No Worries Curries Blog: Indian hospitality

The Beloved Dhaba - Highway Eateries in India

By Conchita de Souza

The Beloved Dhaba - Highway Eateries in India
The origins of dhabas are synonymous with Punjabi cuisine because they are said to have sprouted in the northern region of India, specifically on the stretch of highway that connects Kabul in Afghanistan through to the major Indian cities of Amritsar, Delhi and Kolkata before coming to an end at Chittagong in Bangladesh. The British renamed this pass as Grand Trunk Road but it had existed as far back as the fourth century BC and remains the oldest and longest highway in southern Asia when it was used primarily for trade (and invasion as well). 

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Indian Festivals: Navratri or Durga Puja

By Conchita de Souza

Indian Festivals: Navratri or Durga Puja
Navratri in Sanskrit, means ‘nine nights’ (‘nava’ is ‘nine’ and ‘ratri’ is ‘nights’) and the festival goes exactly for that duration. It is dedicated to the Goddess Durga (also known as Maa Durga)and the nine avatars (forms) which she manifests herself. Each night celebrates one of her forms. During this time, devotees come together to fast, worship and celebrate the different forms of the devi (female god) and her victory over the demon Mahishasur.

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Chai - The Lifeblood of India

By Claudette D'Cruz

Chai - The Lifeblood of India

Every now and then, I get this overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my humanity. This feeling is attributed to the fact that out of all the species on earth, humans have been chosen to be the makers and drinkers of that elixir of life - chai. Though a glass or two or three of wine might warm up my insides and enable me to relax, a cup of chai warms my soul and stashes my worries away for another day (and that day will usually involve chai too, leaving the worries with hardly a moment to bother me).

 This post is an ode to the world’s second most consumed beverage (water being the first, not wine, as I mistakenly thought). It is believed that the word ‘chai’ or ‘tea’ originated from two different pronunciations in Mandarin - ‘Cha’ or ‘Te’. Hence, the words for ‘tea’ in hundreds of languages throughout our world, derive from these two different pronunciations. ‘Chai’ means ‘tea’ in Hindi (as well as in Russian, Arabic, Persian and Swahili, interestingly); ‘Cha’ in Korean and Portuguese; Caj in Croatian and Czech; and Te in Spanish, Italian, Danish and Swedish.

 In India, the cup of chai has worked its way into the homes and hearts the world’s second largest populations. Every minute of every day, one of the hundreds of thousands of chai wallahs/wallis (tea vendors) across India is guaranteed to be brewing chai. Their aluminium pots externally browned by hot flames of gas and internally browned by the sacred stain of the ‘chai patti’ (tea leaves). I firmly believe that it is these men and women who drive India as a nation (and farmers too).

 To me, chai is synonymous with ‘connection’ because it is always consumed in the presence of others, whether that presence be physical or emotional. When you arrive into someone’s home whether it be a friend or stranger, you are sure to be greeted with a steaming hot cup of chai which is as strong a symbol of welcome and recognition as is the traditional ‘Namaskar’ or ‘Namaaste’ (the Sanksrit greeting which translates to ‘the God within me salutes the God within you’).

 Chai is a beverage of contradictions; putting us to sleep yet waking us from our slumber, settling our nerves whilst also re-energising our bodies, warming our fingertips during the cold weather and keeping us cool in summer (yes indeed, hot tea in hot, dry weather makes sense according to science. Click here for the explanation).

 So how do Indians usually do chai? With milk and sugar of course! Sometimes with the addition of spices like ginger or cardamom (popularly known as ‘masala chai’). Sometimes poured from ridiculous heights to take away the initial burn to your tongue. Sometimes slurped in saucers when in a rush. In my experience of drinking chai in India, I’ve observed that the smaller the cup, the sweeter and stronger the chai. Sometimes chai is served in plastic shot glasses, its effects resembling that of much stronger, alcoholic beverages. I like my regular chai with either a simple biscuit, rusk or a plain, crumbly cake - all of which I like to dunk into my chai so as to infuse the solids and soften them so they melt in my mouth. The ‘dunking’ object should be plain in order to not disrupt the balance of flavours contained in the chai. I ain’t gonna be dunking no Tim Tams in my chai that’s for sure.

Speaking of chai, did you know that we have our very own Chai Latte spice blend? Made without any preservatives and 100% vegan just so you can be the chai wallah/walli for your loved ones and impress them with your chai-making abilities. Click here for the link to a pot-full of happiness, best shared.

Here’s to a lifetime of chai! That your life may be brewed in the reassurance of its soothing leaves, the comfort of its milk and the sweetness of taste!

 

 

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Atithi Devo Bhava - The Guest is God

By Claudette D'Cruz

Atithi Devo Bhava - The Guest is God

 

A ‘tourist’ is one who travels to or visits another place for their own pleasure or interest. At some point or another in our lives, we have all been tourists, whether it be in our own region or state or in a country completely foreign to our own.  What I gain most from travelling to another place are not the souvenirs I purchase during a last minute dash to the bazaar, nor the memories of a comfy hotel room with amenities as desirable as a jacuzzi.  I remember the people, their hospitality and their willingness to make you feel so at home, that they even give up their meal or their bed for you.  And no sense of hospitality has struck me as deeply as the hospitality of the Indian people. 


It is probably safe to say that Indians have lived, breathed and practised a very genuine sense of tourism long before the term itself was coined and the practice became commercialised.  This tourism holds the guest as the centre of focus. In one of the ancient Hindu Scriptures called Taittiriya Upanishads, the Sanskrit phrase Atithi Devo Bhava holds sacred meaning and translates to ‘The Guest is God’.  Atithi means ‘without a fixed calendrical time’ and is used to describe a ‘guest’;  Devo means ‘God’ and;  Bhava means ‘to be’.  Atithi Devo Bhava is a code of conduct that has made Indian hospitality renowned around the world for its genuine desire to place the guest above all.

The code of conduct manifests itself in a myriad of ways, but I will focus on my preferred expression of Atithi Devo Bhava, which is of course, food.  For me, offering food is the ultimate symbol of welcoming a guest into your home.  Although for my father, the term ‘offering’ may sometimes be replaced with ‘force-feeding’.  This also applies to most of my aunties, who gently place trays of sweets onto my lap and remind me of how thin I look despite being the same size for a good decade now.  Then there is always the ‘take-away’ version of the code of conduct which involves stuffing tupperware containers with sweets, snacks and curries for when the guest is short of time (there really is no escape).   As soon as a guest comes to our home, whether they be expected or not, they will always be served at the minimum, a glass of water or customary chai and at the most (we are talking only food here), an elaborately prepared meal that is always three times more than what is required.

Having travelled extensively throughout India, I have seen Atithi Devo Bhava being practised in its purest form whenever I have travelled through the villages or the slums. One instance I recall was staying with a farming family whilst on a field visit.  Not only did they insist I eat more rotis and dal but they also proceeded to watch me complete my meal before they began theirs.  When the time came for bed, I was told I would be sharing the bed with the daughter of the house, whom I only met that day itself.  I’ll admit that some of this behaviour was attributable to the fact that I was the first ‘foreigner’ to visit their home, but I was touched nevertheless.  I had a chance to meet some people living in the slums of Mumbai, and there too, I was welcomed with hot chai with each home I stepped in to.  It is easy for us to go to lengthy ends for those whom we know and love, because that love will be returned.  But in India, we also go the extra mile for those whose wandering feet reach our doorsteps.

Have you ever experienced the warmth and genuineness of Indian hospitality? Tell us so in the comments below.

 

Conchita A. de Souza

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