Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action
--Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.
-- Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali
Update: Photos taken by me at the beach at Spring Lake, NJ. My camera Canon SD750 Digital Elph. And yes that is indeed lil' S :)
And now comes the award, no not the Bharat Ratna Award silly, the Rocking Award.
Sra passed me this and I first thought may be she meant my blog had hit rock bottom and so she wanted to throw rocks at me. But the logo looked nice in pink & had a star, now anything in pink can't be bad, can it ? Also Sra is one of the few early bloggers whom I bonded with over comment space and I have seen her go from greenish-yellow to pristine white, I know "When" her soup came alive, I know that she is a conscious and innovative foodie and that she rocks, if she is passing on something it's got to be good.

Thanks to her and passing this on to some of the more rocking bloggers who haven't been rocked yet (or have they ? and is there a rule of passing ?)
Anh of Food Lovers Journey
Indosungod of DailyMusings
Inji of Ginger & Mango
Jyothsna of Currybazaar
Mystic of ChatpatFood
Mandira of Ahaar
Padma of Padma's Kitchen
Pragyan of Cooking at Pragyan's
SJ of A Pinch Of Spice
Seema of Recipe Junction
Sher of What Did You Eat
Shilpa of Aayis Recipes
Vani of Mysoorean
Swapna of Tastes from My Kitchen
Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook
and two non-foodie rocking girls
Anamika of Thinking Cramps
Moi of Not By a Long Shot
There are more but I am not sure if I am allowed to tag the entire blogosphere, so I better stop
Happy independence day to you too. Congrats on the award! have a great day. If in India we would be having a holiday with good food and lot of TV. miss all that.
ReplyDeleteHappy independence to you too Sandeepa..... and es, you certainly rock!
ReplyDeleteBeautifully captured pics with interesting verse to go with it. :) Is that lil S's shadow?
happy independence day to one rocking blogger. congratulations. those pics are superb, and so is your blog.
ReplyDeleteSwatantrata Divas Mubarak ho :). Very nice pics and yeah you surely deserve the award. Btw, is that your daughter's shadow ? Khub bhalo hoyeche chobi gulo.
ReplyDeletehappy Independence day Sandeepa. Love to read your writeup and see your pictures always. Viji
ReplyDeleteI don't have words to describe how good I think your pix are! I'm spending Inde Day waiting for the carpenter to come and free my kitchen from its barred windows - it's a long story. Thanks for the nice words. Your blog will never hit rock bottom.
ReplyDeleteSandeepa
ReplyDeleteHappy Independence day to you too!!
amazing pictures n wonderful quotes!!
Happy Independence day to you Sandeepa! The first picture truly speaks for freedom! Congrats to lil S for the award! She deserves it too, isn't it? ;) Ok, now don't throw rocks at me....(running away!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for passing the award my way. I rock?? I'm all red now... (blush)
Very beautiful pics, and congrats on the award!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Independence Day!!
Sandeepa! Greetings to you on Independence Day! Accepting the award with a bow. Those pictures are beautiful. It has been fun rocking with you.
ReplyDeletehappy independence day san...beautiful pics... and u do rock girl;) now dont throw rock at me for saying that loudly;)
ReplyDeletehappy independence day! is this ur own set of photos?u do rock,bong girl!
ReplyDeleteHappy Independence Day to you as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. Good to see pics other than the food ones are being appreciated too ;-)
ReplyDeleteOk, I still want to wish you all a Happy Independence Day, if there is such a thing. But I changed the post title as I am still thinking if "Happy" is the correct adjective to go with Independence Day
Happy I day girl!! We haven't been ruled by "OTHERS" for 60th years, hurray!!:))
ReplyDeleteI knew it was S, the minute I saw her shadow!! Beautiful pics! Enjoy the award, you do rock!:))
S's silhouette against the surf looks like that of an elegant little girl growing up, yet happy in the moment. What a cherished photo!
ReplyDeleteThanks, dear Sandeepa, for including me in your roster of Rockin' Girl Bloggers. : )
Happy Independence day to you too, Sandeepa.and indeed you and your blog rock, girl. Lovely pics, btw.
ReplyDeleteSWAADHINTA DIWAS PAR HARDIK SUBHAKAMNAAYE !!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats!! U ROCK!!!!
Dear Sandeepa,
ReplyDeleteI have never written a "comment" before and am not writing to compliment your culinary skills. I would like you to know that your blog and your recipes have helped me get through the darkest period of my life. A 16-year long relationship broke four months back and that's when I stumbled upon your blog and took up cooking. I found solace in it, some thing I was hankering after.
Thank you.
Anon
ReplyDeleteI am so deeply moved by your comment that you cannot imagine.I am so grateful that my blog reached out to you at least even a little during your difficult times.
I do not know who you are but I pray for your happiness. If you want any more help please send me a mail at desimomz.blog@gmail.com. It is not my blog e-mail but I will check and surely get back to you.
A very happy Independence day to you Sandeepa. As usual, a very well written post.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting the award, you really deserve it. Thanks for passing on this award to me. It really means a lot to me. Thanks a lot again.
Aap ko bhi I-day mubarak ho! My writing Hindi in English sucks so does my Hindi in Hindi but I send you a huge hug wish you all the best form one Hindustani to another!!
ReplyDeleteforgot to mention something. i have got something special stored for u at my place. come n collect when u get time:)
ReplyDeleteHappy I-Day!
ReplyDeleteSandeepa, i agree-for many of us, Independence Day brings an entirely different set of thoughts and images into pictures.....I wish everyone a happy day, because i want everyone to be happy, but there is a lesson to be learnt as well.....
ReplyDeleteThanks for thinking about these things.....it means a lot!
First time here sandeepa, U have a wonderful blog! COngratulations!
ReplyDeleteHappy Independence day Sandeepa and congrats for the award. Rabindranath Tagore's lines and the apt photos were just great!
ReplyDeleteSandeepa, happy Independence day...You're one helluva rockin' blogger :)
ReplyDeletehappy independence day to you too Sandeepa. i felt so happy to read those lovely lines of Geetanjali . and you choose the correct photograph for that. that makes it a wonderful article. thanks for that.
ReplyDelete-Pooja
Hey Rockin blogger, happy independence! Great pics.
ReplyDeleteHappy independence day to u too..sandeepa.I remembered my school days with that poem..
ReplyDeleteCongrats for the award.U are really rocking!!!!
thanku for mentioning mine in that list.Am i really rocking??
Hi Sandeepa, A very happy independence day to you too! The pics and the quotations are so meaningful and apt for the day. Loved the pic with Little S's shadow. When I come to your blog, I definitely know you will have some great recipes added. As well as some endearing stories about Little S. Lots of love to S from Pragyan Mausi. :) Hey, congratulations for the rocking blogger. And thanks a bunch for passing it on to me. You are such a sweetie! Thanks, thanks and thanks!
ReplyDeleteTHANKS!!! This is my first blog award...sob sniff...
ReplyDeleteAnd you are so right, anything in pink can't be bad!!! :)
Happy independence day to you too..
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the award...those pic.s were magical..esply S's shadow...great..
lovely pics and congrats!!!
ReplyDeleteHugs to you Sandeepa
Happy Independence Day to you too!! and as said great to see pics other than about food and well taken snaps.
ReplyDeleteThanks for throwing that rock at me, do I rock? I need a guitar now to really prove that :E but its really a great feeling
Thanks for passing this award and nice write up, which is always very interesting to read
Dropped by and loved what I saw. I am a Bong wannabe cook with very little time on her hands so you'll have me turning up here asking a lot questions. My favourite is "How much salt do you put in where it says "Salt to Taste" ? "
ReplyDeleteYour photo essay for the tagore poem was simply touching.
Sandeepa, truly lovely photos. I REALLY thought you got the pics from some photography site till I read your comment at the end. Thanks so much for passing the award on to me.
ReplyDeleteHappy Independence Day! You truly are a rocking blogger! In my family, that's a phrase we use to pay the highest of compliments. Thank you so much for awarding me with that designation! I'm totally thrilled, because it rocks!
ReplyDeleteI loved those pictures. You blog is always a joy to read.
Thanks to all of you. You all are simply great and rock
ReplyDeleteGreat pics, and congratulations. :-)
ReplyDeletebelated but happy independence to you too, Sandeepa..i was reading the words by RN Tagore on your blog and singing them as we used to as kids in school :) those are some of my all time favorite words
ReplyDeleteand lovely pics....
thanx for the award ..that was incredibly sweet of you. ...and i'm back here looking for a recipe for my husband's cousin who arrives later this evening from across the pond from UK (he's a BONG too ;D)
Aw, thank you for the "rocking girl blogger" tag, you rocking blogger you! :)
ReplyDeleteLoved your post and absolutely loved, loved the picture with little S!
Sandeepa,
ReplyDeleteBelated Independence day wishes friend!!!!. I am so sorry for catching up with you so late.You do rock girl. Hugs and congratulations to you. And I am blushing here... hee hee thanks for considering me rocking as well...hee hee