A Journey Through Spice & Coffee Country....

The other day Neeti went about flirting with coffee, albeit on her blog. And then, she inspired me to write a photo blog on our journey through Kodagu, earlier this year which we thorougly enjoyed. Undoubtedly the place was good - no traffic, no hustle-bustle, no deadlines for those few days and more importantly, the company was great - spending quality time with Neeti and my folks was priceless. Unfortunately, Neeti's folks could not make it.

The best way to begin a journey through Kodagu, India's coffee and spice country is in the morning. Numerous trails will lead you into the various coffee plantations, which offer an exciting insight into how nature balances itself and how man can optimize conservation and commercial cultivation!

Plantation Trails -- The rutted paths lead us deeper into the heart of the plantation.... The lovely greens and the constant chirping of birds give us a spring in each step we take!

The sun rises, lifting the veil of mist through the greens.....

The plantation has quite a magical and enchanting feel to it. Look at the pure dewdrops dropping from the leaves... Why couldn't we see this in the city each day?

And we walk on, in amazement and in wonder, thinking of the bounties of nature, that we never notice.... Each step we take rustles the dried leaves on the rutted path!!!!

The coffee plant glistens in the morning sun...... and berries drink in the golden rays to give you the robustness of your morning cup!

A coffee plantation always gives more than coffee. These tiny chllies that grow in coffee plantations are quite a bomb, they can make your skin burn for long.

I wonder whether these ones are deadlier than the Bhut Jolokia of Nagaland that is the deadliest chilli on earth - heard that DRDO is developing an effective, non-lethal weapon from an extract of the Bhut Jolokia!

And pepper too!!! Numerous wars were fought in the medieval era for the fruit of these vines. Some say the Crusades were fought to secure the spice routes.
But here humble pepper corns wait to reach your dinner table!!

The brilliant blue sky, what a lovely morning!

The ants are preparing to call this coffee leaf their home

A lovely example of his wondrous ecosystem thrives. The spider that makes this web lives in burrow beneath. The web traps pests (insects) that thrive on the coffee plant!

A lazy day in the plantation!

These berries will someday be ground into aromatic coffee, which will find its way into your cup!

Gently flows the Cauvery!!!

Such a pristine environment!!!

Would love to spend more time here!!!

Waterbodies in the plantation complement the ecosystem!!!

You should not be surprised to see this in a plantation. As jackfruits ripen, elephants come into the plantations from the reserves to feast on them....

And that's vanilla pod, which left permanent stain on my denims! The aroma was amazing!

And that's a cardamom.....

And the sun sets on the plantation!!!

And watching the sun go down on the Kodagu hills is an unforgettable experience.

The Fall of Hosni - A Cataclysmic Event?

Egypt's strongman, Hosni Mubarak has now gone, handing over power to a council of the army.

But we cannot say with certainty whether this event bodes well for the Islamic world in general, and Egypt in particular.

Will peace with Israel endure? Will Egypt go the democracy way or will it go down the fundamentalist road taken by the likes of Pakistan? Or will the so called "success" of democracy craving youth extend into the dungeons of the Arabian peninsula, read Saudi Arabia?

Only time will answer these questions, but history has proven that every ten years there are cataclysmic events that alter the shape of the world.

1981 brought Ronald Reagan as the 40th president of the United States. And Reagan unleashed a series of economic interventions encouraging increased consumption aided by easy debt availability to the Americans. Further, the American economy systematically moved away from manufacturing to services. The results were far reaching - the effect was to be seen only after 2008, when the malaise of toxic loans hit the most powerful economy of the world, with catastrophic effects, which then had to rely on the Chinese to support it - whether it was for money or for manufactured goods.

The invincible Soviet Union was brought down to its knees 1991. With no countervailing balance, the only remaining superpower, the United States unleashed deadly wars in the Persian Gulf, which stoked flames of militant Islamic terror, which today can be felt in every continent on the globe. More flames were stoked by cheap arms made available from the disintegrating Soviet military, which also encouraged bloody conflicts in Africa and Latin America.

2001 brought terror to shores of the United States with the 9/11 attacks. And America's psyche was deeply hurt to the core, like never before, which made the world lose its innocence for ever.

So the big question today is whether the events in Egypt today would sink the Islamic world deeper into a medieval era, or towards a resurgence?

恭喜發財 - Kung Hei Fat Choy!!!!

Today is the Chinese New Year, this year happens to be to be the Year of the Rabbit!

My fascination for the Chinese New Year came about when I was in Hong Kong and Macau around the same time last year. The city had an exotic look. It was decked up, emblazoned in red to welcome the Year of the Tiger. It was nice to see red banners all over, little red lanterns suspended from the ceilings. Shops carried messages, that appeared very exotic to me, saying: 恭喜發財 or Kung Hei Fat Choy!!!!

And we were curious to know what it meant. We asked a hostess at The Spaghetti House what that meant, actually showed her a picture of the message: Kung Hei Fat Choy to make her understand. She said it was a greeting, may you be rich and prosperous.

And then out of curiosity, I googled on the significance and mythology behind the Chinese New Year and I came across an interesting story, which goes as follows:

Long ago in the mountains, there lived a horrible demon creature named Nian, 年獸. On the first day of the year, Nian would awaken and come to the villages. He would eat all the grain and livestock. And if there were any kids stuck outside, they would disappear.

The villagers lived in fear of this beast and locked up inside their homes on this night to protect their families. One year, right before this event was to occur, an old man visited the village. He turned to the villagers and asked, "Why do you fear this creature such? You are many and he is but one. Surely he could not swallow all of you."
But the villagers remained skeptical and locked themselves up anyway. That night, Nian did not come. The old man had ridden him until dawn and the creature went back to its cave hungry. This went on for several nights until the old man revealed, "I cannot protect you forever."
Soon the old man went away. The villagers were terrified that once the old man left, they would once again see Nian return.

So the old man informed them, "The beast is easily scared. He does not like the color red. He fears loud noises and strange creatures. So tonight, spread red across the village. Hang red signs on every door. Make loud noises with drums, music, and fireworks. And to protect your children, give them face masks and lanterns to protect them."

The villagers still took precautions, but there was one little kid, wearing a red cape, who scampered out. Nian on seeing the kid ran away, never to return back again.

Today, the Chinese commemorate this day by having lion and dragon dances in the outdoors. Streets and sidewalks are decorated with flyers, dragons and lanterns. Restaurants have special menus for the festival. Offices are decked up.

At home, the Chinese clean up, sweep away any ill-fortune in the hope of the incoming good fortune. Windows and doors are decorated with red colour lanterns and banners having couplets on "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity". On the eve of the Chinese New Year, supper is a feast with family and friends - the feast includes pork, duck, chicken and sweet delicacies. Families end the day with firecrackers.

Kids are ones who have a blast of it all, like the way they do on Diwali here! Early the next morning, children will greet their parents by wishing them a healthy and happy new year, and receive money in red paper envelopes.

We were also given a packet of complimentary red envelopes in a shop in Hong Kong and this year we did use these at home, for gifting and greeting one and all with 恭喜發財 - Kung Hei Fat Choy!!!! Isn't that simply another way to have fun and wish loved ones?

We also learnt that children in Hong Kong are used to saying: 恭喜發財, 利是逗來, 伍毫嫌少, 壹蚊唔愛 in Cantonese, which can be translated as, "Congratulations and be prosperous, now give me a red envelope, fifty cents is too little, don't want a dollar either." Isn't that quite funny?

The Chinese New Year tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

Isn't it so much like the way we celebrate Diwali in India? Isn't there too much in common between us and the Orient? Perhaps because, for centuries, Indian culture and mythology had been a source of great inspiration for East and South East Asia, the remnants of which are seen today! Look at the way the Chinese pray, it's so similar to the way we pray!

This year is said to be the Year of The Rabbit, based on the Chinese zodiac - how the Chinese zodiac came into being is another interesting story!

This year is supposed to one of peace and calm, just the way rabbits are! Also, it is likely to be an year of introspection, where we reflect on what's happened so far, while planning for the future, somewhat like burrowing deeper like the rabbit. This is also the time to watch out that we do not become too indulgent. The influence of the rabbit is said to spoil those who like too much comfort and thus impair their effectiveness and sense of duty.
Wonder what the Year of The Rabbit brings in for our world with all the turmoil in the Arab world and at home, in India, the state of paralysis in the government.

But there are some lighter moments in all this turmoil. The Wall Street Journal just reported that bunnies had been reared especially for gifting this new year and the kind of havoc these little created in the homes of those who received them as gifts!

But for me, I am waiting go out on Saturday night to have an authentic Chinese meal at the Aromas of China close by. That would mean an intense round of lobbying with Neeti, who is steadfastly keeping a hawk's eye on my calorie intake. But a couple of red envelopes and 恭喜發財 - Kung Hei Fat Choy's could turn the game in my favour!!!!

Till then, 恭喜發財 - Kung Hei Fat Choy to all!!!! May the Year of The Rabbit (兔) bring good fortune to the readers of Rajeev's World!!!!

(All the photos are from Hong Kong and Macau, except for the one of the kids, which was taken by Neelima in Singapore)

My Plate On The Highway

There is nothing as gratifying to the senses, and to the belly, than experiencing plates, of the culinary kind, on India's highways. I am not talking about Rocky and Mayur's show Highway on My Plate, I am talking of my culinary experiences on Indian highways here.

As any typical north Indian, for me, for years, the highway meant NH1, or the Grand Trunk Road, as it was called in the years gone by. And that meant stopping by at the Murthal dhabas for sinfully thick tandoori aloo parathas, with huge dollops of fresh white butter (be sure to fix an appointment with the cardiologist after such heavy duty Punjabi food) and baingan bhartha! The first time we stopped there for a hearty meal was in 1991, at Gulshan Dhaba, and we were pleasantly gratified, for then eating out was not the norm for us. The pleasure of eating crispy, hot parathas and bhartha was complemented by the sight of a herd of white rabbits chomping on their crunchy dinner of cabbages and carrots.

In these last twenty years, the dhabas along the NH1 have undergone quite a transformation. From plain hearty Punjabi delicacies, they have graduated to stuff like dosas (clearly, this indicates a growing homogenisation of the Indian tastebuds), pizzas and the Indian version of Chinese cuisine, the greasy variety that comes with loads of turmeric!

Travelling along the NH1, it is all but obvious that dhaba food has become a full fledged industry. Every kilometer along the highway will have at least 2-3 dhabas. And each of them is packed 24/7, with a bevy of cars and SUVs lined up in the parking. The patrons are obviously the very homesick, burly Punjabi men and svelte females either headed abroad to the West (Amrikka or Kanadda, as they would call the United States and Canada!!!) or returning back, downing makki di rotis and sarson da saag, alongwith full bloodied daal makhanis. Needless to say, it is the authentic taste of home that us, Punjabis, miss so much, that gets in the flock into the NH1 dhabas! It holds true for me, for sure!

While the turnaround is fast, cover rotations is in double-digits and food is fresh, occasionally they do give you a bad tummy, like the way Mom had a few months back!

Things have taken a chic and modern turn at places like the Haveli at Karnal, where there is an attempt to recreate the environment of the pind, the village, with statuettes of, unmistakably, Punjabi women (in their characteristic Patiala salwars) doing a Gidda jig or churning a pot of cream for butter, or a mother oiling a Punjabi belle's hair, or a newly wed girl, with a choora giving her man water to drink, or a village munshi checking out his ledger or the village well! And to recreate the complete Punjabi experience, they have a gaily painted truck on the inside!

But all these chic developments on NH1 are faux. The real, the hardcore, the authentic stuff lies deep inside the heartland of Punjab. I recall driving from Pathankot to Amritsar way back in the summer of 2002 and we stopped by at a small, nondescript, countryside dhaba right next to the fields. Our family were the only patrons that sweltering June afternoon. We refreshed ourselves at the hand-pump and then dug into fresh tandoori rotis with daal makhani and some vegetables, sitting on charpoys. This was followed by glass-fulls of cool and the very refreshing masala lassi! My grandmom, Ammi, was thrilled to the core as this reminded her of her childhood! And as we returned home from Amritsar, we stopped by at a dhaba on the outskirts of Ludhiana, where the ingenuity of the Punjabi mind was in its full splendor - washing machines were being used churn out butter and lassi!

But while Punjab and Haryana have been instrumental in creating destinations out of highways, what can be called the "highway economy", I would not mind admitting that other states do have some small outlets that carry some real authentic local fare, though, nothing matches the scale and size of the NH1 highway economy!

Once travelling from Madurai to Thirunelveli, we stopped by for some real south Indian tiffins - that's what the localites call their snacks - crispy vadais, dosas and uthappams! The spiciness of sambhar complemented with sweet and warm filter coffee drained out all the exhaustion of the day!

Another time, at 11PM while returning from Thirunelveli to Madurai, we stopped at a military hotel (!!!) - that's what the South Indians call the places serving non vegetarian food. We had spicy kothu parotta with spicy chilli chicken, south Indian style with lots of curry leaves! The kothu parotta is made in an interesting way - the south Indian parotta is minced, using a two halves of a cut steel plate, on flat cast iron base - the kinds used to make dosas. In go chopped onions and chillies with other aromatic spices. (The video alongside gives a hint of how they come up with the delectable kothu parotta.) The concoction was heavenly and kept me salivating for two days!!!!

The beauty of south Indian roadside eateries is that they are absolutely clean and hygienic. And the sights of the food being put together right in front of your eyes is some kind of foreplay before the real thing happens - the food itself!!!!

One freezing winter night, I was travelling from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer. Our tummies were rumbling with hunger as we raced through the Thar. The driver suggested that we stop for some quickie grub at a hamlet called Dechu on the way. The eatery, Om Navrang, was fairly big and open air. They proudly advertised their winter menu - haldi (turmeric) ki sabzi and gajar ka halwa. We gulped down the haldi ki sabzi with aloo parathas, alongwith tea. The haldi ki sabzi is a winter Rajasthani speciality which is supposed to keep one warm. These unique delicacies are rare to find in any fancy restuarant in metros. You really need to get out, out of the city, the run of the mill eateries to enjoy this kind of stuff!

On a recent journey on the Bangalore Mysore highway, we stopped at the Kamat Lokaruchi at Janapadaloka, at the recommendation of a friend. The ambience was amazing and seemed out of yesteryears - stone flooring of 1930s-40s, characteristic thatches - reminded me of Malgudi Days of the Doordarshan days. The mythological murals gave the place an uncharacteristic aura, while hanging plantains and onions gave it a real rural touch!

The curd rice at Kamat Lokaruchi was the best I ever had. The idlis (of the Mangalorean kind called Muday, steamed and rolled in banana leaves) were amazing - not the usual, conventional kinds. We also had the set meals - South Karnataka and Karavali - south Indian style - on fresh green banana leaves. The meal had fresh methi (fenugreek) leaves to be eaten with the ragi rotis. The uniqueness of Kamat Lokaruchi stood out - the earthy decor seemed out of another, bygone era, the service was impeccable and enthusiastic. And above all, that was the best Kannada food I ever had!

The real danger that the highway economy faces is from the McDonalds and Cafe Coffee Day kind of outlets that are mushrooming all over. For instance, on the Bangalore Mysore highway, I myself counted at leat 8-9 Cafe Coffee Day outlets (and that for sure is an underestimation). And to compete with the likes of Kamat Lokaruchi, Cafe Coffee Days have also started serving vadais, dosas and idlis! But authenticity is another question all together. Such a transformation is also underway on the NH1.

To see the detrioration that the highway economy could face, you must look at the food courts on the Mumbai Pune Expressway. While I do enjoy my vada pavs over there once in a while, the MacDonald-isation is all but obvious. You just have to eat and scoot. The eateries there are food factories - functional and mechanical. The ambience simply prevents you from savouring the rustic flavours. I wonder if that kind of fate would meet the NH1 dhabas or even the likes of Kamat Lokaruchi that are struggling to keep the rustic culinary traditions of yesteryears alive!

Will my plate on the highway taste the same twenty years from now? Will it be the "attithi devo bhava" or will it be an artificial "hi" followed by a quick "bye"?

Republic Day - A Day to Exult?

The 61st Republic Day is dawning upon us, this very moment.

It was on this day, in 1950, that we, Indians, got our constitution that not only defines our rights and responsibilities to the state, but also what the state is obligated to guarantee to us all.

It was also on this day in 1930, that the Congress Party adopted the Purna Swaraj declaration, or Declaration of the Independence of India, resolving the Congress and Indian nationalists to fight for Purna Swaraj, or complete self-rule independent of the British Empire. from then on, till our actual independence on August 15, 1947, this day was celebrated as our independence day, and was marked by unfurling of the national flag.

The nation belongs to Indians, the flag is a symbol that makes us proud. The state gives each citizen the right to fly the flag respectfully in our land, to exult in our freedom.

Yet, when some of our citizens are shamefully prevented from proceeding to Srinagar to unfurl the flag, to exult in the glory of our republic, I get jitters about what the custodian of our constitution, the government stands for.

What is the government trying to say, here?

Is it that Indians have no right to express their sense of pride in the freedom that we enjoy, in our own land, Kashmir?

Or is it that the government accepts that it cannot guarantee the security to anyone who wants to exult on this momentous day?

Or is it that the government has accepted that it is an "occupying force" in Kashmir?

They have to come clean on all this.

Kashmir is legally isolated from the rest of India - no one but a Kashmiri can acquire property in the state, yet the government engages in sweet talk of Kashmir being an "integral" part of India.

The fate of the Kashmiri Pundits hangs in a balance, after being persecuted in the state, forcing their exodus from the state over 20 years back. They are a forgotten, godforsaken lot in their own country, today. India, thus, has the dubious distinction of having internally displaced people from the same community as 86% of the country's population, the Hindus.

As for Kashmir today, it is a pampered state, with practically no economy of its own, even Bihar would be better off today. Kashmir survives on doles from the Indian government, with one of the highest amounts of per-capita aid from the centre.

The Kashmiris today are having a whale of a time at the cost of the Indian taxpayer, who ensure their subsistence, while they engage in their favourite pastime - pelting stones at the instruments of law and order - police and army.

They want azaadi, but I wonder how many hours would they remain azaad if India pulls out. They would be dragged into the same quicksand that Pakistan finds itself in, today.

The real irony is that we send interlocutors to talk to them, yet arrest those who want to express their pride in being Indian! Is this not a violation of the constitution on Indian soil, by the Indian government itself? Is the government not accountable for all this?

So, the question today, on Republic Day, is whether we do have a real reason to exult or not?