Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Food not only has to taste good but also has to look good.


Food not only has to taste good but also has to look good, because we first eat with our eyes! Everyone can cook food at home, a little garnishing; an artistic presentation would make that food enticing and greatly enhance its value. Even a simple and common preparation when presented as a piece of art becomes tempting and delicious! An attractive presentation of food is important since it indicates that you value your family and guests enough to go to the trouble to try and achieve something beyond the mundane. It is to show them that you love preparing and serving food to them in the best possible manner in a comfortable and pleasing environment.

Fine dining restaurants and various food-related TV shows are a great inspiration in this direction. One may not achieve the perfection of best chefs, but it is easily possible to decorate any preparation by artistically plating it and garnishing with commonly available vegetables, nuts, sauces, syrups and whatever you may think of to make the serving colourful and attractive.

Friday, May 25, 2012

This - My 501st Blog Post is about the Present Status of My Blog: “Raghu’s column!”

I am happy to announce that I have just completed posting my 500th article to my blog. After I posted my first article to this blog site on 20th April 2009, I sent an email to my family, friends and relatives as follows: “Hi! Everyone, I have just started blogging under the title: ‘Raghu’s column!’ I strongly wish and hope I would find time to contribute regularly to this column on wide ranging topics: My views, memoirs, parties, forthcoming events, local issues / news, family announcements and many more topics. Please visit http://srisrilara.blogspot.in/ from time to time, please read my articles and post your comments for me and others to benefit”.
At the time when I began blogging, I never thought I would reach a figure of over 500 blog posts. As events came up and ideas, thoughts and memories sprang up in my mind I kept writing as and when possible and in these three years, to be precise in 37 months, I have posted 500 articles with well over 3,500 photographs. My son, Srinath is abroad in UK, and my nephew Dr. Uday Bhaskar is in Saudi Arabia and similarly a number of my friends, relatives and ex-colleagues who are far away are very happy to read my posts on current events at Hyderabad and those concerning me. And the blog is serving as a ready reckoner for me, our family and friends over various subjects concerning us and I presume it is helping a large number of other visitors reaching my blog in search of information.   
I wish to continue blogging as long as possible, as I am thoroughly enjoying this new found hobby.  
With a modest number of registered followers but a very large number of unregistered regular followers and hundreds of random visitors to my blog there have been over 170,000 page views so far, from every nook and corner of the world. Here is a glimpse of the statistics and my blog posts:

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

MY 500th BLOG POST: What if the Petrol Price has gone up yet again today.

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Congratulations! Ruling party, Congratulations! for increasing the price of Petrol. Congratulations! Beneficiaries of our Rich Government! You can expect more Freebies now; apart from those you already enjoy! - Interest Free Loans, Free Houses, Free Rice, Cheap Rice, Cheap Provisions, Free Power, Free Meals, Free Medical Aid, Substantial Unemployment Allowances, Enhanced Pensions,  Free Gas Stoves, Free Gas, Free Bicycles, Free Laptops, Free Fans, Free Grinders, Free Marriage Ceremonies and come Elections free money from most political parties. It is raining Freebies and Money for the most privileged population of our country. Can any country in the world beat India at this magnanimity?
Now with the increase in Petrol Price by 10%, I hope our Government will be in a position to offer more Freebies. Hope this will enable the Ruling Party to soon distribute FREE GOLD! among its supporters and to ensure eternal power to Antonia Edvige All Blindina Madestino and her progeny! Long live India, Long live our Democracy! Or should I say Monarchy and Anarchy from the point of view of Telangana people struggling for freedom from decades of misrule and betrayal.

Monday, May 21, 2012

A Comfortable Train Journey!


For fifteen years I have traveled a great deal all over the country on official trips; alone or with colleagues attending to commissioning and servicing of CNC Machines. My Company and our customers were very much satisfied with my work and this good performance resulted in more and more trips for me. Business trips became a routine, on an average fifteen a year. However comfortable the to and fro journeys and the outstation stays were and the results of my job good, I always felt these away from home trips stressful and cumbersome.
In contrast occasional short outings and one or two long annual vacations with the family are quite relaxing and enjoyable. All such outings totally unrelated with my job and well planned for maximum entertainment have always turned out to be very happy ones. The happiness of the family outings and vacations starts from the moment you leave the house and lasts during the journey, on arrival at the destinations, the stay there, during sightseeing and continues as you return home safe and thrilled. Further with photographs and videos to remind us of many aspects of such holidays, they remain memorable to us.
In this blog of mine, I have written from time to time about several such vacations of our family along with photographs. And here below, I am presenting a video of a very comfortable to and fro train journey we made in a CoupĂ© during one of our vacations. I hope you will find this video and my earlier travel related photoblog-posts interesting. 

Friday, May 18, 2012

Australian presence is multiplying around Hyderabad!!!


Yes! Australian presence is multiplying rapidly around Hyderabad and in the Districts around it! With encouragement from Government (NABARD) and experts in this Australian business, local people have taken interest in this new occupation and seem to be making reasonably good profits. It is a business involving supply of healthy food, a variety of medicines and fashionable goods!
I am talking about EMU, the National bird of Australia. Far from its native habitat in Australia, these flightless Emu birds can now be found in several numbers at various farms around Hyderabad. FARMING of Emu birds is taking place on a very large scale, along every road and highway leading to the city and at many other adjoining places.
Emu bird is the second largest surviving bird in the world after the Ostrich. It is a very commonly found bird in Australia. At the top of this article you can see pictures of these birds (However, the birds in Photos No. 4 and 5; are of Ostriches in Hyderabad). The flightless Emu birds can grow up to a height of 2 mtrs., that is 6 & ½ feet and weigh up to 60 kgs. They are brown in color, with short wings and soft feathers. They have long and thin; but very strong necks and legs. Emu birds can travel great distances at a fast rate, they can at times sprint at 50 km/hour that is 31 mph. And they are very good swimmers. Normally Emu birds live up to over 35 years.
As these birds can adapt to a variety of climatic conditions ranging from the cold winters to the extreme heat, they are now being raised throughout the world. The reason for the growth of Emu Farms is the increasing demand for its Meat, Oil, Skin, Eggs and Claws. The meat is available at Inorbit Mall since long, and it is now available at Spar too. Emu meat is being projected as tasty and pleasing red meat, packed with protein and rich in Iron and Vitamin B12.  This red meat is said to be an excellent alternative for health conscious consumers who love the taste of traditional red meat but desire lower cholesterol, lower fat and calories. Today’s health conscious consumers are very happy with Emu meat. We tried this meat and found it tasty. The tenderness and texture of Emu meat enables it to be prepared in a variety of ways.
Emu oil is said to be nature’s “perfect emollient”, a superb trans-dermal carrier that promotes healing from the inside out. It is used as a natural anti-aging agent, as a moisturizer, to reduce Keloid scarring, it is used for lowering cholesterol levels and for faster healing of burn injuries, and it is used as an anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic medicine.
Each bird yields about 9 sq.ft of soft and smooth skin which is in great demand in leather industry. The feathers are used in fashion industry, toy making and as feather dusters. The Claws and Eggs are used in making a variety of souvenirs.
It is easy to rear Emu birds. The shelter and other requirements are minimal and they can be easily fed with seasonal vegetables though they are accustomed to eating some worms in the wilderness.
Emu bird farming means no risk business with assured profits on every part of the birds! 

An appeal as Lok Sabha Elections 2024 schedule is out!

  I n the midst of Lok Sabha's grand affair, With schedules laid out, we're now aware. Excitement brews within my kin and me, To cho...