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Kashmir diaries: Why I couldn’t write about Kashmir

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 26, 2018 3

I went to Kashmir in July 2016.

Just before the holy month of Ramzan started.

With peace in Kashmir for last 5 years my hubby was the one who suggested the plan.

Ecstatic, we planned our trip.

Flying to Srinagar.Then Pahalgam directly.That’s the first part.of the trip I wrote about it here.

With my total obsession for nature travel problem starts, when looking for hotels in cities .Most places in the centre of the town didn’t have much greenery or views to satisfy me.

So we searched and searched.Then we found it.

Next to the Nagin, lake a beautiful boutique property,Hotel Dar Es Salaam.

First Anniversary mocktail mommies celebration contest

But before I do that I have to tell you the total connectivity disaster we faced in Kashmir.

Everyone in our family carries prepaid sim cards.This is one of our money-saving measures.

And we carry a wi-fi dongle. My hubby’s phone and my tab additionally has 3G connection back up.Our car was partly paid for and was waiting for us at the airport parking.We had the drivers phone number. But.

After landing at Srinagar airport we saw all our phones were useless.Kashmir allows only local prepaid connections and post paid connection.With very limited Internet connectivity.It was a holiday in the truest sense.

But we still had a problem. How to know who is our driver.My hubby walked upto a security personnel and explained our problem and asked for a pay phone facility in the airport.

Guess what.The kind young man promptly offered us his own phone .Imagine our surprise at this unexpected kindness.

We definitely took up the offer.Contacted the driver.Thanked our angel and exited the airport.

The next surprise awaited us .

Our driver a kind middle aged Kashmiri, after hearing our problem,offered to help us. He told us to use his phone, to make calls.We just needed to recharge with appropriate value.

Such kindness towards strangers.That’s the Kashmiris hospitality towards tourists.

We arrived at the hotel.It was breathtaking.

The garden the lake the decor the ambience,food and service.I can’t stop raving.

I will start with the location.

Situated within 10 minutes of the city centre it’s a private resident turned boutique property.

It stands on the banks of the Nagin one of the larger lakes connecting with the Daal lake.Just like road transport Srinagar has an entire lake traffic.

You can take a shikara or boat from.Nagin lake itself and go upto the Daal lake.It’s a 2 and a half hours going coming trip.

There are houseboats too.

But I am confused about the sanitation of house boats .So that wouldn’t work out for me.Plus people are sensitive about these issues.

So couldn’t ask the questions I wanted.

The decor at our hotel is stunning.

All the rooms are gorgeous.You have lake view or garden view .

We had both from our room.Perks of being a blogger (plus it was available:) )

The food was a buffet at all meals

.But they help with requests for children and elderly.

We took trips by Shikara in the Nagin lake and went upto the Daal lake in the interconnecting

We had gone just before the holy month of Ramzan started .So the city was pretty crowded with locals and tourists.We really missed the local.site seeing except Daal lake as we had left no time for it.

Plans of revisiting .but time will tell

Kashmir is beautiful.Atleast what I saw. Going from Srinagar to Son marg, Gulmarg beautiful road views.

It’s picture perfect.

The people are friendly .But you detect an undercurrent.Like the one you get from your in laws ,after you get married.

Don’t know what to do,what to say,type gut feeling.

Tourism is the economic backbone of Kashmir so.they take care to make us feel safe.We enjoyed ourselves .Luckily it was all peaceful then.

But in Srinagar atleast you always have the feeling of being in a glass house.

Something which looks beautiful. From inside or outside.

But can break .

You get a feeling that too many questions make the Kashmiris feel awkward. That they are confused.In the marketplace they can instantly pick you as a tourist.If you refuse to be duped and call their bluff,they are not happy.

But that’s typical of all marketplaces. Not necessarily Kashmir.What’s different is your reaction.You automatically protest less say less.

People often stay over at Gulmarg .But our Pahalgam itinerary had left little time for such plans.So we made both Son marg and Gulmarg day trips.With about 2 hours spent at the place.

Sonmarg has huge glaciers.

After reaching the main junction you can either travel entire by horse or a combo of car and horse.

We chose the latter.Walking with a 4-year-old and a 63-year-old (my mom),is not safe with horses clip clopping past you.Unlike Pahalgam, Sonmarg even with glaciers isn’t very cold.Infact if the sun is up, your own woolens will do.You might even have to take them off! The locals don’t even wear that .But the weather changes in a jiffy here .You need to keep a watch on the sky, if travelling with children or elderly.

We had a blast playing on the glacier.

Carry water for yourself and children.You get water and food there. But it’s in makeshift shanties and quality may be a serious issue.

Gulmarg was a dampener.We missed booking the slot online (very poor wi-fi everywhere allowing only fb)

So could only go upto phase 1.From the car parking to the ticket counter you can walk .Otherwise take a horse.It’s not a problem for adults with moderately good level of fitness.Difficult for children and elderly.

There’s a line long enough, for you to wish to ditch this thing.But I heard the phase 2 view and snow is worth it. Since I missed that can only tell you second-hand news.

Another thing you should be aware .Even if you have tickets for phase 2 .You have another line waiting for you at phase 1.There are probably around 2000 tickets in phase 2 which is available strictly through the website.

An important note. It’s best to avoid angry words or any controversial comments with the touts and guides there. Their behaviour turned violent in front of our eyes when a Punjabi woman made certain comments. It doesn’t matter whether you are right or wrong.So be careful .

Promising ourselves a stay at Gulmarg phase 2 in the next trip.

Who knows whether there will be one.

A view of the beautiful Nagin lake and a “parked” houseboat.
The mountains here ,talk about the battles that were waged.
But the trees whispered about what men did to men.What more they are planning.
The lake shed silent tears.

A beautiful city Srinagar with its interconnecting lakes.

See all my Kashmir pics on Instagram

Why didn’t I write the post before.Within 10 days of coming back we heard if a terrorist attack at Pampour.The very place we bought our almonds walnuts,blackberries and saffron .The place where we tasted Khewa.A golden coloured Kashmiri tea full of pistachios and lightly flavoured.The place which sells saffron was under fire.I could see the face of the friendly young man who had refused to be paid for khewa because we were “meheman”.

The Kashmir I had seen ..was it a mirage?

Why should there be so much problems in a beautiful place .The people are beautiful and tourism is their life line.So how does protests and troubles help?

Isn’t it time to build a stronger Kashmir.

After waiting for the strife to end I realized this time the wait may be long.Prayers for the people who made my stay so happy.

At Pahalgam the stay was beautiful ,peaceful. It lived up to the Heaven on earth (Bhuswarg) description.

Srinagar has the beauty of a partisan Queen.Once breathtaking .Now still beautiful .But experience and time has made the lines on the face etched deeply.The iconic lakes and gardens, reminders of a glorious past.

But Hotel Dar Es salaam holds on to the essence of Srinagar . The immaculately restored antiques.Furnishing and decor are elegant but always comfortable.The garden and driveway is bursting with colours.

The service and food boast of Kashmir hospitality.

I would be happy to visit again.Even just to stare at the garden and the Nagin Lake.

Taking part in #UBC #Dailychatter with

Blogchatter Day 5

HOLI:Food Memories & More #MondayMommyMoments 57

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 26, 2018 15

Holi is a festival which blurs the division between old and young, rich and poor.It’s an equalizer because we all look the same with those colors on our face.While it’s important to be safe at all festivals the spirit of it should be celebrated.

My childhood memory of Holi was of getting wet, getting dry under the sun, gulping down sweets, savories and various drinks that the neighborhood aunties served while the children played, shouted and sprayed water.

I don’t remember being scared as we knew everyone and my mom taught well.Strangers, relatives, good touch and bad touch.Once you teach a child something they do remember.

This natural sense of self-preservation had stopped me from playing Holi when I joined Safdarjung Hospital as an MS student.First-year PG trainees have duties on every holiday Diwali, Holi everything in between.I had no intention of playing Holi with people I knew slightly.It was a co-ed hostel and though I had several friends, I really didn’t feel comfortable about getting dunked while on duty.

With such serious thoughts in my mind and carefully apologetic words, I told my friends to excuse me from playing as I was on serious hospital duty.

They looked convinced that this was indeed a serious matter and I felt happy that no weird stranger will be putting unknown colors on my face.Because we all know that does happen and its a pain getting off.The pretty Holi colors in movies, translate into blacks and purple colored faces post Holi in real life.

But guess what happened?

A senior in a different department had a plan for all those who were on duty.

When I returned to the hostel at lunchtime, an entire bucket of pink colored water was emptied over me.

Greeting of Holi, best wishes, loads of love all mixed together.

Since I was coming back and would obviously be taking a bath this was not a problem right?

That’s what my friends said chuckling.Now once you get dunked, the only thing you can do to feel better is dunk water over a few more people.

One of the most carefree and fun Holi’s I remember as an adult.I also remember the delicious homemade Gujiya’s my friends treated me with.

But the canteen was closed and Holi is a typical day for everything to be shut.

So food at night was going to be a problem I didn’t know Delhi restaurants especially the small ones shut down on Holi.My friend Ritu who was training to be an Anaesthesist and a wonderful cook helped me.She invited me to dinner and fed me the most delicious kadi -chawal I have ever tasted.

I have rarely tasted a better kadi anywhere else.

It takes a lot of skill to make the everyday meals delicious.

It’s even more delicious when it has kindness in it.On this Holi, I remember my friends in Delhi fondly.

Hope you all have a happy Holi dear friends.

Writing this for #MondayMommyMoments

Prompt this week

MondayMommyMoments Holi:Food Memories and More — MondayMommyMoments Holi: Food Memories and More

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Picky eater : When you need to worry

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 25, 2018 15

When my baby girl Rai was 6 months old we started her on all sorts of mashed food.From 6 months to 1 year it was a constant battle of experimental baby food. From 1 year to 2 years some more experiments and finally we have a balance.

Once while travelling my daughter refused to have anything ,except plain white rice and milk.Then I realized ,children have a difficult time adjusting to new food.Because….its NEW!

Imagine giving a vegetarian, a nice stir fried octopus for dinner.

Not a good idea right.

Baby’s growing up on milk have essentially a bland diet.

Veggies lack taste and texture when given boiled.

Fish chicken eggs can be smelly.

Their tender taste buds can’t handle spices.

They are fighting a battle too.

The only way to win is to persevere.

They need to learn to stop being afraid of food .To enjoy their food.Make the right choices.Making positive food choices early in life,helps them cope even away from home .

When will you call a child picky eater?

Picky eaters have strong food preferences. They have a persistent unwillingness to try new food.

Can it cause problems with nutritional status?

Yes it will cause nutritional deficiencies

50% of 19 to 24 month old children are picky eaters.Because of this , they will be avoiding micronutrient rich foods like fruits and veggies This will affect the growth of your child.

2 main problems

1)Failure to thrive .With physical and mental.development not upto the mark according to age .

2)If children develop unhealthy eating habits .This may lead to adult eating problem and health issues.

When you need to worry?

*If your child is less than 1 year:Height weight and developmental milestones need to be checked monthly.Because your baby grows ,even while you watch.The first year of life is very important.You worry, if there’s no significant positive change in the monthly assessment.

*If your child is more than 1-year-old :

Height needs to be checked every 6 months.

If child is not growing in height then that’s a cause for concern.Its a sign of chronic protein energy malnutrition.

Weight needs to be checked every 3 months .

If your child doesn’t gain weight or gains too much.Both is cause for concern.

No weight gain is due to lack of adequate dietary protein energy .

Excessive weight gain, gives rise to malnutrition of obesity.Where there is excess calories in the diet.But it lack important macro and micronutrient .

When your child shows signs of micronutrient deficiencies:

Paleness of body.
Repeated skin infections.
Has repeated cold and cough
Suffer from mouth ulcers etc.
Is cranky
Has little energy to play

When you don’t need to worry?

Baby is happy ,active with good growth.
Both height for age and weight for age is within normal limit.

What’s Neophobia?

Neophobia is the tendency of children to initially reject new or novel food.

You will have to give new food 10 to 16 times before they accept them.

Tips for parents before starting new food

Start new food 1 at a time.
Give gaps of 3 to 5 days before starting another new food .
New foods should be stopped in the event of diarrhea /vomiting /rashes.These may be due to food allergy.
During complementary feeding your baby will like softer and smoother textured foods.Gradually replace with thicker food items
Don’t give up.Just because your baby refuses something once don’t lose heart.Make it taste different. Make it look different .A variety of food tasting is important for babies to get a taste for it.

My baby girl started her animal protein journey with fish. She refused chicken for the longest time.But mutton she liked from a pretty young age( around one and a half years)

I didn’t touch chicken throughout my pregnancy. Did you know mothers diet in pregnancy determines a child’s food habit?

She loves her eggs too.Boiled fried or poached.

I have noticed for all animal proteins she likes crunchy which will then melt in the mouth (She loves a crunchy Ilish fry).Not chewy or oily.

Since she liked the crunchy texture and I burn stuff while cooking I went and bought an air fryer.I wrote about it here.

The airfryer keeps the taste intact and the food doesn’t lose its colour ,with a fraction of the calories.

Want Super tips to deal with fussy eaters?

Read my Ultimate guide to feeding your preschooler

If baby is a picky eater blame yourself:Healthy eating habits in children (part 1)

Childhood obesity :The control is in your hand(part 3)

Childhood obesity : Healthy eating habits & You (part 5)

I am taking part in the #ubc #blogboost Ultimate blogging challenge with Blogchatter #DailyChatter

Ashwini Dodani MBA cum poet: Blogging journey and entrepreneurship

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 25, 2018 4

I prefer featuring mompreneurs and female entrepreneurs. But today’s guest is neither a female nor a mom.

He is a soon to be married young poet and MBA who also loves blogging.

He is a #MyFriendAlexa friend. and he has authored a book.A beautiful book of poetry .Read the interview . Follow the clues .Get a chance to win one of the 5 copies of the e-book .He is giving them, away exclusively for my readers.

Yay!Isn’t that sweet of him.

The main reason I roped in Ashwini to give me an interview , was to get hacks from him .

How solopreneurs can publish their books without headache.

You may wonder why write a book?

You already have a blog right!

Now books are a sign of authority .That you know enough, about a topic to make it into a book.

Books are also part of the biz models of bloggers, including Seth Godin, Pat Flynn , Melissa Michael’s, Sarah Titus.

In fact Sarah Titus a mompreneur has written books forever, to monetize her blog.

Let’s learn from Ashwini the tips and tricks to getting your first book published.

What made u want to write a poetry book?
I had written poems since the age of 17. It is now almost close to 7 years that I have been into words and verses.

When I found some great feedback and praises, I felt like compiling them as a collection and get published in the form of a book.

What research did you do, before choosing your publisher?
There are traditional publishers and then there are publishers with a different business model of no inventory and print on demand. I discussed it with a few of my friends and came across my publisher with who I took this forward. They went through the script, we made multiple edits, layouts and covers and now you can see the final product. 🙂

Would you be recommending them for newbie authors?

Well, yes. Inkhorn Publishing is like a boon for debut authors, they give them a chance after going through their work and believe in everyone who has written for a long time and believe in themselves. You can contact them at ganesh@inkhornpublishingindia.com

Who is your audience?

People who love poetry.

Why would they love these poems?
My book is a collection of 40 poems. It has real expression, emotions and experiences. You will see yourself in those words and journey.

Art is special in its own. These set of words and verses have come directly from the heart and resonate across a mass audience. I am sure, avid readers can finish it one go and feel home.

What inspires you to write?
Life is my biggest inspiration. It’s all about my own experiences and experiment with writing poetry.

Your favorite quote
“The right time always comes with a lot of time spent being patient.” ― Ashwini Dodani

3 tips & your message for struggling solopreneurs

Do not ever compare to other successful people in your field, they have their own struggles
Always believe in your venture, you are doing great, baby steps are important
There’s no right or wrong way to anything. It’s just learning all the way
Life is too short to just think about what you should have done. Regrets are too bitter to taste. Be in your own element and be in the present. Never fear failure. It makes you stronger. Go ahead, win the world.

What’s your vision for this venture?
Vision is very clear. To keep writing. Maybe ten other books, 100 other blog posts or 500 other creative posts? I want to be in the zone to never stop expressing my emotions.

Short bio:
An MBA by qualification, Social Media and Branding guy by profession and an optimist with a liking for words. When I’m not creating awesome content for the internet, I am usually reading non-fiction books, learning guitar, exploring newer music artists or penning down my thoughts. For brand associations, sharing feedback or generally making connections, drop me an e-mail to ashwini.dodani@gmail.com or Tweet to me at @AshwiniDodani.”

Ashwini’s book

Savoir Faire (First Edition, 2015)

So what should you do now?
Comment below, to let me know whether you are signing up for the chance to win the poetry book.

Image credit Aswini Dodani

Gratitude list and Gandhi Jayanti

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 25, 2018 5

Live as if you are to die tomorrow. Learn as if you are going to live forever

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

2nd October is significant. It’s the birthday of the father of the nation Our beloved Bapuji ,Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Just like children can’t follow everything parents teach ,we still believe what Gandhiji taught us .If not in words but in spirit.

In this changing world we often treat people exactly like they treat us.

Who will blink first.Who will walk the extra mile?Who can give without expectation ?Who can be a selfless giver?I have issues about turning the other cheek.Maa Durga didn’t !

When the evils if this world overflow,balance is established by survival laws.

Debates for the drawing room.

Throughout September I have shared bits and pieces of the book summary for the ” GO GIVER” .

Why do our soldier’s join the army navy and airforce?

Birth and death are predestined.

But joining the armed forces is seeing death in the eye everyday.

The family prays ,the soldier misses his family but when duty towards the motherland beckons ,they can only see that.

In face of that sacrifice, what we do daily ,our personal struggles appear dwarfed.

But we are all fighting our own devils in the backyard.It’s easier to discuss Pakistan than that!

Thanks Tina Basu for inspiring me to do this post.

My gratitude list for September 2016

#1 Being born in a free country.

#2 Being healthy and having a wonderful family (these two are together my life force)

#3 Being Indian

#4 Being a woman

#5 Being a mother

#6 Being a doctor and having the ability to serve people.That’s a blessing.

#7 Having a roof over my head ,clothes on my back and no worries about my next meal.

#8 Finding Blogchatter and all my friends at MyFriendAlexa like Dixita ,Tina,Deepa,Menaka,Mayuri,Shalini,Mayura,Ramya,Masoom ,Saumya .

Great blogs awesome people.

#MyFriendAlexa improving my alexa rank over 1 month

#9 I am travelling in October to a sea side resort in Puri.A much awaited break.

#10 Maa Durga is coming home

#11 Pat Flynn’s generosity and gift of the SPI Pro theme and the genesis framework free.1

#12 For Amy’s Knowtbook which is always helping me learn.

#13 For my beautiful balcony garden.

#14 For all the writers who write beautiful books.

#15 For my blog. It has helped me manage all the cacophany of ideas in my head more constructively

#16 For my new flat whose construction is coming along nicely.

(I am exploring nature friendly, eco solutions for home interiors .I really want to use unleaded paint for the rooms.Plus want a vertical hydroponic garden in my drawing room and the family room.So I am window shopping ideas everywhere.I hope to take you along in that journey )

#17 For learning about the word financial freedom early in life and my ability to persist and persevere.

How was your September? Let me know below.

Joining the Gratitude Circle Hosted byvidyasury.com

This October, I am taking part in the Ultimate Blogging Challenge.31 Days of blogging with Daily Chatter.Wonder what will happen to my Alexa!

I will also be doing series posts about two important issues.

It’s holiday season so party and indulge .But don’t let your sacrifice over the last year be undone by few days of overindulgenice

2 series and a few regulars@

#childhood obesity

The first one :

If baby is a picky eater blame yourself:Healthy eating habits in children (part 1)

The other one I am still brainstorming! Any ideas?Comment below to let me know what series post will make you happy

Follow me on Twitter& Instagram to stay updated with

#mompreneur #mompreneurfaves

I am taking part in the #ubc #blogboost Ultimate blogging challenge with Blogchatter #DailyChatter

UBC day 2

Biz focus :Mayuri ,sirimiri,blogger and tarot card reader

By Dr.Amrita Basu(MBBS,MS) on February 23, 2018 3

Mayuri a professional Tarot card reader, freelance writer, and a blogger.

She is a Punjabi married to a Telugu.Chats a lot reads a lot and writes even more.Blogging since 2004(her first post is dated May 2004).A time when I hadn’t even heard of the word blogging (I lived under my own mountain of books)!Mayuri was a blogger.Her parents refused to feature her as a baby in a Pears campaign.

A Gemini and loves all things word.Her blog, sirimiri is as gentle as she is.I met her during Blogchatter’s #MyfriendAlexa campaign.
She doesn’t like giving directions. She likes following them even less.
That’s why while doing a Google analytics set up for her blog, she was the one with whom I spent the most time.

But I forgot to tell her not to change her theme(totally my mistake).
Guess what?The code was nowhere to be found next day. Mayuri was panicking.I was surprised.

I opened her blog to check. Voila, it had changed.
GA code in theme header disappears with a change in the parent theme.Forgot to tell her!This problem could be handled with a child theme or a plugin.
Now Mayuri is revamping her blog.
I haven’t stopped bugging her about Google analytics though.I think she is waiting for me to lose patience.
It’s going to be tough.She has written for 12 years.Her patience and persistence is award-winning.
Can I make her do it?Time will tell.Now the woman behind the blog.

Tell us Mayuri what made you start blogging?

I used to jot down my thoughts in varied forms, like quotes, verses, poetry and small notes. And as I did so I realized that I loved writing.In 2004 I discovered a digital diary called a Blog and signed up to get one of my own. I have been writing ever since, though not everything I write is shared online.
Besides Sirimiri, I also have a food blog and a Travel Blog, which I’ve sadly neglected.

Who is your audience ?

Anyone who loves to read!

What makes your day?

Feedback from my readers makes my day! And when someone tells me that reading a certain post make some difference I am truly elated!

What inspires you?

The will to write, the love for it and the ability to evolve with it over time. And yes, I consider Stephen King my Guru. He is the best. Period.

Give us your favorite quote

” I am enough. I have enough. I do enough.”

Give us a few tips for struggling Bloggers

(I’m a struggling blogger myself!:)
But I’m learning new things every day and here are some to share.

1)In the blogging world, I follow only 1 rule: Do unto others as you would have others to do unto you.

2)Make a blogging schedule.Maybe something like posting 2 posts a week. Then stick to it.

3)Please check your post for typos and other errors, before you post it.

4)Explore different forms of writing.

5)Join a Blogging community that could encourage you.

6)Visit other blogs, read them and always leave a comment on a post you enjoyed reading. P:S: Nice post, is not a comment.

7)Read a lot. The more you read, the better you write.

What’s your vision for this venture?

I just want to write. And to be read. I used to be a regular columnist for various magazines, writing a Humor Column for one and Monthly Tarot Predictions for the others. I would like to get back to writing columns and features, professionally. And like most others, writing a book is part of the plan.

Mayuri bio:
I am a professional Tarot Card Reader for the last 12 years and conduct Tarot Readings. Both personal, and Online.
A writer by design. Since I am already aware of what the future holds, I enjoy unwrapping the present.
My blog: http://sirimiri.in/
Fb page:
https://www.facebook.com/mayuri.sharrmanidigallu
Do visit Mayuri’s blog.

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Kashmir diaries: Why I couldn’t write about Kashmir