#Pictures: Fresh Lotus Flowers

(C) Rahul Tiwary; pictures taken in December, 2019

Checkout more: Lotus Park in Blueridge Qubix SEZ Hinjawadi Pune

#Health: Is it Healthy to Eat Eggs or Not

I did some article search on the topic whether chicken eggs are good for health in general or not. I would summarize my learning and conclusions as follows.

There is 100% unanimity that eggs contain high levels of Cholesterol. But most of Cholesterol is found in the white portion of an egg. And hence if one has to eat eggs, one should eat only white portion of egg and not the yellow portion. 

"Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating only 100 to 300 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol a day depending on your caloric level. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, one large egg has about 186 mg of cholesterol — all of which is found in the yolk." https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/expert-answers/cholesterol/faq-20058468

Pointer: Throwing the yellow portion of eggs would mean food-wastage and also money-wastage; because when you buy eggs you pay for the whole egg and if everyone starts throwing away yellow portion, at an overall level there would be huge amount of food-wastage. Does it not make sense just to avoid eggs instead of getting into this buy and throw half business?

Some articles suggest that poultry eggs have bacterial infection which cause health issues like Salmonella poisoning. 

"Salmonella is the leading cause of food-borne illness related death in the United States. More than 100,000 Americans are poisoned by salmonella-tainted eggs per year. So whatever you do, make sure you stay away from conventional eggs at all costs. Even if you don’t die from salmonella, the symptoms even from just getting sick are quite unpleasant. That being said, the risk lies mainly with conventional eggs". https://breakingmuscle.com/healthy-eating/the-great-egg-debate-4-reasons-you-need-to-stop-eating-eggs

Pointer: Can one ever be sure which egg is poultry produced and which one is it? There will always be doubt. And hence does it not make sense to avoid eggs altogether instead of taking it and being in the risk-zone?

Several articles also mention that if we have to eat eggs, we should eat "infrequently" and not in large quantity. Regular consumption of eggs increases health risk. And this is contrary to the sponsored advertisements which appear on Television in India, asking people to eat eggs daily, "Sunday ho ya Monday roj khao ande".

I also found a lot of pro-eggs articles. But a general rule of thumb says that egg and poultry might be influencing or funding a lot of such studies, research and articles which could persuade people to consume more eggs and hence all of such pro-egg articles should not be trusted. 

What is your take on this?

Btw, eggs are commonly consumed for their proteins; but there are plethora of food items which have more protein per gram than eggs. For example check out this link: 

https://www.eatthis.com/high-protein-foods/ which lists all following items as being more protein rich than eggs: 

• Mung Beans
• Chickpeas
• Black beans
• Kidney beans (rajma)
• Peanut Butter & Peanuts
• Lentils.

If there are so many other safer options available why take the headache of thinking about eggs?

- Rahul Tiwary

#Picture: Little Boys Watch Cartoon

This picture is from a tea shop near my office. The shopkeeper and his wife run the shop preparing tea, pakoda and other snack items; while their kids watch TV. Their TV is an LCD TV with big screen (at least 32 inches). Perhaps not satisfied with the sound volume because of noise by customers and the surrounding, they have even installed a sound system which you can see in above picture on the left hand side of the TV. The brand of the sound system is Sony. 

This picture is from the first days I had gone there. The boys were watching Motu & Patlu cartoon. The other day I went there, they were watching some 'item songs' of latest movies; in full volume. The volume was deafening and then their mother came near the TV and I guessed she would reduce the volume a bit. But to my surprise, she adjusted the direction of speakers in order to make it even better. This family must be a Bollywood fan! But I kept wondering if the transition from Motu Patlu cartoons to the latest Bollywood dance numbers has been for good or for bad. Most probably, it was just a mood-changer for them. I plan to notice their channel of choice next time around, in order to conclude finally. :) 

- Rahul Tiwary

#Health: Food in Food Court

These are pictures of office food court:

While the images may look great; and in fact I am still in awe of these beautiful food courts; the menu of most of the vendors is something to worry about. The menus are mostly filled with junk food. Young folks can be seen piling up their plates with oily, fatty, processed and junk food. How long are they going to take to wake up to the health hazard of junk food? 

The reason we never find home-like food in outside restaurants is that the restaurants believe that when people have gone outside to buy food, they must be looking at some "fun". Health takes back seat and taste is the top most priority. In order to bring out best of the taste, experimentation is the key. And hence I have seen chefs in TV shows adding sugar to salty dishes, adding curd to hot food items, adding tea granules in normal dishes and things like these. No one knows for sure what all went into a dish in order to prepare it. There is no "ingredient list" when it comes to restaurant cooked food. You ask for a good tea and the vendor will add some kind of 'masala' into it; to give it a distinct flavor. 

Are all ingredients going into the dish safe for health? Are combinations of different items safe together? No one knows. Occasionally we keep hearing rumored stories of restaurants using unhealthy, adulterated, stale and unsafe items into the food; just to increase their profitability. There is no guarantee anymore if you eat outside. 

And the situation is going worse because of the convenience brought in by numerous 'food-ordering apps'. You do not need to even make a phone call in order to get outside-cooked delicious food; made of only God knows what ingredients. 

I wish our young generation could be more health conscious. As they say, devil is in the details. We should go into details even if it kills the instant fun a bit. Because in the end, there is nothing as precious as health. 

- Rahul Tiwary

#Travelogue: Lotus Park in Blueridge Qubix SEZ Hinjawadi Pune

Some pictures of a beautiful park inside Blueridge Qubix SEZ, Hinjawadi, Pune. There is a beautiful artificial pool which has lots of lotuses in it.

This office complex also houses offices if major IT companies like Accenture, L&T Infotech among others. It is certainly a beautiful place to work at!

Pictures (C) Rahul Tiwary; Pictures taken in December, 2018

#Pictures: Little Musketeers

Little Musketeers - bundle of joys - there are five of them. Most of the time they are hiding below the parked cars in our office space. If we go too close to their "spot", they would then emerge and rush towards us; expecting something to eat. Looking at their faces, it feels like sin not to go there with something for them to eat. 

- Rahul Tiwary

#Travelogue: Tomb of Safdar Jang, Delhi

Pictures of Tomb of Safdar Jang (Safdar Jung Ka Makabra) in Delhi:

All pictures (C) Rahul Tiwary; Pictures taken in November, 2018

#Travelogue: Trimbakeshwar Jyotirling Shiv Temple and Anjani Hanuman Temple, Nashik

On way from Pune to Nashik: National Highway:

Nashik; Station Road area:

Trimbakeshwar Jyotirling Shiv Temple: 

A beautiful scene around a beautiful pond near Trimbakeshwar Jyotirling Shiv Temple: 

Area around Trimbakeshwar Jyotirling Shiv Temple: 

Anjani Hanuman Temple: Birth place of Lord Hanuman Ji: This temple is very near to Trimbakeshwar Jyotirling Shiv Temple: 

Scenery around Nashik:

Pictures (C) Rahul Tiwary

#Pictures: Accenture, Blueridge Qubix SEZ, Hinjawadi, Pune

Accenture, Blueridge Qubix SEZ, Hinjawadi, Pune

- Rahul Tiwary

#Pictures: Pups and their TGIF

The little guys were just lying there and playing around:

Then, their colorfully dressed friend arrived with some freshly baked 'rotis' and offered to them to eat: 

The kiddos with small antenna like tails said, "TGIF - thank God it is Friday"!

Pictures (C) Rahul Tiwary

Happy Diwali!

Rangolis for Diwali celebration in office; made by employees. All are beautiful. 

I liked the bottom-right one the most. Ram ji is bringing Sita ji back to home. They are walking on foot with Ram ji putting his hand on Sita ji's shoulder; certainly in a friendly gesture. That is how the artist imagined the scene. Loved it. 

Happy Diwali in advance!

- Rahul Tiwary

#Personal: Feeling of having left something behind...

One inherent quality of people coming from small towns is that they always have this feeling of "having left something behind". This may not be always prominent or visible, but keeps seeping through the internal system. I think this little sorry feeling keeps them grounded.

I lived in my hometown protected by family till class 12th. Then I had to move to a big city for proper preparation for cracking IIT entrance exam. I remember clearly the day I was going away. Papa was coming with me; but mommy was left behind. She came to say good bye at the gate of our home. She kept looking at me while I walked away carrying some luggage. I was having a strong urge to not go. I felt that it would be better if the earth split and I went into it. Going away was not feeling "worth it" and tears flooded my eyes. But my legs kept moving and I went away.

After completing coaching in Lucknow, I was going back. I was on a rickshaw. I looked at the roadside, at the place I was leaving. Then I saw another student who was a local resident riding his bicycle and going somewhere. It took some time for him to gradually disappear from my vision. I still get flashback of that vision of his bicycle slowly getting left behind, many a time.

After engineering, leaving from Durgapur was different. A bunch of friends had come with me from our hostel to see me off at the railway station. In those days there were no taxi. We had boarded a public bus, carrying luggage with ourselves. Since I was in a group, I did not feel sad. I was jolly.  

After my first job at Raipur, I was leaving in a car. It had rained and there was mud on the road. I was looking outside the window realizing that I won't see that again. Suddenly, a splash of water hit me. I could taste the soil on my lips! I was horrified. I could not make out if the land was angry at me for leaving or if it was just saying good bye.

My most recent journey from Pune to Delhi was most emotional. I was serving 3 months' notice period and the duration made it more painful. Every day I would secretly wish that something happened and I could not leave. I even dreamt that my resignation data at company server gets erased accidently and I was left behind. The day before departure was very painful. In the morning I took pictures of our home in as usual condition. Then the movers-and-packers guys came and took away everything! I had my flight in the morning and hence slept alone in the home at night. I cried for a long time during the night.

The irony of life is that unless we leave some place, we can't reach some other place. But if we have to give up something in order to get something else, does it not make the "victory" incomplete? That is the tragedy of people on the move...

- Rahul

#व्यंग्य: अकुल त्रिपाठी के विभिन्न रूप

ये दोनों 'एपिक' टीवी के अकुल त्रिपाठी ही हैं. तो इतने डिफरेंट क्यों दिख रहे हैं? आपके ऑप्शंस हैं:

१. एक लॉटरी निकलने से पहले और दूसरे उसके बाद
२. एक बाल खुला रखने का व्रत लेने तक और दूसरे उसके बाद
३. एक डाबर चव्यनप्राश खाने से पहले और दूसरे खाने के बाद
४. एक जब तक प्यार में थे और दूसरे ब्रेकअप होने के बाद