Tea With HT City

As the clock stroked 3.45 p.m. I entered the Hindustan Times Building. With numerous thoughts and expectations my mind was busy guessing what’s gonna be next. Greeted by Ms. Navdeep Kaur Marwah (HT City reporter), she escorted me to the corporate room where all the other lucky fans were waiting for the interaction. Ms. Vaishali Bhambri (HT City Reporter) welcomed us. We had a good little chit chat session with her.

Then as I just turned my head I saw someone entering the room. A lady with a charismatic personality and a big smile on her face, yes you guessed it right, Sonal Mam greeted us all. She is gorgeous and elegant. Her down to earth nature and indubitable soul made me admire her even more. Her very first line “Ohh!! I know them all..they are my friends on facebook” touched my heart. She then briefed us what are we here for (though Rachit just assumed we were there ONLY for a tea). The main purpose was to get first hand information from the readers what they like and dislike about HT city and wanted to know from us any suggestions to make HT city more lively, interesting and interactive.

Next, we all moved to the HT city working area where the all the HT City reporters were anxiously waiting for us (rather I should say we were more excited to give our views to them). The whole session lasted for about 1.5 hours and was a whole lot fun. Kawaljeet Uncle (one of the HT readers) hated bollywood and wanted “what all housewives do in their free time” in HT city. Btao! Ye bhool gaye they HT city ki interaction hai naa ki HT Live ki. But whatever he said (chahe trash hi sahi) it all amused us to the core. Everyone gave their feedback on HT City ( P.S. I proudly say I prefer HT city over Delhi Times).  The young squad of Sonal Mam was really friendly and concerned and related with different people with different age and background energetically. With a boisterous environment around I wished the session never ended.

But I never thought the best part is yet to come, the personal interaction session with Sonal Mam. For fans like us, Sonal Mam’s cabin was a Mecca for us all. From the autograph session to photograph session to aman’s song to Amit’s mausi wali bakk bakk to Sonal Mam’s story how she landed up being an editor, I had a ball. Sonal Mam even spoke to my mom (who is also an avid reader of HT city since its inception) and she just made her day. Everyone mixed up so well with each other as if they knew them since years. I felt I met the best people in town that day and it could be possible only because of Sonal Mam and HT City. Thanks for calling us and I hope you too all enjoyed as much as we did.

P.S.- I didn’t enjoy meeting SRK a few days back as much as I enjoyed meeting you and your whole team.

We all loved the T-shirt and chocolates. Thanks a ton for that sweet gesture 

WISH..!! I COULD SWAP LIVES WITH KATE MIDDLETON

Kate Middleton has lived every girl's dream: marrying a super rich guy

William is part of the Royal Family so of course he and his family are going to have masses of riches to spare on Kate. She has it all sorted for her. She can party all day long, quit the day job and live without any financial worries or constraints.

This is every girl's dream: to marry a super rich guy and never have to worry about anything again. She can live off his and his family's riches.

Who doesn't agrees that this is every girl's dream and Kate Middleton has achieved this dream?

DILLI KI GARMI

Everyone remembers the item number by Amrita Arora swinging to the tunes of "Dilli ki Sardi" but that's a thing of past and this post is about the latest block buster “Dilli ki Garmi” and what should I say, I am loving it, yes I am.

If you think I am crazy, I might well be considering the raw heat, which is taking it’s toll on everyone, the mercury is already playing around at 42 - 43 degrees celsius and I am sure it will go further. But the fact is that, it is hot, it will get hotter and you cannot run away from it. The best way out is to beat the heat, and take it on, and love this challenge.

Now take a look at what “Dilli ki Garmi” has to offer you:

Mangoes : ahaa, I know you love them. Who does not? It’s India’s most favored fruit. This is a peak season for eating mangoes and Delhi markets have loads of them to offer, and the best thing is that as the summers peak, the best varieties reveal themselves. Dusseries will come in June, it’s my favorite variety, and I eat it the ‘desi’ way, it adds to the taste.

Water Melon : Even though mango is India’s most favored fruit, mine is this. And this again is a summer special, I can easily substitute my meals for this delicious red fruit. And someone told me it’s a fruit, which is good for health in summers coz of water content, but I simply love the taste, and the seeds are added advantage.

Air Coolers : Well you only use them in summers, unlike Air conditioners. The air cooler acts as a lifeline, in those weekend afternoons. And where does the Air coolers score over Air Conditioners…. the hint of “bhini si khushboo”, which we Indian’s are so fond of and long for especially in cities like Delhi.

 Lassi: Wow the best way to quench your thirst as well as satisfying your taste buds, and add to that the nutritious value of the drink. For me the best part is I can prepare it myself.

Hygiene: Sounds tricky? Let me explain. Well normally in our daily routine we take bath just once in the morning. But the summers make it mandatory to bath twice if not more, which automatically makes us more hygienic. Howazzat!! Well I do it coz I love sitting under the shower, thinking about mangoes and watermelons.

Looks like you already have forgotten the heat of the summer season, as there are so many other things to cherish, and feel good about, some things, which you might not find in any other season. The idea of this post is to send out a message to fellow Delhites and everyone who is facing the ire of nature in form of intense heat. The message is to take the heat in your stride and not get carried away by heat. We can crib about anything, but the fun is in enjoying the challenges thrown at us. So Dilli ki Garmi is a sure shot hit every year and i don't miss it.

 

TEMPT YOUR TASTE BUDS WITH DELHI'S STREET FOOD

Street foods are an alternative options for your meal. Delhi has no dearth of tempting street foods that can satisfy both your tasting buds as well as your appetite. You don't have to search more to gorge on these lip smacking delicacies as they are available at your neighborhood.

Are you a great foodie but bored of eating the sophisticated and low-calorie cuisines of Five-Star Hotels and restaurants? Well, than you must savor the tempting street foods of Delhi. This city of glorious past and modern contemporary days is a fun place for food. 

Delhi is blessed with a myriad of culinary traditions of street foods that are dated back to Mughal era. Previously, Khomchas, than redhis and thelas and now the street corners at your neighborhoods, satisfies the tasting buds with their relishing street foods.

Keeping aside the hygienic and cleanliness conditions, these mouth-watering street foods are an ideal options to fulfill your appetite during your hectic shopping spree or hang out time. Delhi has endless array of street foods which are very tasty as well as inexpensive. 

Be it a chilling winter or scorching summer season, there is no dearth of street foods for Delhites. Roasted shakarkandi (warm sweet potatoes with seasoning), fresh fruit chaat (prepared with seasonal fruits like guava, apple, banana, radish and carrot with salt and dash of lime) or chaat-papdi, golgappa, allutikki, samosa, dahi-bhalla, bhature chana, chhole kulche, rose and kewra flavoured Kulifi faluda kathi kabab are some of the traditional street foods that very well captivates the attention of the food lovers with their rich aroma and hot and spicy taste.
Apart from these lip-smacking street delicacies, there are some more street foods which very well merged itself with Delhi's street food culture. Chowmein, hot-sweet corn in butter, steamed or fried veg and non-veg mommos, burger, idli, dosa are some added attractions of Delhi's street foods. 

Some well known street food corners in Delhi are namely the Jalebis at Dariba Kalan corner, rabri faluda at Gianis, Fathepuri, lassi at Naya Bans, chaat near Bank of India and parantha of paranthe wali gali in Chandini Chowk, Samosas at Panchkuain Road, Bhaturas in Paharganj, chaat at UPSC, Khan Chacha Kabaab corner at Khan market etc. Most of these shops are involve in these business for generations. They have their own secret recipes to prepare these awesome delicacies. Most of them take proper care of hygiene while in the preparation of the foods.

Of late, these street foods has become a necessity for Delhites who are unable to pack their food from home or can't afford to dine on foods from costly restaurants or Dhabbas. These street foods are also the source of earning for many vendors who has migrated to Delhi from nearby states.

So, if you want to explore and experience the colorful and unique culture of Delhi, than you must try out the street foods of Delhi as they are the part and parcel of Delhi's multi-culture.

IPL- IS MONEY MAKING THE ONLY FOCUS???

IPL is the big daddy of all the leagues played all over the world. With millions of dollars poured into it and teams packed with world class cricketing stars, it's certain to attract huge crowds. Celebrities like Vijay Mallaya, Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, etc owning teams, the attraction is still bigger. Not only this, crores of rupees have been spent on making special ads, music and songs for the teams as publicity package. But IPL from the day of its announcement has remained in the eye of the storm. A section feels that this format of the game would affect test cricket and ODI matches. Others feel that the seriousness of the game is not to be seen, as players are playing for IPL and money making is the focus, both for the players and the team owners. 

Not only this, it is felt that IPL would give rise to more such leagues and if not T20, the ODI matches would certainly suffer. Talented players will earn loads of money. In this case it's like market economy; perform and get rewards. So, in the case of IPL, the players who perform continuously, would be paid accordingly. This will give many talented players the opportunity to participate in IPL and earn money. It is a big step towards making the game more professional. But some have a different opinion that only money will drive the players and they will lose focus with their national teams. Is IPL all about glitz and glamour sans the age-old glory of the gentleman's game?

BREAK TOH BANTA HAI !!!

No I'm not referring to the shot movie which my group mates and I made few days back, not even to the cute kitkat commercial, but to a genuine interlude from the much hyped sport- "CRICKET".

Too much of anything is bad for health. But too much of cricket seems to be barely enough. Time was when there used to be reasonable gap between tournaments. Not anymore. It is playtime round the year now. Hardly had the euphoria of winning the world cup subsided the nation is caught in the IPL fever. Does it augur well? The mindboggling money and handsome perks may be a good incentive for the cricketers to play on. But what about the viewers? They surely deserve a break. 

IS THE END NEAR????

How seriously should you take the talk about an end of the world 2012 doomsday?

There are a number of December 21, 2012 predictions about the end of the world, earth as we know it. Some say that on an ancient Mayan Calendar 2012 points to the end of the world: they picked December 21,2012 as the exact day because that's when the calendar ends.

Some 2012 predictions, are connected to each other, while some are not. It has got to the point where the thought of 2012 end of the world doomsday is freaking some people out. Should you be freaked? I don't think so. For starters, given past doomsday predictions and prophecies about the end of the world, earth should have ended by now! Since the earth is still here, it will be fair to say then that, to date, all doomsday prophecies and predictions about the end of the world (before 2012) have failed.

However, a WORD of CAUTION. Just because the earth has survived various doomsday predictions so far, it does not guarantee it will still be here in the year 2012, or tomorrow for that matter? Any known threat should be taken seriously. We are a vulnerable planet. The "Greenies" make make some good points about the vulnerability of our ecosystem. While we don not believe any end of the world 2012 predictions will happen,we recognize that there are a lot of stupid, power hungry people who make the earth vulnerable to a doomsday. But not a 2012 end of the world doomsday!