of these games. We may not really visit Yercuad in the immediate future but the stay at Grand Palace ensured we did not come back with unpleasant memories.

Another world-wide celebrated day-Mother’s day

Pregnancy and Parenting, Reshma's Blog

I think since the last five to seven years urban India is unapologetic regarding celebrations of a few occasions that were completely unknown to the previous few generations. Valentine’s day,even a festival like Akshaya Trithiya -I do not remember the occasion being talked when I was young. But now if you do not buy something related to the yellow metal -gold on Akshaya Trithiya you are doing a crime.

Similarly while I do agree moms especially moms to new-born’s to a year old get some fun time, I do feel there is an element of unnecessary commercialization for Mother’s day. This year too there are advertisements running on what to gift your mom this mother’s day.

It’s a jaded feeling for me atleast. After a few years I really never wished like sending a card or a gift to my boyfriend or husband. Today I might feel happy if my child wishes me or gives me a hand-made gift but I do not want my little baby to feel pressurized and neither do I want to succumb to the pressure of giving a gift as on this occasion to my mom.

Nevertheless happy mother’s day. BTW the founder of this day as I had written an article last year on this never wanted this day to be commercialized and she wanted this day to be celebrated as a day where children would make hand-made cards, personally write for their moms and gift to their moms. She hated when the day became marketed for gifting white flowers, cards from stores etc. Today there are restaurants, jewellers and even online apparel stores tempting customers to send a gift for their moms.

Times have changed indeed

Right time to be a mother

Deccan Herald, Pregnancy and Parenting, Published Articles

Most working women find it hard to decide on the right time for childbirth. What really matters is your body’s ability to take you safely through pregnancy, your mind’s capacity to prioritise and your heart’s calling for motherhood, writes Reshma Krishnamurthy Sharma.
About two decades ago, education was a “privilege” to women, even those living in metros. They were expected to fulfill their family duties above all else, as their primary roles were that of a mother, wife, sister or daughter.

Only if these duties were met, as per family expectations, could the women pursue any professional aspirations (if they were allowed to have one). If, by chance, a woman was the breadwinner, it was usually only because there was, perhaps, a lot of financial constraints in the family, but not as a matter of pride.

 The scenario has changed to a large extent today. Education is no longer a privilege bestowed, but the right of every child, regardless of the gender. Women now pursue professional aspirations for not only financial security, but also for reasons of self-esteem.

Yes, times have changed. There’s a lot to rejoice about. However, all’s not well. While the women workforce grows stronger than ever in the corporate world, most women wage a battle within themselves on when is the right time to be a mother. When is the ideal time to have a kid? How long should the maternity break be?

When should she get back to work? How can she carefully restructure the career graph in such a way that neither the family nor work prospects suffer?

Unfortunately, the time to plan and stabilise a woman’s career overlaps with her peak fertility period. No wonder this poses a huge concern for a woman who wants to have the best of both worlds.

Many a time, the woman’s career simply flies out the window post childbirth, and it is this fear that makes young women think of whether they need to marry at all in the first place, or whether now is as good a time as any to have kids, or whether to wait until she achieves a satisfactory professional tag.

There is no single outright answer. Every woman is different, as are her situations and resulting decisions. A few have tasted the success of achieving financial stability and well-placed promotions, and then gone on to sport the baby bump. Others have found it better to have a kid (or two in quick succession) and then chalk-out their career ahead.

On a general basis, younger women seem to find it easier to get back to work as their expectations may be low and they do not have a problem in starting all over again in their career.

But there are other women who prefer to have a baby later on in their life, provided both their health and financial situations are upbeat. Such women believe that they have a greater bargaining power, with respect to flexibility of time and workload, on their return, .

However, if there is one thing every woman agrees upon, it is that managing both motherhood and career is no cake walk, no matter how flexible their professional life may be.

True, many corporate companies offer the work-from-home option for women who prefer not to take long maternity leaves. But it doesn’t help much when the child is still weaning or an overactive toddler demands the mother’s constant attention.

Having said that, it so appears, in the larger scheme of things, most women manage motherhood just fine.

This is irrespective of the fact whether they opt for it early on in their lives at the brink of their career growth, or during their mature years when they feel have achieved enough to slow down a little.
There is no right time, really, to have a baby. The biological clock and career path have to be in sync. What’s ideal for one, may not work for the other.

At the end of the day, what really matters is your body’s ability to take you safely through pregnancy, your mind’s capacity to prioritise and your heart’s calling for motherhood.

Find the online link to the story here- http://www.deccanherald.com/content/402021/right-time-mother.html

Bottoms up

Pregnancy and Parenting, Published Articles, Reshma's Blog, The Hindu

Here are a few tips to get children to drink more water

RESHMA KRISHNAMURTHY SHARMA

After every snack, give the child water to drink. Photo: K. Ramesh Babu

There are several mums who complain about their children not eating enough fruits and veggies. And then there are children who do not like to drink water, which is not such a good thing.

Sreemathy Venkatraman, a clinical dietician and nutritionist says: “The main reason for this is that children have not been habituated to drink more water. Children prefer aerated drinks but these drinks have loads of sugar and sometimes caffeine too.”

Sreemathy suggests giving children water stored in mud pots as it is flavourful and cool. Dr. Prakash Vemgal, consultant paediatrician says, “Educating children on the benefits of drinking water results in better consumption.

There is also a cultural shift in the society’s preference to juices and sugar loaded drinks which need to be minimized. One can try simple techniques like offering filtered rather than boiled water. Keep a chart of the daily water intake and try to increase it by being an example yourself.

After every snack, give the child water to drink.” Here are some more ways to get your child to drink more water

Cartoon cups

Most moms probably are trying this already. A cup or a sipper that has your child’s favourite cartoon character on it might just make water a little more attractive.

Accessibility matters

Ensure you place a mug of water with a bottle or a glass with water somewhere where your child can reach easily. Every time he finishes it, be prompt to refill the glass and remind him to have another glass in an hour’s time.

Limit the options

Don’t stock beverages like colas or sweetened drinks at home. Even if you want to offer sweetened beverages once in a while, try and dilute the liquid with parts of water.

Read a story

Find a story that features a story of a character like ‘Potter the otter-A tale about water’. Or create a short, colourful self-made storybook that has a character who is healthy and wise as he has lots of water.

Be an example

Children learn by seeing adult behaviour. Make sure you have water at regular intervals and encourage the child to do so with you.

Make a game

Children of four and above can have a game of pouring water from a small pitcher to small glasses or paper cups and set a target of finishing at least five cups in one day.

If getting your child to drink more water is still a daunting task, then increase their fluid intake with fruit juices without sugar, tender coconut, soups, seasonal fruits like watermelons and muskmelons and beverages like buttermilk or nimbu paani.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Food/bottoms-up/article5911358.ece?ref=sliderNews

Bull temple in Bangalore

Explore Bangalore- My Bengaluru, General Thoughts, My Bangalore-A view from a woman's perspective

Bull temple-basavanagudiThe entire neighbourhoud in this part of old Bangalore has a certain charm to it. One of the prominent locations for visitors including International visitors who can afford to have a little time and interest on a historical temple is the Bull temple. I remember, literally over a decade ago when I was a trainee PR executive in a firm, my role on a particular assignment was to take a few international media personnel from Thailand to this temple as part of their sight-seeing tour of Bangalore. The guide who was taking the personnel had a lot of unwanted information to share and if anything was exaggerate, I would be smiling to myself as to why do generally guides presented a kind of distorted image of Bangalore. But then that was years ago and I too had fun taking those journalists around the city. Cut to 2014, thanks to internet, reviews, traveller feedback, one can no longer present a different picture of tourist spots than what it is in reality. This particular temple Dodda Basavanna devasthana or Bull temple has a lot of visitors, right through the year. There is an open air path that leads to the Nandi statue and is allowed to be photographed. This temple is adjoining to the other temples in the complex that has the famous Ganesha temple and Lord Shiva temple too. But it is the Nandi statue that attracts a lot of tourists. The idol of Nandi is supposed to be carved out of a single rock. A mythological tale says that the bull temple was built to appease a bull that would consume and destroy all the groundnuts and peanuts cultivated in this area. It is also said that after the temple was built, the bull stopped damaging the crop. As a celebration of this incident, the farmers of Basavanagudi organized a Groundnut fair (Kadalekai Parase), near the temple. This festival is continued even to this date and is organized in Bangalore every year. Most Bangaloreans who live near South Bangalore find this an opportunity to just visit once this festival as part of celebrations of Bangalore’s festivals. Will be soon sharing a few pictures taken at the Bull temple a fortnight ago.

Motherhood: The career changer

Deccan Herald, General Thoughts, Pregnancy and Parenting, Published Articles

 

Mommy moments, March 15, 2014, DHNS

 

Making it through the initial years of motherhood is no simple feat. It’s, perhaps, all the more difficult for women who have always been career-driven. They suffer from a constant itch to get back to work, even as they tackle the new-found demands of motherhood. There are several “mommy moments” that steal the entire schedule of the new mother.

Restarting their career and reclaiming their professional identity may seem like a Herculean task. For several urban educated women, even a year’s break can mean a dip in self-confidence and inability to understand how to balance work and home.

Some try to brush up on their skill sets, in the hope that it will fetch them lucrative jobs, while others get back to work, soon after their stipulated maternity leave, for fear of losing out on the job.

It maybe a long way before motherhood ceases to be a threat to working women, before they may no longer have to choose between a career and the joys of motherhood. Fortunately, the new careers of a few mothers are proving to be inspirational for many women to initiate the thought process to try something new.

Something that seems to be born out of being a mother. Something that chalks out a whole new profession for the mommy.
Few in number, they might be, but there are a handful of mothers who have found entrepreneurship to be a godsend option. These women have the luxury of enjoying all the perks of motherhood, even as they ride high on entrepreneurial success.

One such smart mother is Mahita Fernandez, founder of Gambolla, a kid’s activity centre in Bangalore. “I quit my job as a corporate communications professional during my pregnancy. I was very sure that I wanted to commit all my time to the first few years of my child’s life. I was an enthusiastic, first-time mum to a wonderful son, who enjoyed a great bonding with me in his infancy.

However, I found that there were hardly any places I could go to, to entertain an active infant. There was complete dearth of safe, hygienic play options for infants and toddlers until a few years ago. Taking him to public parks in all weather conditions was not feasible,” says Mahita.

So, this mommy simply conjured up an idea for a kids’ play centre. “It was during this phase that I decided to start ‘Gambolla’, with the intention to provide a safe, hygienic, all-weather play option for infants and toddlers. Since then, the overwhelming appreciation and encouragement from parents has propelled its growth as a one-of-its-kind activity centre for children of all ages,” she adds.

Being a mother made Chaitali Raizada, a one-time corporate professional, dig into her forgotten interests and rethink the needs of her child, as she embarked on a new venture.

“When I could not find anything of my liking on the shelves of local stores, I decided to try my hand at being an entrepreneur. ‘Taantraa’ originated from my need to give myself and my baby healthy food,” recalls Chaitali.

“I had decent knowledge about healthy ingredients and nutrition. So I came up with my own line of organic baked foods. Running a home-based company has several perks. I have a professional identity now. I also have all the time in the world to do things I love. But the best thing is that I can watch my daughter grow. Aanyaa happens to find me at home for every little thing – just as I did when I was a child,” she says.

For a few mommies, like Sowmya Srinivas, the career break post motherhood has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. She used to work as a tele-sales executive before pregnancy, and it was only during her extended stay-at-home phase after having the baby, that she considered pursuing her interest in fashion designing.

“I was interested in fashion since college, but I joined a fashion designing course only when my son was five. I didn’t expect anything from it, other than giving in to my long-cherished dream of doing the course. But it turned out to be an eye-opener. I realised I was very good at designing.

Two years ago, I opened my own boutique ‘Fashion Versatile’. Today, I have over 15 people employed with me and I make good money. I must thank my son. If I hadn’t had him, I, probably, wouldn’t have pursued my passion for fashion designing,” says Sowmya.

Professionally inclined mommies, often, face the flak (mostly from their own kind) for not being around for the mundane, but important, times in their children’s lives. Working mothers may not find the time for a peaceful play session in parks on weekdays, or watch an animated movie with their kid on a Monday afternoon. No need to go hard on yourself if you are one among them. It really isn’t your fault.

It is only natural that moms want to watch their children grow, even as they pursue their careers. It is in the hands of employers to create more jobs for such mothers. New mommies, with strong qualifications and professional experience by their side, make for a pool of talent that has been grossly neglected by companies.

However, until that happens, you could reconsider your career stream. How about a profession that is more lax on timings? How about a work-from-home option? Or, you never know, you might just find that spark of an entrepreneur in you.

Perhaps, motherhood is simply a catalyst that brings out dormant strengths of a woman. After all, entrepreneurship and motherhood are very similar.

You start out with jitters, and then realise that you’ve just let yourself in for the biggest roller-coaster ride of your life. In both instances, you have to find reserves of energy, time, passion, finance, and grit that you just didn’t know you were capable of. You have to be a specialist at everything.

BY RESHMA KRISHNAMURTHY SHARMA

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/392020/motherhood-career-changer.html

Working at a good time

General Thoughts, The Hindu

RESHMA KRISHNAMURTHY SHARMA

TRENDS Office spaces have morphed from dull and boring to cool and funky

Work environments today are very different from the dull, dreary grey spaces of yore. Today’s offices speak a different language. They are going all out to provide things to keep the workforce engaged. Amenities such as great cuisine and ambience, gyms and more are all contributing to the fun quotient at work.

Some companies even mention the cool stuff they have on their websites. Intel Bangalore has massage chairs and a shoe shine service apart from many recreational facilities. Smriti Goel, HR Manager, Intel South Asia says: “There is life beyond work. Companies need to recognize this fact and keep its employees happy to get the best out of them.”

Year-end company bashes, music performances by celebrity singers, reality and comedy shows are popular with young people. Apart from entertainment options, organisations invest in well-designed swimming pools, gyms, lounges and cafeterias as well.

Cisco’s Bangalore office has a lot of facilities for its employees. There are game rooms with a snooker zone and a music room with different sections for western and Indian music as well as Karaoke facilities. There is even a box office area where employees can watch films of their choice or use the space to put up performances. The relaxation lounges with recliners and massage chairs is ideal for some rest and rejuvenation.

Shwetha M., working as an analyst with a FMCG company says, “As I spend most of my time either commuting or in office, I expect my organization to keep me happy apart from the monetary terms. Emotional well-being is a great reason for me to be in an organization and fun activities at work or recreational facilities keep me energised.”

Vibrant environments, bright colours and lively interiors are intended to add to the happiness quotient. And thanks to some of these initiatives, coming to work is not such a chore.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/working-at-a-good-time/article5782156.ece