Photo Hunt - Something Green

I am Green. Please Click Me!

I am so scared of lizards or any reptiles of its family. If I saw some of those creatures on Discovery or Nat Geo Channels, surely they will visit me in my dreams and give me the scare.L This one was my brother's click. He said it looked like as if it was posing for the camera. And I thought this would be the apt for today's Photo Hunt Theme - Something Green. also shared in Camera Critters Meme.

Lend Your Hands

There are so many social causes in the world that affects our society and in humanitarian grounds which seriously needs a change. And it would be a difficult task to list them one by one. Before looking for a cure for each issues troubling our world, we must know the root cause of them and remove that scandal.

I believe, directly and indirectly the sole reason behind almost every problem that affects worldwide humanity is Poverty. Yeah, like a disease it has been spread everywhere. It may not have affected you and me, personally, by God’s grace. But if we left it without finding a cure, it becomes the dust in our eyes.

                         

How do we define poverty?  Is it about lack of food, clothing and shelter? Can we say it as the greatest curse or an everlasting terror? Or is too much if I call it as the cause of half the crime on earth - the cause of half the error that is happening around. Would I be wrong if I say it is a weapon of mass destruction?? Or would I be over reacting if I say it is caused by you and me??

Have you ever been hungry?

Every day we may happen to see  such people in our neighborhood or see them in the news and the least we could feel is sorry for them. Or the most we could do is giving them little money which helps them to come out of that day's hunger. It maybe indeed a great thing to do, but do you really think that this is enough to bring about that actual change our society needs in a long term and pull them out of their poor lifestyle? 

Poverty is like heat. You cannot see it. You can only feel it. To know poverty you have to go through it. - A Saying from Ghana, Africa.

As such, the poor people are more worried about food than human rights or other values. The immediate solution to their problem of the day. Anything can wait but not the hunger and chronic poverty of the masses. Basically, what people want and need is enough food to eat and water to drink, a roof over their heads, a job, a school for their children, medicine and care when they are sick, the chance to live in peace without fear of violence and war. And mainly the opportunity to realize the potential in each and every one of us and make use of it. 

The scandal is not only that so many lack the chance to fulfill their potential for want of an education, basic hygiene and medical care, or a functioning economy. Nor is it only that each day one in six human beings has to live on less than one dollar or that 30000 children die needlessly or that half a million women still die in pregnancy or child birth or that we could give medical treatment to every single person in the world that needs it, but we have not. And as days are passing by, the rich are getting wealthier and the poor remains poorer. Thus we have created enough gap in our society to differentiate ourselves.

I remember I have studied that there are two different types of poverty - one is related with minimum standards of living in the developing or under developed countries. The other refers to the way we treat the people. The inequality humans create in the well developed world.

According to 2011 Poverty Development Goals Report, Over a billion people currently live below the poverty line, earning less than 1 dollar a day.

And unfortunately I must point out, that all this are happening not in the age of famine and world war. But in an era of unprecedented plenty and potential in a world 10 times richer than it was 50 years ago.

Every year across the world, we lead a campaign, ‘Make Poverty History’, to fight against that. Governments changing their policies and make new promises every time. They may have truly worked hard on it but are those promises fully kept? Finally by the end of the year, poor people continue their lives still far from achieving those goals.

Most importantly, the ultimate question that needs to be addressed here - why are people poor and what is the bigger issue surrounding poverty?

Of course  we can mention several causes like Population, Unemployment, Illiteracy, Corruption, Low agriculture, War, Natural disasters, Price hike, Political factors, basically Economy etc. 

Courtesy - Google

We all accept in chorus that people want to be governed well. This is the basic and foremost essential thing needed by every people. They need to feel safe. They want the chance to earn a decent living. And they want to be treated fairly by the government and the officials. Whereas good governance is not just about the government. But also about how citizens, leaders and the public institutions relate to each other in order to make changes happen.

Obviously it is very convenient for us to blame the government but we always forget to remember that we form the government, and every single person among us can bring the change what the nation is looking for. So now the arrow turns to point on you and me - we are to be blamed. If you need a change around you, then you must start the change within you. The way we treat the people, our outlook on them and how we fixed in our mind that those are destined to be poor. People in poverty face challenges virtually unknown to those in middle class or wealth. The reality of being poor brings out a survival mentality, and turns attention away from opportunities taken for granted by everyone.

Look at this illustration - I picked this from Facebook, on how we are being ignorant.

Our personalities differ from each other. One cannot judge another based on their personality. In a community comprising people of varying financial status, a rich person may tend to feel superior over the other. With this kind of mentality, many people fail to see poverty from a humanitarian point of view. In fact, many will think that the problem of poverty is the doing of the poor people.

This very topic, forced me to re-examine my personality and character and how my personal beliefs influenced it. If poverty is the barrier that prevents individual prosperity and that of the community in general, then the responsibility is upon every able citizen to participate actively in eliminating it and making it possible for the less fortunate to live comfortably in the community.

Isn't it like we are making this mission a distant dream?  According to me, everyday choices matter a lot. We should know how to monitor our wealth, make use of our money, time and influence, to change the world – giving to charities, buying fairly traded products and goods made without child labor, taking part in local campaigns and events. All these small actions not only raise money for good causes but also help build commitment to change - a bigger change indeed.

Potential Solution

Economic growth is the single most powerful way of pulling people out of poverty. Tackling inequality helps poor people participate in economic growth and trade. We must ensure that today’s development successes do not become tomorrow’s environmental failures.

Poverty is about lack of opportunity, not about just lack of income. Economic growth creates more work openings thus brings higher incomes, which helps people save, invest and protect themselves when times are hard. Children can go to school rather than going to work. Education is both a right and a route out of poverty. So eventually child labor can be vanished. The higher the rate of literacy, the lower the rate of poverty.

Since Unemployment is interconnected with poverty, raising employment opportunities is of course a surefire solution.

Agriculture is key to improve the country's economy. Not alone enhancing agricultural production will be enough to solve the problem, but also wise marketing the agriculture products should be facilitated.

High population leads to poverty hence I believe, family planning is one of the important measures to battle poverty.

Poor health condition becomes a deterrent for the people to work hard and earn a satisfactory amount to sustain their day-to-day living. In order to get rid of this hindrance, there should be improved healthcare facilities.

Corruption hurts poor people more. For example, when health staff demands bribe for medicines or local officials for providing water connections, it keeps people stay poor. It damages the economic growth and is one of the biggest reasons for the poverty. Money stolen through corruption is enough to feed the world’s hunger 80 times over.

However steps we take to eliminate the poverty, it must reach the people correctly. Hence, a very important solution should be the awareness about the situation among poor people. They should be aware about the advantages of the poverty alleviation programs. But above everything, what we need is, helping tendency in people's heart to build a strong and self-dependent Incredible India.

Now what can we do?

To bring a change is the job for everyone, not just for the governments. NGOs will help deliver services. But eliminating poverty is not just about the people who work on development. Making progress in the fight against the poverty means harnessing the relationship. A measure to implement to mitigate their situation is, I think, we should help them set up a working environment or by joining a network that accommodates the low income earners. These groups use the economy to come up with a viable business which in time would start yielding financial rewards. Plus the advantage of such organizations is that they require very minimal capital yet they are rewarding in the long run. So if we don’t come forward to lend our hands, then we don’t have the right to blame it on politicians and their bureaucracy. And the best way to make a difference - to understand about these people's lives and how to turn seemingly impossible problems into manageable tasks – is to get involved.

RANGDE

One such NGO is Rangde, based in Bengaluru, which tries to help people come out of their poorness by providing facilities to do small scale businesses, since 2006. It is a micro lending service to empower the people. Their vision is to make poverty history in India by reaching out to under-served communities through micro-credit. They are doing through a network of committed social investors and offer micro-credit that will have a positive impact on business, education, health and environment of the communities.  Rang De is a non-profit platform that helps us to lend  Rs.100 or more to an entrepreneur from a low income household and it is indeed very much committed to build a self-reliant India. A very appreciable and must mention act. Do check for more in their website. Rangde.

We are as much need the social change as we are to do with technology and as much about investing time as we are about investing money. A saying in tamil goes, 'Siru thuli peru vellam' - Tiny droplets together makes a big flood. when we join our hands and donate them together, certainly it will promote their lifestyle by creating a self-reliant system that empowers their living and brings them up in the society. In our developing world, we may be spending a lot on so many things to maintain our pride and status. But I believe still it is very affordable that we can donate 100 Rs to this cause and lit a light in someone's life.

Indiblogger has come up with an initiative called Indichange. Lets make a new beginning. Let make a change.

By helping someone, we always share the colors of joy. And of course, where there is a will, there is always a way. So let us come forward to join together and lend our hands to Make Poverty History.

This post is written in the interest of seeing the world with no poverty. Thanks to ISB iDiya and Indiblogger - Indichange for giving me a great opportunity to blog about my passion to help people in one way or the other. I'd be really glad if at least one of you read this and get ready to help, that's where this article's real purpose lies.

Lamb With Green Chillies

My mom is my inspiration in many things, and especially in cooking. This is her signature dish. Quite delicious and a hit recipe in my family. I don't know about its name reasons but we call it as Ahani Curry. When I saw this contest, I decided to make this meat curry with the healthy Fortune Rice Bran Oil. And here is the dish I cooked. Hope you all like this recipe. Try it and tell me how you like it. J

Preparation Time  30 mins
Cooking Time  30 mins
Difficulty  Intermediate
Serves 4

Ingredients

Lamb or Mutton - 250 mg, cleaned and cut in chunks

Ginger garlic paste – 2 - 3 tsp

Curd – 4 tbsp

Green Chilies - 6 – 8 (or more as per your spicy taste) slit

Mint leaves – 20 – 25 leaves

Cashews  - 10

Almond   - 8
Khus Khus - 1 tsp
Coconut Paste - 2 tbsp

Rose essence  - 2 - 3 drops

Cloves, Cinnamon, Cardamom
Bay leaves - 2

Fortune Rice Bran Oil – 3 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the meat in 1½ tsp ginger garlic paste, 2 tbsp curd, green chilies and enough salt.

Grind the cashew, almond and khus khus into fine paste.

Heat oil in the pressure pan. Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves. When the leaves begin to sizzle add sliced onions. Fry till golden brown. Now add the remaining 1½ tsp ginger garlic paste, 2 tbsp curd and few mint leaves. Sauté well till the raw smell fades.

Add the marinated meat and mix well. Cover the lid. After 5 mins, add 1½  glass of water. And pressure cook for 15 minutes.

Open the lid after the pressure releases, add the coconut paste, cashew paste and more mint leaves. Mix well. Let it simmer for at least 15 minutes or until the meat is tender and the oil separates from the gravy. Finally add rose essence.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with white rice and raita or simply with spring hoppers or with any Indian Rotis.

Variations - This recipe can be cooked with Chicken. Plus this gravy can also be used to make tasty Ahani Biryani.

Happy Cooking..! Happy Eating..!

This post is a part of Healthy & Tasty Recipe Contest with Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil & BlogAdda.com

Photo Hunt - Sunset

Catch The Rays - Sunset in Bengaluru, India.

Picture shared in Photo Hunt - Sunset or Sunrise

This picture post is my entry for the PADE conducted by Just a mom for the theme Light.

A Date With Sunset

An Evening In Mysore

Monochrome Eve

This picture post is shared in Sky Watch Friday, Black and White Weekend,the Chennai Bloggers Club - Wordless Wednesday and also in the Thursday Photo Challenge Theme Blue 

Excerpt From The Diary Of An Insomniac

 I am really delighted to welcome my friend, a talented designer, to my burrow. He is an exciting and an enthusiastic young artist, designer, writer and what not. Much to my knowledge, he often writes one liners. I have seen couple of his pencil sketches too and was awed by it. I sent him my invites earlier and today I am very glad he came forth to write in my little nibbling blog. I am sure he will bring inspiration and impress all of us. But for now, he wants to stay backstage. So I am gonna call him, Em Cee.

Well, he is going to guest post for me from time to time.  And so i need a name to make his 'Em Cee's corner'. (Hey Em, sorry I said this without your permission...) but am looking forward you will showcase your talent here and to moooorre audience. They will love it for sure. J

Let me not ‘dilly dally’ anymore. Here it goes... His pencil sketching and his poem. And the entire design template too.  (The picture he sent me was too big to post in here. So I had to compress it and have also rewritten his words below... )

Slumping into a dream as my thoughts meander,

Agonized by the turn of events,

Slipping into these now familiar woods,

Listening to the cries of the nocturnal beasts,

Looking tepidly at the inanimate trees,

I stand, awaiting dawn.

                                          - Em Cee

A Little Girl In Me

I am scared
I am tired

To stay

Inside this maze

Screaming

Shouting

Arguing

New voices

Every day

Strange and Weird

Trying to get

My attention

Changing their identity

Every now and then

Greedy

Jealousy

Selfishness

Sorrow

Each emotion

New person

I see

Inside Me

Thinking of my past

I was having a fairy tale life

Perfectly written words

With a happy note

I was this little girl

Once upon a time

Who lived happily…

Until the evil witch

Cast a spell on her

And that little girl of me

Has gone down the wrong path

And is lost in eternity

Ahem…

A little girl

Clutching her toy -

A big bunny of her height

Sitting in my couch

Looking Sad

Hey wait…

That looks like my favorite bunny.

Surprised…  Is that me?

Uh oh…  I used to be her…

‘Why are you sad?’

I asked her

‘I miss you…’

My young brown eyes

Stared back at the older me …

‘You used to hold my hand

To walk in the beach sand

Building our own castle

Collecting the shells

Playing with the bubbles

With those innocent giggles…

I miss you a lot

We used to be closer

But not anymore

Don’t you miss me?’

Those small eyes gazed at me.

‘You moved on

And never looked back…

Going with the flow

Carrying your grievances

Jealousy with other women

Confused about relationships

Worried about men

Angry at yourself

Thinking only about tomorrow…

You forgot your happiness

You forgot to play

You forgot to enjoy

This simple day…

Eventually

You are lost

In this bigger maze

Angry girl

Worrying woman

Greedy person

You became friends with

These bogus people

And you seem to forget me

The real you

Oh, it’s your complicated life…’

I looked at her in silence

Tears in my eyes

Lost in my own thoughts

Or for the sake of other’s wishes

I don’t know.

Every fairy tale has a happy ending

But it was left untold, a mystery,

What those princes and princesses did…

To make their life happily ever after?

If only we know,

We too can stay happy.

I wonder how much I miss her.

I am in a dreamy state.

She is here with me now

To remind me what have I lost

And to bring back the real joy

Once again in my life…

Determined I am -

Never want to take a step

Without her by my side.

She was the best in me

Innocent and curious

She loves me

For what I am.

The only one who, believes in me

And never gives up on me…

I hug her

I hold her tiny hand

Walking through the beach

Standing in the shore

Playing with the waves
Looking at the endless sea

And will never leave her…

No jealous

No anger

No greed

No more guilt…

Living this very moment
I am simply enjoying being myself

After a long time

The lost little girl is back on the right track again.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

Also shared with With Real Toads