Proud to be an Indian???

Are you proud to be an Indian? Being in India, this question might not appeal to you, but when one is in a foreign country, we represent our homeland country. And when this question comes to your mind, when you are staying in a foreign country, you might ponder over it and think a lot to come to a conclusion. No doubt, I am proud to be an Indian, but my confidence was shaken when one of the native residents of Belgium asked me about the recent burning news in India, which is being telecast-ed in BBC worldwide. The recent barbarous crime in India, which engulfed a 23 year old innocent girl, has asked questions not only about safety of women in India, but also questions us ‘Are we proud to be an Indian?’.
I feel proud when India wins World cup cricket, when India wins a gold medal in Olympics, when ISRO sends a satellite in space, when an Indian company acquires an overseas company, when an Indian company is listed in fortune top 500, I feel proud when an Indian is listed in top 10 richest persons in the world, when an Indian receives Noble prize, when an Indian singer gets Oscar, I feel proud when an Indian is a member of NASA’s space exploration team, but I forget all these when I hear, an innocent 23 year old girl was victim of a heinous crime on the streets of Delhi.
I think we all should remind ourselves of this question every now and then, and align our acts/doings/activities which will make us proud of our country/of who we are. All of us around the world. Make your country/yourself proud of who you are/who you represent.

The Legend Retires – End of an era of Cricket

Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement today. Its hard to believe that Sachin is retiring, leaving behind him a plethora of records to break for youngsters. We will miss his elegant straight and cover drives, the gentle and classy shots, his on field presence that terrorizes any opposition. Its end of an era of cricket, which was dominated by Sachin’s class and style. The legend has retired and no one can match his qualities on and off the field. There cannot be another Sachin – its end of an era of Cricket. Someone said it right – “The game will not be the same when the Master will play no more.”

The World is Alive !!!

Finally, its not the end of world. The much hyped – end of world – story has finally come to an end. This has been in news since years and after this is over, it has given reasons to many people to celebrate. There are many clubs, that organized themed parties on 20th night to celebrate the last day of the world. And on 22nd, many clubs are organizing themed parties to celebrate – the world is alive.
Such news have always been the target for business owners – whether its President Obama’s election victory, or end of world, such hyped news are always the target of business owners. And such events give them huge profits. I had a conversation with some of the club owners in Brussels, they claimed that the club was never crowded so much before as it was on 20th. After 1 a.m, they had to stop entry into the club because it was overcrowded – they feared if world doesn’t end, it might be end of their club :).
Its interesting to see people’s reaction to such news. As per BBC(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20803579), many people have taken several measures to avoid the end/embrace/welcome new world.
But the good news is, day is bright, Sun is shining, people are happy and enjoying just like a normal day. Hope if it was to be end of world, then may be the bad in all of us has died and ended, and we welcome a new world within ourselves and outside in a positive way.

Secret Santa – Saint Nicolas, Father Christmas or Santa Claus?

Santa is secret. In Belgium people call him Saint Nicolas. Earlier, I was familiar with name Santa Claus who used to come in Christmas and distribute gifts. In Belgium, I heard there is a Saint Nicolas, who does same. I first heard the name of Saint Nicolas from my Belgian colleagues and the stories of Saint Nicolas narrated by them is really impressive. Someone told that his entry into Belgium is a grand celebration, wherein he comes across the sea in a cruise and is given a red carpet welcome. And on the day of his arrival, you will find gifts everywhere. I too was lucky to get few gifts from the cafes where I had my breakfast and lunch. But, I couldn’t meet Saint Nicolas :(.
Wikipedia says Santa Claus and Saint Nicolas are same. It also mentions a new name for Santa, which I was not aware of – ‘Father Christmas’. Santa has different names across different parts of the world, this adds to the confusion – Who is my secret Santa? 🙂
P.S. – This is not my pic 🙂

Belgian beers Vs Carlsberg

Belgium is known for its beers, it has a wide variety of beers – each prepared by different process. I tasted different types of beers in Belgium – duvel, chimay, piraat(the worst after -hangover experience i had with 😦 ), maes, jupiler, Brugge Zot, Guezze(a bit sour taste), palm, leffe(blond and brown, haven’ tried royal), and many others which I am not able to recall the names.All beers taste different, but if you ask which would be best, I would go for  Danish beer which I am a fan of – Carlsberg. For me, its carlsberg any time. I like the mild taste of carlsberg and it goes well at any time of the day. However, I would keep trying different Belgian beers to find out, if I get any replacement for Carlsberg in Belgium. Drinking Danish beer in Belgium is not a good choice in public :). Any recommendation for Belgian beers ???

Cooking is fun…

Being out of India gives you option to cook or adapt to outside food. While I dont have problems in eating outside, but cooking Indian food on your own and eating them is satisfying and fun. And if you are staying with other Indians who come from different parts of India, then you have whole lot of option to eat different kinds of food with different tastes. There are 29 states in India and each state has its own special food. I stay with people who come from 3 different states of India and the same food tastes different when prepared by either of them. Of course, it tastes good !!! 🙂
Cooking has become a hobby for me now, and I enjoy cooking. I have tried several dishes from chicken curry of different varities to simple daal and daal tadka and each time I cook, I try different recipe for same dish. And it always tastes awesome, that’s the compliment which I get from my dear friends, who eat with me!!! 🙂
Let’s keep cooking and hope it turns out a good dish each time I prepare 🙂
Happy Cooking!!!

Brussels Weather

Now a days its very cold here in Brussels, Belgium. It snows. Its scenic, but too cold. Experiencing such weather for the first time, enjoying till now. Hope for the best:)