Blog

Know Your Christian Festivals!

With the year drawing to a close, Christmas has already come and gone. But apart from the 25^th of December, how many other important days of the Christian calendar do we really know of? Here is a small list of some of the major Christian festivals celebrated all over the world:

1. Epiphany (also known as Twelfth Night)

The 6^th of January every year all over the world, with the exception of 18^th January in Russia and 1^st February in Ethiopia, is celebrated as Epiphany. The word itself is derived from the Greek word epiphaneia which literally means manifestation. This day celebrates three events that are all thought to have happened on this very same day, namely, the first appearance of Jesus Christ as a newborn to the Magi, the three wise men; the baptism of Jesus, when God acknowledged his son; and the first public miracle by the Christ, when he turned water to wine in Galilee.

2. Ash Wednesday

The first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance for Christians, when they make amends for the year’s sins before the culminating period of fast in the Lent. It occurs forty-six days before Easter and can fall as early as the 4^th of February or as late as the 10^th of March. Anglican and Roman Catholic churches hold ceremonies at which the foreheads of churchgoers are marked with crosses using ash. Many other Christians, such as Lutherans, Presbyterians, and Methodists also hold this day in great reverence and celebrate it with equal fervour.

3. Shrove Tuesday (also called Mardi Gras)

The day before the start of Lent is known as Shrove Tuesday or “Fat Tuesday”, when Christians traditionally eat up any leftover animal products (often in the form of pancakes) as these cannot be eaten during Lent. Generally held in the month of February, the exact date of Mardi Gras varies according to the Easter schedule. The phrase is derived from the word shrive which means “confess”. It is widely considered by many Christians as a special time of introspection, during which they consider what sins they need to repent, and what areas of life and spiritual growth need amendments and God’s help.

4. Lent

The forty four days before Good Friday, including Sundays, Lent is a period of fasting when Christians identify with the suffering of Jesus Christ. Lasting for a period of approximately six weeks, the traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, atonement, and self-denial. This festival is celebrated in commemoration of the same amount of time taken by the Christ to fast in the desert all the while resisting the temptation of evil from Satan, as mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and Mark, three of Christ’s favourite disciples.

5. Palm Sunday

The Sunday before Easter Sunday and the first day of Holy Week (the period of one week before Easter), Palm Sunday commemorates the arrival of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, where the crowd threw palm leaves in front of his donkey and cheered his triumphal entry. This important event has been mentioned with much emphasis in all the Gospels of the Bible. Later that week, many in the devoted crowd of worshippers were calling for the execution of the Christ.

6. Maundy (also known as Holy Thursday)

The Thursday before Easter Sunday, Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, which established the ceremony of the Holy Communion, when bread and wine came to be respectively identified with the body and blood of the Christ. It was also the day when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. At a Roman Catholic church services on Maundy Thursday, the priest ceremonially washes the feet of twelve people during mass. Maundy is the fifth day of the Holy Week, and is usually falls between the 19^th of March and the 22^nd of April.

7. Good Friday

The Friday before Easter Sunday, Good Friday is spent in remembrance of the day when Jesus Christ was crucified by the Romans. The “good” in Good Friday is its form in Early Modern English and means “holy”. The symbol of the cross is an important part of church services on this day, and churchgoers read the psalms and the gospels to remember the Christ’s painful experience. Good Friday sometimes coincides with the Jewish festival of Passover, and is a time of solemn prayer and charity for Christians.

8. Easter Sunday

The Sunday that follows the first full moon after the 21^st of March (which is also the spring equinox), Easter always falls between 22^nd of March and 25^th of April in the Western calendar. Easter is up to two weeks later in Orthodox Churches. Easter Sunday is the most important day in the Christian calendar, as it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Sunday is a joy of Christians. Easter is a joyful time, with family gatherings and festive meals, along with the distribution and consumption of Easter egg candies and other gifts.

9. Pentecost (also known as Whitsunday)

Fifty days after Easter Sunday, Pentecost celebrates the day the Holy Spirit entered the Apostles, enabling them to speak many new languages and spread the word of God. This event is considered by most Christians to mark the birth of the Church. Massive church processions, festive meals, and the holy ceremonies of Confirmation, Ordination, and Communion mark this festival. In some countries, folk customs such as dancing, woodland rites, and ethnic clothing ceremonies are also observed.

10. Christmas

The celebration of the birth of Jesus, Christmas falls on the 25^th of December every year, with the exception of the 6^th of January in Russia and the 17^th of January in Ethiopia. It is arguably the biggest Christian festival of the year, as most of us know. The word itself is derived from the Old English Crīstesmæsse, literally meaning “Christ’s mass” and is also referred to as the Yule and Nativity. Christmas trees and stars are symbolic of this occasion, and carols are sung in churches decorated with holly and mistletoe. The jolly old figure of Santa Claus is associated with the Yuletide traditions of wish-making and gift-giving. It is a season to be merry, indeed, with all its feasts and warmth.

December 30, 2014
Snack-Time: Part 3

The third and the final article in the series ‘Snack-Time’, primarily focuses of two popular snacks from Europe. We all have an idea how passionate the Europeans are about their cuisine. Be it the most extravagant dinner party or the simplest dish prepared at home, they relish every grain of food. The Europeans are not just very particular about what is on their plate, they also make sure they have suitable complements for each dish, be it an age-old wine or just plain orange juice.

European snacks are popular throughout the world and are now sold by many leading outlets internationally. Be it sweet treats or savory dishes, Europeans are very particular about the technique of cooking as they believe it lends them authenticity. With a fair amount of cultures interacting and existing harmoniously on a relatively smaller piece of land, the intermingling of cultures is well reflected in the cuisine and food habits. European cuisine is alternatively also called Western cuisine and a characteristic feature of this food culture is that they emphasize greatly on accompaniments, seasonings and sauces and condiments. The cooking in Western countries is diverse from Asian cooking and also in the method of serving. For instance, the size of the meat served for a meal is considerably larger in Western cuisine than in the Asian meals. Following are a few famous appetizers from this continents of beauty and culture.

Pretzel

A pretzel is a baked bread in a shape of a unique knot. Though salt is the most common seasoning for pretzels, other flavouring agents include chocolate, sugar, seeds, glazes and much more. The traditional shape of a pretzel is a symmetrical loop that is distinctive. The ends of a traditional pretzel is made from a long strip of dough which has its’ ends intertwined and then twisted back into itself in a particular way that is called the pretzel loop. Though they now come in various shapes and sizes, the standard shape stays the same. The origin of pretzels has been recorded differently in various accounts. It has been written by Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans in the book ‘The History of Science and Technology’, which dates back to 610 AD that an Italian Monk invented pretzels to reward the children who learned their prayers. The strips of dough were folded to resemble arms crossing the chest and were then baked. These were called ‘pretiola’ which means ‘little rewards’.

It is claimed by some accounts that pretzels have a Christian back-ground and the credit of a pretzels’ invention goes to the German monks. A 12th century illustration, Hortus deliciarum from Alsace depicts a pretzel at a banquet organized by Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus. Some other records also claim that the pretzel may be invested in southern France. When bakers were held hostage by local dignatories in Germany, they apparently came up with the concept of pretzels out of desperation. It is known as ‘Brezel’ in German and the name may have been derived from the Latin root ‘bracellus’ meaning ‘bracelet’ or ‘bracchiola’ which means ‘little arms’.
The pretzel holds a significance that is greater that satiating ones’ hunger. It has been used as an emblem for the bakers in south Germany since the 12th century. It also holds a religious significance as pretzels are made of only flour and water and thus it can be consumed during Lent when the Christians are asked not to eat eggs or dairy products.

One can now find a variety of pretzels, sweet and savory in a variety of flavors and sizes. Toppings like sesame seeds, poppy seeds, melted cheese, bacon, pumpkin or caraway seeds or even nuts like chopped almonds, pistachios and walnuts can be used to make a pretzel look inviting.

Pizza

What the world knows now as a Pizza and consumes it as a full course meal was originally a small-sized portion of food. A traditional pizza is an oven baked flat bread with toppings of tomato sauce and cheese. Some additional complements are a variety of vegetables, meats and condiments that go well with the bread. The name ‘pizza’ first appeared in a Latin text from Gaeta which dates back to 997 AD. Gaeta is a town in southern Italy and the text stated that ”a tenant is to give the bishop of Gaeta duodecim pizze (“twelve pizzas”) every Christmas Day, and another twelve every Easter Sunday”.

The modern pizza is said to be invented in the city of Naples in Italy and its’ popularity has now reached out to the world. It is said that ancient Greeks used to coat their breads with a combination of oils, spices and cheese. On the other hand, Romans developed the concept of a ‘placenta cake’ topped with honey and cheese and flavoured it with bay leaves. But the modern Neapolitan pizza was invented only in the late 18th or early 19th century. Before that time,a flat bread was generally topped with a variety of flavourful seasonings for instance, garlic, salt, cheese and basil. It is still not clear as to when tomatoes were first added.

A famous story claims that the Pizza Margherita as we know it today was invented in 1889. When Queen Margherita was to visit the Royal Palace of Capodimonte, the Neapolitan pizza maker, Raffaele Esposito was commissioned to create a pizza in her honor. Out of the three different pizzas which he had prepared, the Queen preferred a pie that had the colors of the flag of Italy viz. red from the tomato, green from basil leaves, and white mozzarella cheese. Apparently, this pizza was then named after the Queen as we all know now know it to be, “Pizza Margherita”. Various other variations were then brought into the existing recipe and now there are innumerable varieties and versions of a pizza that are prepared in homes world wide and are even sold by leading food chains.

These are some of the brilliant food options that the world provides us with. There are many more and reading about food history gives us a new dimension about it. Next time you bite into your favourite pizza, the delectable Shawarma or sit with a big bowl of popcorn while watching a movie, you’ll definitely eat with a newer awareness.

December 30, 2014
Roll it up the Kolkata way !!!

I am not asking you to practice some yoga trick , my only motive is to make your tongue roll over your lips when i will share the very classic street food dish “THE ROLLS”. I am a roll admirer….I can any time binge on these crispy ,spicy, tangy, full on masala marke dish. Rolls are very commonly eaten in every part of the world. People survive on alien lands just because to there rescue rolls are on duty 24×7. You get them in all forms , veg , non veg , spicy , mid spicy , non spicy , tangy , saucy , juice , crispy , fried, shallow fried. Just keep on counting you wont be able to recollect its variations at one go. This is winter season and we all eat (Statistically proven ) more than any other seasons. We feel hungry after every hour as in winters we tend to grab more of food to generate heat in our body , even we digest rapidly. Every street in the cities with offices ,school and college campuses are filled with roll stalls and its busy at any time of the day. Kolkata my city is the city for roll stalls. Trust me , the variety and taste we get to eat here is way much than any part of the world. We keep it quiet unhealthy , very oily , very bulky …but still we commit suicide eating this tasty lethal food. Be it Arselan in park circus , Hot kati roll in Park street or veg roll in Golpark we all just crave for these tasty dynamites of awesomeness and we forget everything about our health (I guess we don’t care about that in this city ). Lets try out these awesome variation of rolls in our own kitchen and feast all our loved one’s to recreate the magic of streets any time at home itself.

Chicken Roll :

Ingredients :

For chicken filling : 400 g small chicken pieces ,1 tablespoon lemon juice , 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, salt to taste, 1 teaspoon vinegar,1 teaspoon green chilly chopped, 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce, 1 tablespoon mustard sauce, 2 cups sliced onions, 2 cups sliced capsicum, 1 teaspoon , cumin powder, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, oil for cooking.

For the roll Chapati : 2 cups of refined flour, Oil for moistening the roll dough and shallow frying the chapati roll, 1/2 teaspoon sodium bicarbonate , 1 teaspoon of baking powder, Luke warm water for dough.

Servings : 4 to 5 rolls.

Method : Mix lemon juice ginger garlic paste , red chilly powder, vinegar, salt with chicken pieces and keep it for 1 hour in that marination. Once its marinated, Heat the oil in a pan ,add green chillies and half cup sliced onions and capsicum (Keep the rest for garnishing). Cook it for 5 to 8 minutes until its cooked completely . Now add all the sauces, tomato ketchup , soya sauce, Mustard sauce, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder . Cook it for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauces dry up to make a thick filling. Now keep it aside to get cool in room temperature. MIx baking powder, and sodium bicarbonate and 1 teaspoon cooking oil & salt with the refined flour and with gradual addition of Luke warm water make a tight but smooth dough. Keep it aside for 30 minutes. Once the dough is absorbs the moisture well in 30 minutes make round shape chapati’s out of it with the help of a rolling pin. Once all the chapatis are ready just shallow fry it on a hot pan. Once the chapatis are golden and crispy take it out from pan fill it generously but in even proportion with chicken fillings, garnish on top with onions slices , little tomato ketchup , mustard sauce and capsicum and roll it and seal the ends with butter paper or simple stick the ends with toothpick You are ready to taste the cult Kolkata.

Paneer tikka roll :Dough making process is the same. The only difference is the filling rest the process is no different than chicken roll.

Ingredients : For Paneer filling:

Paneer tikka marination : 400 g OF Paneer/ cottage cheese cubes, 1 cup yoghurt, 1 tablespoon roasted besan , 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 cup diced onions, 1 cup diced capsicums, 1 cup diced tomato de-seeded, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste,salt to taste, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder. Skewers / toothpicks for tikka assembling before grill.

For filling of roll : 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 1 tablespoon green chilly sauce, 1 cup sliced onions seasoned with chaat masala , 1 teaspoon black salt for garnishing.

Roll chapati is similar to chicken roll.

Servings : 4 to 5 rolls

Method : Firstly marinate the paneer cubes with 1 cup yoghurt, 1 tablespoon roasted besan , 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste,salt to taste, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder adding 1 cup diced onions, 1 cup diced capsicums, 1 cup diced tomato de-seeded also to the marinate mixture and keep it aside for 30 minutes in refrigerator. Once done assemble it with onions, capsicum and tomato into the skewers and grill it for 15 to 20 minutes changing sides into a griller at around 180 degree celcius. You will get hot steamy paneer tikkas . Once the chapatis are prepared just assemble this paneer tikka evenly on it with tomato ketchup , chilly sauce , black salt and chaat masala seasoned onion slices and roll it and eat it immediately before someone else snatches it from you.

Bean finger Roll :

Roll making process is as usual similar lets note down its interesting filling recipe.

Ingredients :

For bean fingers : 2 cups of kidney bean soaked overnight, boiled and mashed, 1 cup of chopped onions, 1 teaspoon of green chilly powder, 1 cup bread crumbs , 1 cup mashed and boiled potato, 1 egg beaten , 1 tablespoon corn starch, chaat masala powder, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon chopped coriander, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder, salt to taste, oil for deep frying the patty.

For filling the roll : 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 1 tablespoon green chilly sauce, 1 cup sliced onions seasoned with chaat masala , 1 teaspoon black salt for garnishing.

Servings : 4

Method : Mix all the ingredients (Except egg and bread crumbs) and make patties of finger shapes but little thick and long. then each patty is dipped in egg and coated generously with bread crumbs. deep fry the patties. assemble it in the chapati with tomato ketchup, chilly sauce and onions and black salt as garnish roll it up and enjoy the tasty treat.

December 30, 2014
Happiness and spirituality

Spirituality is often misunderstood to be a component of Religion. People have this notion of spiritual people are the ones who are often seen visiting the churches or mosques. Then there are also the other kind of people who immediately picture an Indian mystic in a yogic position in their minds. Well, both these stereotypes are so erroneous that Buddha would be turning in his grave.

However, it can mean different to different people. To me, Spirituality means to be healthy spiritually. In other words, when we are hurt by harsh words, it hurts not just our heart but our spirit too. If the wound is very deep, then no matter how much you push it from outside, you won’t heal completely since the injury is internal. A change of external set-up is not going to help if it is not dealt with from the bottom. Haven’t you heard of wounds caused by viruses which go away temporarily when dealt from outside but when medicine is administered which kills the virus in the blood, it never surfaces again. We always have take fight at the grassroot level. Thus, to have a healthy mind devoid of bad and hurtful thoughts is of utmost importance.

You don’t NEED to meditate or go to the temple or say prayers to be spiritually healthy. They just help you reach towards the goal faster. It varies from person to person. Being mentally healthy is the first and major step and right now in this world but more than half of the population is plagued more by mental trauma/problems (relationships,work-related etc) than physical illness. Happiness is a scarcity!

In my opinion, I find following some very simple rules in life helps to live with a smile on the face!

1. Handling harsh words/sentiments – People hurt us with their words, knowingly or unknowingly. But as they say, it is upto us to finally accept the invitation or not. When you feel hurt by someone, try to feel empathetic towards them. They are telling hurtful things because they themselves are hurt and when you respond in a soft manner, they will be taken aback. Anger is not something people can control and 90% of what we say in anger are things we don’t mean. So, be the better man (or woman) and stay calm.

2. Fighting pessimism – How many of you have heard about the placebo effect? A man was administered with certain medicines which was supposed to fight cancer and after continual intake, his health revived and he was finally cured of it! Astonishing, isn’t it? When we convince our mind that something will get alright that you will do just fine, it really happens.
Physical health is greatly linked with mental health. So if you think pessimistically, it destroys the little chance that you have, you fail in your endeavor and end up blaming it on fate. This cycle repeats over and over gain. So, you’ve got to have confidence in yourself that you can do it, hell or high water.

4. Controlling anger – Most of us go red with temples on the verge to burst out when it comes to anger. However, even the smallest bit of irritation/anger can be controlled. Despite knowing that it unnecessarily harms our health by increasing our blood pressure which ups the risk of heart diseases, we don’t do anything to stay calm. I know it is not easy.

But there are various various ways to deal with this. For example, people with a high sense of pride can manipulate and train their minds into thinking that giving into anger would mean defeat to their body. They are controlled by their emotions; they are not their own masters. The person who is trying to make you angry wants to see a reaction. So, if you don’t give the expected reaction, it would frustrate them. Bingo!

Try thinking about something pleasant and remember to focus on it. That can calm you down. You can also try counting numbers (personally, never worked for me).

5. Jealousy – The green eyed monster is no new visitor. Starting from children to big adults, everyone is subjected to jealousy. Jealousy is hurtful since it inflicts a mixture of pain and hatred in the heart making you restless and vindictive. I can hear many ”Well, we can’t help it”s!
I have a simple strategy to deal with it. Whenever I get jealous, I remind myself that the competition should actually be with myself. Every new day, your goal should be to beat the person you were yesterday. It doesn’t hurt to compete with oneself where failure and success is taken with good sportsmanship. Burning with jealousy for your just-promoted colleague or that supermodel’ish girl is not going to get you anything but pain and hurt. Are they worth your pain? Instead compete with self.

6. Regret – Yes, it is true that regret is our mind’s permanent tenant. Some consider that life is all about one shots. You are wrong. You can always pick up the cudgels and fight for another chance. There is always another way; unless and until you are ready to believe that yourself, the way out won’t appear. You always have another chance to make it right and it is just a matter of standing up for yourself yet again.
Always remember, everything happens for a reason.

7. Letting go – I have included this on my list since relationship break-ups and losing someone to death make the worst kind of pain. I know that attachments are stronger than any chemical bond. When you have loved someone truly, you can never undo it. Never. And losing that special someone can hurt beyond imagination since love is another synonym for vulnerability. But the intensity and pain of the separation heals with time.

Even if they may not be in your life anymore, they will always be in your heart. Look after the memories tenderly even if the separation had been bitter because you loved them and nothing makes you more happy than their happiness. They would want you to be happy too. So, move on and harbor only good thoughts for them because life is too short for tears and grief.

8. Believing in something – This is the most important key to happiness. Have you ever wondered why a child feels secure in the arms of a mother who is physically incapable of protecting him? Because he believes in his mother.

When you believe in something/someone, you will have hope and when you have hope, nothing can destroy you. You know that they will always be there for you no matter what and you can draw strength from it. They will always be there to protect you. So you will be never be alone. This source can be divine or anything which is innocent and pure. Divine because definitely there is something behind the working of this universe starting from the microscopic quarks to the gigantic galaxies. On the other hand, you can believe in say, your dog because he loves you innocently. Anything which is innocent is divine. That’s why they say babies are divine and that they see god when they smile in their sleep.

Incorporate these ideas in your lives and see the magic!

December 30, 2014
Happy Meals !!!

Happy meal is believed to make you feel good and tummy full. It goes without any doubt that we consider happy meal to be rich in calorie content , very oily , full of fried stuff. But the reality is that I am not going to discuss combine happy meal with full of calorie and fried stuff instead i will make it healthier and as tasty as French fries. Yes this is not some magical recipe its just getting correct ingredients with correct flavours and proportions. Lets consider this to be a truth and possible to achieve . Happy is a very general term where we really get attached to things which makes us happy. Similar is the situation with food. We often neglect substituting healthy options with calorie containing ingredients. Its best to eat healthy substitutes with same flavours but less in cholesterol or calorie. Lets discuss few magic recipes which are tasty and healthy .

Cajun seasoned Red Bean and Rice Salad :

Its a very popular Jamaican recipe which is kind of staple food for Jamaican people . You will get to eat a lot of these if you happen to visit Jamaica. If not try this at your own home and get the feel of this international recipe.

Ingredients :

For Cajun mix : 1 tablespoon of garlic powder(available in markets), i tablespoon of onion powder, 2 teaspoon of black and white pepper powder, 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons chilly powder. Mix it all to get Cajun mix.

For Salad : 3/4 cup long grain rice , salt to taste, 1 tablespoon thyme sprigs , 200 gm red kidney beans soaked, boiled and drained. Do not throw this kidney bean boiled stalk it has a nice colour and full of protein .1 cup chopped red capsicum or bell pepper, 1 cup sliced spring onions , 1 tablespoon olive oil (Another healthy substitute for cooking stuff), 3 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoon Cajun seasoning mix , Pepper to taste.

Servings : 4

Method : Bring 1 cup of Luke warm water along with the kidney bean stock which was drained out of boiled kidney beans to boil in a pan .Stir in rice , 1/2 teaspoon of salt , and sprig of thyme, return to boil .Reduce the heat, cover and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender to be eaten. This process takes about 15 to 20 minutes .Avoid overcooking the rice as it will spoil the texture of the salad. Transfer cooked rice to a larger bowl , remove the thyme sprigs and keep it aside for few minutes to cool.Mix in boiled beans , red capsicum and spring onions into rice . Add olive oil, white wine vinegar, Cajun seasoning and rest of the chopped thyme. Mix it gently but thoroughly. Season it with salt and pepper . Garnish it with thyme and spring onions. Serve with love.

Pasta Salad:

Ingredients : 2 cups of boiled Penne pasta, 1/2 cup of flat noodles, 4 to 5 iceberg lettuce, 1 cup boiled corn kernels, 1 Cup sliced onions, 1/2 cup grated cabbage, 1/2 cup boiled and diced carrots, 1/2 cup boiled and diced potatoes, 1/2 cup shredded cucumber, 1 tablespoon black olives sliced, 1 cup thinly cut capsicum slices, 1 cup boiled chickpeas, 1 cup sprouts, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon mustard sauce, 1 tablespoon tomato chilly sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Servings : 6

Method : Take a salad bowl and roughly chop iceberg lettuce with hands, mix all the ingredients well in that bowl and season it with salt and pepper. Serve it with hot garlic breads .It simply pleasures your appetite and you come out more hungry after eating it as its the perfect appetiser for a hungry stomach.

Thai Noodle Salad :

Ingredients : 200 g rice noodles, 1 cup shredded cabbage washed and drained, 1/2 medium thinly sliced red and yellow colour bell peppers , I medium carrot thinly cut , 1 cup sliced spring onions, 1/2 cup roasted and coarsely ground peanuts, 1 tablespoon finely chopped green chilly, 1/4 cup vegetable stock , 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, Salt to taste. For dressing 2 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic .To garnish Finely chopped , fresh red chillies and celery leaves.

Servings : 6

Method : Boil the noodles in water and once breakable drain it out from hot water and wash it in ice cold water . This will prevent further cooking of noodles. Mix well all the ingredients and vegetables with in a large bowl and chill until ready to serve.

While serving it heat a pan and add sesame oil ,chopped garlic , green chilly and fry for fee seconds. Stir in the stock and the rest of the ingredients , remove from the heat and set aside to cool.Sprinkle peanuts and drizzle the dressing over the chilled salad. Garnish with coriander, chillies and celery leaves.

Potato and Egg Salad :

Simple to make quick to present and easily finished on a platter …..great way to begin a party.

Ingredients : 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup finely chopped spring onion, 6 boiled eggs roughly cut into cubes, 2 cloves garlic crushed, 2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon wine vinegar, salt to taste, pepper powder to taste, 1 tablespoon mustard paste, 500 g potatoes boiled and cut into cubes, 2 to 3 lettuce leaves cut into fine shreds. To garnish chopped parsley.

Servings : 6

Method : In a small bowl , mix together mayonnaise, eggs, springs onion, garlic, parsley, wine vinegar, salt, pepper and mustard. Toss the potatoes with this dressing .Chill. Before serving , toss lettuce leaves with salt and pepper and spread them on a serving platter. Pile chilled egg and potato salad on top and garnish with parsley. Serve immediately.

With these chilled salads you may serve Hot soups, Garlic breads, French toasts, baked beans and toasts, butter toasts, tacos, chips, Lemonades, fruit juices. These variation of serving combinations will heat up your appetite and make you Happy to have Happy meal. Colourful dishes not only attract young ones but also older generations. It makes you hungry and you just eat the right quantity of happiness. You may have this in breakfast , lunch or dinner purpose is always the same to make you happy and content.

December 30, 2014
A Brief History of Bottled Water

Bottled water is water in the best combination of potability and portability. When drinking water, taken from any source, be it wells, springs, distillery, or mineral geysers, is packaged in glass and plastic bottles, it is called bottled water. They may or may not be carbonated. Nowadays, you can find water bottles available in various shapes and sizes, ranging from gulp-sized miniature water bottles to enormous carboys for giant water coolers. Bottled or table water can come from underground springs and wells, or taps. It is purified before it is bottled. Natural mineral water and spring water are types of underground water that contain naturally-occurring minerals. Sparkling water has carbon dioxide to make it fizzy. If this occurs naturally, it is often removed and replaced to ensure that it is always at the same level.

The first bottles were made in sizes that were easy to carry. The 750 ml bottle became the standard size for most types of wine in the 19^th century. In the United States of America, this has been the legal size since 1979, even though metric measurements are not widely used there. Some wine and champagne bottle sizes have Biblical names such as Methuselah, Balthazar, Nebuchadnezzar, and many others. The name Jeroboam was used for the four-bottle size as early as 1725 in Bordeaux, and others were soon named in the same way.

In the 19^th century, contaminated water from taps and pumps spread the killer disease cholera. Bottled water became popular as a safe alternative. In 1741, the English scientist Dr. William Brownrigg created the first artificial mineral water. He added health-giving minerals and carbon dioxide for fizziness. Dr. Brownrigg, incidentally, was also the first scientist to extract the element platinum. In 1792, Joseph Schweppe moved from Vienna to London and began to produce his own brand of artificial mineral water. His company grew to become one of the world’s most famous manufacturers of soft drinks. French doctor Louis Perrier gave his name to Perrier Water, which beamed the best known bottled mineral water in the world. In the 1960 James Bond novel For Your Eyes Only, the titular character insists on drinking only this type of water.

Now the world drinks over a hundred and fifty billion litres of bottled water every year, which is equivalent to the quantity of water needed to fill sixty thousand Olympic sized swimming pools. In the United Kingdom, people drink more than two billion litres in totality, meaning an approximate of thirty-five litres per person. However, Italians drink more bottled water than any other nation, a hundred and eighty-five litres per person every year. Many people choose bottled water over tap water because it lacks substances such as chlorine, which affect the flavour of tap water, and also because bottles are portable. Bottled water is also produced to strict safety standards, so in some places it may be safer. Bottled water removes billions of litres of water from the underground, while making and transporting the bottles uses huge amounts of energy. Over 2.5 million tonnes of plastic go into the bottles every year and this has to be disposed of. Bottled water may also lack fluoride and other useful minerals found in tap water, so it may also be less healthy than the water in our homes.

Bottled water is obtained from Artesian wells, the ground water table, bore wells, hot springs, mineral springs and other natural as well as man-made sources of water. This water is taken to huge industrial plants where it can be purified by one or a mix of numerous scientific methods, some of which include ozone purification, distillation, fluorination, sedimentation, multiple membrane disinfection, ultraviolet irradiation, and many others. It is then packaged in standardized quantities in sterilized and appropriately shaped plastic or glass bottles, as per the strict guidelines of the national food and health ministries. While one can find your average Bisleri water bottle in any grocery store, there is also a large plethora of other variants of bottled water, such as the ones available in fruit and sweetened flavours. Regardless of whether it is flavoured or not, bottled water can also contain artificially added minerals, fluorine, carbon dioxide, and other permitted preservatives and artificial flavouring. However, soft drinks such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola are different from the conventional bottled water in the fact that the amount of added substances does not exceed one percent of the amount of the total product, which is water, in the latter, whereas it forms a much bigger part in the former.

Often stored as an integral part of emergency kits in the possible occurrence of a natural disaster, bottled water is often considered to be a foolproof, good tasting, and microbe-free source of drinking water, with a universally approved stringent set of rules and regulations followed all over the world by all countries. While one can consume bottled water without any significant health risks, it is also just as safe to use it for other purposes such as hand washing, personal hygiene, washing utensils, cleaning clothes, and other cleaning purposes. Bottles produced on a mass scale do not generally have any explicit expiry date on their labels, but rather an optimum amount of time the water should be used in without fear of contamination. Being highly stable, and packaged in the safest of ways, bottled water is without a doubt, a very safe thing to use, and therefore, have an indefinite shelf-life as long as they are not tampered with in any way by damaging, opening, and consequent possible infection.

In India, bottled water is manufactured by large private companies such as Bisleri, Aquafina, Kinley, Himalaya, and Catch, as well as government bodies such as the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation. In this age of rampant water pollution, bottled water is not only the first choice of tourists, both foreign and domestic, but is also widely used in households as well. Priced at very nominal rates, and with the bottles being easy to recycle, bottled water seems to be just about the safest and easily obtainable source of drinking water these days.

December 30, 2014
Is There more to Hinduism?

We are all very too familiar with our pantheon of gods and each day, we find youngsters rejecting the idea of religion especially when it comes to Hinduism since they find it absolutely impossible the existence of so many gods in such weird forms. ‘Weird forms’ is what we label these bodily eccentricities seen in our myths and legends. But, take a moment and just try to think outside the box.
Firstly to all my non-hindu readers out there, I would like to inform you all that Brahma is called the creator and is shown to have four heads placed perpendicularly to one another along with four faces and four arms. He is supposed to have CREATED our world.

Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge is said to have originated from his tongue. Vishnu, he is the one who preserves what has been created and he is said to rest on top of a many headed serpent called the Shesha naga in the milky ocean ‘Palazhi’. He has many arms like Brahma and Saraswati. Shiva is the destroyer; he destroys everything thus completing the circle. And the rest of the gods are all subordinate to these superior three. Here itself, we can see that the circle of creation-preservation-destruction is not a silly idea and it carries the underlying meaning of recycling energy and matter. Yes, this is something that we can guess about as it sounds like a random coincidence. But the interesting facts are yet to come.

The city of Dwaraka, the kingdom of Krishna (another avatar of Vishnu), lies submerged in the waters and also the city of Ayodhya, kingdom of Rama, also exists. Since there is some kind of evidence like this, it is not right to completely do away with the fact that they might have existed. They could have been celebrated kings and stories might have been written in such a manner that it elevated them into the position of gods. These kings might have possessed some frightfully advanced weapons and those were being called ‘Vimanas’ and ‘Astras’. Believe it or not, the scriptures have detailed explanations of the description of these objects!

In the Sanskrit Samarangana Sutradhara, it is recorded ”Strong and durable must the body of the Vimana be made, like a great flying bird of light material. Inside one must put the mercury engine with its iron heating apparatus underneath. By means of the power latent in the mercury which sets the driving whirlwind in motion, a man sitting inside may travel a great distance in the sky. The movements of the Vimana are such that it can vertically ascend, vertically descend, move slanting forwards and backwards. With the help of the machines human beings can fly in the air and heavenly beings can come down to earth”. The instructions are very precise; loads of sanskrit texts on these topics are lying untranslated. Both the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata carry various evidences in them which describes the weapons in the most fascinating manner. Indra, the king of gods, has a powerful astra which when aimed at anyone, consumes the victim with its beam of light. Doesn’t this frighteningly remind you of lasers?

Moreover, the Ramayana has a detailed description of a trip to the moon itself in the Vimana! It is unbelievable. Thousands of years ago, they had already discovered how to go to the moon and it goes on to furthur describe a fight there. These descriptions are plush with scientific words and based on the idea of anti-gravity. They also claim to fight the pull of gravity with the help of mind’s power. That’s a bit of spiritual mix there. Also, there were four types of vimanas followed with detailed descriptions; basically Vimanas are cylindrical (sometimes circular) with a dome and porthole; it is said to emit a melodious humming noise while travelling at the speed of wind. Apart from Vimanas, Valmiki is seen to be teaching Rama two kinds of use of electricity (shushka and aardra) which when literally interpreted says – Continuous motion between poles will create electricity that can be transmitted through a metallic wire and it should have a mechanism to stop and start for smooth functioning.

Did you know that not just in our epics, but the Babylonians also have mentions of the flying machines?

Truly remarkable, isn’t it? The historians have it recorded that when Alexander had tried to invade India, his army was driven away by the sheer sight of ‘fiery, flying shields’. There is no more evidence about this spotting and we are left to guess it out. Many years later, they say that the Nazis got the idea of pulse-jet engines for their buzz bombs from our scriptures since information regarding various propulsion sources such as pulse-jets and combustion engines. Our scriptures seem to informed about so many scientific facts which means people of those times were far more brilliant that we ever presumed!

Many years later, King Ashoka had put together the scientific information from all the Vedic scriptures and compiled a series of books. Since he was against violence, those books were fiercely guarded from other blood thirsty kings. One of the books dealt with gravity and it was called ‘The secrets of Gravitation’. It also talks about interstellar space travel with the help of the power of ego in man’s physiological makeup called laghima which is “a centrifugal force which can counteract the gravitational pull” and this “laghima” enables a person to levitate.

The best part is yet to come. The portrayal of the war in Mahabharata is so realistic that it literally sounds like a nuclear war. It is said that ”The hair and nails fell out; pottery broke without apparent cause, and the birds turned white – after a few hours all foodstuffs were infected – to escape from this fire, the soldiers threw themselves in streams to wash themselves and their equipment”. This sort of thing is exactly the aftermath of a nuclear war. Water is the only thing which can save us. To top this all, the skeletons excavated from Mohenjodaro have been found to be highly radioactive! The Indus valley civilization (Mohenjodaro and Harappa) were the first ones in the world. If you look closely, you can imagine that the end of our epics were brought upon by a nuclear war between extremely powerful kings with some strikingly advanced artillery.

So what if the Hindu gods actually were great kings of the bygone era? Their power was so great that people made them gods. We may not have large amounts of evidence but I believe plenty of our manuscripts are yet to be translated from the old Sanskrit and that may hold the answer to all the mysteries because our Vedic scriptures are much vast and informative than anybody can ever imagine.
After all it is true that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. So guys, try to ponder on this and let your imagination run wild! We should not let our beautiful, rich heritage with its invaluable scriptures go undiscovered!
Hinduism is more than what meets the eye. It is more than a myth.

December 27, 2014
Pickle Juice? Stuffed Mussels? Think Istanbul.

Istanbul, where the West meets the East is home to a variety of finger-licking street food. Its not just about their taste, their uniqueness is something that deserves mentioning. Every region and country have their own native, indigenous flavors and recipes. Nothing can be more interesting for a foodie than discovering the secrets of the kitchen of the famous Turks.

Now, we are going to look at some of the bizarre, different but scrumptious roadside items that you can find on the Turkish streets.

1. Stuffed Mussels. Yes! There is a dish called stuffed mussels which is quite elegant looking with its oval shape and its bluish-black shells. They have quite hard coverings and they have to be soaked in hot water to be softened.Often stuffed with flavored rice and condiments, they make for excellent appetizers. You have to prise them open with a spoon or knife, squeeze out a trickle of lime juice and finally scoop out the insides from the shell with the other. Live ones can be tastier and quite fresh, only that you have got to have a thing for RAW.

2. Pickle juice. Everyone knows about the universally famous pickles. But pickle juice? Anything ranging from chili pepper,garlic and onion to beetroot doused in a cup of spicy pickle juice is a special drink of the Turks. Its Turkish name goes by ‘turşu suyu’ and it is considered good for health.It will take quite some time for anyone to get used to this drink! But, it has its own charm.

Apart from the drink, one can find mountains of bottled pickles in just about any shop. They Pickled gherkins, onions, beetroot, garlic, aubergine, carrot, tomato, plums, broccoli, olives ..you name, they have it. They are bottled away in different shapes and sizes of glass jars packed neatly and placed one on top of another.

3. Lahmacun. Pizza is an all-time favorite among, well, everyone if I am not wrong. But then, are you ready for the native Turkish pizza? It looks like our good ol’ pizza and can trick any pizza lover into believing so. It is a circular shaped baked dough topped with a layer of meat of any kind (according to one’s preference), not to mention the mandatory lime juice as flavoring. Once prepared with the above mentioned ingredients, it is put into the oven and heated till it gets crunchy and slightly blackened. Sounds pretty easy but quite difficult to get that right amount of heat to do the trick.

Pretty sure that many mouths are watering by now.

4. Doner kebab. Aye my non-veg lovers! This is yet another saliva-inducing item of the Turkish kitchens. The meat can be lamb, chicken or beef which is cooked and roasted over a vertical stick that keeps rotating beside the burning embers. It can be seen as a different form of barbecuing. As the stick rotates, the meat is scraped off with a knife from all sides and served hot in various forms. It can be wrapped up in flat bread or served as the stuffing inside a sandwich.

It is usually spicy; onions, chili pepper and such are served along with the meat. It’s Arabic name ”Shawarma” is known more commonly among people. Another thing to note is that there are plenty other variations of this kebab and can be found in a number of countries starting from the Middle East to the Norwegian regions!

5. Turkish delight. Invented in the 1777, these are tiny little cubes of delight, literally. Of various hues, they sit cutely on the shelves of the confectioneries. Anyone with a sweet-tooth is sure to be bowled over by these little ones.

I recently had a chance to taste them when my friend had returned from a world tour. It was my first time that I saw such sweet-looking sweets. Jelly-like, coated and dusted with sugar icing, it can come in different flavors. They come in various types; some have nuts like walnut placed inside them while others are two flavored. They are made of very simple ingredients – corn starch, sugar and water. They are called as Rahat lokum in the native tongue. Highly praised across the world, this sweet ended up travelling to many regions and thus has multiple varieties.

6. Simit. Its is a sort of circular bread coated with sesame seeds. They look cute too; imagine brown bread rings! It can taste a little sour but quite crispy. One of the favorite items for breakfast of the Turks is this bread ring and it can be accompanied with jam, cheese or jelly. It is popularly called the eastern sister of the popular Bagel.

7. Çiğ köfte. It is a kind of raw meat dish which is usually cooked with the meat of either lamb or beef. ‘Çiğ’ means raw and ‘köfte’ means rissole in Turkish of course. Supposedly very spicy since it requires the kneading of the tender meat with onions, tomatoes, chili pepper,fresh mint, parsley and various other spices. Scrambled eggs can be used instead of the meat if you want to do it vegan style. The whole dish is accompanied with lettuce leaves and lemon. Sometimes this meat is wrapped up in pitas or crackers. The Arabs eat it with bread with a little tomato sauce over it. In Istanbul, it is sold the vegan way since meat from fast-food outlets is not considered hygienic unless you get it hot right out of the oven of a Turk’s home.

All you chili lovers out there, you have to try this once at least in your life.

These are the seven major gourmet specialties of the Ottoman kitchen. Apart from its colorful cuisine, Istanbul also boasts about the Blue mosque with 6 minarets! It is a magnificent and grand specimen of Islamic style of architecture with blue-tiled interiors grabbing the limelight. Well, we can keep the architecture for another day.

Take a break and book a ticket to Istanbul. You don’t want to miss the Pickle juice, do you?

December 27, 2014
Mumbai Foods you cant live Without!
Mumbai, the financial capital of country has always been the home to many immigrants, who brought with them their culinary treasure. This city has emerged and grown from a fishing village to a metropolis, giving rise to its unique food culture. It is a perfect blend of all the Indian customs and traditions; Muslim, Gujarati,South Indian, Goan, Maharashtrian and also its own Mumbai style! Here are a few meals that will everyone residing in and visiting the city must have!

1. Street food:

Mumbai street food is the most unavoidable and essential food for every Mumbaikar. Found in every nook-and-cranny of the city, it is totally different from the other versions of chaat found in other parts of the country. It includes bhel, pani puri, ragda pattice, wada-pav, samosa chaat, dabeli, frankie and much more. There are stalls on the Mumbai streets and every bhel wala his own fan following. Famous among them include,the chaat stalls at Juhu Chowpatty, Girgaum chowpatty and stalls at the beaches. There also are juice centers and sandwich centers that contribute to the street food. Wada pav is the most liked and a staple food of all the Mumbaikars. Very much suitable for this fast-paced city, people can eat wada-pav at any meal time of the day. We also serve Indian version of Chinese food at Chinese food stalls. Bade-Miyaan (it now has a restaurant) at Colaba causeway, Ayubs at Kalaghoda and other non vegetarian food joints serve the best kebabs, mutton rolls and non-vegetarian delicacies in Mumbai. Pav-Bhaji is another specialty on the by-lanes of Mumbai. People from all over India come to Mumbai to eat Pav-Bhaji.

2. Coastal Meal:

Situated by the konkani coast, the city has a coastal food tradition of both: Malvani cuisine as well as Gomatak (Goan) cuisine. It includes fish, mainly; prawns, pomphret, Bombay duck, surmai and much more. It tastes best when it is served as fish curry. The taste of these cuisines is spicy, coconut-y, tangy and is served with rice. There are particular restaurants in the city that serve amazing coastal food. You will never have enough of it and will have you coming back everytime you leave having one. Goa house in Juhu, Satkar in Goregaon, Highway Gomantak are few restaurants that are very popular on the charts for serving the best sea-food!

3. Maharashtrian cuisine:

Come to Mumbai, and not have the Maharashtrian cuisine is impossible. When we talk of Maharashtrian cuisine it includes; a proper traditional Maharashtrian thali having varan-bhat (dal made up of cooked lentils in ghee, served with rice), vegetables made using special Maharashtrian masala and chapati. The other dishes include
- Zhunka bhakar: A very traditional dish, the zhunka is made using chopped onions tempered with mustard seeds and kadipatta leaves mixed with chickpea flour and is dry. It is eaten with jowar bhakri or roti). There are many midnight stalls open that serve it.
- Puran-poli: A traditional festive dish made by the Maharashtrians on holi and dusshera; made using yellow gram along with jaggery or sugar. after drying, Palm sized balls of this paste are stuffed into wheat flour dough and rolled out to be roasted on a tawa frying pan with a little ghee or butter.
- Misal-pav: Having its origin in , this dish is made as a curry of sprouted lentils, topped with potato, poha (rice flakes), chivda, farsan, raw chopped onions and tomato and is eaten with bread. Maharashtrian cuisine is said to be truly soul-satisfying and tasty. There are many more dishes and recipes that contribute to the it, one will have to visit Mumbai to try all of them out. But then, all of it will be irresistable. (Aaswad and Prakash eateries in Dadar are the highly recommended ones for having Maharashtrian food).
4. South-Indian Cuisine:

There is authentic udupi served in many udupi restaurants in Mumbai. Many of them serve in their authentic style: on leaves. Mumbai is the only place where you will find plenty of versions of South Indian cuisine. Must-have’s among them include Chinese dosa, Spring dosa, Schezwan dosa, Masala Idli and many such dishes mainly on restaurants and on street-stalls. The most recommended restaurants around the city are Ramanayaka’s Udupi(it is the most famous one), Udupi Idli house, Cafe Madras and Manis lunch home(famous for its thalis). This image is from the south Indian food cooking classes in Andheri.

5. The Mangalorean meal:

Mangaolrean dishes tend to be slightly meaty. They have adequate proportion of seafood and meat in their diet. The neer dosa, chicken roti, Kori roti from the Mangalorean cuisine is among the hot favourites of Mumbai people. There are few recommendations of restaurants like Mahesh Lunch home, apoorva lunch home, Pratap lunch home are few of the oldest restaurants that are highly popular for this treat.

6. The Iranian treat:

South Bombay is the home to the Parsi community who with them have brought their amazing culture. The town side of Mumbai also is a place of many old and popular bakeries and Irani cafe houses. Irani cafes today, offer simple signature Parsi dishes like Salli boti, Kheema ghotala, freshly baked bread with scrambled eggs, khaaris, cakes,sweet milk tea and much more. It is one of the tasty and essential-to-have treat in the city. The most popular cafe houses today are Kyani, Yazdani, Ideal corner, Jimmy boy.

7. International servings:

Mumbai food list would be incomplete if we do not include the American, continental cuisine. There are restaurants like Indigo deli that serve a slightly upmarket standards. today, many such restaurants are found in every mall. Poptates/Jugheads for Italian cravings, Mainland China for having Chinese treat. The coffee houses like Starbucks and Cafe Coffee Day also suit the same standard.

8. Old Bars:

There are age old bars in the city that attract many tourists as well as the city dwellers. They have a notified ambiance and food. Leopold cafe, Cafe Churchill, Cafe Mondegar are few of the city’s interest.

Mumbai is a city that is home to people of all cast and creed, it is the city of dreams where everyone coming here brings with him his own culture. And the diverse food culture is the result of the same fact. 🙂
December 27, 2014
A Visit to Akbar’s Tomb, Sikandra

A few days ago, I had the good fortune of visiting the tomb of the famous Mughal emperor, Akbar the Great. Located in Sikandra, a small suburb on the outskirts of the city of Agra, Akbar’s Tomb goes by much unnoticed by large hordes of tourists, just like the plethora of the city’s numerous other monuments as compared to the universally popular Taj Mahal. Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, widely known to be the greatest Mughal emperor by far and one of the most magnanimous rulers of the country prior to its democratic independence, reigned over his vast kingdom from 1555 A.D. to 1605 A.D. At the time of his death, the Mughal Empire stretched from Kabul in the west to Assam in the east, and from Kashmir in the north to Ahmednagar in the south.

Under Akbar’s rule, the country was united under a peaceful and safely secular co-existence, as he was responsible for abolishing the jiziya tax targeted towards non-believers of his religion, Islam, and bringing in more opportunities for all classes and castes under new, novel institutions, such as the mansabdari system. He united the country under a uniform, cultural, political, and administrative system, accepting its varied diasporas of religions, traditions, cultures, and customs with great tolerance and respect, thus earning the honorary title of “Chakravartin” from the masses, and the epithet of “Akbar the Great” from historians of every age. While Shah Jahan built the Taj and has been remembered by generations for the marvellous creation, the third Mughal emperor was just as illustrious a builder, and is credited with restoring and expanding the Agra Fort as we know it today, and the fabled city of Fatehpur Sikri with all its palaces, massive lawns, and various other royal structures in it, apart from many other monuments.

Set in over a hundred and twenty acres of open, fertile land, near the Jamuna River, the tomb commenced building in 1605 under Akbar’s behest only after he chose the site and renamed it “Bihishtabad”, which means heavenly abode. Akbar died later that same year, and his son and heir apparent, Jahangir built the monument of deep, red sandstone, as according to plan after that, completing its construction in 1613 A.D. The tomb is planned in the centre of a vast garden enclosed by walls on all sides, with a gigantic gateway on each side. The southern gateway is the largest and most intricate in its design, with two storeys, and four, circular, tapering minarets made from white Makrana marble of Rajasthan. The entrance portal here is 61 feet in height, and is flanked by double alcoves. Just the like the gateway to the Taj, this gateway also possesses Persian scriptures gorgeously furnished in marble relief, and an inlay of precious stones and gems in various designs. The twelve inscribed couplets eulogize Akbar and his tomb, and also reflect his philosophical views, apart from briefly mentioning Abdul Haq Shirazi, the head calligrapher on the project, and the date of the monument’s completion, 1605. The chhatri-styled tower incorporations have been inspired from the Char Minar in Hyderabad, which was built in 1591 A.D. by Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah.

The internal premises reflect the symmetrical charbagh (four gardens) architectural, which was a hit with the Mughal rulers, and true to its name, the garden is divided into four equal quarters, each separated by a high terrace or a causeway of stone masonry, 75 metres in width with a small water channel running in the centre and raised walkways on its sides. Distinctly raised from the present day deer-populated garden, these walkways can be accessed by staircases, which are accompanied by cascades and lily ponds. However, owing to the issue of devastating wildlife endangerment, the garden area is strictly off-limits for all visitors. In a distinguishing departure from most Mughal architectural pieces, Akbar’s Tomb does not feature any cypress avenues or flowerbeds rising from the causeways. This uniqueness is reflective of character, which is full of dignity, sobriety, and thoughtfulness, and peace, rather than the usual splendour, gaiety, delicacy, and superiority, associated with other Mughal monuments, and has thus been made in accordance with the personality of Akbar.

The main building is square in its outlay, and has five receding storeys. The ground floor has spacious chambers, with an elaborate marble entry portal to access each. The southern entrance of the tomb leads directly into the vestibule that opens to the main grave chamber. Austere in appearance, this chamber features Quranic verses in stucco and painting, an octagonal tower superimposed by an eight pillar chhatri (roof) and numerous arches. While the monument has been built mostly in sandstone by Akbar, as per old Mughal tradition, Jahangir’s architectural style is also reflected in the seamless incorporation of white marble in the gate minarets, entry portals, and the top storeys of the main building.

The upper floors of the monument have been cordoned off from the general public, and while it is not visible to the naked eye from the ground, tourist guides also mention a huge open-air square court on the top storey, 70 metres long on each side, and covered by arches. A cenotaph has been placed on the platform in the court, and has 36 Persian couplets praising Akbar carved on it. The tomb building is a four-tiered pyramid, surmounted by a marble pavilion containing the false tomb. The true tomb, as in other mausoleums, is in the basement. Apart from Akbar’s grave, many others of his family were also buried here, including a number of his queens and children, just like other Mughal mausoleums such as the Taj Mahal which contains the graves of both Shah Jahan and his queen, Mumtaz Mahal, for whom it was built. The tomb was severely damaged in the 16th century and was consequently restored by the Archaeological Survey of India between 1902 and 1911.

December 27, 2014