She exemplifies the adage that education leads to humility. An unassuming individual, Maragatham Ramaswamy is the recipient of the Best Teacher Award at this year’s Cleveland Aradhana and Director of the Ragamalika School of Music in Chantilly, VA near Washington DC. This article appeared in The Hindu. Maragatham was the…
Spontaneous, versatile, grounded – some of these adjectives come to mind when one thinks of Anupama Bhagwat, the young Hindustani sitar player. Currently touring the U.K. and the U.S., she was one of the artists to participate at the prestigious Darbar Festival in London. Possibly the largest festival of its…
Here’s a guide through the land of the four seas — the Mediterranean Sea, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea and the Red Sea. 1. The Baha’i Gardens This piece appeared in The Hindu. These gardens in Haifa, the third most populous city in Israel, are spectacular. With 19 terraces of…
“I am a devotee of Carnatic music, but not a practitioner,” says Arijit Mahalanabis, Hindustani vocalist from the U.S., and founder of the Seattle Indian Music Academy (SIMA), one of the largest institutions teaching Indian music abroad. Arijit, who is in India after 21 years, takes an organic approach to…
He is a refreshing presence in the world of Carnatic music, which has its own idiosyncrasies. Prince Aswati Tirunal Rama Varma is a member of the Travancore royal family and a direct descendant of Maharaja Swati Tirunal and Raja Ravi Varma. He is a vocalist, vainika, organiser, musicologist, world traveller,…
At least death is final for the dead one. For the living, the vagaries of life, and living through them, can be downright painful on many an occasion– for them and those around them. At such times, life seems more onerous than enjoyable. The newspaper informed me of a female…
Looking for something different yet piquant, spicy, filling, healthy and incredibly easy to put together? Look no further. Full of fresh ingredients, Indonesian Peanut Noodle is infinitely adaptable, and extremely tasty. The sauce is versatile by itself – be it for noodles or for summer rolls or as a dip…
This traditional South Indian dessert is made for several festivals but is particularly associated with Krishna Jayanthi or Gokulashtami. Often considered rather difficult to pull off, I am, however, confident that this can be done successfully the first time following all the directions given. Gluten-free. Unlike some other sweets, its…
I developed this recipe years ago when I wanted a simple cake using ingredients we literally always have at home. It is beginner-friendly and fuss free with no special mixing directions. I have made the all-purpose flour version literally hundreds of times and it has NEVER failed to deliver. It…