The art of making Kajal

Hello friends! Learnt a new word today "fatwa". Kashmir lost its only all-girls rock band as its three teenage members decided to call it quits, a day after the Grand Mufti issued a fatwa terming singing as un-Islamic and asked them to abandon it. Ok. We are in the 21st century now. How is India going to progress at this rate? It was nice of Salman Khan and Rekha to show support to Kamal Hassan by having a special screening of the the movie Vishwaroop. It was for a good cause and the film fraternity stood by each other. I like it. I love the gorgeous Beyonce. Don't you? Electrifying performance by her last night. Enjoyed. Nice game. Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens.
Tip of the day:  I had made masala dosa over the weekend. I used some white potatoes for the baji. The baji turned out all mushy. After testing almost all varieties of potatoes available here in the US, I found out that red potatoes are the best for cooking.
_____________________________________________________________

I am so used to applying Kohl (Kajal) to my eyes to the extent that I cannot leave home without it. It has become an essential necessity of my life. It brightens my otherwise dull eyes. So, when I visited my parents, I asked my Mom to make kajal the traditional way. My dear Mom obliged. It's a recipe passed on to various generations. Please see below pics for step by step directions on how to make Kajal.

 Take water in a bronze thali (Note: The thali has to be made of bronze or iron for cooling effects)

 Keep a ghee diya (lamp) ready

 Make a makeshift  chula (stove) with 3 coconut shells

 Now burn the lamp and place it in the middle of the 3 coconut shells

 Place the water filled thali on the 3 shells

 Let the lamp create some kari (ash) under the thali

 Now overturn the Thali

 Scrape and collect all the ash using a sharp knife

Mix a few drops of asli (real) ghee to the ash (now the kajal is ready)

 

Fill a dabba (box) with the kajal.

With time the kajal gets better in texture and quality. When I say time, it can be several years. Home made kajal is safe for the eyes and has cooling effects. This kajal can also be used on hair as a temporary dye. Home made Kajal also acts as a moisturizer to the hair. Hope all of you benefited by this. My Mom would be happy to know if you tried it. Let me know.

 It's Kishoreda today folks. Song of the day is from the movie College girl. Wah! beautifully penned. Just try to get in zone of the hero when he sings these lines. Must be in so much in love. Intense! Love it. A mood setter. Enjoy! Shub Ratri.