Posts

Showing posts from December, 2016

First Family of Woman Wrestling

Image
The Phogat sisters, all six of them, and their father Mahavir, will go down in the annals of sporting history as the unit which brought Indian woman wrestling to the international mat with singular rebellion and revolution.  MEENAKSHI RAO  catches up with this Haryanvi family to tell you why Dangal is an apt serenade to the sport & its propellers It is 4  am in Balali village of Bhiwani district. Daya Kaur, a hapless mother of four daughters and no son, is busy tending to the cattle, milking the buffaloes and cleaning up the brick and mortar house, as all other women in her locality. That’s Haryana for you in general, a deeply patriarchal society where women are meant only to bear kids, tend to the house and potter around closed confines fulfilling their men’s wishes, generally from behind long veils. Daya’s daughters are up too, at least the elder two, Geeta and Babita. And no, they are not assisting their mother in household chores. They do not have a chunni on their heads.

The Christmas platter

Image
It’s Christmas end of the year & time for yuletides, mistletoes, family supper, being together and joining in the festivities.  MEENAKSHI RAO  celebrates the occasion by running you through the food history of X’Mas along with recipes in a two-page special Stuffed turkey on the table, homemade cranberry sauce on the side, rum-soaked plum cake, mince pie, an array of breads adorning the candlelit table and a Christmas tree standing tall like Jesus guarding over the family — it’s that time of the year — family time, time to get back with near and dear ones, time to break bread over thanksgiving, time to be happy and feel belonged. While Jesus Christ’s birthday was earmarked for December 25 somewhere only in the 4th century after eons of debate, the sumptuous supper shared to celebrate the momentous occasion has a rich history in itself. Did you ever wonder where the rum-soaked tradition of the plum cake originated? Or, why is ginger such a celebratory spice for this sea