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The Call Of Sadhu Hiranand SADHU VASWANI His brief, beautiful life was a hymn of service to Him who sent him. He passed on in far-off Patna. On the 14th of July, 1893, at 11 in the morning, he departed, at the early age of 30. Why does the story of his life stir us still? He was not rich: he had no titles. He shunned the glare and glaze of publicity. Why do we think of him still? Almost fifty years have passed since he left the world. Why does his life still sing to us like some old ineffable melody? Why does his memory, to me not dim, indistinct, but clear, convincing, move us still? A strangely potent spirit this, of Sadhu Hiranand. We shall not soon shake off his spell! Rishi Dayaram Gidumal, Sadhu Navalrai and Sadhu Hiranand, are the three masterspirits of modern Sind. Homage to them! In a passage in his Journal, Hiranand says: “Like the birds of the air and the beasts of the field, let me sing inarticulate my hymn to the Creator who sent the sun and the dawn.” His brief beautiful life was a hymn of service to Him who sent him! If he came back to us, today, would he not sing it anew? Education is service. Life is service! This
message he gave us when he appeared in our midst in a period of darkness and confusion. We did not respond to his message: and still we wander, following false gods! His life of singular beauty was a witness to the spiritual values of life. A new wave of materialism is passing swiftly over us. To him God was the Great Reality and Service was the way to meet the Lord. To God he bore witness in the darkness of these days. Is not God the secret of the suns and stars and the Spirit of History? Is not His Love the breath of life, the benediction of the dove, the glory of the sun, the glamour of the rose, the consecration of culture, the crown of the saints? This supreme message of Sadhu Hiranand’s life, is still the piteous need of India’s youth. And this message we must live if, indeed, we would be led out of the ashes of hopes and fears to where the Nation’s Destiny calls us in the coming days! -From an Address
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Guru-Bhakti – The Way To Liberation J. P. VASWANI
It was a Sufi dervish who said: “You must meet God everyday. And if you cannot meet Him, go and meet someone who has met Him and who lives in constant communion with Him. The two are not separate from each other!’’ Man’s heart yearns for a manifestation of God. In this Kaliyuga, as we wait for the final incarnation of the Lord, how can we – millions of us – find His manifestation? Therefore, in this age of strife, disharmony and severe spiritual affliction, God has sent out among us, God-souls, men of God, saints and sadhus – in short, the true Gurus. They are here with this sacred mission: to reveal God’s love to us, and to lead our erring, wandering souls back to God. I have said to you that the gift of human life is God’s greatest
gift to us. If this be so, the life of the true Guru, is the Lord’s gift to all humanity. From the Guru flows out an unending stream of grace – joy, love, peace, hope and faith – which can heal, soothe, support and sustain us. There is in him, the magic of love; the touch that can transform minds and hearts; the power that cleanses and purifies our lesser lives, which can only yearn for such wholeness and joy. Does not the Guru deserve our utmost devotion – even if we have done nothing and can do nothing to deserve him in our lives? And here is the final paradox: Guru-bhakti is for our own lasting benefit, for the Guru stands to gain nothing by it! But the good that we derive from Guru-bhakti is unbelievable: • At the highest level, it confers liberation upon us – everlasting peace and joy, in union with God. • As human beings, it helps us to cultivate the spirit of detachment and desirelessness to the extent that is possible for each one of us, thus freeing us from the bonds of moha and maya. • At a lower level, constant devotion to the Guru also helps us to gain control over the lower emotions and possessions, to resist dangerous temptations and to resist from wrong and sinful actions.
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• In our everyday lives, Gurubhakti gives us the strength to conquer fear, pessimism, despair, anxiety and negative thoughts. The best thing is that we need no special spiritual attainment to practise Guru-bhakti Yoga! All we need is a yearning heart, an aspiring soul! And our role models are great saints and holy men, who have conquered the self and attained immortality through their Guru-bhakti. Thus, we find ourselves in the brotherhood of evolved souls, when we start on the path of Guru-bhakti. “There is nothing here so grand, ennobling and purifying as knowledge,” Sri Krishna tells us in the Gita. How is it possible for us to attain this supreme knowledge? Shraddhavaan Labhate Gnanam…. A devoted, dedicated person attains to such knowledge, we are told. And, at the next step – Know that by prostrating yourself to, by questioning, by serving those great ones who have had a direct perception of the Self, will they impart the knowledge to you. The Lord’s injunction to us is quite clear: “Go to the great ones,” he tells us. “Surrender to them; devote yourself to them; ask of them; and they will impart the knowledge to you.” Arjuna had the privilege of perceiving the Lord’s Vishwarupa— when the Lord took on the role of his Guru. We, who cannot focus on the Transcendental, formless aspect of God, can always turn to His
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Immanent aspect as the Guru – for the Guru not only gives us the form that we can behold and meditate on, but also a distinct personality which we can love and adore, see, touch and hear – a saintly character which can guide us, inspire us and lead us on to the liberation we seek. How accessible is the Guru to us! Should it not be an effortless act on our part to offer devotion to him? The devotion and dedication we offer to the Guru reaches God directly – for God has established his complete identification with the Guru. In ancient times, men who aspired to liberation, had to undertake several austerities and penances so, that they might conquer the senses and passions and attain the spiritual fitness that is a pre-requisite for selfrealisation. Alas, how many of us in this day and age can undertake such gaur tapasya? But the Paramatma, in His kindness and compassion, has anticipated the drawbacks and shortcomings of humanity in this age: and therefore, He has given us the simplest sadhana that we can all adopt painlessly: and that is Guru-bhakti sadhana. It is not only the easiest – but also the highest sadhana that is open for all of us. Ask anyone you meet at work or, indeed, anyone you meet on your way to work today: what is it that bothers them most in life? You are sure to receive the same answer: stress, in one form or another.
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Yes, stress causes distress! And the way to beat stress is to control the mind’s restless activity. Sage Narada, in his BhaktiSutra, tells us that the control of the mind can be brought about by focusing it on God, who is free from all imperfection and blemish; who remains unmoved and unmovable, who is sthaanu (The Stable One), amidst all the instability of the world. The Tamil Saint Thiruvalluar expresses this succinctly: we attach ourselves to Him who is without attachments, so that we may rid ourselves of our attachments! Focusing on that which is Transcendental, is not easy for many of us. And the Guru, as we saw, is God Immanent; when we have the Guru, we have God too! If we surrender ourselves to Him wholeheartedly, He will save us from all affliction and show us the way to salvation. If Guru-bhakti should decline amongst us, Ishwara bhakti will also decline. Swami Gnananda tells us that Guru-bhakti is born out of the psychic link that exists between preceptor and disciple. He adds, “A true disciple needs to perform no sadhana other than complete surrender to the Guru.” Such is the path of Gurubhakti. It leads us on to acquire one virtue after another – humility, egolessness, selfless service and inner stillness. Bhakti is the language of the spirit, the language of love. When you commune with the Guru in this unmatched language, you enter the deepest
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awareness where reason cannot reach. It brings you the deepest fulfillment that your personal achievements can never give. It fulfills all your desires – it takes you beyond desires! We have heard of the five bhavas or attitudes with which we can build our relationship with God. 1) Daasa bhava— the attitude of the servant to the Master. 2) Sakha bhava — the attitude of a friend. 3) Vaatsalya bhava — love of a mother for her child. 4) Maatru bhava — love of a child for its mother. 5) Madhura bhava — love for the Beloved of one’s heart. Guru-bhakti is a culmination, a transcendence of all these attitudes! Is not the Guru like a mother who showers love and affection and blessings on you? Is not the Guru like a child in His purity, innocence and utter unworldliness? Is he not a Master who dares you, commands you to march into the world within you? Is he not the friend who never ever fails you? And is he truly not the Beloved who invites you to dissolve your identity into his – to merge with him and merge with the Over Soul? Is not Guru-bhakti your best opportunity to experience Divinity? The bhakti-tradition of India had tremendous appeal to the common people precisely, because it broke away from hidebound dogma and ritualism and helped to open up the path of love and devotion as a highway to salvation!
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Who Are Your Friends J. P. VASWANI
We have all heard of the famous book by Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People. I would like to adapt that title to the theme of this chapter, your friends can win you over and influence you to a great extent. The much cited, much used saying is quite true: “Tell me who are your friends and I will tell you what you are.” This is not just true of likeminded friends who share the same interests and attitudes. Dissimilar friends can also influence you to change your way of thinking and your habits. Sometimes, this works for the better. At mutual selfhelp groups like Alcoholics Anonymous or even Weight Watchers Anonymous, diverse people from widely different backgrounds come together to draw support from each other
to face their common problem. But they have this in common: they wish to fight their addiction; they are determined to ‘kick’ the bad habit that is ruining their life. Nearly everyone agrees that the group therapy and group dynamics plays a major role in achieving their goal. In other words, the company they keep influences them for their own good. Unfortunately, the opposite holds good too. The kind of company you slip into may influence you in harmful ways. Boys and girls who leave their homes to live in a hostel, often get carried away by the sudden sense of freedom that is thrust on them. Many of them have admitted that they take to smoking or drinking due to peer pressure, as it is called.
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Equally, there are young people who learn the values of hard work, dedication and commitment from their peers. Thus a lackluster, below-average student at school may fall into the company of the right friends in college who motivate him to excel in his studies or in sports. In short, your friends can make you or break you. Therefore, it is necessary to choose them well. The friends we choose play a major role in shaping our character. Association and company also shape our social habits. Therefore the Bible tells us: “Bad Company ruins good morals.” And there is also the famous proverb, “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm”. Many young people are aware that the language or habits or attitude of their friends is not desirable; they know that their friends are doing the wrong thing. But they stick to the same company out of a misplaced sense of loyalty, or they fondly imagine that they themselves will be strong-willed and not fall into the same trap. Let me ask you: if your best friend has fallen into a deep pit, what would be the best way to rescue him? Will you tumble into the same pit headlong to shout and scream for help with him?
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Or would you stay on the higher ground and send a rope down to pull him up? Friends with toxic habits need help from outside; you cannot get enmeshed with them and add to their woes. If you are in such a group, getting saddled with bad habits or addictions, your companions are hardly in a position to help you; you need to seek outside help; you need to change the company you keep. Many people just stumble into the company that they find without ever exercising a choice. They do not give a thought to finding out if their friends are reliable or trustworthy or just ‘good’ in the old fashioned sense. They let themselves be pushed around; they do not question; they do not even think for themselves. I still remember how horrified people were when we heard the news of schoolboys in a ‘gang’ kidnapping and eventually murdering their classmate in the hope of getting a fat ransom from his family! When the gang was caught, the parents blamed all the other children while claiming that their own son was innocent and misled! Sheep may be very docile and mild creatures; but a sheeplike mentality is not good in friendship! And a good friend is not just one who is good to you, but good for you!
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The Journey on the Silent Path SADHU VASWANI As the seeker, the Jignasu, going into silence, tries to touch the Atman, the Avyakta, the seeker finds that there are at the very entrance of the Avyakta “4 gate-keepers”, as one scripture beautifully calls them. Four gatekeepers are at the entrance of the Avyakta. And they will not let you go within you. They will not let you touch the Avyakta until you pass their examination. Four examinations must be passed before you can touch the Avyakta, for four gatekeepers are these. And the name of the first gate-keeper is “self-restraint”, “indriyadaman. He, who would enter into the depths within him, must therefore endeavour to control his indriyas, his senses.
The first examination, which I must pass and you must pass, is examination in self-restraint. Then there is the second gatekeeper: and the name of this gate-keeper is “dhyanam”, “meditation”. Of meditation I hope to speak to you several things at a later stage. Then there is the third gate-keeper. And this third gate-keeper is named “patience”, for the struggle is long with the lowerself and temptations will come to you, again and again: and may be you will fall again and again. Then it is time for you to remember that you must pass this third examination in patience. You must be patient with the world around you, some will scorn thee, some will
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hate thee. Trust in your Ishta and follow the Path! Many of your near and dear ones will perhaps fail to understand you; be patient with them. Be patient with the calumny of the world. Be patient with the persecution of the world. Yes, and be patient with the storms of passions that may rage within you from time to time. Be patient, O jignasu! O seeker! O fellow traveller on the path! Be patient! Then there is the fourth gatekeeper, the supreme gatekeeper, at the entrance of the Avyakta. The fourth gate-keeper is named sanga, fellowship with a Satpurukha, fellowship with a guru, fellowship with an elder brother, fellowship with an evolved soul. Sanga is necessary. Fellowship is necessary. And to Arjuna Sri Krishna says in the Gita: “Arjuna! if you will know truth, have sanga with the seers of Truth, tatva-darshans, the great seers of Reality. Be in contact with them, O Arjuna! Have fellowship with them. Enter into sanga with them, for sanga is the foundation of true spiritual life. Your colour and complexion are indeed what the sanga gives you, what the fellowship with the Guru gives you. Arjuna! So be in contact with the true tatva-darshan. And how? In order that I may have true fellowship with the Guru, with
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a Master, with a Satpurukha, with an evolved soul, with an elder brother of my beloved community, I must gradually develop certain qualities. Sri Krishna refers to 3 qualities specially which the jignasu must have if he would enter into fellowship with the Guru, if he would have true sanga. The first is reverence. Be with a Satpurukha: be with your Guru in a spirit of reverence, shradha. Of this, too, I shall speak to you later on! Shradha is the very first essential of true fellowship with a Guru. And the second thing is reflection. Listen to what the Guru says to you: listen to what a holy man may speak: listen to the words of the Satpurukha. Then go and think of them: go and reflect upon the words of the Guru. What did he say to me yesterday? Let me think of the words of my spiritual teacher. Let me reflect upon them, for there is no assimilation without reflection. It will not do merely to come and sit at the feet of the Guru and hear what he says to me. I must assimilate what he says to me: therefore I must go and in quiet reflect upon the words of my Guru. And the third quality, Sri Krishna says, is seva. Seva is service. And the word seva has sacred association in the Gita. By the word “seva” is not understood what we ordinarily understand
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by the word service; Seva, Service is essentially the service of my Guru. Yes, I must go and serve the poor and the needy. But as my Guru directs me. Yes, I must go into the slums and the poor men’s cottages: and must go tend the wounded but under the instructions from him who knows better than I, my Guru. So when I go and serve the poor, I serve them seeing my Guru in the poor. Seva is service to the Guru. “Arjuna!”, says Sri Krishna to his disciple, “there are 3 qualities which you must develop in order to have fellowship with the Guru, fellowship with the tatvadarshani. Reverence, reflection and seva, or service! And now we go a step further. In our attempt to understand this whole question of what it means to sit in silence, we go a step further, we find that we gradually are being purified. Fellowship purifies you. fellowship with the Guru, fellowship with an advanced soul is even as a fire that destroys impurities within me. Karma must be burnt to ashes: and it is fellowship with the Guru that will burn all my karmas to ashes. Then with a purified heart comes to me a perception which the seers, the Rishis of India expressed in two significant words: “Sa Atman”. This discovery is made
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by the jignasu who enters into the realm of silence. Sa Atman, what a wonderful discovery! Eureka! Eureka! cries the true jignasu. Sa Atman! “Sa” means “He”, He whom I have sought. He whom so many are seeking: He whom the worlds and the universes are seeking: He by whose Light, says the Upanishad, the sun shineth and the moon shineth and the star shine. He, Sa, is Atman. He is within me. Sa Atman, he whom I have sought janma after janma, birth after birth, he is Atman: He is within me: He is not afar. This great discovery thrills the man who sits in silence! O man! You are the God-bearer! I put the question several days ago: “Brothers! Sisters! what do you carry within you?” I said that is the sixth question which must be put by the seeker in silence: “What do you carry within you?” And the answer to the question, I give now in these words: “O brother! O sister! You are the God-bearer! You bear the Eternal within you in your heart!” And when these words are not mere words to you, but when these words become to you a window through which a perception comes to you, then you break the chains of kala, you break the chains of death. You touch the akala, you touch the Atman.
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Simple Rules Of Health Look on the bright side and maybe even live longer
Studies suggest that adopting a sunnier outlook may improve your health and even extend your life. Published: February, 2017 In these turbulent times, it’s sometimes a struggle to maintain a glass-half-full view of life. But if you can, it may serve you well. A growing body of research links optimism—a sense that all will be well—to a lower risk for mental or physical health issues and to better odds of a longer life. One of the largest such studies was led by researchers Dr. Kaitlin Hagan and Dr. Eric Kim at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Their
team analyzed data from 70,000 women in the Nurses’ Health Study who, in 2004, had answered questions about how they viewed their futures. The researchers found that women who scored higher on the optimism scale were significantly less likely to die from several major causes of death over an eight-year period, compared with women who scored lower. In fact, compared to the most pessimistic women, the most optimistic had a 16% lower risk of dying from cancer, 38% lower risk of dying from heart disease, 39% lower risk of dying from stroke, 38% lower risk of dying from respiratory
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disease, and 52% lower risk of dying from infection. How you can acquire optimism Even if you consider yourself a pessimist, there’s hope. Dr. Hagan notes that a few simple changes can help people become more optimistic. “Previous studies have shown that optimism can be instilled by something as simple as having people think about the best possible outcomes for various areas of their lives,” she says. The following may help you see the world through rosier glasses: Accentuate the positive. Keep a journal. In each entry, underline the good things that have happened and things you’ve enjoyed, and concentrate on them. Consider how they came about and what you can do to keep them coming. Eliminate the negative. If you find yourself ruminating on negative situations, do something to short-circuit that train of thought. Turn on your favorite music, reread a novel you love, or get in touch with a good friend.
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Act locally. Don’t fret about your inability to influence global affairs. Instead, do something that can make a small positive change—like donating clothes to a relief organization, helping clean or replant a neighborhood park, or volunteering at an afterschool program. Be easier on yourself. Selfcompassion is a characteristic shared by most optimists. You can be kind to yourself by taking good care of your body—eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Take stock of your assets and concentrate on them. Finally, try to forgive yourself for past transgressions—real or imagined—and move on. Learn mindfulness. Adopting the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment and accepting it without judgment can go a long way in helping you deal with unpleasant events. If you need help, many health centers now offer mindfulness training. There are books, videos, and smart phone apps to guide you.
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Children’s Corner RIDDLES Source: Frugal fun for boys and girls Questions : 1. What gets wetter the more it dries? 2. One night, a king and a queen went into a castle. There was nobody in the castle, and no one came out of the castle. In the morning, three people came out of the castle. Who were they? 3. How can a man go 8 days without sleep? 4. I’m full of keys but I can’t open any door. What am I? 5. Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday? 6. Timmy’s mother had three children. The first was named April, the next was named May. What was the name of the third child? 7. What kind of coat can only be put on when wet? 8. What occurs once in a minute, twice in a moment, and never in one thousand years? 9. If I have it, I don’t share it. If I share it, I don’t have it. What is it? 10. What is full of holes but can still hold water?
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Answers : 1. A towel 2. The knight (night), the king, and the queen! 3. He only sleeps at night 4. A piano 5. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow 6. Timmy of course! 7. A coat of paint 8. The letter M 9. A secret 10. A sponge.
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UNDER THE SEA - WORD SEARCH
ALGAE
DOLPHIN
RAY
BARRACUDA
EEL
REEF
BASS
KELP
SEA CUCUMBER
BIVALVE
KRILL
SEAL
CLAM
MACKEREL
SHAD
COD
MANATEE
SHARK
CONCH
OCEAN
SHRIMP
CORAL
OCTOPUS
SNAIL
CRAB
ORCA
SQUID
DIATOMS
OTTER
TUNA URCHIN
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Laugh Your Way To Health Teacher: Who has been abroad before? Tabby: Me! Me! Teacher: Where have you been? Tabby: Vienna, teacher. Teacher: When? Tabby: In my dream, teacher. *** Mother: Everything is going up, the price of rice, fruits, etc. I hope something will go down. Daughter: There is one thing that went down. Mother: (Happily) what is it? Daughter: My marks. *** The late Mr. Piloo Mody, M.P. once wrote to Mr. Jaffer Sheriff, the Minister of State for Railways: My dear Jaffer, You must be remembering the last time I wrote to you about two cockroaches in my air conditioned compartment while travelling from Jaipur to Delhi. My congratulations to you on your progress: this time, I had four!” *** Mark Twain was once asked the difference between mistake and a blunder. He explained it this way: “If you walk into a restaurant and walk out with someone’s silk umbrella and leave your own cotton one, that is a mistake. But if you pick up someone’s cotton umbrella and leave your own silk one, that’s a blunder.” ***
A Stockbroker was trying to convince an elderly gentleman that he should invest in the stock market and watch his investment grow. “No, no.” replied the man, “At my age, I don’t even buy green bananas at the grocery store.” *** A young man came home from work and found his bride upset. “I feel terrible,” she said. “I was pressing your Suit and I burned a big hole in the seat of your trousers.” “Forget it,” consoled her husband. “Remember that I’ve got an extra pair of pants for that suit.” “Yes,” his bride answered. “And it’s lucky that you have. I used them to patch the hole. *** The old lady looked into his eyes and said. “I appreciate the gesture, Sonny, but how good are you at catching mice” *** Patient: I think I suffer from memory loss, Doc. Doctor: I see and how long do you think you’ve had this problem? Patient: What problem? *** Pappu To Boss: “I Got To Definitely Have A Salary Increase, Three Other Companies Are After Me” Boss: “Really? Which Are The Three Companies?”
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Pappu: Company, Company Company“
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“The The And
Electricity Telephone The Gas
*** Mother: Bobby there were 16 cookies in the cookie jar. Now there are only two. How do you explain that? Bobby: I don’t know, Mom. I thought I had gotten them all! *** A guy needed a horse, so he went to a temple and got one. Before he left, the priest told him that it was a special horse. In order for it to go, would have to say “Thank God” and for it to stop he would have to say “Amen”. So the guy went, and a few minutes later he dozed off on his horse. A few hours later, he woke up and was going off the edge of a cliff. So he shouted “Amen!” and the horse stopped a few inches from the edge. “Whew,” he said. “Thank God!” *** Immensely pleased with the efficient working of his secretary, a boss presented her with a cheque of Rs. 10,000 and said to her, “If you continue working like this, I’ll sign it also.” *** Woman walks into an optician to return a pair of glasses she purchased for her husband. The shop owner asks, “What seems to be the problem?” The Woman replies, “I’m returning these glasses I purchased for my Husband, he’s still not seeing things my way.” *** Husband’s short note to his wife: If you have any complaints
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from me then write them on of paper and throw in dustbin. *** A couple sitting in their living room, sipping wine. Out of the blue, the wife says, “I love you.” “Is that you, or the wine talking?” asks the husband. “It’s me,” says the wife. “Talking to the wine.” *** Teacher: Pappu your composition on “My Dog” is exactly the same as your brother’s. Did you copy his? Pappu: No, teacher it’s the same dog we both wrote on. *** Strong people don’t put others down. They lift them up and slam them on the ground for maximum damage. *** Teacher: Which hand you used to write with? Student: Neither, I always use a pencil to write! *** Sam: I am pretty proud of myself. Harry: Why so? Sam: The puzzle I bought said three to five years but I finished it in 18 months. *** When I look at chocolate. I hear two voices in my head. The first one says: “You need to eat that chocolate.” The other voice goes: “You heard. Eat the chocolate” *** A man got caught in police speed trap. The officer walked up to his car and said, “I’ve been waiting all day for you.” “Well,” the man said, “I got here as fast as I could.” ***
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Recipes For The Month MEXICAN BREAD TARTLETS RECIPE
Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 7 minutes Baking Time: 13 to 15 minutes Baking Temperature: 200°C (400°F). Total Time: 42 minutes, Makes 9 tartlets Ingredients: For The Filling: Cooked sweet corn kernels (makai ke dane)..... 2 cups Oil...............................................................1 tbsp Finely chopped garlic (lehsun).....................2 tsp Finely chopped onions............................... ½ cup Finely chopped red capsicum..................... ¼ cup Finely chopped yellow capsicum................ ¼ cup Finely chopped green capsicum................. ¼ cup Blanched , peeled and chopped tomatoes...1 cup Dry mixed herbs..................................... 1 ½ tsp Dry red chilli flakes (paprika)......................2 tsp Salt to taste For The Bread Tartlets: Fresh bread slices........................................... 9 Melted butter for greasing and brushing Other Ingredients: Tomato ketchup.................................... 4 ½ tsp Grated processed cheese............................9 tsp
Method : For the filling: 1) Heat the oil in broad non-stick pan, add the garlic and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds. 2) Add the onions and sauté on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes. 3) Add the capsicum and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute. 4) Add the tomatoes, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 minute. 5) Add the dried mixed herbs, chilli flakes, sweet corn and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Keep aside. For the bread tartlets: 1) Remove the crust from all the bread slices. 2) Roll each slice with a rolling pin. 3) Press the rolled slices into the cavities of a muffin tray which is lightly greased with butter. 4) Brush with melted butter and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200ºc (400ºf) for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp. Keep aside. How to proceed: 1) Divide the filling into 9 equal portions and fill a portion into each bread tartlet. 2) Spread ½ tsp of tomato ketchup and 1 tsp cheese evenly over each tartlet. 3) Serve immediately. CRUNCHY SALAD WITH BREAD MAYONNAISE Ingredients: For the Salad: Cucumber, diced...........................................1 cup
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Apple, diced.................................................1 cup Watermelon, diced ......................................1 cup Walnuts, chopped.....................................60 gms For the Mayonnaise: Bread slices........................................................ 4 Hung curd....................................................1 cup Powdered sugar..........................................1 tbsp Mustard powder............................................1 tsp Black pepper powder.................................. ½ tsp Olive oil........................................................2 tsp Salt to taste Method: 1) Mix all the salad ingredients and put them in a bowl. 2) Trim the crust from the bread slices. 3) Crumble the bread and soak in yoghurt for a few minutes. 4) Blend along with the seasoning and oil to get a sauce like consistency. 5) Mix the bread mayonnaise lightly with the salad ingredients. *Serve chilled. STUFFED TOMATO SALAD Ingredients: Medium tomatoes...........................................5-6 Medium carrot................................................... 1 Beans..............................................................4-6 Medium potato.................................................. 1 Tomato sauce..............................................4 tbsp Fresh cream................................................5 tbsp Pepper powder......................................... ¼ tbsp Salt to taste Method: 1) Immerse the tomatoes in hot water for a few minutes, till you can peel the skin off easily. Do not leave the tomatoes in hot water for too long, because they will become too soft. 2) Remove from hot water and cool. 3) Slice off the top of each tomato and gently scoop out the pulp, taking care that the tomato does not break.
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4) Keep the shells aside. 5) To the boiled vegetables, add 2 tbsp cream, salt and pepper and mix well. 6) Stuff the tomatoes with the vegetable mixture. 7) Gently peel the skin off the tomatoes. 8) Place the tomatoes on a flat serving dish, the open end facing downwards. 9) Sprinkle the remaining stuffing (if any) around the tomatoes. 10) Pour the remaining fresh cream over each tomato and allow it to drip down. 11) Finally, dot each tomato with tomato sauce. *Serve chilled. CHINESE SALAD Ingredients: For the Salad: Noodles, boiled with salt and deep fried............. ...............................................................100 gms Bean sprouts.............................................. ½ cup Tomato, deseeded.............................................½ Capsicum.................................................... ¼ cup Cabbage..................................................... ¾ cup Carrot......................................................... ½ cup Cucumber................................................... ½ cup Onion......................................................... ¼ cup For the Dressing: White vinegar.............................................1 tbsp Sugar............................................................2 tsp White pepper powder/red chili powder...... ¼ tsp Soya sauce....................................................1 tsp Salt to taste Method: 1) Mix all the dressing ingredients and keep aside. 2) Chill the cut vegetables. 3) Before serving, mix the vegetables with the dressing and top with the fried noodles. 4) Cut thin and lengthwise.
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