They say Banarasi boli is sweet - the dialect spoken in the city. But what I miss the most is the chaat and the sweets of Banaras, and of course, the old world charm of exploring the city via its galis and gazing into the unknown across the Ganges while sitting on its ghats. Varanasi... Continue Reading →
Tradition of making Kajal on Diwali
Celebrating Diwali is not just about a religious significance, but a spiritual belief, a sense of celebration and of continuing the family traditions. The anticipation of festival is more intense with the cleaning of the home, buying new clothes and gifts for family and friends, scouting the market for diyas and new kind of lights,... Continue Reading →
Covid Lockdown Diaries V – Masks the New Fashion Accessory
At the start of Lockdown in February-March 2020 across the world, there was a huge hue and cry about scarcity of N95 and surgical masks in the market for the public. Slowly, the governments and other manufacturers geared up for the production and supply resumed. Other companies joined the fray in producing 2-3 layer cotton... Continue Reading →
Covid Lockdown Diaries IV – Return to Offices
Social media is abuzz with people posting photos of empty offices and their desks as they left them months back; it is with some trepidation that they are returning to the office - some because it is required and some people as an experiment. What is going to be the new normal post Covid Lockdown... Continue Reading →
My Aam Panna recipe through the lens of climate change
I generally read 4-5 books at a time, couple of them as physical books and rest on Kindle. But the restlessness over the last 3 months during the Corona Lockdown has made this reading pile run into a dozen odd books, I have picked up serious heavy books only to abandon them in favour of... Continue Reading →
Covid Lockdown Diaries III – Work from Home
It is going to be two months of lockdown in India soon and for some of us we have already reached this milestone. Under the Covid lockdown work from home is a reality and businesses are already gearing up for this new normal. In the recent past, managers always were suspicious of employees availing work... Continue Reading →
Covid Lockdown Diaries II – the human angle
Historical events of importance are documented not just by facts and figures but also through the human stories and visual images - whether it is the mushroom cloud photo of Nagasaki bombing during World War II or the photo of the green eyed Afghan girl in 1980s in National Geographic or closer home the black... Continue Reading →
Covid Lockdown Diaries I – Nature’s Pushback
Blessing in disguise ... this is what I hear or read around me. In the midst of not just nationwide but global Covid lockdown, people are happy to see blue skies, hearing the sounds of birds and observing the star laden night skies. But how did we come to this stage? That these natural phenomena... Continue Reading →
Shot on iPhone by Apple: Snowbrawl ad
Apple has been running an outdoor campaign Shot on iPhone in several countries showcasing still photos taken by users on billboards or hoardings specifically to the country. But video photography has not been leveraged much except for purely personal uses. Apple finally decided to break this barrier itself, rather than relying on user generated content.... Continue Reading →
Litfest Syndrome
Come, winter, come! and with thee bring - thy season of literature festivals. And with them what I call the season of Litfest syndrome. A trend that started with Jaipur Literature Festival in 2006; JLF has become a Mecca for authors, publishers and book lovers who throng the small town at the peak of sometimes... Continue Reading →
Happy Teachers’ Day
In another lifetime, there was a poster in my Doctor's clinic that said "Give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he will eat for life." This quote attributed to Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher sums up the role of teachers in our lives perfectly. So Happy Teachers'... Continue Reading →
The Tirangi Barfi of Banaras
On #IndependenceDay I write about Varanasi's famous mithai - the Tirangi Barfi of #Banaras which played a small part in India's freedom struggle. https://poojasodhi.com/the-tirangi-barfi-of-banaras/