Book review – Page 9 – That Madras Mom

August 6, 2019August 7, 2019

I’m proud of what held me down

The very things that hold you down are going to lift you up.

– Timothy Mouse (Dumbo)

How many times are we being questioned or ridiculed for the choices we make. Many a times people are often pushed into stress to make a choice. People tend to lose their individuality or their voice in making (their) choices to be accepted in the society.

This starts right from the moment the child is born. No no nowadays it even starts with the process of birthing.

People don’t even wait for the natural birthing process then begin and are forced for a c section. If you are stubborn that would still wait for normal delivery you are accused of putting the life of an unborn child into danger. Being four hours into labor and with a strong grit that I’m not going for a c section labeled me a stubborn mom for quite sometime. But the moment I delivered normally after about an extra waiting time of an hour made me happy. I did not care about what people or staff talked about me for the little while I was stubborn, but the end result was worth it.

Next came in the breastfeeding phase. Every mother is unique and knows how to take care of her newborn child. The moment you deliver you have advices pouring in from all corners. People who wouldn’t have even inquired during your pregnancy have all the right to advice you during breastfeeding. Every mother is not blessed with much needed supply.

Some could give what is needed for their child, some could pump more that what is required and are kind enough for them to even donate. Some moms could not but stood strong and continued formula feed. I was initially not happy with my supply. There we go, so many advices, suggestions and what not. I was completely let down. Comments of your child is not getting enough, she needs more kept coming in. Then came my health into picture. I was determined to prove people wrong and most importantly to give my baby what she needed. I read blogs and articles to know what needs to be done to increase supply. Know what, the supply depends only majorly upon your thinking and health has a much lesser role. That was a Eureka moment for me. I started concentrating on my thinking that I can do it. I can supply what my baby needs. I started taking foods that increase supply, I believed in me. That made a change and I was able to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months. That was a major milestone for her and me. I felt overwhelmed and could see my baby doing better. Also knew that nobody in age circle in my family did that and yes it was a proud moment.

These are some instances where I realised the things that let me down, are the ones that held me up.

This blog is a part of the #WeeklyBlogHop hosted by Alpana and Neha. I would like to thank Pragnya for introducing me to this blog hop and would further like to introduce Aditi to share her take on the prompt.

August 5, 2019

Book review – HEARTQUAKE

BLURB:

Once upon a time there was a city plagued by greed, corruption and mysterious deaths… A patriotic IAS officer, Vikram, decides to expose a corrupt and powerful minister, Rudra Pratap Rana (aka RPR), during the latter’s visit to the IAS training academy. The video of Vikram asking the minister some highly embarrassing questions in front of a packed auditorium goes viral. Instead of having Vikram suspended from service, a vengeful RPR unleashes violence on the officer’s family, and to continue the torture, RPR gets Vikram posted as the sub-divisional magistrate in Laxmipur—the politician’s backyard. As soon as Vikram joins duty, RPR resumes his vengeance. However, a new drama unfolds when a large number of people start dying of heart attacks across Laxmipur. As Vikram tries to unravel these mysterious deaths with the help of Veda, a cardiologist, and Raghu, a police officer, extreme panic grips the city, which soon leads to riots and pandemonium. Vikram is left with no other choice but to risk his life to get to the bottom of this mind-numbing situation. Join Vikram in this fast-paced thriller as he fights to save Laxmipur from HEARTQUAKE.

MY REVIEW:

I loved the Author’s first book and yes I did wait for his second. Knowing that it is a thriller made the wait even more excited. The protagonist of the book is Vikram, IAS officer who wants to bring in a change in the system, by working in the system.

His friend Rakesh tries to run away from the academy one night, the academy seems like a jail and he decides to run away to fulfill his dream of being a standup comedian. Rakesh bumps into Vikram who tries to convince him, that with a good career he could make way into the dream of being a standup comedian. Rakesh is convinced.

RPR is a corrupt politician visits the academy post which Vikram decides to expose him. IN his first step, they plan for an interview, where Vikram has the Minister embarrassed. Rakesh, on the other hand, records the interview which goes viral within minutes. RPR decides to take revenge not by suspending him but to post him in his territory, Laxmipur and also unleashes violence on his family. Laxmipur is RPR’s backyard where he plans to continue his plans to avenge the embarrassment by Vikram.

The city suddenly is startled where people suffer from massive heart attacks and bleeding from the eye. Vikram works seriously to uncover the mystery. He along with Veda( a doctor) in RPR residence as caretaker work together to uncover the mystery. Vikram now not only has the challenge of handling RPR but also to find why the sudden heart attacks were killing people.

The versatility of the Author is clearly seen once you finish this book as you can clearly see the distinction in plot and the genre is chosen. The transition in this book was smooth. This tightly gripped medical thriller also had little elements of humor and romance. It is highly appreciable that it did not disturb the plot anywhere.

The book gives you a complete picture of how the political situation is and how politicians work. Loved the way how the mystery element was contained till the end. With his writing style already proved in his first book to keep readers gripped, this book is another accolade. The medical terms used in the later parts were something new to learn about. The fact that you learn things from a novel is good too. How people work in the IAS sector is also described in detail, which gives you a sneak peek into the life of an IAS officer.

BOOK DETAILS:

· Paperback: 160 pages

· Publisher: Rupa Publications India (20 July 2019)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 9353335329

· ISBN-13: 978-9353335328

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

K. Vijayakarthikeyan is a medico-turned-bureaucrat well known for his hugely popular initiatives as an IAS officer. He has won several awards and accolades for his pioneering work in land, solid waste and urban management. He has authored the national bestseller, Once Upon an IAS Exam, as well as five Tamil bestsellers, Ettum Dhoorathil IAS, Adhuvum Idhuvum, Orey Kallil 13 Maanghai, Jeyippadhu Yeppadi and Oru Cup Coffee Saapidalama. On sunny weekends, he can be found wreaking havoc on the cricket ground with his explosive batting and deceptive spin.

August 5, 2019

Book review – Who stole my job

BLURB:

Creative Tech has been one of the most successful IT companies in India during the last two decades. Only that it has started faltering of late. In a challenging and tumultuous business set-up, Marshal Scott, a newly hired American CEO, embarks on a transformation journey that starts on a high note, but soon gets entangled with many unexpected issues.

The employees experience disenchantment with the demanding leadership, frequent policy changes and cultural conflicts. Satvik, a mid-level manager sees the direct implications of these changes that lead to multiple business disruptions and exits of many of his colleagues.

Will things ever be same then again? Can Creative Tech tide over the disruption wave and reclaim its glorious past? What does employment mean for individuals and the corporate in the new digital world? Will the future of work be different from what was perfected after the Industrial Revolution?

MY REVIEW:

A book that lays a strong message that skills are necessary to survive in the field of Information technology. The lucrative salaries might have many eyeballs peeping out, but to be able to get a job like that you will have to keep yourself updated with technology and skills. This does not stop once you get a job. You need to keep updating yourself as newer and new technologies seem to be developed.

The plot here is Creative Tech a successful IT company appoints a new CEO, Marshall. Marshall is competitive and lays down strategies to run the business smoothly. But what happens when there are conflicts coming in? How does he resolve them? A thing to keep in mind is we not only need strategies but also a backup plan or ways of resolving conflicts handy.

Being in the industry for over 20 years, the author sure does narrate the instances that are factual and by someone who knows what happens in and out. People working in the IT industry can relate to it very much because of the life quotes mentioned and insights.

Strategies devised by Marshall seem to be working fine until several conflicts start showing up. Here Satvik, a middle-level manager and someone whom you could say had completely no idea of what “DIGITAL’ meant, was forced to accept the changes due to the digitalization.

The story is being narrated from point of view of different people makes it better for us to know who is able to take in the change, who suffers and who is forced. Satvik having worked for a longer period in the company is now not in a position to switch jobs because of the “SKILL” companies lookout for now.

The characterization has been done well. Each character having a different mindset of the changes that happen. You can finish the book in one go provided you are not affected by the minor disturbances

The language used is simple and easy to understand with not so many complicated terminologies. But I felt the story was stretched longer than it should have at places. A strong message that people need to adapt to changes is the takeaway the author provides the readers.

BOOK DETAILS:

· Paperback: 192 pages

· Publisher: Srishti Publishers & Distributors; First edition (10 April 2019)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 9387022579

· ISBN-13: 978-9387022577

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sunil is a software professional with over two decades of experience in the field of banking technology. Currently, he is working with Infosys in India in the area of digital technologies and start-up ecosystem. He has earlier worked with McKinsey, Accenture and I-flex solutions. Sunil’s previous book Transit Lounge was a travel memoir of thirty countries. Sunil is an MBA from IIM-Lucknow and holds a B.Tech from IIT (ISM), Dhanbad.

July 28, 2019July 28, 2019

Book review – Alumni of the year

BLURB:

Dave is ambitious, has a demanding boss, and is struggling to balance work and life, especially the relationship with his five-year-old daughter. Dave cherishes the memories of his school days. However, due to an incident from the past, he hardly keeps in touch with his best friends.
When Dave learns that his arch-rival from school is nominated for the prestigious Alumni of the Year Competition, he buys his way into the nomination by donating to the school library.
Travel on a life-changing journey with Dave—from Dubai, to Goa, to Kochi—as he goes for the School Reunion function. See how he confronts his past, his ambitions, his fears, and discovers about what truly matters in life.

MY REVIEW:

If you are looking to relive your school or college memories, this book could be one of those which would rekindle your memories of those golden days. Most often after school, or if I have to say it clearly or accurately we suddenly drift our mind and doings only towards a successful career, status. We tend to forget friends, he happy moments. That after getting a good job we fail to regain happiness but only concentrate on climbing up the ladder. That is where the balance of work and life stumbles a lot.

The effect of a bad work life balance starts showing immediately. And if you’re having a kid, it starts affecting drastically. Dave here in this book, is bossy, well settled and is exactly the kind of person who climbed up the ladder I was talking about previously. He is very much commanding when it comes to being the boss. The work life balance in Dave’s life is stumbling badly and as I had told he is struggling in his relationship with his five –year-old daughter. Also an incident from school has been troubling him to keep in touch with his schoolmates.

Dave learns that his arch rival has been nominated for the Alumni of the year. So what does Dave’s mind think of now. He decides and buys off the nomination. He travels from Dubai for the Alumni Meet. What happens is the rest of the story which I would leave it in your hands.Dave any day would represent any one of us, who is stuck between family and work pressure.

The writing style is simple and lucid. Initially I wasn’t into reading it at one go. But as the story progressed, it became interesting.

BOOK DETAILS:

· Paperback: 158 pages

· Publisher: Notion Press; 1 edition (19 July 2019)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 1684668255

· ISBN-13: 978-1684668250

MY RATINGS:

Title :4/5

Cover -4.5/5

Plot -4/5

Writing and presentation-4/5

Overall -4/5

July 25, 2019July 25, 2019

Review of Life in the sunshine

BLURB:
Sat, Sam, and Trib (a.k.a Triple sundae gang) are teenagers and they love cricket. They spend most of their time watching and playing the sport they love. They dream of making their living in the sport.
When they are not playing the game, they put on their thinking cap and come up with alternate versions of important matches or provide parodic answers to questions that have plagued cricket fans over the years.
However, fate intervenes in their idyllic life. On 18th April 1986, Javed Miandad hits Chetan Sharma for a six in Sharjah and leaves their cricket viewing life in tatters. The after-effects of this fateful event, continue to haunt them for many years.
Their problems don’t end there.
Sat fails to graduate from school level cricket to state-level cricket. He is heartbroken by the loss of his dreams and faces a mini identity crisis.
How do the boys solve their problems?
Will the boys ever recover from that Javed Miandad incident?
Will Sat get his mojo back?
Come, join the heartwarming ride and find out the answers, as Sat takes you through his nostalgic memories of the sport and narrates his coming of age story, which is deeply influenced by the sport!

MY REVIEW :
With the world cup fever coming to an end, reading this book brings your cricketing spirit up. Something that you have serious passion about is evidently seen when you work on something about it. Such is the work on weaving this book.

The author who was introduced to the game as kid, grown up being told about and playing it, has done complete justice by choosing this to be the main theme of his book. The inspiration being transferred from the book is a treat to ardent lovers of cricket, if I must say clearly to people who live and breathe cricket. When your tribe loves watching, playing and talking about the game, how would it be if you chose that to be your career and make a living out of it.

You could see the authors attempts of intertwining real world instances into his story. Being a 90s kid, this brings back age old memories at some places for me when the author narrates the story. The characterization by the author makes it easier for us yesteryear kids to easily put ourselves into the shoes of the character.
A bag of emotions are sprayed throughout the plot- dejection, happiness, excitement and love. The language being simple and lucid makes it interesting even for a non cricket fan to read it. A lot of romantic and humor elements added here and there makes reading interesting so that the reader is glued till the end.
The cover design is good with an enthusiastic youngster with arms wide open in the air , much relative to the book we are about to read.
A lot of hard work put in to realize your dream, a book that showers inspiration is the best description for this book. IF you are a sports lover or no, just to experience the inspiration from the book, i suggest you to pick this up.

BOOK DETAILS :

Format : Kindle
Publisher : Notion press

MY RATINGS:

cover : 4.5/5
Plot : 4/5
Title :4/5
writing and presentation : 4/5
Overall : 4.5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author Sathish is an alumni from IIM Kolkata and is a director with Cognizant technology solutions. He is an avid sports fan, bibliophile and a writer. He writes columns about cricket in a popular online magazine. life in the sunshine is his debut novel.

This post has been written as part of the #BlognBookswithus Blog Train hosted by Kapila from Every Little Thing: Happiness and Kavita from the Momtastic World. We are posting about books on our blogs. So hop on and enjoy reading these wonderful posts.
Thank you Ujjwal for introducing me. I would like to introduce Snigdha.

Please check out the posts shared on their blogs.

July 18, 2019July 18, 2019

Review of Virago

BLURB:

Radhika Mishra is a successful Chartered Accountant. she has everything that one could ask for. Yet, her heart desires for something more. Something else. something that requires unsettling the settled. an urge so strong, it forces her to put everything on stake. An endeavor so bold, that would mold her into a new being. Will she be successful or regretful? One needs to read to find out.

MY REVIEW:

I would suggest that you give this book a read if you haven’t till now. And if you’re wondering why I am saying this without even giving you the review, you will know by the end.

Woman are often brought up with the notion that they could do only certain things. Some activities are not made aware to them intentionally just because they are women. We also have a say that certain things cannot be done once women get married. I understand once a woman gets married, she gets a new family, a new role to play more responsibilities; but that doesn’t or shouldn’t be stopping her from what she wanted to be.

You cannot put this book only into the fictional genre. But if you read carefully or if I put it right read it in depth, the book provides you with more of motivation and positivity to go ahead with what you wanted to be.
Radhika, the protagonist here has a well settled career, but she feels that is not what she wanted to be. A 30-year-old lady, with 8 years into marriage and having a three-year-old son, well settled suddenly taking a U turn to pursue something else is definitely a head turner.

The plot is well thought about to convey a deeper understanding or a sense of self estimation to the reader. If the reader fails to go into a deeper understanding or in depth, then this is just another ordinary book telling you the story of a woman whose married life is failing.
Radhika, here is initially portrayed to being the selfless, adjustable, sacrificing and managing all character but in the later stages works real hard to mark an identity of her own. She is a role model to all women out there, to not just shut themselves up and look after the house after marriage. We have our own dreams and the right to work hard and make them come true.

The narration is simple with lucid writing style but conveys a bold inner voice of a woman. I loved the characterization. It’s a good read, but as I said it all depends on the mindset of the reader.

BOOK DETAILS:

Format: Paperback
Publisher: PAPER TOWNS PUBLISHERS (21 December 2018)
ASIN: B07MGK6H4G

MY RATINGS:

Plot: 4/5

Title:4/5

Cover:4/5

Writing and presentation:3.5/5

Overall:3.5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ritiqa Pachauri is an English teacher who loves telling stories to children. Virago is her second novel after ‘The Affair’. She lives in Jaipur with her family.

Please check out the posts shared on their blogs.

July 11, 2019July 11, 2019

Review of Dare eat that

BLURB

There are people who travel to eat and people who travel for adventure.
And then there are those who travel to eat adventurously.

Divya and Vivek are one such couple.
From using sign language to haggle over ant eggs in Bangkok to being hungry enough to eat a horse in Luxembourg, from finding out the perfect eel to barbecue to discovering the best place to source emu eggs in India, Dare Eat That explores their journey to eat every species on earth, at least once!

MY REVIEW
The first thing that came to my mind when I saw the cover of the book with all the creepy creatures, Bear Grylls Man Vs Wild. I just flipped through the book to notice the cover was just the preview of the creepiness and much more was waiting for me inside. My toddler kid was very much interested and eager than me to look at the pictures.
It’s basically a travelogue put together with some great foodie experiences. Being a pure vegetarian, when the book arrived, it raised few eyebrows among my family members. I did have to give them my reasons. So I settled down with the book after finally convincing them that I’m just gonna read the book and not jump out and start trying the foods listed. Divya and Vivek explore all around the world tasting all weirdest creatures we would never have thought of. It’s the connected adventures of a person who is a complete foodie and someone who is not.

The book lists down where to eat what and what bizarre cuisines to try. Ant eggs, horse meat and what not, it’s all there. The part where Vivek gets the Balut is where it peaked, I almost puked. Can you imagine balut is actually duck eggs which have been incubated and have a half-formed and people eat that. Leaving all that aside, it’s an engaging read for the kind of genre. I loved the glossy pages though they were very few in number.

You can definitely keep this as a gifting option for a foodie friend. Something different from a genre I usually read but I liked reading it for a different experience. Looking forward to more books from the couple.

MY RATINGS

Cover : 5/5

Plot : 4/5

Writing and presentation : 4/5

Overall : 4.5/5

BOOK DETAILS

Publisher : penguin ebury press

ISBN -10 : 0143444662

ISBN-13 : 978-0143444664

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Divya is a product manager who writes six-pagers by day
and is an author by night. She gets her best creative ideas
when she’s hanging upside down at her anti-gravity yoga
class or doodling. Her wanderlust gene is a result of having
lived in three countries and eight cities. In 2017, she won
the Juggernaut Times LitFest Contest for her short story
‘That Girl Is Trouble’. Divya has an MBA in Marketing from
SPJIMR, Mumbai and a master’s in HCI from UC Berkeley,
California. When she’s not wandering through the food streets
of the world, she can be found at home in Bangalore with her
husband Vivek. Dare Eat That is her first book.
For more photos, videos and travel stories, log onto:
http://www.dareeatthat.com.

This post has been written as part of the #BlognBookswithus Blog Train hosted by Kapila from Every Little Thing: Happiness and Kavita from the Momtastic World. We are posting about books on our blogs. So hop on and enjoy reading these wonderful posts.
Thank you Snigdha for introducing me. I would like to introduce Ujjwal.

Please check out the posts shared on their blogs.

July 8, 2019July 8, 2019

A day for moms to paint, we’re not saints

We were eagerly waiting for July 6^th. No we were waiting to take rest and sit back. It was our much awaited paint party as part of Chennaimomtribe’s third meet up at Klay prep school, Annanagar.

Being a toddler mom, I had so many expectations. I was eager to paint, but was also happy that I could do a site visit of the much talked about playschool. Located at 15^th Main Road Annanagar. The building looks bright and appealing.

Every visitor making an entry into a book at the entrance showed the safety measures taken up by the school. On entering you could see a cute shoe rack with neatly stacked toddler shoes.

I had to leave my daughter at the senior toddler room and then move to the place where we had paint party. And yes the room was rightly named walkers (above 3 yrs).

We had Pragati Gunasekar, an artist or heartist as she says guide us to paint. She brought in a master piece of hers, which we had to recreate. A dark night, with an orange full moon and trees in silhouette.

As a preliminary start we did swatches, color mixing to get new colors from primary colors. After about two and a half hours we completed our very own masterpiece. We helped each other, borrowed colors and in the end, it was truly an original accomplishment by each mom. Some of us had our toddlers with us throughout the entire painting session and yes that deserves a pat on the back.

Either you are a working mom or a stay at home mom, you need to find your tribe, meet them, pour out all you have and most importantly have a lot of fun. I have found mine and if you would want to be a part of it, don’t hesitate to drop in a DM to Chennaimomtribe on Instagram. We would be happy to be have you on board.

And now about the small tour that Supritha gave me around the playschool. The school has been planned to have a joyful, bright and aesthetically appealing design, with safety measure being done as and where needed.

I was shown the infants room, a subtle calming lighting with an alphabet playmat on the floor. I loved the cradles that were placed for the infants to nap.

I was then shown the junior and senior toddler rooms. Each room has been planned after a clear thought process of what a child of the age would need to keep them engaged.

I loved the depiction of voice levels in a chart on the wall.

A guide on how to wash your hands in the restroom was another notable feature.

There was a wide variety of books arranged on the shelf near the playarea at the reception.

There were miniature ovens, stoves and appliances with a cute little table-chair set up. With all these in place no kid would say no to attending preschool.

Their outdoor play area looked refreshing with lush green grassing and a slide, which the kids enjoyed. Which especially my daughter kept repeating even after going home. For someone who said no to school, I am happy that having taken her along with me to paint party, she has finally agreed and yes it’s a major win for me. All thanks to Klay and the management for having set up a good environment for kids to enjoy and learn at the same time.

And to wind of the paint party we took group snaps and yes we had goodie bags to take home too. It contained discount coupons from superbottoms, sochgreen and yummy snacks and a millet dosa mix from slurpfarm.

So as a takeaway for a mom, I’d invite you to join our tribe. Click here to visit us.

And for your kid, if you are looking to send them to a second home, I’m sure you should definitely have Klay on your list.

Klay prep schools:

H-1982, H Block, 15th main road, Anna nagar, Chennai – 600040 near Café Coffee day

Mobile: 7676708888

Website: https://www.klayschools.com/

July 4, 2019July 3, 2019

Review of how to win the world cup in pyjamas

BLURB:
This Father’s Day, celebrate the special bond between fathers and their child in this new children’s book that empowers kids with mental toughness!
The bestselling picture book–from the creators of the Grow Grit series–about how to achieve success using visualization and other mental toughness techniques. Written in a fun, how-to style, Emma gives 5 essential tools for winning the World Cup, including how to build grit (writing down goals, keep practicing, and reaching within to find your inner strength when times get rough), how to use visualization (tap into your 5 senses by smelling the turf, dribbling the ball, and focusing on performance and not the outcome), and how to use mantras and positive body language (taking deep breaths and staying confident and upbeat).
Filled with energy, warmth, and sprinkled with humor, this is a great gift for a father or grandparent, and perfect for lap reading and discussions!

MY REVIEW:

A cute little story on how little girl Emma wins the world cup in her pyjamas is what we see in this book.

Emma is confident of what she does and she says she has won the world cup many times. SO what are the tips she has for the readers to make them win.

She gives us the 5 tools to win world cup in pyjamas.

Working on developing grit – Initially we need determination to win. Does it come all of a sudden. No, this starts way more earlier. Writing down goals and working towards them with great motivation is what you need to do. When you notice that it is getting tough, reach it from within. SO what you need to do is practice with motivation.

Perform usual rituals– Do you regular activities on the day of world cup. This gives you a sense of calmness, keeping your mind relaxed and confident.

Visualize the field from an open space– Feel the ground, dribble ball and make it listen to you. Ignore the mistakes and stay focused on your goals.

Use Mantras to keep you focused – Something like work hard, you can do it, It’s just right here. Relax and take a deep breath, think of next moves and strategy to get it executed.

Make sure to keep up positive body language – Having a good posture, being up and down on your toes, staying confident is more like it. Fire the ball past opponent, let it fly and you can hear the crowd cheer up. Enjoy the taste of victory and thank people who helped you win.

This book is a confidence booster not only for kids, but also adults. These 5 mantras listed can not only be used for world cup but any goal in life. I just loved how the author conveyed the winning strategies from the words of a little girl. I am very sure kids and adults reading the books would greatly be benefitted.

These important life skills are much easier to learn because of the lovely illustrations which makes it easier for kids to understand. You cannot teach life skills much simpler and an enjoyable way than this. This is a great book to be gifted to any kid you know. I’m sure it’s going to earn you a lot of appreciation for getting this.

The narration is simple and brief. Illustrations support the narration in a great way.

I loved the after read activities shared in the book as well.

BOOK DETAILS:

Publication date: 11 Jun 2019
Publisher: Grow Grit Press
Language: English
ASIN: B07T2676HD

MY RATINGS:

Title :4/5

Plot:4.5/5

Cover :4.5/5

Writing and presentation:4.5/5

Overall :4.5/5

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kobe Nhin is inspired to write to help others overcome any negative self beliefs that may hinder their growth as it did his. He has learned to develop a storm-chasing mindset, always looking for obstacles to overcome. Kobe lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Mary Nhin loves being the guinea pig for all her husband’s kitchen creations. She is a mom of 3 boys, life coach, and author. For 20 years, she has been enriching people’s lives successfully through her companies, Nhinja, Lean CEO, and Grow Grit. She has been awarded the Forty under 40 and Inc 5000.

This Post has been written as part of the #BlognBookswithus Blog Train hosted by Kapila from Every Little Thing: Happiness and Kavita from the Momtastic World. We are posting about books on our blogs. So hop on and enjoy reading these wonderful posts.
Thank you Snigdha for introducing me. I would like to introduce Ujjwal.

Please check out the posts shared on their blogs.

June 27, 2019June 27, 2019

Kerala food fest at Regenta Deccan central,chennai

It’s not the time for Onam, but if you’re craving Kerala food and especially vegetarian, then you definitely should be visiting Regenta Central Deccan, royapettah.

The food from God’s own country is presented as a sumptuous treat at the Olives restaurant of Regenta Central Deccan. Priced at 888 nett, the buffet sure is to satisfy the Kerala food cravings.

Mrs. Saraswathi viswanathan from Thrissur Kerala, also founder of Sachuskitchen is the person behind the creation of such delectable delicacies.

The food festival is from June 21st to 30th , lunch and dinner buffet. Mrs. Saraswathi has carefully chosen each item of the menu and the striking aspect is that you don’t eat the same items on all ten days. Yes she has a different menu each day. Though the dishes seem to be the same, the variations she has given in using different vegetables sure does ring a bell in your taste buds.

Mrs. Saraswathi draws cooking inspiration from her father who passed away a couple of months back. She is now being helped by her son to manage her restaurant at Thrissur. She was soft spoken and patient enough for a casual long chat while we enjoyed the meal. The taste was heartwarming and most importantly felt at home.

Chef N.Saraswathi Viswanathan is a Record Holder in Universal Achievers Book of Records and Future Kalam Book of Records for creating a unique world record of preparing 108 dishes on spot in one hour. It was an honour to taste her cooking.

We were welcomed by Mr.Aditya , F&B manager at the restaurant. A warm welcome and detailed explanation of the hotel’s history and current happenings made it more interesting.

As we moved on to taste the food we were in for a treat looking at the elaborate spread that was waiting for us. We quickly wanted to finish the photography and proceed to tasting.

We began with the tasty drumstick soup, which was drumstick pulp infused in coconut milk. It was piping hot and definitely made mouths water and wanting for more.

The starter was raw mango pakoda, which was tangy , crisp and perfect accompaniment for the spicy soup.

We had a live counter for Malabar parotta. My my the layers were so soft and the veg moilee was the best to be paired with the parotta.

I’ve listed down the menu in detail.

But to name a few of my favourite was the yellow pumpkin olan, vada kootu curry and the jackfruit rind biryani. I never knew we could use up jackfruit rind, nendram skin to cooking and it was indeed a learning experience for me. I’d gotten a lot of new ideas to incorporate into my cooking.

Dessert spread

We had an elaborate dessert spread. Which included pizhinja payasam, unniyapam, tender coconut payasam to name a few.

Malabar parotta veg moilee

Drumstick soup

Raw mango pakoda

Soup: Drumstick Soup made from drumstick pulp infused in coconut milk.

Starter : raw mango pakoda

Main course :

Avial, Veg Moilee with Malabar parotta (very soft) Vishnu Kanji, Kaalan (yam),Olan(yellow pumpkin/ paragikai in coconut milk), Sembu Puli Kari, mixed curry made with carrot beans and potatoes, Nendrapazham pulluserry, pacha Manga Pachadi, chakka upperi, vada kootu curry,Sambar, Rasam , Biriyani , Buttermilk, curd rice.