This email came from Mr. Ashok Trivedi, the Garden Manager of Boisahabi. I quote it in its enterity:

Both ladies are looking into each other - maybe taking a trip down memory
lane! Left is Buddeswari a (garden) worker and the other lady is Joan Stanford whose father was the manager here (Boisahabi Estate) in 1940’s when Joan was a teenager. They lived in the very house in which I am staying today. We are in touch and Joan and her daughter from UK spent sometime here with us in 2005 summer. Joan was born in Assam in 1927. She went on to marry an assistant Manager of Muttuck TE. Now lives in S.Africa. Buddeswari attended the wedding at this bungalow!

We know that tea has been a reason for many a friendships, but when I hear of such stories, it really warms my heart!

Fittin In With The Turban - Photo courtsey Jolly Dutta

The land of hundred cultures that is India, is being buffeted by cultural changes. The land that gave the world Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, is suddenly having to grapple with the new generation of kids embracing and emulating the “modern” and “sexxy” western mores in the guise of progress. Modern technology of high speed internet and satellite radio has brought the western culture right into the living room, and the impact is being felt by all traditional societies within India. Stories abound, of parents of “call center kids” being worried about what goes on at work during the night hours (most call centers operate 24/7, but many Indian call center kids work the night shift when it is day time in the west). But an even more dramatic, and perhaps more visible event in unfolding in the Sikh community of India.

Today’s NY times has a story about how the sikh kids are abandoning the traditional head-dress that has ideintified the Sikh people in India and the world over.

The dwindling numbers of turban wearers reflects less a loss of spirituality than encroaching Westernization and the accelerating pace of Indian life, Jaswinder Singh said.

While I agree that its hardly the loss of spirituality that is leading to this cultural change, the change is “saddening” neverthless because its another example of the homogenization of the world cultures under the pressures of globalization. Naturally, such a dramatic change should produce some contervailing forces, as has this situation - in the form of a “Turban Pride” movement.

Outside the Army of God offices, there is a turban clinic offering free classes for boys — one of a series of Sikh revival programs. Standing before full-length mirrors, an instructor shows teenage boys in baggy jeans and sports shoes how to twist the cloth into neatly layered folds on one side and smooth the pleats into sharp lines with a hooked silver pin, which is then concealed beneath the hair at the back.

A “Smart Turban 1.0” CD-ROM offers step-by-step instructions to create fashionable looks and guides new turban wearers on how to choose the most flattering style according to face shape.

To promote the turban as a fashion item, Sikh leaders have also started holding Mr. Singh International pageants. Contestants are judged by looks, moral character, personality, knowledge of Sikh history and principles, and turban tying skills. The sixth World Turban Day will be celebrated on April 13 with a march through Amritsar by thousands of turban-wearing Sikhs.

It remains to be seen how successful this movement is in turning around a cultural change that is sweeping the great nation of India.

What is tea without a snack. So, today I will share with you a simple recipe which would help your afternoon tea a pleasant one. Todays recipe is called Dhokla.

Ingredients: You can find most of these ingredients in an Indian ethnic food store. If you cannot find them locally, email me, and I will try to help you in sourcing them.

• Two cups of chick pea flour
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds
• Freshly grated coconut - 1/2 cups
• Green chillies - 5 cut lenght wise
• Coriander - one cup chopped
• Eno fruit salt
• Sugar - 4 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Make batter of the chick pea flour to the consistency of pancake batter. Add turmeric powder to it, and salt to taste. Prepare a wok for steaming. When the water starts steaming, add Eno fruitsalt, Sugar, and lemon juice to the batter and mix it well. Immediately, pour the batter into a oiled heat resistant plate, and steam the
batter for 12 minutes.

Once the batter is steamed, remove the plate from the wok and allow it to cool. With a knife, cut the dhoklas into small 1 x 2 inch pieces.

Separately, heat three teaspoons olive oil, and add mustard seeds. Continue to heat till the mustard seeds start popping. Remove the oil from heat, and add chopped chillies. Allow the oil to cool. Once it is cool, spread the oil with mustard seeds and green chillies on to the puffed dhoklas. Spread grated coconut & chopped coriander on the dhoklas. Serve with tea.

Well, the interest in Tourism to India continues to grow. Today, WSJ printed an article on Kerala as a potential travel destination. Its a nice article that talks about how the region is coping with the stagnant coconut prices, and converting itself into a tourism haven. Unfortunately, the article is available for subscribers only, so not many will be able to view it. If you get a hard copy of the WSJ, then the article in on P5 of the printed Journal.

For others, there are numerous sources online about Kerala. For starters, there is a Kerala Tourism website, choke full of information about Kerala. There are maps, and tour planners in place to help you, but it will take some getting used to. It would be nice if Kerala Government were to provide a few “pre-planned” trips for newbies to pick.

On the other hand, the government owned Kerala Tourism Development Corporation has a very nice website, with exactly that. For tea lovers, the Nilgiris run through Kerala, and there is a great opportunity to go and see the hillstations and tea plantations at the KTDC Hills Resort.

Recently, a few International Airlines (such as Singapore Airlines) have added direct flights to Cochin International Airport which means that instead of having to fly in through Mumbai or Madras airport and take a long drive to your final destination, you can now fly directly to Cochin and take a short ride any where in the state of Kerala.

With its beautiful long beaches, and gorgeous hilly vistas, Kerala has long been a travel destination for Indians. With the expansion of Cochin International Airport and an increased interest in all things India, may be Americans might finally be persuaded to go to the region we call “Heaven” of India.