The not-so-secret diary

Not just 'The Nose' but 'My Nose'. Or even "My Nose! Its more important than that train you are trying to leap into, even as the doors are sliding shut in front of us!". That's what I wanted to yell at the guy who dashed out of the walkway at Notting Hill Gate station last week, used the wrong entry point, which was actually the exit point for everyone getting off the Central Line, and in the process nearly smashed my little nose. So there it was, I escaped my  Surpanakha moment by just a few micro-seconds and without even being guilty of recklessly flirting with two warrior brothers and would-be-gods. Had I been walking a little faster, had I not been weighed down by my grocery bag, or had my nose been a few millimeters longer, the outcome my friends, could have been different. So I cursed some more inwardly, got onto the escalator and sarcastically hoped that his 'appointment' was worth it. By the time I reached the top of the escal...

I have thought for some time that I am in serious danger of becoming a news junkie. But just recently I made some mental links and concluded that, in fact, there are  3 main developments occurring right now and everything suddenly makes sense. Or reduces the nonsense. Or .... well... at least brings us a step closer to making sense. In no particular order of priority, they are: Technology or The cyber-age Democracy and revolutions The rise of new superpowers (and some others in the making) On their own, each of them on their own could potentially change some parts of our future world, but acting together they are sure to change our world forever. Strangely enough these three developments are linked to each in the equivalent of the six-degrees separation for trending world events.                             ...

Grains: Rice, Wheat, Corn etc. Grains are mentioned as an absolute must to build up strength and energy. In fact most of us, till at least a generation ago were happily digesting complex grains/ wheat. But modern farming methods have left us with varieties of wheat that have too much gluten and so we see gluten allergies. Rice (specially Basmati Rice, probably as it was the native variety) has been given a prominent position in Ayurveda. It is considered easy to digest by all constitution types, and mixed with various other food types/ herbs has important curing properties. Corn is not native to India and lately there is some evidence, via old temple sculptures and texts that maize (and other South American food types) probably arrived in India in pre-Columbus times. I would imagine that the new foodtypes were classified as per the ancient principles. Modern Vaidyas recommend quinoa, corn, brown rice, cous-cous, bulgur wheat and many other grain varieties based on your par...