Review: China XO at The Leela Palace, Chennai

I first got to know about China XO from the chef working at Leela when it had just opened. Later, a friend told me about it and my family and I decided to visit it. The authentic decoration and ambiance of the restaurant gave me the impression that I was in a quiet restaurant in Beijing. Our waitress showed us our table, and gave us the menu.

The selection of food was extremely scrupulous. They had a brief vignette of the Chinese cuisine followed by an intricate description of dishes they were offering in each course. For appetisers, we ordered a Dumpling Clear Soup; 3-style Dim-sums- mushroom, vegetable rice paper rolls, and edamame; and a Barbecue Soy Chicken. 
The portions were adequate, the food was made from fresh ingredients. 

For mains, we ordered a Mapo Tofu, Golden Fried Rice and Noodles. The tofu was soft and prepared in a well flavoured sauce. The rice was sticky enough to be eaten with chopsticks, but not too sticky and the chef had allowed only gentle flavours to come through to it during its preparation. The noodles, however, were a bit of a disappointment. The garlic was overpowering the noodles and it left a strange taste on the palate.

We skipped dessert that day. 

All in all, it was a good experience. The food was scrumptious and carefully prepared, the ambience was great and the restaurant had helpful staff.

Sunsets

Each of us needs some time to ourselves, irrespective of whether we're an introvert or an extrovert. I love being with people: I like listening to their stories and their day's agenda; however, I also need some 'alone' time- maybe just an hour everyday. I use this time to brood over my choices, and really, just think. 

Many a time I have found myself on my terrace, just walking with my earphones plugged in. I forget the world for a while on these walks and just think. I think about what I've been doing, or what I'm deciding to do; I think about what my masterpiece would be if I become an artist, or if Stephen Hawking will be able to confirm his theory of black holes proving that time travel exists. 

But the one thing that I always think about is the sunset. Most of the time, our busy schedules keep us from really appreciating sunsets. I make it a point to never miss a sunset unless it is absolutely imperative. Looking at the sunset reminds me of our vegetable existence: we get so worked up about the smallest of things. 

An author once described the beauty of a sunset in her book. She wrote about how every sunset is different and I completely agree with her.

The sunset. This is the view from my terrace.

I know and understand the science behind the occurrence of a sunset- the earth's rotation causes a sunset, and the sky turns pink, red, purple and orange because of the refraction of sunlight through the layers of the atmosphere. However, every time I look at a sunset, I feel like there is something much bigger at play- something that a mere human being won't understand. But it gives me clarity, serenity and peace. And I'm happy that it does.

Be the Change You Want to See

The Youth of our country has become apathetic, lethargic, ignorant and hypocritical. They must understand that there is more to life than their social status. Change want's to revive the hope we have all lost in this generation. Our goal is to make Young Indians look beyond their concrete jungles and smartphones, make them aware of their potential, the problems that our society and we as a country face and should work towards eradicating.

The priority at the moment is reaching a maximum number of people and we will start with addressing 'Women's safety' as a whole, discussing precautions and the growing atrocities such as rape, acid attacks, trafficking, domestic violence, eve-teasing, molestation and dowry.
Spread the word and if you would like to contribute,
mail us on - empoweringideasforyoungindia@gmail.com

Let’s work towards a better tomorrow

'Change is the only constant thing in life'

It is a movement started to help the youth of India understand the problems our society faces & encourage action

It is our decision whether we want to Change for the better, or for the worse. 

Has the World Lost its Humanity?

"Fact is Stranger than Fiction"

The Taliban, though they call themselves the 'students of Islam' have become an organization which have spread terror not only in their country, but also all around the world. Here are a few attacks planned by them in recent years:

1. Assasination of Benazir Bhutto 2007
The Taliban group of terrorists assassinated Bhutto. Although they deny their connection with the assassination, there is enough proof that the assassination was, indeed, planned by the Taliban.

2. Marriott bombing 2008
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Marriott Hotel Truck Bombing in September 2008 in Islamabad which killed 153 people.

3. Times Square Plot 2010
Hakimullah Mehsud had pledged to use suicide bombers in the USA for the Times Square Bomb Plot.

4. Malala Yousafzai Shooting 2012
Malala, a young schoolgirl speaking for the rights of women was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012.

5. Karachi Airport Attacks 2014

After peace talks with the Pakistan government in June 2014 failed, the Taliban attacked Karachi Airport, killing 26 people.

The UN responded to each of these attacks, recognizing them as a breach of human rights and against the ethics of the world. However, the world did not expect the Taliban to commit as pathetic, unethical, and inhuman an act as was comitted by them on the 16th of December, 2014 which has been recorded as the deadliest of their attacks till date.

The Taliban infiltrated a school in Peshawar on the morning of 16th December 2014. They open fired at the students and teachers of the school killing 141 people, including 132 children.

Several children who survived have told wrenching, horrific stories to Reuters. Some describe the militants as speaking either Arabic or Farsi, others describe lying among their peers as the gunmen swept through rooms, and still more evince the untold scars that the experience has left them with.

One student, Jalal Ahmed, 15, could hardly speak, choking with tears: “I am a biochemistry student and I was attending a lecture in our main hall. After some time we heard someone kicking the back doors. Then the men came with big guns.” 

Ahmed started to cry. Standing next to his bed, his father, Mushtaq Ahmed, said: “He keeps screaming: ‘take me home, take me home, they will come back and kill me.’”

One nine-year-old boy, who asked not to be named because he was too afraid to be identified, said teachers shepherded his class out through a back door as soon as the shooting began.

“The teacher asked us to recite from the Koran quietly,” he said. “When we came out from the back door there was a crowd of parents who were crying. When I saw my father he was also crying."

These are the nature of the gory, inhuman acts being comitted today by the terrorists on the Taliban who mercilessly murder innocent citizens with non chalant attitudes.

Not only has this affected the families of the victims, but also all the survivors who can never forget the picture of the blood covered battlefield filled with bodies of their friends, peers and teachers.

Is this what our world has come to?
Is this the future of the human race?
Is this what humanity believes in?

Lost Generation by Jonathan Reed

I am part of a lost generation
and I refuse to believe that
I can change the world
I realize this may be a shock but
“Happiness comes from within.”
is a lie, and
“Money will make me happy.”
So in 30 years I will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family
I tell you this
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era
This is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
30 years from now, I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making
In the future
Environmental destruction will be the norm
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this earth
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.

And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it.

Now, read the poem line by line in reverse, and maybe, we will not be part of a Lost Generation

Excursion 2k14

Note: This is a very brief write up on our school excursion this year. I hope the reader finds it descriptive, informative and fairly interesting

Excursion. We translate it to a time when memories are made. This year, we went to Coorg for our excursion. Our first impression of our destination was the cool whiff of air that refreshed us as we disembarked from the train, hot and claustrophobic. We reached our resort, stopping for breakfast along the way.

On reaching our resort, we were given time to relax till Formal Night. However, most of us utilised this time to play a sport or explore the resort.

Formal Night was exciting- we enjoyed dancing to upbeat songs while outside, it poured incessantly.

The following day, we went sightseeing to the temple where the river Kaveri originates. We were told the fascinating legend on the origination of the river Kaveri. The trek to the refreshing Chelavara falls was tiring but pleasant.

Our journey back was rather forlorn, but we would remember all the fun we had and cherish all the memories made in excursion this year.

Review: The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

It was my father who had purchased this book, just as a pastime read on his flight to Kolkata. On his return, he had high praise for this book, and recommended it to me. 

Normally, I'm not a big fan of Indian authors(mostly because of Chetan Bhagat's ventures in the field of urban Indian literature) I did not keep high expectations for the book. However, when I started reading, Sanghi's introductory note, and his approach to the commencement of the book was fantastic. 

His research was thorough- he started the story with the story of the Blue God, the eighth avatar or incarnation of Vishnu, Krishna. The fact that he started Krishna's story from the very beginning- giving the reader an insight on Krishna's ancestry was commendable.

The main plot started with the gory murder of archaeologist and historian, Anil Varshney who was believed to be the possessor of four seals and a baseplate, which, together formed the Krishna Key. The murderer has stabbed him on the foot with a scalpel, had put a stamp of a chakra on his forehead and had painted a shloka in praise of Krishna above his head. Varshney however, was a visionary. Knowing the importance of these seals, he had left each of them with four friends of his. 

In a frantic rush after his murder, his close friend and possessor of one of the seals, Ravi Mohan Saini is accused of the murder. On the other side, the story of Sampath Sharma[alias Taarak Vakil] who is guilty of the actual murder is illuminated by the author. Professor Ravi Mohan Saini along with his dedicated doctorate student Priya Ratnani escapes from the clutches of aggressive policewoman Radhika Singh. 

Saini who is aware of the other intellectuals Varshney had left the seals in possession of intends to find them and warn them about the serial killer on the loose. 

In a mad quest for the seals and base plate, along with inspiring back stories of all the main protagonists- Sanghi has also included interesting pieces of information from the ancient Vedas and Upanishads; thrown light on many misconceptions; and enlightened the reader on Hindu mythology. 

Two- thirds through the book, the plot gets heated as a plot twist changes the face and place of action in the book. At the end of the book, the author does teach the readers the expected moral or lesson- 'the philosopher is more important than the stone.'

Before I disclose anymore information, I do recommend this book to readers of all ages. It is not only interesting, but also informative.