Chat with HOMP's stars - Rocky & Mayur

I've always been an adherent fan of the show, Highway On My Plate (HOMP). It's been mere 5 and a half years since the show began but in such a short span of time, Rocky & Mayur are now household names. India is a country that takes pride in it's food and it's no exception that Rocky & Mayur apprehend the same views, they're as any sincere follower of the show would know - true foodies. It's not a show made solely for one particular type of audience, regardless of what your choice in food is, you just cannot stop but fall in love with HOMP.

It is relatively easy to understand why the show is so popular - it's watched widely by the people of India and appreciated/liked. Moreover, my whole family sits together and watches the show and we particularly love the style of hosting by Rocky & Mayur, it's not just food but beyond that. Whether it be a simple and humble request to the residents of a particular city to clean their streets or be more environment friendly or the food "quotes" at the end of every episode. Rocky & Mayur have plenty of followers just for their unique way of hosting which takes the show to a whole new level.

I got the terrific opportunity to have a chat with Rocky & Mayur on 28th July, 2013 (Sunday) via @Ndtvgoodtimes official twitter handle. I made the most of this opportunity and asked them (Rocky & Mayur) plenty of questions, the interaction was sensationally active and Rocky & Mayur very calmly and in a very humble manner, answered the questions that were asked to them. Some very usual and yes, some unusual ones too.

My questions to them are as follows :-

@Aditya_J6 - When it comes to exploring every look and corner of India, which city impressed you guys the most?

@rockyandmayur - 1. Lucknow 2. Bangalore 3. Hyderabad ...my food favorites in that order - Rocky

@Aditya_J6 - Would you eat in a lavishing restaurant with fine food or a small restaurant with good food?

@rockyandmayur - My taste buds only get fired by fiery good old fashioned INDIAN .. fancy places (MOSTLY) don't get it. - Rocky

@Aditya_J6 - To travel via the Indian roads such constantly is not easy. I'd love to know,how do you guys manage it? :)

@rockyandmayur - best friend, a mad crew, many laughs and a true love for our great country make hectic travel FUN - Rocky

@Aditya_J6 - Eating in metro cities is certainly easier, in smaller cities does hygiene and quality concern you?

@rockyandmayur - Small town eateries put a lot of love into the food. with the climate hygiene always a prob. own water must

@Aditya_J6 - You have been constantly travelling for this delicious journey full of food, how hard has it been?

@rockyandmayur - 6 years, 100, 000kms, 5000 meals, travel all over our amazing country. It has been a hard life :) - Mayur

@Aditya_J6 - In the 5 years that you've traveled via Indian roads, have you seen any betterment in Indian roads?

@rockyandmayur - They get better all the time ..and thank god for it ..Maharashtra / Rajasthan and Gujarat are good. - Rocky

@Aditya_J6 - During traveling, what is the source of entertainment for you guys? Does it at all get boring?

@rockyandmayur - Long chats with each other, loud music and many smiles - Rocky

@Aditya_J6 - I wonder to myself, how do you guys keep yourself so charged up during such an hectic schedule? :)

@rockyandmayur - The power of 2. At last 1 of us is always infectious full power - Mayur

@Aditya_J6 - During traveling, what is the source of entertainment for you guys? Does it at all get boring? :)

@rockyandmayur - Easy answer....off screen in our lives is even crazier than HOMP ;)

@Aditya_J6 - Okay, a contest - how many puri's you guys can have at one go? :)

@rockyandmayur - I'd say 30 ? 40 ? - Rocky

And that's the chat.. :) Do follow @NDTVgoodtimes on twitter to be a part of the future chats and follow the stars @rockyandmayur.

Do comment on this blog entry, I look forward to your feedbacks and suggestions. :)

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#Rs12 - Sufficient enough to fill your stomach?

PS : I would not be talking about any politician in general or take their names, I'd just be apprehending my views in a general way which I believe will be the most fair thing to do. :)

As I switch on to the tv and switch through the channels, one news stands out - food at rs12. And no, I'm not joking. According to some senior politicians, fulfilling your stomach isn't such a difficult task after all. Leave apart Rs12, even Rs5 and Rs1 is enough to fulfill your stomach but wait, there's MORE. Quickly changing his statements, now it wasn't about food fulfilling your stomach, the main intention behind the comment was "you can find food" at this rate. Already confused, right? Well, let's take it step by step and talk about this in detail. We would emphasize on the Rs12 because lower than this, I've no idea what one can find to eat and even if one does, the potion/calories ought to be very low. Therefore, the question rises, why does a person eat? Solely for just fulfilling their stomach or getting strength to do their respective work.

Let's no further revolve around one topic. Let me get to the crux of the matter and discuss the real point. Rs12, what can one find at this price? I had my doubts, so I took on the route of social media and asked my friends on twitter, from different parts of India, what do they find in their respective cities at Rs12.

@nidc13 - She says at Rs12, you can get a cold bottle of water because for cold water, you have to pay 2 rupees extra - which makes it Rs12. Further she also adds, either water or a pack of curd (this varies from city to city) and also depends what curd we talk about but a genuine point taken, either cold water or a bit of curd. She also adds, even in railways, at this price - you only find a bottle of water. Now, let's emphasize on this. Railway is a government controlled source for the lower middle-class, middle and higher- middle class and yet, a bottle of water is priced at Rs.12. With this easily apprehended, if a government source provides just water for Rs12, how can we expect to get a fulfilling meal at this price? Why not cheaper the rates of railways first, if the government is at all concerned for the poor.

@theerailivedin - According to her, all we can get for Rs12 is a simple breakfast, consisting of tea and biscuits or a glass of milk. Fair meal for the start of the day but sufficient to go throughout the day? Surely not.

@Priyaa_G - Well, now we come to the ever so famous - Maggi (small packet which costs 10), Parle G biscuit or a Jumbo Vada Pav. 3 good options, famous too and of course, quality products. However, will any single one of them be enough to satisfy the hunger needs of a person who works for more than 8 hours (at very least)? Highly doubtful. We can see these options as "good" for evening snacks but for a meal, they do not stand sufficient.

@StuffednStarved - And we have a very different answer here. According to her, what one can find for Rs.12 is "jeera goli" - more of a median to digest your food, in no way sufficient to fill your stomach. Therefore, a fair point taken here

@MarcusAlfred24 - Marcus puts it in a very good way; Vada Pav (Rs 8) and Parle Biscuit (Rs 4) - and there we spend our Rs12. My views on this is:- A Mumbaikar eats Vada Pav as a evening snack, how can we expect someone who has worked for at least 8 hours in a day to eat a single vada pav and fulfill their stomach. Seems highly unrealistic and just for the sake of it - everyone has the right to totally fulfill their stomachs in one of the three meals we have, at Rs12 I don't see even that happening.

@PoohBear_Goa - Now, we have views from Goa. Pooja here says, that in Goa, Rs12 is the exact cost of a Prawn patty is a small outlet. The size is small but considering that the filling is of prawn, one can say that the rate is genuine. I personally, will eat prawn patty as a snack and would expect everyone else to do the same. This thereby, becomes an evening snack and not a meal satisfactory to fill one's stomach.

@RavzZylicious - She's from Calcutta and one of the most famous evening snacks of Kolkata is "Puchka", Golgappa as it's more commonly referred to as. According to her, at Rs12 one can get 5 puchka's to eat. So I leave it for you to decide, 5 puchka's really enough to fill your stomach?

@AntiquityBlue - We've an honest answer here. To be sophisticated and apprehend his views, according to him, at rs.12 there's nothing available to fulfill your stomach. Period.

@HanMainCrazyHoon - She provides us with plenty of options. 2 packs of rs.5 biscuits (plenty available in the market), 2 center fresh or 2 maggi of 5 rupees each. Either this or street food like Burger/Momo's/Chowmein. Talking about Delhi in particular, it's extremely hard to find Burger of Chowmein at Rs12 but sure, Momo's are easily available at this price.

@Jeeva_Ananth - Being from Chennai, he says that you can find 3 Idly's for Rs12. Understandable as it's a popular food of Chennai, however, 3 Idly's again isn't exactly what one will find enough to fulfill their stomach and whereas, this is the price in Chennai, in other parts of India, Idly costs nowhere as low as this.

@iamvinodr - Keeping it easy and fair, he says that Rs.12 can only be used to pay the tax of your food bills and that's very realistic. Personally speaking, if I go to eat in a "good" Ac restaurant in Delhi, Rs12 will certainly be the tax in the bill, in fact even more. Expecting to eat at this price in Delhi, will by no means be realistic.

There we have it! Views from all around the country, honest views may I add. I would like to thank all my friends for taking out the time and giving their answers. India is a country that has a diverse culture and each city has it's own differentiation between food and it's prices. In our country, a basic hard working labor works for 12 hours and the least he/she would want is to get at least "1" satisfactory meal in the whole day.

Must I also add here, in our country, farmers commit suicide because of hunger and poverty. In such a country, is it fair for politicians to come out and say that I can have fulfilling meal at Rs12 and that too in Mumbai? Whereas, Rs5 in Delhi. Will the farmers now travel for food all around the country? Shouldn't the politicians speak for the whole country and not just one particular state/city? Through the median of social media, I've tried to see what the different cities of India can provide at Rs12. In this blog, you can clearly see what one can find at this rate.

I've not talked about how much protein/calories and various other nutrients we get from food, can we get from food that is provided to us by Rs12. This is a totally different topic and one step ahead of what we're talking here, right now solely the purpose is to see whether if anything at all is available at Rs12 to fulfill one's stomach. Readers, you can decide for yourself, Rs12 - enough to fill our stomach?

Please do leave your comments/suggestions/feedbacks for me the betterment of this blog. If you want me to write on a particular topic, do also let me know. You can also connect with me on twitter, my id is - @Aditya_J6. Have a good read, stay healthy and may god always bless you with the much deserved 3 times meal. :)

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Nature - at it's peak!

I've always wondered, when is nature at it's peak? What I'm referring to here, is the time where the nature at it's finest, have you observed it? For me, it's between 4 AM to 6 AM in the morning. Why? If you wake up early in the morning, you can see the silence of the nature - the beauty of it lies with it's silence. At 4 AM it's totally silent, gradually the silence gets it's new meaning and turns a little more usual - it becomes a little more active. The sun rises and suddenly, it's all a lot more different and natural but before the sun rises, it's a whole different world.

I'm sure it's not just me, whenever I wake up early in the morning, there's a different kind of feeling I get within myself. As if my whole body is filled with positive energy. Sometimes if I'm awake, I watch through my window at 5:00 AM and see an old man taking a walk everyday. He would be around 65-70 and yet, the willingness to be fit is so easily visible in him. There's so much to learn from him, usually the time when 90% of us are sleeping, he's awake and active. Special, isn't he? :)

For me, the nature is at it's peak during these 2 hours I mention because you can easily hear the birds chirping, you see the sun rising and of course it's often told to us "during these 2 hours", the brain is at it's peak. Some people prepare for their exams early in the morning and this is the reason for it, they often believe that learning in morning is easier, ever wondered why?

The glorious sight of watching the sun rise is one that we often miss in today's hectic life. Time kiske pass hai? Dor lagi hai jeevan ki, suraj ugta kaun dekhega! Right?

Try to take out the time and "experience" nature. The sight is one that is to be seen, to be believed. I call nature a "superpower" and for a reason. I just cant get the enough of the power of the nature because when it comes to nature, everything has a meaning. :)

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Domestic cricket - anyone?

English domestic cricket has been grabbing cricket fan’s attention for years now. I’m a huge follower of county cricket for the sole reason that this is the platform from where the future international stars arise. County cricket of England no doubt has a monopoly over the domestic cricket of rest of the cricketing nations. It has been going on for so many years now and therefore it is so popular and hugely followed all throughout the cricketing globe.

There are certain aspects that one has to focus upon when it comes to English domestic cricket. No doubt, it’s a great platform for all the local English players but at the same time, it’s an equally great opportunity for players from nearby countries like Ireland and Scotland to play alongside foreign stars and quality local players, side-by-side also getting an opportunity of making a name for themselves at the international level because this is the cricket that matters.

To take an example from the recent times, Eoin Morgan – born and brought up in Ireland, learned his cricket in Ireland and now he’s a well accomplished batsman playing for England, furthermore also performing equally well in a international t-20 league like IPL where we don’t see any Ireland player. He has got the fame and of course the money that perhaps he hadn’t got if it wasn’t for English domestic cricket. Morgan is a great example of how English domestic cricket can change a cricketer’s life, just a few years back we saw him playing for Ireland in the 2007 WC, which least to say was a dream-run for Ireland cricket team but no one at that time knew who Eoin Morgan was and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have thought that in just the mere time of 4-5 years he’d be as accomplished as he is today.

County Championship, 40 over’s and the t20 tournament, each 3 have their own respective audience in the English domestic cricket. The thing I love about English domestic cricket is the turnout of the people coming to watch the matches. Very rarely do we see nowadays even “few” people turning out to watch 4 day matches in domestic cricket and this is the case all throughout the cricketing globe.  Even in this case, the crowds that turns out for English domestic cricket is heaps better. One can easily see kids, adults and matured people turning out to see 4-day matches.

In the current cricketing world, English domestic cricket certainly gives us a sense of “freshness”. It’s a platform for local English players, cricketers from minnows as well as foreign international players to enhance their cricketing skills. The pitches are “ideal” for cricket; this is one of the main reasons as to why we see each year foreign players very willing to play in English domestic cricket.

English county cricket – 2013, has begun and I’ll be closely following it. It is the ideal platform to see young cricketers making a name for themselves, watching international cricketers helping other players of their team with their invaluable feedbacks/suggestions. Following county cricket has become a lot easier, all thanks to the ESPN cricinfo team. Surely you too, wouldn’t want to miss out on the fun. Do catch this year’s English domestic cricket and who knows, we might see a future international star in the making.

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Anil Kumble : One who changed Indian cricket forever

In the early 1970’s, Indian team wasn’t recognized for it’s batting, it wasn’t yet considered a strong side on a whole but one aspect of their play that stood out was their spin bowling. After that era of Indian spinners ended, for about another decade the hunt to find a good spinner didn’t see any success. Plenty of good spinners came in the side but stayed for a little while and then made way for another new spinner. Amid all this, an engineer was hoping to make a career in a respective corporate organization, little he would have expected at that time, that one day he would be regarded as one of the best spinners to play this game. Yes, I’m talking about the great Anil Kumble.

A simple yet humble man in spectacles, very dedicated towards the game, knowing his role in the team, these are a few characteristics of Anil Kumble in his earlier days playing for the Indian team. India was not essentially considered a strong side when Kumble was brought into the side, since the retirement of Gavaskar, India was looking to rebuild and during this process, several young player were given a chance to showcase their talent at the international level.  As a keen follower of Kumble’s game, I’m persuaded to believe that his decision to leave a career in engineering wouldn’t have been an easy one. It’s fitting to say then, the decision that Kumble took at that time to opt for cricket over engineering, has had a significant on Indian cricket and we all admire him for his brave decision which certainly gave him the fruits.

Kumble certainly knew how much talent he possesses and how much of an asset he can be for the Indian team in the time he plays for his country. This is undoubtedly what happened. Kumble has never been regarded as a good spinner of the ball; having said that, his tendency to confuse the batsmen with his variations certainly left the batsmen clueless. During his career, one would rarely find an incident where Kumble didn’t respect the “fair play”. Kumble always conducted himself very well on the field and equally well off it. This makes him a player certainly to be respected, when someone gets fame and recognition it isn’t easy to get used to it but Kumble never let all this change him as a person.

Let’s talk about some of the key moments in Kumble’s career. The very first milestone that comes to mind is his 10 wicket-haul at the Kotla Stadium vs Pakistan. This was a spell of bowling where one didn’t only see Kumble confusing the batsmen with his variation but also with his sensational spin on the ball. Kumble proved on this day that he is a special talent and left everyone spell-bounded.  Another milestone of Kumble’s career will be his rare classy show with the bat, his first and only century that came against England in Engalnd, in the 2007 series. In this particular innings, those who watched the match would certainly know how crucial an innings Kumble played and just to add here, he was also the captain of the side. Not only did he make a century but made a century that helped India get out of a crisis situation in the match. A knock of the utmost excellence, one just cannot praise Kumble enough for his contribution to Indian cricket for more than a decade.

650+ wickets in test matches is not an easy task, Kumble is behind just two greats Warne and Muralitharan as far as leading wicket-takers stats is concerned in test matches. What always left me surprised about Kumble is his down to earth nature, which is to this very date, still the same. He’s still the cricket enthusiast that he was when he started playing. This very year, another milestone was added to his illustrated career i.e. Mumbai Indian’s IPL victory and this time Kumble was rewarded as a coach. Subsequently it makes an Indian fan think - perhaps a role we can see Kumble also playing for the Indian team in near future too. Kumble’s calmness and great knowledge of the game can certainly make out to be very handy for the Indian team.

This article hereby apprehends a simple point “Anil Kumble, a legend we admire”. We certainly appreciate your tremendous contribution to Indian cricket and without you; Indian cricket wouldn’t have been the same.  

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Fly like a bird..

In life, we're often stuck at a point where there's no looking back or stepping forward, we're stand and still. In such moments, we turn over to our family for help and in such situations, it's the family that helps us overcome the obstacles. For me personally, it has always been my father that has come up as the hero and the idol I look upto when it comes to realizing how a person can remain equally calm and gentle even in the toughest of the times.

We often overlook the obvious in life. If thought about, there's not a single individual that has had the liberty of achieving success without a few failures. Name one and I'd certainly be surprised. To my knowledge, failures have been the part of each one of us lives and whereas, the term itself isn't pleasing it's an obvious fact. Failures make us ready for the obstacles and by virtue of this, we eventually find success - simple formula of life.

If life would have been as easy as we would like it to be, we wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as we do. That's the beauty of life, it keeps you motivated throughout and makes you think on your feet even in the obvious situations. An easy day at the office isn't the asking anymore, a fun and learning day is. That's how I look at it, when at crossroads of life, opting for the easy path wont give you the fruits, opting for the path that leads to success through failures will certainly do give you the fruits. This has been taught to me by my father who has not only said this but believed and accomplished in this. So therefore I say and believe that in life "fly like a bird" because this is where your dreams come to reality. :)

The title of my blog "fly like a bird" is solely because this is a blog with "out of box" thinking. I do not tend to write on the very obvious topics, I take up topics that my readers will be interested in. I've started this new blog hoping that my readers will get to read plenty of innovative articles. If you want an article to be written on any particular subject, do let me know by leaving a comment.

Namastey and have a good day!
Aditya Jha :)

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Namastey! How are you? Have a good read :)

Hi there! This is Aditya Jha, 16 years of age. Just as I was writing an article the other day, I realized that I write articles for various sources but don't have them merged together under one particular platform and there it stuck me to start a new blog where my articles can reach a much larger audience.

I'm fairly young and very intended to learn something new everyday. I'm always on the lookout to go after something that's unique rather than something that's obvious. I see myself as as a normal guy, living a normal life in New Delhi.

I love to read and write. Writing is my passion, I'm an adherent fan of writing. So, here I am, writing to please my readers. I hope you enjoy my articles, any suggestions/feedbacks and constructive criticism, good debates are welcomed with open heart.

I write on various topics, having a good mix between politics, sports and a bit of random topics. :)

Have a good stay,
Aditya Jha :)

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