LIFE OF US

Mahabharata: A tale of true friendship

The Mahabharat is one of the two major epics in Sanskrit of ancient India. It contains over one lakh couplets and is thrice as long as the Bible. However, only a fraction of the narration deals with the main story with the rest containing additional myths and teachings. It clearly states: “what is found here may be found elsewhere...

Spices from Nepal

The purpose of this article is to present the most common Nepali spices typical of this country, along with their medical properties. Akhbare khursani Akhbare khursani is also known as dalle khursani, meaning round chili is the spiciest spice in the world. The fully mature fruits are mostly shaped like cherries and are glowing red. Grown in households in...

Ras malai

My favorite dessert in India. Sweet and delicate in the same time. To prepare it you must make: Rabri – the sauce you put chenna into Chenna – means paneer Sweet syrup – to soak paneer in it Notes: To make chenna you can use ordinary milk If you don’t have the cardamom powder you can crush the...

Railway Communication In India

Indians love to travel and do not need the Passports. Aware of their national wealth still run back and forth – whether it is a pilgrimage to the holy places or just as tourists to see the legacy of centuries of India, or to visit a family… Anyway – the second most populous nation in the world loves...

Why Indian people paint eyes of their children

Perhaps you are in shock seeing, for the first time, a small child with intensely painted eyes. However, it has been very common in Hindu culture for a long time. Also today, many mothers, in India, Nepal, and the Middle East, paint their children’s eyes with kayal – an Indian equivalent of eye-liner – obtained from oil, herbs,...

Lemongrass: to mosquito and cold say ‘No!’

Lemongrass, gingergrass or palmarosa – ‘Cymbopogon martini’ Known in India as ganjan or gavti cha, is a species of grasses. It grows wild in wetlands of rural areas of India, Nepal, China and neighboring countries. In Ayurveda known as Rohisha – is a component of many ayurvedic prescriptions and is used in traditions of natural healing. The Chinese usually...

Few facts about Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest man of India well known around the globe. Here are few interesting, as well as important facts about this great man. He wrote a letter to Adolf Hitler. In 1939, he wrote a request letter to Hitler to avoid war, but it never reached its intended recipient because of an intervention by the British government....

History: Shehnai, traditional wind instrument

Quick Introduction Emperor Aurangzeb was considered as the last great Mughal Emperor who extended the Empire over nearly all the Indian subcontinent. He was born in 1618 and ruled for 49 years. He brought to his rule a strict Islamic law called Fatawa-e-Alamgiri. It was said that he imposed a ban on music but it seems that not completely. The story...

Sita Subedi: one-legged dancer

Katthak is one of the classic Indian dance styles, also practiced in Nepal. “Now I present a well-known katthak dancer from Nepal, whose special feature is to overcome her imperfections on the way to fulfill her life dream. The katthak style is characterized by very quick leg movements at certain times. Sita has one leg and is very...

Mahatma Gandhi: Return to India

Gandhi left South Africa forever and returned to India in July 1914. Initially he stayed at Shantivan ashram of Noble Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. By 1917, he had established Satyagraha ashram on the banks of Sabarmati river . In 1917, Gandhiji led a successful satyagraha campaign fighting for the rights of the indigo planters at Champaran. Champaran was a...

Hijra – the third gender in India

Hijra is one of the castes in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, which includes representatives of the “third sex”: a community of transgender people, bisexuals, homosexuals, and eunuchs. They dress and behave like women, call themselves a female name. The number of Hijra varies according to different estimates from 50 thousand to 5 million. But traveling in India and...