In Solidarity With Beloved Weeping Mother India

I viewed with great interest the movie documentary, Mother India: Life through the Eyes of the Orphan (2012). With 31,000,000 orphans in India, this movie invites us briefly into the lives of 25 orphaned or abandoned young people (ages three to 25) who live along the railway in South India. I have been thinking a lot about India which is suffering intensely from COVID. The world today is sending material help, blessings, and best wishes to our global neighbors, our sisters and brothers in India.

David Trotter and Shawn Scheinoha, who made the documentary, first traveled to Tenali (Andhra Pradesh), population three hundred thousand, in 2004. We meet Geetha, Reddy, Nagareju, Lakshmi, Kotegwari, Polayya, Yellapah, Satkyananda, Aadamma, Yesu, Abdullabi, Baachir, Chilipada, Raja, Ramu, Sekar, Siva, Gopi, P. Gopi, Hussen, Kiran, Mark, Nageswararao, Nami, and Narendra, such exquisite names, shining human beings worthy of our regard. David and Shawn interviewed the children and tried to see life through their eyes. The youngsters sleep together on cement or dirt floors littered with needles and condoms. Some sleep at store fronts. They wrapped themselves in blankets so they could avoid mosquitoes and being recognized as an exploitable young person. Continue reading “In Solidarity With Beloved Weeping Mother India”

Indian Antiques – A Collection Of Precious Traditional Items

India is a country of many different cultures and traditions and when referring to antiques, India stands with the top providers. Indian antiques not only represent the culture, but also the precious skills of creating unique and beautiful items. If you love to collect antiques, then antiques from India would be considered to be a treasure for you. You can find numerous antiques within a range of criteria. Beautiful designs and fine shapes of antiques are the specialty of these items.

Types of antiques:

Indian antiques are made of different types of materials. A large variety of selections are available in silver, brass, bronze, copper and combinations of some of these. Paintings and handicrafts are some of the antiques people love to buy and even gift to their loved ones. Continue reading “Indian Antiques – A Collection Of Precious Traditional Items”

How to Cook Indian Foods – North India

You’ve probably read the previous piece on North Indian breads. This article focuses on North Indian cooking, which includes cooking style, spices used, terminology and some common foods.

North Indian cooking is nearly always quite spicy and uses a large number of spices in any given dish. The terms used for various dishes are normally descriptive of the food itself like Jeera Aloo for instance, which literally translates to ‘Cumin seed Potatoes’. Like most cultures there are also some misleading names like ‘Butter Chicken’, which is actually marinated chicken cooked in a tandoor and served in smooth, tomato gravy and doesn’t contain any butter. There are also terms which aren’t related to the food in question, like Pulao, which is rice cooked with spices and vegetables. The term sabzi (sub-zee) is used quite liberally when describing nearly any dry, vegetable preparation. The same applies to the term dal, which is used for most types of lentils. The term tari (tuh-ree) denotes gravy and is suffixed to the name of a dish when it has gravy. Continue reading “How to Cook Indian Foods – North India”

Gringo, Dingo, Bingo, Ringo, and Ca’Chingo

Okay so, do you like the title of my article there? I thought you might, I had fun thinking it up the other day while driving, but I want to tell the story behind it. You see, our local Indian reservation, and let me tell you these folks live much better than most middle class Americans have a huge casino along the Freeway; I-10 in California. It’s a huge draw for the area and so everyone is very happy, especially the wealthy American Indians here. Continue reading “Gringo, Dingo, Bingo, Ringo, and Ca’Chingo”

Delicacies of the USA

When Americans think about delicacies, they often think of food from foreign countries. Many people don’t realize that the USA has its own delicacies as well. The truth is that every region of the world has certain foods that are associated with that region alone. This is what makes the food across the world a truly special and interesting thing to enjoy.

Continue reading “Delicacies of the USA”

Lobster – A Rags to Riches Story

When the first ships arrived at Plymouth, most shellfish was not considered fit for human consumption, due in no small part to its resemblance to an insect as it crawled along the ocean bottom. Most early passengers during the 1600s were from England and other U.K. countries and accustomed to eating beef, mutton and fowl. What they did consume from the ocean was usually fish, in the form of cod, haddock and sole. Abundant lobster was fed to servants and domestic animals (there must have been a lot of happy cats). Native Americans used it for fertilizer. Just picture thousands of these spiny creatures as they were washed up on the shores of the Cape, where anyone could fill a bucket for free. (Are you drooling yet?) Continue reading “Lobster – A Rags to Riches Story”

Bali: Beaches, Spas, Nightlife and Shahrukh Khan

For me, arriving at Bali was a travellers’ delight. Nothing could beat travel fatigue better than the friendly, smiling Balinese faces at the Customs and Immigrations at the Denpasar airport and the ‘ Visa on arrival’ stamped on my passport for 10 USD in 15 minutes flat!

I had heard that Bali was an island of temples, dances, and age-old rituals; with over 95 per cent of the 3 million people practice a form of Hinduism. But nothing prepared me for the spot-on recital of ‘Gayatri Mantra’ by my taxi driver, followed by a song from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in the same breath. I was amazed by the Bollywood craze in this Far East city, so much so, that I was instantly labelled ‘from Shah Rukh Khan’s country’ by every taxi driver and local I met! Continue reading “Bali: Beaches, Spas, Nightlife and Shahrukh Khan”

Know How Hindi Helped a Sri Lankan Traveller in India

Hindi is one of the official languages of India and the most commonly used across the sub-continent. I moved to India in the year of 2010, from Sri Lanka. I already spoke Sinhalese, English, and I could understand Hindi but not able to structure proper sentences. As my forever passion is for travelling, I made sure that I went to all corners of India to know about the vibrant cultures, food habits, lifestyles of the various states of the country. India itself was a turning point in my life, and it has immensely changed my perception over various issues such as society, politics, war, thinking styles and education. Continue reading “Know How Hindi Helped a Sri Lankan Traveller in India”

Vegetarian Recipe – Oatmeal Mushroom Steak

Vegetarian or not, come this way, this is so nummy. This recipe is vegetarian, so you meat eaters might want this with a beef, pork, or whatever meat steak. This is not a recipe for Vegans though, I have not gotten there yet unless I fill up on vegetables and fruit. Hey! what a concept, vegetables and fruit. One should always remember the basics if one wants to stay healthy right?

Years ago for about nine months I was a vegetarian. I bought a lot of veggie stuff.. veggie hot dogs, veggie patties, unknown what they were supposed to be really , anyway you get the picture right? I wanted to be a vegetarian for the animals. I felt to so guilty and I guess I still do, but I eat meat again and I guess close off that part of me that worries about it. Once in awhile I make this dish just because I love it. The consistency is very meaty actually. Try it, I think you will like it Micky! Continue reading “Vegetarian Recipe – Oatmeal Mushroom Steak”

Different Kashmiri Spices And Their Uses In Their Cuisine

Amir commented, “You can never get the taste of kashmiri food in Delhi”. I was zapped and wanted to know the reason behind it. I heard the folks from the Valley reminding me again and again that Kashmiri vegetables and dishes can never be found anywhere else other than Kashmir. I always introspected on this and wanted to know more about the Kashmir food. This led me to know various things about the Kashmiri cuisine, recipes, dishes, vegetables, spices, etc.

The genuine cuisine from Kashmir is recognized through the different spices that are added to various dishes. I never knew this fact though I tasted lot of kashmiri dishes. One fine day, the lady-my guest my Kashmir-exhibited the contents of the bag. She said, “These are the spices or masalas from the land of Kashmir. They are unique in themselves-in taste and flavor. When I would be cooking in your kitchen, I want you to perceive it very carefully”. “Hmmm”, I thought. Continue reading “Different Kashmiri Spices And Their Uses In Their Cuisine”