A good Bollywood film...

The word Bollywood often conjures up images of brightly coloured outfits and scores of dancers following questionable dance moves. However last night I was pleasantly surprised by Ashutosh Gowariker's film Jodhaa Akbar. Released in February for Valentine's day this film features Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan.

This love story based in the sixteenth century revolves around a political marriage of convenience between Mughal emperor, Akbar, and Rajput princess, Jodhaa. I confess to not being very knowledgeable on the history that this film is based on, however I will say the disclaimer at the beginning says it all. This film is breathtaking beautiful and people should watch it as a film and not as a faithful representation of the Moghul love story.


Stories featuring Gujaratis or Rajputs are always close to my heart as it is a part of my ancestry (note to self: you are not the body...lol). This film had me gripped as each frame was like a work of art, and each song was woven beautifully into the story. Moghul emperor Akbar won the allegiance of many Rajputs, aided by this marriage to a Hindu princess. The story of their relationship is depicted with a tender touch, and both actors are wonderful in their respective roles. I cannot think of anyone else who'd do these roles such justice.

I was drawn to the beauty of the costumes, music and scenery, and a certain bhajan where Jodhaa prays to Govinda is the highlight of the film. The film has some funny parts and really good fight scenes. I was pleased to see that there wasn't much goriness in the small amount of violence shown. The film won some awards too: the 'Grand Pix award' at Golden Minbar, the Film Festival for Muslim Cinema and the 'Audience Award' at the 32nd São Paulo International Film Festival in Brazil. Hrithik Roshan, was awarded the Best Actor Award for his performance as Emperor Akbar. I am surprised Aishwarya hasn't won anything as she was brilliant too. It is a long film though- around fours hours so I am glad I didn't go to the cinema to see it!

Baking day !

Today is my Mum's fiftieth birthday and to celebrate this momentous occasion I have decided to grace the kitchen with my presence. All jokes aside I rarely experiment with my culinary skills (possibly the reason why I have very little flair in the cooking department).

Anyway I was not lacking in enthusiasm as I was dying to try out a carrot cake recipe that Jahnavi has recommended. I made it minus the nuts and raisins. As I also lack the ability to actually follow a recipe properly (I turn into my Mum when it comes to measuring and just kind of make it up as I go along) therefore mine is likely to be different to others who use this recipe. I figured as the oven was being used I may as well make some biscuits. I then remembered a lively girl tell me how much she loved fig biscuits and I thought I'd have some creative fun in the kitchen as I had been left to my own devices. "Quick warn the fire brigade!"... hmmmm my friends don't have much faith in me.

I started with the cake first and grated about three carrots. Now the recipe said three cups of grated carrots however it looked enough by eye, and I was too excited about making the cake. So 'that'll do'... I quickly mixed everything together...



Oh dear, I'm not even going to say what it looks like at this stage, ho hum...
I then stick it in the oven for 50 minutes. It comes out looking like a cake!



The cake has dipped a bit in the middle but that's no problem- I will disguise it with some decoration. Mum doesn't like icing, so I only dribble a little yoghurt fondant icing (basically just fondant icing sugar and greek yoghurt mixed together). I then create a little circle in the middle using dried pineapple chunks. Done!



The fig biscuits turned out well, however they were too crunchy for Mum. She kindly says they'll be great dipped in her morning chai. After offering the cake to Krishna I presented it with the biccies for Mum. The carrot cake is so scrumptious that Mum is looking forward to her friend visiting so she can offer her some! It isn't too sweet and has a nice and soft texture, not unlike the Jamaican Ginger cakes that are available. Next time I'll put more icing on it! I have definitely got the baking bug.



Fig biscuits

Ingredients

21/2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
125g butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoon oil
1 spoon ground peanuts
1 chopped chunk of crystallised ginger
3 finely chopped dried figs

Preheat oven to gas mark 4 (around 180 degrees). Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in bowl. Mix butter and sugar until fluffy, then add oil. Add flour, nuts, chopped figs and ginger. Add a little water it it is dry. Clingfilm dough and stick in fridge for ten minutes. Roll out dough and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes as desired. Dust with a little brown sugar and bake for 30 minutes. I made them a bit too thick so gave them an extra ten minutes (soemthing to learn from next time!).

The path

A fleeting glance fills us all with wonder,
splendour and beauty beyond our comprehension.
Our minds are always jumping
from one thing to another.
Often a curse, leading away from the ultimate destination.
Oh Lord if I ever ask for anything
let it be to ask for mercy,
and purify my consciousness
so it is focused on You
and nothing else.

New Gokul- Cow protection centre

Now here's a good cause that needs to be passed on to animal lovers and Vaishnavas alike. New Gokul is possibly the only place in the UK that cows and bulls are treated as the sacred animals they are. In the UK more than 3 million cows and bulls are killed every year, and their lives previous to being slaughtered are appalling. Nearly all young bulls are killed in the first couple of years, as naive farmers do not see the value of these strong animals.

As the Hare Krishna temple has over 60 acres of pastures they plan to increase the herd from 33 to 60 animals. The cows have a dairy and milking parlour with pens close by for the calves who suckle their mothers. New Gokul needs more funding as the cows and bulls need much larger pens, the bulls need their own Ox Power House with a permanent treadmill and machinery and also new facilites must allow visitors to see all the aspects of a working goshalla safely.

New Gokul will practically demonstrate how to care for cows and bulls, show how to treat them so that they are happy and how how important all their gifts are to society. If you want to spend your money on something worthwhile donate to this worthy cause.

Christmas!

This year I have dwelled far less on the materialistic side of Christmas- choosing to give simple gifts and thinking more about the values Christ tried to bring to the world. I am currently reading what Srila Prabhupada had to say about Christ and it brings a lot of peace to me.

I hope more people sit back and remember Christ on his birthday this year. In the current age of intolerance I leave you with some enlightening words:

"To practice bhakti-yoga [loving service to God] means to become free from designations like Hindu, Muslim, Christian, this or that, and simply to serve God. We have created Christian, Hindu and Mohammedan religions, but when we come to a religion without designations, in which we don't think we are Hindus or Christians or Mohammedans, then we can speak of pure religion, or bhakti."

Srila Prabhupada

Hatha Yoga

I had my first Yoga class on Saturday and left feeling wonderfully relaxed and without any pain (this hasn't happened in months). My tutor is wonderful and worked well with me and my condition and just told me to do what feels comfortable. I was fine doing most of the movements, though regrettably my flexibility isn't what it was. I look forward to the new year when I can really get into the classes and get some physical and mental balance.

Medical research shows yoga is successful because of the balance created in the nervous and endocrine systems. This influences the whole body and acts both as a curative and preventive therapy.

The essence of yoga lies in attaining mental peace, improved concentration powers and overall harmony in relationships. Yoga is the oldest science of life and originates from India. Its philosophy is based on simple living and high thinking. According to Vedanta Philosophy, the higher spiritual goal of its practices is to unite the individual consciousness Atman with the Supreme Consciousness Brahman; the Supreme Reality. This spiritual path requires the purification of the body and mind (by controlling the senses) and transcending beyond their limitations.

Today I read an article that Malaysia have banned the practice of Yoga as its Hindu roots can corrupt Muslims. This is ridiculous as Yoga philosophy views the spiritual path of each individual as a unique and personal experience. Its teachings do not discriminate between different faiths, and are more about mental and physical well being so you can focus on the spiritual.

I cannot wait until my next class!

Religion in context...

"There is no point to religion if it doesn’t include such genuine spirituality, and no point in spirituality if it doesn’t result in being a person with good manners, kind speech, and clean habits. And the gentle art of spiritual conversation is to know what to say, with all types of people and in all circumstances, that will both please and elevate the person in front of you."

Kripamoya Das
Vaishnava Voice