Wanabi Stoic

NEERAJ MAHAJAN Of all vocations, Cooking is the most underrated that comes to my mind. It touches our everyday lives yet is not rated high. Engineers, doctors, MBAs, CAs trump Chefs in the pecking order. Why? My guess, the Availability bias. Every family has a cook ( moms usually) who is taken for granted and quite often underappreciated. Also, most folks can cook the bare minimum to survive which warps their perception of the way cooking is viewed. This, in my opinion, seems to be the nub of the problem. On a deeper note, during my transition to cooking, the realization dawned upon me as to  what it takes to be a good cook and what roasting your beans means if you want to enjoy good coffee viz: ROAST YOUR OWN BEANS I am a foodie. Are you a foodie? Did you ever try to cook your favorite food? If not then do it. Get into the rabbit hole. Study various recipes, procure the best ingredients, try, err and repeat till you hit the zenith of gastronomical delights. This will surprise you. I

NEERAJ MAHAJAN Over the years a realization has dawned that good health is a prerequisite for all the other good things one aspires in life. Almost all of us are aware of this, but the most important tool to achieve it is dormant in us.  My interaction with peers revealed that many of them do not even know what they don't know . Many have wrong and half-knowledge of how the human body functions. They confuse fitness with good health. They do way too many things to achieve good health which remains elusive. Time to debunk some very potent myths floating all around viz: FITNESS IS NOT HEALTH Most confuse fitness with good health. To illustrate, let's assume over many years Mr. X, 40 yrs. old is a regular jogger/ walker for 4 to 5 km and drinks/ eats all kinds of healthy stuff to optimize his health. He also does some light stretching exercises intermittently. Also wants to keep the body weight in check or maybe shed a few pounds. Apparently, he looks fit and young . And he boasts

Almost all businesses in India have reopened in the last few months except schools and universities. In the Government circles, the debate has commenced on the new normal as and when the government decides to open up. Will it be the same as it was before Covid struck? Will the online mode of teaching continue?  We do not know the answers to these questions and only time will tell. In the meanwhile, let me enumerate the pros and cons of the present online teaching as observed in the recent past viz: PROs 1. As a parent, I don't have to hustle every morning to reach the school bus stop/van. Neither does the mother or the kid. The perennial morning stress seems an unpleasant distant memory. I dread it shall return soon. 2. In a chaotic city of close to 30 million and more than 10 million motor vehicles, Delhi is infamously unique for its very poor air quality and high decibels of noise pollution. There are lacs of kids and adults who commute daily to their respective schools and colle