RAIN,RAIN...

I sat in my room head down, studying and bearing the heat of the summer. It was the 2nd day of June. I desperately found myself wishing for the rains. But according to the weather guys, it would be a while. Oh! How I wished that they were wrong! Yet the weekend electricity mood swings made it unbearable to stand the increasing heat. As the sun was starting to set, suddenly the atmosphere had a 360° change.

The sky became grey and cloudy and the winds started blowing with all their might and before I could even say "it might rain" the showers hit the ground, leaving the most beautiful and tempting aroma in the air. Yes! The rains had finally arrived…the weather guys were wrong (yet again). As I rushed outside to take in the sweet scent of the wet earth, the rains picked up speed. The pots and small water vessels started filling up as I watched on.

I stood at the very tip of the porch, held my hand out and made a cup to hold the rains; drank the purity and felt rejuvenated. As I watched, people were rushing to find shelter and kids were overjoyed to get wet in the rains. They were splashing and jumping in the puddles and running around calling their friends. This site was equally fun and nostalgic.

Although I had learned in school that the showers come from the clouds in the sky, today I could see neither. As I glanced up all I could see were the endless streams of water, pouring down to calm the hot earth and quench her thirst.

I sat on the swing in the garden absorbing in the novelty of the season. For a change, the winds were chilled and refreshing. Everyone was surprised by the untimely rains, yet no one was complaining. Almost everyone had a smile on their faces as it rained on. Everybody was glad. Sitting on the swing, I was feeling relaxed and happy. Birds had taken shelter in the thick branches as they waited for it to stop raining although the greenery didn't seem to care for the inconvenience the rain was causing, for it was a sight for sore eyes! All I missed was a steaming cup of tea and maybe a plate of spicy and crispy onion fritters!

Eventually the pace of the showers reduced, the trees looked fresh green, the roads all clean with the occasional puddles here and there, the smell of wet mud in the air. The 1st rain assured a good run ahead.

I sat there for some time, thankful for the showers, and more thankful that I could enjoy them. The rains had washed off the heat of the summer and poured life into all, making everything seem new. I couldn't help but wonder could it do the same to me? Clean off the negativity that held me back and create room for new hopes?

As I sat there wondering, breathing in the fresh air I felt more alive. Thanking the Almighty for sweet showers I returned inside.

Life had resumed...

A Man Who Can Cook!

Over the years cooking and the kitchen has famously been called as a 'feminine turf'. The grandmas’ and mothers’ dominate this part of the household, but the 'professional' food industry is dominated by the males! Funny isn’t it? I have always wondered, how the families of these 'wanna-be-chefs' react when informed of their career choice!I say over the years, but if we look carefully at the food industry and history of food, it has always been dominated by males. I do have a few references that will prove my point. 

The first one is mythological. It’s about Mahabharata, the greatest of the wars that the mankind has ever witnessed. As many of you may know the war was amongst the Kauravas’ and the Pandavas’. The Pandavas’ were the 5 sons of king Pandu and his 2 wives: Kunti and Madri. Being the sons of king Pandu they were together called the Pandavas’. All the 5 were renowned warriors and each possessed special qualities. The mighty one was Bheema, strongest of all. He was an ardent food lover. If stories are to be believed, his eating habits were quite a talk of the town! Apart from being a hard-core foodie, he was quite a cook himself. Writer Devdutta Pattanaik mentions this in the book 'Jaya' an illustration of Mahabharata. According to Mr.Pattanaik, the creator of the famous South-Indian dish 'Aviyaal' is Bheema!

From mythology to history. The famous meat dish of India 'the Galouti Kebabs' was created for a meat-loving Nawab of Lucknow by a then famous chef. It is said that these were special kebabs that would just melt in the mouth. The kebabs were like that so that old toothless Nawab could enjoy and his meat craving would be satisfied!Now to the present. We have renowned chefs in the country who have become the favorites in many households. This list, of course, starts with Mr. Sanjeev Kapoor. He started his career on television through the famous show called ’Khana-khazana’. The show gained tons of popularity due to its new concept and of course its host. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor has laid a foundation of this glamorous food industry in India. Many have followed since then; Chef Kunal Kapur, Chef Ajay Chopra, Chef Ranveer Brar, Chef Saransh Goila, Chef Manu Chandra to name a few. Even on the global frontier, we have so many renowned male chefs. Some of them are legends like Chef Gordon Ramsey, Chef Gary Mehigan, Chef Matt Preston, Chef George Calombaris and our very own Chef Vikas Khanna. These examples prove that kitchen and cooking isn’t just a feminine responsibility. So when did this concept of “men don’t cook” originate? This concept not only originated but also has been hammered into the minds of so many generations. That is the reason that a man helping his mom, wife in the kitchen was regarded as a madman. There are so many who flaunt their record of ’never ever having picked up a glass of water’.When the society thought that earning for the household is a male job and taking care of the kitchen and other family needs is a feminine job, a man not able to cook wasn’t such a disaster. However, today when women have become self-sufficient in all possible ways, why aren’t the men taking up learning cooking?Unless it’s absolutely necessary, a man does not learn to cook. This may seem like some kind of male bashing, but rest assured it is not. In an era of equality of the sexes, shouldn’t the men consider cooking? A man who can cook is always loved and adored by women. It is not just because he can cook. It is because of what cooking represents. Cooking isn’t just cutting, chopping, tossing, frying; it’s a sentiment. How often have we heard “maa ke haath ka khana” phrase? This food that the mom prepares reflects her love, care, and concern for the family. All those sentiments act on the food that she prepares and makes it one of a kind. Now, men are generally known to be reserved on emotional grounds. When they cook, it shows affection, care and their love for the family. The delicateness that all the cooking related things require also adds up to the fondness. Above all food is a factor that binds a family. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to appease the hunger of the entire family. 

In this generation where even after having a career, a woman is still expected to be able to cook, why should the men be excused from this? Try spending a little quality time in the kitchen and it’ll help you win over the hearts of many women and also become self-sufficient! A man who can cook is a fantasy of almost any and every woman. If you are a man who knows to cook,  you’ll be on the top of the list, because there’s nothing as endearing as a man who can cook!