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Sant Kabir*: THE ANCIENT TALE
SADHU VASWANI
I
n the cycle of history appear, from time to time, singular men. They hear voices: they see visions. Such men are directed from within. They are the children of grace: they become instruments of the Holy Spirit. Their values in life are different from those the majority of us seek. They seek not the goods of the world. They commune with the Eternal. In the midst of pain and persecution, they are not sad, for they live and move in eternal joy. They fear not death, for they have drunk of the fountain of eternal life. They come to conciliate, to reconcile men and women of different faiths. They strive to build a bridge betwixt societies and *June 24 is sacred as Kabir Jayanti.
communities. Hated by some people, perhaps by many, they refuse to hate anyone. Bearing ill-will to none, they send out love to everyone. One such man was Kabir. The word, literally, means a great one, a Mahatma. We may well speak of him as Mahatma Kabir. Great was he in vision and in songs. He was a seer and a singer. He was, essentially, a lover. Rightly may we speak of him as a mystic. Who is a mystic? One who has fallen in love with God. There is the secret of the mystic’s attraction, the secret of his amazing power.
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Such men, I feel, the world needs today. The world has tried kings and conquerors, leaders and statesmen, politicians and patriots. When will the world try mystics — the lovers of God and man? A conspicuous feature of the life of this great mystic was simplicity. Kabir was simple and his joy was in a life of poverty. A poor weaver was Kabir. In him we see the wisdom and the richness of renunciation. In one of his songs, he singeth thus: I have no home, not even a thatched roof! Nor caste have I, nor creed! When God will ask me: “Who art thou?” What shall I say? Only this may I To my Lord declare: “I ask, O Lord! For the dust of the feet of the saints!”
This simple weaver realised the truth that wisdom is not the learning of the schools. The truly wise are they who adore the One Will Divine. Again, and again, some try to harm Kabir. The priests— Brahmins and mullahas alike — rise in revolt against him. They slander him as a man of low caste. They tempt him: they fail! From time to time, attempts are made even to kill him: Kabir stands unconquerable, for he adores the One Will Divine. In censure, in slander, in persecution,
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in pain, he bows, in lowly reverence, to the Will of Rama (God). “I delight in Rama,” he says. “I trust in Rama. I adore Rama!” Yes — Kabir, the adorer of the One Divine Will, is happy everywhere, in all circumstances and situations of life. In his teachings, Kabir asks the people to claim freedom — their divine birthright. But he is careful, also, to point out that there are three things which are essential to the life of true freedom. Firstly, Kabir says, “renounce the flesh.” Secondly, he emphasises the value of detachment. Thirdly, he asks us to develop bhakti or love in the heart. Rites and ceremonies will not save you. Behold the beauty of the Lord. This is what he says in one of his songs. The words are addressed by the Spirit Divine to the human heart: O servant! Where dost thou seek me? Lo! I am beside thee. Neither in temple nor in mosque am I. Not in Ka’ba, nor in Kailas am I, thy Lord! Not in rites nor in ceremonies. If thou be a true seeker, thou shalt See me and meet me in a single moment!
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For God, saith Kabir, is the Breath of all breaths!
God is referred to in the songs of Kabir, as in that of Guru Nanak, as Satnama. The meaning of the word Satnama is the Name that abides, the True Name. The Nama, the Name, is the root, Kabir tells us, as gnana (knowledge or wisdom) is the branch. “Look,” says Kabir, “and see where the root is. Wilt thou attain to happiness? Then reach the root!” The joy of life is in communion with Nama, the Name Divine. This communion is the secret, the meaning, the consummation, the consecration of true life. To him who communes with the root — the Satnama — creeds and ceremonies, philosophy and metaphysics, matter little. Kabir draws upon several symbols to express one aspect or the other of this communion with the Ineffable, with the One, whom the Vedas call Brahman, whom the Upanishads call “the suncoloured being beyond this darkness,” whom Kabir calls Satnama, whose music fills this world and all worlds and the heart within. Kabir is, essentially, a mystic, a poet and a musician. So, he sings of the life spiritual in symbols. A few of the symbols
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are the hundred-petaled lotus of the heart, the temple bells, the arati of the lamps, the divine marriage of the soul, the cycle of seasons, the swan (hansa) — the bird of the soul. Mysticism approaches the Spirit by means of symbols. Nature is a symbol of God: and a symbol half conceals and half reveals a spiritual truth. A symbol is a window opening out into the Spirit. Thus the river is a symbol of empirical life: it flows on! The autumn leaves that fall are a symbol of human mortality: all things pass away! “Consider the lilies,” said Jesus. “Consider the swan, the hansa,” says Kabir. The hansa is the swan bird of the soul. The hansa is a symbol of the jiva that cometh as a divine ray from the realm of the Radiant One. But the hansa, alas! hath forgotten its Home. Like the bird behind the bars of a cage, the hansa hath forgotten to fly upwards. For it hath joined the company of crows. The hansa is the real jiva, the real Man in every man. Its abode is the sukha sagara (the waters of joy, the waters of the atman), but the jiva hath forgotten its original abode and dwells in the low waters of a lake. These low waters are the lower self, the desire mind, the pleasures of the world, the Contd. on page 25
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OUT OF DARKNESS INTO LIGHT DADA J. P. VASWANI
A girl of tender years met me the other day. In her heart is a sincere aspiration to dedicate herself to God. Her aged father and mother are anxious to see her married and settled in life before the call comes to them to leave the world. She will not hear of it. And she said to me: “My parents tell me that being a girl, I cannot live, unprotected and alone, in this vast, wide world! There must be someone prepared to take up my responsibility. Will you do it?” I smiled as I said: “Only the strong can bear the burden! Weak are my shoulders. Go to Him who is the Source of all strength. Turn to Him for everything. Rely on Him for all you need. He will not fail you! He will free you of all your
burdens and, then, you will move through life, singing as you go!” Hand yourself over to the Highest! Before you can do this you must be convinced that nothing on earth or heaven can prevail against the power of God. Trusting in Him completely, seek your protection and safety at His Lotus-feet. No harm can ever befall you there. Of this be sure! And you will feel as though you dwelt in a strong castle, carefully guarded, basking in the sunshine of His Love. This is the best security of life. If only we learnt to drop all our burdens at His Lotus-feet, how happy we would feel, how full of the true joy of life! All our burdens, mind you — not merely the burden of sin
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and guilt but, also, the burden of poverty and privation, of trouble and tribulation, of suffering and sorrow, of misery and pain. And this we shall be able to do in the measure in which we live and move and have our being in Him. As a child turns to its mother, every time it hath need of something, so let us turn to the Mother Divine for all our needs! Speak to Her! Open out your heart to Her! Yearn for Her! Cling to Her! Rest in Her loving Arms! Abide in Her, not for a single moment forgetting that She provides where She guides! Wondrous beyond description are the words of Sri Krishna in the Gita: Those that bring me their worship, Meditating on Me alone, In patient perseverance,— To them I grant what they lack: And I make secure what they already have!
The life of every true child of God — of him who has handed himself over to God, who worships Him and meditates on Him alone — is packed with “miracles” which, in reality, are not miracles but the fulfillment of a divine law. “Seek ye the Kingdom of God,” said Jesus, “and all things shall be added unto you!” Alas! We seek the goods of the earth. The more we
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run after them, the more we entangle ourselves in a mesh from which there is no escape. The things we seek and desire become our prison: and when after much struggle and striving we get what we seek, we find that it was not worth the toil and labour. For the goods of the earth do not give us that true joy and peace which our distracted hearts need. As I review the years of my life, what do I find! I have been in pursuit of one shadow after another. Shadows! Shadows! Men and women, boys and girls are in pursuit of shadows. Earthly beauty, which captivates many an aspiring heart and throws over it a veil of darkness, is a shadow! Power which intoxicates many a noble soul is a shadow! Silver and gold are shadows! Pomp and pleasure are shadows! Honour and greatness are shadows! They will not give us the peace we seek. Peace does not belong to him who is a child of struggle and strife. Peace is not the product of resistance or struggle. Peace comes to him who enters the Great Peace of God. And to enter into the Peace of God is to relax and be still! With a flashing sword in his hand, Angulimala, the robber, chased the Buddha. The robber
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ran as fast as he could but could not catch the Buddha. Then, from a distance, Angulimala cried out: “Stand still, O hermit! Stand still!” Quick came the Buddha’s answer: “I am still. May you be still!” And when the two met each other, the Blessed One explained to Angulimala what it was to stand still. The peace that was in the words of the Master entered into the heart of the robber and he was converted, transformed. The robber became a disciple and his heart became tranquil as the surface of a lake on a clear, cloudless day. Our age is an age of “work,” “activity.” We are busy — and often, I am afraid, fussy. We like to be up and doing: but much of our doing is distraction, is destruction. And so we are not at peace — with our fellowmen or with ourselves! We need to be still! Years ago, I wished to learn how to swim. I entered the waters and began to struggle. The more I struggled the more I sank. I felt exhausted. Then a kind friend, who was an expert swimmer, said to me: “Do not struggle! Let the waters carry you. Give yourself up to the waters!” I did so. I gave up struggling; I surrendered myself to the waters and found how simple it was to float on the
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waters! And what a delightful experience it was! In the waters of life — the sansara sagara — we struggle all the time. We battle against circumstances: we quarrel with our kismet. Alas! We don’t give ourselves up to the waters. We don’t accept the will of God! To accept the will of God is to know that we are nothing, that He is the One Worker and His works are ever the works of mercy. And so, in all that happens is our good. The more we grow into this realisation, the more relaxed we feel and the more we are being prepared for the supreme experience of life — being still in God. To be “still in God” is not as easy as it may appear to be. He who would be still in God should learn, in love and devotion, to go to God, again and again, asking Him to grant him whatever He considers best. Such a man does not ask for this or that to happen: he has no selfish interest: to him the dearest thing in all the world, the one only thing that counts, is the will of God. His one prayer is: “Thy will be done, O Lord!” He rejoices in God’s will: and so he moves along the pathways of life, singing as he goes! In the beginning, perhaps, it may be helpful for us to do the following:
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1. Every morning as we wake up, let us think of some sutra (small text) from the sacred Books and repeat it to ourselves, again and again. As the day advances and we find ourselves in the midst of work, let us, from time to time, detach ourselves from our work for a brief minute or two and repeat the sutra. Let the sutra permeate into our entire being and renew us physically, mentally, spiritually. Any sutra will do. I have found the following very helpful: “Thy sea is vast: my boat is small. I trust in Thee: Thou art my All!” “At Thy Lotus-feet is still my Rest: Whatever Thou doest is for my best!” “My God and my All! My God and my All!” “Thou art my Strength, Support and Stay! Be Thou by me each night, each day!” “May I be gentle, humble, meek! In Thy Will is still the peace I seek!” 2. In the face of danger and difficulty, do not feel confused. But stand strong in the strength of God! And lifting up your heart to the Mother Divine, think of yourself as a little child in Her loving lap. No mother will ever permit any harm to come to her child. In the midst of trouble and tribulation, sorrow and
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suffering, sing to yourself, again and again: O Mother mine! O Mother Divine! He on whom is Thy protecting Hand— A million trials he doth withstand!
You must learn to trust to the end. You must be ready to go on trusting to the last hour, relying alone on the Lord. Turn to no other quarter for help. Trust in the Lord! Trust and fear not! 3. Do not entertain any thoughts of lust, anger and greed. They stimulate the lower self and lead to excitement which will not let us be still in God. Think thoughts of purity and peace, of goodness and beauty, of joy and holiness. See yourselves as children of the Lord! 4. Do not let a day pass without your having given the service of love to someone in need. The happiness you give to others comes back to you. The peace you transmit to others, returns to you. Give food to the hungry: clothe the naked, speak words of comfort to the sorrowing ones. Pray, in the words of the Buddha, that all may be happy, full of bliss! Pray that all may learn to be still in God!
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Gradually, this stillness will deepen, though the very first experience of it gives such immense joy as may not be expressed in words. The stillness will grow from more to more until, one blessed day, we shall completely rest in His Love and will be unified with His divine will which is perfect — not only for us but for all men and birds and animals, perfect for all creation. This is the goal of life. It may not be reached in a single leap. There are stages on the way: every stage is both good and necessary. Every stage has its lesson to teach. As we learn the lesson of one stage, we are being prepared for the next. And so we move on, from stage to stage, knowing that where we are is, at the moment, just the right place for us. Each one of us is infinitely dear to the Mother Heart of
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God. He is leading each one of us along the way which is best for us. He sees what we cannot see and He knows what we cannot know. And every experience He sends us — be it bitter or sweet — is meant to enrich our interior life. We must not shun it: we must not avoid it. But we must accept it as a gift from Him who each day is leading us out of darkness to light, out of untruth to truth, out of unrest to rest, out of faults and failures to the perfection of peace! So trust Him completely! Trust Him to the end! He who, out of chaos, can build a cosmos, He who can set the stars in their courses, He who makes the seasons move in their cycles, He will bring to your life a new order, a radiant peace!
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THE SPIRIT OF ST. MIRA SADHU VASWANI
One of the humblest and greatest of India’s saints was St. Mira. Krishna was her Master and her Lord — the Inspiration and the Eternal Spouse of her soul. For him she suffered and renounced her palace, her homeland, her everything. Persecuted by some of those who were “her own,” of her own “family”, she bore it all quietly: her whole nature was foreign to all fuss and fanfare. The spirit of St. Mira may well be expressed in the one word: “Serenity”. She was simple: she was serene in her soul — in the midst of all the tumult stirred up against her by those who understood her not. She surrendered not to any agitation against her by a prince or a magnet of position or power. She surrendered all — her entire self — to her Beloved, Krishna. The secret of her life was in this one word: “Tera! Tera!” “Thine. Thine!” “Thine am I, Beloved!” “Mere to Giridhar Gopal, dusaro na koi!” she sang again and again: “Krishna is mine, is my All! None other have I!” Krishnaabsorbed was she, awake, asleep, in her kirtan, in her dreams, in her meditations and her songs! In this absorption she learnt the secret *June 4 is the 88th Foundation Day of the Mira Movement in Education founded by Sadhu Vaswani.
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of the saints — humility. And because she was so humble, Krishna the Holy Spirit of the Heart, rested on her and blessed her. So it is that after centuries St. Mira still lives, still inspires and still speaks her true authentic voice through her bhaktas and devotees — her Interpreters and Apostles in our broken but beloved India. * Mira remained a child to the end of her life. Her soul was knit to Krishna. When, as a child, she saw a marriage-procession and heard its joyous shouts and adoration of the Blessed Name of Krishna, and when she ran to her mother and spoke to her of the bridegroom and the bride in the procession, she asked in all the innocence of her heart: “Mother! Who is my bridegroom?” And the mother smilingly said: “Krishna is thy bridegroom, my child!” And Mira’s whole soul was filled with the one adoration: “Krishna! Thou art my Bridegroom.” * Mira was ever a trusting child. Jesus said: “Except ye become as little children, ye cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” Mira was a child and so rejoiced in the Kingdom of Krishna. Mira was a child, for she had simple trust in
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Shyama (Krishna); and she was a child because (1) she had joy in life — and in nature, in trees and birds, in the sea and in the stars; (2) she longed to share her joy with all men and women; and (3) she loved the little ones. Village after village she crossed on her way to Brindavan — the shrine of Krishna. Children ran to greet her, and she met them with love in her heart, singing to them of her Beloved. I have meditated on Krishna and Christ, again and again. The other day I said to myself: “In the doctrine of the avataras (Incarnation) I find an integration of Eastern and Western Wisdom.” In Western thought and life is emphasised the man-idea; in Indian thought and life is emphasised the Godidea. In Krishna and Christ is emphasised the idea of God appearing on the earth-plane and accommodating Himself to man — his intuitions and aspirations, his adoration of the infinite, and his life of selfoffering and self-sacrifice. And by reason of the kinship of our body with that of Krishna and Christ, we become, verily, “temples” of God!
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WHAT IS RINA? SADHU VASWANI
What is Rina? Debt. There is, firstly, the debt we owe to God. A true Hindu should pour out his aspirations to God, every day. Secondly, there is the debt we owe to the Rishis, the great builders of the Hindu civilisation and to the heroes of Hindu history. Study their lives and teaching. Spread their message, O ye, that are young! Build your lives in heroworship! Thirdly, there is the debt we owe to our ancestors. The injunction is given in the Hindu books: “See that you maintain the thread of the race!” The Hindu faith does not bless the bane of “birth-control.” True birth-control is self-control, not self-indulgence. Fourthly, there is the debt we owe to fellow-men. This debt reminds us of the duty of hospitality as a virtue of high order. Today, under the pressure of new economic forces and on account of appalling poverty, hospitality is declining. Service of the poor is a debt we owe them. Let us not serve as though we do them a maharbani (obligation), do it
as kindness. True service must be done in a spirit of duty and fellowship with the poor. Fifthly, there is the debt we owe to sub-humans — the birds and animals. They, too, are our brothers and sisters. I think of them as our earth-companions of whom, indeed, we may learn the supreme lesson of life — the lesson of compassion. Every bird, every animal, every creature is a child of Sri Krishna. Holy, holy, holy are all creatures. Look on them with eyes of reverence and love! Harm them not! But serve them in deep humility! There is space only to make a passing reference to the Gnana and bhakti aspects of the Hindu faith. Two truths emphasised on the Gnana side are: (1) Train your thoughtpower. You must reflect. Religion is not a dogma to be swallowed. Investigate and hold fast to what is true. (2) Practise concentration. Therefore, learn to be still. Learn to spend, sometime every day, in silence, and you will know that in silence is strength. Bhakti is love, devotion, selfsurrender to the Lord.
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Much would I say of the Hindu faith as dharma and darshana. But space fails me. One thing only I may say that karma, dharma, and darshana, all the three culminate in sacrifice. Darshana is, firstly, consciousness of the Atman as immortal; and, secondly, recognition of the One Atman in all. This supreme darshana — vision — glows in the Gita and the Upanishads and the Santbani, wisdom of the Saints. With this vision in the heart, Sant Kabir: The Ancient Tale waters whereof “men draw,” as Augustine said, “with the pitcher of desires!” So are men always thirsty, always restless, always unhappy. Desire, trisna, is always insatiable. The hansa, in its primordial state, was illuminated: the hansa, as it is now on earth, is fallen. But the hansa may rise again, soaring on wings of aspiration, and commune with the Homeland where beauty shines and wisdom is radiant. The hansa can, through assimilating the teaching and inspiration of the Guru, rise again to its original Home where it can commune with brother-birds — the hansas that have not descended to the desire plane but abide forever
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how can one stand aloof from the poor and the distressed? We hear, again and again, of socialism. Let me humbly ask: Has the world produced greater socialists than the saints? Have they not deep reverence for the poor as children of God? The Hindu faith pleads for something more than service. The Hindu faith pleads for reverence for the poor. This reverence is the very heart of the new rejuvenated Hinduism which will, I believe, help in building up the Fellowship of races and religions. Contd. from page 7
in joy, communing with the Holy One, the Sat Purukha. Kabir reminds us of the “ancient tale” of the realm of the Spirit whence we have descended to this plane of matter and mind. “Thy rest, O swan!” saith Kabir, “is not here but in thy Homeland. Only awake! Awake, this very moment! Awake!” “O swan!” says Kabir, “there is a realm above all touch of sorrow and pain, all stain of doubt and desire! There is a realm where the heart is immersed in joy unalloyed and where the jiva communes in bliss unbroken with the Supreme!” But to this Land of the Spirit, you cannot go until you have grown the wings of the Spirit.
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Laugh Your Way To Health “Your husband,” said the caller sympathisingly, “was a man of excellent qualities.” “Yes,” sighed the widow, “he was a good man. Everybody says so. I wasn’t much acquainted with him myself. You see, he belonged to six or seven lodges, and two or three clubs and had no time for me.” *** “If we get married, will you give up smoking?” “Yes.” “And drinking, too?” “And will you stop going to your club in the evening?” “Yes.” “And what else are you thinking of giving up, darling?” of
“You
“No, I’ll say ‘Stop it’ and they’ll stop,” said the girl. Then she added, “But then, I’m going to have much better children than you.” *** A little girl from a city was spending her first summer in the country, and was asked how she liked running about barefoot. “At first I could hardly walk,” she said, “but the rocks got softer every day.” ***
“Yes.”
“The idea married.”
paddle my children.” won’t?” said her mother.
getting
*** A woman had mildly spanked her seven-year-old daughter one day. The little girl turned and said: “When I grow up and get married, I won’t
“Golf! Golf! Golf!” wailed the wife, as her husband, clubs in hand, started for the door. “I really believe I’d drop dead if you spent one Sunday at home.” “Now, now,” said the husband, “there’s no use talking like that. You know you can’t bribe me!” *** Two butterflies were winging their way through the canyons of New York. “You know,”
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said the male butterfly to the female butterfly, “if I wanted to, I could with one blow cause the Empire State Building to collapse.”
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*** An Indian fable says that a
mouse
was
in
constant
distress because of its fear
A wise man was just then passing and he heard the male butterfly’s remark. He called the butterfly to him and said, “Why did you say that? You know you cannot cause the Empire State Building to collapse.”
of the cat. A magician took
“I was just trying to impress the female butterfly — forgive me.”
it into a tiger. Immediately it
“Don’t do it,” said the wise man as he dismissed him. The butterfly then returned to his girlfriend, who asked, “What did that wise man say?” The braggart male replied, “He advised, ‘Don’t do it.’” *** Abraham Lincoln insisted on facts when a case was being presented to him. One day a committee set forth a case built up largely of “supposing’s.” Mr. Lincoln asked them, “How many legs would a sheep have if you called its tail a leg?” “Five,” answer.
was
the
prompt
“That is what I thought you would say,” declared Lincoln, “but that isn’t true; the sheep would still have four legs. Calling a tail, a leg doesn’t make it one.”
pity on it and turned it into a cat. Immediately it became afraid of the dog. So, the magician turned it into a dog. Immediately it began to fear the tiger. So, the magician turned began to fear the hunter. Then the magician said, “Be a mouse again, you have only the heart of a mouse and I cannot help you.” *** For
years,
Grandpa
had
been stubborn and crabbed. No
one
could
please
him.
Then, overnight, he changed. Gentleness
and
twinkled
optimism
about
“Grandpa,”
he
was
him. asked,
“what caused you to change so suddenly?” “Well, sir,” the old man replied,
“I’ve
been
striving
all my life for a contented mind. It’s done no good, so I’ve decided to be contented without it.” ***
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Children’s Corner Make an orange-peel bird feeder Wild birds sometimes have a hard time finding enough to eat, so you will help them by making a bird feeder. What you will need: Large orange, String Birdseed.
and
How to do it: 1. Scoop out an orange to make a little orange-peel cup. You may want to eat the fruit while you scoop, since it is so good. 2. Make a hole on each side of the orange-peel cup and attach a piece of string or yarn for hanging. 3. Fill your bird feeder with birdseed. At most grocery stores, you can buy the kind of seed that wild birds like. 4. Hang the feeder in a tree where the birds can use it. Your orange-peel bird feeder may not last all winter, but you’ll know how to make another one to keep your bird friends happy!
Clothes Encounters The word problems listed below name different articles of clothing. See how many you can correctly identify. 1. it + e
= ___________
7. reds + s
= ___________
2. naps + t
= ___________
8. waters + e = ___________
3. act + o
= ___________
9. stir + k
4. this + r
= ___________
10. blues + o = ___________
5. cars + f
= ___________
11. sane + j
= ___________
6. let + b
= ___________
12. wash + 1
= ___________
= ___________
Answers: Clothes Encounters: 1. tie, 2. pants, 3. coat, 4. shirt, 5. scarf, 6. belt, 7. dress, 8. sweater, 9. skirt, 10. blouse, 11. jeans, 12. shawl.
There are 10 hidden squirrels in this picture. Can you help the girls find them?
Hidden-Picture Puzzle JUNE 2021
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RECIPES FOR THE MONTH BROCCOLI ALMOND SOUP Ingredients: Broccoli, cut into florets..............................400 gms Onion, chopped..................................................... 1 Celery stalk, chopped..................................... 2-inch Garlic, chopped............................................4 cloves Milk..................................................................1 cup Roasted almonds, cut into silvers....................10-12 Salt and white pepper..................................to taste Cream (optional for garnishing)....................1 tbsp Method: 1. Soak the broccoli florets in salt water for 10-12 minutes. 2. Drain, wash and keep aside. 3. To 4 cups of water add onion, garlic and celery and bring it to a boil. 4. Add the florets and cover it. Cook for 5 minutes. 5. Cool this mixture and liquidise until smooth. 6. Add milk, salt and pepper and mix well. Bring to a boil again. 7. Stir in almond silvers. 8. Garnish with cream. 9. Serve hot.
CHEESEY WHEELS Ingredients: Round salted biscuits (preferably Monaco).....34-38 Maida.............................................................6 tbsp Cold milk.................................................... 1½ cups Red chilli powder............................................ ½ tsp Bread crumbs..................................................½ cup Oil............................................................. for frying Salt...............................................................to taste For the Filling: Cheese, grated............................................200 gms Onions, finely chopped.................................2 small Green chillies, finely chopped.............................1-2 Coriander, finely chopped............................. 1½ tsp Carrot, grated (optional)....................................... 1 Salt...............................................................to taste
Method: 1. Mix all the ingredients for the filling and keep aside. 2. Make a smooth batter from the Maida, milk, chilli powder and salt. 3. Take 2 biscuits and make a sandwich using the cheese mixture as the filling. Dip the sandwich in the batter to coat well. Roll in bread crumbs. 4. Repeat this procedure for the remaining biscuits. 5. Refrigerate the wheels for a minimum of 1 hour. 6. Deep fry till golden brown. 7. Serve immediately with a sauce of your choice.
MANGO & ONION SALSA Ingredients: Mangoes, peeled and chopped into cubes....2 large Onion, finely chopped............................................ 1 Lime rind finely grated.....................................1 tsp Lime juice.......................................................2 tbsp Fresh ginger juice...........................................3 tbsp Coriander, chopped.........................................4 tbsp White pepper................................................a pinch Method: 1. Place all the ingredients together in a salad bowl. 2. Stir gently to mix well. 3. Refrigerate the salsa. 4. Serve chilled.
MALAI KI SABJI Ingredients: Carrots, cut length wise.......................................... 2 Red chilli powder..............................................1 tsp Baby corn, cut length wise..................................4-5 Coriander powder...........................................1 tbsp Capsicum, cut length wise...................................... 1 Garam masala..................................................1 tsp Mushroom, cut length wise.........................200 gms Turmeric powder...........................................a pinch Paneer, cut length wise...............................250 gms
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Cashew nuts, ground to a paste....................15 nuts Onions, finely chopped.......................................... 3 Fresh cream........................................ 100-150 gms Tomatoes, pureed...............................................5-6 Coriander leaves, chopped.............................2 tbsp Ginger, garlic and green chilli paste...............1 tbsp Kasuri methi...................................................1 tbsp Salt...............................................................to taste METHOD: 1. In a pan heat 1 tbsp oil, add the carrots, baby corn, capsicum, mushroom and salt and just enough water to cover the vegetables. 2. Boil until the vegetables are almost cooked. 3. Strain the vegetables and keep them aside. Retain the stock. 4. In another pan sauté onions until light pink. 5. Add the ginger, garlic, chilli paste and sauté for 1 minute. 6. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt and tomato puree. Sauté till tomatoes are cooked. 7. Add the cashew nut paste. 8. When the gravy begins to thicken, add the vegetables and the stock and boil for 2 minutes. 9. Add the paneer, fresh cream, coriander leaves and garam masala powder. Cover and simmer for a few minutes. 10. Finally add the kasuri methi and serve hot.
PAPAD PARATHA Ingredients: For the Dough Whole wheat flour.....................2½ cups (250 gms) Melted ghee....................................................1 tbsp Salt...............................................................to taste For the Filling: Papads.................................................... 6 big sized Onion, finely chopped...................................1 large Coriander, chopped...........................................2 tsp Green chilli, finely chopped................................... 1 Lime juice..............................................a few drops *0ne papad is required for one paratha Method: 1. Make a dough of rolling consistency with wheat flour, salt and ghee. 2. Roast or fry the papads. Crush them into tiny bits and keep aside. 3. Mix the remaining ingredients of the filling
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and keep aside. 4. Now, divide the dough into 12 equal portions. 5. Roll out 2 portions into 2 small chapatis. Place crushed pieces of 1 papad and a little of the onion mixture on one of the chapatis. 6. Cover with the second chapati. 7. Seal the sides well and roll again into a bigger chapati. 8. Repeat the same procedure for the remaining dough. 9. Cook on hot tawa, applying ghee on both sides, until crisp. 10. Serve hot with curd or pickle.
EGGLESS CHOCOLATE BROWNIE Ingredients: Curd.................................................................1 cup Sugar...............................................................1 cup Cocoa..............................................................½ cup Oil...................................................................½ cup Vanilla essence.................................................1 tsp Chopped walnuts (optional).........................50 gms Dry ingredients: Plain flour......................................................2 cups Baking powder.................................................1 tsp Soda- bi-carbonate......................................... ½ tsp Milk powder....................................................1 tbsp Method: 1. Mix the curd, sugar and cocoa with a spoon gently until the sugar dissolves. 2. Add oil, vanilla essence and continue mixing gently. 3. Sift the dry ingredients and add to the curd-oil mixture. Mix well, making sure that there are no lumps. 4. Pour the batter into a 12” x 7”greased baking tray. 5. Sprinkle the walnuts and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes. 6. Allow to cool and then cut into squares. Best served, with hot chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream.
JUNE 2021
EAST AND WEST SERIES
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SIMPLE RULES OF HEALTH
HAIR CARE DO’S 1. Wash Your Hair Regularly Washing your hair regularly ensures that your scalp and hair is free of dirt and excess oil. However, the right frequency depends on your hair type and personal preferences. If you have extremely dry hair, limit your washing to twice a week. If you have an oily scalp, washing your hair on alternate days can help. 2. Use Chemical Free Shampoos You really can’t control all the environmental factors that damage your hair, but what you can control is the kind of shampoos you use. Lesser the number of chemicals in your shampoo, healthier your hair. Go for gentle shampoos that suit your hair type. 3. Condition Correctly It should be applied only on the tips of the hair and not on your scalp. Also, make sure to rinse it off thoroughly post
application. 4. Dry Your Hair Naturally Excessive heat styling can damage your hair scalp. Limit it to important events, if you have to style. Air drying or towel drying after shampoo is the best way to go. Never sleep in wet hair or comb wet hair. 5. Oil Your Hair Properly Pre-shampoo treatments like oiling and massaging improve blood circulation on the scalp, relax your muscles, boost shine and nourish the hair. It also restores moisture content, enables hair growth and repairs split ends. You can choose from coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil, castor oil and the likes. Avoid using mineral oil on your hair. 6. Trim Your Hair Regularly Trim your hair every 6-8 weeks to get rid of split ends. Trimming does not magically make the hair grow faster. Hair growth happens at the scalp level, but trimming ensures healthy hair.
JUNE 2021
EAST AND WEST SERIES
7. Drink More Water Internal hydration coupled with external hydration is the key to well-balanced and healthy hair. Drinking at least 3 liters of water everyday ensures good hair health. 8. Eat Healthy ‘You are what you eat’ comes to mind when talking about hair care and skin care. Your hair is made of proteins and amino acids. It needs the right nutrition to grow well and maintain itself. 9. Use Hair Caps/hats Just as sunlight has a damaging effect on your skin, it applies to your hair too. Harsh sun rays can remove the moisture from your hair making it dry, brittle and damaged over the course of time. Use caps/ hats/scarfs when you step out to protect your hair from this damage. Protect your hair with caps when you are in a swimming pool. Chlorinated water is bad for your hair. HAIR CARE DON’TS 1. Hot Showers Hot showers strip off the natural oils from your scalp leaving it dry and flaky. Cold showers are your best bet. 2. Stress If you notice someone with healthy hair, we can bet our lives
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and say that they worry a little less. Stress can cause hair fall and unhealthy hair. 3. Chemicals Chemicals from dying, perming and other hair treatments affect your hair follicles, disrupt hair growth and can also lead to hair fall. 4. Hair Styling Products Heat styling using straighteners, blow dryers and curlers for prolonged periods changes hair texture, makes hair dry and prone to breakage. 5. Salt Water Hair Wash Salt water damages the hair cuticle, irritates the scalp and makes the hair tangled. Avoid chlorinated water in swimming pools. WRAPPING UP If you don’t take good care of your hair, it may stop growing after a point. Slowly, you may start experiencing dandruff, hair fall, dryness and dullness. So, by using chemicalfree products created for your individual hair type, eating right, avoiding heat styling and following all the above tips, you can bid bad hair days a goodbye!