There are stories that start and finish, leaving an aftertaste that lingers for a while and gradually fades away. And there are tales that absorb you, mesmerise you and stay with you long after you've finished devouring them.

Despite Stolen Dreams is one such tale. The book starts in the Kashmir valley, giving the readers a glimpse of the terror-stricken state. A family is forced to flee the valley to escape terrorists, who were holding them hostage. Wali is restless when he lands in a city he cannot relate to at any level. Nothing seems even closely familiar and he and his family feel like outsiders in their new surroundings. As they try to settle in their new lives, life brings them friends in complete strangers. Wali finds Kashmira Singh, who changes his outlook towards life through his positivism and faith in himself and life begins to move on a bit more pleasantly. And just when they are on the verge of making peace with the sudden jolt that life had dealt them, their horrid past, that continued to haunt them over the years, returns and threatens to throw their lives apart once again.

A beautifully crafted tale, this one takes you deep into its characters and their emotions. Each character is explained beautifully with insight into what makes people behave the way they do. As a reader, you feel for Wali and literally live through his fears and uneasiness. On the other hand, Shakeel, the terror face in the novel, goes through a transformation after almost losing his life. The character of Kashmira Singh infuses life into the story and his laugh is infectious even through the words! 

The story flows smoothly with every incident either leading to the next or revealing a character's nuances. The author even details supporting characters beautifully, be it Wali's mother whose heart aches to return to her homeland and is skeptical of marrying off her darling granddaughter into a family she barely knows or Shakeel's terrorist group and the way they make their way to spread terror. 

Anita Krishan's way of weaving words is her strength. Unlike other stories set against a terror backdrop that are mostly about love and romance, this one is about a family and the people around it. She brings in love, laughter, tears and even surprise through her wonderful narration, compelling you to read on without a break. 

If Indian fiction is your genre, this one is a must read. Versatile, modern and yet humane, that's how I will sum up this lovely tale.

Being a mother is a full time job. There's this never-ending exhaustion and admit it or not, we are often in a state of paranoia over just about every thing.

But today, this is about stay-at-home-mothers or a SAHM. Those that are often looked at with envy as we are home with kids all day without having to go do a 'real job'.

Motherhood is beautiful, but overwhelming too. Especially so when you've been going through the grind (don't kill me for that word!) for years with no actual break. Oh come on, vacations aren't really a break! You are actually doing the same thing outside the comfort of your home, which, believe me, can be more back-breaking.

While being a SAHM is more or less a choice we made, under various circumstances, most of us have worked at a point of time and have had a flourishing career too, which we gave up to do what we are doing! And in a way, lost quite a bit too - our financial independence, interacting with peers and colleagues, rising to challenges at work and overcoming them successfully... I can go on.

And yet, while others feel that we are the 'lucky' ones who just have to stay at home and don't really have to do much all day, there's so much going within us all the time!

This isn't about whining or venting, but just asking to be listened to without being told how lucky we are or how thankless (oh yes, I've heard that too!).

This isn't about comparing, but a request to be considered an equal and not less. 

This isn't about any envy or sympathy, but empathising with each other.

And most importantly, this isn't to ask for appreciation for all that a SAHM does, but a little acknowledgement wouldn't do any harm, would it?

So, when we meet next time, please be a little patient if I tend to break down or go on a rant about how tired and exhausted I am. Please bear with me if I go on a monologue as it could be days or even weeks since I would've had a proper conversation with an adult. And please be kind enough to not put me down by saying I have it all easy! 

Trust me, it takes up a hell lot of me to put myself aside every moment, every day.

~A Stay-at-Home Mom

For those who know me, know that I've never been inclined towards cooking. I can cook just enough to feed myself and my family and given the first chance, I'd gladly pass on any kitchen related work.

Well, the tables have turned. I look forward to cooking and trying new recipes every single meal! To be honest, it's not less than magical for me. And if you'd ask the secret, it's a magical technique - OPOS!!

Just imagine making just about anything, be it butter chicken, biryani, kurma or pulao, in a few minutes! And how? In a pressure cooker!! Yes, you heard it right. Opos is all about cooking food in its own juices while maximizing its nutrients and taste, and all this in a pressure cooker.

OPOS is not about cuisines, vegetarian or non vegetarian food etc, it's about techniques. And the person behind this wonderful concept is Mr Rama Krishnan, or RK Sir as most of us call him. A journey that he started over a decade ago is now a full fledged revolution and we all swear by it.

Here is Sir in his own words! A heartfelt thanks to him for agreeing for this interview.

A decade is a long time! Not many people have the courage to stick to their ideas for so long, and most quit after the first few years of non acceptance. What helped you stay put all these years? 

I'm very surprised myself. I am notorious for jumping fields. I guess I realised at the back of my mind that something really nice is shaping up. I would also like to believe this was my destiny! 🙂

What is the biggest challenge you've faced in all these years? (Any such moment where you felt that all that you've invested would yield nothing?)

When feedbacks were totally inconsistent. Some would rave. Others would slam. This had me completely puzzled. Do these techniques work or not? I was not sure. 

And the Eureka moment in this long journey?

1. Realisation that themes underlie all cuisines.

2. Realisation that food needs to be pressure cooked in its own juices, at the highest possible heat for the lowest possible time to intensify natural colour, taste, flavour and texture.  

Who's the first person who believed in you and Opos?

A small group comprising of Chitra Viswanathan, Varalekshmy Raghavan, Majula Natarajan, Saraswathy Jayaraman, Shymala Srivatsan and a few others.

You've mentioned that it's been the difficulty of trying recipes in cookbooks that made you look for something that any novice could make themself a meal. How did a pressure cooker come in your mind? What made you feel it had the power to change the way food is cooked? 

After spending a decade on writing One Page cookbooks, I could see no one was using it. It took a few more years to realise this is because there is no way to translate the recipes into food consistently. It later dawned that for the results to be consistent, the equipment needs to be consistent. And pressure cooker fitted the bill perfectly!

Your determination and focus are inspiring! Who inspires you?

People who suffer for want of food, in the midst of plenty. People who waste enourmous labour, fuel and food to cook up simple dishes.

Who's that one person who always has your back, no matter how crazy the ideas get or how worse the time?

The OPOStars! 

It's like the dawn of a new era in cooking with Opos. Did you ever have a premonition that this would happen? 

Not consciously. But I guess the subconscious belief was what kept me motivated all along, when I had no followers / no one trying the techniques.

What do you like doing when you aren't trying out new Opos recipes? 

Hang out with friends. Read. Travel. I love lazing for days doing absolutely nothing.

How is RK as a person after he takes off the chef's hat at the end of a day?

Difficult. Unpredictable. Unconventional. Easily irritable. 🙂 

And one last question - who do you love cooking for (apart from yourself)?

Friends. I do it almost every other day.

If that doesn't excite you as much already, Google OPOS now or better still, check the Youtube Chef videos! You can even buy the "OPOS COOKBOOK - 5 Minute Magic" on Amazon!

To put it simply, I'm addicted to OPOS. It's given me a whole new freedom with such scrumptious food on the table every single day. Whether you're single or married, man or woman, in a nuclear family or a joint one, OPOS is for you. Try it once and you'll be hooked for life. That's an OPOS promise :)