Birds of Sanjay Jheel,Mayur Vihar , Delhi.

Sanjay Jheel (lake), is a popular artificial lake and park adjacent to Mayur Vihar near a metro station of the same name on the DMRC Pink Line. The lake, originated as a natural low-lying depression in East Delhi's trans-Yamuna area, where rainwater collected and runoff from the Hindon River flowed, surrounded by villages like Patparganj and agricultural lands.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) transformed it into an artificial lake in the 1970s, initially spanning 89 acres within a 178-acre park, and officially opened it to the public in 1982. This followed the development of Mayur Vihar Phase-II in 1981-82, where part of the lowland was preserved and reshaped into the lake and surrounding green belt. Further shrinkage occurred due to encroachments, unauthorized construction, and sewage inflow from nearby slums; in 2009, DDA transferred management to the Delhi Tourism Department. Legal efforts, including a 2009 public interest litigation, highlighted ongoing revival needs amid pollution threats.

Over the last 15 years it became a nice neighborhood park but sometimes you still see nuisance from some anti-social elements demamnding a stricter security enforcement to deter such activities.

It was a sunny and windy day today and the air outside didn't feel as foul as it was over the previous couple of months promoting me for another day out. 

Sanjay Jheel, Mayur Vihar that lay dry has finally got water, not to its capacity however, good enough to attract mogratory birds. But the last two years of the dry lake ( DDA emptied it in May 2023) took birds away from it in the winters of 2023 and 2024. I spotted a few birds but of the 90+ varieties (and thousands in numbers) of the birds I could see and count only up to 15 ( my Merlin birding app counted 19) and numbers were negligible perhaps a total of under 100. I am not sure if the migratory birds have deserted it forever or we can still hope for their return in future. 

However, I was glad to see the water, greens and children playing football and cricket.. the usual sight of gamblers ( in such parks around the country) was not missed.

Mayur Vihar, Delhi.

December 24, 2025.

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The lake used to attract several migratory birds during winter until 2022. In the summer of 2023 authorities maintained the lake and surrounding geens dug up the lake after emptying its water resulting in a total withdrawal/boycott of migratory birds who may have made a new home elsewhere. A few months back the water was pumped back but a visit today made me conclude that birds are still elusive. Only 10% of species (in type and number) are visiting. One can only hope that the place attracts more birds in future.

Sanjay Jheel(Lake), Mayur Vihar, Delhi.

December 24, 2025

Gajrela aka Gajar Halwa.

To celebrate the birth of Jesus, I had to do something, so to welcome him and also to welcome someone missed in the house for the last two weeks, I decided to make gajrela aka gajar halwa. I think this is the simplest of the sweet dishes with minimum ingredients (you may go overboard to add some more). So this is how I proceeded. I have been using this recipe once in a while since the last 40+ years. What is more important is the labour, you need to be at it without missing a beat for nearly two hours.. stirring the mixture.

Ingredients: 

800 gms - gajar (red carrot only, not the orange one)

800ml - milk,

200 gms - powdered gur

1 tsp - pure ghee

taste enhancing ingredients:

20 gms -pista(pistachio)

20 gms - kaju (cashew)

20 gms - badam (almond)

20 gms - khajur/dates (8 small dates)

10 gms - makhana (fox nuts) 

10 small size elaichi( cardamom)

Usual recipes don't have dates or makhana and the sweetener is white sugar instead of powdered gur/jaggery.

Preparation:

Lightly roast badam, kaju, makhana and coarse grind them separately in a khalbatta/stone mortar. also grind the elaichi seeds. Remove the date seeds and cut it in small pieces.

Take a deep frying pan (kadhai) and put it in a stove over low flame. add 1 tsp desi ghee and spread it. Add milk and let it come to boil. Add grated gajar (red carrot) and slowly stir the mixtures (ensure that the flame is low). Keep stirring continuously till the mixture becomes thicker and milk disappears, but it is still liquidy. This will take about an hour. Add powdered gur slowly and keep stirring so that it gets mixed uniformly. When the mixture gets a little thicker add the dry fruits.. first the dates and after about 5 minutes all other nuts.. save elaichi...keep stirring till all the liquid disappears from the mixture and halwa is ready.. sprinkle elaichi powder and mix it. 

You have to constantly stir the mixture and never let it stick to the kadhai surface. The whole process will take about 1 1/2 hours on the stove. Now switch off the flame and cover the halwa for another 5-10 mins. Your halwa is ready to be served.

Christmas, 2025.

The last supermoon of 2025.

All these are today's shots of the supermoon at different times of the evening between 6.00pm and 10.00pm. The yellowish ones are just after the moonrise and other are nearly 4 hours after the moonrise.

The first picture is a collage of the following six pictures. 

I had taken some more shots and they all look similar with minor and unnoticeable differences.

Do you notice any significant difference? 

Supermoon/Cold moon.

December 04, 2025.

Delhi.

Book Review - One Little Finger, by Malini Chib.

This autobiography of Malini Chib was first published in 2011. Malini was born with Cerebral Palsy, a condition in which the brain gets damaged due to lack of oxygen to the brain usually at the childbirth but it could occur immediately before or after. This neurological disorder affects movement, muscle tone, coordination, balance, posture. It is the most common motor disability in childhood and it is non-progressive (doesn't worsen with time). There is no cure to this. However, the training can improve learning, manoeuvrabilty and communication.

Malini's story is inspiring, she was born when the umbilical cord attached to her got entangled and stopped the oxygen supply to her brain, to the horror of doctors and parents. At her birth doctors had given chances of her survival nil beyond 72 hours. But a born fighter, she survived. Her parents were well to do. Mother Shoma Bose (later changed her name to Mithu Alur) studied at DU's famous Miranda house and father Ranjit Chib, a post graduate in Economics from Cambridge, UK. Ranjit had an illustrious market research career and at the time of Malini's birth he was a TAS executive at Tata Steels. Both sides of her family were well educated with over two generations having studied in Oxbridge. Realising that the child may not get good treatment in India, Ranjit and Shoma decided to move to London for treatment. Over the years Malini fought her condition and managed to communicate that gradually improved with technology aids. The "burden" of a child with disability often brings tension between parents and Chib family was not an exception, since both parents were career ambitious they couldn't manage to spend enough time with the work in the office at home and with the child. Although medical facilities and special schools were excellent, parents still had to work very hard to manage work and home. In between Shoma and Ranjit had another normal and healthy child Nikhil (Nick). They both loved the children, but for the reasons mentioned they decided to shift back to India where domestic help and care was affordable but even that did not help and eventually they separated. 

There were plenty of challenges for a disabled person in India much more than that in the UK or any other developed nation. Life was full of disappointments at schools and everywhere else. While still in the school, Mailini's mother made "making life for disabled people near normal" as her mission and the "Spastic society of India" was founded. Shoma decided to shift to London for higher studies and that provided another opportunity to Malini to study in the UK. After her O level they moved back to Bombay and she got accepted at St Xavier from where she managed to complete her BA against all odds of attending classes in inaccessible lecture halls and uncooperative teachers. But she managed to have some traces of normalcy when made some friends and a lot of her classmates who helped her in studies and movement within the college.

Malini moved back to the UK and studied at Oxford Polytechnic. At each of these places she still had issues with her mobility, access etc. However, she fought her way without getting disheartened. She made friends,managed to live without her carers, travelled to Paris with friends and at each step of her life she was determined to live a normal life. She also got attracted to her male friend and wanted to live a normal sex life but it didn't materialise, however, she was determined to live an independent and normal life. She went to London Metropolitan University, lived in an apartment on her own (with a carer), travelled in London buses, went to restaurants, pubs, cafes. and during this time she also started some activism for disability and started writing essays, articles and lecturing about the subject. During her stay in London she also finished her second masters degree. She talks about the discrimination from employers for offering her jobs but she finally manages to work.

Her mother has done some pioneeting work for spastics in India and found a partner in Saathi Alur who intially came to work for her later tied a knot. They both supported Malini at every stage of her life and believed in her. Their efforts brought many changes in the disability laws in the country, making ramps in all the public places and inclusion of wheelchair runners in marathon races are just a few of those. 

Life in a wheelchair could be quite challenging but the determination and love for life can transform you, when you start believing that there are no obstacles and you are as good as able bodied people. That belief has brought so much change in the society, including in India, and given a hope for people with disability to live a normal life.. work, read, play and have fun. Thanks to people like Malini and her mother Mithu Alur who dedicated their lives to making an inclusive society. The book tells much more. Hats off to Malini, she inspires through and through with her "one little finger".

Malini Chib, 59, currently serves as founder and co-chair of the ADAPT Rights group and works at Tata Sons. Having lived in London for a long time, the city offers her familiarity and comforts and it could be called her second home. Her monther Mithu Alur (Shoma Bose) is founding chairperson of ADAPT (able disable all people together, formerly Spastic Society of India) focusing on inclusive education and disability rights). Ranjit Chib, her biological father, founded IMRB in 1971 and founded his own market research firm MRAS in 1979. He sold MRAS to D&B in 1995. Post that he was a consultant to Nilesen until 2015. He died in 2023. Saathi Alur (Malini's step father is a chartered accountant, a social policy analyst and disability rights advocate associated with ADAPT.

Litti Chokha - health bhi, taste bhi.

These past few days I have thinking of cooking Litti Chokha the popular meal that reminds everyone of the state of Bihar in India.The dish has its roots in the cuisine of Bihar, Jharkhand, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and southern Nepal. It has been a part of local diets for centuries, often associated with the peasant and working-class populations. It is also said to have been a staple food for the armies of Magadh due to its long shelf life and nutritional value. 

Litti is a dough ball made from whole wheat flour, stuffed with sattu (roasted gram flour) mixed with garlic, ginger, onions, coriander leaves, lime juice, carom seeds, nigella seeds, and mustard oil. Traditionally, it is cooked over a coal fire, giving it a distinct smoky flavour.

Chokha is prepared by mashing boiled vegetables, typically eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes, mixed with garlic, green chilies, mustard oil, and various spices to enhance the flavour.

So today was the day when I entered kitchen to try my hands to prepare this. I was little apprehensive about the output so this was a trial and the only receipient who volunteered to compromise her regular lunch and waited till 4.00pm to eat was Abha, my wife. I had hinted about it to a couple of friends but they didn't seem quite enthusiastic about it, now I feel that it's their loss as the outcome was quite authentic, as endorsed by the only person who tasted and approved of it (other than me).

Getting inspition from Chef Bhupi, I looked at his recipe for Litti Chokha and began my preparation. 

The ingredients are:

(for two persons).

for chokha:

Round or egg shaped brinjal - 2 (medium size) approx weight 500 gms.

garlic -4  cloves

green chilli - 2

onion - 1 medium size

coriandar leaves - a bunch of 100 gms

Lemon - 1 small

mustard oil - two table spoons

table salt - 1/2 tea spoon

potato - 1 medium size

for chutney:

Tomato - 1 medium size

Onion - 1 medium size

Garlic - 1 bulb medium size

green chillis - 3

corriender leaves - 50 gms

red chilli powder - 1/2 tea spoon

table salt - 1/2 tea spoon

lemon - 1/2 small size

for Litti:

Wheat flour ( coarse atta preferred)- two cups approx 200 gms,

ghee - 3 table spoon,

table.salt - 1/ tea spoon, 

water - 50 ml or as needed.

for litti filling:

Sattu( gram flour not besan) - 2 cups approx 200 gms.

onion - 1 medium size

green chilli - 3 medium size

coriendar - 50 gms

lemon - 1/2 small

red chilli powder - 1/ 2 tea spoon 

table salt - 1/2 tea spoon

turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon

mustard oil - 2 table spoon

Take the round brinjal (bharta baingan) and give a small cut on both sides and check for worms (there shouldn't be any). Put 6-8 garlic cloves, 2-3 green chillis in the brinjal and putnit on low to medium flame (ideally this process should be done on a coal stove). Keep roatating till  the brinjal skin is burnt and it becomes soft. Let it cool for 10 mins.

Now put the tomato, onion and garlic bulb on the stove flame till their skin is burnt. Rotate them so that the skin is burnt uniformly. Remove and let it cool for 10 mins.

Take wheat flower in a bowl and add 1/2 tea spoon salt and 3-4 table spoons of ghee, mix the mixture and prepare a hard dough..Put it aside for 10 mins.

Remove the burnt skin of brinjal and chop the soft cooked brinjal with garlic and chilli inside it. Add the boiled potato, green chilli, chopped onion, coriadar leaves mustard oil, salt, squeeze lemon and mix it...your chokha is now ready. 

For chutney, remove the burnt skin from tomato, onion and garlic and put them in a mixer jar, add 3-4 green chilli,  coriandar, red chilli powder, salt, squeeze lemon and run is for a minute, don't make it very fine. Your chutney is now ready.

Now for the filling. Put sattu in a bowl add chopped onion, geen chilli, coriandar leaves, squeeze some lemon, red chilli powder , turmeric poder and mustard oil and mix it. Make small balls of this mixture. This would make about 8 balls for 8 litti.

By now the dough has rested for over 15 minutes, punch it down and make 8 small balls. Flaten the dough in your palm and put the filling(ball) and close it gently..Now younhave eight dough balls/litti filled with sattu. Put them on the coal stove on slow flame, if you are using electric oven preheat it for 10 mins at 200°C. Set the over for upper and lower element hearing. Now put the raw litti and set temp between 200-220 and cook it for 30 minutes. Turn littis half way through to ensure uniform cooking. It should turn light brown, of not run for another 10 minutes. Your litti is now ready to be dipped in ghee. 

Happy cooking! 

Pradeep Joshi

Delhi

November 30, 2025

Book Review - Raising Cubby by John Elder Robinson.

This is an autobiography of a brilliant engineer John Elder Robinson and his son Jack. John didn't know he had Asperger's Syndrome until the age of 40. Asperger's syndrome is a developmental disorder that was previously considered a separate condition but is now classified as part of the broader autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Like most autistic individuals, people with Asperger's syndrome typically exhibit difficulties with social interaction and communication, along with restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests but often have average or above-average intelligence and relatively intact language development.  

 

Broken homes throw a challenge on the kids who are most neglected suffer the most and that's a common social problem especially in western countries. So when John's parents separated and he was left to fend himself he dropped out of the school and left home to fend for himself. Luckily by that time he had developed an interest in Music and Electronics that helped him survive by joining music bands. His interest and expertise made him wanted in the industry, and he moved from one to another and gained popularity. He had difficulties socialising and communicating due to his Asperger's syndrome that he didn't understand and suffered. However, he still managed to carry-on with his life. Then came a time when he and his girlfriend decided to get married, and Jack came to their life. John was so anxious about safety of his child that in the hospital where Jack was born John put his signature on the newborn with a permanent marker. His whole life revolves around Jack whom he wanted to excel in life. Jack too showered his love and affection for his dad in reciprocal but again a divorce of his parents put a stress on him. By the time he was in the high school he developed interest in science especially in Chemistry and he made a small lab at home experimenting in various ways that could produce rockets and explosives. He was indeed a brilliant student. His father over the years moved from music and electronics to corporate world to an entrepreneur in a specialised car servicing and building junk cars into as good as new. His business was successful, and he earned a decent living. As is with most parents who find teenage children most difficult to handle. Jack would just lock up himself in the room and John would never find out what is happening with him. Over the growing years both father and son were diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome that complicates the communication and socialisation. Later it came to notice that Jack's mother who also divorced by then also had Asperger's. Jack would also exploit the situation of divorced parents and take advantage of both to fulfil his ambitions. 

 

While all children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have some sort of difficulty in the areas of social interaction, communication and behaviour, the extent of difficulties may vary from one child with autism to another. No two individuals share an identical set of difficulties. This is why autism is referred as a spectrum disorder - to represent the broad range challenges found among those with autism. ASD includes the usual autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, Rett's disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Children with autism vary widely in abilities, intelligence and behaviour.  

The jury is out on the causes of Autism including Asperger's Syndrome and its connection with genes. This story gives impression that this is genetic as John, his wife, his father and grandfather also were believed to have had the syndrome.  

 

Well returning to the story, John was quite concerned about Jack who over the high school years became very fond of chemistry and had experimented in the neighbourhood woods about rockets and explosions of mild intensity. The trouble started when he started putting the videos of these experiments that got noticed with law enforcement agencies who pounced on him in larger-than-life proportions. Anti-terrorist agencies, FBI and local police everyone got after him and looked at him from the anti-national and terrorism angles.  

 

The novel has interesting chapters that deal with the Jack's honesty about his experiments and the criminal justice system from which only got can save honest and innocent people and that's universal, got worst after the 9/11. 

 

Well, in the end justice was done and Jack was judged innocent by jury and the judge. However, the "perpetrators", the state law enforcement and district attorneys who unnecessarily stretched the case and spent hundreds of thousands of exchequer's money went "scot-free", that's how the life is. 

 

John today 14 years after the judgement is an author and an authority on the subject and lectures around on autism. 

Pradeep Joshi

pradeepkjoshi@gmail.com 

Delhi/August 06, 2025