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...

  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...

  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 ...

  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. M...

  NEERAJ MAHAJAN H ave you ever come across naysayers? Especially, the know-all types sermonising always? Don't do this don't do that and do this if you want to get to your goals fast?. Unluckily, such self-styled gurus abound, and stay clear of them should you bump into any one of them. I am talking in a health context here. Five powerful myths that I, myself come across regularly, are, very disturbing. They are powerful and kind of stick around. They are potentially derailing and can keep you away from what your bodies are truly capable of. Here’s the thing  :                                                         IMAGE BY ADOBE STOCK DON'T GIVE A GAP IN BETWEEN MEALS Do you know steady linear eating is the biggest cause of Metabolic Syndrome ( MS) in the modern world yet, it is endemic ?. It kills millions especially the rich ev...

  NEERAJ MAHAJAN Hi, I am Neeraj Mahajan and I am back with a different cooking hack. And this time, it is the Black Chickpeas/grams cooked in mutton style and an assortment of spices. India, as we all know, is at the peak of its summers and in a severe #2 covid wave. With most parts of the country in lockdown, the supply of quality mutton has also dwindled. As it is the summer's pre-monsoon time, almost all goats in the plains are being fed grains. And this as we all know isn't too healthy. The fresh green grass on which the goats fed in winters has all but disappeared and will regrow only after the monsoon has arrived.  As my taste buds yearned for the winter mutton curry, I tweaked things around a bit, and keeping the mutton curry recipe unchanged, I decided to cook Black Chickpeas. It took me almost the same amount of time and effort to cook as in a Mutton curry. The only difference being that the peas had to be boiled in advance while mutton is cooked on a slow burner....

  NEERAJ MAHAJAN ESSAY( Short form) Is aging a Disease or is it natural? Or Is it just an increase in entropy? I will attempt to answer this question here in this essay's short form. Since our birth, we see old, infirm people all around be it family, society, or wherever we go. And most times the elderly are afflicted with some of the other diseases. Our causating mind automatically links their miseries to old age. But is it not putting the cart ahead of the horse?; although rear-powered engines in supercars are quite in ( pun intended). Jokes apart, why doesn't the counterintuitive thought that it could be the diseases that have led to old age occur in our minds?. Probably due to cognitive bias. In his life-changing book LIFESPAN, Harvard Medical School renowned scientist  David A. Sinclair bares Why we age and we don't have to! And most of this essay is inspired by the genius of David Sinclair. EVERYTHING IS NOT IN OUR GENES All of us are used to the above cliche. The epi...