My Culinary Skills

The credit of my interest in cooking and baking goes to my mother. She is a wonderful cook and a great hostess too. Not a single day does she get bored or tired to cook. She has been a true inspiration and guide right from my childhood days when she used to plan, cook and host the three of our birthday parties. Chocolate cake is one of her specialities and even today not a single birthday at home is complete without it.

When I was young I used to just help her when there were guests or a party at home. It was during the long summer vacation after my 10th board exams that I started watching cookery shows on TV and tried out a few recipes. Even today in my free time I watch shows on NDTV Good times, TLC, etc. It is from my mom and through these shows that I have learnt my culinary skills. However while studying BCom at Christ College I had the opportunity to do a Certificate course in Bakery and Confectionery. This short term course helped me to learn the basics of baking and from then on baking cakes and pastries have never been difficult. Also the encouragement that I have received from my mom and others at home has been very inspiring as they not only appreciate my culinary skills but are also ready to eat whatever I prepare as long as it is edible. Today I can proudly say that with the help of my mom and sister I can plan and cook a full course meal for a get-together at home without any difficulty.

Pay for the distance travelled.

All of us have been travelling by autorichshaws since so many years and have argued with the drivers atleast once. The reason for such arguments are many : asked to pay more than the actual cost, meter being tampered, not coming to the destination passengers ask for etc. There seems to be no end to the problems faced by passengers. Campaigns like "Meter Jam" will be there only for a day and do not bring about a change immediately. The solution should be a win-win situation for both passengers and drivers in the long run.

Off late I have been travelling to UB City quite often and take a richshaw from my place in JP Nagar. Right from the first day I have been taking the same route and it is around 8 - 9 kms. oneway. But the fare is not the same. The rates have varied from as low as Rs.55 to highest being Rs. 78[before the rates were revised]. On wednesday when I was travelling to the same place I was shocked when the meter showed Rs.40 and I had hardly covered half the distance. Immediately I told the driver about his faulty meter and to my surprise without arguing he turned off the meter and asked me to pay the amount that it usually costs me. This is when I thought that there should be some solution and gave it a serious thought : how about each passenger carrying a small device which records the number of kilometers travelled [similar to a speedometer]. This can reduce the problem to a large extent as the passenger will know the number of kilometers he has travelled without any problem and then calculate it with the existing fare for a km. The passengers need not depend on the autorichshaw meter to know the actual distance travelled.
They will be paying only for the distance travelled and not more than that.

Bangalore - my home town

Bangalore is called by so many names : Garden City, Silicon Valley of India, Pensioner's paradise, Pub city etc. But it truly is a Cosmopolitan city. It is a combination of traditional and modern in all aspects. The people are broad minded and easy going. True Bangaloreans are warm, friendly and courteous by nature. This attitude of bangaloreans makes it easy for outsiders to live and get adjusted to the lifestyle of the city. One can easily adapt to the food, culture and people without much hassle. And not to forget the wonderful and unpredictable climate which is truly the icing on the cake for Bangalore city.

On one end of the city you find magnificient bungalows, parks, market places and darshinis(small food joints). The other end you would find swanky malls, pubs, modern architectural buildings which house most of the IT companies, etc.

Over the years Bangalore has changed a lot in terms of size, infrastructure, institutions, IT & Non IT offices, traffic,etc. Though some of these have hampered the serene beauty and life in Bangalore, it continues to attract more and more people from all walks of life.