Hey friends. First and foremost I would like to extend my warm greetings on the occasion of our tradition and cultural day: Hariyali Amavasya.
As you all might know this year it is being celebrated the 30th and 31st of July, where the 31st will be restricted for the women only. This year saw a great crowd and joy in the fair, as well as the drizzle added to the energy and worked as a stressbuster, and kept the name Hariyali worth its sake. The crowd was huge, the excitement unmatched, all stalls were ready and loaded either with eatables, toys, fancy items, women’s items, etc. People were here with the traditional pupadis or the instrument horning them all the way, and not to forget, the day’s special Malpuas.
For those who were present at the event, and want to feel the same fun again, and also, who unfortunately missed the fair, here I bring you a photostory with some of my best clicks, for the first day at the Hariyali Amavasya fair. Let the pictures speak for themselves.:)
A two day food festival has been organised in the city by Shikshantar, a Non Profit organisation on the theme of Jaso Ann, Vaso Man or You are what you eat. The fest has been organised in the Hanuman Temple at Devali near Fateh Sagar between 4-8 p.m. in the evening. Being a variety food lover I made up my mind to visit the place. When I went there I was warmly welcomed by Mr. Manish Jain, the co-founder of Shikshantar. There were many stalls with mouth watering dishes.
The dishes were few famous national and international cuisines we have often heard of, but they have been modified with the local and healthier contents. To begin with, I started with Tacos, originally a Mexican dish, but modified as per the regional grains and vegetation stuffs of Rajasthan. The crispy base was prepared of the “Khakhra” and the topping of salads and “Rajma” or red kidney beans. The next attraction was of the Veg Kababs made of beetroot or “Chukandar”, with a nice blend of flavours of coconut and coriander chutney.
The cookie sandwiches made of Mal, Ragi or Finger Millet and fresh fruits stuffed within redefined my dictionary meaning of sweet dish, to a healthier one. Sweet dish made of sanwa, a local foodstuff, coconut laddoos, pineapple puddings, Jwar ki kheer, pinapple and Sabudana Kheer , Kokam Sharbat (Squash made of kokam) and Pina Colada (A blend of coconut milk and pineapple juice), Ragi steam bread sandwitches, etc were few more delicious, yet healthy food items present at the fest.
Mal Cookie SandwitchesVeg Beetroot Kababs With Coriander and Coconut ChutneyMr. Manish Jain (In Kurta) explaining the qualities and nessecity of Healthy food
“Fast food has always harmed the healthy living. This food fest is in support of the concept of Slow Food movement, or the movement for switching to our home made food with local food stuffs. Today the high price we are paying for our eatables in the market is actually for the bulk amount of pesticides, insecticides, and harmful chemicals which eventually make way to our stomach. The crops like Ragi, Mal, Bajra are available locally and has been grown in villages and tribal areas from ancient times in this region. They have capacity to withstand intense climate changes. They are not so often attacked by insects, pests, etc and have great nutritive values, much greater than our conventional sources such as wheat, milk etc. These things just need to be promoted to the common masses, who want to sustain with a healthy living”
-Manish Jain
I met the enthusiastic team behind this innovative concept. The concept was coined by Manoj Prajapat and Surendra Gandharva, popularly known as Sunny. The team is energetic, confident, determined, and making every effort to promote the healthy living.
“I started working on the concept of Healthy food and healthy alternatives to fast food with Manoj Prajapat. We have worked for many years, and evolved with our idea, and made them better day by day. All the dishes presented here are cooked in zero oil and zero fat (Ghee/Butter), all the stuffs are either in their raw forms or steamed, as every nutritive value is lost on frying or cooking. We haven’t even used the cow’s milk, so as to ensure zero animal content. Coconut milk has been used as its alternative. In the sweet dishes, every care has been taken care of to ensure that there is minimal usage of additional sweeteners, and the natural sweetness has been emphasized. Still, wherever needed, we have used Gud and Misri instead of sugar.”
– Surendra Gandharva
The Food Fest will be continuing today also, with an entirely different menu than yesterday. This fest is open to all. This is a healthy initiative, and I recommend all to give a visit and taste the health. 🙂
THE SWAPATHGAMI CYCLE YATRA LEFT UDAIPUR ON JAN 9, 2011. They will return on the 13th. There were 17 yatris from Rajasthan, MP, Maharashtra, Delhi, Mysore, Gujarat, UP. Many were students of Swaraj University. Several yatris dressed up as animals such as polar bear, penguin, tiger, elephant, etc to raise attention to the global warming and climate change issues. The yatra was organized by Shikshantar.
For those who are new to the cycle yatra idea, it is a weeklong cycle trip into rural Rajasthan. What sets this trip apart from a general cycle trip is that we do not carry any money, electronic gadgets, food or first aid medicines with us. We stop at villages along the route and find work to earn our board and lodge.
While each participant’s learning and experience from such a trip is unique, the general thinking behind such a trip is –
We go manual for transportation and basically burn off some calories that we have so lovingly accumulated despite being cholesterol conscious.
We go slow (rather than breeze thru in fast cars) and so get a better chance at appreciating nature and rural life.
We interact with the local people (rather than just buy stuff off them with money power) in the course of creatively managing our board and lodge.
We get a peek into village life and in the process learn skills that we have lost by virtue of being part of the ‘developed’ society. We can also share some skills that we have.
We develop an appreciation for local knowledge and skills and the ability to thrive in what nature has provided.
We develop some trust in the ability of nature to take care of us and in the goodness of human beings rather than having to constantly struggle for one’s existence as if it is one long battle against nature and other human beings.
We get some time to reflect on our own lives
We loosen a little the tight stranglehold that money has over our minds and learn that alternative ways to live might exist.
And let us not forget that most important is to enjoy nature, creating music, dance, theatre, games and have a fun filled adventure! This is a real chance to re-connect to the gift culture.
Check out the film from the first yatra to get an idea of the adventure…
We will cycle about 100 km from Udaipur to Jaisamand. The whole region is culturally very rich and still has some jungles left.
What you need to bring along (and remember that everything you bring along has to be carried by you on your bike)-
