Top 5 Brilliant Benefits of Vitamin E

Vitamin E is the generic name for “tocopherol” and is available in four different forms. It is a fat soluble antioxidant, which can be obtained only as a food supplement. The most widely known health benefits of vitamin E are protection against toxins such as air pollution, premenstrual syndrome, eye disorders such as cataracts, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.

The health benefits of vitamin E come from its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants remove free radicals — the unstable compounds that damage the cell structure. Immunity levels improve when vitamin E is consumed. Another important benefit of vitamin E is that it reduces cholesterol and the risk of developing cancer.

Vitamin E thins the blood which is another significant health benefit. In other words, it prevents the blood platelets from clumping. High levels of vitamin E reduce the risk of sunstroke and coronary artery disorder or heart disease.

Another widely known health benefit of vitamin E is in skin care and hair care. Owing to its antioxidant properties, vitamin E promotes the circulation of blood to the scalp. Vitamin E helps alleviate fatigue and strengthen capillary walls while nourishing the cells.

Pure vitamin E oil is extremely versatile. A major benefit of vitamin E oil for the skin is that it helps the healing process. As vitamin E is absorbed by the epidermis layer of the skin, it can be used for treating sunburn or protecting you from the sun.

Another wonderful benefit of vitamin E oil is that it can be used to treat scars, acne, and wrinkles because it speeds up cell regeneration. This creates an anti-aging effect, which makes the skin look younger.

Vitamin E oil benefits the skin by helping it retain its natural moisture content. Vitamin E oil makes dull-looking, dry skin look healthier and fresher. You can apply a few drops of vitamin E oil to your nails and cuticles which is an effective way of treating the skin.

This post is a part of  #Evion - Vitamin E Mantra, an awareness campaign by Evion, in collaboration with Indiblogger.

Understanding the ABC of Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an important nutrient and antioxidant. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, vitamin E is found naturally in many foods, such as nuts and sunflower seeds. It is available as a dietary supplement in the form of oil capsules. In order to grow healthy hair, it's important to include enough vitamin E in your diet. You can also use vitamin E capsules to create a homemade, healing formula to repair dry, damaged hair and split ends.

Things You'll Need 

· Vitamin E capsules

· Vitamin E-enriched shampoo

· Small bowl

· Moisturizing conditioner

· Wide-toothed comb

· Shower cap

Step 1

Eat foods rich in vitamin E, such as broccoli, spinach, nuts and peanut butter. The Office of Dietary Supplements suggests that the average adult needs 15mg of vitamin E per day. Getting enough vitamin E in your diet helps repair your hair from the inside, as it helps stimulate oxygen uptake and increases circulation to the scalp.

Step 2

Make a healing vitamin E treatment for topical application. According to author and homeopath Melanie Grimes in a 2010 article found on website Natural News, you can use vitamin E oil to treat dry hair and heal the hair shaft. Snip the ends off twenty or more vitamin E capsules. Depending on the length of your hair, you may need to use more capsules. Squeeze the contents of the capsules into a small bowl. Vitamin E is sticky, so handle them carefully so you do not drip any oil onto delicate or easily stained surfaces.

Step 3

Apply the vitamin E in its pure form to your hair before shampooing. Massage the oil into your hair and scalp, focusing specifically on dry or split ends. Gently comb through your hair using a wide-toothed comb. Cover your hair with a shower cap to help the oil absorb more fully. Leave the oil in your hair for at least an hour to allow the oil to penetrate and coat your hair shaft.

Step 4

Wash your hair thoroughly with a gentle, cleansing shampoo enriched with vitamin E. Shampoos containing vitamin E won't strip your hair of moisture and they clean your hair gently while hydrating and adding an extra coating of vitamin E.

Step 5

Apply on your hair a conditioner containing vitamin E. Many moisturizing conditioners already contain vitamin E because they include extracts of sunflower, hazelnut or almond as ingredients. Look for conditioners labeled as moisturizing and read the label to see if it contains any of these ingredients. Leave the conditioner on your hair for five to ten minutes and rinse thoroughly with cool water.

This post is a part of  #Evion - Vitamin E Mantra, an awareness campaign by Evion, in collaboration with Indiblogger.

Evion - My Vitamin E Mantra

Vitamin E is an important nutrient and antioxidant. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, vitamin E is found naturally in many foods, such as nuts and sunflower seeds. It is available as a dietary supplement in the form of oil capsules. In order to grow healthy hair, it's important to include enough vitamin E in your diet. You can also use vitamin E capsules to create a homemade, healing formula to repair dry, damaged hair and split ends.

Things You'll Need 

· Vitamin E capsules

· Vitamin E-enriched shampoo

· Small bowl

· Moisturizing conditioner

· Wide-toothed comb

· Shower cap

Step 1

Eat foods rich in vitamin E, such as broccoli, spinach, nuts and peanut butter. The Office of Dietary Supplements suggests that the average adult needs 15mg of vitamin E per day. Getting enough vitamin E in your diet helps repair your hair from the inside, as it helps stimulate oxygen uptake and increases circulation to the scalp.

Step 2

Make a healing vitamin E treatment for topical application. According to author and homeopath Melanie Grimes in a 2010 article found on website Natural News, you can use vitamin E oil to treat dry hair and heal the hair shaft. Snip the ends off twenty or more vitamin E capsules. Depending on the length of your hair, you may need to use more capsules. Squeeze the contents of the capsules into a small bowl. Vitamin E is sticky, so handle them carefully so you do not drip any oil onto delicate or easily stained surfaces.

Step 3

Apply the vitamin E in its pure form to your hair before shampooing. Massage the oil into your hair and scalp, focusing specifically on dry or split ends. Gently comb through your hair using a wide-toothed comb. Cover your hair with a shower cap to help the oil absorb more fully. Leave the oil in your hair for at least an hour to allow the oil to penetrate and coat your hair shaft.

Step 4

Wash your hair thoroughly with a gentle, cleansing shampoo enriched with vitamin E. Shampoos containing vitamin E won't strip your hair of moisture and they clean your hair gently while hydrating and adding an extra coating of vitamin E.

Step 5

Apply on your hair a conditioner containing vitamin E. Many moisturizing conditioners already contain vitamin E because they include extracts of sunflower, hazelnut or almond as ingredients. Look for conditioners labeled as moisturizing and read the label to see if it contains any of these ingredients. Leave the conditioner on your hair for five to ten minutes and rinse thoroughly with cool water.

This post is a part of  #Evion - Vitamin E Mantra, an awareness campaign by Evion, in collaboration with Indiblogger.

Manju Devi - Coolie No. 15

Strong women don't play victim, don't make themselves look pitiful and don't point fingers. 

They stand and they deal.

While this quote from blogger turned New York Times best-selling author and speaker Mandy Hale inspires and motivates thousands of women across the world, Manju Devi from Jaipur has gone ahead and given her flesh and blood to Hale's words. In our society where patriarchy is deep-rooted and a woman venturing to work in male dominated sectors is considered a blot on the family's name, Manju Devi is defying the odds working as a porter. Yes, you read that right. Manju Devi is a porter at the Jaipur railway station, she's the only female porter at this station, and the first female porter of the entire North Western Railway Region.

Porter Manju Devi | Photo: Point Blank 7

A rural home-maker, Manju was left to fend for herself and her three little children when her husband Mahadev, a porter at Jaipur railway station died of liver failure. Illiterate and a widow at just 33 years of age, she had no one to fall back on, to help her cope with the seemingly hard and harsh life that lay ahead of her. Her in-laws were poor and going back to her parents too was out question, for there too her many siblings were trying to make ends meet though odd jobs.

It was under these circumstances that she decided to approach the porter union to help her claim her husband's job. With the help of the union and the railway authorities, Manju finally got her porter's license in March 2013. Armed with her porter badge no. 15, she joined the porter service at the Jaipur railways station, setting a huge example of courage and determination in the face of adversity.

We've all travelled by train and we know that life of a travel porter is not easy. Besides physical strength, one needs a lot of stamina to run around the platforms all day long. Quite naturally settling now in her new job was not easy for Manju. She would often break down and spend more hours crying instead of working. She had left all her kids back home with her mother, so their absence too added to her sorrows. But she knew that crying would not help her in any way and so gradually started immersing herself more in her work. With the help of some supportive porters at the station, she learnt the basics of her job, understanding the techniques of carrying heavy luggage on her head and shoulders. Today, she proudly says that she is happy with the work she does and is able to take care of her family with her earnings.

While many women in Manju's place would have given up and cursed their fate in the face of such misfortune, Manju's will of steel led her towards a braver path. She did not just break into the male bastion, but is also going stronger and steadier by the day. People like Manju Devi deserve admiration and accolades. May the force always be with her.

Chandigarh - The City Beautiful!

TataMotors' latest #madeofgreat campaign is making headlines everywhere. With football icon Lionel Messi as its new brand ambassador, the brand has got the perfect man to reiterate what they stand for - strength and greatness.

Check out this video of Messi showing his mettle on the field and there's no missing the grit the mettle that has helped him become the icon that he is!

In a recent blogging campaign, Tata Motors asked bloggers to write about their favourite city in terms of design, technology and connect, and the moment I read the theme I knew which city I was going to gush about - none other than Chandigarh, the city beautiful!

Chandigarh is the best-planned city in India,with world-renowned design and architecture and a healthy and beautiful quality of life. As the capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana, and the face of modern India, Chandigarh, is the manifestation of a dream that Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru envisaged and legendary French architect Le Corbusier executed.

Certainly one of the best cities in India, it is neatly planned and divided into sectors which are nicely connected to one another. Adding to that, every sector has a park and a shopping street with plenty of greenery all around. Along with the neighbouring cities of Mohali and Panchkula, it is known as the tricity, though it's difficult to tell where the boundary of one ends and another begins. India’s first planned city, it is a rich, prosperous, spic and span, green city rightly called - The City Beautiful!

Serenity and a city are two diametrically opposite concepts, which however, get belied in the 'City Beautiful'. Chandigarh is a rare epitome of modernization co-existing with nature's preservation. It is here that the trees and plants are as much a part of the construction plans as the buildings and the roads.

Chandigarh is well connected to almost every small and big town in northern India. It is also conveniently located within motor-able distance from a number of major cities of north India. National Highways 21 and 22 run through the city. Near perfect road condition and breath-taking views on either side of the road offers a pleasant drive. So the next time you are planning a trip to the mighty mountains up north, make sure you explore Chandigarh too - and you would sure agree that this pretty city is different from the rest of the country - cleaner, greener and beautifully planned! And if you don't know already, there's a lot to explore here - from the serene Sukhna Lake to the intriguing Rock Garden, from the pretty gurudwaras to the lovely Rose Garden, from museums and art galleries to pubs and bars, Chandigarh has something of interest for all kinds of visitors.

This post is a part of Tata Motors' #madeofgreat campaign in association with Indiblogger.

Kids Showcasing Their Dance Moves! #MaxFreshMove

There is a bit of insanity in dancing that does everybody a great deal of good.

-- Edwin Denby

The aforementioned quote by Edwin Orr Denby, American writer of dance criticism and poetry so beautifully brings out the very essence of dancing. I have always believed that dancing involves a kind of frenzied passion and reckless abandon - Denby used the word 'insanity' instead. There's no denying the 'does a great deal good' part of the quote either. Dancing so fills the surrounding with happiness and positivity, both the dancer and the audience look pepped up and this happy energy positively impacts others too.

For this post, I particularly picked up Denby's quote because this write-up is all about insanity in dancing. If you have come across Colgate's Taazgi ka Dhamaka video, you must have noticed how the song is all about mad fun around singing and dancing. The reckless abandon showcased in the video is so infectious that anyone who listens to this foot tapping number gets energised!

See how fun the video is! Burst of energy actually!

And this precisely is the reason the kids in my neighbourhood has blast showcasing their dance moves on this peppy number! While 10 year old Gauri seemed in sync with the beats of the song, the bigger group of children opted to go freestyle! And it was INSANE, to say the least! Here, check out both the videos - Gauri first, for this little girl is a natural dancer! Watch her grooving to Taazgi ka dhamaka!

While Gauri is a natural when it comes to dancing and prepared her own steps, her brother and other friends opted to go freestyle instead. And what followed was a series of goofy videos with them dancing and teasing each other in a fun way! To say that it was crazy would be an understatement! They danced, they laughed, they giggled, they acted silly and finally I decided to capture all their amusing antics in this video! Click on it and I am sure you will have as much fun watching it as I had recording it!

I am sure you will agree that this one was a cracker! And before I wrap this post up, I will repeat the dance quote again - with the hope that it inspires you too to dance!

Photo courtesy

These videos are based on Theme 3 - Kids dancing to the music.

I am dancing for #MaxFreshMove activity at BlogAdda. If you are not blogging, you can join me by participating in this #MaxFreshMove facebook activity.

Airtel 4G - The Fastest Network Ever

I am a mother of two grown up kids and have only recently discovered the magic of WhatsApp and other applications on my mobile. Thanks to technology, I am mentally not too far away from my kids, who both live in different cities. However many a times, because of terrible internet speed on the phone, it gets difficult to share something with them via Whatsapp or Skype. Especially if I have to buy something and want their opinion immediately, then if the connection is slow, it becomes very annoying to keep staring at the phone to see if the network bars are full or not. Many a times, even the 3G speed is so slow that investing more money on a recharge seems like a huge waste of money. But now with the commercial launch of Airtel’s high speed 4G services (also called LTE), it looks like my annoyance about slow phone speed would soon become a thing of the past.

I had been hearing my kids discuss about the 4G launch and now with the kind of buzz the launch has created, it looks like people are really looking forward to get their hands on the free 4G SIM – yes, if you already have an Airtel 3G pack, you are entitled to a free 4G upgrade, and get the same data benefits as your 3G pack. So in effect, if one has an Airtel 3G pack, they will get to enjoy high speed 4G speeds at no extra cost.

The new Airtel TVC too has listed down the features of 4G connection in a fun manner and needless to say I cannot wait to always remain connected with my children through Skype and Whatsapp. The idea of super-fast 4G internet it's impressive and what's adding to the fun factor is the fact that Airtel has put up a challenge too - if your other network is faster, then they will pay your mobile bill for life! 

Airtel 4G SIM is Just a Tweet Away!

The 4G services have been commercially launched in 296 towns across India, and Airtel customers can enjoy 4G services at 3G data prices, with packs starting at Rs. 25. And the icing on the cake is the fact that Airtel is offering a unique 4G SIM delivery service wherein any Airtel user with a 4G compatible handset can tweet using #GetAirtel4G to get a 4G SIM delivered to their home for free! Once a user tweets #GetAirtel4G he gets a reply from @AirtelIndia handle directing the user to a link where a user needs to enter his details for SIM delivery.

To know more about Airtel 4G services, and the other aligned products, you can browse through the Airtel website. The brand's new website will take you through all the offerings of the new services.

Team Godrej Interio, My Living Room Needs a Makeover!

My home is my haven,

My favourite place in the world,

In it my family blossomed

And my little joys unfurled.

HOME, the four letter word that means the world to us. It's our little kingdom, of which we are the rulers. It's our safe refuge from the harsh world, a space that is ever ready to welcome us with love and warmth. We all love our and cherish our homes but there are times when we wish our home was a little more beautiful, a little more spacious and little more well planned. Quite often I come across friends and acquaintances who express discontent with the way their house is built or designed. I believe this discontent every now and then is quite natural because as human beings we are always seeking to improve our life and surroundings. 

Though I live in a reasonably well designed home, still there are some glaring shortcomings in the layout, especially when it comes to storage space. One of my major grouse is that fact that the dining and lobby area has no wall unit to store the crockery nor there is any dedicated area for casual sitting. And this post is specifically dedicated to all these shortcomings.

Dear readers, in this post I am going to share with you my idea of a dream living cum dining room and how I wish my dining room gets transformed into a more bright and engaging space. Popular home furniture and interiors brand Godrej Interio is giving bloggers an opportunity to get their home/favourite room transformed, and since I have been contemplating about renovating my living-cum-dining room for a while now, I thought this was a good time to write about my dream room and who knows, may be the good folks at Godrej Interio's office will like this post enough to pick it up for the miracle makeover!

Now before I go ahead with my living room woes, here are a couple of photos of the room in question, to give you a perspective about my concerns.

It has been more than a decade that we shifted in our house and in all these years, my house has hardly any seen any major makeover. Though I love my home, but of late there are a few things about it that have started to bother me. One of the major concerns is the bland look of the house and lack of creative shelves to display curios. Also this area looks more like a dining space rather than a lobby or living room. Even when some acquaintance comes over, I have to pull out the dining table chairs for sitting for there's no other sitting option. 

I understand I can invest in a small settee to keep on one side of the room but then that would block the area in front of the refrigerator. So for now there's no quick-fix solution for the sitting problem. Another major issue is lack of storage space for crockery. The fine china is all stocked in the store-room and bringing it out and keeping it back is quite a cumbersome task.

While browsing for ideas to redesign the lobby area, I came across some really handy designs that fit my lobby area to the tee. Godrej Interio's website is loaded with quite a few interesting design ideas matching a variety of space layouts. From the many designs available, I picked up two that look just perfect for replicating.  

Since Godrej Interio is a pioneer brand in home furniture, I browsed through their website to get a more in-depth idea about living cum dining room designs and I was left amazed at the variety of designs the website has on display. Browsing the living room section of the website, I have come across so many layout and designs ideas that look like an exact replica of the dream living cum dining room I have in mind. Check out the designs above - they are precisely what I am looking for  - neat and sorted space with a very contemporary and vibrant look. How lovely it would be to have a designer space such as one of these. With this kind of makeover, all living cum dining room woes would be taken care of. 

So this is how I want my living room/lobby to look like - modern, spacious and cheerful! I hope my humble lobby gets lucky in the #HomeCanvas campaign and gets picked up for a makeover by the Godrej Interio team. Fingers crossed. 

I am participating in the Upload and Transform #HomeCanvas activity in association with Godrej Interio and Blogadda. If you are not blogging, you can still be a part of this activity. Here's how.

Team Godrej Interio, Design My Kitchen Please? #HomeCanvas

I am a home-maker and love cooking for my family and friends, so quite naturally most of my time is spent in the kitchen. My kitchen is indeed the heart of my home - for it's here that I plan all the meals for the family, it's here that I work on new recipes, chart out the week's menu and where many a times my husband sits and has his meals and gives me company as I cook. Moreover, my husband too is fond of cooking and loves to experiment in the kitchen   whenever he has spare time cook in hand. 

It has been more than a decade that we shifted in our house and in all these years, my kitchen has hardly seen any major change in design. Though I love my kitchen, but of late there are a few things about it that have started to bother me. One of the major concerns is the problem of termite, which is eating into most of the wooden storage spaces. Another big issue is the lack of enough storage area to keep little knick-knacks that keep making their way into the kitchen - little bottle of spices, new tea mugs and other sundry kitchen items. I understand the kitchen is in need of a major overhaul, but the idea of moving everything apart seems so daunting that I keep postponing it altogether.

But given the condition of the kitchen, inwardly I know that I will have to get it sorted sometime soon now, and this has had me dreaming about the changes I would love to incorporate in my kitchen. As you must have guessed from the many things stocked up on the tiny shelf and the big marble shelf, storage is indeed the primary of concerns in my kitchen. Plus the layout and design too looks dated, so my priority is to go for a design that offers space, style and convenience and at the same time is easy to maintain.

I would love to have this kitchen transformed into a modern modular kitchen, for they are not just more sturdy and functional, but also more durable in moist kitchen environments. The icing on the cake is that modular kitchens are termite free, thanks to the use of stainless steel instead of wood. So if I opt for a modular steel kitchen, I would not have to worry about keeping an eye out for the termite control spray or getting the cupboards changed every few years. Also after all these years of a boring kitchen design, it would be exciting to experiment with a contemporary and colourful look for the most used part of the house.

Since Godrej Interio is a pioneer brand in home furniture, I browsed through their website to get a more in-depth idea about modular kitchen designs and I was left amazed at the wide variety of kitchen accessories that website has on display. And since the brand is also giving bloggers an opportunity to get their home/favourite room transformed, I will just cross my fingers and wish the Godrej team picks up my humble kitchen for the miracle makeover!

Browsing the kitchen section of the Godrej Interio website, I have come across so many layout and designs ideas that look like an exact replica of the dream kitchen I have in mind. Check out the designs above - they are precisely what I am looking for in my kitchen - neat and sorted space and very contemporary and vibrant to look at. There is another design that I came across while looking for kitchen design ideas and this one shared below too seems to mirror the kind of kitchen design concept I have in mind. How lovely it would be to have a kitchen such as one of these. With this kind of makeover, all my kitchen woes would be taken care of. 

So this is how I want my kitchen to look like - modern, spacious and convenient. I hope my humble kitchen gets lucky in the #HomeCanvas campaign and gets picked up for a makeover by the Godrej Interio team. Fingers crossed. 

I am participating in the Upload and Transform #HomeCanvas activity in association with Godrej Interio and Blogadda. If you are not blogging, you can still be a part of this activity. Here's how.

Photo credits : Godrej Interio, Yabeen.com

Zingy Chifferi Rigati Pasta Salad!

"But, you must remember, whatever you eat, make sure you have at least one bowl of salad with it." 
-- S.A. Tawks, in The Spirit of Imagination

I love salads. They are not just appetising but also very cheerful, and of course one cannot rave enough about salad's health benefits! The days when my family gets bored of eating the routine rice, roti and veggies combination, I rustle up salad spreads for them. Most of the times I love putting together sprouts salad as a side dish with lunch and it gets devoured even before we are half way through eating.

Besides sprouts salad, another item that is an evergreen favourite is the pasta salad - there are so many ways one can prepare this Italian gift to the world. Pasta is one ingredient that is so versatile that you can team it up with anything - with fruits and vegetables and different dressings, and it will taste delicious every single time. Moreover there are so many varieties of pasta available that one can keep experimenting with the different types, and never complain of boredom! So when I heard of Del Monte's Italian Escapades campaign, quite obviously I decide to make a pasta salad!

Zingy Chifferi Rigati Pasta Salad!

Since it is still pretty hot in many parts of the country (despite the rains), I decided to make a cold pasta salad which is refreshing as well as healthy. The idea was to stay away from cheese and heavy ingredients and make a salad dish that could serve as a filling substitute for full-fledged meal. I used Del Monte's Chifferi Rigati pasta for the salad, which is small-sized and goes well for salad dishes. Here's the recipe for you.

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 

Ingredients for salad

• 2 cups durum wheat pasta (I have used Chifferi Rigati)
• 1 bowl of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
• 1 bowl of sweet corn kernels
• 1 bowl finely chopped cucumber
• 1/2 bowl of almonds (pre-soaked in water for an hour and then sliced)
• 1 bowl of fresh mint leaved
• 1 bowl of curd

Okay I tried my hand at making a video of the ingredients, my first attempt at video. Do tell me how it looks.

Here's a quick photo of the ingredients -

Ingredients for salad dressing

Besides the above mentioned items, these are the items that you would need for salad dressing - 

• Extra virgin olive oil (2 tablespoons)
• Red chilli flakes
• 1 chopped de-seeded green chilli
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt as per taste

Here's a video of the dressing ingredients -

Here's a photo of the dressing ingredients -

Preparation

• Heat 4 cups of water in a deep saucepan and when the water comes to a boil, add pasta, 2 spoonful of oil and a pinch of salt in it.
• Cook the pasta until it's soft and then drain in a colander. Now the run the pasta through cold water, drizzle a bit of olive oil so it does not stick together and keep it aside.
• Take a deep pan or bowl and mix the cooked pasta, cucumber, sweet corn, almonds, cherry tomatoes and green chillies.
• Add 2 tablespoon of lemon juice.
• For the dressing - Add curd and mint leaves in a mixer grinder and blitz. Pour this over the pasta mix and toss well.
• Now add salt and red chilli flakes as per taste.
• Sprinkle a little extra virgin olive oil and toss again.

Lo and behold! Your Zingy Chifferi Rigati pasta salad is ready! Garnish it with fresh mint leaves and cherry tomatoes and serve cold.

Here's the video of the making of the salad.

"What is more refreshing than salads when your appetite seems to have deserted you, or even after a capacious dinner - the nice, fresh and crisp salad, full of life and health, which seems to invigorate the palate and dispose the masticating powers to a much longer  duration."

-- Alexis Soyer, 19th century French celebrity chef

Time and again, chefs and food connoisseurs across the world have shared their take on the importance of salad in our diet. Traditionally they were generally prepared out of raw vegetables like cucumber, onion and cabbage, but with time, now we see there are so many varieties of vegetarian and non vegetarian salads where one can customise them according to their taste and availability of ingredients.

I am really happy how my Zingy Chifferi Rigati psata salad has come out. The photos here are not of great quality, but everyone who's sampling the salad has only superlative things to say about this preparation, and needless to say, their response is making me super happy!

And before I wrap this post up, did I tell you about the secret ingredient that I added to my pasta salad? No?
Okay then here it is - half a bowl of sugar coated raisins! They are all neatly hidden underneath the pasta!

So now when you are preparing your pasta salad, after you have added the key ingredients to the pasta, before dressing it up, add half a bowl of dry raisins or you can also soak them up in water for 15 minutes if you want. This adds a lovely dash of sweetness to the pasta and tastes better than sugar. Hope you enjoyed this twist in the recipe!

If you are trying this one at home, I would love to hear how it came out.  And before I say bye, here's another lovely food quote or rather salad quote for you! Happy cooking!

"Salad freshens without enfeebling and fortifies without irritating." 

-- Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, French politician and gastronome

This post is a part of Del Monte India's #ItalianEscapades campaign in association with Indiblogger.

Airtel 4G SIM is Just a Tweet Away!

I am a mother of two grown up kids and have only recently discovered the magic of WhatsApp and other applications on my mobile. Thanks to technology, I am mentally not too far away from my kids, who both live in different cities. However many a times, because of terrible internet speed on the phone, it gets difficult to share something with them via Whatsapp or Skype. Especially if I have to buy something and want their opinion immediately, then if the connection is slow, it becomes very annoying to keep staring at the phone to see if the network bars are full or not. Many a times, even the 3G speed is so slow that investing more money on a recharge seems like a huge waste of money. But now with the commercial launch of Airtel’s high speed 4G services (also called LTE), it looks like my annoyance about slow phone speed would soon become a thing of the past.

I had been hearing my kids discuss about the 4G launch and now with the kind of buzz the launch has created, it looks like people are really looking forward to get their hands on the free 4G SIM – yes, if you already have an Airtel 3G pack, you are entitled to a free 4G upgrade, and get the same data benefits as your 3G pack. So in effect, if one has an Airtel 3G pack, they will get to enjoy high speed 4G speeds at no extra cost.

Check out this new Airtel TVC that is listing down the features of 4G connection. Of course, it's impressive! And what's adding to the fun factor is the fact that Airtel has put up a challenge too - if your other network is faster, then they will pay your mobile bill for life! 

Airtel 4G SIM is Just a Tweet Away!

The 4G services have been commercially launched in 296 towns across India, and Airtel customers can enjoy 4G services at 3G data prices, with packs starting at Rs. 25. And the icing on the cake is the fact that Airtel is offering a unique 4G SIM delivery service wherein any Airtel user with a 4G compatible handset can tweet using #GetAirtel4G to get a 4G SIM delivered to their home for free! Once a user tweets #GetAirtel4G he gets a reply from @AirtelIndia handle directing the user to a link where a user needs to enter his details for SIM delivery.

To know more about Airtel 4G services, and the other aligned products, you can browse through the Airtel website. The brand's new website will take you through all the offerings of the new services. 

#MaxFreshMove - Upping My Dancing Skills!

Colgate's new advertisement video featuring superstar Allu Arjun and DJ Anushka Manchanda is hitting just the right notes among music and dance lovers. More than a product advertisement, it is coming across as a fun video inspiring people of all ages to freshen up and get up and get grooving to life's happy tunes! Set against a theme of a wedding, the video has popular DJ and singer Anushka Manchanda getting ready to liven up a wedding party with her entertaining tunes. Just as she is done setting up yet music station, Allu Arjun joins her to set the dance floor on fire with his explosive moves!

Some people just cannot keep a beat. They will sway to their own music or at best may just clap along to a beat. I am one of them. No matter how hard I try, I never seem to remember dance steps. But then, this might change real soon, for Allu Arjun's superb dance moves in the Colgate's #MaxFreshMove video is looking like a crash course in effortless dancing!

Ever since I have come across this video, I have been so taken in both Arjun and Anushka's dance performance that I have earmarked a few steps to practice and flaunt on cousin's birthday.

In the music video, Arjun cuts a naughty picture twisting his jacket collar from side to side. I absolutely love the way he executes the step with such ease, and since this step looks easy to do, I am definitely picking this one up. Even with my bad dancing skills, I am sure with a couple of practice sessions, I will get the hang of it!

Here is another interesting step from the video. The hand movements look tricky but both Arjun and Anushka are absolutely in sync in this one and it has come out really good in the video. This is it! It looks like they are both fluttering their hands like butterflies and then they change the hand gesture to make it look like they are sprinkling freshness all around. 

Now that Allu Arjun and Anushka's entertaining dance moves in the #MaxFreshMove video have inspired me to try my hand, or rather leg at dancing,  even with my bad dancing skills, I am sure with a couple of practice sessions, I will get the hang of it! And I am sure these fun moves will not just freshen up my mood buy will also liven up any dance floor!

I am blogging for #MaxFreshMove activity at Blogadda in association with Colgate MaxFresh.

My Taazgi Ka Dhamaka Playlist!

Colgate's new advertisement video featuring superstar Allu Arjun and DJ Anushka Manchanda is hitting just the right notes among music and dance lovers. More than a product advertisement, it is coming across as a fun video inspiring people of all ages to freshen up and get up and get grooving to life's happy tunes! Set against a theme of a wedding, the video has popular DJ and singer Anushka Manchanda getting ready to liven up a wedding party with her entertaining tunes. Just as she is done setting up yet music station, Allu Arjun joins her to set the dance floor on fire with his explosive moves!

The Taazgi ka dhamaka video is fun enough to eliminate boredom and tiredness out of any soul. And now that I am all rejuvenated with this dose of freshness, I thought why not prepare a playlist to go along! After-all, when one's dancing, who says no to more of foot tapping numbers! So here, when you are done with dancing to the very entertaining Taazgi ka dhamaka, there are 9 more foot tapping numbers in store for you! 

As song number 2 in my Taazgi ka Dhamaka playlist , I have the flavour of the season in my playlist! Of course it has to be Chittiyaan kalaayiyaan! Everyone seems to humming this one, and also swaying to it's tune! What a fresh feel this song has - right from vivacious Jacqueline Fernandez', her gorgeous aura, the fun dance steps...everything has a breezy feel about it!

The next number in my Taazgi ka Dhamaka playlist is a veteran if you were to compare it to other songs listed here. But they don't say 'old is gold' for nothing! 'Namak Ishq Ka' is pure gold! Song number 3!

Song number 4 in the list is Mera joota fake leather from Gangs of Wasseypur 2. Thank you Sneha Khanwalkar for this psychedelic, foot tapping number! Its magic is such that even those born with two left feet can effortlessly dance on this one.

Song number 5 can get shy shy demure girl on the dance floor! Such is the magic of Gauhar Khan and Parineeti Chopra's entertaining dance moves! Jhallah Wallah it is!

The next song on my Taazgi ka Dhamaka playlist is all about positivity and living life to the fullest! And icing on the cake - it makes for a beautiful dance number! Shudh Desi Romance it is - song number 6! Easy on the ears and fun to dance on!

'Tu mere agal bagal hai' is one song that everyone around me loves dancing on. Right from the grown-ups to the still-learning-to-walk toddlers - everybody loves this cute song! And the most fun comes with the lyrics - tere doggy ko mere bhonkne na nahi - and everyone goes berserk mimicking Shahid Kapoor's doggy step! So yes, 'Tu mere agal bagal hai' is song number 7 on my Taazgi ka Dhamaka playlist!

At every wedding, I can see the DJ putting this one on loop! And why not, it can get even those with two left feet to shake a leg or two on the dance floor! And frankly one does not really need any dancing skills to master this one! It's so much fun - just roll up the lungi please!! Here's it is - song number 8 - Lungi Dance!

Song number 9 brought to life the hitherto forgotten dance number - Hungama gya...and how! Featured in the film Queen, this one shows Kangana Ranaut going all out enjoying herself on her single honeymoon. Her cute dance moves in bar in a phoren country won people's heart and it showed in the film's box office collections! But then the original version is no less entertaining! Check out Bindu's sensuous dance moves in Hungama Ho Gyaa!

And song number 10, is the supremely entertaining Oh la la oh la la from The Dirty Picture! Remember the frenzy and furore this song created - the very sensuous Vidya Balan and the overtly mischievous lover-boy Naseeruddin Shah romancing each other with some hilariously over-the-top dance moves! But then the song fit seamlessly with the theme of the movie and fits seamlessly in my playlist too!

So this is it! If you are tired or bored, this Taazgi ka Dhamaka playlist will sure rev you up, just like it freshens me up!

I am blogging for #MaxFreshMove activity at Blogadda in association with Colgate MaxFresh.