My Favourite City Ahmedabad

*** The post is about my favourite city in terms of  Drive, Design and Connectivity and I chose Ahmedabad. I would like to thank Tata Motors for having given me the opportunity to write about it. More can be found about them here ***

Even if I were in deep sleep and someone had asked me to name my favourite city, I would have answered Ahmedabad because the city continues to amaze me with its liveliness and beauty and also because of its people and their hospitality. My relationship with the city dates back to 2007. It was in June 2007 when I got my first job posting at Ahmedabad after completing my management studies and I lived in the city for a good four years before I got transferred to Delhi. But even then, whenever I got an opportunity, I kept going back to the city on travel missions to explore the city once again. My sojourn in Ahmedabad was lively and enjoyable - the city never failed to excite me. What I loved most about it is its modernity mixed with its peaceful atmosphere and serenity.

Ahmedabad is very well-planned and designed. It happens to be the largest city in Gujarat. In fact at one point in time, it used to be the biggest city in India in terms of area. The city has got a rich cultural history and derives its name from Ahmed Shah (who used to rule Gujarat during the Medieval times). Situated on the banks of River Sabarmati, Ahmedabad (or Amdavad as it is better known as) was founded in the 15th century. The city is also well-known for its association with Mahatma Gandhi and the Sabarmati Ashram.

I am sure anyone travelling to the city will be mesmerised by the unique Indo-Saracenic style of architecture (a blend of Hindu and Islamic styles) that adorns the monuments in the city. Some of them date back to the 15th century when the city was built.

The best thing about Ahmedabad is its vibrant nature, it would always be teeming with life and business activities. Known to be hard-working and possessing impeccable business acumen, the people of the city have contributed a lot in making the city a prosperous one. Textile Industry continued to flourish in the city even during the Mughal period. Ahmedabad used to be an exporting hub of textiles - cotton and silk goods used to be exported to the Middle East and Europe. It continues to be known for its textile mills and is often called the 'Manchester of the East'. It also happens to be an important religious

You will find ample scope for education and career opportunities in Ahmedabad. It is considered to be one of the important centres of education. One will find several premier educational institutes in Ahmedabad, notably the Indian Institute of Management (IIM, Ahmedabad). The city has also got several industries and manufacturing plants and so also many IT MNC companies. You will also find several options for food, sight-seeing and shopping throughout the city in good measure. One of the best occasions to see the city in its lively avatar is the International Kite Festival that is held on the day of of Makar Sankranti.

If we talk about connectivity, the city is well connected by rail, roads and airways with all important cities in India as well as with the interior parts in the city. The Gujarat state transport buses ply their buses to all the nook and corners in the city. Also much unlike the one in New Delhi, the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) in Ahmedabad is a huge success which gives a dedicated corridor for the CNG buses to ply in the city. Wide roads, several flyovers, lush greenery and minimal traffic congestion add to the city's beauty as much as the glitzy malls and multiplexes.

In the last few years, Ahmedabad has become a model for urban development not just in India but also around the world. Thus in 2012, Ahmedabad was chosen by the Times of India as the best city to live in India edging past Pune, Mumbai and Delhi in a survey and understandably so. The city has undergone a massive makeover, thanks to Narendra Modiji. He undertook several projects in the city when he used to be the Chief Minister of the state, to give it a facelift because of which today the city resembles a world class city. When it comes to physical and civic infrastructure, Ahmedabad ranks among the best.

The city is a beautiful place to visit. It has been more than three years now since I last visited Ahmedabad but given an option to choose a city to spend the rest of my life, I would blindly choose Ahmedabad. It had given me some very beautiful and fond memories.

P.S.: Image courtesy: http://www.narendramodi.in/janmarg-transforming-ahmedabads-public-transit-system-4938

Kalakand - Tasty bhi, Healthy bhi

*** The post is about how one can replace the white sugar with Sugar Free Natura so that they can enjoy their favourite sweet dishes without worrying about calories or health problem. Sugar free natura is a safe alternative to sugar and can be consumed by diabetics persons as well. I would like to thank Sugar Free Natura for having given me the opportunity to write about it. Visit their website to know more ***

My hubby has a sweet tooth and often craves for something sweet after a meal. Previously whenever I used to bake a cake or make some dessert, he would literally jump in joy like a child and would indulge in sumptuous portions of the desserts. But then when his tests  revealed that he is pre-diabetic, I restricted his sugar intake to almost nil. Obviously he didn't like it at all. In fact he stopped talking with me for a couple of days for that, hehe. Then I had almost stopped making sweets and desserts at home, for he would sneak into the kitchen and steal like a child whenever I wouldn't be around.

But at the same time, I felt really sad to see my husband resigned to living without dessert for the rest of his life, if my curfews could work. It was then that I searched for healthier alternatives to sugar. That was when I came to know about Sugar Free Natura. It is an ideal replacement for the white sugar - not only does it impart the same sweetness to the dishes as the white sugar but is also very heat stable. As a result it can be safely used to make any sweet dish or desserts without fearing about any health problem or the calories. Sugar free natura contains Sucralose which is much more safer option than the usual white sugar and so now the diabetics, the fitness seekers and those who slog out to shed weight can satiate their sweet cravings without any worries.

Today being a Sunday and with such a nice weather, my husband took me out for lunch and then followed that up with a beautiful movie. Now as a return gift, I thought of cooking a sweet dish for my husband. After brainstorming for a while, I finally settled for Kalakand. He loves it immensely. Making Kalakand doesn't rally involve any difficult step, however one needs patience. But given the end result, my labour was totally worth it.

*** Requirements *** 

Full Cream Milk - 1 litre

A small piece of Alum - about two pinches of powdered alum

Sugar Free Natura - 1/4 cup

Mawa or Khoya (grated) - 100 gms

Green Cardamoms - 2 or 3 grounded

Blanched Almonds (thinly sliced) - about 2 tablespoons

Crushed Cashew nuts - about 3 tablespoons

Desi Ghee - 1 tablespoon to grease the plate

*** How to make Kalakand ***

Bring 1 litre of full cream milk to boil and then lowering the heat, keep it over low flame till it gets reduced to almost half and thickens up considerably. 

When the milk has reduced appreciably, now take a piece of alum and crush it with a mortar and pestel and add about 2 pinches of it to the milk. After addition of alum, the milk starts attaining a grainy form, keep stirring. 

After about 3-4 minutes of adding alum, stir in 1/4th cup of sugar free natura and mix it nicely so that it gets dissolved in the mixture.  

Now take a mould (a flat plate having a diameter of 6-7 inches and a depth of 1-2 inches will also do) and grease it with desi ghee.

Add the grated khoya or mawa and keep stirring the milk mixture till it thickens up considerably.

Then add the crushed cardamom powder, followed by half of the sliced almonds and cashew nuts and mix nicely. Keep it over fire for another minute or so.

Then pour it onto the greased plate. Since my plate was too big and the kalakand mixture could cover only half of my plate, so in order to get more thicker kalakand (with a bigger height), instead of spreading it thinly all over the plate, I poured the kalakand mixture on only one side of the greased plate and using a spoon, pushed it back so that it looked like a half moon like this.

Now garnish the kalakand surface with rest of the sliced almonds and the cashew nuts.

The final step is to keep the kalakand plate inside a refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes to get set. We can then cut them into pieces and serve them.

I could once again discover that same old child-like innocence on my hubby dear's happy face. Thank you Sugar free natura. Without your help, probably it wouldn't have been possible.

Old memories re-running

It's winter again,
Memories of our times together come back to haunt me,
It hurts when dreams get shattered,
but it hurts more because I felt betrayed
I couldn't know how and why,
the chasm between us continued to grow,
I tried with all my might
but you left me alone and went away
all I am holding onto now is old memories...
But with each passing day,
they too are slowly fading away into memory's abyss