6. Modern Panchtantra Story

Once upon a time, there was a software engineer who used to develop programs on his Pentium machine, sitting under a tree on the banks of a river. He used to earn his bread by selling those programs in the Sunday market.


One day, while he was working, his machine tumbled off the table and fell in the river. Encouraged by the Panchatantra story of his childhood (the woodcutter and the axe),


He started praying to the River Goddess. The River Goddess wanted to test him and so appeared only after one month of rigorous prayers. The engineer told her that he had lost his computer in the river.


As usual, the Goddess wanted to test his honesty. She showed him a match box and asked, "Is this your computer ?" Disappointed by the Goddess' lack of computer awareness, the engineer replied, "No."


She next showed him a pocket-sized calculator and asked if that was his.Annoyed, the engineer said "No, not at all!!" Finally, she came up with his own Pentium machine and asked if it was his.


The engineer, left with no option, sighed and said "Yes."


The River Goddess was happy with his honesty. She was about to give him all three items, but before she could make the offer, the engineer asked her, "Don't you know that you're supposed to show me some better computers before bringing up my own ?"


The River Goddess, angered at this, replied, "I know that, you stupid donkey! The first two things I showed you were the Trillennium and the Billennium, the latest computers from IBM !". So saying, she disappeared with the Pentium!!


********


Moral :If you're not up-to-date with technology trends, it's better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you're a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

5. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564 – died 23 April 1616)[a] was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.[1] He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard"). His surviving works consist of 38 plays,[b] 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.[2]

Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18 he married Anne Hathaway, who bore him three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592 he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of the playing company the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.[3]

Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1590 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the sixteenth century. Next he wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest examples in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights. Many of his plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime, and in 1623 two of his former theatrical colleagues published the First Folio, a collected edition of his dramatic works that included all but two of the plays now recognised as Shakespeare's.

Shakespeare was a respected poet and playwright in his own day, but his reputation did not rise to its present heights until the nineteenth century. The Romantics, in particular, acclaimed Shakespeare's genius, and the Victorians hero-worshipped Shakespeare with a reverence that George Bernard Shaw called "bardolatry".[4] In the twentieth century, his work was repeatedly adopted and rediscovered by new movements in scholarship and performance. His plays remain highly popular today and are consistently performed and reinterpreted in diverse cultural and political contexts throughout the world.


Comedy:

All's Well That Ends Well As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Cymbeline Love's Labours Lost Measure for Measure The Merry Wives of Windsor The Merchant of Venice A Midsummer Night's Dream Much Ado About Nothing Pericles, Prince of Tyre Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Troilus and Cressida Twelfth Night Two Gentlemen of Verona Winter's Tale



History:

Henry IV, part 1 Henry IV, part 2 Henry V Henry VI, part 1 Henry VI, part 2 Henry VI, part 3 Henry VIII King John Richard II Richard III



Tragedy:

Antony and Cleopatra Coriolanus Hamlet Julius Caesar King Lear Macbeth Othello Romeo and Juliet Timon of Athens Titus Andronicus



Poetry:

The Sonnets, A Lover's Complaint, The Rape of Lucrece, Venus and Adonis, Funeral Elegy

4. Trouble!!!

3. Wrestler brings glory home

FIGHT TO FINISH: Wrestler Sushil Kumar (L) poses with his bronze, boxer Vijender Kumar after his win.

India's fledgling Olympic campaign got a big boost on Wednesday when two men from the heartland of Haryana gave India its best ever medal haul at any Olympics.

The dismal record – of getting no medals at the Games – that’s been held for the last 56 years, is on the brink of being broken with India's Olympians assured to return home with at least three medals.

But how did it come about?

While shooter Abhinav Bindra’s shot at fame is stuff history is made of, India's wrestler Sushil Kumar won three consecutive rounds to win the bronze in the freestyle 66kg category on Wednesday. He is the second wrestler to do so after KD Jadav in the 1952 Games.

Sushil Kumar: Wrestling with fate

Sushil defeated Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhstan 3-1 in the repechage match of the men's freestyle wrestling 66kg to win India's India's first wrestling medal since the 1952 Helsinki Games.

With his first-round conqueror reaching the final, Sushil got a reprieve, as it were, and a place in repechage, which then gave him a chance to win three bouts in a space of 75 minutes and bring in India's second ever Olympic wrestling medal.

Sushil, a resident of Boprala village in West Delhi's Najafgarh area, won the fight in the extra 30-second period to ensure a podium finish, when everyone had lost hope after his first round loss Wednesday morning.

Sushil had gone down to Andriy Stadnik of Ukraine on points. But his slender hopes hung on the results of his conqueror, Stadnik, who went on to reach the final. That gave Sushil an extra lease of life as all wrestlers losing to the two finalists then contest the repechage.

Here's Sushil Kumar's path to that Bronze Medal in Beijing:

He lost in the quarterfinal of the 66kg category wrestling to Andriy Stadnik of Ukraine 1-3 on Wednesday morning.

But he fought back in the Repechage 1st Round bout.

Sushil beat Doug Schwab of the USA 3-1.

Then in his second repechage Round he beat Albert Batyrov of Belarus again 3-1 and then finally in the Bronze medal bout he overcame Leonid Spiridonov of Kazakhastan 3-1

2. “English as a Tool of Empowerment Leading to Self-Employment”

“English as a Tool of Empowerment Leading to
Self-Employment”

Co-authored by:
Ms Parul Popat
parulpopat@gmail.com
www.parulpopat.blogspot.com
Head
Department of English
N S Patel Arts College
Anand (Gujarat) India

Mr Kaushal Kotadia

kaushalkotadia@gmail.com
www.kaushalkotadia.blogspot.com
Resource Person
H M Patel Career Development Centre
Vallabh Vidyanagar (Gujarat) India

Designated as the language of communication, English today is spoken and read by the largest number of people in the world. On account of its this feature in particular and others in general English is no doubt preferred by one and all. Available data from all the walks of life support the claim that English has aided people in creating many success stories and is contributing to many lives in earning their bread and butter. The world of 21st century has opened many new vistas for those who have quite a good command over the language.

There is not any iota of doubt of English language being a tool of empowerment. The list of areas where people have done well owing to their expertise in English language is endless. KPO, BPO, competitive exams, translations, writing, web-page writing, education to name a few. The equally heartening thing is that it has also led to self-employment. Nevertheless, the question that arises here is how much knowledge of the stated language is required to empower oneself and to be self-employed. This paper tries to study the role of English in the empowerment of people with its focus on success stories from the field of education confined to Vallabh Vidyanagar and Anand (Gujarat) India.

The title of the paper talks about two things in main viz;
Ø English as a tool of empowerment
Ø English can lead to self-employment

Before going any further, I would like to explicate all the dimensions of the terms employed in the title.

To begin with, at first the title deals with the capacity of English as the tool of empowerment. To be empowered, in simple words, means to have more control over one’s life or the situation one is in. The most common use of the term "empowerment" refers to increasing the power of the low-power group, so that it more nearly equals the power of the high power group.

Empowerment, as it may seem to many today, is nothing more than the most recently popular buzzword thrown in to make sure that old programs get new meanings. However, the reality is quite different. Empowerment is much more than that. Empowerment is a process that challenges our assumptions about the way things are and can be. It challenges our basic assumptions about power, helping, achieving, and succeeding. Empowerment is a process of change.

At the core of the concept of empowerment is the idea of power. The possibility of empowerment depends on two things. First, that power can change and the other that power can expand. Thus, empowerment is a process of change.

As a general definition, however, we suggest that empowerment is a multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. It is a process that fosters power (that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives, their communities, and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as important.

We suggest that three components of our definition are basic to any understanding of empowerment. Empowerment is multi-dimensional, social, and a process. It is multi-dimensional in that it occurs within sociological, psychological, economic, and other dimensions. Empowerment also occurs at various levels, such as individual, group, and community. It is a social activity in a sense that it affects the lives of many in the society. Last but not the least; it is a process as it is a series of things that happen, especially ones that result in natural changes.


Self-employment
The core of the paper is devoted to role of English in creating self-employment. However, before referring to that part let me make the concept of self-employment a bit clear.

Ø Being self-employed simply means being your own Boss. This also means that there is no one looking over your shoulder. Freedom of time, moment, goals and finances everything is left to you.
Ø It means you are own time master. It gives you a flexibility to do whatever you want to do and whenever want to do.
Ø A self-employed person is far away from the problems of job security and fear of unemployment. On the contrary, he may be able to provide job to others.
Ø Self-employment is something that makes one a complete person who can proudly say that he/ she is an entrepreneur who has achieved something.
Ø When you are self-employed, your self-confidence goes through the sky. This factor will help you face most hurdles in life with a less stress.
Ø When self-employed the limitations of earning do not exist. You can earn as much as you want by just stepping up the speed.
Ø Last but not the least; success becomes a commodity, which you can measure with your own yardstick rather than others, which contributes a lot to your personality and the finances through the extra income you earn.

Keeping in mind all the above benefits one questionnaire was prepared for the respondents to analyse the role of English in making them successful entrepreneurs. The present paper is a study of those successful entrepreneurs who have been empowered by the language under discussion. Vallabh Vidyanagar and Anand, being the educational township, I preferred to take into account the field of education in general and various educational institutions and private coaching classes in particular.

Among the educational institutions, three successful women entrepreneurs were selected who have earned a name and fame for themselves. Heart and the soul of the institution that they run, the entrepreneurs are Mrs Maria V Pinto of Pinto’s School, Mrs Alanknanda Parnekar of Nirmal Niketan and Mrs Dhara Shukla of Kids’ Empire. Among the private coaching classes, the names are Mr Manoj Ray of Bright Tuition Classes, Mr Vipul Shah of Vipul Tuition Classes and Mr Sohin Treya of Vidya Classes.

One questionnaire was designed to learn the role of English Language in the empowerment of the stated people. In addition to the personal as well as professional information of the respondents, the questionnaire also had statements which can help the researcher to learn the attitude and aptitude of the respondents towards the work that they are doing and the factors that led them to venture in the profession in which they are at present.

Glimpses of the successful journeys that have contributed in the process of change.

Mrs Maria V Pinto, Managing Trustee, Pinto’s schools
Featured in the reputed daily ‘The Times of India’ more than once as a successful and inspirational woman entrepreneur, Mrs Maria V Pinto started her journey as a working woman way back in 1983 as an Administrator cum Nursery Teacher with a meager salary of 500/- with Boho Shishu Vihar, the 1st of its kind in Anand.

Encouraged by her daughter to be independent, she started a kindergarten school in 1987 with a bank loan of Rs. 20,000/- in a small rented house with 18 tiny tots. At present, she is moulding the career of almost 400 students studying under her care and supervision. Not only this, she has also generated employment for as many as 40 people. She aspires to start a school for the differently abled children to help them to come into the mainstream of life. When asked the role of English in her empowerment she said

“With today’s pressing need of knowing to speak English fluently, I think our institution has been able to achieve what I have today purely because of my fortune of having some kind of special hold on the English language right from my childhood…”

The feature, which is the most motivating about her success story, is that she has studied up to matriculation only and does not have any formal degree with which many are judged and appointed. Her case proves one thing that you have to have the instinct within you and only degree does not lead you to success.


Mrs Alaknanda Parnekar, Headmistress, Nirmal Niketan Kindergarten
An effort to make her student a better one at Kendriya Vidyalaya was taken otherwise. The complaint lodged against her gave her a feeling that she would not be able to what she wanted to and she straightway decided to withdraw herself from the permanent government job she was doing. Her resignation from the job proved a turning point in her life and motivated her to start her own venture in 1994, today better known as Nirmal Niketan Kindergarten, an English Medium Kinder-Garten School. It is the first of its kind in Vallabh Vidyanagar in the sense that here she started admitting children from 2½ years which was against the mentality of people and so had to make extensive efforts to convince the grand parents. Nevertheless, with her charming personality and absolute command over the English language, she could do that and now she is running Nirmal Niketan Kindergarten successfully with 250 children studying from Nursery to first standard. She confirms that her knowledge of English language has helped her to hold her head high. About the role English in life, this is what she had to say:

“It is essential for everyone to have at least the working knowledge of English and special skills of English language definitely empower an individual in more than one ways.”

Mrs Dhara Shukla of Kids Empire
A lady with a degree of Diploma in Civil Engineering, Mrs Dhara Shukla’s story is a little bit different from the above two in a way that the only reason behind the setting up of Kids Empire was the motto to do social service through language. She did not have even any kind of professional experience either. During the interview, she humbly denied of having any special skills, training or professional experience of any kind when she started her own institution. What she had was the required amount of knowledge of the language. When enquired how she managed without basic requirements she frankly said that apart from the knowledge of the language, her experiences of bringing up her two children helped her a lot. In addition to this, she did a survey for 3 to 3½ years of the field where she wanted serve society through language. As far as the role of English in her life is concerned, she says that it is a tool but depending upon the nature of work, other qualities are also equally important.

All the above three mentioned cases are common as none of the discussed case had any acute financial problem or had problem of survival. They were not the sole breadwinner though their ventures did help their families. The next three cases are completely different as they directly do not teach the language but they do deal with English language in the form of terminology used in their fields. They too in one voice agree that the working knowledge of English language has played a vital role in earning them a respect and recognition for themselves. All these cases are the torchbearers for those who have suffered due to the policy of government or being exploited by self-financed institutions. The only message that their achievements convey is that if you have faith in your abilities then nobody can stop you. Let’s peep into their struggle and have some inspiration.

Mr Manoj Ray of Bright Tuition Classes
A bright student from the beginning Manoj Ray studied in vernacular medium but was always the master of Accounts and Statistics. He knew very well what he could do with his talent. Hence, having worked for BJVM for one year as a lecturer in Commerce and Accountancy, in 1997-98 he started his own classes at his home where the students used to sit on the floor. This venture by him proved to be a great support for his family that was earning his livelihood by supplying tiffins to students. Gradually, his method of teaching and learning increased the strength of the students, which today has crossed the strength of 300. Today, he has his own air-conditioned classes with two teaching faculty whom he is paying more than what our government is paying to lecturers now as Adyapak Sahayaks. A down to earth person, he very humbly says that he cannot speak English that fluently but he knows the terminology of Accounts and Statistics perfectly well. Today, 65% of his students are from English Medium who find no problem with his teaching suggest others to join his classes.

Mr Vipul Shah of Vipul Tuition Classes
If employed immediately after the completion of his masters, how much can a person earn in the teaching field in this scenario? The answer obviously cannot be very encouraging unless he is serving in those institutions that are ready to pay as per UGC norms. Mr Vipul Shah of Vipul Tuition Classes learnt from others experiences, did not try much for any ‘permanent’ job and thought it better to start his own institution. Only three years have passed since he began his classes for commerce students but today he is a proud person with 218 students studying under him and has also generated employment for two more. He too, like others accepts that English has instilled confidence in him and motivated him towards self-employment and has contributed a lot in his success.

Mr Sohin Treya of Vidya Classes
A victim of the Government Policy of Shikshan Sahayak, Mr Sohin started his career as a teaching assistant with the salary of Rs 2000/- only but soon felt that it was too difficult to lead his life and so joined hands with the other teacher like him and jumped in the field of private coaching. Today he too, is earning a handsome amount with the help of his knowledge of the English language by providing coaching to the students from 5th to 12th standards.
Every success story has something new to tell with one thing in common that the English language is a key-factor behind their empowerment and self-employment. The respondents were given few reasons, which might have motivated them for starting their own venture. The importance of the language in empowering people and leading them to self-employment can also be gauged from the table given below:

1. The salary was inadequate. - 33.33%
2. You were desirous of expressing your unique talent. - 83.33%
3. You wished to utilize the special training you had. - 50%
4. You were bored with your previous job. - 16.66%
5. You felt that your career was going nowhere. - 16.66%
6. Your previous job was very stressful. - 16.66%
7. Social status attached with the profession. - 83.33%
8. You saw better prospects in the field of education with English language. - 100%
9. You intended to do Social Service through language. - 83.33%
10. You thought of utilizing the extra time you had. - 16.66%
11. You felt you could do this in a better way. - 16.66%
12. Your family needed financial support. - 66.66%
13. This was a better and a safer way of earning. - 50%

The figures shown in the table clearly prove the role of English in the empowerment of people helping them to be their own boss. More than one factors can be responsible behind the choice of English language but everybody agrees on point that today in the field of education there are better prospects for the people who have an adequate command over the English language and the same can definitely help in the development of the family first and community next.

The results of this empirical research clearly suggest that English proficiency can become a more important determinant of earnings for all the entrepreneurs, especially in the field of education and can easily lead them towards self-employment.

1. Some Kitchen Tips

Almonds: To remove the skin of almonds easily, soak them in hot water for 15-20 minutes.

Ants: Putting 3-4 cloves in the sugar container will keep the ants at bay.

Biscuits: If you keep a piece of blotting paper at the bottom of the container, it will keep biscuits fresh for a longer time.

Butter: Avoid the use of butter. If it is essential to use, use a butter containing low saturated fat or with plant stanols (which avoid absorption of cholesterol by our body) or similar substitutes.

Apples: Apply some lemon juice on the cut surface of the apple to avoid browning. They will look fresh for a longer time.

Banana: Apply mashed banana over a burn on your body to have a cooling effect.
Bee and Scorpion Sting Relief: Apply a mixutre of 1 pinch of chewing tobacco and 1 drop of water. Mix and apply directly and immediately to the sting; cover with bandaid to hold in place. Pain will go away in just a few short mintues.

Bitter Gourd (Karela): Slit Karelas at the middle and apply a mixture of salt, wheat flour and curd all round. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour and then cook. Stuffed Karela
Celery: To keep celery fresh for long time, wrap it in aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator.

Burnt Food: Place some chopped onion in the vessel having burnt food, pour boiling water in it, keep for 5 minutes and then clean.

Chili Powder: Keeping a small piece of hing (asafoetida) in the same container will store chili powder for long time.

Chopping: Use a wooden board to chop. It will not blunt the knife. Don't use a plastic board, small plastic pieces may go with the vegetables.

Coriander/Mint: You can use dried coriander and mint leaves in coarse powder form in vegetable curry or chutney, if fresh ones are not available.To keep them fresh for a longer time, wrap them in a muslin cloth and keep in a fridge.

Cockroaches: Put some boric powder in kitchen in corners and other places. Cockroaches will leave your house.

Coconut: Immerse coconut in water for 1/2 an hour to remove its hust.

Dry Fruits: To chop dry fruits, place them in fridge for half an hour before cutting. Take the fruits out and cut them with a hot knife (dip it in hot water before cutting).

Dough/Rolling pin: If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, place it in freezer for a few minutes.

Egg peeling off: Make a small hole in the egg by piercing a pin before boiling it. You will be able to remove its skin very easily.

Egg fresh: Immerse the egg in a pan of cool salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh; if it rises to the surface, it is certainly quite old.

Garlic: Garlic skin comes off easily if the garlic cloves are slightly warmed before peeling.

Ghee: Avoid the use of ghee. If it is necessary, substitute it with canola oil. Even for making halwa, you can partly substitute it with oil.

Green Chilies: To keep the chilies fresh for a longer time, remove the stems before storing.

Green Peas: To preserve green peas, keep them in a polythene bag in the freezer.

Idlies: Place a betel (paan) leaf over the leftover idli and dosa batter to prevent them sour. Do not beat idli batter too much, the air which has been incorporated during fermentation will escape.If you add half a tsp of fenugreek seeds to the lentil and rice mixture while soaking, dosas will be more crisp.

Fruits: To ripen fruits, wrap them in newspaper and put in a warm place for 2-3 days. The ethylene gas they emit will make them ripe.

Frying: Avoid deep frying. Substitute deep frying with stir frying or oven bake. Don't pour the oil, but make a habit of spraying the oil in the utensil for cooking. Heat the utensil first, then add oil. This way oil spreads well. You will use less oil this way.

Left Overs: Don't throw away the foods left over. Store them in Fridge. Use them in making tasty dishes.

Lemon/Lime: If the lemon or lime is hard, put it in warm water for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to squeeze.

Lizards: Hang a peacock feather, lizards will leave your house.

Milk: Moisten the base of the vessel with water to reduce the chances of milk to stick at the bottom.Keep a spoon in the vessel while boiling milk at medium heat. It will avoid sticking the milk at the bottom of the vessel.Adding half a tsp of sodium bicarbonate in the milk while boiling will not spoil the milk even if you don't put it in the fridge.

Mixer/Grinder: Grind some common salt in your mixer/grinder fro some time every month. This will keep your mixer blades sharp.

Mosquitoes: Put a few camphor tablets in a cup of water and keep it in the bed room near your bed, or in any place with mosquitoes.

Noodles: When the noodles are boiled, drain all the hot water and add cold water. This way all the noodles will get separated.

Onions: To avoid crying, cut the onions into two parts and place them in water for 15 minutes before chopping them.Wrap the onions individually in a newspaper and store in a cool and dark place to keep them fresh for long time.

Oven: Watch from the oven window to conserve energy because the oven temperature drops by 25 degrees every time its door is opened,To clean the oven, apply a paste of sodium bicarbonate and water on the walls and floor of the oven and keep the oven on low heat for about half an hour. Dried food can easily be removed.

Paneer: To keep paneer fresh for several days, wrap it in a blotting paper while storing in the refrigerator.Do not fry paneer, immerse it in boiling water to make it soft and spongy.

Papad: Bake in microwave oven.Wrap the papads in polythene sheet and place with dal or rice will prevent them from drying and breaking.

Pickles: To prevent the growth of fungus in pickles, burn a small grain of asafoetida over a burning coal and invert the empty pickle jar for some time before putting pickles in the jar.

Popcorn: Keep the maize/corn seeds in the freezer and pop while still frozen to get better pops.

Potato: To bake potatoes quickly, place them in salt water for 15 minutes before baking.Use the skin of boiled potatoes to wipe mirrors to sparkling clean.Don't store potatoes and onions together. Potatoes will rot quickly if stored with onions.

Refrigerator: To prevent formation of ice, rub table salt to the insides of your freeze.

Rice: Add a few drops of lemon juice in the water before boiling the rice to make rice whiter.Add a tsp of canola oil in the water before boiling the rice to separate each grain after cooking.Don't throw away the rice water after cooking. Use it to make soup or add it in making dal (lentils).Add 5g of dried powdered mint leaves to 1kg of rice. It will keep insects at bay.Put a small paper packet of boric powder in the container of rice to keep insects at bay. Put a few leaves of mint in the container of rice to keep insects at bay.

Samosa: Bake them instead of deep frying to make them fat free. Don't fry the filling potato masala. Preserve the samosas in freezer. For eating, take out of the freezer two hours in advance and bake them over low temp.

Sugar: Put 2-3 cloves in the sugar to keep ants at bay.

Tadka: Use sprouted mustard seeds (rayee) and fenugreek (methi) seeds for your tadkas. Both of them when sprouted have more nutritional values. Also this add flavour to the dish and can be more beneficial, besides giving decorative look to the dish.

Tomato: To remove the skin of tomatoes, place them in warm water for 5-10 minutes. The skin can then be easily peeled off.When tomatoes are not available or too costly, substitute with tomato puree or tomato ketchup/sauce.Place overripe tomatoes in cold water and add some salt. Overnight they will become firm and fresh.
Tamarind:Tamarind is an excellent polish for brass and copper items. Rub a slab of wet tamarind with some salt sprinkled on it on the object to be polished.Gargles with tamarind water is recommended for a sore throat.

Utensils: Use nonsticking utensils. Use thick bottom utensils, they get uniformly heated. For electric stoves, use flat bottom utensils.Add a little bit of common salt to the washing powder for better cleaning of utensils.

Vegetables: Don't discard the water in which the vegetables are soaked or cooked. Use it in making soup or gravy. To keep the vegetables fresh for a longer time, wrap them in newspaper before putting them in freeze.Chop the vegetables only when you are ready to use them. Don't cut them in too advance. It would spoil their food value.

Sink (Blocked): To clear the blocked drain pipe of your kitchen sink, mix 1/2 cup sodium bicarbonate in 1 cup vinegar and pour it into the sink, and pour about 1 cup water. In an hour the drain pipe will open.

Soup Salty: Place a raw peeled potato in the bowl, it will absorb the extra salt.

Yoghurt (Home Made): To set yogurt in winter, place the container in a warm place like oven or over the voltage stabliser.

Yogurt: If the yogurt has become sour, put it in a muslin cloth and drain all the water. Then add milk to make it as good as fresh in taste. Use the drained water in making tasty gravy for vegetables or for basen curry.To keep the yogurt fresh for many days, fill the vessel containing yogurt with water to the brim and refrigerate. Change the water daily.