Visiting India after such a long gap was a much needed break and it was also an experience that was a treat for all of one’s senses! It was the most amazing culinary experience. From the spicy ghee dripping parathas of Northern India to the typical fauji mess-style food and the simplistic Meitei cooking…and to add to all of this lots of lovingly made home cooked food everywhere we went. Each morsel was a culinary journey.

Tenowanbi

This variety of beans I’ve so far only come across in north eastern states of India. Its eaten raw in salads & has a delightful crunchy taste. It goes amazingly well with a paste that’s made with fermented fish or ngaari and it tastes heavenly if you’re into that sort of thing! 🙂

One can never go wrong with deep fried fresh water fish

Singju – It’s the manipuri equivalent of a salad but is 99% of the time way too fiery for the non-north eastern palate! The 1% is for children and tourists! It’s incredibly healthy, crunchy and full of flavours. If you haven’t had singju in Manipur, you’ve pretty much missed the plot! 

And some more fried little fish which were bought from the local fish market in Dimapur, Nagaland… perhaps fresh catch from the nearby river?! I can assure you, it was delicious!  

The Brahmans or Bamons in Meitei culture traditionally prepare the feast for all ceremonial or religious occasions. They have a penchant for making food taste heavenly even without such ingredients like ginger, garlic & onion and even meat and fish. Each dish they prepare is a testimony to an extraordinary culture that spans hundreds of years that is featured in a place as epic as the Mahabharata and in modern equestrian sport. 

And the countless cups of tea daily… so many cups shared over so many thoughts, joys, laughter & pain.
Next destination : Dimapur, Nagaland – the land of mysterious tribes & magical traditions!

Walking through a local market in Dimapur

The amazingly sweet & colourful maize corn that’s commonly found in the northeastern states of India

Bhoot Jholakiya/ ghost chillies/ Oomorok… whatever you’d like to call it… it doesn’t temper the hotness of this chilli variety… tread..i mean taste with care!!

Fat juicy silk worms… high in protein & apparently very yummy.. nope..I didn’t try it! 

So green…so greeennnnnnn

Bee pupae still in their honeycombs

Dried fresh water fish of all possible varieties

Dimapur & Nagaland in general was full of delectable surprises. As is with every ancient tribal or ex-tribal society, there’s an interesting mix of flavours and characters in the local cuisine. Dimapur has some fantastic restaurants that’ll even surprise the seasoned restaurateur. 

 Raj Kachori Chaat at Gangaur in Kolkatta. Kolkatta street-style food is the bestest everrrrr!!!!! When visiting Kolkatta, one must sample all the amazing street food you get there – puchka, jhaal-muri, dahi chaat, momos, chowmein, rolls… yum yum drool drool

The classic egg-chicken roll from Nizams! 

If one begins to write about the varieties of cuisines one can find in India, one would run out of pages. Each cuisine from each region is distinct and an extraordinary experience. I’m sure I’ll still have plenty to write about Indian regional cuisines in the days to come… till then Bon Apettit!!

Such an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia,

a longing of the familiar little streets & lanes of a home I once used to call my own, a feeling that its all gone & slipped away…

I don’t want to hold on to them in a way that I want them to stay the same

but sometimes I find myself remembering such moments.

Its such a bitter sweet aching, it squeezes my heart & pours out from my eyes.

Its not really helping that I’m listening to some really gentle and sweet music.

The rhythms take me through to dancing figures moving in perfect tandem with the music…

it weaves its way through temple corridors of a culture well preserved for generations,

of shady tree lined roads in a city that will be my final resting place,

passing & crossing bridges that have enthralled me with the rivers they cross,

with the boats that seem to carry people form one realm to another sometimes gently and sometimes through turbulent currents…

I hold these moments gently in my heart & let them go so that theres room for more memories to be created

but ever so often when i read a book, or hear a tune, or watch the rain

these seemingly insignificant moments come back & steal a tear from my eyes

Brave men they were who went to war

to fight for freedom in many a land so far

they would bring back hope & victory for their nation

the nation would celebrate them in grateful exultation

and then there were those who never came back

who’s sacrifices bore heavy on their comrades sack

their hopes and dreams interred in lands far away

their lives that were short but every minute held sway

they left behind hearts heavy in grief

their memories forever even if meetings were brief

when the wars were on, there were brave women too

who sacrificed for themselves as well for me & for you

they left their aprons & ladles back in their homes

they made tanks and machines and even bombs

they carried the weight of iron on their nimble feet

along with the weight of their babies heartbeats

it doesn’t matter if you are from here or across seven seas

never forget the sacrifices they made so that we may live in peace

Friends we knew and loved have now grown into their own.
Some on familiar grounds & some heading towards territories unknown.
When I hear from them, moments of familiarity beckons
And we know we can look back together as the future reckons
There’s a trust sometimes that transcends distances & borders
There are friends who will always be just what the doctor orders!

Years have passed and dreams have moulded themselves differently as I had once expected them to be

Talking to my brother this afternoon an interesting thought came up. For the last decade or so, whenever we, meaning my my two sisters, my brother & myself, have spoken to each other over the phone we’ve always ended conversations with ‘love you’s! And as a habit now I tell my close friends and family I love them at the end of each telephonic conversation I have with them. And this we owe to Ms Oprah Winfrey!!!! There’s so much to thank her for even though I’ve never met her and may or may not ever meet her.