Celebrating the Festival of Pongal

Posted on March 13, 2012 by read26x7

India is a land whose primary occupation is agriculture. Changes in season thus play a very important role for Indian farmers. Their lifestyles and celebrations are thus exclusively linked to the seasonal landmarks in a year. There are many Indian festivals which are in tune with a farmer’s lifestyle and also with the seasonal variations in a year. Pongal, the harvest festival of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is one of them. It is one of the most popular harvest festivals of South India, mainly Tamil Nadu. Lasting for four days, the celebrations include cooking of delicious pongal, exchanging gifts and drawing of kolam or rangoli (designs drawn on the floor with colour powder or rice powder).

This festival marks the beginning of the end of winter season and corresponds to the time when the sun is moving towards Uttarayanam (north) from Dakshinayanam (south). The period is referred to as Uttarayan Punyakalam and is considered auspicious. As per the Tamil calendar, Pongal is celebrated four days from the last day of the month of Margazhi (December — January) to the third day of the month Thai (January — February). Thus, according to the Gregorian calendar, Pongal is celebrated from 12 to 15 January of which Pongal day or the first day of Thai falls on 14 January. On this occasion farmers pay their respects to the rain, sun and the farm animals, all of which are essentials in any harvest. Also, since paddy and other crops depend on the availability of good rain and Tamil Nadu does not have many perennial water sources, rain and sun gods are invoked during this auspicious occasion. Pongal is also known as “Tamizhar Thirunal” (meaning “the festival of Tamils”). “Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum” which means that “birth of the Thai month will pave way for new opportunities” is a common saying in reference to Pongal.

The Pongal festival is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in South India and is a thanksgiving for the plentiful harvest received. The festival is celebrated with great pomp and show and people clean and decorate their houses with flowers and rangoli and buy new clothes. This is when farmers bring newly harvested rice home and feed their cattle a rice dish called Pongal- from where the festival got its name, and is dedicated to Lord Surya. It is also celebrated as Tamil Nadu’s New Year Day. The festival is celebrated for four days. On, the first day, Bhogi, the old clothes and materials are thrown away and fired, marking the beginning of a new life. The second day, the Pongal day, is celebrated by boiling fresh milk early in the morning and allowing it to boil over the vessel – a tradition that is the literal translation for Pongal (in Tamil). People also prepare savories and sweets, visit each other’s homes, and exchange greetings. The third day, Mattu Pongal, is meant to offer thanks to the cows and buffaloes, as they are used to plough the lands. Jallikattu, a violent taming the bull contest, marks this day. On the last day, Kanum Pongal, people go out to picnic. During the Pongal season, people eat sugar canes and decorate the houses with Kolam. Coinciding with Makara Sankranti and Lohri of the north, it is also called Pongal Sankranti and thus celebrated in some form in various parts of India. Even though Pongal was originally a festival for the farming community, today it is celebrated by all.

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Kerala’s Must Try dishes – First Course

Posted on March 13, 2012 by read26x7

Kerala has one of the best culinary experiences that the country can offer. Be it in the form of elaborately prepared concoctions to the simple but tasty dishes, Kerala has it all. Here we bring to your as a part of this two series article, the first five must-try dishes when you step in to God’s Own.

1.       Karimeen pollichadu –It is one of the most popular dishes in Kerala, had not only by tourists but also the local crowd. This spicy steamed fish dish is made with generously coated spices and wrapped in the all famous banana leaf to retain the flavors and the nutritional value. For all the health conscious people out there this dish is one of the healthiest non-vegetarian dish possible as the fish is just fried a bit to get the right flavor out and then steamed. So it’s a dish that can be had without second thoughts or regrets. This must have dish is found all around Kerala.

2.       Malabar biryani-The popular biryani, originated from the Arabs has become the trademark dish of the northern Malabar cuisine. This exotic dish has complex ingredients, each of which complements the dish in its own individual way. This dish consists of rice cooked along with meat, onions, chilies and other spices. Biryani now a day has evolved a lot from the original version of it (mutton). Many of the restaurants give customers choices of the fillings (masala) of the biryani.

3.       Pork Vindaloo-This dish is popular in Christian communities. It is one of the most common dish that is found in restaurants. The pork’s fat and aloo (potato) is added to this dish so as to give it more flavor. This dish has to be kept to rest for at least 24 hrs before serving to attain flavor and to let the curry absorb into the pork. This dish is complete with the combination ofPaal-Appam, a circular, fluffy, crisp-edged pancake made of rice flour fermented with a small amount of toddy or wine.

4.       Manga pachadi-Manga or Mango is used in most of the vegetarian dishes to give it that sweet tang taste to the dish. Manga pachadi is made by mixing mango with curd and often had with rice as a “kootan”. This dish bonds you to the entire Keralite household as it is one of the usually made dishes by the locals. “Meals Ready” will be a sign one will often see while walking past a hotel in Kerala. This dish is usually served as part of “meals”.

5.       Avail- Coconuts grow in abundance in Kerala, and consequently, coconut kernel, (sliced or grated) coconut cream and coconut milk are widely used in dishes for thickening and flavoring. In this dish grated coconut acts as the main ingredient. It is combined with vegetables like ash gourd colocasia carrot drumstick and the best part of this dish is that a variety of vegetables can be added to it n it would still be delicious; all the ingredients are mashed to form a paste so that it complements the rice. Avial is one of the main curries in traditional sadyas.

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A stroll in the rain

Posted on June 30, 2011 by akhilunplugged

The hectic day was finally coming to an end and riding back home relieved to have the rest of the evening to myself, the first drops from the sky were mostly unnoticed. It wasn’t until I saw the rider ahead of me pull over to a side to cover himself up with his raincoat that it hit me. The long impending shower which had been clouding us throughout the day was finally happening. Cursing my luck for being caught in the rain without a raincoat, I pulled into the parking lot behind the Marine Drive. Running across to the GCDA building in a failed attempt to not get wet, I quickly found myself a spot on the marble laid stairs at the back of the building which faced the water. Realizing I was going to be here for a while, I took out my phone and started listening to some music through my earphones.

As the rain grew stronger, the heavy winds that accompanied it gave me a chill, and soaked in rain my clothes weren’t really helping me out here. I watched as a man passing by fought desperately to keep a hold of his umbrella before the winds took along with them what they felt was theirs, leaving the man drenched. A subtle smile spread across my lips watching his dilemma as I went back to a time when I was with my friends on a bridge which had very little traffic and enjoyed the rain which had been showering on us. Thinking of the feeling it gave me then, I felt a want to walk through the Marine Drive in the rain. Realizing I had nothing to lose here, I was quick to get up and walk down the stairs. The few people who had been sheltering themselves from the rain like me watching me losing reason momentarily held me back momentarily, but the breeze gave me the little motivation in needed and soon I was strolling over the wet and slippery floor which reflected my image back at me in parts as the rain kept me company.

My loss of reason was further cemented when the makeshift shop selling ice cream gained from my lack of sense as I walked past it holding an ice cream in my hand. Entertainment was aplenty, with people drenched in the rains tried miserably to dry themselves out.

The stairs leading up to the Rainbow bridge required a bit of an effort, with the slippery steps giving me a hard time. Atop the bridge, I was treated with a view of the water unlike any other. With the rains putting the several boats which invaded the water out of business for the evening, the spotless view in front of me was spectacular.

I don’t know how long I spent on the bridge but by the time I decided I was done for the evening, the rains had subdued a bit. The strong downpour had been replaced by a calm drizzle. Realizing it didn’t really matter whether it still rained or not, I walked back to my bike. Starting off the engine and warming it up, a smile grew across my face as I contemplated the ride back home in the rain.

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