Pooja Sodhi's Blog
Written by a journalist author who is loved and hated in equal measure by the public, who courts controversies through his written words, the book The Twice-Born by Aatish Taseer is probably last in the series of both his fiction and non-fiction writings inspired by Indian subcontinent. A book based on my hometown Banaras, the... Continue Reading →
Holi - the Festival of Colours is intimately associated with Thandai (a cooling summer drink) and Bhang (cannabis) in North India especially in Uttar Pradesh. The intoxicating combination heralds the beginning of summers in this part of India. As the name itself suggests, thandai means providing refreshing coolness from the summer heat. And consumption of... Continue Reading →
The heralding of winter starts my hankering for Banarasi chooda matar, but one has to wait till the prices of peas are in the comfortable zone. While many who are not familiar with this delicacy confuse it with normal poha with peas which is cooked in many households, but many states in India have one... Continue Reading →
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 →
Memories of Holi lunch from few years back at hometown Banaras https://poojasodhi.com/our-holi-lunch-of-banaras/
Banaras starts celebrating Holi 6 days before on Rangbhari Ekadashi when Shiva is supposed to come home first time with his consort Parvati post marriage and his followers welcomed them by playing colours with them. And next day Shiva's followers play Holi with ashes at famous cremation grounds of Banaras and this Pandit Channulal Mishra... Continue Reading →
What triggers a memory? The senses - the smell or the taste, the sound or the sight. And some memories are more vivid than others. Every Maha Shivratri I am reminded of the year of my Boards. It was 2nd of March - exactly two days before the Class X exams started. As was my... Continue Reading →
The fight for Indian Independence was fought at many levels - from the boycott of foreign made clothes, to making salt and by making statement through food. And Banaras (Varanasi) led the way by creating special mithai (sweets) during the Independence movement and the most famous of that is the Tirangi Barfi of Banaras. The... Continue Reading →
During my final exams for Masters, Banaras Hindu University hosted a festival of Rāmāyana from other South-east Asian countries; everyday in the evening one country or the other presented a retelling of their version of the story in dance drama format. That was my first initiation to various versions of the epic Rāmāyana - the... Continue Reading →
Pooja Sodhi writes about Sabyasachi Mukherjee's new collection An Endless Summer
Festivals in India are closely linked with food especially in UP households where there is different menu for each festival. Even though Punjabis, since we lived in Banaras our food habits have been influenced by UP-Bihar traditions and some from the home rituals followed by my maternal Grandmother. In almost all the households of our... Continue Reading →
Banarasi khana is unique in its taste - very different from its Western UP counterpart or even Punjabi cuisine. Banarasi cuisine over centuries has created its own taste with influence from Bihar and Bengal, even taken inspiration from Muslim rulers and inhabitants. In Banaras, one even finds an Italian pizzeria, a Japanese restaurant or a... Continue Reading →