Ugadi

The Hindu New Year is not celebrated on the first of January. The Telugus, the Kannadigas and the Maratis celebrate Ugadi or their New Year around the same time of the year. The month of Chaitra heralds the beginning of the New Year. The Hindu calendar is based on the movement of the moon. They believe that Lord Brahma created the universe on this day. The New Year starts on the day after the new ..

The Importance of Ugadi

Grandma is at the forefront of all celebrations. We turn to her to know more about what should be traditionally done or eaten on that special day. Her reservoir of knowledge, experience and practice is what we rely on. Today, living in nuclear families, most often faraway from home, we know Ugadi is round the corner, but how many of us know what we should do on that day, why we celebrate it a..

Festival Cuisine

Special Onam recipes by - Mrs. Chandri Bhat Traditional Onam recipes from none other than Mrs. Chandri Bhat, one of India's leading culinary experts. Make your Onam special this year by cooking a traditional meal for your near and dear ones. Mrs. Chandri Bhat also advices to you all to add large doses of love, affection and laughter to give her recipes that special touch. more>> ..

Festival Cuisine

Special Onam recipes by - Mrs. Chandri Bhat Traditional Onam recipes from none other than Mrs. Chandri Bhat, one of India's leading culinary experts. Make your Onam special this year by cooking a traditional meal for your near and dear ones. Mrs. Chandri Bhat also advices to you all to add large doses of love, affection and laughter to give her recipes that special touch. more >> ..

The Songkran Festival

The word Songkran means "The beginning of a new solar year". It is a Sanskrit word that in a way resembles the Christian Easter. The young and the old visit their Wat where food is offered to the monks and music is played to accompany the feast. As in the case of Chinese New Year, here too on the eve of Songkran, women clean their homes and throw away the old and useless items. On the 13..

Onam Festival Cuisine

Onam, a festival native to Kerala , reveres the memory of a local demon king, Mahabali, who was ousted from his kingdom by Lord Vishnu. So attached was the king to his country and subjects, that he was granted permission to return once a year. The day is celebrated with much gaiety and enthusiasm with sports, snake boat races, songs, floral decorations, dances and, of course, many splendoured fea..

Festival overeating and acidity

Kaju Katlis by the dozen.. badam burfis in bright yellow dotted with saffron..laddus in perfect round balls..pedas in various shapes and sizes.. the festival season finds the sweetshops competing with each other, offering new, specially invented delicacies for the season. And the bemused customer goes round in a daze, succumbing to the temptation of tasting a bit here and a bit there, trying to de..

Film buffs throng to Mumbai Festival

The third International Mumbai Film Festival organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI), started in the city on November 24. The weeklong film festival was inaugurated by actor/director Kamal Hassan on November 23.Over 80 films will be screened between November 24 and 30. These include Ang Lee's 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', Paromitar Ek Din' and 'Uttara' (Bengali), 'Vanprastham..

Indian film festival opens in Sydney

Aussies get a dose of Bollywood.The second Goat Island Film Festival celebrating Indian cinema opened in Sydney in late November. The 10-day annual festival was inaugurated by the mayor of Sydney, Councillor Frank Sartor.As many as 25 Indian and Australian films are being screened during the festival. Praising the contribution of Bollywood, artistic director Peter Castaladi stated, "the incre..

Karthigai Deepam : The festival of lights

Karthigai Deepam: An Ancient Festival Karthigai Deepam is celebrated in the Tamil month of Karthigai (November ' December). Not many of us are aware that it is one of the oldest festivals celebrated in the State perhaps even before people began celebrating Navratri and Deepavali. Unlike many other Hindu festivals, Karthigai Deepam is basically a Tamil festival and is virtually unknown in mo..