A Home-Kitchen and Cooking at Home – Everyday Duty or a Reality

Every home needs to have a kitchen and without this life can be miserable. Still there are people, living single, and want food from outside. With facilities coming up it is now easy for anyone to set up a kitchen at home.

Weak Monsoon Rising Prices

The rising price of essential commodities is one of the major problems this country is facing at present. Before the people could reconcile with the rising price of dals, there came another bolt from the blue. Sugar price rise caused harm to the common man’s pocket before the previous sore could totally heal.

Sugar is one of the main essential commodities in every household. Government comes up speaking about shortage in sugarcane plantation and a weak monsoon, a cause for which the people have to suffer. It is believed, from the account of the Agriculture Minister, to make up the shortage in sugar supply, duty-free white sugar will be imported. Along with it comes the assurance that the price of sugar will remain reasonable.

The coming of the major festivals of this country in a couple of months when sugar will be in demand, it is to be seen how helpful these words of consolation can be?

With very little rainfall this year, this country which depends mostly on a good monsoon for agriculture will no doubt have a tough time ahead. A weak monsoon has hit crops like sugarcane, wheat, paddy and pulses which are the major crops. No doubt this has hit the inflation chart too.

Soaked in the sweat from the heat how can anyone say, “Rain, rain, go away come again…”

Just have to wait and see when the prices have taken a soar will they come down again.

We live with Hope, isn’t it?

When Dal (Lentils) Makes You Think

Why is it that the whole burden of running the home budget falls mostly on the shoulders of women? To be frank, I’ve used the word mostly, in order not to bring about a debate among men vs. women.

The rise in the price of the different kinds of dal has made most families think about preparing and serving dal in the everyday meal. Most Indian households cannot think of a full meal without dal. Be it roti, be it rice, a bowl of dal goes with it. With soaring prices, dal which is thought as a wholesome food even for the poor is just going out of reach of the common man. The strong words about the Aam Adami (by this present ruling government) now lack the luster it created before the general election votes were cast.

Dals have their own nutrition value being rich in protein and a source of inexpensive protein in a vegetarian diet. A cooked meal of dal and rice is known as khichdi, rich in nutritional value and healthy food for the sick also. There has been a cut down on the monthly purchase of dals, as cost of some varieties has touched the near 100 rupee mark, something difficult in a common man’s chart. Said and done - there was a lot of commotion in the parliament on this issue. Here again we have to think, “Are our parliamentarians really concerned about us when they can have their tummy full?”

“Dal roti khao, prabhu ke gunn gao” for now, is no longer the merry and light-hearted tuned words of many in this country.