tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-348581182024-03-19T14:55:36.910+05:30Mumbai MagicA blog on Mumbai - the city, its people, its culture. Three of us write here - my daughter Aishwarya, my mom Janaki, and I. If you like something, leave a comment!
- DeepaDeepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.comBlogger375125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-58670264630119175262024-02-25T10:31:00.004+05:302024-02-25T12:19:23.160+05:30The Prince of Wales lunching in the Caves of Elephanta<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In October 1875, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert embarked on an extensive 8-month tour of the Indian subcontinent. In Mumbai, the royal party was entertained at the Elephanta Caves. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWE9ATPN3LkdSfF-k884A-RQV4NhsdCYb2VRnODrhe7LFIc3HYVthvFrREho7TMipbH9oZnMPVIyEXVuC-Yg2nR69pNS6sMYTZyskv1LYbYw-jhKFVmCdpWXl7T37SKv7XEDY-Jjm4Dy6Ozut1IyLYQIIVZxH6EjOmTWtascrL6K6X2HwHI-xz/s1050/271994762_4501937359915787_5261200126456458876_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="1050" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWE9ATPN3LkdSfF-k884A-RQV4NhsdCYb2VRnODrhe7LFIc3HYVthvFrREho7TMipbH9oZnMPVIyEXVuC-Yg2nR69pNS6sMYTZyskv1LYbYw-jhKFVmCdpWXl7T37SKv7XEDY-Jjm4Dy6Ozut1IyLYQIIVZxH6EjOmTWtascrL6K6X2HwHI-xz/w400-h300/271994762_4501937359915787_5261200126456458876_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="color: #050505;"></span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Illustrated London News faithfully reported the entire trip to eager readers back home. They commissioned William Simpson, an artist and lithographer, to cover the entire visit. Simpson would send draft sketches, which would then be engraved in London and the pictures would appear with a four-week lag. For the sake of speed, Simpson would typically only draw in detail the main parts, and send notes and descriptions to help the engraver figure out the costumes etc. </span></span></p><p><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Today these pictures are somewhat disturbing examples of what Edward Said defined as "Orientalism" - the imagining of the East by the West, in which the imperial regime controlled the way the subjugated culture was perceived. One of the features of this Orientalism is the figurative embedding of the Prince of Wales within that imagined Orient, asserting a superior 'civilised' culture. "We deserve to rule these chaps", seems to be the message. </span></span></p><div><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Take a closer look. The Prince of Wales lunching in the Caves of Elephanta. Illustration for The Illustrated London News, 11 December 1875. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Creator - Charles Robinson, English (1840–81). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Artwork medium - engraving</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzXiJTFwIyLz-pHYvD1cvKhFMTUEWGYsAECOJIGJKPS-DYo7MNrl9VPkFl8DIlDSDi2Zwr9luGXBF5Aj1lSM_cqMXDTtppCHF6_Iwu8-zm2-fx1iGe0evFohOygCvKtpA2biAwL07vpin_GWEZnsGiBEIUF0C91zkdtfNU6DL5NPVGK2Lwl6H/s1080/271994468_4501937353249121_7995416140296901685_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzXiJTFwIyLz-pHYvD1cvKhFMTUEWGYsAECOJIGJKPS-DYo7MNrl9VPkFl8DIlDSDi2Zwr9luGXBF5Aj1lSM_cqMXDTtppCHF6_Iwu8-zm2-fx1iGe0evFohOygCvKtpA2biAwL07vpin_GWEZnsGiBEIUF0C91zkdtfNU6DL5NPVGK2Lwl6H/w400-h300/271994468_4501937353249121_7995416140296901685_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWfKSh4xTSgrvqBI9FAy23cTRY4kWJhkNR37SoKtso7kezafRisls1Rn_2BY0SsWJjul-xuczxi6O03v9InXQP7pkFGzbbyChEbawXQOQnAjuF9r2U9HGsvoHF5X9UroyQ6Z1AElHk01b6BBz8GIGMwqh-srImCid9PJUxyftbvqdM4ar-omc/s1080/271999191_4501937349915788_3264183448754794393_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivWfKSh4xTSgrvqBI9FAy23cTRY4kWJhkNR37SoKtso7kezafRisls1Rn_2BY0SsWJjul-xuczxi6O03v9InXQP7pkFGzbbyChEbawXQOQnAjuF9r2U9HGsvoHF5X9UroyQ6Z1AElHk01b6BBz8GIGMwqh-srImCid9PJUxyftbvqdM4ar-omc/w400-h300/271999191_4501937349915788_3264183448754794393_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_p0VFwrF0yGuve4iplSwl8wpCTBc31HfDrncM7-WxzVJazw8BOLqVlDzKa2IgedY3vo1i_LgH0gwjXMjq39IEMNE7xb6qnq0163oLAmfv2KJkkdyK4AXnwYFrgYhvZaXRExO6-H3CjKWDU6ip8SyLQyfKXTjXh0cRVPGDJ6XEZSIJsaoRJxq/s1080/272001240_4501937356582454_3938757618540167024_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="811" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_p0VFwrF0yGuve4iplSwl8wpCTBc31HfDrncM7-WxzVJazw8BOLqVlDzKa2IgedY3vo1i_LgH0gwjXMjq39IEMNE7xb6qnq0163oLAmfv2KJkkdyK4AXnwYFrgYhvZaXRExO6-H3CjKWDU6ip8SyLQyfKXTjXh0cRVPGDJ6XEZSIJsaoRJxq/w400-h300/272001240_4501937356582454_3938757618540167024_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uf9mepSCZUq7whq0LYQL7QOL2pxfUbrVlrZKnqMuDGct5t7LkWFNInvEicrpRW2xsSPk6xJwhyphenhyphenB5Rnfu9iU4r_DirBCCwAkWY8a2SEC6j1Zb3CKeuiYkNqMxAhjASsAz084KLOkvDtKmfIhRSZE5eWHJ6y041CHdZnSPup9WS-2wTRmZg4qn/s1080/272035848_4501937363249120_7732810092579740552_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uf9mepSCZUq7whq0LYQL7QOL2pxfUbrVlrZKnqMuDGct5t7LkWFNInvEicrpRW2xsSPk6xJwhyphenhyphenB5Rnfu9iU4r_DirBCCwAkWY8a2SEC6j1Zb3CKeuiYkNqMxAhjASsAz084KLOkvDtKmfIhRSZE5eWHJ6y041CHdZnSPup9WS-2wTRmZg4qn/w400-h300/272035848_4501937363249120_7732810092579740552_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-52378855443116544122023-03-27T10:11:00.002+05:302023-03-27T10:11:49.878+05:30Spice Market at Lalbaug<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYu84wJrXbid5y-uots7xF6RQpp1UF4sLcwoDEDLP6xk-sWTEyR8NMrvyDNXVY4YRbcdkSPKXvCdB5VI2fdAxW4-datvopuYMCHPMchvyCQ2Wa13eD4jMQuOQezAJsGjd5oowlsRPSM0rThWZJC-UvsFpmGrjtQQRaIrC2RO5nBeDqFJwx2g/s1800/Lalbaug%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYu84wJrXbid5y-uots7xF6RQpp1UF4sLcwoDEDLP6xk-sWTEyR8NMrvyDNXVY4YRbcdkSPKXvCdB5VI2fdAxW4-datvopuYMCHPMchvyCQ2Wa13eD4jMQuOQezAJsGjd5oowlsRPSM0rThWZJC-UvsFpmGrjtQQRaIrC2RO5nBeDqFJwx2g/w256-h320/Lalbaug%201.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">A fun morning among masalas and pickles at Lalbaug Spice Market and Chivda Gully. Came home with a nice loot. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lunch at Shivaji Park's Gypsy Corner Maharashtrian eatery and the first mangoes of the season at Naturals icecream. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pramod's cousin Jaggi is a food fiend and naturally we had a blast. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMZdwLOwjlis32jLsJ-FgSIYYFQo8deOJjq6BRcZGHPXtJ0PGISkrLgy3naty9qW7yxrHlr1Y3w1ucoYZZ-sfuOdAMzVO-BdLID7kZoPUVHyWIBpn3SZl8lCm9xAM7gjw5TX4H4K3hrCr-mVh8AV-ye6dLYR5m3PExRRWQpF9PenFde1WzQ/s961/Lalbaug%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMZdwLOwjlis32jLsJ-FgSIYYFQo8deOJjq6BRcZGHPXtJ0PGISkrLgy3naty9qW7yxrHlr1Y3w1ucoYZZ-sfuOdAMzVO-BdLID7kZoPUVHyWIBpn3SZl8lCm9xAM7gjw5TX4H4K3hrCr-mVh8AV-ye6dLYR5m3PExRRWQpF9PenFde1WzQ/w320-h400/Lalbaug%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-57459186578125525582023-02-27T10:29:00.002+05:302023-02-27T10:29:36.258+05:30 The Accidental Professor! <p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">- by Deepa Krishnan</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2015 October I took charge of Abhyudaya, an education NGO, and suddenly found myself also becoming part of the teaching faculty at SPJIMR, which is the chief sponsor of the NGO. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was, I confess, a challenging assignment. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJclmEaou7oOACB-wvneaBT3lBHF2O-h1aaQnlsLrduX1JUyElwBzOGFKNwzLnFobl444zfDbgXfjKvMMH3MEyKEti3YwiXZ1rUysMldtW93AQ6K3qXSCCZaPLr-HPJVb03a2pp8TgEdknH9QfHF5w1c3VEdtzwDXkGmTAg2-y6uvoF5OfA/s1080/331550050_1159143714743615_8643217753901399266_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimJclmEaou7oOACB-wvneaBT3lBHF2O-h1aaQnlsLrduX1JUyElwBzOGFKNwzLnFobl444zfDbgXfjKvMMH3MEyKEti3YwiXZ1rUysMldtW93AQ6K3qXSCCZaPLr-HPJVb03a2pp8TgEdknH9QfHF5w1c3VEdtzwDXkGmTAg2-y6uvoF5OfA/w400-h300/331550050_1159143714743615_8643217753901399266_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Never having taught formally, I found myself attending training sessions and trying to develop a teaching style and curriculum of my own. I learnt the basics of academic research, wrote papers, became a columnist for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">strategy+business, and got empanelled on the editorial board of an academic journal (Emerald Emerging Markets case studies). Eventually I became good at delivering lectures and academic course design. Awards and recognitions came my way as well. </span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">But one of the nicest things in this academic journey are the student committees that I get to work with. The SPJIMR student committees are packed with hardworking and talented young people, who start out as strangers but end up coalescing into strong teams. Guiding their journey into a smoothly functioning unit is an exercise in mentoring and leadership. It has helped me grow as a teacher and as a person. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Photo is from the Abhyudaya Committee dinner that we had last night. This is the fab team that organised all my events this year. Thank you AbCom for a wonderful year!</span></p>Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-70527253992737882992022-06-19T09:45:00.003+05:302022-06-19T10:06:33.411+05:30In which Amma gets a smart phone<p>Yesterday Amma got her first smart phone. What a fun morning calling everyone! </p><p>The best call was to me, from one room to another! "Hello, who is speaking?" "Amma, it's me, Deepa." "Oh is that you?" And a long fake conversation after that in the Queen's English on useless topics! Just like kids playing "telephone-telephone". </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPrUyepYSTkymHcgmeoc63w7nEm5SE04HKG3mDQ6Dzqv2mgOm80pEnA8aafrrY4HKrUK8X7XnBeJ3R3mcD8hLnvh-X2dNLGzYU7_7pPyVrrSQez68phOBKx-KdpZIJX7yDlK6JszfOlpK25aY8R1pkfUCnWScTwcG7orUdCVriEyOPmuPCw/s1114/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-06-19%20at%208.51.01%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1114" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYPrUyepYSTkymHcgmeoc63w7nEm5SE04HKG3mDQ6Dzqv2mgOm80pEnA8aafrrY4HKrUK8X7XnBeJ3R3mcD8hLnvh-X2dNLGzYU7_7pPyVrrSQez68phOBKx-KdpZIJX7yDlK6JszfOlpK25aY8R1pkfUCnWScTwcG7orUdCVriEyOPmuPCw/w400-h315/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-06-19%20at%208.51.01%20AM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sister Roopa clicked this pic </td></tr></tbody></table><p>But more seriously, it made me painfully aware that one day, I too will be tech-challenged. I too will be slow to push the right buttons or read a scrolling screen quickly enough. Already I am on the edge of that. Although, I must confess, starting a new online business has taught me new some skills! I can now make insta reels and what not. Still...the day when I get both outdated and slow is not far away. </p><p>The most painfully beautiful thing about being near an aging parent is one's acute awareness of one's own future. I have my mother's body structure and temperament. Will I also have her frailties?</p><p>- Deepa</p>Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-78303469458102693372022-05-01T11:00:00.005+05:302022-05-01T11:00:44.360+05:30Visit to Pandharpur - March 2022<p>Visiting major pilgrimage sites is always an ordeal due to crowds and endless queues. But Pandharpur is an easy experience. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGsjr9GjS5X0Emj152XSyvaLol4FzoslSY1dGqgPM9XPzdjvhMbQV4Z-NX_zxr8xq137jan1h_LfkATljM2P3iRru6YXhKg6fbXJy6esYtd3oUDFjEN93Ve9Anxtt_a_K4sxUOyklZo5b2TXaywWDOJPoPFg2q1TqnKzYh6U1gaW6dh1Ti5A" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGsjr9GjS5X0Emj152XSyvaLol4FzoslSY1dGqgPM9XPzdjvhMbQV4Z-NX_zxr8xq137jan1h_LfkATljM2P3iRru6YXhKg6fbXJy6esYtd3oUDFjEN93Ve9Anxtt_a_K4sxUOyklZo5b2TXaywWDOJPoPFg2q1TqnKzYh6U1gaW6dh1Ti5A=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Our family in front of the temple, three generations</b></td></tr></tbody></table>If you book online slots for darshan it is a shorter queue and you are out in half an hour. The temple has long experience of managing lakhs of warkari pilgrims. The physical space is small so they have created a warren inside where the queues meander across multiple floors. </p><p>For those on wheelchairs there are special arrangements for quick darshan. No photography allowed inside, so this is the exterior.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpfC1K_NF85B4bHlF-kw81iZi0caKzS4Md-WH2E6x1GzOQ82C0UetWZ-JuTdfJp8Fu1g4yQDEHxGZd4yrkNtS0ECNS0UzkfxQj2o7-B6TAk4Kx3x_tyz-mMCE9v4IWw5Vhzsj0kMh5bBN5q2nuB2Cxltta-fCFo3QWN7ChjkoCuhD_NP7DRA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpfC1K_NF85B4bHlF-kw81iZi0caKzS4Md-WH2E6x1GzOQ82C0UetWZ-JuTdfJp8Fu1g4yQDEHxGZd4yrkNtS0ECNS0UzkfxQj2o7-B6TAk4Kx3x_tyz-mMCE9v4IWw5Vhzsj0kMh5bBN5q2nuB2Cxltta-fCFo3QWN7ChjkoCuhD_NP7DRA=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><b>First sight of Namdev and Chokha Mela shrines</b></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Namdev Payri is the samadhi sthal of the saint Namdev. "Jivanta Samadhi" was taken by 13 members of his family and Janabai in this place. The smaller shrine is of the poet Chokha Mela, who was one of the many followers of Namdev. His song Abir Gulal Udalita Rang is well known and widely sung. Being from a low caste, he was denied access to the temple. His bones were buried outside the temple, and many visit this spot where there is a small shrine. One cannot get away from caste and its hold... even in the India of today. Although things have improved a lot, there is still a lot of discrimination. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAXhvzQh1Nh4ZY0iRw8BNeZEJWwrYUIxiyTCSh6rXlERzynwSkIm_KA3MmATjJVhSbhHFAXCVv-6BI6JLk6RIDmB_4NhUr00pdM5NDv8eCY4AbW2dh4HtlizE0RSjCmk1CbObf6AlpYIrCPQsAKz7F2dpTN_36IqpnuzvFunoZy-jILl0QMg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAXhvzQh1Nh4ZY0iRw8BNeZEJWwrYUIxiyTCSh6rXlERzynwSkIm_KA3MmATjJVhSbhHFAXCVv-6BI6JLk6RIDmB_4NhUr00pdM5NDv8eCY4AbW2dh4HtlizE0RSjCmk1CbObf6AlpYIrCPQsAKz7F2dpTN_36IqpnuzvFunoZy-jILl0QMg=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Commerce and religion, always side by side :)</b></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhm7a59XhKZxSGSZUSuKUQ9T49WS7j4l0zoYOyz5Qyvs_wB1WyoYHVaKrQi65VUzCyU5QyCdfY2z6ThnyD_FESnfhtW9wdYyUOqVSSmycKD4SZs-UhgCq-BIwJQAsdJk1GDOL5wsDq9srFGzJUvRJLvKzgnrYWg5tabyOmqpRZGVTwUL_IHkg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhm7a59XhKZxSGSZUSuKUQ9T49WS7j4l0zoYOyz5Qyvs_wB1WyoYHVaKrQi65VUzCyU5QyCdfY2z6ThnyD_FESnfhtW9wdYyUOqVSSmycKD4SZs-UhgCq-BIwJQAsdJk1GDOL5wsDq9srFGzJUvRJLvKzgnrYWg5tabyOmqpRZGVTwUL_IHkg=w360-h640" width="360" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Guava seller outside the temple</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Guava is called Peru in Maharashtra. The term is likely derived from the source / origin of the fruit... they are from Central America / Mexico and were introduced into India in the 1600s by the Portuguese. Peru + masala... great combo.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcTLigapiGbLngKT-DlBmm4TqMZuF77BU4iaAbc1HhBndIelbFKw2ZZXY2ImoqG-JYhaPpJBm_NY6ge4KOEf93zQxxl9D-IqsdGY6U-u2hs05-mT9g5Zm15PcH9x0WiQVgjXGaXbALG4y8Q7sBiG_b42ksS3bHKbAsuVqhF_Z6Y3jl2Iu0HA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcTLigapiGbLngKT-DlBmm4TqMZuF77BU4iaAbc1HhBndIelbFKw2ZZXY2ImoqG-JYhaPpJBm_NY6ge4KOEf93zQxxl9D-IqsdGY6U-u2hs05-mT9g5Zm15PcH9x0WiQVgjXGaXbALG4y8Q7sBiG_b42ksS3bHKbAsuVqhF_Z6Y3jl2Iu0HA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Getting symbols drawn on hands</b></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Tukaram sings:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Gopichandan-uti tulasichya mala haar milwiti gala,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Taal mrudung ghai pushpa varshav,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Anupamya sukhasola re</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i>The pilgrims have anointed themselves with sandalwood paste and put on garlands of basil leaves. Drums are reverberating and flowers are being showered. The joyous celebration is beyond words.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The pilgrimage experience includes getting markings on ones hands and forehead. Experiencing Vitthala not only through the eyes (darshan) but also through one's own body.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Little boys come running with pastes and metal moulds when you reach the temple. The most popular are the Vaishnavite urdhva pundra marks on the forehead, but arms are also decorated with outlines of Vithhala or the temple or other sacred symbols.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbzIOYXgPuyQfanorm2wd62WjCSY8IVWHL43gRue7omDifijUIm23WLDb405Q1BnOA1XK5dVNWswCUi3kO9eF6UOyES98nD78z6UKu8H0jb2kj0Yus6WctU4xM3fbi6JC8Q5WYkFvysjTAyDCz2L6A5PGqtydc3WMx5ea1-Cr9mPkBPRFJHw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="468" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbzIOYXgPuyQfanorm2wd62WjCSY8IVWHL43gRue7omDifijUIm23WLDb405Q1BnOA1XK5dVNWswCUi3kO9eF6UOyES98nD78z6UKu8H0jb2kj0Yus6WctU4xM3fbi6JC8Q5WYkFvysjTAyDCz2L6A5PGqtydc3WMx5ea1-Cr9mPkBPRFJHw=w320-h400" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Amma with the forehead Vaishnavite tilak mark</b></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiow4mRtG1bZs1MCsVUnb3qeHMqh7evGGwXWZpVEhYo2B3cSjD5mKUxqK7RZOEZqJrBt01-tHs0EJLuw5iJ_I08b04j2kumbgXe7KYd9OT3UZyBnxMs4DJnYB6SS9fgXyM52-3gUx1eO2W2DD3k4hCJ5BVqkZc3pPlHe7d3erwtGx_DHxNVw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiow4mRtG1bZs1MCsVUnb3qeHMqh7evGGwXWZpVEhYo2B3cSjD5mKUxqK7RZOEZqJrBt01-tHs0EJLuw5iJ_I08b04j2kumbgXe7KYd9OT3UZyBnxMs4DJnYB6SS9fgXyM52-3gUx1eO2W2DD3k4hCJ5BVqkZc3pPlHe7d3erwtGx_DHxNVw=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>There is a lot of sugarcane grown in this belt, so of course, we had to stop to taste fresh juice!</b></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Overall, a great happy visit, and one that the family is still talking about it! We are already wondering where to go next.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div>Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-49075287258202124852021-10-04T19:29:00.003+05:302021-10-04T19:32:35.466+05:30The Magic Room <p>The Magic Room is a textiles and crafts store in Sion, which I opened this month. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNI1qX6z3Dm_wOPz3cTFSjnWS5uFXQpfCQbC1nBMTUDmd3rrvCGHuFMRysFiuH9WDsvR3yL1fKxOuMD2uUMYSG2HNFt3REg5WOcHeCGyYBh5L7itndJDUO-9dDp-S5sFSZZK4/s1280/3gen.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNI1qX6z3Dm_wOPz3cTFSjnWS5uFXQpfCQbC1nBMTUDmd3rrvCGHuFMRysFiuH9WDsvR3yL1fKxOuMD2uUMYSG2HNFt3REg5WOcHeCGyYBh5L7itndJDUO-9dDp-S5sFSZZK4/w300-h400/3gen.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>This pic is from our Navratri Exhbition, when my mother and daughter were both present and we got a 3-generation photo. Of course, I had to put it here! <p></p><p>The Magic Room is social enterprise that supports handmade products from India, with a focus on sourcing fairly from craftspersons, and supporting women entrepreneurs wherever possible. We also have a tailoring livelihood program for women (and men!) from low-income areas of Mumbai. </p><p>Do drop in at 331, Champaklal Estate, if you would like to see all the nice stuff we have on offer. </p><p>You can check us out on instagram here: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/magicroommumbai/">https://www.instagram.com/magicroommumbai/</a></p><p>Our facebook page is here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheMagicRoomMumbai">https://www.facebook.com/TheMagicRoomMumbai</a></p>Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-52222735801739527562021-05-08T23:15:00.002+05:302021-05-08T23:15:56.485+05:30Learning to Let Go<p>- by Deepa Krishnan</p><p>The government's handling of the pandemic has become a heated political debate. Today in three of my WhatsApp groups, I watched people leaving the group on account of differences in view points. A couple of them left without any explanation. A couple of them wrote a few lines and left without reading responses. I am sure all of you are familiar with such abrupt exits.</p><p>I used to be one of those abrupt exiters. Some years ago, you remember that time when all of us were having Modi-Wars and Trump-Wars and so on? In one such debate, I stormed out of a WhatsApp group, where there was a guy making me see red. At the time when I left, a couple of friends in the group reasoned with me, saying that I should learn to be more tolerant. I answered angrily that values mattered, and that such tolerance was in fact, cowardice. But eventually I went back to the group. And I learnt to tolerate the people who made me angry. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeQUbJTWblaVAWIEQZbpXLCwR-6Qiw1gwI5iJY-Y84cyk3s95zQ6NKODmelg75718NEvswo30eJ_aEIKRfE30yrlugiaM_dg8YrB8EO2GFx_1baZwfCaWvKjUKbdUq8fCMjko/s1440/blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAeQUbJTWblaVAWIEQZbpXLCwR-6Qiw1gwI5iJY-Y84cyk3s95zQ6NKODmelg75718NEvswo30eJ_aEIKRfE30yrlugiaM_dg8YrB8EO2GFx_1baZwfCaWvKjUKbdUq8fCMjko/w400-h400/blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>It's not easy, the process of learning to tolerate someone who is the opposite of you, and whose very presence is constantly pushing your buttons. I really struggled a lot. I still struggle, but it is getting easier. What made it possible was my realisation that the group was a community in which I lived (albeit virtually). Communities are made up of all kinds of people, just like the real world around me. I deal with a lot of diverse people in the real world, without getting into fights. Then surely I could do the same in the virtual world? As soon as I realised this, my online life changed and I stopped heated verbal duels. Instead I started modelling my online behaviour in line with my real world behaviour. It's nowhere near perfect, because hey, my real world behaviour also is very immature and impetuous. I still cuss and swear, but everything is much more calm than it used to be. </p><p>As I get older, I am trying to accept that people have different kinds of viewpoints, different levels of awareness, and different levels of sensitivity to certain values that I take for granted. What we think, is largely a matter of our upbringing, and the company we keep. If someone has been blessed with parents or teachers who made them think a certain way, or has developed a reading habit that made them more aware, they'll be a different type of person. Sometimes it's crisis that changes us. A friend of mine changed completely after her husband's affair. Another changed completely after his daughter went through a medical crisis; and started frequenting temples. It's really a complex cocktail. That's why political and relgious debates have no easy resolutions. Each person has to navigate their way through it.</p><p>Then what to do? Nowadays when I meet people who don't think the way I do, I engage upto a point, and then try to politely leave them to their doings. Instead of trying to convince them, I focus on my own work. I tell myself that I am responsible for my own path and my own growth as a human being. Others can find their own paths. </p><p>Doing my work gives me meaning and direction. That is enough. I really feel no need to evangelise these days. I feel no need to get angry. There is no benefit in anger except to make oneself sick, anyway. Often my blood boils and I want to kill someone, but I have learnt to leave the arena when it gets unpleasant or acrimonious. I, who used to be the original debating champion, am learning to let go. Is it cowardly? Yes. But it is also very liberating.</p>Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-50403886964875341882020-07-07T13:58:00.000+05:302020-07-07T14:01:57.338+05:30Lessons from Mumbai's bubonic plague<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'll tell you an interesting story.<br />
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It's a little long, but bear with me. If you want to know how epidemics actually play out in India, and how people react to it, you should listen to this story of the bubonic plague that hit Mumbai in 1896.<br />
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It has lots of similarities with how things are playing out with Covid. Lots of learnings, particularly in how people and governments behave in times of stress. And how epidemics behave in general.<br />
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In 1896, a strain of bubonic plague of Chinese origin, came to Mumbai. First it reached Hong Kong, and then came via ship from Hong Kong to Mumbai, carried by the rats in ships. As the plague spread among the rats, the rats died in large numbers. It turns out that the rats were carrying infected fleas on their bodies. When the rats died, the fleas on the rats jumped on to the nearby humans, looking for an alternative host. When the flea bit the human host, the human got the infection.<br />
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The plague hit Mumbai hard. The ground zero was a chawl in Mandvi (Masjid Bunder area) where Bania and Jain merchants had their warehouses on the ground floor, and workers lived in crowded conditions in the floors above, with common washrooms. When the plague was discovered, the grain merchants refused to kill rats citing religious reasons. In fact, they wouldn't let the British appointed rat catchers into the grain godowns. That ground zero area, as described in British record had leaking water, it was permanently dark and damp, with rotting grains and dead rats. And lots of people.<br />
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Naturally, more people started getting infected and dying in droves in south Mumbai. The main brunt was borne by the mill workers, mainly Hindu migrants from other parts of India.<br />
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The British were familiar with the plague, having seen The Black Death epidemic earlier. They cracked down fast on further spread by quarantining, strict isolation, disinfecting and washing streets, and insisting those who were infected get treatment (they put restrictions on what they felt were quack local medicinal practices). Fairs and pilgrimages were cancelled. House to house searches were made, and people forcibly evacuated and moved to camps. They had strict inspection in train compartments, with examination of both men and women to see if they were infected. Infected belongings were burnt to limit the epidemic. A huge outrage ensued among Hindus at these protective measures.<br />
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All containment measures were of no use. The British could not do anything about the panicked local junta, who fled the city. Some climbed up Malabar hill where they thought the plague could not reach them. Some fled across the Mahim Creek to Bandra, seeking protection there. Many crosses were built in Bandra at this time, some specifically to St Roch who is the patron saint of the plague.<br />
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As the deaths continued, more people fled into the interiors, taking the infections still further with them. Within the first 4 years of its arrival, the plague had killed 8 million people, say some accounts. Others say it was 6 million over a decade. Either way, it was a very high number. The deaths peaked in 1907, although the plague started in 1896. The deaths were mainly in Western India, but also in Punjab and MP, where people had gone carrying the infection. Rich or poor, it spared no one. The mortality rate, by the way, was less than 2%. Malaria and TB killed twice as many people in the same time. Similarly cholera and smallpox caused far more deaths. But it was only the plague which caused crazy panic.<br />
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Once people started fleeing everywhere, the British realised the futlility of their containment efforts. They switched to vaccination as a method to treat it; which by then had been developed at Parel by a clever guy named Dr. Haffkine. The bharatwasi public had no understanding of vaccination. Conspiracy theories sprang up, that the British were "giving injections to poison us". Quarantine and forceful evictions from houses continued, in the interests of public health. People beat up health workers. Tilak wrote long reams of protest in Kesari about how brutal the plague handling was. One British guy called Rand was appointed in Pune as Plague Commissioner. The Chapekar Brothers shot and killed Rand and his assistant as "revenge" for the insult to the "honour" of the city's women. This scared the British into thinking whether another Mutiny was now on the cards. So they backed off a bit, and authorised native vaids to implement the vaccine, hoping for more acceptance.<br />
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Did the vaccinations mean the plague ended soon? Hell no. The bubonic plague continued to kill people for 30 years. But the numbers were only high in the initial outbreak locations for the first 3-4 years. After that, people got smarter in keeping track of dead rats and outbreaks. Haffkine institute continued to do testing and control. There was no crazy panic. Vaccinations grew. They finally recorded 12.7 million deaths from 1896 to 1957. This strain of the bubonic plague was active till 1960. In that year, the worldwide casualty had dropped to about 200 people, and WHO classified the pandemic as over. So that's what it took. 60 years, for the plague to go away.<br />
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But we are not in an exactly similar situation now. Our medicine has advanced a lot. We have also taken containment steps. Long distance transport has been locked down. People believe in teeka (vaccination) and we have implemented many large scale such vaccinations so we know how to go about it. Our count of hospitals and facilities is much better than at that time. I do not believe the current epidemic will play out like the 1896 plague. I think soon the cure will be in place and available. Meanwhile please support government efforts at quarantine and keep social distance. Stay at home. Wear masks. Don't spread it to your friends and those around you.<br />
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Photo: Bombay plague epidemic, 1896-1897: interior of a temporary hospital for plague victims.<br />
Reference number: b1539282x<br />
Persistent URL: https://wellcomelibrary.org/item/b1539282x<br />
Catalogue record: https://search.wellcomelibrary.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1539282<br />
<br />
A good article for data: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2555600/pdf/bullwho00328-0149.pdf</div>
Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-46831024831299528922020-01-04T10:12:00.002+05:302020-01-04T10:12:44.905+05:30Pickled peppercorn<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The sight of fresh green peppercorn in the market brings out the pickling fiend in me.
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This is the simplest of pickles, but packs such a punch! Green pepper, marinated in salt and lemon juice, with a little bit of turmeric powder. Over time it acquires that crinkly salt-and-lemon soaked perfection. The photo on the left is from my last year's batch. The brine is even tastier than the peppercorn!<br />
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And in my south Indian household, this is the perfect accompaniment to thayir-saadam.<br />
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#indianpickles
#picklespreservesandchutneys</div>
Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-79530262638098503462019-10-24T09:25:00.000+05:302019-11-02T12:45:52.215+05:30Coral Jasmine - a carpet of flowers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you visit a flower market in Mumbai, you will usually not see the coral jasmine. It flowers at night, and when day breaks, all the flowers fall, leaving a beautiful carpet of flowers on the ground. It is a fragile flower, that fades quickly, and doesn't do well when transported to markets.<br />
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In my mother's apartment there is a coral jasmine plant; and every morning, the night watchman gathers up the flowers and gives them to my mother. Some of them go into the kitchen temple, but the others are used like this, as a beautiful carpet for her plants.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coral jasmine, offered to the Tulsi, and to other plants </td></tr>
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This jasmine is offered to gods, even after it has fallen to the ground. In Tamil, it is called <i>kanaka malli</i>, where <i>kanaka</i> means coral, and <i>malli</i> is jasmine. In Hindi, the coral jasmine is called <i>harsingar</i>, or the adornment of God. It is the state flower of West Bengal. In Bengali it is called <i>sheuli</i>.<br />
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This flower is also identified as <i>parijat</i>, a legendary flowering tree that is mentioned in the Puranas. As is common in Indian legends, there are multiple candidates claiming to be <i>parijat</i> :) In Tamilnadu, the <i>parijat </i>of legend is a much larger, all-white flower, with a very intense fragrance.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Krishna Uprooting the Parijata Tree, folio from a Bhagavata Purana manuscript (text in Sanskrit), Delhi region or Rajasthan, India, artist unknown,1525–50; opaque watercolor and ink on paper. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. </td></tr>
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Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-9070400430764132422019-10-19T06:37:00.003+05:302019-10-19T10:45:51.821+05:30Walking through Dharavi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's always eye opening to walk through Dharavi. Today I was with Kathy and Clive, they have been to India 5 times already, but to Dharavi for the first time. It struck me how many times she said "This is not what I thought it would be." There are so many misconceptions and cinema-driven myths that sometimes I feel everyone who visits India should do one of these walks.<br />
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A couple of pics from today's walk below:<br />
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Funky hairstyles at barbershop</div>
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Kathy tries a Royal Enfield. </div>
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Clive shows Torab his modified vehicles </div>
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Plastics for recycling</div>
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Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-65423083768936144572019-03-04T10:44:00.000+05:302019-10-24T10:26:39.560+05:30Indian Aesthetics - The Poetry of Krishna<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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- by Deepa Krishnan<br />
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Yesterday at The Magic Room, I attended a marvellous session organized by Expansions (curated by Sarayu Kamat). We listened to the very erudite scholar Dr. Harsha Dehejia speak on the many moods of Krishna Kavya.<br />
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<i style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I do not reside in Vaikuntha, </i><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">nor in the hearts of yogis.</span></i></div>
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<i><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Where my Bhaktas sing my songs, </span></i><i style="color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">there I reside, O Narada!</i></i></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The invitation for the event said: "Krishna’s romantic presence is best understood as kavya and not as a katha, and that too as muktak, or fragmented moment of romantic pleasure. While enjoying the sensuality of Krishna’s shringara, a committed Rasika will endeavour to move it to shringar bhakti. Krishna shringara ultimately should lead to brahma jnana and therefore ananda"</span></div>
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It was a pleasure listening to Dr. Dehejia, as he led us through the history of Indian Aesthetics, from the Vedas and the Upanishads, down to Brathrhari (Vakyapadiya, Sphota theory), Bharatamuni (Natyashastra, rasa theory), and Abhinavagupta (commentary on Natya Shastra). </div>
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After giving us a better understanding of various expressions of aesthetics - shabda, shilpa, natya - he then took us into the world of kavya (art, music, poetry). Specifically, he took us for an exploration of Krishna Kavya, tracing the major art and poetry movements of northern and eastern India. </div>
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I learnt a lot, particularly about saakar and niraakar concepts of brahman, about bhakti poetry, about the advaita and dvaita concepts that found expression in the literature. I also learnt the answer to a question that had been puzzling me, the question of Radha. I had never understood how suddenly Radha became a major goddess when she is nowhere in the Puranas. I learnt that Radha is a later construct by poets, particularly Jayadeva and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It is a great example of how poetry/music seeps into the Indian heart and fills it with emotion, even leading to mass acceptance of new gods and goddesses. I also learnt a lot about the major poets of the Krishna tradition, and developed an appreciation for Pahari and Rajasthani miniature art. </div>
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All in all, a very good way to spend an evening, and I was very thankful to Sarayu, for inviting me to the event. Here are some more photos:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sarayu Kamat introducing the speaker</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small glimpse of the audience</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Warli saree and jewellery from Indu Diva</td></tr>
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I wore a slice of tribal village life yesterday to the event - a handpainted Warli Art necklace and saree. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Indu.Diva10/" target="_blank">Indu</a> has done such a lovely project with this. The saree has a base cotton weave from Madanapeta in Telengana, and it was the perfect brown to set off the beauty of the Warli pallu. The artist who painted the necklace and the saree is from the Warli people, living in a village about 4hrs from Mumbai. She went to the village and got the jewellery and saree project kicked off. I felt very good to have supported this work, and it is a joy to wear something that has personal meaning. The Kotpad blouse from Odisha was really perfect! I have increasingly begun to make conscious choices about what I buy and wear. </div>
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Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-41646493592511542602018-11-24T10:48:00.000+05:302018-12-05T21:54:05.116+05:30Bandhara at Aptale Village, Jawhar region, Maharashtra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In May 2015, I went to a tribal area, about 4hrs drive from Mumbai. Since then, I have been working on a series of water projects there. Along with my friend Malathi, we have been building checkdams, ponds, wells, and rainwater harvesting structures. This is our latest project in the village of Aptale. It is a Thakar village. This area gets a lot of rainfall in the monsoons, but goes dry after the rains. Already you can see how the countryside has turned brown.<br />
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The water is from a perennial source which is a small trickle that gets lost in a muddy slush. In fact, the mud blocks the trickle and it stops flowing after a while. So now the mud has been removed and put in recycled gunny bags. It forms an impenetrable layer and the water will fill up the available stony basin in the coming months.<br />
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We normally use boulders with a plastic lining but this is faster and less expensive. And it uses second-hand bags which are easily available in the local market in Jawhar. This time we have experimented with a "fixed cost model". Instead of paying daily wages, we have given a fixed amount, after supplying the gunny bags. We told the village that it's now upto them to do it as efficiently and quickly as they can. The daily wage model doesn't work in Aptale, since we cannot monitor the project all day long.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJ6LtjraiEsV-einO6xvIwJ6LoY-gY0qPfWNAviyuf8ohKrsbvc8uKG-PaxgADIluRtIuUJ-l4S7cGzpAUWcVY6q9NolORdv8CpHIg6bB116A9W51fbMgy7Knml4uJOnDgeuG/s1600/cb43382c-55fd-4c6f-a833-c75889269c91.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJ6LtjraiEsV-einO6xvIwJ6LoY-gY0qPfWNAviyuf8ohKrsbvc8uKG-PaxgADIluRtIuUJ-l4S7cGzpAUWcVY6q9NolORdv8CpHIg6bB116A9W51fbMgy7Knml4uJOnDgeuG/s400/cb43382c-55fd-4c6f-a833-c75889269c91.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
A team of 20 people did this project. 10 people worked for 2 days, and another team of 10 people for the next 2 days. That way the earnings were spread over multiple families. We did not decide who would work. The village has come up with this system. I think that's a very good thing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_n2uAkOd4s_vF49c7-XcLov3vOEyLu-VAtKtCrYX1KSOfKQodjgKfMV-2KHO1KHyGjn5HIy0uifETZhlcs8MPyu3PU41xmMdGh0qV27jnQJfTAY7gLOHS3PWW-j9CB_D58fhb/s1600/b000e996-24e8-4205-8812-2c3801f5d3ce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_n2uAkOd4s_vF49c7-XcLov3vOEyLu-VAtKtCrYX1KSOfKQodjgKfMV-2KHO1KHyGjn5HIy0uifETZhlcs8MPyu3PU41xmMdGh0qV27jnQJfTAY7gLOHS3PWW-j9CB_D58fhb/s400/b000e996-24e8-4205-8812-2c3801f5d3ce.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The project is now finished. Waiting now to see results in the dry months ahead. As usual, I am taken aback to see how much can be achieved in rural India with very little money actually being spent.</div>
Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-25103421624479052782018-10-21T09:37:00.000+05:302018-10-23T09:38:52.364+05:30Milestones<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlRnPTIsTilX79P6ZMBadUE5RGp7M95s9tXhBcKJS2sVyEwXS9MyWJrUEbej3_gICa2mMkv7NVEcBw05zd0C5BTddjc4qxmbJvqhZs6MP2giQSqA0R6jvpSYOEqA5IUsSLeyL/s1600/50-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="796" data-original-width="552" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizlRnPTIsTilX79P6ZMBadUE5RGp7M95s9tXhBcKJS2sVyEwXS9MyWJrUEbej3_gICa2mMkv7NVEcBw05zd0C5BTddjc4qxmbJvqhZs6MP2giQSqA0R6jvpSYOEqA5IUsSLeyL/s400/50-1.jpg" width="276" /></a>So I turned 50 yesterday. I thought about what I want to do with the next 10 years of my life. I want to work further on rural water management and livelihood projects. I have set a target for myself of 1000 projects; big and small. Have done maybe 50 so far. Have a long way to go and much to learn.<br />
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Seeking blessings from all elders here and strength from friends. Inspired by many women who are decades my senior and continue to do good work.<br />
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So in case you want to know what I did for my big 50, I went for a drive with husband; spent time at two adivasi villages to review water structures and plan for the dry season. Visited parents to seek blessings. Husband bought me new jewelery to celebrate. A good day :)</div>
Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-52144695891919818202018-07-08T21:41:00.003+05:302018-07-08T22:58:04.592+05:30Van Ruith and the Western gaze<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>- by Deepa Krishnan</i><br />
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Horace van Ruith, a painter of German origin, arrived in Bombay in the late 1800's. He stayed in Cumballa Hill and established a studio there, at what was called the Cumballa Hill Family Hotel (which is now the Parsee General Hospital). Van Ruith painted landscapes, as well as portraits. But his career really took off when he started to do these Oriental scenes, and found patronage from Indian royalty as well as Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_LXR_aBWSKo5cq4WwL_hzwh5eu_zFArM8xbyLlP999M__ZYy7JFl40dUIlYDMZQqjm-EdbPr39GXNmEQIIuDr3wbO2KBCgW4DWp17A2GWT33kUKFO8db_A1wRAhgBvpupzkT/s1600/Van+Ruith+Brahmin+household+portrait.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="846" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_LXR_aBWSKo5cq4WwL_hzwh5eu_zFArM8xbyLlP999M__ZYy7JFl40dUIlYDMZQqjm-EdbPr39GXNmEQIIuDr3wbO2KBCgW4DWp17A2GWT33kUKFO8db_A1wRAhgBvpupzkT/s400/Van+Ruith+Brahmin+household+portrait.png" width="400" /></a></div>
The painting above is of a Brahmin household, says Sotheby's. To me it looks more like a small local temple courtyard, given the sadhu sitting in the corner, the tiling on the wall, the temple bells and the woman returning after offering prayer. Perhaps it is a small shrine, part of a nobleman's large private wada.<br />
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I liked all the little details in the picture; they are so very real and authentic. No foreigner could paint these from memory, so I am sure there was a photo or a series of photos for reference. Photography had come to India by the 1840's, and since no such family scene could have possibly been caught on camera, it is likely that this picture was 'made up' from some photographs of a more public location, combined with the painter's imagination. It is still a commendable piece that portrays small details perfectly.<br />
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Of course, like all paintings of the "exotic Orient", this one too leaves me somewhat troubled. When I see my culture represented via a Western Gaze, it's as if someone else has taken over the narrative, and I am seeing myself through their eyes, in a way that I may not particularly agree with.<br />
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What is this Gaze thing, and why does it matter? My cousin Lavanya recently said something about "The Gaze", which I found interesting.<br />
<i>Gaze: to look fixedly, intently, or deliberately at something. </i><br />
<i>The gaze has acquired different meanings in different disciplinary contexts. The Medical gaze which is the examining gaze, diagnoses and pathologizes. The Scientific gaze depersonalises, the Sociologists’ gaze diagnoses [society], the Anthropologists’ gaze [often] patronises, [sometimes] museumises, the Poetic gaze renders soulful, the Imperial gaze infantalises and talks down to subjects, the Supremacist gaze makes binaries of us and them...</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
This painting to me represents a Western gaze, the gaze of an outsider who sees something strange and mysterious and seeks to portray it that way. The problem with this is that when framed through the eyes of colonizers, complex cultures are often reduced to exotic stereotypes ... for example, if I were to ask you to describe Brahmin society on the basis of this particular painting, what words would you use? To me it seems to show a very idle community (see the sprawled, relaxed posture of the two men). Yet it seems to be a prosperous community (note the prosperous, healthy boy and his jewellery), using strange books and ritualistic paraphernalia to make their living in the world. It is a patriarchal community as well, with a little girl being trained in the ways of her dutiful mother (she with the downcast eyes). It's easy to see how such a portrayal may help build an image of a slothful and backward society that needs to be saved by Jesus, or reformed through colonialism.<br />
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Whether you agree with van Ruith's portrayal of Brahmin society or not, in the end, such exotic stereotypes end up creating "others" versus "us".<br />
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Here's another van Ruith, also painted in Bombay, called The Village Girl:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFj_yp-9Cp50GLc8xpXI9UwJ43Y_mB0aaWoMXTfj0YEy_8lsuNQcKMY-3rgDy9CMMClVh6UxC9AOrnyKm4P0LQS8dxefPrEQg0lZogqmALv5NHSF37hhUh9pSZLtOTW1a1VUh/s1600/van+ruith+female.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="379" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFj_yp-9Cp50GLc8xpXI9UwJ43Y_mB0aaWoMXTfj0YEy_8lsuNQcKMY-3rgDy9CMMClVh6UxC9AOrnyKm4P0LQS8dxefPrEQg0lZogqmALv5NHSF37hhUh9pSZLtOTW1a1VUh/s640/van+ruith+female.png" width="364" /></a></div>
In this painting, a Maharashtrian woman is portrayed somewhat pensively, delicately, suggesting that she is as soft as the flower she is carrying. This then, is the Male gaze, depicting women and the world, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective. From the khuna blouse to the Narayanpet saree, to the hair tightly done in an amboda, this one is so real. But if you have ever carried a pot of water in a heavy copper pot, then you'll know that it takes strength. However, male representations do not usually reflect the strength of the woman. And we, the viewers, both male and female, internalize this male gaze, and begin seeing ourselves thus.<br />
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Raja Ravi Varma greatly admired van Ruith's work, and a whole generation of Indians have internalised Ravi Varma's portrayals of soft, vulnerable, Indian women.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhc8w6G6xysN_Q7dImY4a-10J4g-s6AdHltCpTaRQolgC_6aHoc2rrUhelUQNMwuV7F0RRR7fMsgRRo85qdGNT9BAJYa4xnj0c1XZhTCGKOy8gvCE4KTWaGEFLO7KAbnHMtQ_o/s1600/Radha+in+the+Moonlight.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="416" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhc8w6G6xysN_Q7dImY4a-10J4g-s6AdHltCpTaRQolgC_6aHoc2rrUhelUQNMwuV7F0RRR7fMsgRRo85qdGNT9BAJYa4xnj0c1XZhTCGKOy8gvCE4KTWaGEFLO7KAbnHMtQ_o/s640/Radha+in+the+Moonlight.png" width="462" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Radha in the Moonlight, Raja Ravi Varma</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I don't have anything against either van Ruith or Ravi Varma, or the way in which they portrayed what they did. All humans have a gaze. If you want to tell a story about someone, you need to adopt a gaze; and they adopted what came naturally to them. But my personal view is that in portraiture at least, if a story-teller begins from a point of empathy, it would perhaps help tell the story in a more authentic way. The starting point for any portrait artist is to be aware of their own gaze, and how that impacts the portrayal they are about to undertake.<br />
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I am myself a story-teller; I write about the people of India. My travels in India take me to so many different cultures and communities. Seeing van Ruith's work has come as a good reminder to check my own gaze from time to time! I now am becoming acutely aware of my own gaze, and how difficult it is to tell a story without altering it to suit my imagined worldview.<br />
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<i>Photo sources:</i><br />
<i>http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2017/modern-contemporary-indian-art-n09664/lot.102.html This painting of the Brahmin household sold for Rs 2.5 crores in Sotheby's March 2017 auction.</i><br />
<i>https://www.grosvenorgallery.com/exhibitions/49/works/artworks1465/</i><br />
<i>https://auctions.pundoles.com/lots/view/1-58K3E/radha-in-the-moonlight</i></div>
Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-8977197354318178382018-04-24T10:51:00.000+05:302018-04-24T10:53:22.901+05:30Women Entrepreners in Tourism in India <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was happy to be featured in Tourism India's Cover Story on women entrepreneurs in tourism.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieL8CLqLJkidEh20EhG6fFOcaSW-YqiuGClWhowm80YiuiTat2UZ8bLF40nXu5Gzvr_uaPUhlZ_5GBdWOr05FjQ0QIutZUL9RSfCKE07-ZL8JEZNmwdPijOws8Iu0AxXnDypsR/s1600/30571326_2164600666900163_853192530341134336_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="960" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieL8CLqLJkidEh20EhG6fFOcaSW-YqiuGClWhowm80YiuiTat2UZ8bLF40nXu5Gzvr_uaPUhlZ_5GBdWOr05FjQ0QIutZUL9RSfCKE07-ZL8JEZNmwdPijOws8Iu0AxXnDypsR/s400/30571326_2164600666900163_853192530341134336_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Interviewer: Mumbai Magic is considered as one of the rarest Responsible Travel experiences in India. How did it all begin?</b><br />
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Deepa: I graduated in 1990 with an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. I spent nearly two decades of my career in the corporate world, mainly in banking technology. I travelled widely due to my work, and met people from many countries. My journey in tourism only started in my late 30’s, when I realized that India has so much more to offer to tourists than just monuments and shopping. So I set up a guided tours company that offers bazaar walks, heritage walks, art walks, food walks, home-cooking, textile trails, craft trails etc.<br />
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Initially, it was just a hobby, which I did along with my corporate career. But what started as just a hobby in 2006 has now become the largest pan-Indian guided tours company in the inbound segment, offering offbeat experiences in 27 different cities. Mumbai is our flagship city, but we are not just “Mumbai Magic”; we have 27 different Magic cities! I have personally visited these cities, read a lot about them, walked and explored the lanes and bazaars, and created these tours. So we are not just tour resellers, we are an imaginative company that creates tours, and we continue to launch at least 5-6 new tours each year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudUtnir7u4KA4ArCMKd2aEqv5T1a4HEUiRm1kJcvKovRp-3NE8HUEvAMG1tk0gMyAFBTV0C0cqaar1cSUWO-XeRDsxi9rx7H-PFfAtTS6Ov5r6CvvFuhU2VZGXS1aWDIuuvvn/s1600/30571428_2164600790233484_3174163818825646080_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="779" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudUtnir7u4KA4ArCMKd2aEqv5T1a4HEUiRm1kJcvKovRp-3NE8HUEvAMG1tk0gMyAFBTV0C0cqaar1cSUWO-XeRDsxi9rx7H-PFfAtTS6Ov5r6CvvFuhU2VZGXS1aWDIuuvvn/s400/30571428_2164600790233484_3174163818825646080_n.jpg" width="323" /></a>Across India, we now have a network of more than 100 guides and experts, who help tourists see the “real India”. I believe that tourism is a great area for women to work, since the work is flexi-time and part-time. We employ female guides wherever possible – in fact, we currently have the largest network of women guides in the country, and many companies approach us for providing safe travel for female tourists.<br />
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<b>Interviewer: You are one of the pioneers in Responsible Tourism initiative in urban travel segment who have already created different aspects to Travel through our cities, especially in Mumbai. Please tell more about this journey. </b><br />
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Deepa: I have always wanted to make a positive impact through the tourism business. So we employ and train students from slums, in order to help them earn incomes and get work experience while they are in college. We have created two flagship tours – MUMBAI LOCAL and DELHI BY METRO – in partnership with local non-profits. These tours are run by college students from low-income neighborhoods, and they use local transport (bus, taxi, train, rickshaw, metro, etc.) to explore the city. Tourists really enjoy these experiences, because they are offbeat and interesting. The income from the tour is shared between the student guides, the non-profit, and our company, thus providing a winning combination. These tours have been running successfully for the past 10 years and have contributed significant income to the students as well as the non-profits. We have had 52 college students work with us (usually for 3 years or more), and they have all made us proud through their achievements. Some of our students have now entered full-fledged careers in tourism, some have acquired jobs in top multinationals, some are studying for MBA, some have gone to the USA for studies, and some have started their own tourism ventures. It makes me really happy to see these students doing so well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9P9cKVQr91sY3YMfysk9udaEGCrylix-LYPlWZW9CkFOgqUrsZkOhyqhlcK9n7nsg6UkktMzsV5fvHbaKAvqQdj5EjO7fpH2q6op6nzXWe212dtZu5vH_owZpz322sev69d_O/s1600/67805a77-7324-4831-890a-bd070c7c0b82.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1040" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9P9cKVQr91sY3YMfysk9udaEGCrylix-LYPlWZW9CkFOgqUrsZkOhyqhlcK9n7nsg6UkktMzsV5fvHbaKAvqQdj5EjO7fpH2q6op6nzXWe212dtZu5vH_owZpz322sev69d_O/s320/67805a77-7324-4831-890a-bd070c7c0b82.jpg" width="320" /></a>In many of the cities where we work, we partner with local non-profits and actively canvas for donations to these non-profits. We try to bring incomes to marginalized sectors. Since many of our customers are foreign educational institutes, we create experiences for them where they can understand social issues in a sensitive way without disrespecting local communities.<br />
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In Mumbai we are ourselves working in 4 adivasi villages (around 4hrs drive from the city), building dams, wells, ponds and other rainwater harvesting structures. In addition, I myself run an education NGO in Mumbai called Abhyudaya, with 500+ children. Last year I also founded Abhyudaya Community Initiative, a women’s self-help group which creates textile craft products. I do a lot of work in promoting Indian handlooms and I am a member of the NABARD Task Force for handlooms.<br />
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<b>Interviewer: Travel & Tourism sector is considered to be a man’s world. How did you make into this sector and what are the challenges that you faced? </b><br />
Deepa: I don’t believe that any sector is “a man’s world”. When women are flying fighter jets and facing combat situations, why should we have this mindset? In fact, travel and tourism is a great area for women to work in. I can honestly say that I have never faced any challenges specifically due to my gender. Creating and growing a business is always challenging; whether for men or women. If anything, I believe being female is an asset, as you are more easily able to stand out among the crowd. Besides, a lot of foreign tourists often prefer dealing with women.<br />
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<b>Interviewer: More women entrepreneurs are now enter into the Travel & Tourism sector today. What is the advice you give to such young women?</b><br />
Deepa: An entrepreneur is one who is willing to take risk, show leadership, and bear hardships. This is not an easy thing. Anyone who enters this – whether man or woman – has to be prepared for some tough times. For new women entrepreneurs, my advice would be to develop a strong spine and a somewhat thick skin! Don’t let anyone discourage you, because many people will be very skeptical of your journey.<br />
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<b>Interviewer: How women can enhance this industry from a woman-point of view?</b><br />
Deepa: I would urge all people in the industry to provide flexi-time, flexi-location jobs. This is a real boon for women. Even for men, it helps to bring more work-life balance.<br />
In our office, we provide opportunities for our staff to work part-time and flexi-time. The employees receive a share of the profits, thus everyone is a part of the growth journey. Due to these people-friendly policies, our team has been stable since the beginning. Stability brings deeper expertise, which benefits our tourists.<br />
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<b>Interviewer: How you feel when you look back on your journey from an ordinary Indian girl to a respected Travel professional now? How you foresee the future of Indian Travel Industry ?</b><br />
Deepa: I don’t look back very often, but when I do look back, I am happy with the value we have added to all stakeholders – employees, contractors, customers and society. There is still a lot of work ahead, so I am very occupied with the future! Although I have travelled a lot in India, there are still many new places to explore and new experiences to bring to tourists. The Indian tourism industry is still focused on specific geographies, and does not do justice to many exciting and interesting segments. I am hoping to bring more balance to this.</div>
Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-68257731247335395362018-02-11T07:39:00.000+05:302018-02-11T07:39:07.677+05:30Lahore ki Lakshmi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GSU2KbNjA5BbsxGzdDbncr8-OIxeELsY-BajDl6KT-BKaD7K-pNmEmVsRbOpJNo1K8jmiskNs_v4oe6rZ3tlq6DkpTTmhE3rcwj9R5z7v9x22gnjDIMFN992OxflN_TLJCPS/s1600/20180210_162204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4GSU2KbNjA5BbsxGzdDbncr8-OIxeELsY-BajDl6KT-BKaD7K-pNmEmVsRbOpJNo1K8jmiskNs_v4oe6rZ3tlq6DkpTTmhE3rcwj9R5z7v9x22gnjDIMFN992OxflN_TLJCPS/s400/20180210_162204.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lakshmi Insurance Building, Bombay</td></tr>
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<div style="background-color: white; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">This is the Lakshmi Insurance Building on Pherozshah Mehta Road, opposite Bombay Store. It has a </span><span style="color: #666666;">clock tower with a statue of the goddess Lakshmi.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why am I calling it Lahore ki Lakshmi? Because the Lakshmi Insurance Company was originally founded in Lahore by Lala Lajpatrai. This building was the Bombay branch of the company (later merged with the Life Insurance Corporation).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is also a Lakshmi Building in Lahore, which was the headquarters of the insurance company. In fact, the crossroads at which the building is located in Lahore is called Lakshmi Chowk.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lakshmi Chowk in Lahore was a popular hangout for Bollywood celebrities and hopefuls, because many studios and movie offices were located there. The famous villian Pran got cast in a movie when he was hanging out at Lakshmi Chowk at a paan shop :) Apparently a director named Wali spotted him, and scribbled the address of a studio on the back of a cigarette packet. Thus began Pran's journey into films.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Dev Anand, Balraj Sahni, Mohammed Rafi, Om Prakash, Pran... all these major Bollywood stars hung out in Lahore's Lakshmi Chowk. And eventually migrated to Bombay to find fame and fortune here. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lahore's loss was Bombay's gain.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cTkMMIru-gXujqrk5098dpNaoVzb8PGJlbv3_2EDgSx-R0JIJCPJLC7JYdsyDAPt3oTVtEhlYqPCrznH3b6ujw1U1mlXiDVmhWuL2Ldi2NF2umW-oBnz0e_olFYrOtYnHl32/s1600/20180210_162214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1cTkMMIru-gXujqrk5098dpNaoVzb8PGJlbv3_2EDgSx-R0JIJCPJLC7JYdsyDAPt3oTVtEhlYqPCrznH3b6ujw1U1mlXiDVmhWuL2Ldi2NF2umW-oBnz0e_olFYrOtYnHl32/s400/20180210_162214.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cutest Art Deco Elephants in Mumbai</td></tr>
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Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-25147895651764655532017-07-15T11:45:00.002+05:302017-07-15T19:33:31.891+05:30How to build an ethical design business?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>- by Deepa Krishnan</i></div>
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I went to Kala Ghoda yesterday to meet a young man named Yazad. He is from LA, but is here in Mumbai now. The Parsi entrepreneurial streak is calling to Yazad, and he is plotting his own design label. He wants to launch a brand of ethical, sustainable clothing for millennials. </div>
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Just before meeting Yazad, I went to the new <i><a href="https://www.ikatindia.com/" target="_blank">Translate</a></i> store at Kala Ghoda, and I couldn't help thinking what a great learning ground this store is. Yazad could learn lots of things from this brand.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSC0BzuBNplxQoIgTWbE8RW-Mv4BJfwIdnr3BeUJ7o8z4bBHHObiIucR-4ZOxf5XRvt-Od6fJ_4pANA7pgY1ZHg_mpU5bhyphenhyphensoscRpJqVGOZD7sGraquEAvFvsSRpgmPQV3IrHH/s1600/Translate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSC0BzuBNplxQoIgTWbE8RW-Mv4BJfwIdnr3BeUJ7o8z4bBHHObiIucR-4ZOxf5XRvt-Od6fJ_4pANA7pgY1ZHg_mpU5bhyphenhyphensoscRpJqVGOZD7sGraquEAvFvsSRpgmPQV3IrHH/s640/Translate.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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True to its name, <i>Translate</i> has taken the traditional technique of ikat, as woven in the village of Pochampally near Hyderabad, and translated that into something contemporary, innovative and stylish. Urban women can wear these clothes easily, confidently, in lots of different leisure contexts. Some of the shift dresses can be worn to work as well. <i>Translate</i> has taken care with design and finish; the quality is easily visible. The sizing and cuts are designed for real women, not impossibly skinny models.</div>
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Clearly, <i>Translate</i> knows their audience, and has managed to find a price point at which the business is able to thrive. And they have found a clear design identity niche as well: ikat for sophisticated urban tastes. After their initial days in Hyderabad, they have now expanded into Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. </div>
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Any successful design and clothing business, especially one that works with traditional crafts, needs a lot of different ingredients to work well. First, there is product creation itself. This kind of product cannot be done with just top-down design inputs from a designer. It is often is a collaborative process, with the realities of the craft interacting with the sensibilities of the designer.<br />
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The designer brings their understanding of the customer and market into the game. The craftsperson brings their own understanding of fabric, colour, and technique. In the case of ikat, for example, they bring a very sophisticated understanding of dyeing of warp and weft into patterns. Locating the business close to the craft source is a good way to ensure there is ongoing collaboration between the designer and the craftsperson. </div>
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But product creation is just the beginning of the story. I was telling Yazad last night that too many designers spend all their energy worrying about the product design. In the process, they forget to focus on the other things that make a sustainable commercial success.<br />
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It's hard for one person to have all the abilities to make everything work. But if you look at successful designers, you'll see that they all have sharp commercial acumen as well. They've managed to figure out how to finance their business. They've figured out pricing and margins. They've often started out with very low overhead costs, and only later taken on big fixed expenses. They've learnt the fine art of storytelling around their work, creating the necessary buzz (even when their marketing budgets were close to zero). These are fundamental entrepreneurial skills, which someone like Yazad has to cultivate if he is serious about getting into the design business. </div>
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The other big part of the story is ethics. Yazad wants to run an ethical business. In the design world, this means paying fair wages, giving credit where it is due, and not copying designs. It means following a fair pricing policy. It means upholding the laws of the land. It's really tough for anyone except an insider to figure out whether a business is being run on ethical lines. I'm sure for every ethical design house that exists, there many more pretenders.<br />
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Running an ethical business can be very difficult, simply because it often means your costs will be higher than those of competitors with fewer scruples. How does one survive in a situation like that? It may mean you need to accept lower margins for yourself. It may mean raising prices - but then customers must be convinced that your products offer them value for the premium that they pay you. What are you giving them, that someone else isn't? Designers must answer that question with brutal clarity if they want to succeed.<br />
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In the process, you must also define who you want as your customer. And who you don't. Here's the thing: You cannot build an ethical business that will cater to *everyone*. Do not agonize over the ones who go away. Learn some equanimity. </div>
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My personal belief is that an ethical business can be built only when you don't really place money above all else. You need to be able to accept financial losses when ethics cost you money and customers. Sometimes really big setbacks will come and knock you off your feet. You have to pick yourself up and find the path again. If your value proposition is right, you will find that sweet spot, where customers and money will all come your way. But when push comes to shove, you have to be able to say, "This much is enough for me. More than this is greed. If I do this greedy thing, it will compromise what my brand stands for." </div>
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I hope Yazad will find his path to ethical success. I hope he will find this sweet spot. </div>
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Yazad is the nephew of my friend Gulserene. Last night we had dinner at Chetna at Kala Ghoda. Here are a couple of photos. By now I guess at least *some* of you want to see who this Yazad is. That's him in the maroon shirt. OK, OK, burgundy if you prefer :-) My friend Gulserene is the one with the arms folded on the table. We were chatting into the night, long after our plates were cleared. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurYbplWU8H1huqYF5e1VOkNdLiNkZWHuhK-ZCPeF0X_D-sl7cqS4b9oU5ZIYenKXi5dAcTka1X2mxgXRz2Q-QJqUZe8zSQv8I1vUWmOJpDeQCZmeibrZ002rtUj5WnkuUheh4/s1600/gulserene2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="1600" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjurYbplWU8H1huqYF5e1VOkNdLiNkZWHuhK-ZCPeF0X_D-sl7cqS4b9oU5ZIYenKXi5dAcTka1X2mxgXRz2Q-QJqUZe8zSQv8I1vUWmOJpDeQCZmeibrZ002rtUj5WnkuUheh4/s400/gulserene2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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At last night's dinner, I had the privilege of listening to <a href="http://ijme.in/articles/dr-sunil-krishnalal-pandya/?galley=html" target="_blank">Dr. Sunil Pandya</a> of KEM, who has been at the forefront of medical ethics in India. Dr. Pandya's wife Shubha - sitting just across from me - is also a doctor (her area is leprosy); and she has a PhD in history as well. Next to Yazad is Dr. Lopa Patel, again from KEM, whose research work on cancer has generated much controversy. She has stood firm by her beliefs. What an amazing set of people, each making a difference to the world in their own way. Gulserene made a documentary on KEM, called "<a href="https://scroll.in/article/695316/new-film-captures-drama-death-and-amazing-grace-in-a-reputed-mumbai-public-hospital" target="_blank">Getting Better</a>" - and she is the thread that tied us all together. More about her documentary in some other post, perhaps!</div>
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Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-71399583729306408182017-07-02T21:14:00.000+05:302017-07-02T22:44:35.857+05:30Mumbai's largest Baghdadi synagogue <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>- by Deepa Krishnan</i><br />
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In the late 1700's and early 1800's, Jews from Iraq began arriving in Calcutta and Mumbai.<br />
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It was not the first time Arabic speaking Jews had made their presence felt in India. The Great Mughal Akbar had a Jew in his court, and so did some subsequent Mughal emperors. Surat was one of the major ports of the Mughal empire, and Jewish merchants were well-established there, trading with the British East India Company.<br />
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As Mumbai prospered in the 1800's, Jews from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen began arriving in Mumbai in significant numbers. A lot of them came from Iraq, and so they were called Baghdadi Jews.<br />
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There was already another Jewish community in Mumbai, the Bene-Israel (Children of Israel). Believed to be one of the "ten lost tribes" of Israel, they had been in India for many centuries. The Bene-Israel were quite different from the Baghdadis - they spoke Marathi, and looked more Indian than Middle-Eastern. After many centuries in Maharashtra, Bene-Israeli cuisine had become localised, while the Baghdadi Jews followed their own cuisine. The prayer rituals of the Bene-Israel were also different from those of the Baghdadis. The two communities therefore, maintained a cultural distance, and did not intermarry.<br />
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In the initial years, the Baghdadis were few in number, and they prayed at the synagogues of the Bene Israeli community. But as their numbers grew, they began to want their own synagogue in Mumbai.<br />
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Two factors made this dream a possibility. The first was the arrival of the wealthy Sassoon family of Baghdadi Jews in 1832. The second was the opening of the opium trade in the 1840's which allowed the Sassoons to amass huge fortunes. As their wealth multiplied to astronomical levels, the Sassoon family naturally became the de facto leaders of the Baghdadi community. Building a Baghdadi synagogue was an obvious logical demonstration of that leadership. The patriarch David Sassoon was a practising Jew, who observed the <i>shabbath</i> throughout his life.<br />
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In 1857, while the country erupted in flames of revolt against the East India Company, David Sassoon moved ahead with plans for the first Baghdadi synagogue in India. The Sassoon family owned land in Byculla. A plot was identified and architectural design commenced. The design selected for the synagogue was Western-inspired architecture, rather than Middle-Eastern or Indian. Perhaps it was because the Sassoons were quite well-aligned with the British. While David Sassoon did not speak a word of English, his three sons did, and they wore both traditional and Western clothes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-ehl8ueDK8wjJ5-6kUsafL6kJPxLae6v7va-z7b0Vk-Db6cHPuEO89k7i2Cve5mr8vbAl9HN9PPw18f3ymp4KhdHwPpRM_khyXgbQ_9z98Fmk7Pjx2g7fbP6Txt3KgZ33TPL/s1600/jewish+heritage+magen+david+exterior+gxj9370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1342" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-ehl8ueDK8wjJ5-6kUsafL6kJPxLae6v7va-z7b0Vk-Db6cHPuEO89k7i2Cve5mr8vbAl9HN9PPw18f3ymp4KhdHwPpRM_khyXgbQ_9z98Fmk7Pjx2g7fbP6Txt3KgZ33TPL/s400/jewish+heritage+magen+david+exterior+gxj9370.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Construction progressed quickly. In 1861, the synagogue was consecrated, and named <i>Magen David</i>, Shield of David. It was the largest synagogue in Asia at the time. A few years later, the Sassoons built the <i>Ohel David</i> in Pune, which I think is even larger, although I cannot tell for sure.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmBpDhSAX9norhkXTy7DrV3l6r12HJkadF3o6Fz27dTAMW7SrV0HdFrxT6Do92np-BUfBapDBBOsYEm33rMLUtq9sM4LYsloYGohMlsAEBqvYmxCJSwnF5bTEGkdw26D8vof7/s1600/Magen_David_or_Sha%2527ar_Ha-Rahamin_Synagogue_of_Bombay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="247" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmBpDhSAX9norhkXTy7DrV3l6r12HJkadF3o6Fz27dTAMW7SrV0HdFrxT6Do92np-BUfBapDBBOsYEm33rMLUtq9sM4LYsloYGohMlsAEBqvYmxCJSwnF5bTEGkdw26D8vof7/s200/Magen_David_or_Sha%2527ar_Ha-Rahamin_Synagogue_of_Bombay.jpg" width="168" /></a>Here's an old photo of Magen David synagogue. In the 1900's as the Baghdadi congregation grew, extensions were added on both sides, which are missing in the old photo. But you can see the extensions in this illustration below, which I got from the Sassoon Trust website.<br />
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I have visited Magen David on and off in the past 10 years. It used to be cream/white in colour, as the illustration shows.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56aAcDiVVCmpIlYM75_rGQti67LAeLvMY1jggXMdMFsu_B-jhlOVSImVyilR9-wkMxJVEI8AC1G-w3eGay2GN5GgSQWA8G6jE2sSDacM3qlpj5nVlyliyjk1XvuCCGtPpRdDK/s1600/magen+small.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="246" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi56aAcDiVVCmpIlYM75_rGQti67LAeLvMY1jggXMdMFsu_B-jhlOVSImVyilR9-wkMxJVEI8AC1G-w3eGay2GN5GgSQWA8G6jE2sSDacM3qlpj5nVlyliyjk1XvuCCGtPpRdDK/s200/magen+small.gif" width="174" /></a>Somewhere in 2008, it was painted an attractive blue and white colour. Blue is the identifying colour of Judaism, just as the saffron colour identifies Hinduism. In the Torah, the Israelites were told to dye a thread on their tassels with <i>tekhelet</i>, a blue ink from a sea creature, perhaps a type of cuttlefish. The Israeli flag is also blue-and-white (actually <i>tekhelet</i> is supposed to be a dark almost violet-blue).<br />
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When you stand in front of the synagogue, the most obvious architectural aspect that strikes you is the flat-roofed porch supported by four columns. The entablature contains the name of the synagogue in English, and there is a tablet showing the ten commandments in Hebrew.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5wTW3QeL_4fWP91t1xKvKGJDUVIQqfB9IqgsYl1e4ZI2ehnwl0yaQHq6h3yT98BS-BLJ_SZ6Hf0IkqHSumURU-xcHempHOQINvA4r8aEklDJrAmZTKMhJYA45bxbTDY4jl0k/s1600/magen+david+name.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="1242" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5wTW3QeL_4fWP91t1xKvKGJDUVIQqfB9IqgsYl1e4ZI2ehnwl0yaQHq6h3yT98BS-BLJ_SZ6Hf0IkqHSumURU-xcHempHOQINvA4r8aEklDJrAmZTKMhJYA45bxbTDY4jl0k/s400/magen+david+name.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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If you step back a little from the synagogue, you can appreciate the central stepped tower. The tower is inspired by a similar one in Trafalgar Square, London. The one in London is called St. Martin in the Fields, you can see it <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Martin-in-the-Fields" target="_blank">here</a>. There's a clock on the tower that was brought from London. It was an era when everyone did not have the money to own a pocket-watch; so public buildings had clocks to help the populace figure out the time.<br />
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Here a photo of the interior:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1_AHW92prBsACWldSQDKE1_kI8vVRj0bK7JtFCUqp0OCPZ4aZq_yMFo4gJ_4U1EA0pKLQG8UqV5_4AWgXemWE2cTY4P8yhsOoY1fKHsrtNOofOav_pofS8dK1jjxmU-FegdM/s1600/jewish+heritage+magen+david+gxj9370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="1342" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1_AHW92prBsACWldSQDKE1_kI8vVRj0bK7JtFCUqp0OCPZ4aZq_yMFo4gJ_4U1EA0pKLQG8UqV5_4AWgXemWE2cTY4P8yhsOoY1fKHsrtNOofOav_pofS8dK1jjxmU-FegdM/s400/jewish+heritage+magen+david+gxj9370.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This is the view from the first floor, which is the women's area. The synagogue has separate seating for men and women, as required by <i>halakha</i> (Jewish religious laws). While gender separation has been a part of orthodox Judaism, there have been many reform movements trying to change the requirements. Particularly in Jerusalem, it's interesting to see how the orthodox control over the sacred Wailing Wall of Jerusalem is being contested by the "<a href="http://www.womenofthewall.org.il/" target="_blank">Women of the Wall</a>" They have been fighting for equal right to access and pray at this holy site.<br />
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Photo credits: Top and bottom photo from Garry Joseph, who did our <a href="http://mumbaimagic.com/jewish-heritage-tour.html" target="_blank">Jewish Heritage tour</a></div>
Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-59736743108507870642017-05-05T09:45:00.003+05:302017-05-05T09:50:04.522+05:30Waiting for Rajnikanth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>- by Deepa Krishnan</i><br />
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Today I am waiting for a guy named Rajnikanth to come home. No woman ever waited for a man so much :) He was supposed to come yesterday but did not. I have been trying to entice him to my house for 2 years now.<br />
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Who is Rajnikanth? He is a 5ft tall adivasi man who is going to paint a traditional Warli mural on my wall. He lives 4hrs away from Mumbai, in a small hamlet. Each time I visit the village, I ask him "ghari yeta ka?". Will you come home? Each time he looks down and smiles and says nothing. He has a smile that lights up his face.<br />
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What he will earn from one city visit is more than his annual income. I have explained that. But the adivasi mind is a strange thing. It works in its own way. Everything cannot be bought by money. He is willing to do carpentry work in nearby town but not come to Mumbai. But finally he seems to be relenting...after multiple visits and relationship building and egging on by the headmaster of the school.<br />
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Yesterday he went to the town bus stop but did not board the bus :) Here I was waiting all day long like a jilted lover. Late at night when asked why, he said he didn't have money for the bus. A little white lie :)<br />
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Today again I am hoping that at 8:30 am he will board the bus. </div>
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Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-27649563524279228162017-03-31T09:22:00.000+05:302017-03-31T09:22:04.139+05:30Black Pav Bhaji: Thankful Tastebuds (and Skeptical Stomach)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
- by Aishwarya Pramod<br />
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Yesterday, I tried black pav bhaji at Maruti Pav Bhaji in Vile Parle. It was recommended by my friend Pooja, a long time Parle resident. I trust her judgment on food. (We have bonded over college canteen sev puris and Gurukripa samosas. My mother has been awestruck by Pooja's capacity to eat). On top of that, a Google search told me that Maruti is now featured on a few lists of Mumbai's best places to eat pav bhaji. So when the mood for pav bhaji struck, I decided to try out this joint with another friend.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBN-dxXM6KqnIuyNRFRZRKIFnfi5BXGoJPHExEAUW5fSEA54x7LdMrMguYi87VUxK-XatRdfDac89CIdY45kHNjExhWT0hYDN3shZqX_eySJ6UgqjiEwJuiUNh874-JGQ_stFhg/s1600/all.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBN-dxXM6KqnIuyNRFRZRKIFnfi5BXGoJPHExEAUW5fSEA54x7LdMrMguYi87VUxK-XatRdfDac89CIdY45kHNjExhWT0hYDN3shZqX_eySJ6UgqjiEwJuiUNh874-JGQ_stFhg/s400/all.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We arrived a little early; the stall only opens at 7:30 PM</td></tr>
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It's a roadside stall called Maruti. I don't know why his pav bhaji is black. Some people on the interet attribute it to black pepper while others talk of "secret black spices".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_op6Cel0BxJE68OKHbnTkKlyUIUi3erDCBxTHFgvJvd3wPBfUeokdp0-0GZ83aMdPVAxDYvgc5THBJRmzIC0U_VMg_cYXICzczRnU0W45M2yCPy4UQTIKKTW3GEP9sjzdYWlEA/s1600/black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_op6Cel0BxJE68OKHbnTkKlyUIUi3erDCBxTHFgvJvd3wPBfUeokdp0-0GZ83aMdPVAxDYvgc5THBJRmzIC0U_VMg_cYXICzczRnU0W45M2yCPy4UQTIKKTW3GEP9sjzdYWlEA/s400/black.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Its colour is different from the regular red pav bhaji</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxE7odPJ2ce7CC53PW6oVCcGFpvGCTOaCvqK2DO1UHGHo0WgxkVrwDBYlnYySFm9OZFis_YjHGokjOwa_nKebs1tQ1ousuuZb35JWhHeXxt9wYO3wjNvBIJARbMsCQMD9cq75pRQ/s1600/pab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxE7odPJ2ce7CC53PW6oVCcGFpvGCTOaCvqK2DO1UHGHo0WgxkVrwDBYlnYySFm9OZFis_YjHGokjOwa_nKebs1tQ1ousuuZb35JWhHeXxt9wYO3wjNvBIJARbMsCQMD9cq75pRQ/s400/pab.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We asked for some extra butter in the bhaji</td></tr>
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The pav bhaji itself was delicious. It was indeed a little different from what is usually served as pav bhaji. But a special mention goes out to the masala pav (below). It was a real bomb. It was overflowing with spice and flavour. My stomach is not yet sure how it's going to respond to this level of chilli but I already know I'm not going to have any regrets.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRuRnbSXl8jMDwJ6l0Kpel9MlMzgKXyuzJE0NWNxqoMGAOzZGuCM7Nbi1yPdmrVZFtbDwLIntRXY1mqx079yxSgKyPFI5EtV1Sr4RD68-pCCTiMsa7VdrFTVrqTdx5MVpfU_Iug/s1600/masala+pav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaRuRnbSXl8jMDwJ6l0Kpel9MlMzgKXyuzJE0NWNxqoMGAOzZGuCM7Nbi1yPdmrVZFtbDwLIntRXY1mqx079yxSgKyPFI5EtV1Sr4RD68-pCCTiMsa7VdrFTVrqTdx5MVpfU_Iug/s400/masala+pav.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best</td></tr>
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Aishwarya Pramodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918362375957868646noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-26187518600086957392017-03-15T22:38:00.000+05:302017-03-15T22:40:04.392+05:30Kanatha vadam: My family's guilty indulgence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><i>-by Aishwarya Pramod and Janaki Krishnan</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Like all Palakkad Iyers, I love kanatha vadam. But whenever I think of it, it's always with a twinge of guilt. Not because kanatha vadam is unhealthy. Rather, it is because the dish takes a humongous effort to make, but almost no time to finish off. All that work for only a moment of deliciousness? So self-indulgent. :P</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">Non-Palakkad-Iyers might ask, what are kanatha vadams? At the risk of sounding clinical, they are steamed rice flat-cakes that are sundried to make papads :). During the papad-making process, a few of them are set aside for immediate eating (without drying).</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">My grandmother has loved kanatha vadam since she was a young girl. She penned down the recipe and her memories associated with it. Here is what she wrote.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8JuDrzuinthH9Gc_hyphenhyphenY3xMkCWE0Q2BRZ7lGl4dKsuUXX_u5n4XI2K-qREFNwHhKUn7aF6X4rGadfi5x8A5PxhwC_l7pRkUTlvVb87qCRRhtbeYdaJupxhymgTawVavvmwWbmew/s1600/pati.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #274e13;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8JuDrzuinthH9Gc_hyphenhyphenY3xMkCWE0Q2BRZ7lGl4dKsuUXX_u5n4XI2K-qREFNwHhKUn7aF6X4rGadfi5x8A5PxhwC_l7pRkUTlvVb87qCRRhtbeYdaJupxhymgTawVavvmwWbmew/s320/pati.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Writing down the recipe</span></td></tr>
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Kanatha Vadam by Janaki Krishnan<br />
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I learnt to make kanatha vadam at a schoolgoing age. Kanatha vadam means "thick vadam". It's made on a set of leaf-shaped metal trays. It's also called elai vadam, meaning "leaf vadam".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGzfnxFWfnQVO_ekEEtrYrdwu4ZmrgKAl9o_IXFz3dJmly06_OB6Tv3T1I90vEjQPuAhiGyzjuMN6WWma5anmnpaRpcSUnMvHmtHKoysRPiY6pntqJ1tZCbUsbBaF87xoKfIDug/s1600/leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGzfnxFWfnQVO_ekEEtrYrdwu4ZmrgKAl9o_IXFz3dJmly06_OB6Tv3T1I90vEjQPuAhiGyzjuMN6WWma5anmnpaRpcSUnMvHmtHKoysRPiY6pntqJ1tZCbUsbBaF87xoKfIDug/s320/leaves.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "leaves" for making kanatha vadam</td></tr>
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Vadam-making was a group affair. Children were given simple jobs to do like peeling off cooked vadams from the leaves. There were 8 of us who helped our mother make large batches of vadam-papads. We would set aside a few vadams for immediate eating, and keep the remaining ones in the sun to dry. While peeling off the cooked vadams, a few small pieces would inevitably remain on the leaves. We loved snacking on those even as we were supposed to be setting the vadams aside.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ingredients</span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 glass</span> puzhungal arisi. This is parboiled unpolished rice. It is slightly reddish because a bit of the husk remains on the grain. We use this rice to make idli too</li>
<li>1 glass polished rice</li>
<li>Salt, chilli powder, hing (asafoetida) powder</li>
<li>Metal leaves to cook the vadams. Right from my mother's time we have been using metal leaves, though traditionally, leaves are used. These leaves are available in the market or with flower sellers.</li>
</ul>
Soak the parboiled rice overnight. Soak the polished rice the next day for about half an hour. Mix all the rice together, drain the water. Grind into a paste in a mixie/grinder. Add about half a cup of water while grinding, little by little.<br />
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Once the paste is ready, add more water to it till it becomes the consistency of dosai batter. This will make it easy to spread on the leaf. Add a spoonful of sesame seeds (optional).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNEVdcjUL7x1ke6aK3ZcZvIVu-Y5zWLMYaIVmVyC_DDE80rD5Ibctbi83Xs4_N8qzcmmagAZN0APEwz15Q6FAJz-6DFZ6liQdlr-by3YXA6JNiUf7o2Jz69neAE9wnmDQZjZ8fQ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNEVdcjUL7x1ke6aK3ZcZvIVu-Y5zWLMYaIVmVyC_DDE80rD5Ibctbi83Xs4_N8qzcmmagAZN0APEwz15Q6FAJz-6DFZ6liQdlr-by3YXA6JNiUf7o2Jz69neAE9wnmDQZjZ8fQ/s400/1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rice paste with sesame seeds</td></tr>
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Ready the metal leaves, by dabbing them with a cloth dipped in a mix of water and a little oil. Spread the batter evenly in circular shapes. Steam-cook it for two minutes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLFPazaXQ0g_x64raUm5gmJpEfT6xekgi0BtRVXDCyvPfE8E911qer_IkeL49dzJCVZA59Qw7IkagZnCGQmpwPV-MwZM1xvsHQVkzQKz9dnWoZdkJTI0GpqKTnNK0LQ7xgVvDpQ/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLFPazaXQ0g_x64raUm5gmJpEfT6xekgi0BtRVXDCyvPfE8E911qer_IkeL49dzJCVZA59Qw7IkagZnCGQmpwPV-MwZM1xvsHQVkzQKz9dnWoZdkJTI0GpqKTnNK0LQ7xgVvDpQ/s320/3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spreading the paste on the leaves</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8h6qG6dhH1gNA_i2lI2ILvCmebWZ9kNl0EIf77C-ZIuUHfBEeT0FyuOr5ewT4FbYZ2gD-4bKRNUORApd1BnRwKmdfpwqVKVA-wW-UbNaAkvpUZnAkdLx2oMwQ0_U-7-yWFHPCQ/s320/4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steam for 2 minutes</td></tr>
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Remove the leaves from the steam-cooker and let them cool for a couple of minutes. Spread a little oil of your choice on the vadams, and gently peel them off the leaves. Trying to remove the vadams before they cool down will make them stick to the leaves. They are now ready to eat!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURkwe-bBbMrP82dePtVbScgE3NX9X96a7KqUsm4u1g2TRJJbefAFcsuQJOAk03W8V6_6FrNxbnEPZ-B97ZeNEOXJBQ1FuiyHZFK6d5FrWNhBaPSTeY2yFthua0LWXcAShlg9RSg/s1600/ready.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURkwe-bBbMrP82dePtVbScgE3NX9X96a7KqUsm4u1g2TRJJbefAFcsuQJOAk03W8V6_6FrNxbnEPZ-B97ZeNEOXJBQ1FuiyHZFK6d5FrWNhBaPSTeY2yFthua0LWXcAShlg9RSg/s320/ready.jpg" width="315" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to eat</td></tr>
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Some of the vadams can also be dried in the sun and later deep-fried.<br />
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I still love kanatha vadam. I prefer eating them directly rather than drying and deep-frying. The steamed ones have very little oil and I can easily eat half a dozen.<br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Aishwarya back again :)</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Like my grandma, my mom has also been a long time fan of kanatha vadam. I myself wasn't a big fan, until I was suddenly converted a few years ago. I'm back home after finishing my MBA. It turns out that Amma has developed a slight addiction and asks Shyamala (her cook) to make these vadams every fortnight or so.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here she is answering mails, taking phone calls and watching Star Trek all at the same time. I bring a plate of sample vadams to my her, and she tastes one. "Needs more salt in the batter. Also, not sour enough. Maybe add buttermilk." She feeds me a couple and eats the remaining two. "OK so are there more vadams?" she asks furtively. I grin at the guilty look on her face and go to fetch another plate.</span></div>
Aishwarya Pramodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918362375957868646noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-56502959847003846122017-03-06T19:16:00.001+05:302017-03-07T06:56:31.138+05:30Fair markets for farmers?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>- by Aishwarya Pramod</i><br />
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We've all heard stories about exploitative middlemen in Indian agriculture. They're charged with shortchanging farmers, and causing high food prices for end consumers.<br />
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I wanted to figure out how agricultural produce makes its way to our local bazaars. Who is in charge of ensuring that the farmer gets a fair deal?<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAmDQ_lPNFnRjXcpKr07EISrBUB6bxAYFnNyrpBRi3Nh10s5jKOhTZdYuqi3ZzDdwl963UZmEtQOAIi4fXc78B34VBz9OrDM5WKDl4ezdBVDWVaMMdSmqMIY6I_ymb4NzebJ9qQ/s1600/5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTAmDQ_lPNFnRjXcpKr07EISrBUB6bxAYFnNyrpBRi3Nh10s5jKOhTZdYuqi3ZzDdwl963UZmEtQOAIi4fXc78B34VBz9OrDM5WKDl4ezdBVDWVaMMdSmqMIY6I_ymb4NzebJ9qQ/s320/5.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
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The answer, at least in the 50's and the 60's, came in the form of Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMCs). Agriculture is a state subject, and several states set up their own APMC Acts to regulate the sale of agricultural produce.<br />
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At APMC market yards, licensed agents connect farmers to wholesalers and other buyers. Prices are decided based on auctions, instead of giving the middleman the ability to set the price. APMCs also mandate the use of fair weighing machines, as well as fair payment for loading/unloading labour.<br />
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Today there are ~2500 principal APMC markets and ~4800 sub-market yards in the country.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-A5DWbJxRvfryVSmGq9E4dK2ORr7QoCiCFtMZ4v_IsRMzOq_EW9o5qU7Bum7n9bGOMhx6sWZQ9WS14RTJNbUKaLO3THpYju9cN2je_DdQK7fYhJofV7L9IwNDR8d5n1eyDi8TwQ/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-A5DWbJxRvfryVSmGq9E4dK2ORr7QoCiCFtMZ4v_IsRMzOq_EW9o5qU7Bum7n9bGOMhx6sWZQ9WS14RTJNbUKaLO3THpYju9cN2je_DdQK7fYhJofV7L9IwNDR8d5n1eyDi8TwQ/s400/2.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vashi APMC Market</td></tr>
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However, as it turned out, the APMCs weren't as good as envisaged. For starters, the APMCs impose multiple high fees on all actors that operate in them, distorting prices. Farmers often ultimately bear the costs of these levies. The intermediary agents can form cartels. Prices can be manipulated, because the markets function quite opaquely. The market is regulated by the APMC committee, who are elected from the agents operating in the APMC, leading to a conflict of interest.<br />
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To encourage states to reform their APMCs, the central Ministry of Agriculture formulated a Model APMC Act in 2003. It requested state governments to amend their laws to bring them in line with this model law.<br />
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Some of the suggested reforms in the APMC Model Act include:<br />
1) No more government monopoly on setting up APMCs. Anyone can apply to set up a market<br />
2) Farmers are not compelled to sell in the APMC but can go to any market, outside the APMC, or take up contract farming<br />
3) The Act attempts to better regulate contract farming to give farmers more options<br />
4) The Act also streamlines fees and levies.<br />
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Several states are now in the process of amending their acts, though progress is slow. In 2016, Maharashtra for example, exempted farmers from having to sell fruits and vegetables at APMCs, despite opposition from APMC traders.<br />
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Some states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana have experimented with 'rythu bazaars' or 'apni mandis', where farmers sell their products directly to consumers. But not all farmers have the capability to bring their products to urban markets. So the middleman provides a necessary and useful service to them, and the direct-to-consumer model has very limited applicability.<br />
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The central government is also working on connecting multiple APMC markets across the country using a single electronic platform called the electronic National Agriculture Market (e-NAM). The e-NAM is still taking baby steps. I wonder how the agricultural markets will evolve in future. More options for farmers and more transparency in general seem like the way to go :)</div>
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Aishwarya Pramodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12918362375957868646noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-61869971184859023452017-01-28T07:30:00.002+05:302017-01-29T16:34:04.597+05:30Morning routine in my parents house <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is the kitchen of my parents' home. Their day begins with two glasses of warm water, to which Amma adds a spoon of honey and some lemon.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bioXwKpKSjSoXOT1I8iD0WnKovaf4-xjjLGDQOZ0g-iXkszRSRzEBGr-U6ES6_ALSeJIUfOMoj3a0n4W3adFX74ouWywrUUjS_PWhIfceH0pmaje8w4hoONP1NWedfmBfBgm/s1600/morning+route+at+amma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1bioXwKpKSjSoXOT1I8iD0WnKovaf4-xjjLGDQOZ0g-iXkszRSRzEBGr-U6ES6_ALSeJIUfOMoj3a0n4W3adFX74ouWywrUUjS_PWhIfceH0pmaje8w4hoONP1NWedfmBfBgm/s400/morning+route+at+amma.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Appa finds a knife and plates, and sits down at the dining table to slice elchi bananas. It takes a while. They will eat the bananas later, with cinnamon powder and sugar. The milk is set to boil. The filter is filled with coffee powder; and boiling water is poured into it. The fabulous smell of Mysore coffee fills the air. Once the decoction and milk are ready, the first cup of coffee is had. It takes them an hour to complete their first round of morning activities.</div>
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Recently my mother took a fall in the bathroom. It was not a major fall. But my sister, my cousin Girish and I have been taking turns to sleepover at their house for a few days, until things normalise. That's how I am here, watching these morning rituals. As I observe them moving around, I realise the mortality and fragility of the human body. Someday, I will also get to this slow-moving stage. Will my husband be there with me, dancing this slow dance?</div>
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Last evening, an elderly neighbour heard about her fall, and came to visit my mother. "Deepa," she said, in that advisory tone that even complete strangers use freely in India "You must now look after your parents carefully." Almost instantly, I replied, "Maami, it is my good fortune that I can serve them". I realised as soon as I said it that I was parroting a cliché. But sometimes it is the clichés that seem to most closely reflect our thoughts. I am indeed blessed, that I can spend time with my parents at this stage of their life. </div>
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My parents are still able to do many things on their own. For things that they cannot manage, my sister and I have been pitching in for the past couple of years. Our army of maids and drivers has been very handy. But in the process, the big thing I have learned is that when it comes to caring for elders, money alone is not enough. You cannot throw a nurse on the job and expect it to work well. Planning, coordination and a sort of loving expertise is required.</div>
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Many things seem small; but they are important to the person you are caring for. For example, the feeding of the crows in my mother's house is a tiny ritual, but it's important to her. It follows a fixed pattern. Rice and curd are mixed together into thayir saadam. The crows come at 10 am. Nothing else will they eat, except that thayir saadam. We have tried upma, sevai, dal-rice... uh-uh, sorry! Only thayir saadam is accepted with grace. So this is a ritual now, and it must be planned the previous day. We must ensure rice is cooked every day, and that some curd-rice is set aside for the next morning. At 10 am sharp, it has to be placed on the compound wall. If my mother is unwell, then someone else must do this little thing, because the crows cannot be forgotten.</div>
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There are a hundred small things like this, each one tiny, but each one a fragment of my parents' routine, a part of the way they want to live their life. It is what makes them who they are. It brings normalcy and comfort to them, to see these things done. I hope my sister and I can do it for as long as required.</div>
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Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34858118.post-82552537080337656412017-01-22T11:38:00.000+05:302017-01-23T10:36:17.212+05:30My academic research projects<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>- By Deepa Krishnan</i><br />
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These days I am enjoying my forays into academic research. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Economic Times</td></tr>
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The first research project I did was on the <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2896026" target="_blank">impact of demonetization</a> on families living in slums. It got significant coverage in the <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/56-mumbai-slum-dwellers-back-note-ban/articleshow/56263832.cms?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ETTWMain" target="_blank">Economic Times</a>, trending as Top News on their website. It was also in the Top 10 daily list among the articles on the <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2896026" target="_blank">Social Science Research Network (SSRN)</a>. For a rookie researcher, this is very encouraging!</div>
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The second research project (group photo below) is about the economic rationale for giving legal title to slum families. In this photo, you can see our field researchers are being trained in how to collect data. They are college students, who live in low-income/slum neighbourhoods; so they have access to the types of families we want to interviw.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVr_bhbKNVmkdmGt44fI7IZUCqpkhz_MbPjixnoJKFe7i60b-nN9sfKYACAKAvmANbHPM9vx9fZZmoVeXJI7aJfv4o7Mc9giW3LF8Ya8Sj7yEZCoBhN0xFnGQ0IoY4DP4UZiBF/s1600/research+IMG_1497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVr_bhbKNVmkdmGt44fI7IZUCqpkhz_MbPjixnoJKFe7i60b-nN9sfKYACAKAvmANbHPM9vx9fZZmoVeXJI7aJfv4o7Mc9giW3LF8Ya8Sj7yEZCoBhN0xFnGQ0IoY4DP4UZiBF/s400/research+IMG_1497.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Students who live in different wards of Mumbai</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">These research projects are part of my "Earn while you Learn" scheme for students. Data collection doesn't interfere with college lectures, and is the ideal flexi-time income opportunity. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I hope to complete data collection by January; and then hopefully we will produce some sort of draft academic paper by April.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Why have I suddenly embarked on this type of work? </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I think it's because every ten years or so, I feel the need to reinvent myself. I want to learn new skills, add new capabilities to my repertoire. From my mother, I have inherited the restless yearning for new frontiers. We are nomads, she and I, we like the new and the unexplored. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span><span style="text-align: justify;">Also, research appeals to the curious child in me. It is important for me to see the world through a child's open frank lens. Without that, I would atrophy and die, like a tree that has rotted. At SPJIMR, where I teach, I attended a workshop on doing research. When they asked participants about why each person there should do research, I answered "for the sheer thrill of it". I think we should only do things that excite us. The chase for the truth, for that kernel of insight and revelation, is at the heart of all research. </span><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">But I'm not interested in abstract research. "Knowledge for knowledge's sake" doesn't really excite me. I would like to do research that can influence policy</span><span style="text-align: justify;">. Watch this space :)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeGkrLmOtNmWq7q6RuKcnLSqclTIo3cpe6LT-pqZAuLCJOlOSuoo1hf66iri62h8i_PgWMQaMVPO8MXDD0HAc5HPa-1BlN7bYFhJoU_w6Pq1RqokLfNMO5BXOCLjf6wv30-wt/s1600/Research+IMG_1490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAeGkrLmOtNmWq7q6RuKcnLSqclTIo3cpe6LT-pqZAuLCJOlOSuoo1hf66iri62h8i_PgWMQaMVPO8MXDD0HAc5HPa-1BlN7bYFhJoU_w6Pq1RqokLfNMO5BXOCLjf6wv30-wt/s400/Research+IMG_1490.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staff from <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AbhyudayaSPJIMR/" target="_blank">Abhyudaya</a></b> explaining how to fill the form</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD8aMfkPr6ZqAhWIodk1v_N70S8USf4bmIyWFS2fRuEtlSVUCLsqRzTB-3lqb06vaE5YKQoLutYpa77p2JTYuI5H-5rokoD8aL1JOJyKTbYipnol8Eq_PCHh_7qmnppEykETx/s1600/research+IMG_1508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAD8aMfkPr6ZqAhWIodk1v_N70S8USf4bmIyWFS2fRuEtlSVUCLsqRzTB-3lqb06vaE5YKQoLutYpa77p2JTYuI5H-5rokoD8aL1JOJyKTbYipnol8Eq_PCHh_7qmnppEykETx/s400/research+IMG_1508.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the work, the eating :) Our local shop made hot samosas for us</td></tr>
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Deepahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08076685280358127119noreply@blogger.com0