tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63394373329577376102024-03-05T19:26:02.818-05:00India Outside IndiaDevayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-45460333211237191002017-10-17T10:57:00.000-04:002017-10-17T11:42:50.898-04:00Reimagining Maharashtrian/Marathi Cuisine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Facebook is inundated with Diwali faral photos and recipes. First it was exciting and now I can't stand it. So when Angat Pangat a facebook group posted its Diwali ank link I was excited. Reading Diwali ank was integral part of my Diwali holidays. I wasn't able to keep it up after moving to NYC.<br />
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At first glance, thought this <a href="http://www.angatpangat.in/essay/pravaas-degustation/" target="_blank">Pravaas: a Degustation</a> by Swapneel Prabhu might be just the antidote I needed. Boy was I right. :) Swapneel has taken the essence of key ingredients of different regional/ethnic Maharashtrian cuisines and presented it in surprising combinations of taste, texture, and presentation.<br />
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I was floored going through just the first two courses. The ingredients and the stories Swapneel shared reminded me of my summer and Diwali holidays at my grandparent's place in Khanapur (Close to Belgaum) and one carefree summer spent in Savantvadi at my mavshi's house. I can still remember the first time I saw mori masa (Shark) in the maasali baazar (fish market) and the texture of the flaky flesh in the first bite.<br />
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Varanaphala in the main course/pasta course moved me from ecstatic/nostalgic to introspective. Varanphala is a contentioys issue in our house. It is the most favorite comfort food for Parag and his family. Equally revolting for me. Swapneel's take on it captures the essence of varanphal for Parag while giving it that suprising element of filling like a tortellini uplifiting it to something I can enjoy as well.<br />
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Many other beautifully conceptualized and plated dishes inspired by Nagapuri, Kolhapuri, and CKP cuisine. I don't know the cuisine or do not feel passionately about these dishes so I better not comment.<br />
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Ending with kharavas and kunda crisps was a master stroke.<br />
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As I was about to post this comment I started thinking about my latest couple of posts talking about Indian food and cultural appropriation. I was aghast when I found the <a href="http://indiaoutsideindia-devayani.blogspot.com/2017/09/cultural-misappropriation-ghee-butter.html" target="_blank">vanilla flavored ghee</a>; livid when Saheli shared the <a href="http://indiaoutsideindia-devayani.blogspot.com/2017/10/indian-food-gone-wrong.html">Samosa Doughpods</a>. So why is Swapneel's "PB & J (Pavta Bharit aani Jondhala) Cornetts" inspired by bhakari, bharit, dahi and lahya were so exciting in spite of being presented in a completely alien way to the traditional items it points to?<br />
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Is it because he is Indian/Marathi (or thereabouts) and the doughpod person isn't? How Indian or xyz ethnicity a person needs to be? I think it is more than just being Indian or having some connection to Indian. If that was the only criteria, I would not be so irritated with the Indian fusion at 'India' in Providence while I still talk about Chauhan Ale House in Nashville as the best Indian food I ever had this side of the world.<br />
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Chauhan had dishes that you would never see on any Indian restaurant menu. The most memorable dish they served was fried Calamari, a staple in New England restaurants but not in India. The herbs and spices used for seasoning however captured the essence of the way I cook and the ingredients I use - like the aroma of kadhipatta crisped in the oil for chivada and the crunch of the rice flour+rava coating on a fish fry making you salivate with anticipation of the soft inside. <br />
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Question still remains: Who decides if a reimagined dish captures 'the essence'? I am still muddling through this particular jumble of thoughts/questions. Any help/opinion/comment is appreciated. <br />
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PS: Happy Diwali</div>
Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-8484577651423849452017-10-07T19:10:00.000-04:002017-10-17T11:36:47.906-04:00Indian Food gone wrong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Some WTF moments shared by my friends related to my post about <a href="http://indiaoutsideindia-devayani.blogspot.com/2017/09/cultural-misappropriation-ghee-butter.html">flavored 'Ghee butter'</a>:<br />
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This <a href="http://doughnutplant.com/">DoughnutPlant</a> abomination. Doughpods introduced August, 2016 are savory filled yeast doughnuts:<br />
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oh I'll see if I can find any. I'm sure I have a lot of food complaint tweets lol. there's also the donut plant bullshit, SAMOSA DOUGHPOD: <a href="https://t.co/MGA0eA7w1N">pic.twitter.com/MGA0eA7w1N</a></div>
— dr. savantifa (@savasavasava) <a href="https://twitter.com/savasavasava/status/914549712690335744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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I went to one of their stores once and say half of a sign that had chai written in devnagiri and was almost ok until I saw it say chai tea 😡</div>
— dr. savantifa (@savasavasava) <a href="https://twitter.com/savasavasava/status/914549939602063362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The Ghee butter conversation:<br />
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like for real, fuck you if you're gonna fuck up ghee. I'm already pissed at the turmeric ghee trader joe's is hawking, but this is too far. <a href="https://t.co/NJEJ87VfFH">pic.twitter.com/NJEJ87VfFH</a></div>
— dr. savantifa (@savasavasava) <a href="https://twitter.com/savasavasava/status/905048838284726272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
Parag's photo share of Dosha bars at Wholefoods:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWqXdLObKN1Kk1PKZDT7GbIkPLPwLx5S1-vD-BSJ6oo_gBopWXZc3XQm51bc2pRyQUui8tIht1gT01TlSFuQF9GNGbM463nA9VnUT4-zaoYPMKBOSCqO2LZUzZEX6tjs-w0tI1Wn1dJMe/s1600/IMG_5008.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dosha Bars at Wholefoods" border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhWqXdLObKN1Kk1PKZDT7GbIkPLPwLx5S1-vD-BSJ6oo_gBopWXZc3XQm51bc2pRyQUui8tIht1gT01TlSFuQF9GNGbM463nA9VnUT4-zaoYPMKBOSCqO2LZUzZEX6tjs-w0tI1Wn1dJMe/s1600/IMG_5008.jpeg" title="Dosha Bars at Wholefoods" /></a></div>
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Ayurveda, is the new buzzword at its peak. I have seen it used as an alternative nutrition/diet thing that everybody is following which is already disturbing. People study for 4-5 years minimum for a basic Ayurvedic Doctor degree you know and then MD etc after that. They practice with seasoned Vaidya's before they start practicing on their own. So how about don't use the word casually. Knowing your grandma's herbal remedies is not Ayurvaeda either. I diagress. But you can see why my brain has gone haywire:<br />
Dosha® Bar - Cherry Chakra (Balances Vata)<br />
Dosha® Bar - Blueberry Balance (Balances Pitta)<br />
Dosha® Bar - Apple Cran Awakening (Balances Kapha)<br />
People please desist. I am fine with it being a snack bar and consumed as such. Not a 'dosha balancing' bar.<br />
If it was that easy to figure out which dosha was aggrevated and then balance it with a simple snack bar who would need Vaidyas or Doctors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVyEClwWyOdspgV_unXyK0J99a5SjjlKTWsbn6ZIWvBMM3MYynwRSSG1OsoT_H6wTxOYhBdEmRECGKW75UuDdvCN-awLcvbSXuPrmxAsA2nTNFcm4MugAUG1WLwvcm7kR8J3rlIYsaOM6/s1600/doshabr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVyEClwWyOdspgV_unXyK0J99a5SjjlKTWsbn6ZIWvBMM3MYynwRSSG1OsoT_H6wTxOYhBdEmRECGKW75UuDdvCN-awLcvbSXuPrmxAsA2nTNFcm4MugAUG1WLwvcm7kR8J3rlIYsaOM6/s1600/doshabr.jpg" /></a></div>
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Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-33096357357912052552017-09-15T06:00:00.000-04:002017-10-01T14:58:11.920-04:00Cultural misappropriation: Ghee butter, Chai tea, <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ghee butter? Really?<br />
Explaining the absurdity of '<a href="http://indiaoutsideindia-devayani.blogspot.com/2009/06/chai-tea-masala-chai-and-real-indian.html">chai tea</a>' was my first pet peeve when I moved to NYC. But this tops it all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnTkLqJzgYZo8oi6q4xtpqELAdh4liPuSqNSXK-mpfShKP4c2YeqlUBugCSKQK1zDv0r8u7oWANFzJrtd2dcLJxgc_iBLakf0GH7f0Mi6WdEPe6AVoksHxKgj5OJhITEAuw06YlhcIewl/s1600/20170912_112356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnTkLqJzgYZo8oi6q4xtpqELAdh4liPuSqNSXK-mpfShKP4c2YeqlUBugCSKQK1zDv0r8u7oWANFzJrtd2dcLJxgc_iBLakf0GH7f0Mi6WdEPe6AVoksHxKgj5OJhITEAuw06YlhcIewl/s320/20170912_112356.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We saw ghee first in the upscale predominantly white farmer's market on Hope street. The vendor selling ghee waxed elloquent about health benefits of ghee and offered it for tasting on a piece of bread. Unusual choice. I wasn't quite sure what to think about it. Then I saw a shelf full of flavoured glee bottles in Whole Foods and WTF is the only exclamation I could conjure. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD6cglVsmz58pyl86k-FbHmn9FsxZuLIgt28q_p76_HSlNSktLHV633XiTvLgD6gBW6oaBQe8c3tqxPRXbJ2U7M3tp38UhxKkTPvFwKw0PXqEi0eIQ8WS8ndwB_WfStrQWR8Snxmz-Adl/s1600/20170912_112520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFD6cglVsmz58pyl86k-FbHmn9FsxZuLIgt28q_p76_HSlNSktLHV633XiTvLgD6gBW6oaBQe8c3tqxPRXbJ2U7M3tp38UhxKkTPvFwKw0PXqEi0eIQ8WS8ndwB_WfStrQWR8Snxmz-Adl/s320/20170912_112520.jpg" width="240" /></a>The double name as usual - Naan bread, samosa potstickers, ghee butter ....<br />
No no no! It is not spreadable butter. Ghee is not butter. That is the whole point. There were some 'ghee oils' in that shelf. not sure if I would rather take that than calling it butter.<br />
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Ghee has fallen victim to the health craze unfortunately and seems to have captured people's imagination. Himalayan salt, Turmeric, and Vanilla were the offerings when I visited last week - two flavours to bring the healthy Indian to merge with the newly found health food and the vanilla to give some 'I know this' comfort to the regular American I guess.<br />
(I am disturbed by vanilla chai but once again this tops it)</div>
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The bottles do not explain the method of preparing it. Is it clarified butter made of cream or butter churned from yogurt? The distinction is very important according to Ayurveda from where I am assuming the whole health food excitement is coming from. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpTa-b4ApprVcbbLbppRZJKDtiCMSvOasT3nGoMcGki7GDBWOY6e6sJQ9gnHzZmrXsDhDs0F0l3wNEuQoiYvTGMjh0RQb4-UiaPjvqGVVWSsthPz2vJdBPVxp2MJVeXSUAijjwpq_rXT3/s1600/20170912_112639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpTa-b4ApprVcbbLbppRZJKDtiCMSvOasT3nGoMcGki7GDBWOY6e6sJQ9gnHzZmrXsDhDs0F0l3wNEuQoiYvTGMjh0RQb4-UiaPjvqGVVWSsthPz2vJdBPVxp2MJVeXSUAijjwpq_rXT3/s320/20170912_112639.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTwfFl4s6HxjJ9zYyH5Vp1JmC1c1VP68_FHI4_Jxz3636X_CTVituoFK3bBouqyBKAxz3e7h6PuFSFx3gYLohUiATJ-A7_t4jkErhgRTZbnoF8xO7cnCvfjz7yhgug5kKzlBw9w-dNIQ-/s1600/20170912_112619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTwfFl4s6HxjJ9zYyH5Vp1JmC1c1VP68_FHI4_Jxz3636X_CTVituoFK3bBouqyBKAxz3e7h6PuFSFx3gYLohUiATJ-A7_t4jkErhgRTZbnoF8xO7cnCvfjz7yhgug5kKzlBw9w-dNIQ-/s320/20170912_112619.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Now to the suggestated pairings. I can live with using it to saute, sear, and bake. The vanilla ghee however is sugested to be pairied with coffee. Once again WTF<br />
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Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-18425333612580954162017-08-19T12:48:00.000-04:002017-10-01T13:47:56.176-04:00Trinis at Patel's<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday I was pleasantly surprised to see my colleague from Brown University in the Patel's store. Since the opening last year we have been regular customers but never imagined meeting anybody I know professionally.<br />
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She had three big bags of dried hibiscus flowers. I have never seen dried hibiscus as food ingredient in Indian stores in USA or consumed dried hibiscus except once as part of some exautic tea. My colleague told me that Trinis make a tea with the hibiscus flowers and some spices for Christmas. I wonder if availability at Patel's is because a lot of Trinis and Caribean customers frequent the place or I missed some Indian connection, which is qute possible given the culinary diversity of India.<br />
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Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-29002087418764595162016-09-19T13:36:00.000-04:002017-10-01T15:01:39.627-04:00India via Brazil<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hair color product for women, as seen on Whole Foods shelf :<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNv091c1G1iJMvDWPE_ftHHuMQJSfJGyfQ_MvpeV1__wIJKxyTsR0bFpcATVbemD8xR7qVwfNJB15F9KUirD8uUmb58bzY2Urm-_IoGKzLAMgiU2B-XNNI613dglCdA2HKqO4nJ6BOnhTR/s1600/SuryaBrasil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNv091c1G1iJMvDWPE_ftHHuMQJSfJGyfQ_MvpeV1__wIJKxyTsR0bFpcATVbemD8xR7qVwfNJB15F9KUirD8uUmb58bzY2Urm-_IoGKzLAMgiU2B-XNNI613dglCdA2HKqO4nJ6BOnhTR/s320/SuryaBrasil.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A google search shows that <a href="https://www.suryabrasilproducts.com/collections/henna-cream/products/henna-hair-color-cream-black">Surya Brasil</a> is a company from Brazil. It was baffling at first, this journey of henna and the mythological imagery (invoking possibly Vishwamitra and Menaka) ending in US via Brazil. A little digging led me to this:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #60626b; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">“</span><i style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #60626b; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">I was born and raised in Brazil but my heritage is equal parts Italian and Indian and it was my family who showed me how to take care of myself and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit;">use the best of what nature provides</b>,</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #60626b; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.4px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">” - Wanda Malhotra, one of the founders of Surya Brasil. </span><br />
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There is of course the usual calling on the Ayurveda. I am really tired of people name dropping Ayurveda for anything and everything. Ayurveda is a nuanced and well developed medicinal system with its own pharmacopeia. Your grandma's home remedy is not Ayurved. Just like your knowledge of how to use aspirin does not make you a doctor. <br />
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Coming back to the visual itself. I see the sage Vishwamitra and Menaka in the image. Although a lot of hair on the sage, the product is meant for women. (The website has a different product line for men.) May be women who want to seduce unavailable or difficult to get men?<br />
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The image reminds me of Raja Ravi Varma's paintings of mythological figures in Marathi or south Indian garb made popular by the lithographic prints to the point where you can find these styles of images on calendars in tea shops and sugarcane juice stalls in Maharashtra. <br />
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I wonder what was the motivation of the company when they used the image and what non-Indians seeing this on the shelf in Whole Foods think of it. Probably invoking the natural, the ancient, and the exotic? </div>
Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-33933503776866156482014-05-16T10:28:00.004-04:002017-10-01T13:10:51.713-04:00The Indian Elections<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Facebook has been going crazy for a while building up to the Indian elections. I have never seen stronger views for and against and emotions running so high with respect to the political parties. I am happy that my Facebook feed showed views from all sides. That means I don't live in a news bubble.<br />
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I was surprised when a friend mentioned that many people from NJ were going home to cast a vote. I was somewhat ambivalent. Mostly being geographically and thus emotionally feeling distant and not able to sift through all that was being said in the media.<br />
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The greatest shocker though was the gathering in Times Square to watch the Indian election news as the counting began May 16 morning IST and May 15 night eastern time.<br />
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I am not still sure how I feel about the landslide win for BJP with a record break 68+% voter turnout. Mostly because I cannot figure out if the people's mandate was based on their understanding of who will put the country on track or with the understanding of who the country and putting on track is for.
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Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-54802205134554867772014-01-12T15:54:00.000-05:002017-10-01T13:08:13.621-04:00Musicians on the sea from the Indian subcontinent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Another surprising find at the Mystic Seaport Museum: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaroKI4WYkY2vX8GCtUQFPuv7MGHZcByZYlRSw9y0ktGunjXkkDpjRQ5O4qIQO9rhyphenhyphensZQHMU9sOzr9aAaPZGVGKWHqLhHASpZJNYvLKihXGjar1-ZiqrQkra76oVKjhqjYg1zN9A7Z3Jhl/s1600/IMG_1350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaroKI4WYkY2vX8GCtUQFPuv7MGHZcByZYlRSw9y0ktGunjXkkDpjRQ5O4qIQO9rhyphenhyphensZQHMU9sOzr9aAaPZGVGKWHqLhHASpZJNYvLKihXGjar1-ZiqrQkra76oVKjhqjYg1zN9A7Z3Jhl/s320/IMG_1350.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-4363396100724125772013-12-22T19:17:00.002-05:002017-10-01T13:07:06.760-04:00Figureheads<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Was surprised to see Maratha looking figureheads in the Mystic Seaport museum among mostly European Ladies some more dramatic, some realistic. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">This one did not have a name or origin except the sparse description of it being 'exotic'. To me it looks very much like a Marathi/Maratha saint. The beads he is wearing reminds me of Varakari tradition and the scroll in his hand says that he is mostly not a warrior. </span></div>
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This figurehead is identified as 'Asia'. It was carved by an Indian artisan for H.M.S. India, launched in Bombay in 1824. The description below says "The turbaned figure is an impressive symbol of India's economic and social importance in the British Empire."<br />
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Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-29823339041029625902013-11-23T16:03:00.000-05:002017-10-01T13:05:45.492-04:00Indian subcontinent as seen through an American merchant's eyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was surprised and elated to see a map of India when visiting the John Brown House Museum in Providence. The map is actually of Asia next to another framed map of America with western part uncharted.<br />
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John Brown was a merchant and ship builder. He was active in the China trade during 1760s -80s. The map looked like it was well used. You can see the paper worn out and with creases in spite of it being displayed flat in a glass frame at present.<br />
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I was quite excited to see the old names/spellings of the familiar land masses of the Indian subcontinent. If you see the larger version of the above map you can clearly see the northern part named as 'The Empire of the Great Mogul'. On the west of that is Empire of Persia and to the east is Empire of china. There are many kingdoms marked so are ports, major inland cities, rivers, and mountains.<br />
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Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-68300682105763811312013-10-16T12:03:00.001-04:002013-10-16T12:23:46.470-04:00The tale of two Indias<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw this PBS documentary today. On the website the description is as follows:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">'The World Before Her' is a tale of two Indias: In one, a small-town girl competes in the Miss India pageant. In the other, a militant woman leads a fundamentalist Hindu camp for girls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lot to digest, for example - Choosing two girls from these specific circumstances and not others to contrast, especially since the struggle between tradition and modernity was a thread throughout. The visual of the girl sitting at the beach facing the Mumbai skyline juxtaposed with </span>silhouettes<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of mountains and temple spires on the left shows this thread of presentation to come. As the documentary progressed, it was very interesting to see assumptions made about what is 'modern' when it comes to women in India. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">What is considered freeing, enabling and how it is shown as one or the other rather than a complex mix in both the paths these girls chose. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />I want to go back and watch it again to see how certain views, values, visuals were highlighted or played down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A lot there to process and comment but before I write a coherent review I just wanted to share the documentary itself. </span></div>
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Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-49890572664791897342013-09-29T18:10:00.004-04:002017-10-01T13:02:35.726-04:00Collecting Deities<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yesterday we stumbled on a flee market outside YMCA on Hope street. There was such a wide collection of household items, vases, planters, clothes, decorative items and what not. Some of it Indian - beautiful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dupatta">dupattas</a> (scarves), cloth pieces used as table mats, beads. The most exciting however was this idol of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva">Shiva</a>. I have seen Ganesha, Buddha, and sometimes Krishna but this Shiva was the first one I saw in US outside of an Indian home or Indian reference. </div>
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The idol in abhay mudra is well made with eyes painted beautifully expressing benevolence. Nandi on one side, Shivalinga on the other, damaru on the trident. </div>
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The lady manning the booth had various Ganesha idols, a bull that looked more like Nandi than the bull outside New York stock exchange. It seems her friend collected deities and these were some of her finds on a trip to India. </div>
Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-66932902938804320362013-02-06T13:49:00.003-05:002017-10-01T12:59:12.319-04:00Siddis on the Indian Subcontinent<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I found on Facebook the link for the online exhibition named <a href="http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africansindianocean/">African Diaspora in the Indian Ocean World</a> on the New York Public Library's (NYPL) website. The exhibition is curated and hosted by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black History. <br />
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I have talked once in a while with my friends from South Africa about the people of African origin on the Indian subcontinent. I knew of them as Habashis who lived in Gujarat. I know that they came to India first as traders and seamen. However, I did not know anything about them beyond their existence. Habashis or the Abyssinians came to India from Ethiopia (Abyssinia). The exhibit mentions the port of Barygasa (modern day Bharuch, Gujarat) that was considered to be an Ethiopian town because of the east African traders who had settled there. So that is where my story of Africans in Gujarat came from I guess. I also knew of Siddis of Janjira but had not really thought of them as people from Africa.<br />
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The online exhibit put a lot of people and events I knew in perspective of the flow of people between different continents. This experience was similar to how things I already knew clicked in place when I was reading the book <a href="http://www.amitavghosh.com/seapoppies.html">Sea of Poppies</a> by Amitav Ghosh. I knew of the opium wars in China, the famines in Bengal, the British in Calcutta, history of Parsis in Bombay and so on but all of it clicked together in terms of actual people who moved between different places at that time and how happenings in one affected people in other far away places.<br />
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I could identify some of the historical happenings and names but did not know their African origin. For example, Ibn Batutta is a well known name for the record of his travels during 1300 A.D. in India, but I had not thought of his origins. He was a Moroccan. Malik Ambar, the formidable general during the Nizamshahi rule in the Deccan. I know of him but now I can place him in the overall migration, and movement of people from Ethiopia, to Arabia, to India as slaves, seamen, ivory traders. See the map of movement of people <a href="http://exhibitions.nypl.org/africansindianocean/maps.php">here</a>.<br />
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The most surprising find was of the group of Habashi slaves from Goa when it was under Portuguese rule who ran away to Karanataka in free India. I had no awareness of these events. When we were growing up I heard stories of how my grandfather sneaked in and out of Goa during the Portuguese rule to see his relatives and friends and visit the temple of the family goddess. I never heard the story of the Habashis though. Now it is too late to ask him about them.<br />
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The online exhibition has a lot of images, paintings and photos - past and present that make this discovery interesting and more human than just reading the text. <br />
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The Schomburg Center also has an ongoing exhibition of images and artifacts open till July 6, 2013. <a href="http://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/africans-india-slaves-generals-and-rulers">Here</a> is the information about it in case you are in NYC and are interested.<br />
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PS: Africa felt like a far away land when I was in India. I think I understand Africa (especially east Africa) differently now after coming to US in terms of where it is geographically in relation to the Indian subcontinent and how it is connected from land and sea. Conncections that I did not clearly see before. I wonder if physically being on another continent changes the way you look at the world geographically. Or does the awareness come from the multi-national crowd and subjects I am exposed to in New York City and in Teachers College. </div>
Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-6285864418383426122013-01-06T20:51:00.001-05:002016-07-28T10:45:25.762-04:00India portrayed in Indian restaurants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We were visiting Rasoi, one of the Indian restaurants in Providence, with our friends from South Africa (via NYC). We have been frequenting Rasoi for their Sunday brunch. They have the best Indian food I have tasted in a while. They also have huge photos from India as decoration on their walls. I was pleasantly surprised and excited this time to see photos that seemed like they were taken in Maharashtra. On closer inspection I found a note about the exact location. Mandai!!! Who knew I would sit next to photos of women making garlands and a man selling onions taken in Mandai of all the places. For the people who do not get the reference, Mandai in Pune, my home town, is a marketplace bang in the middle of the old city. Well that description doesn't do justice to what Mandai and the whole experience of going to Mandai is all about.<br />
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These photos reminded me of other surprising visuals used for decorations in other restaurants.<br />
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The following two paintings are from a restaurant in Niagara falls, US. The paintings portray the Peshvas based in Pune, one of the important players on the political scene locally in Maharashtra in 18th century and possibly on the subcontinent during the reign of Bajirav Peshva in the first half of the 18th century. The romantic story of Bajirav and Mastani the courtesan is well know in Maharashtra. The other painting was that of the Shanivarvada, the fortified palace of the Peshvas in Pune. You can see only a part of it behind me in the second photo. I was quite surprised to see the Peshvas as visual representation of Indian. Even in India, many of the people outside Maharashtra do not know of the Maratha and Peshva history as the history books focus more on the dynasties based in Delhi and the Rajputs of the North western region.<br />
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The other painting that caught my eye and made me chuckle is in another restaurant in Providence - Not Just Snacks. The painting has all the symbols of 'exotic India' bringing together different pieces of place and time in an unusual collage - elephant, peacock, Tajmahal, coconut, palm, and mango trees, a boy flying kite, a singer (Meerabai??) with a string instrument who is from some bygone era, and people who look like they are from northern India on the banks of a river (Ganga??) Oh and I forgot the deer mesmerized by the song Meerabai is playing/singing. Mountains behind the Tajmahal, the river plains in the middle and I am assuming desert behind Meerabai.<br />
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Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-75895976401785936292010-11-07T10:35:00.002-05:002010-12-03T12:41:48.739-05:00Swastika again ...<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4FTh4WE6e2GkwDj9J4skjph8BctgT0BCPm2neIMAMO9fylxC80XhKB7p9_8wz4FCVVVsa2vO6NHR6X9AVO_TUFa4lYj57skVdkJP-G2zrAiOGYbQ9XouxsZnf4k3hdc6KN9UhT_-eHG6/s1600/49890_526602073_6857933_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz4FTh4WE6e2GkwDj9J4skjph8BctgT0BCPm2neIMAMO9fylxC80XhKB7p9_8wz4FCVVVsa2vO6NHR6X9AVO_TUFa4lYj57skVdkJP-G2zrAiOGYbQ9XouxsZnf4k3hdc6KN9UhT_-eHG6/s1600/49890_526602073_6857933_n.jpg" /></a>It was Diwali week last week. A lot of people from home updated their facebook profile photos with images related to their Diwali celebrations. One of it was of a rangoli in the doorway with swastika in the center. I was wondering what people outside of India (Western countries) will associate it with. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I wrote a couple of <a href="http://indiaoutsideindia-devayani.blogspot.com/2007/11/indian-swastika-and-hitlar-hakenkreuz.html">blog posts</a> some time (years?) back about Indian Swastika and Hitler's Hakenkreuz, after the swastika controversy in TC. I talked with people wherever I went, about the Indian Swastika and the meaning of the word itself (Swasti = wellbeing). I tried to unpack my feelings about how I feel when it is misrepresented as a symbol of hate. Talked with the office of diversity in Teachers College and told them I will help with the lecture they were planning about symbols and their meanings in different cultures, in the hope that I can talk about the difference between the Indian Swastika, the meaning of the word and how it differs from Hitler's symbol of SS. </div><br />
Nothing much has changed after that. In the Diwali packet I got a sticker imitating Rangoli design. At both ends of the colorful strip are two swastikas. Rangoli designs are drawn for various reasons. The ones in the doorway like my sister sent, are to bring happiness, prosperity and feeling of festivity. The ausipicious symbol of a swastika, the name of which itself means 'wellbeing' is generally a given in such drawings. I obviously would not be putting it in my doorway in US for the fear that people will label me fascist, anti-Semite. I don't know how I feel about this. I am not a big fan of Rangoli stickers (I rather draw whatever I feel like everyday) but the matter of am I free to draw or stick a swastika on my door (in the context of a rangoli) without being labeled anti-Semite still remains. <br />
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As I said nothing has changed.Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-7615329558054025272010-11-06T16:11:00.003-04:002010-12-03T12:29:00.466-05:00Obama’s visit to India: Images perceived and portrayedSome points that came up in the media coverage about perceived and redefined image of India <br />
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- Obama rejects view of India as "land of call centers" <br />
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- The United States sees Asia, especially India, as the market of the future<br />
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- India the land of cold-start (the Loch Ness monster that most of the Indians don’t know they have)<br />
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- India the victim of 2008 Mumbai attacks. (Just so that US can proclaim ‘India and US were united against terrorism’)<br />
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- On the other hand it is a giant ogling Pakistan on which US needs to put pressure so as to placate Pakistan and get its support in the ‘war against terrorism’Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-22512420348495156102010-07-04T16:41:00.000-04:002017-10-01T12:46:15.691-04:00Culinary Adventures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have been watching Anthony Bordain on Netflix, off and on this year. It is nice to experience various regions through his culinary adventures. I also like and very much appreciate the idea of knowing the culture through its food. <br />
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During my first couple of years in New York, we used to hold potlucks where everybody brought one traditional dish from their country, region or family tradition. We also planned food excursions where a group of us will go to experience a particular type of cuisine. All of it on a student budget. I have been fortunate in finding a multicultural and multinational group of friends to share my food passion with. From my South African friend’s pot of curry with star anise to my Chinese friends taking me to their favorite dumpling place, my Turkish friend introducing me to the dolma, baklava, halva, and grape leaves, Korean friend making a special dish of dduk bok ki and the list can go on. <br />
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The funny part is that the dduk bok ki and the potluck party around it was planned because one of our American friend craved for it. She was the one who actually introduced me to this fantastic Korean food. Similarly my Turkish friend introduced me to Sushi and sashimi. We are truly an international bunch here with transnational experiences. <br />
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I love exploring people and cultures through food as everything is connected to food. Food opens up conversations about life experiences. Once I took my South African friend to an Indian Grocery store. She saw Maltova there and was super excited. She used to eat Maltova as a kid and her kids like it too. So I learnt the stories of her childhood and her kids growing up in SA. Sharing of Shevayachi Kheer is another such instance. She knows it as Buba (?). Something her Muslim neighbors and her mother’s Muslim friends shared with them on Eid. And then we talked about the friendships between various ethnic and religious groups, traditions that were borrowed and shared, the chat coming back full circle to the spices and culinary influences they have on each other and to her famous curry with star anise. <br />
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I went for a potluck dinner last night with a couple of friends welcoming parents of another friend. We had a nice spread, Marcel’s curry, Amina’s okra, cauliflower rassa, and a medley Aisha brought. The dinner was topped with Amina’s famous fruit cream and wonderful conversation. Everyone talking about their culture, customs and stories of their life. It was nourishment for the soul. A parallel session of mendi (henna) designs helped as well to un-clutter the mind.<br />
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We haven’t been doing this as frequently as we should. Everybody busy with their research, life, and all the stresses that are part of a doctoral student’s life. May be that is what I need. Another culinary adventure. Table full of food from all over the world, conversations as varied as the food. Perfect therapy for weary soul.</div>
Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-15987203900420330122010-02-14T11:17:00.006-05:002010-11-07T10:38:46.058-05:00Selctive media hype of terrorismI was pretty surprised to see the news of the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2010/02/13/world/international-us-india-blast.html?_r=2&hp">Pune blast </a>on the homepage of NY times yesterday. The article claimed that these are the first major attacks after Mumbai attacks in 2008. I wonder what makes attacks major or warrants attention in western media. Nobody seems to be bothered by attacks in the north east. Is it because they did not involve foreigners or there was no proximity of any shabad house? Are the lives of Indians and attacks on their religious places inconsequential?<br />
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Today the article has added this sentence "Any sign of Pakistani attack would worsen relations between the two nuclear rivals and further destabilize a region overshadowed by war in Afganistan." Now-a-days, the 'nuclear rivals' has become a necessary phrase whenever the US media talks about India or Pakistan. It is amazing how none of the other nations with nuclear warheads are ever mentioned in this manner when a conflict arises on their land or of their making. Why this obsession of again and again mentioning the n word? Is this the age old strategy of a media hype followed by a US intervention I am seeing in making?<br />
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I also wonder how people/media conveniently forget to mention that US which at present is responsible and actively involved in military conflict in at least two contries itself has nuclear warheads.<br />
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PS: Sakal, a local newspaper in the state of Maharashtra reported that Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Mike Mullen said that countries of the world should intervene to smooth relations between India and Pakistan. I know there must be something lost in translation from English to Marathi and then to English. But you can't deny that it fuels my fear about US intervention. I am trying to find the original quote in English but haven't found it yet.Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-6010621458968504912009-10-16T15:34:00.002-04:002009-10-16T15:41:14.749-04:00Diwali Message from Obama<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SuiAW_6XKVM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SuiAW_6XKVM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-89150902967571663162009-10-02T14:53:00.003-04:002010-11-07T10:38:26.497-05:00Google Remembers Gandhi!<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmo6ZaNnk-3ElFtoQuAWld6Lkyhb0Sivxuol-BXIRt1MrHEMjJOXOEIS6_G-jm14s-c5_mxRYdOD4ur0P76P4PY4R9UObC_XgjaySwQcfV0rWybFF_gADCsgnssfbfTtDXRZrjhotjYX6/s1600-h/Untitled-1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388080614103736258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmo6ZaNnk-3ElFtoQuAWld6Lkyhb0Sivxuol-BXIRt1MrHEMjJOXOEIS6_G-jm14s-c5_mxRYdOD4ur0P76P4PY4R9UObC_XgjaySwQcfV0rWybFF_gADCsgnssfbfTtDXRZrjhotjYX6/s400/Untitled-1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 89px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 163px;" /></a>Google remembers Gandhi on his Birth Anniversary. </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Saheli reminded me about the Birth Anniversary in the morning because of her Facebook update. Google for me was the least expected place that would commemorate the day.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div>Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-83847439034740440472009-09-13T20:23:00.006-04:002010-11-07T10:39:26.634-05:00Bell Bajao Abhiyan<object align="left" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" height="351" id="10year_vid_flash_web" width="420"><param name="_cx" value="11112"><param name="_cy" value="9286"><param name="FlashVars" value=""><param name="Movie" value="http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/festival/9/911.swf"><param name="Src" value="http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/festival/9/911.swf"><param name="WMode" value="Window"><param name="Play" value="-1"><param name="Loop" value="-1"><param name="Quality" value="High"><param name="SAlign" value=""><param name="Menu" value="-1"><param name="Base" value=""><param name="AllowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain"><param name="Scale" value="NoScale"><param name="DeviceFont" value="0"><param name="EmbedMovie" value="0"><param name="BGColor" value="FFFFFF"><param name="SWRemote" value=""><param name="MovieData" value=""><param name="SeamlessTabbing" value="1"><param name="Profile" value="0"><param name="ProfileAddress" value=""><param name="ProfilePort" value="0"><param name="AllowNetworking" value="all"><param name="AllowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.mediathatmattersfest.org/festival/9/911.swf" quality="high" allowfullscreen="true" bgcolor="#2F1E1F" width="420" height="351" name="MTM 9: Knock Knock, Who’s There?" align="left" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object>This video was shared in our Media, Culture and Education class. I was pretty impressed by the video and also by the fact that it was distributed by Govt of India (Ministry of Women and Child Development). The video is crisp with strong visuals. The ball bouncing in the kid's hand and the image and sound of the bell are two very powerful images.<br />
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In the class, it was interesting to hear comments from an international crowd. For me the most important aspect was adolescents having power to intervene. Here are some comments from the class that stood out: would have liked to see girls in the mix; punk kids (refering to the galli cricket gang) taking social action was a powerful message, opening and closing of the doors seemed like passing of days and that the kids would always be there.<br />
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I personally thought that the same film would not have worked with girls. Galli cricket is a phenomenon. In this case with a Chaul setting, in lower middle class Mumbai. I assumed that in a different setting girls/women will have a role. I was reading more about the film maker Mallika Dutt and stumbled upon the website for the <a href="http://bellbajao.org/">Bell Bajao Abhiyan</a> (Ring the bell campaign). There are two more videos. Both featuring men (not young adults) taking similar action, ringing the bell. The website says the campaign is "asking men and boys to bring domestic violence to a halt". I have to read more to see why they are focusing on men. It was intersting though that I never saw the absence of girls in the video till it was pointed out.Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-48482943844583461712009-06-18T12:04:00.003-04:002017-10-01T15:00:53.983-04:00Chai tea, Masala chai and the real Indian tea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For the longest time I felt that it was my duty to educate Americans about the wrong nomenclature for the things they were eating under the name of Indian. Curry and Chai tea are two of my pet peeves. I have told numerous people numerous times (even when they didn't care) that there is nothing called 'curry' in Indian cuisine, the way it is understood by Americans, Europeans and may be the rest of the world. I also started writing a blog post about it sometime back. I should publish it one of these days.<br />
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'Chai tea' was an irritation for two reasons - firstly, Chai tea is like saying 'tea tea'. Chai means tea. It is hardly an adjective for tea. Secondly, I thought the spices they added in the name of Indian chai was just wrong. Just because we use spices like pepper, cinnamon and cloves in Indian cuisine doesn't mean we would add it in the spiced tea.<br />
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Cafe Fresh near Columbia serves a version of this 'Chai tea'. The only relief is that the menu lists it as 'Masala Chai' (spiced tea). I was so excited to read the words 'Masala Chai' that I started frequenting the place for a cup of chai. Funnily, I have taken to the various versions of spiced tea sold by cafes like Starbucks and Cafe Fresh as well as those sold as teabags. Even though I like these spicy versions, I have always maintained that they are not real Indian tea because of the pepper in it.<br />
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So the other day when Shraddha and I were exchanging recipes and the secrets for the fresh home specific masalas, I was shocked to hear her version of the masala for chai. The masala in her house is made of Pepper, . I asked her twice if that was her own recipe and she insisted that it was a traditional recipe. So all these years when I thought it was stupid of westerners to add pepper in the Chai, seems like they were more knowledgeable about some of the Indian customs than I was.<br />
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The tea bags with black or green tea and powdered or whole spices steeped in hot water still is nowhere close to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chai">Masala chai </a>made in any corner of India, but I have to regrettably take back my ill feelings for the addition of pepper. <br />
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I still feel the need to introduce people to the chai (simple tea), and Masala chai we make at home. Tea powder/granules (not leaves) boiled till it is strong and dark. Fresh ginger and cardamom added while boiling for warmth on a rainy day. Generous milk added to soften the taste. A couple of my friends have got hooked to it. But I remember to add that it is my /our (Maharashtrian?? Puneri??) version of the tea, rather than extrapolating my experience as an average Indian experience.</div>
Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-79189429266115982862009-06-08T17:13:00.015-04:002010-11-07T10:41:27.155-05:00Gandhi in NY: Peace, Social Activist, and World LeaderThe first time I came across a mention of Mahatma Gandhi and a visual was in the sculpture garden of Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in the Fall of 2005. The sculptures were created by school children. I was actually pleasantly surprised. It (the surprised reaction) might have been because of the stereotype about Americans who have no general knowledge and no interest in the history, politics and happenings in the rest of the world. I try not to have such generalized notions of people. But this one is hard to get rid of. It also came from a feeling (at that time) of being culturally invisible. I was equally surprised for the same reason when I saw a picture of Indira Gandhi on a book cover about Women leaders in the classroom library of a Harlem school.<br />
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Anyway, continuing about Gandhi....I was so surprised that I decided to come back to take a photo, almost to prove to myself that 'these people know about our Gandhi'. hahaha.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345887626155630242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HrGnmqOZ6NXsHUZp-N6Twpw-_VqnF9GEVk6vMzmjHUymyTTqhShOfezy8xWyWQE3vfcLxxmohi6DI7xrJsZLCzITfJKuj6Ioe8AMN5WO6NV2oP_dm7Lj7h2Sps7FvVo4thiRwx6wX5mq/s320/IMG_1562.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" />This photo of the sculpture was recently taken when I visited the sculpture garden again with my sister. (She was not suitably surprised to see Gandhi etched in a Cathedral garden. What a disappointment.) The sculpture is created by a school aged kid. It is a message of peace from Mahatma Gandhi.<br />
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In the same week we came across the sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi tucked away in a corner of Union square park. Wikipedia says that the newer addition of Gandhi's sculpture in 1986 was to mark Union Square's history of social activism.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpzOJuKMCVFhW4-lLLatqsjim1iSqYRvzkqeOM3kyimkH0lg7GkaZTE0k_e1vyp_Z4G0HgkgZfuf8O9z_cF_K5WQjbsBGrXWldFrEz2Ba3h3VcECSPozco-Gm4b2_bWKBBb0fssiJZhOh/s1600-h/IMG_1532.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345886455551359858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpzOJuKMCVFhW4-lLLatqsjim1iSqYRvzkqeOM3kyimkH0lg7GkaZTE0k_e1vyp_Z4G0HgkgZfuf8O9z_cF_K5WQjbsBGrXWldFrEz2Ba3h3VcECSPozco-Gm4b2_bWKBBb0fssiJZhOh/s320/IMG_1532.JPG" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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The statue is quite well made. You can see the detail of his watch tucked in his Dhoti. Though I was quite disappointed to see him tucked in a corner like that.<br />
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The following photo is from Madam Tussad's on 42nd street. I thought the placement was very interesting - social leader, religious leader, spiritual leader.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345071850201908562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihKeAuTrJZr4K91zjITl-yvW0T3R3-fT2RDyYhtYk62bocFIV6JG0_rtDScequOJBK3-A1_C8iPDVlCzeY_nM4JNnu7iKL0FDlTu2dVvSfeAHO-hmrAwkU6-HDU21GiHIeDm-cLdTws7KL/s400/Gandhi1.jpg" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" />Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-77212858142916195822009-03-27T17:12:00.003-04:002010-11-07T10:39:45.307-05:00Indian in US TV seriesCSI – NY’s latest episode showed the festival of colors – holi being celebrated somewhere in Queens. I captured a couple of stills. As you can see the girls dancing are wearing a belly dancing costume. Is that a CSI version of Indian? CSI now-a-days is overly dramatizing scenes towards phony anyways.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwuIlZ7DobsMP34s88BaxYmU3WFwWJMzbNabdz4Bix4uZJ24w2w39i1jNsMo3YWO5kzJB9n_WZQN5shLuaA6-S7kxs4QJ9mwn6Ae9Prv3cugkTsuTj2YvtiOjTLpXdWYdIoNS0TGL0zXn/s1600-h/Slide1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380694981529716178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwuIlZ7DobsMP34s88BaxYmU3WFwWJMzbNabdz4Bix4uZJ24w2w39i1jNsMo3YWO5kzJB9n_WZQN5shLuaA6-S7kxs4QJ9mwn6Ae9Prv3cugkTsuTj2YvtiOjTLpXdWYdIoNS0TGL0zXn/s320/Slide1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Here is another one from the same scene. My first reaction was that this is another example of the 'exotic east' syndrome. But then again this might be the expression of Indian by the community in queens that I am discarding as not authentic enough. Me being the 'real' Indian and all. ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TFBFo4G32rIHgeE-Ex0yLr_OJF_0IwTJRyslVJWz8XeqaR2lKYVAl_Nv7U13pzFm6Xe2DXdOYKUfuveudPcJUOKdmXXY_30VVdRF9fg57D8X6ztwQdeF4LJ5ahCFsMy8iN7CzEQd1Wgt/s1600-h/Slide2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380695739948734738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TFBFo4G32rIHgeE-Ex0yLr_OJF_0IwTJRyslVJWz8XeqaR2lKYVAl_Nv7U13pzFm6Xe2DXdOYKUfuveudPcJUOKdmXXY_30VVdRF9fg57D8X6ztwQdeF4LJ5ahCFsMy8iN7CzEQd1Wgt/s320/Slide2.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 331px; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 457px;" /></a>Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-69597903799433190192007-11-20T16:10:00.002-05:002017-10-01T12:38:21.375-04:00Swastika Part II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
(Imported from <a href="http://devmusings.blogspot.com/">Musings</a>) <br />
As mentioned in the previous post, I have been trying to spread the word offline and online. A few of those efforts were met with encouraging reactions from some american students. For example, a TC student was happy to receive information about the Indian Swastika and the way we use it in daily life. She also volunteered to talk about it with a friend in the student senate so that it can be handled at a macro level. I also wrote a comment on the public scribbling board made available during the unrest in TC in the main lobby.<br />
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I asked a question regarding spreading information about Swastika on Yahoo Answers. It received mixed responce. Here is the link to the QA:<br />
<a href="http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ate.S03nXLZHNxWLaKSoIxnsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071109171936AAsU3xV">http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ate.S03nXLZHNxWLaKSoIxnsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071109171936AAsU3xV</a><br />
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I will keep updating this post as and when I get more feedback</div>
Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6339437332957737610.post-9030145690845582722007-11-15T12:27:00.002-05:002017-10-01T12:37:05.908-04:00Indian Swastika and Hitlar's Hakenkreuz<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
(Imported from <a href="http://devmusings.blogspot.com/">Musings</a>) <br />
The Swastika controversy is another issue that has been a huge part of my discussions, fact finding missions and such for the last couple of weeks. The controversy in my mind started with an image of a swastika in a brochure about hate crimes on campus and how to react to them. Unfortunately, the image of swastika they published was the straight faced Indian Swastika and not the tilted swastika of hitler showing 2 intelocked 'S'. It was a photo of the sign painted on an African American House sign so judgimg by the reference it was definately meant as a hate symbol. My first reaction was to laugh at it 'The haters didn't even know which swastika showed hate'. But what about the creaters of the brochure? Did they think twice before choosing this image as an example of hate crime?<br />
The brochure was a 10 point ‘to do’ list. The first point was 'Rise Up'. A sentence in that section caught my attention "I didn't mean to hurt doesn't remove the hurt" "Rise up. The world won't change if people don't change it."<br />
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So I decided to rethink my approach/reaction to the way the word 'Swastika' is used in U.S. As an Indian, swastika to me is a symbol of wellbeing. The word (originating from sanskrit Swasti) literally means that. Swastika is part of an Indian's everyday life. When repeatedly swastika is mentioned as a hate symbol, how do Indian students react to it? I react by doing nothing or feeling nothing. The underlying thought process is 'they are not aware of my swastika. They aren't talking about the Indian swastika so I need not be offended.' I talked to a few Indian students and they had a similar reaction. 'we know better, just let it go.'<br />
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But is it right/fair to let go. Is it not offensive to hear repeated mentions of a symbol as a hate symbol when it is one of the most used auspicious symbols of a culture? Is it not unfair that an Indian cannot use his/her most auspicious symbol due to fear of being branded as fascist unnecesarily?<br />
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Some interesting stories came up when I was talking with the Indian students. The stories were about lack of information about the Indian (real??) swastika by westerners and the problems crreated by it. The stories were exchanged mostly as hilarious incidents. One of it goes like this: "An Indian student was coming to US to study. His father thought that it would be easier for him to find his bags if he had some kind of identifying sticker on it. The easiest available was the rangoli sticker used on the doorways which is very popular in Maharashtra. A rangoli sticker invaribly has a swastika in the center of the design. As I said before, swastika is a omnipresent symbol in India. He was arrested on one of the airports in Europe during the layover." I shared this story with couple other Indian students. The discussion invariably focused on 'how people who haven't travelled outside India do not have a sense of such things'. Why is the burden of knowing and understanding on the shoulders of an Indian? Is it because we believe in 'let go'?<br />
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What have we achieved by not reacting? Did we unknowingly support the abuse of the word/concept of 'Swastika' by not reacting? Will it make a difference if we educate people around us? Will it make a differnce if we protest against the use of the word 'Swastika' as a hate symbol and insist that the Nazi hate symbol be properly identified as 'Hitler's Swastika' or 'Hakenkreuz (hook-cross))'?<br />
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I am still debating in my mind about these questions. In the meanwhile I have also started talking about the issue with various american freinds offline and online. Resolving these questions for myself is going to take a long time. As they arn't really about swastika but about changing philosophy of life in a new environment.</div>
Devayanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17732630179927467443noreply@blogger.com0