Boolkha

      Tukkk! surrrr!!.. Tukkkk!! Furrrrr!!..Tukkkkk!! Shurrrrrr...!! Tukkkk!! Furrrrr!!..Tukkkkk!!   

      Tukkk! surrrr!!.. Tukkkk!! Furrrrr!!..Tukkkkk!! Shurrrrrr...!! this sound was steadily coming closer & closer. It was a dense night. "Aaji... eh aaji.. wake up.. maybe thieves are outside" a little 2 years old girl whispered in her granny's ear. It was very difficult for granny to open her eyes. but seeing her grand child's fear, granny managed to inform her without opening her eyes. "No one is outside. Now sleep" she ordered with her heavy sleepy voice. Aaji was the most trustful person in her world. She slept very peacefully in her arms, the very next second.

        Few days passed and that small girl woke up again at midnight. Her ears followed the Tukkk surrrr.. Tukkkk Furrrrr..Tukkkkk Shurrrrrr... sound. She woke up her granny again and told her there might be a ghost. Aaji told her not to worry.. there does not exist anything named ghost.

       The same story occurred again and again at some time intervals. Girl imagined many persons related to that sound. And she stopped at the conclusion, there is a giant monster having two big curvy horns, wrapping green leaves to his waist. It might be the sound of his steps on the road.

      Her imaginations kick off when that sound interrupts her sleep. On another night, she imagined there might be a witch with a long sharp nose and wearing a blue long gown. She has left her home to find small girls to transform them into cats, dogs, and mice. 

         

       The curiosity was increasing by every day and so is fear. One day she asked her mom timidly, " Mom who comes each day outside our door in the dark night? Are they terrible thieves, horrible ghost, a giant monster, a wicked witch or all of them? All I can hear is  the sound like Tukkkk, following long whistle." She explained to her mom as possible as she could.

      Mom smiled and told her "Yedu, there are not many people outside but the only one who visits us every night and that is called Gurkha (night watchman). It is his duty to protect us from thieves so that we can sleep fearlessly in the night. We pay him so that we can sleep carelessly and fearlessly. So don't afraid. He is a good person. You can rely on him and can sleep tight."  The girl murmured in low voice in her inarticulate voice "Hmmm.. Boolkha" (Oh! boolkha has two meanings- black colored veil and night watchman..hmmm)

       

     Her mom asked his grandpa to show her Gurkha.. to erase fear from her mind so that she will understand that there is an ordinary human being outside and there is nothing to worry about. Her grandpa showed her from inside the home on a fine night when she was accidentally awake. The girl saw an ordinary man wearing an unadorned untucked shirt pant, whistle and long n strong wooden rod in hands. And that is it. Nothing to seriously afraid about except that wooden rod in his hand.

    Few days passed. On one Sunday morning, one old man came at the door and called out "Shaabji.." and smiled very innocently. That day grandpa introduced her with the Boolkha. He was very thin with the wrinkled face and had all features of typical Nepalis generally have. Small eyes and fair complexion. Grandpa gave him a note of 5.

    Hereinafter whenever girl woke up in the night she used to check whether He has really come to guard her colony. Whenever He used to come to collect money, she got habituated to take money from her grandpa and to give it to Him and even boolkha was habituated to take money from her only. She liked him. She felt He is the unbreakable part of her life. And the Silsila went on for years. And till that time girl grew enough old to understand correct pronunciation... and mark a fair difference between Gurkha and Boorkha- black colored veil.

    One day the old man came at her door with a young man having almost having similar features just as Gurkha. As usual, it was Sunday morning. Grandpa asked him "hey this time you came so early! to receive your payment." astonishingly.  He said "no, no... I came to inform you especially that I will not come hereafter at night, instead here is my son.. he will take care of your colony."
 The Gurkha glanced at the small girl with his usual smile and went ahead to update that news to another colony client. Grandpa went in.

But the girl didn't. She did not move inches until the Gurkha would disappear.

  Tukkk! surrrr!!.. Tukkkk!! Furrrrr!!..Tukkkkk!! Shurrrrrr...!! Tukkkk!! Furrrrr!!..Tukkkkk!!  the sound interrupted 24years, old girl. The sound took her in past. It was 3 in the night. She realized the reality and geared up again to prepare the subject for the next exam.

Before You Start Working on Recipe

Top10 tips before you start working on any favourite recipe.

1) One of the most basic and important thing is Be careful while selecting the food recipe. There are many sources available for you.

      a. Direct sources: .Your family members, relatives, neighbours, friends, family friends.

 -These are the most reliable sources. But make sure you have tasted their dishes before or that specific recipe. Otherwise .... lol

      b. Indirect sources: Recipe books and Internet.

-I have seen almost all people have misconception that every recipe written in famous chefs' books will turn tasty or any single page recommended on Google is trustworthy. I would like to suggest my friends, please go through 4-5 different pages of Internet, then apply your judgement considering your knowledge of taste, experience in kitchen, what you have heard about recipe before and most important thing is your common sense.

Choosing the 'right' (not said best) recipe is half way done. :)

2) Now, read the selected recipe 4-5 times. 

3) Collect all ingredients in one place just like we watch in cookery shows.

4) Always keep hammering yourself that 'YOU are not great chef so do not be overconfident'.

5) Collect all the instruments or props and utensils at one place. Keep them handy.

6)Process all the ingredients first. Like, chopping vegetables, grinding spices etc. Keep them ready for further process .

7) Follow the recipe as it is when you are doing it first time. Every recipe has its own authenticity. Do not try to change it

8) Still you have small independence in the quantity of spices, substitutes or alternatives as per availability.

    sometimes you won't find any alternate for  single or two ingredients insignificant in quantity but yet significant for recipe. Don't worry. Try to conceal it (for e.g once i did not get oregano and basil leaves for white sauce pasta.. I bombarded amul butter and cheese like hell and result?- of course awesome! :P )

9) As you do not have much experience, tasting the recipe at each level is very crucial.

10) Garnishing and presenting the recipe is the key thing. You will get appreciation for sure :)

-Chef Kalika V :)