WORLD is a book and those who do not travel have read only one page.
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Let's have a walk to market
- Are you crazy!! we will take the Car
Why don't we use stairs - Are you nuts!! 5 floors by Stairs
मेरे से और पैदलनहीं चला जाएगा, please call a Taxi
Above sounds pretty familiar responses. But what surprises more is that, when
these responses come from otherwise perfectly healthy-looking people.
Time to realize that Fitness
is not just limited to looking good or healthy outer appearance or having Macho
physique / chiseled slim bodies. Inner health is as crucial to overall fitness
which includes stamina for long walks, skipping elevators for embracing stairs
for daily activities or may be taking a walk to the nearest market.
So, Overall Fitness =
Right Nutrition + Exercise.
Nutrition and exercise
are the basic maintenance for both a healthy mind and a healthy body. But Exercise
without right nutrition may not provide the desired outcome and may lead to
quick burnout. Healthy or nutrition filled eating is a
crucial element to a healthy lifestyle and an area I think is worth investing
in. After all, to think well, to love well and to sleep well one has to also “EAT WELL”.
Have heard since childhood and there are many people out
there who assume and preach that do not mind as healthy food is most of time boring and
tasteless. However, Saffola Fittify shows the other way with delicious preparations full of nutrition. Check for yourself, Travel Diaries received following Food items from
Saffola:
Ever thought, why a certain
calmness prevails over as soon as we enter our temples or take part in any
religious celebrations in our homes or anywhere. Is this a magic?
There must be some magic or perhaps it is the aura created by the soothing
fragrances coming out from the sacred herbs used in the celebrations / auspicious occasions. Since ancient times, people in India have been using
natural fragrances of Loban, Guggal and Dhoop Sticks on various occasions. Even
Ayurveda has given due emphasis on effect of using natural fragrances on
overall wellbeing as well as purifying the environment. Loban and Guggal are the herbs, widely used in households,
Ashrams, Temples, Gurudwara, Yoga centres, meditation sessions, etc.
Would like to mention specifically about Loban (Gum Benzoin), which is also
considered as a good medicine in Ayurveda and has a great significance in spreading
positive vibes and purifying the environment. Granules of Loban are regularly burnt
in places of worship and meditation centres to create an atmosphere conducive for holy rituals and other activities.
Inhaling Loban fumes is beneficial
in calming the mind, stopping vomiting, treatment of cough, reducing
abdominal pain and arthritis. Spiritually Loban is used to elevate the energy level by cleansing
and unblocking the human body energy centres.
Pure Loban is yellow in colour and is infested with antiseptic
properties and daily use of Loban in evenings is helpful in keeping pests/ insects out of the house, naturally. My father regularly fumes Loban in the evenings and spread the fumes in the entire house. After spreading of Loban fumes, the house atmosphere
gets relaxing. He used to burn the Loban in an open diya to spread the fumes
around the house, till I found this beautiful, easy to handle and antique looking Brass
Loban Fumer -
Only problem with Loban burnt in an open diya or in a plate is that it must be kept at safe place and away from reach of
kids, however this Brass Loban Fumer is safe to use and can be placed anywhere.
At times kids also enjoy spreading the fumes in entire house.
To generate Loban fumes and spread the aroma, either you
can use ready to burn Loban cups available in markets or burn the Loban granules with some Havan Samagri or with a
small portion of dhoop. I prepared a base from dhoop to fume loban granules:
Inhaling Loban aroma calms the mind and help in
reducing chest secretions. Loban fumes are a traditional and spiritual means to
uplift the energy levels and has been used for centuries by saints and kings. Feel
the richness of Indian royalty in your home with this LOBAN FUMER casted in
brass. Greenish texture on the intricate design makes it even more appealing and an endearing Lifestyle accessory. The Fumer ensures slow burning of Loban and long-lasting fumes.
Not only Loban, the
Fumer can be used for placing Nagchampa and Patchouli dhoop cones. Soothing aromas of Nag Champa and Patchouli in charcoal-free dhoop cones will help uplifting your mood.
Stand to place the dhoop cones is also includedwith the package. Just ignite the cone and relax. Unless the stand is disturbed, the residual ash from the dhoop cones will not fall down. Each packet came with 40 dhoop cones to ensure at least a month of relaxing atmosphere.
These dhoop cones are made with organic ingredients and hand-rolled by women artisans keeping your wellness in mind. With every EK Dhoop stick that you light, you bring our rich traditions roots and wellness to your homes.
I have received following 3 items from
WorldofEK; Brass Loban Fumer, two packets of Dhoop Cones and one Green leaf textured Ceramic Mug:
I received the above items in this packing:
Going by the size of the items, one packet would have been sufficient to put all the 3 items together, so
initially I thought that “Over packing”. However, when I opened the packets, I
realised the due care and efforts by EK team to ensure the items are transported without any
possibility of wear and tear during the transit.
·Packing - As I always say, packing is the last activity for the Seller but is the first impression for the Buyer. I will give full marks for the packing and will surely be not bothered about any damage to even fragile items during transportation by WorldofEK.
·Appearance - Preparing an Antique is a time taking process. The Brass Fumer is worth the amount you spend.
·Delivery Time - Received the items on 3rd day from day of ordering.
·Ease of Use - Lift the lid of Brass Loban Fumer, put the Dhoop/ Loban or Guggal and enjoy Aromatherapy. Need not worry about spillage of ashes.
As the emphasis for natural and holistic well-being is garnering steam especially after the recent Pandemic era, better to try our natural and traditional recipes for overall well being. Along with improving the well being, the Brass Fumer will be a coveted addition to your Elite Lifestyle choices.
This is me, soaking in the Aromatherapy with the fragrance of Patchouli Dhoop cone placed inside Brass Fumer and enjoying a Herbal Tea in this beautiful Green leaf textured Ceramic Mug to relax after a day's hard work:
The size of mug is just perfect for an extended late evening coffee or Tea session with family or friends or for relaxing in solace.
About EK:World of EK is an initiative by Ektaa R. Kapoor
to bring the best of India to our homes. The products are designed thoughtfully
keeping in mind the impact they have on one's well-being- the material,
designs/patterns used in the products have a deep-rooted significance in Indian
culture. Most of the products are handcrafted by artisans to promote Indian
craftmanship.
To think well, love well, and to sleep well one
has toalso “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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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 regularly accused of being a calculator/ someone who can solve any problem on
the earth but cannot select 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.
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.
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):
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.
