13 Funny Travel Insurance Stories – Lucky For Some, Less So For Others!

Cheap travel insurance has a reputation of being quite a dull area to work in. While it does have its dull routine moments, just like any other job, these are made up for by the occasional inspired funny travel insurance stories you hear. It’s hard to say how many of them are either exaggerated, hugely embellished or just plain made up, but I still found a few of these travel insurance stories made me laugh while I was researching this article, and that’s good enough for me.

Here’s 13 funny travel insurance stories. While 13 is traditionally an unlucky number, a fair few on this list will consider themselves very lucky to be covered by understanding travel insurance companies! The remaining ones who were turned down will no doubt have learned an invaluable life lesson! Continue reading “13 Funny Travel Insurance Stories – Lucky For Some, Less So For Others!”

Four Ways to Keep Your Food Safe

There is an old English saying “Food cooked with passion and served with love tastes divine.” Trust me, it is true even today! Every food enthusiast (like you and me) is well aware that the soul of any good recipe resides in the right blend of spices and fresh natural ingredients. But we might sometimes miss upon an even more important ingredient while cooking food, and which more often than not tampers with the soul of our recipe. Yes, I am talking about food safety & hygiene. One has to be very careful while handling food and maintain the highest level of hygiene and food safety in our kitchen and home.

Food contamination can occur at any stage, be it harvesting, processing, preparation, storage or transportation. Foodborne diseases are often common where low standards of hygiene are used. According to data released by World Health Organization, every year foodborne disease causes almost one in ten people to fall ill. These diseases can be deadly especially in children. Continue reading “Four Ways to Keep Your Food Safe”

Daal Ka Dulhaa and Tamatar Nimona Ki Dulhan

I was sitting with Dr.Alka Srivastava,Head Of Department of Chemistry) at our College. She was sharing various delicacies prepared at her home at Banaras-the Land Of Gods and Banarasi Sarees (Varanasi).She was narrating her childhood experiences at Varanasi and how different kinds of dishes were prepared at her home. I heard the following dishes like Ghujaa, Daal Ka Dulhaa, Matar Nimona, Faraay, etc. That was the beginning for my introduction to the WORLD OF BANARAS FOOD. I started browsing various websites in order to know about these dishes which were exclusively new for me.

I was completely mesmerized by the dish called “DAAL KA DULHAA”.The literal meaning is “THE BRIDEGROOM OF THE LENTILS” (this is the name of the dish and especially prepared from Bengal Gram). The method to prepare it is easily available on some of the blogs on Banarasi food. I was impatient and tried my own hands in its preparation and learnt it. I do not know the reason why it got its name. However, my mind was pondering on something else!

Continue reading “Daal Ka Dulhaa and Tamatar Nimona Ki Dulhan”

A Brief Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

We all know that Siri, Google Now, and Cortana are all intelligent digital personal assistants on various platforms (iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile). In short, they help find useful information when you ask for it is using your voice; you can say “Where’s the nearest Indian restaurant?”, “What’s on my schedule today?”, “Remind me to call Mom or Dad at eight o’clock,” and the assistant will respond by finding information, relaying information from your phone, or sending commands to other apps.

AI is important in these apps, as they collect information on your requests and use that information to better recognize your speech and serve you results that are tailored to your preferences. Microsoft says that Cortana “continually learns about its user” and that it will eventually develop the ability to anticipate users’ needs. Virtual personal assistants process a huge amount of data from a variety of sources to learn about users and be more effective in helping them organize and track their information. Continue reading “A Brief Introduction to Artificial Intelligence”

Nice and Bright Turmeric

Turmeric is an integral part of an Indian household so it is not a surprise that I am writing about it. It is not just seen as an ingredient but has a few more facets as well. The Hindus usually associate the turmeric with auspicious and joyful occasions. For example, during weddings, turmeric is applied on the bride’s hands and legs. It is so common to such an extent that some people use the phrase ‘when are your hands going to turn yellow’ to ask a girl when she is getting married. Well, you may wonder why it is so important. It has been in use in India for a few thousand years as I understand. It was always known for a number of different properties it possess, some better known than others. I think it is funny in a sad way how a University in America got a patent for use of turmeric in healing and even got exclusive rights to sell and distribute turmeric. It is something that my grandmother and her grandmother (they did not even finish their school education leave alone be a scientist) have always known and passed on to us. A number of home remedies that I use are based on what they have passed on generations together. Very well, India fought against this and demonstrated that Sanskrit scriptures have already documented the benefits of turmeric and how it is common knowledge and there is no novelty. The patent was vacated in the end. I hope to outline some ways in which I have seen turmeric being used by many in India and also add some more recent findings substantiating the place turmeric has in our household. Continue reading “Nice and Bright Turmeric”

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”