Blogs

We are midway through a lockdown and looking forward to the day we all are set free. Hopefully, we would come out of this experience stronger as humans and with a stronger bonding as well. The lockdown can be a time to take up new hobbies or it can...

Jowar or sorghum is a kind of white millet. It grows abundantly in Maharashtra and some parts of Gujarat and Karnataka. The tender jowar grains are harvested in the winters. They are then roasted and beaten to separate the chaff from the grains to get hurda or ponkh. Hurda...

Vanilla Bundt cake with coconut filling, topped with chocolate ganache Ingredients for the vanilla cake 290 gms flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 110 grams butter 2 tablespoons castor sugar 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tin sweetened condensed milk 80 ml milk 1/2 tbsp vinegar 150 ml soda Making the vanilla batter: Add salt, baking powder and baking...

There may be food festivals galore but when it comes to cuisine from the southern peninsula, my gastronomic antenna gets activated as it recently happened when I was invited by The Orchid Hotel and Master chef Bala of the specialty restaurant South of Vindhyas (SOV). The Chettinad food festival,...

For yoga practitioners and teachers, pranayama is an often-cited word. Pranayama or life force is the breath work we do in yoga - to maintain the balance in body and mind. According to a shloka in the atharvaveda: Pranayamanmoyasya sarfa midam vashe  yo bhutaha sarvasyeshwaro yasminatsarva sarvpratishthatam Hey Prana! You are the foundation...

Guru Purnima is commemorated by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Ashad. It is a day sacred to the memory of Maharshi Ved Vyasa, the ancient saint who edited the four Vedas and wrote the 18 Puranas, the Mahabharata, and the Srimad Bhagavatam. Guru Purnima...

The handloom sector is one of the major symbols of the cultural heritage of India. It is also an important source of livelihood. On 7th August 2020, National Handloom Day is observed to honor the handloom weavers and to create awareness about the importance of the handloom industry in...

Another IPL - and Mumbai Indians' stroke of luck is becoming staid! First, a great win against CSK, then a close call against Kings XI, and now, once again, sweeping away Delhi Capitals with ease (and luck, of course, which is becoming characteristic of its matches). MI chose to bat...

Goa with its lush paddy fields, verdant hills, and the gushing shoreline is my go-to destination in the rains. This year, my stay in the most sought-after room (with a swing in the sit-out and easy access to a private beach) at the iconic Cidade de Goa Resort in...

The Siddhivinayak temple on Akshay Tritya is decorated with yellow and orange marigold flowers.

Shri Hanuman or Anjaneya Swami, the ardent devotee of Lord Rama, is a symbol of protection, strength, and courage, who is as important a God in Hindu Mythology as Lord Rama, his master, himself. Thousands of years ago, as written in Shri Ramayana, the holy Hindu scripture, Hanuman was...

Here's how India would truly BECKON in 2020! You could start making your bucket list but before you do that, we would like to share with you our pick of five offbeat spots in the country every adventurer and traveller must explore. The great French author and Nobel Prize laureate...

Unlike what a lot of people believe, Women’s Day is not a recent invention by women to get people to appreciate women and certainly not a trick to enjoy any special treatment for a day.  International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements...

The Parsis, which means Persians, the followers of prophet Zoroaster, migrated to India to escape religious harassment and discriminations by another community (Muslims). As they turned from refugees to residents of India, the Persian sway shrank except for the use of dry fruits and nuts in pulavs. While Iranian cooking...

To make your Christmas and holiday season celebrations cheerful, Chef Ranveer Brar shares recipes for decadent treats and mouthwatering desserts using Hershey India syrups and spreads. Chocolate Fruit Cake with Hershey's cocoa powder  Prep time: 30 minutes + three hours soaking Baking time: 45 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients For soaking: ¾ cup dry fruits and nuts...