Semiya Upma / Vermicelli Upma

A modified version of Upma, for those who run away from the usual traditional upma. Kids would surely love this. A quickie and healthy breakfast and a perfect dish for the lunch box too!

Semiya Upma / Vermicelli upma
Ingredients :
Vermicelli/ Semiya (I have used Bambino available in stores) - 2 cups
Onion - 1 large, finely chopped
Green Chillies - 3,4
Ground nut - 1 spoon
Urad Dal - 1 spoon
Mustard
Curry leaves
Vegetables - Carrot, beans, peas or any veggies of your choice
Lemon Juice - 1 spoon
Salt
Chopped Coriander

Procedure :
1. Put vermicelli and 5 cups of water , pinch of salt and 1spoon oil and bring it to boil. Check if the vermicelli is done and switch off the heat immediately. Drain the water and rinse vermicelli with cold running water.
This way vermicelli doesn't form into a lump

2. Take a pan, add oil, mustard, urad dal, ground nut, curry leaves. Once they start spluttering, add chopped onions, chillies and all the vegetables one by one.

3. After all the veggies are cooked, add the cooked vermicelli and give a good mix. Sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with chopped coriander.

Differences b/w Lok Pal and Jan Lok Pal

Lok Pal Bill is the Government's Bill. Jan Lok Pal (JLP) Bill is the Bill drafted by Team Anna
Following are the ten differences in the two bills

10 differences between Jan Lokpal Bill and Govt Bill

First, there is a divergence on the jurisdiction of the Lok Pal.

The government Bill includes the Prime Minister after he demits office whereas the JLP includes a sitting Prime Minister. The JLP includes judges; the government Bill excludes them. The JLP includes all government officials, while the government Bill does not include junior (below Group A) officials. The government Bill also includes officers of NGOs who receive government funds or any funds from the public; JLP does not cover NGOs.
Second, the two Bills differ on the composition. The government Bill has a chairperson and up to 8 members; at least half the members must have a judicial background. The JLP has a chairperson and 10 members, of which 4 have a judicial background.
Third, the process of selecting the Lok Pal members is different. The JLP has a two stage process. A search committee will shortlist potential candidates. The search committee will have 10 members; five of these would have retired as Chief Justice of India, Chief Election Commissioner or Comptroller and Auditor General; they will select the other five from civil society.
The government Bill has a simpler process. The selection will be made by a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the leaders of Opposition in both Houses of Parliament, a Supreme Court judge, a high court chief justice, an eminent jurist and an eminent person in public life. The selection committee may, at its discretion, appoint a search committee to shortlist candidates.
Fourth, there are some differences in the qualifications of a member of the Lok Pal. The JLP requires a judicial member to have held judicial office for 10 years or been a high court or Supreme Court advocate for 15 years. The government Bill requires the judicial member to be a Supreme Court judge or a high court chief justice. For other members, the government Bill requires at least 25 years experience in anti-corruption policy, public administration, vigilance or finance. The JLP has a lower age limit of 45 years, and disqualifies anyone who has been in government service in the previous two years.
Fifth, the process for removal of Lok Pal members is different. The government Bill permits the president to make a reference to the Supreme Court for an inquiry, followed by removal if the member is found to be biased or corrupt.
The JLP has a different process. The process starts with a complaint by any person to the Supreme Court. If the court finds misbehaviour, infirmity of mind or body, insolvency or paid employment, it may recommend his removal to the President.
Sixth, the offences covered by the bills vary. The government Bill deals only with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The JLP, in addition, includes offences by public servants under the Indian Penal Code, victimization of whistleblowers and repeated violation of citizen's charter.
Seventh, the government Bill provides for an investigation wing under the Lok Pal. The JLP states that the CBI will be under the Lok Pal while investigating corruption cases.
Eighth, the government Bill provides for a prosecution wing of the Lok Pal. In the JLP, the CBI's prosecution wing will conduct this function.
Ninth, the process for prosecution is different. In the government Bill, the Lok Pal may initiate prosecution in a special court. In the JLP, prosecution of the Prime Minister, ministers, MPs and judges of Supreme Court and high courts may be initiated only with the permission of a 7-judge bench of the Lok Pal.
Tenth, the JLP deals with grievance redressal of citizens, in addition to the process for prosecuting corruption cases. It requires every public authority to publish citizen's charters listing its commitments to citizens. The government Bill does not deal with grievance redressal.
It is important for each one of us to understand these differences, so that we can contribute meaningfully to the fight against Corruption.

[Article By: MR Madhavan, PRS Legislative Research]

Anna - The Inspiration

Anna Hazare - The inspiration for today's youth. He has given a voice to the frustration and the corruption witnessed by each and every citizen in the nation.
We had never imagined that we could collectively fight back against corruption. Anna is really an inspiration not only to youth of the nation but every child is chanting Anna today in the hope of securing a clean and corruption-free future.
 

Found a short biography of Anna Hazare on the web, am sharing it here.
Name - Kisan Bapat Baburao Hazare known as Anna Hazare

Birth date - 15 January 1940

Anna Hazare was born in Bhingar village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state in western India to Baburao Hazare and Laxmi Bai, an unskilled labourer family.
He was raised by his childless aunt in Mumbai but could not continue beyond VII standard and had to quit midway due to problems.
He has two sisters.

He is unmarried.

1963
Anna Hazare started his career as a driver in the Indian Army.
During his 15-year tenure as a soldier, he was posted to several states like Sikkim, Bhutan, Jammu-Kashmir, Assam, Mizoram, Leh and Ladakh and braved challenging weathers.

Anna was greatly influenced by Swami Vivekananda’s teachings.

In the year 1965, Pakistan attacked India and at that time, Hazare was posted at the Khemkaran border. On November 12, 1965, Pakistan launched air attacks on Indian base and all of Hazare’s comrades became martyrs

In 1978, he took voluntary retirement from the 9th Maratha Battalion
After serving 15 Years in Army Anna took the voluntary retirement and returned to his native place in Ralegan Siddhi, in the Parner tehsil of Ahmednagar district.

Ralegan Siddhi falls in the drought-prone area with a mere 400 to 500 mm of annual rainfall.
During the month of April and May, water tankers were the only means of drinking water.
Almost 80 per cent of the villagers were dependent on other villages for food grains. Residents used to walk for more than four to six kilometers in search of work

Hazare came across the work of one Vilasrao Salunke, a resident of Saswad near Pune who had started a novel project of water management through watershed development in a joint venture with the Gram Panchyat. Hazare visited the project and decided to implement it in Ralegan Siddhi.

He steered the villagers to begin working towards water conservation.
At the outset, they completed 48 Nala Bunding work, contour trenches, staggered trenches, gully plugs, meadows development and of forestation of 500 hectares of land. Thereafter, they constructed five RCC weirs and 16 Gabion Weirs.

This resulted in increase in the ground water level.

Hazare’s Ralegan Siddhi became the first role model of an ideal village from the worst village to an ideal village.

Anna rightly thought that Development is marred by corruption and started a new venture in 1991 called Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Aandolan (BVJA) or public movement against corruption.
It was found that some 42 forest officers had duped the state government for crores of rupees through corruption in confederacy.
Hazare submitted the evidences to the government but the latter was reluctant to take action against all these officers as one of the ministers of the ruling party was involved in the scam.

A distressed Hazare returned the Padmashree Award to the President of India and also returned the Vriksha Mitra Award given by then prime minister of India Rajiv Gandhi.
He further went on an indefinite hunger strike in Alandi on the same issue.
Finally, the government woke up and took action against the criminal and corrupt officers as well as six of the ministers were forced to resign and more than 400 officers from different government offices were sent back to home.

In 1995 Shiv Sena-BJP government came to power in the state
Hazare raised the issue of alleged massive land purchase by Gholap's wife Shashikala in Nashik between April to September 1996.
He forwarded the available documentary evidences in support of his allegations to then Maharashtra Governor P. C. Alexander
On 4 November 1997, Gholap filed a defamation suit against Hazare for accusing him of corruption.
On 9 September 1998, Anna Hazare was imprisoned in the Yerawada Jail after being sentenced to simple imprisonment for three months by the Mumbai Metropolitan Court all political parties, every one from Maharashtra except the BJP and the Shiv Sena came in support of him
Later due to public protest, outcry the Government of Maharashtra ordered his release from the jail.

The state government has opened cooperative societies, credit societies & urban banks everywhere in states.
However, the directors of such societies do the corruption and failed to pay back the basic amount to the members of the societies.
Thus poor people get cheated when Anna saw this he again began his agitation against this.

Hazare agitated for over eight months.
The result was that more than Rs 125 crore was recovered from defaulters and the members of such societies heaved a sigh of relief.
Recovery of around Rs. 400 crores is in the pipeline.

After this Anna started to fight for the Right to information act.
Government ignored Anna.
In 1997 Anna agitated in Azad Maidan in Mumbai to create mass public awareness about RTI amongst the youth.
Anna started to travel across state.

Government promised Anna they will pass RTI act but in reality they never did it.
For this Anna agitated ten times for this law.

When Anna saw that Government is not willing to pass this law Anna went on an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in the last week of July 2003.

After 12 days of Hunger strike in Azad Maidan the President of India signed the draft of the Right to Information Act and ordered the state government to implement it with effect from 2002. The same draft was considered as the base document for the making of the National Right to Information Act-2005.

In 2003 Anna Hazare raised corruption charges against 4 ministers of the Congress-NCP government. Government ignored him
Then Anna started his fast unto death agitation on 9 August 2003.
He ended his fast on 17 August 2003 after then chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde formed a one man commission, headed by the retired justice P. B. Sawant to probe his charges.
The P. B. Sawant commission report was submitted on 23 February 2005, indicted Suresh Jain, Nawab Malik and Padmasinh Patil.
Suresh Jain and Nawab Malik resigned from the cabinet in March 2005

Jan Lokpal Bill –
Agitation and hunger strike at the age of 73 and great victory against powerful and rich government

India against corruption movement
N. Santosh Hegde, a former justice of the Supreme Court of India and Lokayukta of Karnataka, Prashant Bhushan, a senior lawyer in the Supreme Court along with the members of the India against Corruption movement drafted an alternate bill, named as the Jan Lokpal Bill (People's Ombudsman Bill) with more stringent provisions and wider power to the Lokpal (Ombudsman)


On April 5 2011 Again Anna started second freedom struggle in India.
Anna wrote to everyone regarding Jan Lok Pal bill but no one listened him
After that on 5th April 2011 Started fast unto death to wake up the government for India.
Anna started war against corruption in India.
Hazare has started a fast unto death from 5 April 2011 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, to press for the demand to form a joint committee of the representatives of the Government and the civil society to draft a new bill with stronger penal actions and more independence to the Lokpal and Lokayuktas (Ombudsmen in the states)

In beginning Government of India ignored him, many people said many things, but as First day was over Anna got the support from every corner of India and
No one has expected such a support Anna will get for this bill.

Over night table were turned and after 4 days of discussion with government of India servants .
Finally Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh realized that demand of Anna is right and government accepted all the demands of Anna.
Thus Jantar Mantar saved from becoming another Tahir Square.

Anna Hazare won the following awards – 1. Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra award by the Government of India on November 19, 1986 from the hands of Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi.
2. 1989 - Krishi Bhushana award by the Government of Maharashtra.
3. 1990 - Padmashri award, by the Government of India
4. 1992 - Padmabhushan award, by the Government of India
5. 2008 - On April 15 2008, Anna Hazare received the World Bank's 2008 Jit Gill Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service
6. Care International of the USA, Transparency International, Seoul (South Korea)
7. He received awards worth Rs 25 lakh and donated the entire amount for the Swami Vivekananda Kritadnyata Nidhi (social gratitude fund). Out of the two lakh rupees received from the above amount, mass marriages are carried of at least 25-30 poor couples every year.

Anna Hazare has given his life for the benefit of India.

He got the home in his village but he has not entered in that house from last 35 years.

Anna Hazare and Properties –
Anna Hazare has declared he has got Rs68, 688 in bank balance and cash and three pieces of land.
Hazare's lands were either donated to him or family owned.
In his statement, Hazare said two land pieces measuring 0.07 Hectares and two hectares are in his native village in Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra while 0.46 hectare of land is in Pimpianer.
One of the pieces of land in Ralegan Siddhi was donated by Army to him which he has donated for village use. The Pimpianer land was donated to him by a villager.Hazare has further donated this land for village use.

Anna Hazare never got any grant from Government of India.

Check out www.annahazare.org for more information.

It's Party Time! - Couple games( Part I )

It's Party time and You are bestowed with the responsibility of conducting the games! Its not an easy job I know. Don't panic. Think of some innovative, creative and fun games to entertain your guests and You will be the star of the evening for sure!

To help you with this, I have listed here some party games exclusively for couples. They are sure to enjoy these interesting games and wouldn't forget to thank you..
Do Check out Couple Games - Part II


1. Paper Dance:



Call all the couples on the dance floor. Spread few sheets of newspaper on the floor at some distance.This game is going to be a real fun as the size of the paper becomes small. The husbands can lift the wives to accommodate only two feet. And the rest is your imagination! 

Each couple will stand on the newspaper and start dancing. The one who steps outside the newspaper will be eliminated. Stop the music, say after 30 sec or a minute. Now fold the newspaper in the middle exactly into half. The music continues, so the dance. When the music stops next time, again the paper will be folded into half. This process continues till a winner is emerged.


2. Couple Dress Up Game:

All the husbands will stand in a line. Wives will dress their husbands up as quickly as possible or in 60 seconds. Props can include a sari, bangles, bindi, lipstick, earrings and a hair-do. Even you can choose to dress up in western wear. The husband looking cute and beautiful(!) will be the winner.








3. Three legged race:

Three Legged Race for the party

We have been playing this game since childhood, no much explanation needed. For those who have no idea, in this game one leg each of husband and wife are tied and they have to run/walk and reach the target. The couple reaching the finish line first is the winner.







4. Compatibility test:

Prepare a set of questions. Ask the wife separately and note down the answers. (Like her favourite color, favourite place of visit, the first fight, her favourite movie, her grandma's name etc.) Now ask the husband the same questions and see how many he gets correct. The more right answers, more compatibility.

5. Instant Reaction:

Let the husband and wife stand with a barrier between them and facing the audience. The couple is given a situation and they should enact each other's reaction, without seeing each other. You can give situations like husband-wife shopping, couple watching TV (see how they fight to own the remote), getting ready for office and so on.. See who can imitate better among two

6. English Test game:

This is a game of testing. Testing the knowledge of couples. The English knowledge test, the English Attack!

Choose some 5 - 10 couples (depending the crowd). Let husbands stand in a line on one side and wives on the other side. If there is a Guest Couple (in case of Farewell party) you can make them as Goal Points. Let the wife(guest) stand at one end of the hall or room and the husband at the other.

Now give numbers to the ladies and the gentlemen standing in lines on both the sides. 1-10 to ladies and 1-10 to gentlemen, they should remember their names.
The rule is simple: The words you call out will have -dis or -un as the opposite words. If the answer to the word starts with -dis some particular called number(from both lines) will run and touch the point A(Guest Lady) and if the answer to the word starts with -un the called person will run to the point B (Guest gentleman) . First to reach will grab the point!! Hope you got it!

Some words:
Well - unwell (so the contestants should run in the direction of B)
Lock - unlock
Respect - disrespect (the contestants should run in the direction of A )
Belief - disbelief
Do - undo 
Like - unlike / dislike (you can confuse the contestants with such words, it will be fun
The list goes on....

Keep tuned in for more games soon....

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

A rocking and adventurous road trip taken by three friends as a part of Kabir's (Abhay Deol) bachelor's party.

The movie flows through witnessing the picturesque Spain and some adventure sports like deep sea diving, sky diving, tomatino festival and the deadly bull race. The trip changes their lives forever.

Farhan is naughty, Abhay is witty, Hritik handsome and Katrina beautiful. Friendship, thrills, emotion, romance, fear. Javed Akhtar's poetry is soothing. The movie touches everyone who wants to get out of their inner shackles and unburden and emerge as a free soul.

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