Conference Nuggets.

I have been out of the loop since long..was away at Bhubaneswar to attend the 4th National Conference of Women in Police. it was indeed a great experience:meeting a number of senior lady police officers about whom one just reads or hears about. these are the women, who in their heydays, took it upon themselves to storm the uniformed male bastion and distinguish themselves.Personally,I was much impressed by their style and verve...Wow,ladies!!

The conference had a record participation of policewomen. The issues discussed, I am sure,have been raised numerous times before..right from lady constables to lady DGPs-harrassment at workplace, inconsiderate bosses and even more insensitive colleagues, lack of infra structural facilities etc.What struck me funny and ironic was that women were complaining to women and sharing tales of woe regarding their chauvinist male colleagues. There was no male police officer in attendance,at the most, retired male IPS officers who have little or no say in modifying the present system.

I believe that if we are really serious about ensuring a healthier workplace for our policewomen, we need such conferences to be attended by a smattering of women delegates and a larger number of policemen. Let them also hear publicly the tales of woe of their female colleague, let them also realize that just like their wife, sister, mother and daughter, that woman in uniform is also a "woman". I am sure and confident that we, the women in uniform, do not need male sympathy but yes, the workplace becomes a hell without their understanding and sensitivity towards our cause. And our problems will not be resolved by these formalized"kitty" sessions.
Bring in the men, gals! And then the change shall hopefully follow.

Birthday Bonanza

I have vivid memories of my last birthday...endless law and order duty, a botched up dinner party and sullen family and friends.Which taught me to appreciate the little pleasures of life whenever they come my way.

Today, exactly after an year,the pace of life is quite languid.Of course, the morning began the way sunday mornings invariably are for a policewoman. Something unpleasant inadvertently happens on saturday nights or on early sunday mornings and then, the entire sunday is consumed in a clean-up exercise. This sunday was no different.So, this morning also required a major fire fighting exercise. what with making numerous phone calls to avert an unpleasant situation and receiving again, scores of calls from far-flung family and friends enthusiastically wishing a happy birthday!

By mid-morning, crisis was averted and thoughts turned to celebrating the birthday....I am a year younger today!! Living in a nondescript dusty village town, I couldn't hope to go to a restaurant to have a quiet lunch/ dinner. So, husband and i decided to have the works at home...quite optimistic..hmmm!!

I put on my chef cap(apron to be precise) and rustled up quite a birthday lunch. Zafrani Badam Pulao,Butter chicken,Vegetable manchurian and boondi raita....Yum Yum!
Again, being quite a novice in the art of cooking, did quite a bit of research...picked up the recipe of zafrani pulao from another blog, chicken makhni was sanjeev kapoor's recipe and veg.manchurian, my mother's patent. Feeling quite lazy to give in the recipes today but shall do it eventually.

By the way, calorie counting has taken a back seat today..going to gorge on chocolate ice-cream. Mmmmm...for the gourmande in me..what better way to celebrate a birthday than to gorge on good food. Shall put in extra workout tomorrow.

Where is our moral fibre?

A few days back,a case of rape was reported in my district.The victim was a 13 year old village girl and the rapist, a 65 year old man, a co-villager, whom she referred to as "dadu". when I met the victim, she was still in a state of shock. She had apparently gone to the jungle in the wee hours of the morning to collect firewood,"dadu" had followed her. He abducted her, raped her and then took her away to a neighbouring town where they were finally apprehended by the police.The victim's family was immediately informed and she was sent to a Home for children. The distance between this town where the victim was apprehended and that of her native village was around 80 kms.The father took 3 days to arrive at the Home and claim his daughter. The reason?

All the time that the victim was in the police station and narrating her tale of horror or dealing with her trauma and shock at the Home, her father was negotiating with the accused's family..for money! The father wanted Rs.50,000 not to push charges against the accused.A village panchayat was convened for the purpose;the deal fell through when the accused's son-in-law refused to go beyond Rs.40,000. The father waited for another 24 hours in the hope that the accused's family would come around...when nothing materialized, he howled rape and went to get his daughter.

Having been in the police service for 3 years now, a case of child rape doesn't shock me beyond measure. Of course, the sense of outrage persists coupled with piety for the emotionally scarred child but yes, i dont get sleepless nights as i used to in my initial months in the service. What bothers me, tears me apart is the attitude of the parents. Time and again, i hear of parents demanding compensation for rape! And village panchayats considering it!! i feel ashamed of my race, my people. Can there ever be compensation for rape? Is any compensation enough? And how does the parent face the rape victim after taking the compensation? I agree we live in a society where most of our people are wallowing in poverty,cannot deal with the insensitivity of the police and the complexities of the judiciary.But i refuse to take poverty as an excuse for a largely absent moral fibre. Why do the same poor, oppressed people rush to the police station or knock the gates of the court when the compensation money is not paid and the accused makes good of the bargaining time and flees.

Being a student of Sociology, i have come across numerous articles dealing with the weakening morality and diminishing values in an urban society. But what about the moral strength of our villages-our shrines of culture? why are they degenerating so fast into blatant materialism and shallow emotionality? I am no one to sit judge over their conduct, but yes, one does feel moved by the sight of a weeping child, complaining of pain and hurt, traumatised and tortured oblivious to the fact that her parents have been bargaining a few fistfuls of currency notes to 'compensate' for her pain and trauma.In my opinion, they are committing an offence more heinous and despicable than rape.

This is definitely not our "Shining India" of the 21st century.

Kesariya Phirni

Husband is around these days...and work is hotting up..what with increasing naxal violence!I needed a break from the gloom.....so me headed to the kitchen. Hubby has a prominent sweet tooth...so, i browsed through a few foodie blogs, added my own variations and kesariya phirni happened..made it the first time and i swear, it was yummylicious.... so here is the recipe.

Ingredients:-

• 10 tbsp basmati rice



• 1 litre milk



• 3/4 cup Sugar



• 4-5 strands of saffron



• 2 tsp green cardamom powder



• 1 tsp rose water



• 1tsp kewra water



• pistachio slivers, cashew, raisins.

Soak the basmati rice in water for 1/2 an hour. Spread the rice to dry. Make a coarse paste of 5 tbsp milk, rice and cardamom powder. Take care to ensure that the paste is coarse and not fine. Meanwhile, soak the saffron strands in 2tbsp warm milk. Boil the milk and reduce it to 3/4th. Add the sugar, as required. Now, add the coarse milk-rice paste to the milk and keep stirring. Let the mixture cook for a few minutes. Now, add the saffron to the mixture. Stir well and take the mixture off flame. Add the rose water, kewra water and stir in the pistachio slivers, cashew and raisins. Chill and garnish....I garnished my phirni with pomengranates and dates. It turned out to be fantabulous....and promptly vanished the next day. i have attached a snap of my kesariya phirni.

Come September...

September, i read somewhere, is the month of fresh beginnings, of hope and renewal. Come september..and i was overtaken by the urge to start something..anew, something i had never done before. So, here i am with my blog to share my thoughts, experiences and trysts with my passions....life, food and poetry.

Currently serving my first term in bureaucracy in a typical, moffusil town in the backwaters of India, I find myself in a reflective mood.Since work is not so taxing and I am a married bachelorrette,(hey, i didnt like the word "bachelor") I have time to indulge my interests which were not possible in my hectic student years at delhi. i have experimented in my kitchen...I am a foodie all right!;dabbled with poetry, taught myself glass painting while dealing with the life, times and travails of the common man on a daily basis. My posts would be a reflection of these..and more! So long..till then..
I made yummy phirni yesterday..would post the recipe in my next post.