Happy onam!

To all my readers who read out of friendship, who read due to obligation and others who somehow end up with this page,


Eventhough I have heen busy all these days and had to partially ignore my blog, I take my time now to wish all of you a very happy and prosperous onam! As a keralite I am happy and proud to say that our time of celebration has arrived! All malayalees around the world, be happy and keep celebrating! All those non malayalees who take part in this celebration, keep enjoying!
And by the way, have a delicious onasadya with friends and family!


Thanking you,
Mrinalini Alakananda

'Khazak' - The legend of dining

Truly mindblowing tasty food without much artificial flavour effects. That is what this restaurant gives anybody who has immense craving for a 'happy stomach but delicious' kind of meal. I am normally not a food critic, but after I happened to visit this place on a saturday night after a tiresome day with my mother, I really wanted to share with all my readers what the food tasted like. It was a heaven on earth experience and the ambience of this place is inexplicable.

Around 7.30 pm we reached jawahar nagar in Trivandrum, Kerala, where Khasak is situated. The whole place was lit up like a house lit up on the eve of a marriage ceremony. Once we entered through the homely gates it was obvious thag the place was booked for some kind of mehendi night. Ghazals were being sung by hired singers in the partioned area beyond the curtains on the front garden. The music floated in the air as if it was getting us ready to fill our bellies as much as we wanted to. We sat down on an empty table and the whole place was lit up and clean without any speck or spot. We could even see the kitchen which seemed much better and clean as possible.

Before we took the order, they served us with some kind of special drink of milk with sliced badam and apple. We really wanted more of it. Seemingly flavoured by vanilla essence. The cool drink spread throughout our tired bodies and it was very refreshing. Once we ordered for the food (chicken tikka, egg fried rice, hong kong fried rice and chattiyil varattiya chicken) - I hope the last item has its correct name. However once the tikka arrived with the special chutney we coudn't stop praising its taste. The sight itself was mouthwatering. The rice was also very less flavoured allowing easier digestion. The chicken was probably heavy, the normal broiler chicken which doesn't digest easily on sensitive stomach. Well light meals with chicken will do no harm. Priceless. Awesome. I have never tasted such good food. Not even the famous Thakkaram, which serves homely flavoured foods. The taste of Khazak is incomparable.

I must request all of you to taste the delicious food of Khasak and get the full fledged experience atleast once. If you are disappointed it is fine and ignore this post, but if you do enjoy it then do not forget to leave your review as comments! Let your taste buds wake up and get spiced up!

The missile man..gone beyond our reach..

The man of our dreams, the person of extreme admiration and inspiration.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

There are neither comments nor criticism on his contribution to science as well as the nation as the president of the country. We salute this man for everything he ever did. He did not only motivate the youth of the nation but also inspired people of all age groups to be good humans. If there was anything above Bharat ratna, he deserves that too.

We can never say that he is now a memory, never. He is our past, present and future. Rest in peace always.

A travelogue : Kanyakumari - the land of myth, mystery and history

Let me warn you at the beginning itself, this travelogue is going to be pretty long but worth a read about the myths and history wound around this place- Kanyakumari. Well if you don't have time to spend, just scroll through the pictures!

The southernmost district of Tamil Nadu, ruled by various dynasties- cheras, cholas, venad and many others has been a tourist destination for a very long time. It was under a long time possession of Travancore king Marthanda Varma and eventually, based on the majority Tamil speaking people, the land was assigned to Tamil Nadu shortly after Independence. Kerala in exchange for Kanyakumari took up the northernmost district of Palakkad.

Saturday, 3:15 pm :: Well the trip began from Trivandrum and Kanyakumari city is 94 km away from Trivandrum which is around two and a half hours of drive by car. The roads are far better than Ernakulam-Trivandrum road via Kollam and most of the roads have been widened and the rest have been acquired for widening. Soon the roads would be better than Mysore-Bangalore roads. The roads recently acquired are under construction and they have to be avoided when saying 'far better than other roads'. They are hell now. But soon everything would get better.

On the way to Neyyattinkara there is a 'vedivazhipadu' temple and all people travelling through this route including the bus drivers stop their vehicles to offer the vazhipadu for three rupees per vedi. In Hindu culture the sound of 'vedi' seems to shoo away evil spirits. I do not know the exact name of this temple.

Later on we passed by the roads to 'ammachi plavu' of Sree Krishna Temple. It is situated in Neyyattinkara where Marthanda Varma took refuge in the giant hole of this jackfruit tree from his enemies.

After the checkpost at Amaravila I could see that many of the nameboards started appearing in Tamil too. The transport buses passing by all had marked on them 'Nagercoil' to which we were almost nearing. The roads started narrowing as we approached a well populated busy junction which marked the beginning of Nagercoil. The streets were filled with people and vehicles and roads became too narrow for two way traffic. Within a few kilometres away from this city the roads started widening once again. Now no more Malayalam and I found it too difficult to read the name boards except those having an English translation. Somehow I learned on the way to read 'Kanyakumari' in Tamil. On the way to Nagercoil we also passed the roads to Padmanabhapuram Palace in Thuckalay which is always worth a visit.

Soon the roads seemed to swerve into ones having huge neem trees on either sides providing shade and shelter  from the burning sun to the poor 'ilaneer' and 'nongu' vendors on the road. The view of the Western Ghats was breathtaking and continued in view until we passed by the entrance to Kumaracoil Murugan temple. Later we could see the roads to 'Maruthuva Malai' (Lord Hanuman dropped this portion of a medicinal mountain here while carrying it to heal wounds of Lakshmana, the brother of Rama) and Suchindram temple. The ghats faded into view as we approached roundanna of Kanyakumari- the land of Devi Parvati who turned into stone while waiting for Lord Shiva to arrive and tie the knot with her. As the mythology goes, Lord Narada tricked Shiva so that he could not arrive on time for the marriage and the Maangalyam never happened. She remained in meditation and turned into stone and the rice and grains for the feast after marriage turned into the rocks and stones of Kanyakumari shore. To be frank if we watch closely the small stones do resemble rice grains!!! ;)

The month of July does not have sunset in Kanyakumari, as we all know its one of the places where we can see both sunrise and sunset on the sea horizon. As we reached Kanyakumari at 6 pm, we opted to stay at Kerala guest house for the night (supposed to have the best view of sunrise at an affordable cost for night stay) and decided to roam the streets selling beautiful key chains, the 'shankhu' shaped artefacts, jewellery, sugar cane juice, baked corn, t-shirts and many more attractive materials. I watched the whole city but i couldn't find it polluted with plastic remains or bags. I later learned from the people that the city has been banned  from most forms of plastic. A very good act! An act capable of earning a salute to the governing authorities there.

There is a small beach like area, down a flight of stone cut stairs and we spent the evening getting the foot wet in the cool waters of this small beach. The atmosphere was too much windy and unexpected waves could get you completely wet! The night came to a close and rain started pouring as we hurried back to our place of stay having some baked corn stuffed into our mouths. The fans in the room were of no use as the night seemed to be too cold as the sea was near and the rushing sound of the waves can keep you awake if you are not used to sleeping near a seashore.

Sunday, 5:30 am :: We forced ourselves out of bed the next day to watch the sunrise at the brim of the sea. We climbed three sets of stairs to reach the terrace of the building which had the most beautiful view of the sea and the whole city. Peacocks were very common within the grounds of Kerala house and they hopped in human inhabited areas. As time passed by the sky turned orange at first and then in between the clouds I could see the golden globe rising with dignity out of the sea. What a view!

As we had to return to Trivandrum back in the evening on the same day, we scurried past the vendors on the streets once again to get to the Vivekananda rocks situated in the middle of sea. Obviously we need boats! While having breakfast, the attender at the canteen said the normal queues are too long and tiring. As he directed we took the special queue which is thrice the normal ticket rate. The normal queue almost seemed to extend up to the archway at the entrance of Kanyakumari. We easily got past to the second boat to the rocks. All were given safety jackets and soon we reached the rocks. A splendid rock cut area in the middle of the sea. There were several Mandapas and two of the main ones were astonishingly beautiful, One had Devi Parvati's footprint and the other had Swami Vivekananda's statue. Photography is prohibited within all the mandapas.

It also had a meditation hall that really could put you into deep meditation unknowingly with the soothing enchantment of 'Om Namasivaya' and the calming blue and green lights. At one end you could see the marking of Uttarayanam and Dakshinayanam on the marble facing the sun. The stores inside the Vivekananda rocks had one beautiful and best seller idol of Dancing Krishna. We also got one of them. A naughty and dignified posture of Lord Krishna!

The footwear we left at the entrance of the rocks were collected back and waited in queue for the boats back to the mainland after posing for some photos in the breathtakingly beautiful background. Well eyes are the most powerful lens in the world and we ought to see them with our own eyes! Thiruvalluvar statue could also bee seen from this place.

By the time we reached mainland we only had time to pass by the Kanyakumari temple and missed the view of the nose ring on the idol which was believed to be the light at the lighthouse that protected men fishing in the deep sea. The nose ring is shiny enough to blow your mind says others who have seen it.

We paid a short visit to the Triveni Sangam where all the three seas meet- Indian ocean, Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal. The pearly white waves smashing and splashing across the rocks was worth fixing my eyes on them forever.

Now it was time to say goodbye! On the way back to Trivandrum, when we left the city of Kanyakumari and could see portions of western ghats, I really felt I should visit the place again for the wonderful memories that it gifted me. Hope you enjoyed this travelogue and I still feel many of my experiences untold. See the place for yourself at least once in your lifetime and you would know only then why I said so. As always. Keep smiling. Keep travelling! :D


Photo courtesy: pictures taken all by myself.

Why go 'ROFL' with Merin Joseph?

Come on! She is an IPS officer, yes! But can't she click a pic with her favourite actor? Even though everything seems funny enough to crack a laugh, consider the fact that everyone of us would do the same if we had our favourite star in our vicinity. Well, the spell Alphonse created with the film PREMAM put us all into love with the characters in it, for the girls it is obviously Nivin and don't blame Merin for taking a snap! Remember the times when people wanted so badly to get arrested by this beautiful young lady?!? She was totally viral on the internet those days!

When the fun part of this news has to be kept at bay, she is a woman who has to remain responsible while in duty. All she did at the St.Teresa's college revealed how much she was into the film PREMAM and how much she worshipped the actors as a girl as well as a woman. It is not very uncommon, but for a responsible lady at duty, it does not suit. That explains well what our society is! ;)

'We cannot think, we cannot act. But we can blame!ANYBODY, ANYTIME'---Fact about many of us.
Watch video from a reputed news channel.

The Ultimate Referendum: Is Greece really going to be kicked out of European Union?

 HA! So, is Drachma coming back?

Whatever the aftermath may be, the fact is Greece is going to struggle. The YES and NO has been terrorising the people as well as the government for the past few days.

For those thinking what this Greek referendum is, I will enlighten you on the subject in brief.

Greece has been under depression for a long period of time and it had to survive on the International Monetary Fund(IMF) as well as the European Central Bank(ECB). The emergency funds provided by these organisations were meant to be paid back and Eurogroup leaders had plans to cut back salaries, pensions and other benefits for the common people so that Greece could get back on its feet. Well the due date was last Tuesday and visibly Greece has been unable to pay their debts.

Now this referendum proposed will decide the financial future of Greece as well as its position in the European Union. The referendum was called for by Tsipras, the prime minister so that the people could decide exactly what they want. A moment of democracy winning over fear of existence of Greece itself with the sure possibility of bankruptcy. By voting a YES, people could choose to continue with the funds from the European Union provided they are willing to let their salaries and pensions to be cut down by an unfair margin. By voting a NO, the people could choose not to pay back the debts to the ECB and IMF which will obviously kick them out of the European Union as well as will have to replace EURO with DRACHMA.

That is a serious decision for the people of Greece and now they have voted a NO.

Even though the people have chosen to 'not pay back the debts' which will question their existence within the European Union, they know that they have chosen the difficult path and it will really take some time for Greece to get stable in monetary terms. If the people think and believe in a slow but better and stable future, why not let it be the way the people want it? The celebrations going on in Greece by the NO voters is worth if they can prove that 'Slow and Steady wins the race' !!! Hope for the best.

The heart won't go on..but your music will !!

James Horner passed away in an aeroplane crash hours ago(june 22). The man known for his musical charm in the oscar winning film TITANIC was himself an oscar winner for his composition in the same movie.

The spell he created in AVATAR, another James Cameron movie was worth an illusionary paradise. The Beautiful Mind and Aliens also were blessed with his magical notes.

The man of his times was confirmed dead by his assistant after the plane crashed and created a huge bushfire near Santa Barbara. James was 61 years old.

I am sure his heart will not go on as the lyrics said, but his music will go on and on in our hearts..Rest in peace James.

Yulin is not only about dogs, but also about cats! Spread the message

WARNING: The following post contains graphic material that is not suitable for  under 18 viewers

For the past few days our ears have been subjected to the news about the slaughtering of dogs at a festival in Yulin. Notoriously known as the 'Dog meat festival' is a yearly tradition at this place in China where several thousands of dogs are killed for meat to celebrate June solstice. I recently came to know that it not only involves dogs but also cats!!!!!

I do not know the justification behind this tradition where the pets owned by people are either stolen or taken away as a custom and burnt or boiled alive. Imagine your pet dog or cat being taken away, boiled alive and sold as meat? Pity on such customs where the life of creatures have no value.

Thanks to all those who protested online which led to the cancellation of this incorrigible festival that was planned for this year. Thankfully we won't be having to see the cruelty this year.

Then what about these cats??? 

I read most of the sites to check if cat meat was banned along with dog meat, but could only see the caption 'Dog meat festival banned'.  I hope that cat meat were banned too. If not its injustice after seeing these pictures.The pet cats too are snatched and burnt or boiled alive. Can we call this a tradition? I doubt.

The underlying statement: Well if dogs and cats are not meant to be killed and we protested to ban the process, what about the cows being killed for meat and the chicken we have? Shouldn't we think about it? Just for a thought.

A Note to the past, a key to the memories

Some of the recent posts have not been on the 'happy' side and now I thought its time to enlighten my readers on something that can make you feel very positive. Its slightly 'off-the-track' kind of post I usually write about, but this one can really help you shed your emotional conflicts as well as keep your memories recollectable.

Many of us feel comfortable to share our sorrows with friends or family and in the worst case we post on social media too. Luckily we have the 'emoticons' too. Everything seems natural and fine until we meet up with something really that cannot be shared or something that seems very depressing. We keep them on in our minds, question ourself on its genuineness and sometimes even spend half our life thinking if its time to let go of that incident.

That is when the dear 'Diary' comes in handy.

We often consider diary as an old fashioned means of writing down our feelings, emotions and life events. Well its not. If we don't want to keep a diary as such or not even write everyday, just keep a notebook with you. Whenever you feel like sharing something on your mind instantly, take the book and jot it down along with the date. It is never better than the exact moment after you have come across something you wished so badly to share. You may remember the exact situation only for a few hours from the occurrence of the incident. So why wait? If not a book just get a paper and pen and transform the visual in your mind into words that can stay longer than memories. If you have time make them long, otherwise just make them as short as possible.

It is just not a means of letting the weight down from your heart, but also a gateway to the memories of your lifetime. I have had the habit of writing diary when I was a school going kid and now when i read them, even though it smells stupid and childish, there is a feeling of being a kid again and running down the memory lane. I bet everyone who has it as a habit feels the same. I have felt all the unnecessary weight hanging down my shoulders from the day I let go of this habit of writing diary. I think I must restart this old habit to feel lively and light hearted.

I strongly suggest to each of you who is undergoing immense pain or pleasure to note them down wherever you feel like, be it a diary or MS Word in your pc.

I believe, like books, 'Diaries are cold, but sure friends' too. It never complains about you, never underestimates you nor does it let you down. It keeps on listening like a true friend and your inner-self slowly becomes a 'personal solution' machine giving you possibilities to every problem threatening your mind.

And to those who don't believe in writing diaries- next time you feel terrible and down about someone or something, just write it down in whatever language you want and let it be offensive to the maximum. Don't publish it or keep it with you. Just 'burn 'em' !!! I assure you some happy wind that will calm you down for sure.

'Write to feel light'. As always, keep smiling.

I am not an atheist; but these will surely make you one! - The story of the children; Series one

The Syrian crisis or the Syrian uprising is not alien to our minds that could only see the wrath of Syrian civil war in the newspaper and news channel headlines which began in the year 2011. Well the war led to a death toll of thousands and ten thousands and since then Syria has always inflicted pain and fear in our minds and hearts.

I am not basically an atheist. I do believe in some sort of positive energy that can motivate us to do many things, it is up to each one of us to decide whether to call it GOD or by some name. But these images will really make you question what you call 'God'.

There is nothing to be told better than these pictures I have found from various sources around the internet. The children have always suffered in wars. Many have been killed more than the adults.

Many injured. Many homeless. Many starving.

The picture below was one that went viral on the internet during the uprising. We will never forget this child who "SURRENDERED TO THE CAMERA" thinking that the camera was a gun that was meant to shoot him to death.

It proves something very important in the case of kids. SCARS in the mind can never be healed. FEAR of the heart can never be repealed.

Human rights in Syria have always been a subject of extreme criticism. The rule of Bashar al-Assad was always seen unsuccessful by the people of Syria in terms of implementing democracy and they protested for a long time against the Syrian government for rights of expression, assembly and association. The women and children face a lot of discrimination. The arrested activists are imprisoned in poor conditions and violence was always a means of punishment. What else is needed as a reason to protest against the government? Well, more violence followed.

Have a look at these two pictures, not for the pity but to know what world around you looks like.

One is a baby that got bombed and the other is a father kissing goodbye to his dead baby.

Why are the children starving to death then?

As a matter of fact this can be seen as a warfare method. The opposition-held areas of Syria have civilians who can hardly access food from neighbouring areas. There are many humanitarian agencies working near these ares but are not allowed inside them by the government itlsef. The refugee camps suffer from lack of medical aid too which adds to the existing problem of starvation. Many civilians are even targeted and shot when they are outside on the fields in search of food.

Some parcels of food once in a blue moon cannot provide nutrition to the babies and children. May be it can put out the hunger of the older ones. There are children out there eating even grass in their pitiable conditions of hunger and starvation as reported by some news sources. Should the kids die and suffer because of a war crisis? 

When we selfishly wish to god for small things in life like getting a latest movie ticket, getting a stylish outfit and even sometimes wish for tasty sumptuous food as dinner, imagine the faces of these kids dying of hunger; I am sure you would not wish for any more luxury when they dont even have the basic amenities like food, water and medicine.

I know that this is a pretty big article but I assure it will only boost your morale in being selfless 'to an extent'. When the UN and many other organisations and individuals are trying to help these children many are dying everyday due to malnutrition and starvation. MY only QUESTION: I am nobody to question god, but don't gods hear these kids?

Hats off Vishakha Singh!

This is another post linked to my previous posts. Actress Vishakha Singh was literally 'molested by FB comments'. And see what she has in store as a reply to this pervert. 

Happy that you had the guts which many girls including me did not have when people inboxed you or messaged inappropriately! This is a serious inspiration! Thank you Vishakha for setting a good example.

PC:facebook

Religion- a form to be obeyed? or followed by one's own choice?

Well this is related to one of my posts earlier this week, to be precise it was yesterday, when i wrote an article about stalking on the celebrities too much and annoying them with our negative and unnerving comments.

I am a facebook user and found today that this stalking has taken a terrifying curve around the corner while reading the comments on a post by an actress on her trip elsewhere and some buddhist monks accompanying her in the background.

I don't find anything wrong in it, do you?

Well there were some others who found this biased based on religion. Know why? Because she is  Ansiba Hassan, a muslim by birth and the comments left by some were astonishingly horrid. Some were even kind of terrorising. Oh come on! She should not pose for a picture with buddhist monks because you think that is forbidden for a muslim? That is really incomprehensible!

Religion stops you from taking photos? Well she was most of the time blamed by some on the internet for not wearing the hijab or the scarf covering the heads(usually worn by muslims around the world). 

There are a lot of good people from the muslim community living amongst us. Please do not spoil their names with such unworthy comments. There are plenty of good ones out there, please make sure that you don't become the bad one and terrorize people with your comments. Its awful.

I do not wish to type those comments left by them. Will leave you with some screenshots before the people who left these comments disown them.

I believe this girl is a well educated one and she can choose between right and wrong at least based on what is making her happy at the moment. Give her space and let her choose. As i said in my last post 'Let others smile too' !!!

Stalking too much on the celeb life?

It seems very fashionable to stick to the style of celebrities, follow updates on them, like their facebook pages, share their latest pictures with friends and family, follow them on twitter and maybe even get their latest gossips on magazines and the internet.

All the above do have a positive side but like a coin it has another face, the negative side of it. We get to know about some celebrity 'X' but there are many who follow them just to make and deduce stories from something the 'X' might not have said directly or something they really did not mean! Why should we bother them with our silly deductions and made-up stories? They have a life just like everyone of us right?

Just think. You and your friends were going out for dinner. A complete stranger finds it amusing, gets a photo and posts it without your permission. May it be awkward or not, it was done without your consent. You will know it only when you see it on the social media the very next day. You really wouldn't like it.

When the gossip itself cannot be tolerated then what about the petty comments some readers leave on such posts? I have seen thousands of people pass comments on blogging sites as well as social media reporting gossips about celebrities. The comments are sometimes very positive and some do respond the way it requires a response, but at other times its really horrible. Some even comment about their desire to have this 'X' for themselves!!! How perverted a person can be to comment on such things!!!

 Be a fan, thats good,but doesn't mean you have to stalk continuously on their personal lives as well. That too in a very negative and unpleasant way.

It is a very interesting activity to share latest news, unavailable to others, via internet, but lets not spoil the essence of it. The thirst to know about celebrity 'X' is fine. Meanwhile the unnerving comments and posts can be avoided if we imagine ourselves in the same frame that we forced upon 'X'. Lets not share gossips that we ourselves do not have proof about. Lets not spoil somebody else's private space. We ourselves wouldn't entertain anybody who would fish out of our life some unnecessary details. So lets not do it to somebody else too. Keep smiling and let others smile too.