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Poush Sakranti, Pithe and Food Stories
Winters are full of warm blankets,picnics and delicious food.But with the COVID situation socially distanced picnics are the new thing.
But one thing hasn’t changed.That’s the celebration of harvest festivals.
With Makar Sankranti, Poush Sankranti in West Bengal and Lohri in Punjab.,Bihu in Assam and Pongal in the south anywhere in India you will get the feeling of celebrations .
What’s really great about these festival are the fresh from harvest delicacies .
Various pithe,puli, patishapta, payesh are the need of the season in West Bengal.
My principles around such delicacy was always as the taster and helper in the kitchen.Every year I wait patiently for the deliciousness to be gifted and I am happy to say ,it has started .
What arrived this year for Poush Sakranti
Gokul pithe :These are delicious fried dumplings made of kheer ,coconut ,then batter fried and dipped in sugar syup.This is something my sister-in-law makes really well.
Pati saptha-Thin rice flour crepes with stuffings of kheer, sweetened with date palm jaggery,coconut .It’s super pretty,lacy ,delicate and delicious .You justcan’t stop at one.My sister makes these to a perfection.
Seddho pithe -Rice dumplings stuffed with coconut,jaggery,kheer and boiled in milk then dunked in jaggery sweetened kheer.It’s decadent,melt in the mouth and needs serious expertise.Something another sister in law is great at.
Lohri special til ka laddoo came too!The nip in the air and the til ka chikki are my favorite food.They crunchy ,sticky and taste great.
Sharing about these makes my mouth water.Hope you enjoyed listening to this as much as I enjoyed talking about these.
On Makar sakranti or Poush sakranti people also visit the Sagar mela at Ganga sagar in West Bengal for the holy dip in the Ganges.
With 2021 standing on the verge of new beginnings e-holy dips are being encouraged.
Hope you have a lovely Makar Sankranti with your family .
P.S :This blog post will be updated with more pithe that gets delivered.
Sharing is good Karma!
Resolution 2021 :I don’t usually share this!
Balance ,Faith,Practice .These three are going to be my guiding light in 2021.
I don’t usually share my New year Resolutions.But 2021 is already showing signs of being a tad unusual. .Also I don’t think many peopld really cares about my resolution.Thats how I prevent feeling overwhelmed.But maybe some one reading this cares.One person findings this helpful, makes this worth while.Plus its good to break pattern.So here goes.
My New year Resolution for 2021 is to have BALANCE.There I said it.
If you think about 2020 you will realize in many ways it was a lesson. A lesson for us all .To find out what was important to survive.What kept us sane ?
So my resolution for 2021 is to work towards finding BALANCE.(Plus avoiding the fallout from crazy chaos).
Balance between nature and technology.Too little or too much of either can be a problem.
Family and friends .Some people we choose and some we don’t.Either way being blessed takes adjusting in real life.
Reading and writing.We forget to do enough of these ,after we get those degrees.But 2021 is going to be different. Elearning makes education easier in my ways.
Learning and Unlearning.The attention is finite.So us time.We will need to make space to learn.
Giving and taking .Both needed .Your soul and your bank balance both need refilling.
Laughing and crying.Plus sometimes both together.
Air and water .Because they exist within each other too.
Fire and Earth.Can destroy or make stronger .What’s needed is balance.
Opposites and similar. Momentary attraction and life time of attachment.
Flowers and Thorns .Again the balance .
Home and garden .You need both to survive well.
Food and exercise.Body and mind. Work and play.These play together and not fun alone.
Change and constants.The former is the only constant though.
Material and spiritual.From dust to dust and if everything has energy ,then the tangible has spirit and pure spirit is tangible. Yes ,it confuses me too .
Inner and outer world .The struggle creates stress and disease .
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How to find Balance in a busy world?
When I feel peaceful inside with how things happen.If I feel agitated ,disturbed, I know some ingredients are missing.Then I look for them.
That’s how I find balance in my life and work.People who seek balance in their life find i.Its also easier then , to focus meditate and have more faith in a higher power.
Plus practicing my strengths to become stronger and tweaking my weaknesses to become strengths.
Thats why in 2020 I worked on both my Right and left brain.I even made some Tangi inspired Art work ,greeting the New year.Hope you like them.
Its in balance that our survival depends .Its also the reason opposites and counter balance exists.
So whats your 2021 Resolution looking like ?
Let me know in the comments below.
Sharing is good Karma!
Children ,Social Media and (Digital) Privacy laws What Parents Should Know
As a Blogger who is a mom ,I am often approached for collaborations where the brand wants pictures or videos my daughter to use the product.
As parents we have long avoided excessive screen usage for our child.But this was a topic which we never even thought about before offers came.
Featured post
How is the Health of the Nation: The report is an eye-opener!
The answer was a “No” for us each time.Some brands respected that and we worked around the concept, some others had a different brand messaging.
What with Ryan being the most popular YouTube channel and highest revenue generating channel ,its no wonder kids are the target for many advertising.
But how healthy is it ?Is it even legal?What about mental health issues of child influenzers?
The health part I will deal with on another interview but on this blog post and Podcast ,I interview Noor Anand Chawla a lawyer about this sticky topic of privacy laws and child influenzers.
We talk parenting,parental aspiration,social media exposure ,money and what the law says .
Should kids be on the internet?Is it good for their health and body image?What kind of legal protection do they have when it comes to Privacy laws.The legal part is what we are talking about today with Noor Anand Chawla.She is a lawyer specializing in Intellectual property law .Ms Noor breaks down the nitty gritty of Childrens rights to digital privacy ,about a parent’s role and what the law says.
Bottomline:As a parent you have big responsibility.
Q: What does the privacy law for minors in India cover? Is the Children’s Online Privacy protection act in India clear?
Ans: India does not have clear laws that are equivalent to the American COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act). For years, all cases related to the online privacy of children have been adjudged on the basis of adhoc executive rulings, court cases and discussions. Currently there are no formal ways of ensuring responsible behaviour, but the Personal Data Protection (PDP) Bill currently being tabled in the Parliament will address this need.
The PDP Bill was introduced to Parliament in 2019 and is currently under deliberation.
The most notable feature of this Bill, is that it has a section covering minors under the age of 18, the highest age of children in all data protection laws thus far. COPPA in the United States protects children under 13 years of age, China’s Standard covers children under 14 years old while in Europe, GDPR-K covers those under 16 years old.
According to the bill, any company that uses information from minors would need to do so in “a manner that protects and advances the rights and best interests of the child”. This means incorporating strong mechanisms for age verification and parental consent. The accompanying white paper to the bill, clearly states that “the processing of personal data of children ought to be subject to greater protection than regular processing of data”.
Companies that operate websites or other online services directed at children, or process large volumes of personal data relating to children, will be unable to profile, track, monitor the behaviours of, or run targeted advertising on children, nor will they be permitted to extract personal data that could cause significant harm to the child.
The bill further proposes to:
- Give data owners greater control over how their information is used, including the right to access, to be “forgotten”, and the transference of their dossier to other companies processing data;
- Require companies that process sensitive and large amounts of personal data to submit under a Data Protection Officer who may ensure their compliance with data protection laws and liaise with the Data Protection Authority;
- Create a “Data Protection Authority” able to issue penalties of up to 4% of the global turnover, should there be a data breach.
Q: Do you think parents are unintentionally violating Children’s digital privacy?
From a legal viewpoint, parents cannot be held responsible for violating their children’s digital privacy by using their footage or creating accounts for them online. As legal guardians, parents are within their rights to do as they please with their children’s pictures and other data. Parents are also presumed by the law, to be aware of their children’s digital presence on different platforms, as well as the extent to which their children are interacting with brands or people online.
Q: What are the international laws about children’s right to digital privacy?
Ans: USA has the COPPA ACT (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) which imposes certain requirements on operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13 years of age, and on operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from a child under 13 years of age.
This is why kids need to be at least 13 before getting their own Facebook and Instagram accounts. Though everyone is signing up, no matter the age, under this act they get protection/ are covered if their data or pictures are erroneously used.
Similarly, China has the Regulation on Online Protection of Children’s Personal Information up to age 14.
UK and EU follow the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR as it’s also known. Only children above the age of 13 can give their consent for their data being used similar to COPPA. Parental consent is required for children under that age.
Q: What kind of kid’s content is okay for parents to share?
Ans: There is no single answer to this question. It depends purely on one’s sensibilities and one’s personal beliefs and I dislike passing judgement- hence will not comment on this. Whatever parents feel is right for their child, is right for them!
Q: Do you share your kid’s pics and vieos in public domain?
Ans: Personally, I avoid putting my child online as much as possible, but even if and when I do put my son on there, I try to avoid full-frontal shots or try not make him the focus of the video or picture. It is a difficult decision and one must tread carefully as a content creator and parent!
AUTHOR’S BIO:
Noor Anand Chawla holds degrees from St. Stephen’s College, The Faculty of Law Delhi University and King’s College London. She is a lawyer by training, with a specialisation in Intellectual Property Laws. As a Senior Associate in the office of Mr. Sanjay Jain, Additional Solicitor General of India, she practiced at the Delhi High Court.
She pursued her passion for writing through her lifestyle blog https://nooranandchawla.com and by penning lifestyle feature columns for various newspapers and publications, including The Daily Guardian, Sunday Guardian, Business World and Sunday Standard, among others.
LinkedIn: @nooranandchawla
Sharing is good Karma!
Kuku Fm Review Plus 10 (Easy) Tips to Start Your Own Podcast!
Have you heard of Kuku fm?Well let me tell you the story of KUKU FM.
It was September 2020 when I was invited by Swati of Kukufm, to join this amazing community-first podcast platform. I was trying to get my podcast in front of Indian audiences,but didn’t really know how.
Anchor was free but the lack of a podcasting community and the sheer size of it’s parent Spotify made me scared. Podcasting felt lonely. Much like blogging was, before I found Blogchatter.
Enter Kuku FM a podcasting platform with a difference.Things started looking up.In this blog post I will share what I love,what could be better about Kuku FM,plus easy tips to start podcasting without going crazy!
Table of contents
Did you know who founded Kukfm?
The company was founded by Indian Institute of Technology , Jodhpur alumni Lal Chand Bisu, Vikas Goyal, and Vinod Kumar Meena.Entrepreneurship in a new space.
Why Kuku Fm is a good choice to start your podcasting journey? The Pros-
- It has a great community that helps train a new Podcaster.
- You can podcast in regional languages.
- It is the fastest-growing Indian podcasting platform.
- It hosts your podcast for free.
- They have an option to upload multiple podcasts. You can add your audiobooks and even have live streams(select creators have this option).
- But the best part is then community building by Kuku FM. Some amazing contests and content collaborations between creators keep the podcasting community buzzing and help you reach a new audience. They have a very active WhatsApp group, and it’s always full of great ideas.
- What I really love is the option for multiple regional languages. They have plans of bringing monetization to the Indian podcasting scene in different formats.
- You can sign up as a creator of audio content and have all your audio content under one umbrella. It’s like your Audio portfolio. It doesn’t cost a rupee to get started now.
- You get feedback from people who listen to podcasts.
Now How do you sign up for Kukufm?
Thats as easy as clicking on this link .You can sign up or submit your rss feed.
Another way is –
- Go to Google play
- Download the app Kuku FM
- Sign up as a creator
- Start creating.
- You can create podcasts in English or regional languages, audiobooks,or courses.
- You can also Email kalakaar@kukfm.com for your queries.
Cons of Kukufm
RSS not available. They are soon going to have their own RSS feed and that’s what will be the game-changer for them.
Anchor is free and wonderful and big Daddy Spotify is the biggest player in the field . It’s not easy getting started as a small-time podcaster. That’s where learning from people who are in the same boat as you are in,is the best way to go forward in your own journey.
Seperate bits of audio cannot be uploaded.Editor could have more features.
These are minor points, but since I try to give all the info you need before you try something, this is what you need to know.
If it’s a question of Indian audience go for Kuku FM. If you want to start and distribute worldwide then since even now KUKU doesn’t have an RSS feed, you will need Anchor to start your podcast easily and for free.
You can read about the Anchor App I reviewed earlier.
Steps to start the podcast if you are a blogger
Your blog posts are the rough scripts. Structure intro,highlight the main points,see whether the topic will be something which you are comfortable talking about .Make an outro .Now try rehearsing a few times before you record.
If you are nervous, use an app like HiQ, on the phone to record short segments. That way you can edit the parts which you don’t like easily .
Then merge all the bits of audio using a audio merger app or online.
What will you need to publish a podcast?
- A podcast image
- Title
- A description with details, links, etc
- Category of audio. Choose from fiction, personality development, fiction, motivation, mythology, and spirituality.
- Keywords
- Publish
- Share
Kuku FM also auto-generates the podcast videos first one minute after a day or 2 for social sharing. Definitely a great feature.Sharing is super easy and since podcasts are popular you should share.
But why are podcasts so popular?
- Because you can fold the laundry and listen.
- Make the bed and listen.
- Cook or cut veggies and listen
- Dust and listen
- Walk on the treadmill and listen!
- Pretend to listen while you snooze in the afternoon?
Whatever works for you.I absolutely love reading, but podcasting helps me catch up with many industry content that would be otherwise difficult to make time for.
How do I choose podcasts to listen to?
I focus on the topic .
Then the voice and audio quality .
Both are equally important but the first is crucial.
Everything I know and learn while Blogging and writing
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10 Simple Tips to Start Your Own Podcast
I have been creating audio content for my own website and podcast ,since 2018.But its only recently that things started picking up.2020 being what it was,it wasn’t easy to actually create the content I wanted to .I was more going with the flow than anything else.
Like when you start to swim and the first thing that you remember is stay afloat.
Listening to content creators talking about drops in traffic even worse drops in income, I realized once again that you and me we are all in this together.No one is unaffected .
The degree may differ but it’s there.
Now the part about podcasting top tips-
1 Pick a topic: Write a script with an intro, outro, and read it out loud several times before you start the actual recording. Stick to it.
2 Where to Record?
Pick a room in your house which has heavy curtains, sofa or bedding .Don’t choose a room with a lot of wooden cupboards and little furnishings. This makes the voice echo.
3 Now the when
It’s best if you record early in the morning because your voice sounds best then. But outside noise should also be less. Some people find it easier to record at night like I often do.
4 Voice fatigue
There’s a chance of voice fatigue if you have to also talk professionally. If you want a fresh-sounding voice before recording a podcast don’t, talk for at least an hour beforehand. Steam inhalation for ten minutes helps. Drink water. Record.
5 Practice saying “Om” a few times every day. It really helps to open up the voice.
6 Sometimes standing while recording a podcast helps to improve audio quality.
7 What to use while recording?
Use a lapel mike like Boya. It’s not expensive and improves audio quality. You can also record using the phone earplugs.Not as good but gets the work done. Hearing how your voice sounds, will help you.There is a variety of expensive audio gear as you get more experienced. One of them is the Rode mike.
8 You can record using the Kuku FM studio for better sound quality or a stand-alone app like HiQ.
9 You can use Audacity to improve voice quality on the laptop.
10 Keep practicing, be authentic you will go far. There’s absolutely no downside to practicing every day. That’s where the community on Kuku FM will help you top.
Stay inspired keep podcasting.
Sharing is good Karma!
Truths About Chewing Tobacco That No One Tells You!
Tobacco chewing kills, just like smoking tobacco does. But for some reason, many people start chewing tobacco when they want to stop smoking!
A few days back, a patient came to me with a complaint of chronic foreign body sensation in the throat and a rough patch over the back of the tongue. I started asking questions from my medical detective questionnaire and got my first clue. He revealed he was smoking eight to ten cigarettes per day, with occasional alcohol intake.
Digging deeper, he revealed that he even tried a highly advertised brand of chewing tobacco at the suggestion of a friend. It was after this experiment that his tongue problem started!
“Hmm..” was all I could say.
Addiction history is always crucial. Because it helps to understand the complaint better. It also helps in making the treatment personalized. The results will depend on compliance and on leaving those addictions for good.
In India, tobacco causes cases of head and neck cancer and lung cancer. The gruesome pictures on the packs of cigarettes seem to have little effect on those addicted. So this post is for those of you who still care to stay healthy.
Table of contents
Which tobacco products cause addictions and tobacco-related cancers?
Short answer all of them.They are
- Gutka,
- zarda,
- khaini,
- cigarettes,
- bidi, hookah are all dangerous and have no upsides.
- Gul
They are also known as chew, snuff, spit tobacco, tobacco plug, chewing tobacco, etc.
Which components in smokeless tobacco or chewing tobacco products cause cancer?
Smokeless tobacco products have more than 30 carcinogens. They contain tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines, nitrite, nitrate, and heavy metals (nickel, cadmium, and chromium). But additives keep changing and can be more or less addictive depending on brand and region.
Are smokeless tobacco products dangerous?
Yes, since chewing tobacco and snuff both contain nicotine and other carcinogenic elements, they are dangerous, habit-forming, and maybe even more addictive than smoking. All the health risks of smoking in general plus the high risk of oral, pharyngeal, head -neck cancers, tooth decay, systemic effects are present. Nicotine addiction is real, and so are the dangers.
Addictions have a vital genetic component. It also has a significant environmental component. This means you must be aware that substance abuse will make you more susceptible to addictions if a parent is using. You can fight that by being aware and knowing the dangers. Peer pressure can lead to the other factor being responsible for addictions. That’s where you need to choose your company with care. People who use justify the use.
But since this is all something you already know, I will share some research data with you.
Important Facts about Tobacco-related cancers in India:
- One out of two youngsters who smoke and continues smoking throughout their life will end up with tobacco-related cancer.
- The risk is higher in males.
- Out of all cancer cases, almost 45% is tobacco-related in males and 20% in females.
- Among all Tobacco-related cancers, the mouth, esophagus, lung, hypopharynx are the leading sites for both males and females.
- In Northeastern India, both males and females have a higher risk of tobacco-related cancers. This has a direct correlation to tobacco abuse.
- Most chewing tobacco products have a greater risk of oral and oesophageal cancers.
- India contributes to one-third of all global cases of oral cancer. Tobacco use(both smoking and smokeless), betel-quid chewing, alcohol, poor oral hygiene, sustained viral infections(like HPV) all increase the risk of oral cancer. The chances are synergistic in some cases and not merely additive.
How to stop chewing tobacco?
You have the power to stop this. You can prevent tobacco-related cancers only by not using tobacco products. This is the best way and is primary prevention.
If you are using, you can stop now. Then you can blog about it. I am forever telling my patients to stop using tobacco. Through this blog, I am doing the same. Maybe it will make a difference, and someone will stop using it. But if you really want to see first-hand what happens to those who use and continue using, a trip to any of the Cancer hospital review clinics will give you an idea.
No number of medicines or surgery can undo the harm you do to yourself when you abuse tobacco.
If you are smart, you will save your health and your money. Your contribution to this world is essential. God gives you one life, and this is your chance to make a difference. Imagine the money you could save not using addictive substances and future health care savings?
Nicotine patches and other nicotine replacement therapies can help but should be started under medical supervision. In case you want deaddiction advice, consult a registered Psychiatrist for professional deaddiction help. Your life matters, you matter.
Bottomline: All tobacco products are dangerous.
I have already written about oral cancers give it a read.
References
Featured post
How is the Health of the Nation: The report is an eye-opener!
