Switch to Organic Foods with IsayOrganic

To think well, love well, and to sleep well one has to also “EAT WELL”. I feel fascinated when I come across people maintaining leading active life in their 70’s, 80’s and even beyond. And they are all roaring to go past 100 with same passion.

Whenever I come across these legends, I always gets motivated to their lifestyle and passion for long living. Some of them are practicing Yoga daily, some are doing mild exercise daily, some go for regular walking, and some follow strict disciplined daily routine depending on their choice. However, on thing common with all is that they all are also follow healthy eating habits. Foods promoting immunity is an essential part of their diets. And switching to Organic Food is an easiest way to EAT Well.

Contents in the pack: 

Kathal ka Achar (Jackfruit Pickle), Mushroom Soup, Black Grape Jam, Honey & Tea Gift Hamper, Roasted Flax seeds

Kathal ka Achar

Also knows as Jackfruit, it is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world. Eatable matter inside its thick, bumpy shell can be used for preparing a variety of dishes, it can be eaten raw or processed into delicious PICKLE.

However, to prepare pickle by yourself make sure you apply oil on your hands and the knife to peel the KATHAL to avoid sticking it to your hands. My mother used to prepare it long back. No-preservative’s, just right SALT preparation from ISayOrganic ensure the goodness and rich taste as our grandmother’s recipes. I loved it, so did elders and kids with Desi Ghee Lachcha Parantha. Half of the bottle was emptied within a day. 

Isayorganic.com can you send one more bottle?

Price - ₹ 380 | Quantity – 200 g.

 

Mushroom Soup

A warm bowl of soup so delicious with small tender bites of mushroom pieces, flavoured with pinch of garlic and black pepper to compliment the natural flavour of mushrooms.

Yes, this soup is good for individuals with heart issues and will invoke your hunger after 10-15 minutes of having it. Just follow the quantity mix mentioned on the bottle and enjoy the soup, healthy and sumptuous.

Price - ₹ 170 | Quantity – 100 g.

Black Grape Jam

As compared to other grapes, Black grapes contain high amount of antioxidants which protect your body cells from damage, help in faster healing from illness and in boosting immunity as well. 

Sustainably grown and freshly sourced black grapes from Nagpur are carefully crushed for a rich tasting Black Fruit Jam. The sweetness is also kept optimum to ensure it does not affect the taste of Grapes. Crushed portions of Grape multiply the delight of enjoying the Jam with your Bread, Cakes or may be Chapati. The price looks slightly on a higher side, shall be looked into. 

Price - ₹ 381.50 | Quantity – 300 g.

Honey & Tea Gift Hamper

Honey and Tea goes well for the combination. Replacing sugar with Jaggery or Honey is one of the easiest way step to improve immunity. So receiving the combo of Wild Forest Honey and ImmuniTEA made me feel great. 

The honey is polyfloral, where nectar is collected from many flowers.

Having a cup of Tea in morning blended with black Assam tea, dehydrated ginger, turmeric, giloy, Ajwain and an array of herbs & spices will remove toxins from the body. Both honey & green tea are rich in antioxidants that help renew skin cells giving it a glowing and younger look.

Taste - Infested with herbs, ImmuniTEA let us savor the flavor of all the herbs. Pinch of Ajwain  makes for a soothing experience and above all this Tea does not taste bitter like normal Green teas. Goodness of herbal Tea with taste of Masala Tea to summarize in few words. 

Price - ₹ 599 | Quantity – 1 unit: 200 g. Wild Forest Honey + 125 g. ImmuniTEA

Roasted Flax seeds

Loaded with fiber and provide good amounts of protein, Flax seeds need no introduction. Quality may be a concern at times, when buying in open. I am myself taking a tablespoon of these Flax Seeds with Milk, daily morning. 

Slight pinch of Salt makes munching of these roasted flaxseeds more enjoying. Trust me our native foods are more nutritious than any other supplements.

Price - ₹ 102 | Quantity – 200 g. 

Stay healthy with IsayOrganic and Travel healthier...

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Token of Baklava

To think well, love well, and to sleep well one has to enjoy his/ her food. Till it melted in the mouth, I did not realize that Turkish delicacy has been delivered to our doorstep. That feeling when Taste buds feel sumptuous as, perhaps next to nothing in this world.

 

Seeing the baklava, I went back into the memories of my Turkey trip, wherein a health nut like me could not resist having Baklavas in tonnes, be it morning or afternoon or any time of the day. It was an instant recall of the Turkey trip, wherein I loved munching on different food items everywhere as much I enjoyed exploring various places.

 

You can bring back the memories in form of pictures or souvenirs, but local cuisine can be bought back in limited quantity, if at all. You may enjoy local food as much as you can during the trip, but thereafter you can only crave for that sweet/ dessert or anything you tasted in your trip.

About Baklava - Baklava is a traditional Turkish sweet, blended with various dry fruits like ground walnuts, almonds, pistachios along with honey and nutritious elements. 

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Handmade Rustic Wall Shelves

Plain Walls may appear clean and elegant to many, however in actual plain walls are an opponent to creative and vibrant living space. Collecting original artefacts and art pieces is not an easy task as well. So how to illuminate the boring plain walls? There must be an affordable way to invigorate your home walls, while keeping exclusivity intact.

 

One fine day, I received these wonderful Royal Rustic Hexagonal Wall Shelves, as a gift from Exclusivelane.com.

 

The Product: Burned Wood, to be specific Mango Wood and thereafter painted with rustic green shades immediately took me back to the memory lane to the doors of our ancestral house in Rajasthan. Inspired from the rustic doors of Rajasthan, these Wall Shelves serves as the perfect souvenir that dates back to centuries’ old tradition.

 

Mechanical Engineer inside me was all excited and I was ready with my toolkit to fix these shelves on the Wall. Though I used the drill machine to drill the holes in the wall, but normal nails pushed inside the wall with a hammer can be also used to hang the shelves. Each Shelf has 2 concealed holes at the back for hanging on the wall.

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Best ways to save and invest money to fund my travels?

As a kid, I distinctly remember how elderly people used to consider visiting Varanasi or Badrinath or Vaishno Devi as once in a lifetime event. My father was an Indian Railway employee and had privilege of free train journeys; despite that our vacations were quite less, probably due to associated other expenses.

Gone are the days, when travelling was considered a luxury or once in a while affair. Travelling has now become a necessary part of our lives. Escaping Workplace Stress, Pollution are pretty honest excuses, but in reality it is financial independence which is driving this new found breed of vacationers.

During my early career days, I used to save and just save for small trips, hardly 250 -300 km. from Delhi. Such a trip along with a few friends, more than once in a year used to be a big achievement. The way I used to plan for these trips, I now see the youngsters plan for Thailand, Maldives, Eurotrip and practically much more than I ever could have thought of. By seeing the millennials plan for such foreign trips, I at times used to wonder – Who is funding their frequent travels? Are they availing Loans?

I know one of my friends, who took a loan to take his family abroad for a trip and proudly paid back a hefty interest amount for the next couple of years. Well, this was not so smart an option which he realized later, when he ended up paying interest costs to the extent of 20%.

There must be a better alternative to EMI’s and Investing is a smart way of saving. With investing comes the basic question Where and How much to invest? Being myself a travel enthusiast, I will be always open to explore any investment opportunity that can help me in continuing my travels even post my retirement with some luxury and adequate risk cushion. Why not? Why should I not? 

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And they happily Gifted Ever after

And finally there was a much cherished smile on her face. 

I was relieved for a moment, but the analytics were anxiously analyzing if the smile was indeed genuine appreciation or was just a receipt acknowledgement, like the normal practice over past few years. So next few days were spent in careful observation and finally getting a confirmation that I have pulled off a miracle, with an awesome Gift this time. Finally, I was Happy OYE.

Being an engineer I have been often, not often but regularly accused of being a calculator/ someone who can solve any problem on the earth but cannot select even a proper gift for occasions. Situation was not different this time, as my marriage anniversary was approaching and I was again searching for that Perfect Gift, as usual scared/ terrified and confused on what to GIFT. So to be on a safer side I was again placing my bets on yet another COFFE MUG for this year as well, albeit with a different picture. However, I have exhausted more or less all the pictures for the cause as well. 

The problem we face, is what to Gift and where to find such a gift that conveys exactly what you want to communicate. If my better half reads this post somehow, she should believe that I have had tried number of websites and shops for that special gift, but somehow was unable to find that just right Gift, my kind of Gift - remember Maddy from RHTDM movie. Perhaps like many gift shoppers, I was unsure about what to look for and always used to feel insecure about the selection.

Finally some Angel must have felt pity on me helpless state and I somehow landed on a website which offered numerous options for personalized gifting. I found the gifting options so unique that frankly it took some time for me to let the ideas settle in my mind and synchronize with my ideas to the available gifts. I spent about a couple of days exploring the site and this was the selected one (Combo of Mirror greeting, Personalized Coffee Mug and Lit for You bottle) which swiftly got delivered. I only had to make the settings for a romantic evening -

The expression of my better half conveyed that Gift has won the day for me. 

First one which comes to notice is the Coffee Mug. The actual name of this mug is Happy Mug and is hyper personalized with every possible liking of your beloved and in fact many things that describe your favorite person. Prior to this, I always used to think all these small things do not / may not matter. But I was wrong, as I was realized now the importance and meaning of such small points. The feedback on this was an OYE HAPPY moment. 

Mirror Greeting comes with a lovely playful message - Content inside the Card with a mirror reads ‘There was a very close call between baby pandas and you and the mirror has chosen you’. No worries whomsoever will open this will surely be going to fall for you.

Lit for You, a small jar –   

Your question is not the packing box and you can get the feedback with a click; this small jar is equipped with a battery operated light. Your partner has to just flick the button to say YES. Very handy, in case your partner believes communicating/ you understand without words. 

While writing this post and recalling this gifting exercise, I realized in the process that for a Happy relationship, there has to be something more than just Passion and Love; a genuine liking and this liking needs to be reinforced time and again to your beloved. Writing is easy, speaking is better but best expressed with a meaningful GIFT, for an OYE Happy - HAPPY OYE moment. 

Last but not the least, the packaging. Packaging may be the last activity for the sender, but it is the first one to be noticed by the receiver. Study cardboard box, well wrapped mug and nicely accommodated other 2 items.

To summarize – Now I will be no more scared about finding that Gift and now actually waiting for next occasion. Very sure such personally crafted gifts by OYE Happy, https://www.oyehappy.com/ will keep the buyers bonded with the site, the way their Gifts will keep the loved ones together forever.

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MODWAYS - Magic Business Planner

At first glance it was just like any other Business Planner when I received the packet. So, I quietly kept it inside my bag and went home. Honestly, I had no idea that this Business Planner is a Pandora’s Box waiting to be explored, sorry to be opened. Can’t help, being an offbeat explorer!

At night while taking this diary out of my bag, noticed the Wi-Fi symbol on the front cover and a small push button. Curious I, checked it closely to find a well-crafted Push-Button (actually Power/ ON-OFF button) into the outer covering. 

Is it just any other diary, my thoughts went into a toss? At that moment I noticed that back side covering is quite thick, unlike regular such planners. What the hell it is? So, I turned over to the inside of the back covering to find this crafted arrangement of cables in well carved cavities. Now I was completely shocked and confused as what these cables are doing here.

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Asan Barrage - Waterfront stay with Nature

Along the scenic confluence of the river Asan and Asan Barrage, there stands a resort that feels like a world away from the hustle and bustle of the cities. The journey to get here includes a drive amid the scenic hills, incredible valleys and dense forests setting a perfect stage to disconnect from the fast lane and reset your soul at this secluded spot.

Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) started this "Asan Conservation Resort" in 2016 and provided four beautiful waterfront cottage suites for wonderful lifetime memories. It also offers 18 dormitories at the back side of the resort.

As the resort is located alongside a lake created out of the Barrage, there is a facility where guests can paddleboard good looking boats and enjoy lovely evenings. 

The resort is accessible throughout the year and is a much sought-out destination for bird watching in the months of January-March.

About the Resort:

Budget: 

Waterfront Cottages (SUDLX) ~ Rs. 2800

Dormitories ~ Rs. 350

Please check GMVN website for prevailing prices.

The Accommodation: Cottages consist of two rooms, one each on ground floor and first floor, connected by a spiral staircase. One cottage can comfortably accommodate a small family of three to four and is ideal for those coming in a small group for picnic.

The View

The cottages are sitting pretty along the shore of the lake, the guests taking full advantage of the beautiful natural setting. To check-in, they need to follow a lovely landscaped path, picnic tables and chairs perfect for quiet mornings with or a more jovial gathering in the evening. 

After the necessary formalities and before you head to your room, please take the front desk number for ordering tea, coffee, lunch, snacks and dinner.

The cottage has a convertible sofa-cum-bed on the ground floor which is like a living area with television. There is a spiral staircase connecting the first floor. 

The first floor and is equipped with a bed, tea table for two, slanted V shape ceiling, and balcony on both sides.

The Ambience

The property, which is off the popular tracks from Dehradun, is all about putting brakes to the rat race of a life and giving yourself a much-needed break. With flowered lawns to walk around or laze about on a sunny day, summers here are as enjoyable as winters. 

For kids, these lawns are like an extended play area.

Enjoying your food alongside lake will be one of the best memories to cherish:

 As will be standing in the balcony in the misty morning.

You will Love It –

Couples looking for a romantic escape and families trying to find a place for a calm vacation will love this property. Those who love to walk around in the gardens and dine alongside the lake in open air will come back here again and again.

You might Not

If you like to be surrounded with fancy restaurants, shops, late night activities and a lot of sightseeing options, better stay at Dehradun. 

Amenities:

Exploring the tranquil water of the lake on paddleboats with hills surrounding it.

Booking amount includes Parking and Breakfast only. Consumables are charged as per the prevailing menu, which is present in every room. Meals choices have to be informed well in advance as the feedstock need to be arranged by evening.

How to reach:

Dehradum is the nearest Airport and Railway Station, 50 km. from Asan barrage.

By Road: 270 Km. from Delhi.

You will love driving to these nearby Attractions (distance mentioned from Asan Barrage):

1. Ashokan Rock Edict, Kalsi – 20 km.
2. Lakhamandal – 100 Km.
3. Renuka Lake – 51 km. (and on way - Poanta Sahib Guridwara, 8 km. and Citrus fruits' orchards at Dhaula Kuan, 24 km.)
4. Dehradun
5. Mussourie – 70 km.
6. Chakrata – 65 km.

To Summarize:

If you love to connect with nature along with relaxation and that too in lake front accommodations, the resort is the perfect place. Also you may carry your e-books to enjoy reading from this waterfront wonder.

Keep Travelling Guys.

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Modern Stylish Tallboy - Hyundai All New Santro

Way back in the 1990's a relatively unknown name from South Korea entered the Indian car market and dared to compete with well established Maurti, Ambassador and Tata. It was the time, when compact/ small car buyers were accustomed to small engines and a features deficit product. It was then, Hyundai introduced the Santro, which claimed to offer superior technology, features, space and interior quality, that were often neglected or better unheard till then. Most important Santro offered "Power Steering" as standard fitment and made driving a comfortable affair.

Very soon Santro was the preferred choice for Indian Car buyers and changed the dynamics of Indian Automobile Sector. Sales figures are sufficient enough to indicate the magic Santro left on its proud owners. 

• From 58,646 in 1999, sales figure reached to 65,515 in 2000. 
• Trust and excitement continued with average sales nearing 1 Lac per year over the next decade. 
• November 2006 - Santro crosses 10 Lac sales in eight years.

Despite high demand, Santro was discontinued in 2015 after 16 years of love affair with Indian Roads. It was a heart break moment for numerous Car Lovers across the country, however the memories never left the Indian Car Buyers. 

23rd October 2018 was the day when Santro made a comeback to rule the Indian roads. At a Grand launch ceremony attended by Shahrukh Khan, Media and leading Bloggers from India, curtains were pulled off from "All New Santro". 

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Novotel Goa Dona Sylvia Resort: A serene nest

Experience the calm of South Goa at this Mediterranean-styled hotel.

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Book review: Super Women, Super Couples

Prachi Garg sheds light on success stories from round the corner.

In life there is so much inspiration around that sometimes in quest for a big one we often ignore the nearby smaller ones. After all not every inspiration needs to be the ultimate rags-to-riches story. Be it the 20 women entrepreneurs of Super Women or the 19 couples of Super Couples, Prachi Garg successfully brings the lesser-known success stories of entrepreneurial innovations and brilliance.

In the former, if some stories are about pure business acumen at display, some talk about women who successfully merged a social cause with their respective careers. Their ventures range from empowering rural artisans, providing online counselling to depressed and more, supporting victims of acid attacks, skin care solutions, making lingerie shopping easier for women, image consulting, house hunting to making religious ceremonies simpler.

The author not only tracks these women’s successes but also effectively dwells into the road before. Like a friend’s depression inspiring Richa Singh to lend an ear to all those going through tough times with her enterprise – Your D.O.S.T. Then there is Richa Kar who helped women by making lingerie shopping an enjoyable experience with her online retail store – Zivame, rather than a taxing or taboo one in many cases. While for some of these women, support and motivation from people in their lives came logically, some, obviously and expectedly, had to prove themselves to many raised eyebrows and doubting mouths and minds.

Written in simple and familiar newspaper article or feature style, with quotes from the subject, this 150-page book clearly shows how a dream, irrespective of its size, is the only thing you need to kick-start something fabulous in life. It is, however, when you reach a para claiming the person concerned is from ‘one if the best institutes of the country’, your curious mind automatically wants to know which one, something the second book also does to you sometimes.

Prachi’s Super Couples, gives us sneak-peek into the lives of people coming from different backgrounds to defy the age-old yet questionable wisdom of ‘don’t mix personal life and work’. These couple have not only shown to have brought out the best in each other, but it seems that the struggles that went through together en route to establishing their businesses. Their enterprises providing services in ecommerce, innovative gifts, eco-friendly products, health care solutions, social responsibility ventures, event management, digital solutions and many others, are also stories in love, sticking by each other’s side through thick and thin, mutual and individual goals, hardships and achievements.

Be it Meenakshi and Jey literally painting the towns red (travelling across the country to paint their message of love and peace), Smriti-Sameer selling flowers across the country or Mudhurita and Yuvraj doing their bit to help animals, these couples chose to go the unconventional way and become more of soul mates than they could have been otherwise.

Super Women
Paperback, 192 pages
Srishti Publishers & Distributors
₹ 175

Super Couples
Paperback, 168 pages
Srishti Publishers & Distributors
₹ 195

Contact us for reviews at: gaurav.iiftk@gmail.com

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Urby Mens Wallet - Your Style, Your Choice

“You are entirely up to you”.
Your walk, your watch and your pen which you use outline the first impression about your personality. Rightly pointed out that your personality is the mirror where others see your image. Wait a minute, I forgot about the most important one, "YOUR WALLET" – the source of all other style statement items.

Your choice of wallet speaks a lot about you: that can be represented through a variety of options including card cases, bi-folds, phone/travel wallets, and/or money clips. Time to put your money where your money belongs, with due respect it deserves.

Was thinking of such kind of distinct wallet for some time. Finally got this Carnelian Red Mens wallet. I was travelling at the time when this wallet was delivered at my home. When my father received this wallet, he got a bit confused and called me to inform that I have received something very expensive! Full marks to the packing.

With your name embossed, it is an ideal style companion to be carried around. Pleasing mix of Golden embossing on Carnelian Red is enticing and eye-catching. In case you like to have your name printed in any other colour, option of personalization is also there. Not just pleasing look, the quality leather is soft to touch and gives a premium feel to your wallet, which it duly deserves.

Have been using the fully loaded wallet for more than a couple of weeks, there have been ZERO crumble impression anywhere on the wallet. Despite being fully loaded with your cards, the wallet does not give a bulky feeling and can be comfortably placed in your hip pocket as well. The wallet isn't just pretty but has been crafted out of top grain leather. It is a quality product that will last.

Despite a slim look, the wallet has ample slots for your cards, payment receipts/ bills and necessary identity documents. Zipper slot for coins is a welcome addition to prevent any accidental rolling of coins.

Many wallets look amazing from outside, but the quality of internal fabric at times do not match up with the external extravaganza. With due time, card slots gets overlapped as the internal fabric has given away or the stitching has called it a day much before your expectations. However, the interiors of this Carnelian Red wallet have been ideally supported by rich satin fabric, which not only gives interior a premium feel but well compliments with the outer finishing of this wallet.

From external and from inside the wallet is very well made. With sturdy stitching and absolutely no loose threads, the product is living up to the high standards of quality. Having used myself, I am convinced that the quality wallets from Urby will surely last for years unless if you don’t throw them in the fire or drop them out of a plane. Wallet specifications as follows:

• Dimensions: “11.2 cm x 9.7 cm” – Easy to fit inside your pocket
• 1 main slot for cash and other documents
• 6 easy-access card slots
• 3 slip in pockets for cards/ bills
• Zip slot for coins and more
• Rich dual tone poly satin interior for slim finish
• Comes encased in a drawstring bag for protection

At times, the product on many online websites do not match with the actual delivered product. However, in case of this Urby Wallet, the product in fact looks better than the images posted on their website. With this level of honest commitment to quality, perhaps Urby will surely receive the best publicity, that is “The Word of Mouth”.

Personalized Men’s leather wallet, Engraved leather wallet is the perfect Men’s gift. Printed with the name of your choice, this customized wallet will be displayed with pride for years to come. Great gift for Groomsmen, Friends, Husbands and Fathers alike.

Not only for Men, Urby stocks some fantastic collection of wallets for Women as well. May be you can think of surprising your Mom, your sister, your better half or your girlfriend as well.

Urby is a direct to customer, lifestyle and accessories brand. Urby designs and manufactures essentials for an urban lifestyle using the most premium materials and finest craftsmanship. I will recommend to check their website (www.urby.in) for awesome "Made in India" products.

Thank you Urby for this wonderful wallet. Views expressed in this article are my own.

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