Hampi-The forgotten empire of India

Hampi - isn't the name very exotic? And so is the place. 

Doesn't matter how beautiful place is where you live now or how many exotic places you have traveled, I bet you will find it special in Hampi- used to be the capital of great kingdom of 'Vijayanagara'. Hampi is also mentioned in Hindu mythologies of Ramayana.

I wanted to visit this place since long and the dream came true few months ago. But this fulfillment just created a lingering 'returning back and staying there more kind of a feeling.' I went with great determination to soak the beauty of the place and turn them into words. I planned to write experiences of each day. I absorbed myself into every bit of it, and ignored the previous plan completely, thinking I will do it better after finishing the trip. On return I tried to write about the place on each passing night. But then I kept faltering.

I finally decided not to trap the place with my incapable words.
And after all a lot is written on this place in several books, articles and book chapters.
Hampi - the forgotten empire of King Krishna Dev Rao has been visited by several European and Chinese travellers in several hundreds of years ago.

The place was a melting point of trade through sea, culture and politics. It was a protected kingdom. It is still. It is like a open air museum which has come out from earth. Thanks to UNESCO, this place is kept with lots of care. 
We Indians don't really care for our heritage but for Hampi this does not hold true.

Just like several historical places you will notice Hampi is also well guarded by natural hill ranges, magnificent gateways, boundary walls and nature, still now. While writing about this place I am loosing my words. I am experiencing that thousands of words which I will need to paint this place may well be produced by just a few shots...

 

The exceptional color match between the tree barks and the stone carved magnificent structures

The chariot structures with detailed wheels and the closeness of a built structure in south of India to that of famous Konark sun temple in East (Orissa) of India. Showing nothing but good ties and evidence of huge kingdoms of past in India

  

The musical pillars in Vithala temple and also in groups. Pillars are very common architectural art from Indian past. In spite of so many temples residing there, there are only few where worshiping is still carried out. According to Hindu belief, a place where the idols are broken or damaged could not be prayed. So rush of devotional tourists are observed only in few places leaving lot more silent corners for your spiritual calmness. Virupekha (another name of lord Shiva) temple is one of the temples where every day people come for worshipping. 

 

The decorated and detailed 'Gopurams', functioned as gateways for temple and is often observed in Dravidian styles, Pallava kings made them famous and who knows these were like the gates of gated communities we have in today's very fast changing Indian cities.

Can you see the horses and people? They are actually representing the Arabic, Chinese and European traders with horses to sell in Indian market. India is not a big market just now, it has always been actually.

This yard in front of the 'Vithala temple' use to be market for selling horses, you can find many Yallis-mythical beasts (related to mythological stories of Narsimha) in the pillars  and how beautifully they are carved.

The queens bath and other bath. Our tour guide defined it as spa from those era, where sandalwood logs were immersed in the water to give scented baths to the royal people. Life has been always very good for rich people in India.

Lotus palace (left) and elephant stables (right). This quarter of the kingdom was strictly reserved for women of royal families. Specially when the men went for wars. Lotus palace had options of water circulating all around it to get air conditioning effect in strong summer days of Hampi.

Ceiling work explaining incidents from several mythologies of 'Ramayana' and 'Mahabharatha' in several temples, palaces and quarters, natural  earthen colors were used which stayed through so many hundreds of years of weathering.

The mornings and evenings in a hidden village of Karnataka, near the Tungabhdra river (earlier may be it was known as Pampa). Did you notice the Coracle boats? Oh it was wonderful to have a boat trip  and getting immersed in the ambience, just at the dusk.

Then there were market places, cosy and laid back restaurants and so many more.

A very calm and well kept place of India. If you love history, architecture, vegetation, nature, calm places, small town character and art then go visit it.

And as you stay there please don't litter and be a responsible eco traveller.

Picky eater vs. Acquired taste

J is a picky and lazy eater. Each time she is given a new thing to eat, she would taste that with tip of her tongue. It is a funny visual and sometimes an irritating one specially when I prepare a dish keeping only her in mind. We had very hard time during her transition from bottles of milk to diverse solid food. She at the age of  1 and 1/2 years found no reason to come out of the comfort of just sucking milk from bottle or lick spoons of semi solid baby food with mild taste and swallow them immediately than to chew solid foods which were so complex in taste and texture. Result was an irritated and constipated child. Also now when I look back I find she was going to a German day care at that time and was taught to eat with utensils, where touching food with fingers was not a good manner. At home she found her Indian parents eating their food using fingers. J must have got confused seeing two ways of eating in that small age. Also the taste and texture of food was quite different in two places. Result, she got extremely picky about eating. We understood that and used to give her knife and fork to eat rice at home. This helped her. We also learnt to be consistent in giving her proper food and no baby food to develop her chewing and proper food eating habit.

At around age 3, she asked me once whether I feel messy to eat with fingers. I told her that no, it is just a habit. Also that there are some rules we follow, even if we eat with hands, like we use  only right hands, we use only fingers, we use chapatti (Indian bread) to scoop sabji and daal (curries and lenti; soup), there are countries other than India where also people eat with hands etc.  In the mean time, we, 'J's parents, big foodies, started including 'J' for cooking. She used to do simple acitvities like mixing things together. This broke her inhibitions of touching food with fingers. She started learning the names of different fruits and vegetables. She started to like the process of baking and so on. She still continues to taste any new thing with the tip of her tongue and she still continue to reject several vegetables (specially greens). She loved eating non-vegeterian items though. When she was 5, she asked me one day whether she could try eating food at home like us. She tried to eat rice with her fingers and as fingers are easy to use than fork and knife to mix food and Indian curries, she liked the taste of food better. Also with constant exposure to diverse food habits at school/day care and home she started accepting both and started picking some favourites of her own in both places.

In this time she also started visiting her friend's house where she found that food was yet again different from her home and school. In spite of being picky, upon repetitive exposures she started choosing certain special food in her friend's house too. I started introducing the term 'acquired taste' in our regular language. I tried to explain her that there were several things I did not like to eat as a child, but as I grew old I started liking them. One example being cooked onions. 'J' found it funny that her 'food loving' mummy also had 'dislikes' as a kid. We kept watching food programmes talking about different types of international food and we kept buying and using several ingredients which are not that used in an Indian kitchen. 'J' started taking interest in several methods of cooking and used to come up with her 'own' ideas of cooking.

Recently upon our return to western part of India, she saw yet another world were vegetarian food are more common to consume. Geographically this region of India is land-locked and dry. So in earlier times the availability of fish and meat might be rare, legumes, fruits, vegetables and cereals are are major produces in these regions leading to vegetarian eating habit, which might have inoculated in the form of religious necessity as human being started creating faiths and religions for streamlined life.

Kids don't know all this reasons, they follow whatever they see at home, they get conditioned accordingly, so they form a critical view towards food not eaten in their home. 'J' on hearing the comments that 'eating fish or meat is yucky' got quite confused. She started showing her doubts towards chicken and fish curry which are her all time favourites. In her school non-vegeterian food is not allowed in the tiffin as they share food with each other adding more points to her doubts .

My parenting came under test again. Along with using the principle of 'acquired taste', I started talking with her about the geography and cultivation practice of different region or at least about the places where we have lived still now. This helped her understand that people in each place mostly eat what is grown there but as we unlike many others are always on move we get chance to explore different tastes. Secondly I started talking about various religions and how our belief  on religion also puts impact in our eating habits. She started understanding. We continued eating and cooking various tastes at our home and started exploring different restaurants. We started introducing new ingredients from the local markets in our cooking.

Recently I noticed that 'J' is finding it hard to eat at bigger gatherings, because of her being shy, because of all the excitement she goes through in such places, because of foreignness of the places and faces of people and because of she being not used to it and being picky, specially during festivals and big parties. Such gatherings (of almost 100 people and more) were not their in her life till now, as we were not in India till recently. We discussed on this issue and she said she was too tired to eat and she was although sad for her behaviour but she could not help it.

So my next journey will be to make her comfortable or at least accept the novelty of a situation that sometimes arises around food, and that where so many other people who are eating happily the same thing that has been offered to her, so she can try to taste the things with a smile and who knows she might find a new favourite for herself. 

Mummy, Look! The milk is tearing apart!

It was a Sunday and late in the morning. Rini, a little girl of love her Sunday mornings, because a) on Sunday mornings she can get up late, b) after getting up she can take out her heap of storybooks and magazines, she can look at them one by one, read some of them or solve some puzzles given in them while lying on her belly on the small carpet laid in their living room. Her mummy and daddy also feel very happy on Sunday morning, no office, no school, no shopping and no hurry. They read the newspaper, Sunday editions or magazines, drink tea and eat breakfast, chat and laugh.

Along with this, Sunday morning brings another attraction for Rini. On Sundays, Rini and her parents   cook together after having a late. Rini does not remember from when, but it has almost become a ritual now, that the Sunday afternoon meals are cooked by all of them together. Rini finds it very exciting as she can see many magic happening while they cook, her mummy calls it ‘food science’. She eagerly waits for this fun time for the whole week.

Chocolate cake: Genesis of a humble All fun baking/cooking club

All fun baking/cooking club


Genesis: Almost 6 or may be 10 weeks ago (my memory has reached the saturation few years ago and now the stuff is declining quite fast, please bear with me on that) we just thought of baking a cake together. We means I, J and two other friends of hers. Idea was to have fun, we have done that with J's another friend P in Scotland and we had lots of fun. We wanted to have fun here too. I had an additional intention of "if things come out well, then we can have something almost every saturday morning".

Reason: Although we tried our best to find an upcoming, different kind of school for 'J', but soon I figured out the school does not live upto its claims, or they just don't know how to create a total difference. A very good, impressive building they have, they do have good student to teacher ratio, they do have additional nanny's to look after kids when needed, like when teacher is not there in class and so on, they do have a library and book's are provided to the students to take home, they do have a computer room with few computers for teaching IT to kids, they do have good play ground and finally the principal of the school is approachable. 

A queen called 'Ciabatta'

I knew that I was going to face it one day, I did not know from which way though.

While returning to India I was feeling so glutton to the good old samosas (need no definition), pani puri (Fuchka-famous Indian crunchy, sour water filled snack), Dosa (Indian version of pancake-not sweet), Chaats (mix of potato pattie with several other condiments, hot and spicy), Lassi (Famous yoghurt drink), chow-mein (though from china but they have got an Indian identity in India), sweat meats etc.

During my last days in Europe I was wondering will I ever miss Broetchens (small baked breads from Germany), Frikadelle (Fried Meat balls), Pasta bolognse or Pasta Arrabiata, Haenchen Schnitzel (Breaded Chicken breast), Kartofeltashe (Potato bags), Sticky toffee pudding, Haggies, nips and Tatties (Scotland delicacies), Cheese sandwiches and so on.

Yes! a teeny- weeny voice came out from me.

I consoled my heart saying, "India is globalizing, so don't worry we will manage to eat some continental cuisine time to time." My heart was not very sure but kept silent.

And then upon landing to India, for months I went to re-discover the tastes I left here before leaving. Umm! I loved them again. Holding a crisp piece of Masala dosa with some spiced potatoes inside it, dipped in coconut chutney and sambar,  one after one and then with  my fingers transferring the whole into my mouth. Heavenly! And similarly went the haunt for and capture of other delicacies- golgappas and samosa.

India: Fusion is fashion as always, now even more

Just  as I said before (see the blog about Roads of today's India) I am trying to visualize India I left each and every day now when I have returned to India after a long while.

Fusion; has remained a favorite word in Indian fashion, cuisine, language, interior designs or in our complete living style.  Fusion is unavoidable considering the diverse cultures we have inside India and the invasions India has faced in history by Turkish, French, Dutch, Portugeese and British mainly and the influences India has gathered from neighboring countries like Srilanka, Maldives, Burma, China etc,  fusion ought to be the buzzword of Indian mentality. 

Just considering the fusion in food today, as I consider for me food is a mirror of culture, changes and revolution going inside a country very subtly. The geographical, economic, political and cultural aspects of a human society can be portrayed very vividly just by considering the food eaten in that society. And speaking only of me food for me is not a necessity, it is a luxury, an indulgence, a hobby or a simply a way of life actually. I know you will brand me as a unfashionable glutton as boasting about food does not suit a woman of modern society, but then who cares!

I personally feel that we love the taste of food which we grow up eating, as youth though we venture out to different tastes and flavors but with age we grow a distinct choice which majorly consist of the childhood flavors. Then we say that our cuisine is the best in the world. Sometimes  we don't like some taste, just when we try them for the first time, but a constant exposure to that taste, grows a liking towards that food in our minds. I did not like several tangy, strong flavored cheese for the first time I went to Europe but then slowly I started liking them.

We the children of seventies don't see noodles (specially maggi-made famous by nestle), dosa-idly, (snacks from south of India) dhokla or bhujia or pav-bhaji (snacks from west of India), chola-bhatura or tandoori chicken (snacks from north of India), rasogolla (sweet from east of India) as any thing new, we have grown up eating although we knew that they are from different parts of India, but if we just walk one generation back to our parents, they were not that aware of these food if they did not belong to that area. Cake, pastry, biscuits, puffs were also looked upon as western influence by our grandparent's generation but then it mingled quite nicely in the platter of next generations of India.

So what has changed in that scenario in last 10 years? Oh a lot has changed! 

 

Courtesy-Google images

Actually for all those Indians who are living outside India for a long time and have got used to of French wine,  Cheese from Holland, Breads from Germany, Chocolates from Switzerland, Olives and Coffee,  Hummus from Oriental countries, Puddings from UK and big pieces of Chocolate chip cookies, Mexican cuisine and other fast food from USA and who also care a lot for their Indian meal of rice, hand made chapattis and dal (legume soup) and aam ka achhar (mango pickle), India is coming up fast to cater for them.

When I left India, cheese meant only of one kind made by Amul and the cottage cheese, which we call paneer. But on returning back I see that several cottage industries are coming up with India's own fusion version of European and American cheese.

Wine meant an imported luxury 10 years ago, I first got a taste of wine when  one of our seniors  from Kolkata went to Italy for an academic visit and brought a bottle of wine, I was twenty one then. But now the western ghats of India is producing wine, of course the actual wine experts pursuing these industries  are still from abroad but Indians are able to get wine produced in Indian soil. Beer is also produced in India and is being exported also.

Fruits like strawberries, Wine grapes, Kiwis etc are grown here in several farms every year, they all started as test farming and then became successful business, all in last 10 years, when I was not here. After all many hundred years ago Chili pepper, potato, tomato (even now it is called bileti begun - Foreign Aubergine/Brinjal by my grand mother), Cauliflower, Cabbage, French beans, capsicum or green peppers, Melons, Dry fruits like Walnuts, Apricot etc were introduced to India by Turkish or British people. Now Chili has become symbol of India! 

Now if we come to the restaurants, oh there are plenty of them who want to satisfy the western appetite of their clientele.  Unlike the majority of restaurants a decade ago which used to serve a mixed platter of Indian cuisine heavily loaded with regional influences with some special cakes as dessert the restaurant now are more specialized (just like the professions). Many restaurant can be seen who offer only continental cuisine or only oriental cuisine, also there are places who offer fusion cuisine to attract specifically big groups (like office parties) where foodies of all tastes can get their pick.

I should also mention that earlier India was divided into north and south in terms of cuisine. Northern cuisine had strong Punjabi influence (effect observed after partition of India and Pakistan when many people from Punjab part of Pakistan came to India and found home in several parts of India). South Indian cuisine was popularly coined as Madrasi khana (food from Madras) by the North Indians (I guess Madras being the oldest metropolitan of the south, and the name was given by British officers, who changed names of many cities of India according to their own ease of pronunciation). Now restaurant chains are build who offer the fine cuisines of each small  food wise rich regions of India and new names of cuisines like Bengali, Awadhi, Udipi, Chettinad, Goan, Rajasthani, Gujrati, Maharashtrian etc. This list will keep enriching as Indians are increasingly leaving their own states and going to other states for studies, work, business or just because they want to wander in all over India and many small uninteresting pockets of India are getting exposed due to increasing industrial, educational, tourism and real estate business, so the culture and habits of those pocket are oozing out too.

Snacks, used to be mainly of Indian origin, when I was in college, with some companies producing Indian version of puffs called patties and cream loaded cakes (owing to strong British influence) but now world masters like Mc Donald's, KFCs, Subways etc are visible in big and medium sized cities of India, although they have tweaked their menu for Indian taste (little more spicy, pork and beef are not that readily available). 'J' was very excited to go there for the first time but then she was utterly disappointed on testing her well known burger which was having a splash of chili chutney!

 

Courtesy-Google images

Fruit juices, constitute a main part in Indian lifestyle, specially during summer, but I was used to drink freshly prepared juices from road side vendors, now increasing concern about germ free drinking water and availability of tetra packs has increased the availability of packaged juices from companies like Tropicana and Rubicon in Indian supermarkets as well as departmental stores. 'J' who is used to of having a pack of juice in the refrigerator is happy to get her favorite mango/apple flavor in India also.

Packed and dry food like Muesli, Instant Oatmeal, Cornflake, Olive oil, different kinds of pastas, Pasta sauces from well known brands like Kellogs, Quaker (Pepsi co)  Barilla,  Knorr are easily available in supermarkets and actually some cities have special departmental stores selling them.

Chocolates meant Cadburys to me, but now although Cadburys hold a major share but  Lindt , Ferrero and Mars are also available. To 'J''s delight her favorite Kinder eier (egg-surprise egg) produced by Ferrero which is actually an egg shaped chocolate with an yellow yolk shaped plastic box inside which contains funny little toys, each time a different one (to keep children and adults curious)  is also available here now. They have changed the packaging and taste though to customize with Indian heat and taste, but the surprise little toys are still there which I guess  is main attraction for 'J'. Chocolates were not famous confectionery before, they were only kid's happiness, but now small chocolate boutiques are visible on many corners where chocolates are prepared by the owner with infusion of local tastes like cashew nuts, almonds and figs and sold with special wrapping and smile, just as in small villages of Europe. These chocolates are entering fast into the adults life where Indian sweat meats were observed before. A packet of locally hand crafted chocolate with a bottle of wine is a common gift of today's guest to their hosts.

Among all these changes and fusion (and sometimes confusion due to excessive choices in front of you), I am glad there is one thing which has remained same from my grandfather's time to now in 'J's world, and undoubtedly all four generation of us love to drink that. That is nothing other than  the coconut water just directly from the green coconut with/out a straw. Aah! this is a must in Indian tropical climate and will  remain there as raw as it is in spite of all other changes.