Neem Hakim...well yes!!

Have a look at this picture.... These are Neem leaves put to dry in my living room..

Neem Leaves in my Drawing room...

Have a good look at these pictures and then read this very interesting blog post. I dry Neem leaves every two three years and keep in my boxes, cupboards etc. Oh yes, I belong to some old era and I trust the knowledge I received from my grandmother. Few years back I had moved to Bombay and one of my cartons which had some Soybeans,  snowwhite Rajmah and red Moong from Kashmir had got misplaced.  I located that carton two years later when I moved places again and when I opened it I expected everything to be rotten but to my surprise everything was fine and eventually I used it too. I think that was because I had put dried Neem leaves in all of them. Now that kind of made me a Neem lover. I have made Neem packs for boxes, edible items, shoe racks, cupboards, book shelves, bathrooms...well just about everywhere. I even put it under my matteresses... crazy? Wait till I tell you more.

We have a dog at home and the finicky me is disgusted with dog hair on the rugs and carpets. For the past two months she had some skin rash too.  Medicated shampoos, powders, tablets, de-worming, ointments...doctors kept writing prescriptions n we tried all. Then one day I searched the net for 4 hours to find some homeopathy or alternative medications for this poor being who was so restless and itchy that she was biting into herself. No, there were no fleas but a few ticks every day after the walk would emerge. Ticks was not the real problem. I read about home remedies for doggie problems. I included garlic pods in her khichdi. Tried applying some coconut oil and vinegar solutions and blah blah... (you can find more...) But this blog post is not about it. Then I thought of Neem...my wonder drug. I said why not?

We managed to get Neem leaves and boiled them and cooled them and bathed our dog. I do not think it made any noticeable difference but one day while I was chewing on a twig I thought about how good it is for teeth and skin (when I swallowed the bitter juice) I wondered if my dog will drink the bitter Neem water. We boiled and made a decoction, cooled and gave our dog with some curd. She finished it in one go (because of the curd). For the past fifteen days she is being given Neem water with two spoons of curd early morning and evening. Within first week her bowel improved. Her skin rash is cured. Her skin tone is becoming normal. Her hairfall has miraculously stopped. STOPPED. I still can not believe it. That to us is an achievement. This was an experiment we had carried and not with any bad intention. After all people have safi (also Neem extract). My dog now does not itch and sleeps peacefully. Someone who has been getting Neem for me has gone crazy and had brought in load of it to dry and swears that he will fill his home with Neem too.

There was Neem all over in my house for the last few days. My daughter was having a bad cold and cough just before that. Within two days her cold was gone and suddenly her cough too had vanished. Was it the smell and the aroma of Neem leaves in my house? I really do not know but I can logically think of only that to be the reason.

Friends, I do not have cockroaches or any such insects in my house. Is it also Neem, I do not know. Possibly yes because I do not use sprays or chemicals or Naphthalene balls in my house.

Well, that is the story. There are Neem trees everywhere. Be grateful to God for giving us such wonderful plants and yes take only the twigs but never harm a Neem tree.

Plant more Neem trees and share this story with everyone you know.

Bombay Well What, Waat laga di....

Bombay Velvet... my unpaid review. Even if Karan Johar or Anurag Kashyap would have paid me for a review I still would write this....

I have just come back after wasting my money, time and brains trying to make some sense out of 'Bombay what what'. There was no story. Quite understandable as four people including Anurag Kashyap has written some random things. So, clearly too many cooks have spoilt the broth. Karan Johar's dead pan expressions killed the villain's part thoroughly. He was not at all convincing as a Parsi τοο. In some shots he looked switching over to AIB. Actually that is his forte and he should stick to that. One is forced to make comparisons with another new release set in the early last century Calcutta. Yes, Detective Byomkesh Bakshi. There is a world of difference between the two. Bombay Velvet does not have sheen and texture...no velvety feel. In fact it is tattered canvas with some patchy velvet pieces. Karan Johar should stick to being behind the scene so that he can control himself. 

I am tempted to write something in Punjabi... a one liner about this nonsense.

 ਬੋਮਬੇ ਵੇਲਵੇਟ ਵਿਚ ਵੇਲਵੇਟ ਵਰਗਾ ਕੁਝ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੈ. ਸਾਲਾ ਪਾਟੇ ਤਪੜ ਤੇ ਲੀਰਾਂ ਜੋੜ ਤਿਯਾਂ।

Mummy Oh Mummy

I sometimes want to start a parenting blog. Not that I am an authority but yes I try my best to keep learning good parenting tricks. Now both my daughters have entered teens and grown taller than I am. Nether the carrot nor the stick is working any more. My hair is greying at a faster pace than ever before. My days are action packed as both my girls are trained in martial arts and keep fighting whole day. These are tough times for me. Sometimes I feel envious of their father who goes to office, plays golf, squash and watches movies in peace because he is posted in the field area away from us. Ironically, I am the one living at a peace station and yet I am in the middle of a battlefield every day. I no longer qualify for a referee position also. All my rules, tricks seem obsolete and expired. So I reach out for online help to deal with cranky cats. Its tough...I do not know if all girls are like that. Moody, cranky, lazybones.

Its tough being a mother and tougher being a good mother. No, I am not complaining. Its fun being with my daughters. They have taught me many things about life. Sometimes their understanding of life and relationships surprises me. Those positive sparks make me hopeful that they will surely turn beautiful human beings. I do not know what career choices will they make but I am sure what ever they choose to do in life, they will do it beautifully as good individuals.