A Valentines’ Special

Valentines day celebration now had become an obligation or ritual. I think it had become mechanical or artificial. Let me say that, it is the least romantic day in an year!!! On this day people ran about buying and collecting gifts to exchange between because that is what everyone else is doing. I’m sad to say that this celebration had lost its heart.

Actually valentines day celebration is the celebration of love. All those who love and all those who have love can celebrate it and that’s its beauty. But one of the drawbacks I find in this celebration is, couples and grown up people are not so interested in valentines day. They feel Valentines day celebration is only for teenage and youth. But I don’t agree with this. Last day I happened to read how a lady celebrated valentines day with her kids and husband.

When her husband came home from an extended business trip, the first thing he saw, when he came through the door, was I LOVE YOU spelled out with the kids big plastic blocks on the floor just inside the front door. When he went to take a shower there was another message on the wall, I MISSED YOU, spelled out with foam letters that stick to the wall when damp. And on the refrigerator was another message made with the magnetic words. I think this is something great. So please don’t miss your chance to celebrate this valentines day with your husband, wife and kids.

a musical treat

is a medicine, can cure you. Music is heavenly, can bless you. Music is like a winter, can blossom you. And can give you happiness, make you lighter, can inspire you, and fill you with energy and… and….. I can write pages with like comments when think about music. I don’t usually have a habit of listening albums or music compositions. But if a composition really catches me, like to hear it again and again and it gives me some kind of positive inspiration and happiness.

It’s strange that I’m not a fan of great singers or music legends in the world, though  never dislike them. But some compositions really beat me with their beauty, and ‘Toss The Feathers’ is like one. It’s actually an old version of music. But I really like it and a great fan. To me something seems ‘best’ when it pull  someone or something towards them, by the qualities they have, especially positive and admirable ones. Hope you too will like it. If you feel its love comment me back, ….. want to hear,….. what you think of it. Bye…..

a marvelous sunset

“I want to watch the sunset

I want to see it in your eyes

I want to feel it in your body

An erotic passion in disguise.”

This is a beautiful anonymous poem on sunset. I think sunset are always poetic. A mood of sunset can create a poem even from a man with least poetic taste. Last year I just happened to have two accidental snaps of a beautiful sunset. These photos were taken with my mobile phone camera. But when these photos were uploaded to my PC, I was excited of its beauty. Believe me; these photos were taken in between 10  minutes from the same place in an evening walk through my village side in Kerala, The Gods Own Country. You might have seen excellent photos of sunset than this. But, to me these meant something marvelous.

What do you think on my photos? I wait to hear from you. Please make a comment.

‘Amelia’ directed by Mira Nair

Amelia is an upcoming 2009 biographical film by Mira Nair based on the life of Amelia Earhart. Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying  experiences,  and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization  for female pilots. Amelia Earhart was  born in july 24,  1897 and disappeared in July 2,  1937 over the Pacific Ocean in an attempted circumnavigational flight across the globe. The American government spent $4 million searching for her but her body was never recovered. She was declared dead by the American authority in January 5, 1939.

Mira Nair’s biopic film Amelia, based on a script written by Ronald Bass, has an excellent cast of actors including two-time Oscar winner  (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby) Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Virgina Madsen, and Christopher Eccleston.

Though The film is expected to release on October 23 in USA, Oscar buzz for the Mira Nair’s biopic Amelia is brewing fast, with distributor Fox Searchlight focusing heavily on the film.

They say the film about the mysterious disappearance of aviation pioneer, feminist and author Amelia Earhart, will compete with James Cameron’s eagerly awaited Avatar which is distributed by Fox. It is his first film since the mega hit, Titanic, released in 1997.

Though the nominations are several  months  away ,  several prominent publications including  Los Angeles Times and Seattle PI.com are betting on Amelia playing big at the nominations. ‘Only three times in history has a woman been nominated for Best Director,’ wrote Seattle PI. Com which expects Nair’s David go after Cameron’s Goliath.

The Times expects the Nair film to bag a number of acting nominations. Los Angeles Times started the Oscar buzz for Amelia saying that Swank is a heavy contender. Her Oscar success is even more striking when you recall that she has never lost.

Fox Searchlight has released in recent years many hit films which were either nominated for the Oscars or won the coveted award. The list includes The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire and Juno. So let’s hope and especially as an Indian I wish and hope that all these factors may bring the first Oscar for the best director to India.

“Amelia” in brief…

• Directed by : Mira Nair
• Produced by :  Ronald Bass Hilary Swank Ted Waitt Kevin Hyman Lydia Dean Pilcher
• Written by :  Ronald Bass Anna Hamilton Phelan
• Starring : Hilary Swank Richard Gere Ewan McGregor Virginia Madsen Christopher Eccleston
• Music by : Gabriel Yared
• Cinematography :  Stuart Dryburgh
• Editing by : Allyson C. Johnson
• Release date :  October 23, 2009
• Country : United States
• Language :  English

Valentine’s Day

Saint Valentine’s Day or Valentine’s Day is a celebrated on February 14, it is the traditional day of lovers. Beautify your love life with this Valentine’s Day.

If You have fallen in love the angel whom you love is the most wonderful person you have ever met and the most precious blessing of the Supreme Power, which was preserved just for you. You want to thank your angel for coming in your life and for taking you on the mesmerizing trip to the love world but are not sure of the ways in which you would be able to do so. Worry not, as the romantic valentine ideas are there to help you, which can enable you to show your heartfelt gratitude and your undying love for the person who has gained the reputation of being the heartbeat of your heart.

It is a fact that every person who has existed on this earth has fallen in love at one point or the other and every one of us has employed some or the other romantic idea for strengthening the bond of love in our lives. It is often said that love needs no boasting or showing off but how many of us can deny the excitement and happiness felt by us when our cherished lovers express their love feelings for us in beautiful and elegant ways. No matter how much we try to hide our real feelings but the truth remains that at one point or the other we expect our lovers to employ nice and graceful romantic ideas for announcing their love for us.

Proposals are necessary to woo your ladylove for marriage or wedding. No doubt, you are good friends and gel with each other well, yet there is a need for you to put forward your true love and deep affection formally in the way of proposals. While you propose, do not forget to carry your engagement ring with you.

Valentine Gift, exchanging, usually from a man to a woman.Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine’s Day as an occasion for giving jewelry. The day has come to be associated with a generic platonic greeting of “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine’s Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards. You can log on http://www.binbrain.info/ @ Binbrain.com to download valentine greetings and send e-cards absolutely free.

“Helplessly in love with chocolates” , this is what most of us would like to describe our chocolate habits. moreover, chocolate has been widely proclaimed by scientists and doctors as to be the food that increases the feeling of love, by releasing the required chemicals. It also helps you live longer. Hmmm! That gives some food for thought. We are hereby presenting you with selectedchocolate recipes, and most of them are darn easy to prepare. So happy cooking (or cocoaing, for that matter) , and do not forget to refer these to your friends!

wahh!!! (My)Delicious Breakfast Dishes From Kerala….

No doubt I’m a great fan of Kerala dishes, especially the breakfast dishes. Breakfast, is not only the first meal of the day, it is also the most important meal of the day. So, it should have everything in it to add a zing to your day. I can’t even think of the delicious dishes like puttu and kadala, appam and cuury , kappa and curry etc without watering my mouth. I hope this post will help you to enjoy these special dishes.

Puttu and Kadala

This breakfast dish is so common and very popular in kerala. It’s called ‘ Puttu ‘. Steaming is the method used to cook puttu. Puttu is made with different cereal grain powders like, Rice, wheat, Ragi etc. Puttu and kadala curry is a popular combination. On the other hand, rice puttu with banana, pappadam, some ghee and sugar, mixed is really a mouth watering combination. Every one has their favourite combination to have puttu with. The utensil used to cook puttu is called ‘Puttukutti’.

Puttu : Ingredients

1 cup – Rice flour
1/2 cup – Freshly grated coconut
Pinch of salt
water as required
1/2 cup – Extra grated coconut

Method of preparation

Add salt and approximately 3 table spoons of grated coconut into the flour and mix well. Add water little by little to the rice flour and mix it. The flour should be wet enough for steaming, but we have to be careful when you add water to the flour. The consistency has got to be right. It should not become too watery. Puttu has to be made in a Puttu maker. Layer the Puttu maker with some grated coconut first, then the rice mixture and then the grated coconut again. Steam for 2-3 minutes, take out and serve hot.

Kadala curry : Ingredients

Black Channa/Bengal gram/Chickpeas-100 gms(soaked overnight)
Soi bhajil masol – 3-4 tbsp OR
Roast 5 tbsp of coconut,3 red chillies,1 tbsp coriander,1 tsp cumin till brown and make a smooth paste adding enough water.You can also add 2 cloves and 1″ piece cinnamon.
Onions – 2,finely chopped
Tomato – 1,finely chopped
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Mustard seeds – 1tsp
Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method of preparation

Pressure cook channa till done. Take a kadai and add coconut oil,splutter mustard seeds. Add finely chopped onions and saute till they turn light brown. Add curry leaves and tomato and saute again for about 2 minutes. If you are using soi bhajil masol-add the water in which channa was cooked to the masol to make a smooth paste-do not add too much,just as required.
Add the masol at this stage. If you are using freshly made masala,add it at this stage and mix well. Add salt to taste and add the cooked channa-mix well. Let it boil and then simmer it for about 10 minutes. Kadala curry should be a little watery than the normal curries,so add water accordingly.Puttu kadala ready!!

Appam and Mutton Stew

This is one of my favorite breakfast dish and a popular one in kerala. Made with a batter of rice, coconut and yeast, which is fermented till the batter rises in volume. It’s called vellay (white) appam (pancake). In the original traditional recipe, toddy was used to ferment the batter. It’s got lacy edges and soft center. This can turn out to be quite a heavy breakfast or a brunch.

Appam : Ingredients

Rice flour (finely powdered ) 500 g
Coconut milk 250 ml
Salt to taste
Sugar 1 tbsp
Semolina 100 g
Water

Method of preparation

1. Heat the semolina in a little water to a thick consistency.
2. Remove from the fire and keep it aside to cool.
3. Make a batter with rice flour, coconut milk and water.
4. Add the cooked semolina, soaked yeast and sugar and then mix well.
5. Keep the mixture to ferment for three to four hours.
6. Heat the appam thava (the special vessel for making appam), rub a little oil and pour some batter into it.
7. Turn the batter around in the thava and make it into a round with thin edges and a thick middle.
8. Cover with a lid and keep it over a slow fire.
9. After the appam is ready, serve with mutton stew.

Mutton Stew : Ingredients

Mutton, 1 1/2 inch pieces on the bone 750 grams
Coconut, scraped 2 cups
Split Bengal gram (chana dal) 2 teaspoons
Black peppercorns 5
Cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Oil 4 tablespoons
Star anise 2
Cinnamon 1 inch stick
Green cardamoms 4
Potatoes, 1 inch cubes 2 medium
Curry leaves 10-12
Green chillies, slit 4-5
Salt to taste

Method of preparation

Soak scraped coconut in two cups warm water for five minutes. Grind and squeeze through a muslin cloth to extract thick milk. Repeat this process two more times but with only one cup water to get a second and third thinner extracts. Dry roast chana dal, peppercorns, cumin seeds and coriander seeds on medium heat. Cool and grind to a powder. Pressure cook mutton in two cups water for six whistles or until almost done. Drain and keep aside. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, add star anise, cinnamon and green cardamoms and sauté till fragrant. Add pressure-cooked mutton, potatoes, curry leaves, green chillies and salt. Sprinkle powdered masala and cook, stirring continuously, for five minutes. Add third coconut extract, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook on medium heat for five minutes or until potatoes are almost cooked. Add second extract and continue cooking till the both mutton and potatoes are completely cooked. Remove from heat and stir in first extract of coconut milk and adjust salt. Reheat and simmer for two to three minutes before serving hot with appams or paranthas.

Idly and Sambar

Hope you may have tasted this very special and common dish from kerala. Whh!! It’s really delicious. Idli is a South Indian Delicious food, normally eaten as Breakfast along with Chutney or Sambhar. It is made by steaming batter especially made from pulses. Idli is commonly available food fastfood anywhere in India, especially in the states of South India.

Ingredients : Idly

Idly rice 4cups
Urad dal 1cup
Fenugreek seeds (Methi) 2 tsp
Salt 1tsp

Method of preparation

Soak idly rice in the water for about 5-6 hrs. Soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds together in the water for about 5-6hrs. Grind the rice first in the stone grinder for about 20-25 mins adding required quantity of water until it becomes a thick batter. Pour the rice batter into a vessel. Now grind the urad dal and fenugreek seeds for about 30-35 mins adding required quantity of water until it becomes a thick batter. Urad dal requires more water to grind than the rice. I add water every 5 minutes when the urad dal is grinding. Now add the urad dal batter into the rice batter and mix well by adding salt. Cover and keep aside for 7- 8 hrs, undisturbed to ferment. This varies from place to place. In California, it takes only about 10 hrs to ferment in summer days. Winter days it usually takes about 16-18hrs to ferment.
To make idly, mix the batter well before making idly. Take the idly mould and apply little oil in the moulds. You can do this with your fingers. The oil helps the idlis to be soft. Pour the batter to the idly moulds and steam for about 10 – 15 mins. To check whether the idly is being cooked, insert a tooth pick into the idly. The tooth pick should come out clean if the idlis are done. Serve hot with sambhar or chutney or idly podi.

Ingredients : Sambar

Sambar is a lentil based dish common in South India. In Kerala the Sambar would contain different vegetables, which is similar to avial recipe
Vegetables: Cooked potatoes, egg plant, drumstick, okra, and carrot (You can add any vegetables you like)
Lime Size tamarind soaked in warm water
1 cup toor dal pressure cooked with turmeric, mash the dal to a smooth paste.

Method of preparation

In a pan add oil; sauté mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves. Add handful of chopped shallots or pearl onions and sauté until it turns translucent. Add the vegetable and little water and cover cook them for few minutes .Add the tamarind water and cook for few minutes. Add the boiled potatoes, cooked dal, and sambar masala paste. Mix everything and add required salt for taste. Cook in Medium heat for another 10 minutes and turn off the heat. You can also add red chili powder as per your taste before cooking. Serve hot with idly.

Idiyappam and Chicken Curry

Idiyappam is another dish I like for breakfast . It takes less time to make and very tasty to eat. Idiyappam and Chicken curry is the best combination for me.

Method of preparation

Mix 1 cup of rice flour with required warm water and salt. Knead into smooth dough. Apply little oil over the dough and insert into the cooking press. Put a small quantity of dough into the “cooking press” and press it on the idly moulds greased with oil. Add grated coconut on top of the idiyappam. Steam the idly cooker for 8-10 minutes.

Chicken Curry : Ingredients

1/2 chicken breasts, skinned and boned
3 garlic, cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp ginger
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 onion, chopped finely
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup water
1/2 tsp cummin seeds powder
1 tsp coriander seeds powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 green chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp coconut milk
3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Method of preparation

Make pieces of chicken breasts .Heat oil in a pan .Saute chicken pieces until golden from both sides. Remove and drain .Add onion and ginger-garlic and fry till golden brown .Add all the powders, and saute for a minute. Add chicken broth and water .Let it boil for 2 minutes .Add chicken pieces .Cover the pan and let it cook for approx 30 mins. Then add coconut milk .Cook for another 1 min. Serve with Idiyappam.

Kappa and Fish Curry

This is the very special and unique dish of kerala. I usually have it for breakfast. Tapioca(kappa) is known as the poor mans vegetable.But ask any Malayali,rich or poor,belonging to any class or creed,you will soon realise that inspite of all the differences,Tapioca or Kappa has an universal appeal amongst Malyalis throughout!I cant think of any other meal that can represent Kerala completely as Tapioca and fish curry.

Ingredients : Kappa (for two)

Kappa : about 2 lb ,remove the hard skin and cut into small pieces
mustard seeds : 1/4 t
Scraped coconut: 1 T
Dry red chilies: 3/4
Curry leaf: 4/5
A little turmeric powder and salt
Oil : 1 t

Method of preparation

Take the cut Kappa in a pot, fill enough water to cover the yucca, add turmeric and salt and let boil, until the pieces are thoroughly cooked, and can be easily pierced by a fork. In another pan, season oil with mustard seeds, dry read chilies, and curry leaves. Add this to the yucca along with the coconut, and mix well.

Ingredients : Fish Curry / Meen varattiyathu

Any fish : 1 ilb
Tamarind paste : ½ cup
Chili powder : 4 t
Turmeric powder : ½ t
Fenugreek : ¼ t
Onion, sliced : 1 quarter
Green chili : 1
Ginger –garlic paste : 1 t
Curry leaf : 4-5
Water : 1 cup
Oil : 4 T

Method of Preparation

Heat oil, fry the fenugreek for a couple of minutes. Add onion, ginger, and garlic and sauté until transparent. Add green chilies, curry leaf, and masala powders and let fry until the raw smell is gone. Pour tamarind paste, and water. Bring to a boil. Add the fish pieces, and salt. Cover and cook until the fish is well done, and the curry is fairly thick.Serve hot with cooked yucca.

JOHN the sexiest

John is the only Indian to feature in the ’25 Sexiest Men’ list compiled by E! News, one of the largest and most popular networks in Hollywood. What’s more in a special episode of the ‘Sexiest Men’ series, John has even made it to the elite Top 10 club where he features alongside soccer star David Beckham, actor Johnny Depp, rugby union footballer Dan Carter and Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers who starred in Bend it Like Beckham. John said he attributes his selection to the kind of films, commercial endorsements, growing international fan base and the love for his craft.

E! Entertainment Television, which is one of the most widely viewed networks around the world, has covered the entire globe searching for the sexiest, hottest, beach bound hard-bodies; delicious hunks that can melt women with their voice and crush them with their sizzling sex appeal. John having made it to the Top 10 of the ‘Sexiest Men in the World‘ list indeed says a lot about his sex-appeal.

John is the only Indian to make it to the ‘25 Sexiest Men’ of the world list put together by a large and popular Hollywood network that is viewed in 600 million-plus homes worldwide.

His own sexuality, John shyly admitted when asked what rocketed him from Bollywood to Hollywood in the sex stakes, was his individuality. “I don’t know how to be, look, and act like anybody else,” he admitted. But what was physically sexy about him since Hollywood doesn’t score brownie points for individuality? “Well, my smile,” John added reluctantly. “Six packs cannot substitute for honesty on the face.”

Born in Mumbai, India on December 17, 1972, John Abraham is one of the most successful male models in India. Abraham’s father is a Malayali Syrian Christian architect, from Alwaye, Kerala in India. His mother, Phiroza Irani, is part of Bombay’s Parsi community.Abraham started his career with the media firm Time & Space Media Entertainment Promotions Ltd. Later, he worked for Enterprises-Nexus as a media planner.

In 1999, he won the Gladrags Manhunt Contest and went to Singapore for Manhunt International, where he won second place. Following this, he appeared in a number of commercial advertisements.Abraham made his film debut in 2003 with the controversial film Jism. The film did well, and his work was noticed widely. Later the same year, came the paranormal Saaya (2003) and the romantic Paap (2004); neither of them did well at box-office. John’s first blockbuster hit came with the movie Dhoom in 2004 where he played the role of the villain ‘Kabir’.

Abraham has been dating actress Bipasha Basu since 2002. John loves wearing jeans and his own brand clothes. Other than being a fantastic actor and a model, he is a great human being. He is a vegetarian and works for animal rights.

Katrina Vs Kareena

Both Filmfare and Screen India ,the two very famous magazines from India, recently announced the winners of their respective polls. Katrina topped two lists on that same poll. She is considered the sexiest pin up girl and as having the hottest figure. Kareena Kapoor came in at number two on the pin up list.

Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif , born in Hong Kong on July 16, 1984, One of eight siblings. Kaif was born to an Indian Kashmiri father and British mother, was brought up in Hawaii. She has seven sisters. She started modelling at the age of 14, when she was approached for a jewellery campaign. After that she continued modeling in London.

Continuing to model was the reason she got her break in a Bollywood movie “Boom” offered by none other than film-maker Kaizad Gustad. She was flooded with modeling assignments the minute she set her foot on Indian soil, especially with her innocent expressive face, hour-glass figure, and drop-dead gorgeous looks.

Professionally she started off as a model with photographer Atul Kasbekar, and upon being accepted, she received offers from LG, Cola, Fevicol, Lakme, & Veet. It was the Lakme commercial that got her noticed. She retained Matrix as her Manager to accept work on her behalf and at the price she deserved.

Moving to different culture and country was not much of a culture shock for her, as she states that no matter where you come from, the bottom line is that everyone wants to be loved, respected, and cared for. Unlike other artistes from foreign lands, Katrina did not experience any difficulties in getting a visa nor of getting it extended in India.

Although linguistically challenged, Katrina puts on a bold face and states that other Bollywood artistes like Sridevi, who did not know Hindi, did get offers from Bollywood film-makers, and she is no different. She is taking Hindi and dancing lessons to fit in with the Bollywood culture. She likes to display a picture of her learning Kathak dancing where she used to dance 7 hours a day non-stop.

Despite of her soft gorgeous looks, she is not easily intimidated, but admits that she is very emotional, almost an incurable romantic, wears comfortable non-revealing clothes when at home, hates to do her hair, and above all dislikes make-up. Admitting to being lonely in the beginning, but now has several nice friends who she can hang out with.

Although her first movie “Boom” was panned by the critics and shunned by the audiences, two other Telegu movies “Malliswari” and “Pidugu” did get her noticed. She grossed Rs.70 lakhs for Malliswari – making her top the list of the highest paid actresses during a South Indian movie debut.

Not done with South Indian movies, she has been signed in a Tamil movie “Bheema” opposite National Award Winner Vikram. She has received decent reviews for her part in “Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya”, as well as a brief appearance in “Sarrkar”. Katrina has now made Bombay her base, and doesn’t mind singing and dancing around trees while she’s at it, and is determined to make it big in Bollywood.

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor, born 21 September 1980, is a four-time Filmfare Award-winning prominent Indian actress who appears in Bollywood movies. Born into an old and influential film family of Punjabi origin in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Kareena’s name was inspired by the book, Anna Karenina.Kareena is the grand-daughter of Raj Kapoor, who acted in and directed many successful movies and is also the great grand-daughter of Prithviraj Kapoor. Kareena was born to actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, who had divorced when she was still young.

Kareena had planned to debut in Rakesh Roshan’s “Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai” but left the project a few days into the filming.She made her debut in J.P. Dutta’s moderately successful “Refugee” in 2000 with Abhishek Bachchan and won critical acclaim for portraying the role of a Pakistani girl. The role earned her a Filmfare Best Debut Award and the film went on to become the fifth highest grossing film of that year.

In 2001, films like “Yaadein” and “Asoka” followed for her which did poorly at the box office. However her breakthrough performance of a princess in the latter was acclaimed and earned her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. Her next release, “Ajnabee” fared moderately well and became one of the highest grossing films of that year.

Success followed for her with films like “Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai” and “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham”. The former became one of the biggest hits of that year and the latter became the second highest grossing film of 2001.These successes established her as one of the industry’s most successful stars.

Kapoor was in great demand after these successes and signed many new movies, but most of them failed to do well.Even much-hyped films like “Mujhse Dosti Karoge” (2002) and “Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon”(2003) that came from big banners like Yash Raj Films and Rajshri Productions failed to do well in India but generated decent business overseas.

She also gained critical acclaim for her de-glamorized role in the critically acclaimed “Dev”, for which she won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, and her negative role in Fida. Her other films in 2004 included the moderately successful “Aitraaz” and the semi-hit “Hulchul”.

She followed through with moderately successful films like “Bewafaa” and “Dosti: Friends Forever” in 2005. Her performance as a young woman who marries her sister’s husband in the former was well received by critics.

“36 China Town” was Kareena’s first release in 2006 followed by “Chup Chup Ke”. Both films managed to do moderately well at the box office. Her performance as Desdemona in the Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Othello, “Omkara” was praised,earning her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance and a Star Screen Award for Best Actress.

Her performance in the film also landed her various nominations for Best Actress at different award ceremonies including the Filmfare Awards. In the same year, she also won favorable reviews for her item number in the hit movie “Don – The Chase Begins Again”.

Onam – The Harvest Festival Of God’s Own Country

is the biggest festival in the Indian state of Kerala.  Onam Festival falls during the Malayali month of Chingam (Aug – Sep).  Carnival of Onam lasts for ten days and brings out the best of Kerala culture and tradition.  Mythologically it is linked to Malayalee-Hindu folktales; but Onam is celebrated by people of all religions.  Intricately decorated Pookalam, ambrosial Onasadya, breathtaking Snake Boat Race and exotic Kaikottikali dance are some of the most remarkable features of Onam – the harvest festival in Kerala. This year Onam is celebrated from 2nd September to 12th .  On this  great occasion the team BinBrain extend Hearty Greetings of coming Onam.

Onam Greetings

Vibrant and joyous festival of Onam is celebrated with lot of zeal in the state of Kerala. Most remarkable feature of this harvest festival is its secular character. People of all caste, communities and religions actively participate with same excitement. Elders in the family convey the good wishes of Onam to the young ones by giving them gifts. Juniors also exchange gifts amongst each other and convey their sincere best wishes for Onam to each other. Now a days people send onam greeting cards and ecards to their dear ones like Christmas New Year seasons. You can send Free Online Greeting Cards to your friends & loved ones from http://www.binbrain.com/photos/ or http://binbrain.com/card/

Story Behind Onam

A long long time ago, an Asura (demon) king called Mahabali ruled Kerala. He was a wise, benevolent and judicious ruler and beloved of his subjects. Soon his fame as an able king began to spread far and wide, but when he extended his rule to the heavens and the netherworld, the gods felt challenged and began to fear his growing powers. Presuming that he might become over-powerful, Aditi, the mother of Devas pleaded with Lord Vishnu to curtail Mahabali’s powers.

Vishnu transformed himself into a dwarf called Vamana and approached Mahabali while he was performing a yajna and asked for alms. Pleased with the dwarf brahmin’s wisdom, Mahabali granted him a wish. The Emperor’s preceptor, Sukracharya warned him against making the gift, for he realized that the seeker was no ordinary person. But the Emperor’s kingly ego was boosted to think that God had asked him for a favor. So he firmly declared that there is no greater sin than going back on one’s promise. He kept his word.

The Vamana asked for a simple gift – three paces of land – and the king agreed to it. Vishnu in the guise of Vamana then increased his stature and with the first step covered the sky, blotting out the stars, and with the second, straddled the netherworld. Realising that Vamana’s third step will destroy the earth, Mahabali offered his head as the last step.

Vishnu’s fatal third step pushed him to the netherworld, but before banishing him to the underworld Vishnu granted him a boon. Since he was attached to his kingdom and his people, he was allowed to return once a year from exile. Onam is the celebration that marks the homecoming of King Mahabali. It is the day when a grateful Kerala pays a glorious tribute to the memory of this benign king who gave his all for his subjects.

Remarkable Features of Onam

Pookalam

Pookalam is an intricate and colourful arrangement of flowers laid on the floor. Tradition of decorating Pookalam is extremely popular in Kerala and is followed as a ritual in every household during ten-day-long Onam celebrations. ‘Pookhalam’ consists of two words, ‘poov’ meaning flower and ‘kalam’ means colour sketches on the ground. It is considered auspicious to prepare Pookalam, also known as ‘Aththa-Poo’ during the festival of Onam.  Kilo and kilos of flowers, lot of dedication, creativity, technique and team effort are the basic essential of an eye catching Pookkalam.

Athapoovu are usually circular in shape and multi-tiered colourful arrangements of flowers, petals and leaves. Use of powder colours, desiccated coconut or artificial flowers is prohibited. Pookalams are normally laid on the front court yard of the house. Idols of Mahabali and Vishnu are placed in the center of the Pookalam and worshiped. Diameter of a Pookalam normally ranges from four to five meters.

Ritual of making the flower mats continues for all ten days of Onam. Designing starts from the day of Atham and is made ready by Thiruvonam day. Basic design is prepared on the first day. Size of a Pookalam is increased by adding more to it on every passing day hence a massive Pookalam gets ready for the main day of the occasion. Its a big creative task, as designers have to think of a new design ever day.

Onasadya

Onasadhya is the most delicious part of the grand festival called Onam. It is considered to be the most elaborate and grand meal prepared by any civilisation or cultures in the world. It’s a feast which if enjoyed once is relished for years. Rich and the poor, everybody prepares Onasadya in a grand fashion as people of Kerala are extremely devotional and passionate when it comes to Onasadya. Rich and the poor, everybody prepares Onasadya in a grand fashion as people of Kerala are extremely devotional and passionate when it comes to Onasadya.

There will be 11 essential dishes for Onasadya. Number of dishes may go upto 13. Earlier, Onasaya used to be even more elaborate than depicted above. There were about 64 mandatory dishes – eight varieties each of the eight dishes. At that time three banana leaves were served one under the other to accommodate all the dishes.

Onasadya is to be consumed with hands and avoid spoon and fork to enjoy the real taste of Kerala. Rice is the essential and major ingredient of Onam Sadya.The food has to be served on a tender Banana leaf, laid with the end to the left hand side. The meal is traditionally served on a mat laid on the floor. A strict order of serving the dishes one after another is obeyed. Besides, there are clear directions as to what will be served in which part of the banana leaf.

Major items:  Pappadum, banana – Salt, banana wafers, sarkarapuratti fries, ginger, lime and mango pickles, ‘vellarika’, ‘pavakka’, ‘beetroot’ and ‘ulli kitchadi’. ‘Kitchadi’ made of pineapple and banana splits or of grapes and apple, ‘cabbage thoran’ or thoran made of beans and avial, bread and green peas mix ‘thoran”, kootucurry, ‘parippu curry, ghee, Sambhar, Rasam, butter milk, curd, adaprathaman Payasam, erissery, Kalan or Pulisseri, Olan, Pachadi,  Mulakoshyam etc

Snake Boat Race

Snake boat races of Kerala during Onam are another, unparalleled attraction of God’s Own Country. A sport that signifies the excellent team spirit, integration and amity of the people of this backwater country. An occasions of great excitement that is a reflection of a vibrant people.

Snake boat races are held in connection with Onam, the harvest festival in August/September. Scores of long snake boats and other smaller crafts participate in these events. The largest team sport in the world, the snake boat races are preceded by colourful water parades.

Usually, a snake boat is manned by four helmsmen, 25 singers and 100-125 oarsmen, who row in unison to the fast rhythm of vanchipattu (song of the boatman). Thousands of people crowd the water’s edge to cheer the huge black crafts as they slice through the waters to a spectacular finish. The oldest of these events have curious legends and myths attached to their origin. Myths closely linked to the rustic people and their beliefs.

Kaikottikali dance

Kaikottikali, also known as thiruvathirakali, is a very popular, graceful and symmetric group-dance of the women of Kerala often performed during festive seasons like Thiruvathira and Onam. It is a simple and gentle dance with the lasya element predominating, even though the thandava part is also brought in occasionally, when men also participate as seen in some parts of the Malabar area.

Typically dressed in Kerala style with mandu and neriyathu and the hairbun bedecked with jasmine garlands the women dance in gay abandon, singing melodious Thiruvathira songs which are well-reputed for their literary flourish. One of the performers sing the first line of a song while the rest repeat it in chorus, clapping their hands in unison. Moving in a circle, clockwise and at time anticlockwise, at every step they gracefully bend sideways, the arms coming together in beautiful gestures, upwards and downwards and to either side, in order to clap

kalaripayatt

Another attraction of Kerala during Onam is Kalaripayatt. Kalaripayatt is the ancient martial art existing in Kerala, in South India. In the word Kalaripayatt, Exactly to say a school for all students inside a hut. ‘KALARI’ means the enemy of all Bad, be it Inside or Outside of Human Body or in Nature. ‘PAYATT’ means the practice, which when done regularly under certain conditions increases energy, peace, power, and good health. It also makes the mind sharp and concentrated.

In ancient days, Kerala was covered by thick forests, mountains and water. Wild animals used to attack people. To protect themselves from animals man started to learn different techniques of fighting by watching birds, reptiles and animals. Thus evolved the self-defence technique Kalaripayatt. It is believed one of Lord Vishnu’s incarnation PARASHURAMA united all the techniques observing from nature and presented to humans for their self protection from all kinds of enemies in nature.

Pulikali

Pulikali is a colorful recreational folk art from the state of Kerala. It is performed by trained artists to entertain people on the occasion of Onam.  Pulikali, also known as Kaduvaakali, is a 200 year old art, carefully preserved by the artists of the state. Literal meaning of Pulikali is the ‘play of the tigers’ hence the performance revolve around the theme of tiger hunting. The folk art is mainly practiced in Thrissur (Trichur) and Palghat districts of Kerala. Best place to watch the show is Swaraj Ground at Thrissur on the fourth day of Onam, where Pulikali troupes from all over the district assemble to display their skills.

Striking feature of this folk art is the colorful appearance of the performers. To get the semblance of a tiger artists paint themselves in bright yellow with patterns of black and red. A tiger mask on the face completes the get up.

It is a painstaking job and artists spend a whole night prior to the performance day on their make-up. Patience of artists must be appreciated, as most paints contain toxic chemicals which create a burning sensation when applied on newly shaved bodies.

It is a wonderful sight to see humans in the guise of tigers roaming in the streets. Children, specifically take great delight in their performance as the entertainers dance, pounce and walk like a tiger. Scenes of tiger hunting goats and tiger being hunted by a human beings are also beautifully depicted by them. Beat for the dance movement is provided by percussion instruments like ‘udukku’ and ‘thakil’.

The Sexiest Woman Alive !!!

It’s said that if angels had a language, it would definitely be sweet music. But I just want to enhance the same by saying ‘If Angels had a face, then, it would resemble the sensuously angelic beauty, Katrina Kaif’. The name Katrina Kaif is usually followed by the sighs of a thousand men! With the face of an angel and a body to die for, this woman has it all. Recently, FHM India, the leading men’s magazine did a poll all across to find out the 100 Sexiest Women in the World! And yes, Katrina Kaif bagged the highest number of votes. She is the Sexiest Woman Alive!

The finalists included the likes of Hollywood superstars Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson, singers Rihanna and Madonna, Bollywood superstars like Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Bipasha Basu, supermodels like Adriana Lima and Gisele Bundchen, amongst several other sexy and successful women in the world. The Global Winner was Transformers star Megan Fox who came second in the poll, while the vivacious Kareena Kapoor was third closely followed by the beautiful Deepika Padukone and sexy Bipasha Basu in the fourth and fifth slot.

Katrina Kaif (born July 16, 1984) is a model and Bollywood actress.Her mother is English and her father is an NRI originally from Kashmir. She was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Hawaii and London. She has seven sisters. Her height is 5ft 8.5 inches.and her zodiac sign is “scorpio”. She started modeling by accident at the age of 14, when she was approached for a jewelery campaign. After that she continued modeling in London.

Filmmaker Kaizad Gustad discovered Katrina in London and gave her a part in his film Boom. It wasn’t long before the acting bug bit Katrina who decided to take it up full time and move permanently to Mumbai. With her attractive features, Katrina was offered a number of modeling assignments.

However, filmmakers were at first hesitant to sign her because of her linguistic shortcomings, such as her inability to speak Hindi. Films that did feature her usually had her voice dubbed over by a native speaker of the film’s language. This changed with the film, Namastey London, in which she dubbed her own lines.

She is a private person and don’t go to too many parties. She wants to go normally with friends. And she is also very particular about her clothes which she wears .

Although she wears bold outfits on screen or for ads but she feels more comfortable in not-so-revealing clothes in personal life. She had just finished his Kathak classes in 40 days only in which she had to dance for 7 hours non-stop everyday.

She is said to be romantically linked with Salman khan. Although she has been seeing Salman Khan for sometime now, she still refuses to talk about him in the media.

She has made it clear that her personal life is not meant to be known to all and that no one has a right to pass any kind of judgment on it.

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