Wanabi Stoic

  NEERAJ MAHAJAN This essay is inspired by the genius of Ivan Illich  in his epic Deschooling society  in its entirety.  Everyone should read him. You will find answers to most troubles you or modern societies are confronted with. His critic of institutionalizing Schools and their impact on society is so powerful that I changed the title and focus of my blog after reading it. The title why online Schools are a must changed to Why deschooling is important?     What is the Problem with Schools? Schools are a relatively modern phenomenon as is the childhood it produces. The US had its first in 1635 in Boston. In ancient societies such as Indian, the Aristocrats, the upper castes went to Gurukul to study Vedas, Statecraft, the art of war, character building, self-control as far as 500 years B.C. while the poor, lower castes studied at home or didn't school. The education was Free, philanthropic, and objective. It was followed by a n obligatory Gurudakshina (any tangible benefit to the

  NEERAJ MAHAJAN The Second Covid wave in India has ended. What is left behind is a devastating legacy of death, debt, suffering, poverty, destitution, and above all CYNICISM. People are aghast, angry at the way the Indian state abandoned its citizens to die! The sheer opportunism with which Indians exploited fellow citizens dying of Covid19!  Die, not as by the muted Delta variant, but for completely other reasons; Lack of Oxygen cylinders, concentrators,  ICU beds, dearth of Ventilators, and key drugs like Remdesivir, paucity of trained medical & paramedical staff, ambulances. The list of Pandemic excesses is endless.   The Indian state had 13 months to prepare for the impending second wave. There were   huge precedents in what to do to combat the impending second wave. England, the US, Italy had all been through it. But, India is different. The Hammurabi code of conduct doesn't apply to this mystic land of 1.3 billion. With lacs dead, no one is even held responsible. Not ev

  NEERAJ MAHAJAN H i Guys. I am back and this time, with a bigger cooking hack: The Mughlai Chicken Biryani. Ever since I started cooking, I aspired for it. It is after all Ambrosia ( The food of the Gods). And it epitomizes the Zenith of culinary delights. The long arduous process, multiple stages, and the final delicate, nimble-handed mixing of cooked rice with chicken pieces are enthralling.  As to my Biryani journey, Heres the thing: In my last week's blog on chicken Jahangiri, I had mentioned how I learned Biryani while cooking Chicken Jahangiri ( with recipe link attached). Once the Yakhni is ready  ( which is common to both), the process is as under : 1. Cull out the semi-cooked onion, garlic, and ginger from the Yakhni to grind them into a paste 2. Pour the Yakhni into a container 3.Fry chicken pieces until they are reddish 4.Boil rice 70% 5. Roast the paste until it is well cooked 6. Mix the chicken pieces into the paste for a couple of minutes as the chicken is pre-cooked

  NEERAJ MAHAJAN Recently a dear friend sent a recipe for Chicken Jahangiri. It is one of the best Mughlai dishes at the good old famous Karim chain of restaurants in Delhi. This was my signature dish until the Karims outlet near me shut down, abruptly.  Have you ever been to Karims in Delhi? If you do get an opportunity, seize it. It is believed that Karims was started by a chef of the Royal Kitchen of the once all-mighty Mughal empire. As the empire fell to East India Company, the royal chef lost his job. He started doing for the ex-royal subjects what he once did for the royals. Therefore, chicken Jahangiri is a Royal dish! What a blessing in disguise! AS TO MY EXPERIENCE, HERE'S THE THING The Cooking endeavor was challenging. Right from sourcing the  quality chickens to adding the right condiments, the process is slightly cumbersome; as in the key steps and meticulousness needed during the cooking process viz: 1. A highly variegated assortment of condiments  2. Making of YAKHNI