In Rajasthan and in Gujarat the Bajara Khichdi dispenses with both the rice and the lentils. In Bengal Bhuni Khichdi is a celebratory dish and during the Pujo season, various pandals compete in serving rich, spicy, fried khichdi to visitors. In Maharashtra
A no-fuss collection of diverse cuisines and palettes—the book contains vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes that can be tried for casual meals as well as also for well curated formal occasions. The diversity is praise worthy—the getting into friends’ kitchens is palpable—the sheer number and variety including starters, mains, rice, breads, one-pot meals
The author provides a detailed account of her field-work methodology and the challenges faced by her while traversing across borders. Her analysis is divided into ‘two geographic comparisons of contiguous regions in specific time periods’
Given the power asymmetry between English and Indian languages, a fair and equitable dialogue between them is difficult to imagine. On the rare occasions when Indian language books are discussed in an English context, they are treated as free-floating objects devoid of cultural and critical milieus of their own and are used merely as fodder for the western critical canon.
Like Moni in ‘The Blight’, there is Mahadeb, a coolie in the story, ‘A Day’s Work’. An ailing son, an unemployed wife, how can he provide the basic nutrition required to heal the youngster? Is a piece of fish and a handful of rice beyond his dream of possibilities?
Yama’s story, ‘The Funerary Palm’ refers to the coconut palm saplings planted on the last remains of Amma who dearly held on to her only valuable possession: a gold necklace, ‘its beads shaped like grains of rice’ (p. 9), which is sold to pay for her funeral ceremony.