GENRE: Features

We are taught, from childhood, to abhor and fear “creepy-crawlies”... those life-forms which we see under stones, on walls, or even on our vegetables! But it can be a revelation that these creatures, which we regard with fear and loathing, and usually kill at the first opportunity, can sometimes be on their way to becoming very beautiful beings!Take a look at this fat green caterpillar, for instance. Common Lime: Green Caterpillar. Pic: Deepa Mohan This may look gross and fat. It is fat, because it is, right now, a larva. It is eating enough to last it through the next…

Anand Kumar, a volunteer, Garden City Farmers Trust (GCFT) and a software engineer, was pleasantly surprised at the turnout at Sunday’s gardening mela - Oota from your Thota. He said, “The Facebook page (Organic Terrace Gardening or OTG) has around 2000 subscribers so I was expecting a smaller crowd. But it turns out that a lot of people are very curious and enthusiastic about farming in their backyard.” He was also surprised by the thoughtful questions that were asked about organic farming. “People are taking this very seriously now,” he added.Oota from your Thota on Kitchen Gardeners' day was held…

Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala. And when it comes to harvest, how can we miss out on the delicious goodies made out of these first crops? Rice, pulses, vegetables and sweet. It’s a combination of a lot of delicious delicacies put together on one platter. Rather, a plantain leaf. Ona Sadhya. Pic: Anisha Nair This sadhya or the grand meal, is usually a vegetarian affair. A meal consisting of 11 to 13 essential dishes, is savoured on a fresh banana leaf. Papad, Banana, Sarkara Varatti – banana chip coated with jaggery, Pickle, Inchi curry or inchipuli, Thoran –…

Imli or Tamarind - an important ingredient of gravies that brings a completely different flavour to the dish. Hence the name, Tamarind. The restaurant has branches in Indiranagar and Banaswadi. This restaurant is a part of the same group that owns Enigma, the pub, and a rooftop restaurant interestingly called ‘Over the Top.’ All three are located in the same building. Handi Mushroom - Tamarind. Pic: Anisha Nair    This giant will not satisfy Bakasur, a new restaurant on ORR will definitely draw your attention with the images of a giant with his mouth wide open, displayed along the building.…

Havelock, in JP Nagar 5th Phase, though multicuisine, largely serves Mangalorean and North Indian food. This month-old restaurant has all the usual fare. The menu is extensive especially for non-vegetarians. The recommended dish for non-vegetarian food lovers would be Prawn Gassi (Mangalorean Prawn Curry) served with plain steamed rice or neer dosa. The curries also taste good when served with neer dosa. Manglorean Prawn curry with roti and rice. Pic: Abhishek Angad The typical Mangalorean food usually comprises seafood and poultry. It is prepared with a coconut base. It’s high on spices but is not very oily. The curry has…

In my unending search for resources that familiarise children with the environment I had chanced upon the 'Garrulous Gastronaut' a few months ago. So it was quite a coincidence that my daughter was invited to a workshop titled, 'Planting an edible garden' recently held at Galleryske, Richmond Town. Pushpi Bagchi's Garrulous Gastronaut. Pic: Pushpi Bagchi Conceived and facilitated by Pushpi Bagchi, a young Illustrator & Visual Communication Designer from Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, the three hour workshop was a fun mix of story-time, experience-sharing, eating some delicious food prepared from fresh vegetables and finally some hands-on seed…

“Mamma I am bored, Daddy I want toys...” Their demands reach new heights when you decide to visit a mall or have a lazy lunch with your friends. Shopping becomes even more cumbersome when you are accompanied by a curious toddler and all you can do is to keep chasing the kid! A child playing on swing. Pic: Anisha Nair Play areas for children have come up at many places so the mum or dad can get some relaxed time for activities like shopping, spas or a cuppa with friends. These play spaces have games and activities that would interest…

Looking for a fresh Mediterranean snacks that’s vegetarian? Alright folks, Tahini Garden at Jayanagar offers you the combination. The name is inspired from tahini, a sauce prepared from sesame seeds. Moroccan Spaghetti. Pic: Abhishek Angad The food draws its inspiration from the nations surrounding Mediterranean Sea. Countries like France, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Greece, Turkey have contributed to the variety of food. Sea food, poultry, red-meat, grains, beans and pastas forms major component of the food. The main flavour though is that of olive oil, that is used extensively. The food is generally baked or grilled.Unlike other Mediterranean food joints in…

The epithet ‘Gaanchali bidi Kannada maathadi' (GBKM) would translate colloquially as ‘let go of your (English) affectations and speak in Kannada.' For those of us born and brought up in Bangalore, this has been a familiar epithet; as children from middle-class families, we were exposed to peers from ‘convent' schools who spoke ‘European' English, but they would disdain to speak in Kannada despite knowing the language well. We would accuse them of ‘gaanchali', and of course would strive to throw in as much Kannada in our ‘English' conversations as possible. The fact that many of the wannabe ‘convent' schools (where…

Citizen Matters launched its book ‘Living in Bengaluru' on August 4th. The book is a guide to make living in Bengaluru easier. It is a compilation of FAQs and how-to articles written by Citizen Matters' professional journalists and experts. The articles include guides on buying property, getting khatas, ID cards etc., tips for saving time on these tasks, and other tips on saving water, fuel etc.R K Misra, member of ABIDe Task Force, released the book at Reliance TimeOut book store in Mantri Mall, Malleswaram. Vatsala Dhananjay, well known property lawyer and author of a chapter in the book, was…