The Fast ( Sabitri Brata Series )

Five more days to go. I guess most of us would be done with shopping (clothes/accessories/make-up) for Sabitri and all those dresses/blouses would have gone to the tailors for stitching. Now the uphill task is to get these notorious procrastinating guys from delivering on time. So, keep reminding the fellas that D-day is nearing. And get your shopping list ready for buying those edibles.

Now moving on to the matter of the fast, I have got a few queries on what is ok to consume on Sabitri and what can be offered as the prasad. So, I am doing this blog post to answer all those queries. You can still drop a query by means of a comment on my blog or on my Fb page (here). Read on -

• The thumb rule - "No cooked items please". All fruits, salad vegetables, milk products, sabudana and sprouts are ok. 
• No sweets please unless it is 'misti doi' .
• Tea and coffee are debatable. Best to avoid but if you are addicted, have a cup or two to keep you from feeling cranky.
• No regular salt. Use black salt.
• No ice-cream.
• The prasad usually consists of all possible types of fruits. Though most senior ladies advice you to stick to a few 'desi' fruits, people staying abroad may find it tough. So, all fruits are ok. 

Some easy recipes that you can make -

1. Sabudana with milk - Soak 1 cup sabudana overnight. Drain the water and mix it with 1 cup milk, 1-2 mashed bananas, 1/2 cup chopped apple, freshly grated coconut, crumbled chenna and some sugar/jaggery. Consume immediately.

2. Sabudana with yogurt - Soak 1 cup sabudana overnight. Drain the water and mix it with 1/2 cup yogurt, small pineapples pieces, apples pieces, pomegranate and some sugar. Consume immediately.

3. Fruit Salad - Take assorted fruits in a bowl. Sprinkle some black salt and black pepper powder. Add a dash of lime juice. Toss. Keep aside for 5 mins. Dig in.

4. Sprouts Salad - Take moong sprouts, channa sprouts chopped cucumber, chopped avocado, black salt , black pepper powder and lime juice in a mixing bowl. Toss together. Keep aside for 15 mins. Dig in.

5. Dahi Sharbat (Lassi)- With the mango season at its peak, add some fresh mango pulp to your dahi sharbat to make it more interesting. 

6. Mango Milkshake - Chilled milk, mango pulp and sugar buzzed together for 1-2 mins. 

7. Watermelon Slush -  Watermelon cubes, lime juice, crushed ice, sugar and water tossed together in a blender will give you a most gratifying sip.



Note - Different households have different views on what is permissible. Hence, do consult with your MIL if you have any doubts.

Read more on the Sabitri Brata series Here and Here .

Sabitri Sajaa ( Savitri Vrat Series )

Today's post is a sneak peek at what should be there in the 'Sabitri Sajaa' or the thali/basket that forms a part of the offerings on Sabitri Brata. As one can easily make out, most of these are the essentials for most married women .

So,lets decode them one by one ( starting from the center and then going in a clockwise fashion )-

1. Sindoor/Vermilon -  It is the single most sign that a married woman sports on her forehead or in the middle parting of her hair . Hence, I have placed it in the center.

2. Alta - This is the red liquid that you see on the hands and feet of most Indian classical dancers. Married odia women apply it on their feet on every auspicious occasion.

3. Bangles - Glass bangles to be precise. It is compulsory for married women to sport a few of these on their wrists.

4. Mirror - A symbol of vanity, all women love looking into it (we all love to be presentable, don't we). This is also a must have in the thali.

5. Comb - Another vanity item that needs no introduction. Mostly a small comb is put as a symolic gesture rather than a full sized one. You can buy a full sized one if you are doing the Brata for the first time.

6. Kajal - To heighten the beauty of those mesmerizing dark Indian eyes !! Yes, no one wear this black stuff better than the Indians. What you see here is a small one that is mainly used for pooja purpose but you can also substitute if with a Kohl stick if you want.

7. Lali Sankha - These opaque red bangles are a must for all married Odia ladies. Usually , one needs to buy two sets ( or 4 pieces ) of these for the brata. Two have to be tied to the Tulsi plant (Chaunra) and the other two are supposed to be worn after performing the pooja.

8. Brata (or red thread) - Odia women tie it around the upper arm (right hand) after performing the pooja. (Not in picture )


Ofcourse one can also include bindis, liquid sindoor and any new jewelry pieces along with the above mentioned items in the thali. The new saree which is supposed to be worn after the pooja is also offered for worship.

[ To be continued ......]

Latest on Online Shopping Destinations (Sabitri Brata Series)

Compared to the mad rush that one comes across during the Karva Chauth festival, Savitri Brata can be deemed as a quite laid back festival. The women observe a fast for their husbands and deck themselves with new clothes and sankha-sindura (red bangles - vermilion ). But these days along with the essentials, quite a few Odia women have also started purchasing makeup items, skincare products, accessories and other items of clothing.

Keeping the changing trends in mind and also that fact that quite a large proportion of my readers are women, I am sharing a few of my favorite websites. Ofcourse, there are lots of them but I have narrowed down the choices based on my personal shopping experience while keeping it as relevant a possible -

1. Nykaa.com - The one stop shop for anything related to beauty and skincare. It has the widest range of products available online but the shipping time may be a bit too much if there is a sale going on. With Mother's day being tomorrow, check out some great deals HERE!!

But you may need to pay extra for shipping /COD orders.

2. Peachmode.com - I love the Sarees and the Anarkalis they stock. And at such awesome prices ( best price when i compare to other sites ). I personally pick a few pieces in March for a wedding in the family and I am still counting the compliments. But sadly, they have only few pieces of each item. So, if it catches your eye, buy it immediately.

3. Shopatplaces.com - Love ethnic stoles and kurtis. This is the right place for you. They stock some really awesome prints, especially the Bhagalpuri stoles and the Phulkari dupattas which are worth a kill .

Have a discount going on for purchase of two items and COD orders are free.

4. Amazon.in - They have some pretty good options if you are looking for appliances. One can purchase hair styles, straighteners, Scholl express pedi, various Derma rollers and other stuff from Amazon. (I feel that this is one department where they have better options and even better prices as compared to Flipkart ). Usually they do not charge extra for COD orders.

5. Limeroad.com - The ethnic collection is amazing and they keep announcing surprise sales / Happy hours every now and then. My bet would be to buy during discounts or when they offer free shipping on COD orders. Have to pay extra for COD orders.