India – The Better India

Described by the Mughal Emperor Babur as 'Worth the value of one day's food for all the people in the world', Kohinoor is one of the most coveted and valuable diamonds of all times. This dazzlingly beautiful rare jewel has been in the eye of the storm ever since it left the hands of its original owners, the Kakatiyas of Warangal. Never bought or sold, the fabled diamond changed many hands as it traveled through several dynasties that included the Khiljis, the Mughals, the Persians, the Afghans and the British before ending up at the Tower of London.

This is the intriguing story of its eventful journey.

Photo Source

The Kohinoor has a complex history that goes back to the 13th century. A large colourless diamond that weighed around 793 carats, Kohinoor originated in India’s Golconda mines when they were under the rule of the Kakatiya dynasty.

Legend has it that it was used as an eye of the deity in a Kakatiya temple in Warangal in 1310.

Photo Source

In the early 14th century, Alauddin Khilji, second ruler of the Khilji dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and his army began looting the kingdoms of southern India. During a raid on Warangal, Malik Kafur (Khilji's general) acquired the priceless diamond for the Khilji dynasty. It was then passed on to the succeeding dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate. In 1526, Babur handed a resounding defeat to Ibrahim Lodi at the Battle of Panipat. The victorious Babur received reports that the Fort of Agra housed an immense treasure, which included a diamond that defied all description. Enraptured by the jewel on its acquisition, Babur called it the 'Diamond of Babur' and even mentioned it in his memoir, the Baburnama.

After Babur's death, the precious stone was inherited by his son Humayun from whom it passed on to successive generations of Mughal rulers, including Shah Jahan, who set the priceless gem in his legendary Peacock throne.

Photo Source Left/Right

Later, when he was imprisoned in the Agra Fort by his son Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan used to see the reflection of the Taj Mahal in the glittering jewel, placed near a window. It was in Aurangzeb's reign that Tavernier, an enterprising French traveller and gem connoisseur, visited India in the search of rare and wonderful gems. Having been shown the diamond by Aurangzeb, Tavernier made the first sketch of Kohinoor in history. Aurangzeb also entrusted the work of cutting and enhancing the diamond to Hortenso Borgia, a Venetian lapidary (gem artist) so clumsy that he reduced the weight of the stone from 793 carats to 186 carats. So enraged was Aurangzeb at the carelessness and stupidity of the lapidary, that not only did he refuse to compensate him for his labour, but he also confiscated all of Borgia's worldly possessions. During the rule of Aurangzeb's grand son Muhammad Shah in 1739, Delhi was invaded by Nadir Shah, the Shah of Persia. His army looted all the jewels in the royal Mughal treasury, which also included the famous Peacock Throne, and Daria-i-noor, the sister diamond of the Kohinoor. However, the Kohinoor was nowhere to be seen. How Nadir Shah acquired the Kohinoor is a very interesting story. Muhammad Shah used to carry the prized diamond with him hidden in the folds of his turban, a secret known only to a selected few, including a eunuch in the harem of the Emperor. Hoping to win the favor of the victorious Nadir Shah, the disloyal eunuch whispered the emperor's secret into his ears. Devising a plan to deprive Muhammad Shah of his prized possession., Nadir Shah ordered a grand feast to coincide with the restoration of Muhammad Shah to his throne. During the feast, Nadir Shah proposed an exchange of turbans as a gesture of eternal friendship and Muhammad Shah, unable to refuse the gesture, had to hand over his turban. After the ceremony, Nadir Shah returned to his private chambers where he eagerly unfolded the turban to find the diamond concealed within. Dazzled by its beauty, he exclaimed 'Koh-i-noor', which in Persian means mountain of light. One of Nadir Shah's consort, wonder struck by the Kohinoor, had said,

"If a strong man were to throw four stones, one north, one south, one east, one west, and a fifth stone up into the air, and if the space between them were to be filled with gold, all would not equal the value of the Kohinoor."

Nadir Shah was assassinated soon after he returned to Persia and the diamond fell into the hands of Ahmad Shah Abdali, one of his ablest generals, who later became the Emir of Afghanistan.

A descendant of Abdali, Shah Shuja Durrani brought the Kohinoor back to India in 1813 and gave it to Ranjit Singh,the ruler of Lahore, in exchange for his help in winning back the throne of Afghanistan.

[caption id="attachment_64044" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Untitled design

Nadir Shah (left), Shah Shuja Durrani (Middle) and Ranjit Singh (Right)[/caption]

Photo Source Left/Middle/Right

Ranjit Singh , the founder of the Sikh empire, had the prized jewel sewn into an armlet, which he wore on all the important state occasions. It remained with him for the next twenty years. Ranjit Singh had willed the diamond to the temple of Jagannath in Puri, in modern-day Odisha, but after his death in 1839, the East India Company did not comply with the terms of his will. His son, Duleep Singh lost the second Anglo-Sikh War leading to the annexation of the Punjab by the British. Under the aegis of Lord Dalhousie, the Last Treaty of Lahore was signed, officially ceding the Kohinoor to Queen Victoria along with the Maharaja's other assets. The treaty specified,

"The gem called Kohinoor which was taken from Shah Shuja-ul-Malik by Maharaja Ranjit Singh shall be surrendered by the Maharajah of Lahore to the Queen of England."

On 6 April 1850, the Kohinoor left the shores of India on board of the HMS Medea. So shrouded in mystery was its departure that even the Captain of the ship did not know the priceless cargo his ship carried.

Photo Source

In a grand event organized in Hyde Park in London, the Kohinoor was formally handed over to Queen Victoria by the officials of the East India Company. Disappointed by its Mughal-style cut, the Queen, along with Prince Albert and others in the court, decided to refashion the diamond to enhance its brilliance. The re-cutting of the Kohinoor, that took a mere 38 days and costed £8000, resulted in an oval brilliant that weighed 108.93 carat. Despite the efforts of the Dutch jeweler, Mr Cantor, the results reduced the diamond drastically in weight. In 1853, it was mounted on a magnificent tiara for the queen that contained over two thousand diamonds. Queen Victoria wore the diamond frequently afterwards and left it in her will that the Kohinoor should only be worn by a queen of the royal family. This was due to rumour of an ancient curse associated with the Kohinoor that said,

“He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity.”

As a result, the diamond is worn only by the female members of the British Royal Family. Since getting into British hands, the Kohinoor has been worn by Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth.

Photo Source

It is now displayed along with the other British crown jewels in the Tower of London. Crystal replicas of the diamond set in the oldest crowns as well as the original bracelet given to Queen Victoria can also be seen at the Tower's Jewel House. During the Second World War, the Crown Jewels were moved from their home at the Tower of London to a secret location. The biography of the French army general, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, by his widow Simonne says that George VI hid the Kohinoor at the bottom of a lake near Windsor Castle where it remained until after the war. The only people who knew of the hiding place were the king and his librarian, who apparently revealed the secret to the general and his wife on their visit to England in 1949. The subject of bitter battles and court intrigues, today Kohinoor casts its brilliance on the millions of tourists who, for the most part, are unaware of its long history in shaping the destinies of men.

Also Read: 14 Fascinating and Perplexing Unsolved Mysteries of Indian History

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first."- Ernestine Ulmer

Indian sweets enjoy a legendary reputation across the world. India is home to a number of delicious sweets that play a vital role in every Indian celebration. While gulab jamuns, rasgullas and kaju katlis may be the most popular sweets in the country, there are many unique sweet gems that still remain unknown to most. We bring you some of the most delectable yet little-known sweets of India - each with its own distinct texture, taste and richness. So if you have a sweet tooth, indulge in these uniquely delicious treats for a perfect ending to your meal!

1. Elaneer Payasam

Photo Source

A very simple and quick-to-make variation of the traditional kheer, Elaneer Payasam is a popular dessert in Kerala and southern Tamil Nadu. Made from tender coconut pulp and condensed milk, this unique preparation is an incredibly tasty experience for a creation as simple. Get the recipe here.

2. Sarbhaja

bengalisweetsyoumusttrythisdurgapuja16_1412148129

Photo Source

Bengali sweets are famous for their unforgettable taste and and Sarbhaja is a little known gem in this legendary list. Even in Kolkata, there are just a handful of shops that make this rare delicacy during the Durga Puja festival. Made entirely from condensed milk that has been deep fried, the super delicious Sarbhaja is definitely not for the calorie-conscious. Get the recipe here.

3. Kharwas

Photo Source

Kharwas is the Marathi name of a sweet steamed pudding made from the colostrum milk of a cow. Steam cooked in a water bath, Kharwas simply melts in the very first bite. Also known as Posu and Ginnu, this unique dessert packs in a lot of nutrition. Get the recipe here.

4. Gokak Karadantu

Photo Source

Karadantu, which translates to ‘fried edible gum’ is unique to the Gokak region of Karnataka. Fried in pure ghee, karadantu is a unique and flavourful concoction of jaggery, raisins, cashew nuts, almonds, kaarika (dried dates), copra, peanuts, nutmeg and other such dried fruits and edible gum that can keep you chewing away for hours. Get the recipe here.

You May Also Like: Food Secrets: Eat Your Way Through Thindi Beedi, Bengaluru’s Favourite Eat Street

5. Parwal Mithai

Photo Source

A delicious sweet made of tender cooked pointed gourds with a delectably soft khoya stuffing, Parwal Ki Mithai is a much loved delicacy in Bihar. And yes, it tastes just as good as it looks.

Get the recipe here.

6. Chena Poda

Photo Source

A quintessential cheese dessert from Odisha, Chena Poda literally means burnt cheese - chena means cottage cheese and poda means burnt. Home-made cottage cheese is well-kneaded along with dry fruits and sugar, then it is slowly baked till its turns a beautiful golden brown colour. The heavenly taste of caramelized sugar and cottage cheese elevates the experience of consuming this sweet to a sinful level. Get the recipe here

7. Ada Pradhaman

Photo Source

Kerala's Onam celebrations are incomplete without the heartwarmingly rich Ada Pradhaman. It is made with homemade rice flakes (ada) and tapioca pearls (sago) cooked in a mouthwatering mix of jaggery syrup and coconut milk. This is one traditional dessert you simply should not miss. Get the recipe here.

8. Bebinca

Photo Source

Bebinca may not be the quickest dessert to make but it's absolutely lip-smacking. Painstakingly prepared with each layer being baked separately, this traditional Goan sweet is a slice of soft, yummy goodness. Warm Bebinca with ice-cream is a combination hard to resist! Get the recipe here.

9. Raskadam

Photo Source

When one layer of a Bengali sweet is often enough to send you into foodie heaven, Raskadam is a sweet dish made of two decadent layers. The outside layer is made of soft crumbly khoya and powdered sugar while the inner layer is made up of tiny rasgullas. Go figure! Get the recipe here.

10. Putarekelu

Photo Source

A wafer-like sweet created in Atreyapuram village of Andhra Pradesh, Putarekelu or Paper Sweet is made with transparent rice paper rolled in ghee and sugar. Stuffed with jaggery and nuts in the middle, the many textures and delicious flavours make this sweet as visually appeasing as it is delicious to devour. Get the recipe here.

11. Dehrori

Photo Source

A festive delicacy from Chattisgarh, Dehroris are dumplings made of rice and curd that are deep fried in ghee, sweetened by sugar syrup and topped with a sprinkling of roasted nuts. This sweet is typically accompanied with a glass of buttermilk and is known to regulate body temperatures in the dry and arid summers of Central India. Get the recipe here.

12. Maa Vilakku

Photo Source

A unique sweetmeat from South India that is offered to the deities every year, maa vilakku is essentially a rice flour lamp! It can be consumed only after an offering is made to the Gods. Made up of a smooth, soft dough of rice flour mixed with jaggery and flavoured with cardamom powder, it is consumed only after an offering is made to the Gods. Get the recipe here.

13. Khas Khas Halwa

Photo Source

Khas Khas Halwa is the cousin of traditional suji ka halwa, only much more interesting in terms of flavor, texture and appeal. The golden hues of this rich, warm and nutritious dish made from poppy seeds, will make your heart melt, just like that. Khas Khas Halwa is mostly made and eaten during winter in North India. Get the recipe here.

14. Malaiyo

Photo Source

A foaming and fizzing seasonal sweet that delights every local of Varanasi with its deliciousness, Malaiyo is exactly what dreams are made of. Only few sweetmakers in Varanasi are dexterous and experienced enough to use raw milk, dew drops and a dash of cardamom seasoning to make these soft, airy sweets. See how its made here.

15. Pitha

Photo Source

Deceptively delicious, Pitha is one of Assam's most loved sweetmeats. An integral part of Bihu celebrations, Pitha is made with glutinous bora rice, or sun-dried xaali saul rice, or both. The many versions of Assamese Pitha are Til pitha, Ghila pitha, Sunga pitha, Tekeli pitha, Xutuli pitha, and Dhup pitha. Get the recipe here.

16. Purnam burelu

Photo Source

Purnam Burelu are sweet dumplings made especially during Sankranti, Ganesh Chaturthi and Dusshera festival in the Andhra region. Served as a sacred offering to deities, it is made by shaping a sweet ball from chana dal and jaggery that is dipped in the dosa batter and deep fried to a golden brown colour. A festive indulgence not to be missed! Get the recipe here.

17. Naap Naang

25) Black Sticky Rice Pudding or Naap Nang from Nagaland

Photo Source

Naap Naang is a very unique and delicious sweet dish made in Nagaland. A pudding made from black sticky rice and subtly flavoured with sweet nuts, the super nutritious Naap Naang is full of fiber and can be consumed even by diabetics. This is because black sticky rice is a complex carbohydrate that slowly releases sugar on digestion. Get the recipe here.

18. Patoleo

Photo Source

Patoleo is a unique, aromatic, steamed sweet made by spreading rice paste over a turmeric leaf and filled with a stuffing of Goan coconut jaggery, powdered cinnamon and fresh grated coconut. A much-savoured traditional delicacy, this healthy dessert is made during the monsoon months in Goa. Get the recipe here.

19. Madhurjaan Thongba

Photo Source

Madhurjan Thonbga is a Manipuri Athoomba or dessert. Sweet besan dumplings are dropped in thickened sweetened milk that has been flavoured with bay leaves and cardamom. Served warm with a garnish of grated coconut, this Manipuri delicacy leaves you wanting more. Get the recipe here.

20. Sel Roti

Photo Source

Sikkim's Sel Rotis are crispy rice doughnuts that can satisfy the sweetest tooth. The soft texture of the interior complements the hint of crunchiness on the exterior perfectly to make a dessert which is absolutely scrumptious. This traditional sweet is also widely eaten in Nepal. Get the recipe here.

Also Read: Street Eats : A Foodie’s Guide to Sarafa Market, Where Indore Comes Alive Every Night

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

Who doesn't need life to be made a little bit easier? Here are 12 tips that do precisely that. There are always these pesky little obstacles in life that can easily ruin your day. Luckily, internet is full of handy life-hacks that can make your life a whole lot easier. From people stealing your shoes to getting back the stuff you have loaned out and forgotten, there’s a life hack for everything.

Here are 12 life hacks that can make life in India more safer, easier, and comfortable.

1. Secure your footwear at temples

Photo Source

The quick hack to the problem is to never put your footwear together and if possible, turn one of them upside down. This drastically reduces the chances of your good looking footwear catching a thief’s eye. Thieves normally just pick up the ones that are kept together and look good at first glance before escaping the venue quickly.

2. Make moving to a new city easier for yourself

One of Jaipur's main attractions, the Hawa Mahal is also known as the 'Palace of Winds'.

Photo Source

Learn to say "I am learning the language" instead of "Sorry, I don’t know the language” in the language of the city you are moving to. People are always glad to hear that you are willing to make the effort to learn their language!

3. Prevent cake from going stale in the fridge

Photo Source

Keeping the cake out in hot weather can spoil it while storing it in the fridge can make it go hard and stale. The solution to this never-ending confusion is this fantastic hack that will ensure the cake stays nice, fresh and soft in the fridge. All it takes are a few slices of bread and some toothpicks to cover the open parts of the cake that aren't covered by frosting.

4. Being nice can help you out of a tight spot

Photo Source

Be extra nice to people like security guards, hotel staff, chauffeurs, waiters and valets. They work all day and rarely get a kind word in return. They also have a lot of information about the locality they work in. You’ll be surprised how much they can help in return.

5. Keep your essentials safe on the beach

Photo Source

A great beach life hack is to clean out an old sunscreen lotion bottle and hide your phone,money and keys in there! Chances are that no one will steal this from you and you can safely keep your stuff in there while you’re in the water.

6. For when you doubt your tea cup is clean

Photo Source

In India, local tea stalls often serve awesome tea. If you have ever visited these busy stalls and been afraid of having tea in a cup that you doubt is clean, this hack is for you. Just turn the cup by 180 degrees, hold it with the left hand and have your tea. Most people are right handed and hold the cup in their right hand thus using just one half of the cup opening. Its not foolproof but being cautious helps when you are not sure!

7. Smelly shoes no more

tea-bag-shoe-deodorizer-place-tea-bags-680x451

Photo Source

Hot weather in India often leads shoes to emit an unpleasant odour. Deodorize your stinky tennis shoes by inserting old tea bags in them. After all, who doesn't like wearing fresh smelling shoes?

8. Stay on the safer side

Photo Source

Pretend to talk on your phone when taking an auto/cab late night and casually mention that you are travelling in a cab and going by so-and-so route. An extra step you take on a late night cab ride is taking a picture of its registration number and sending it to a family member or friend.

9. Say goodbye to pesky mosquitoes

Photo Source

Lets face it, mosquitoes are an aggravation.The buzzing, the biting and the itching are enough to send the bravest outdoor lover back into the safety of the house. So if you find yourself in a place plagued with mosquitoes and with no bug repellent on hand, what you can do is ask around for a mentholated pain balm such as Vicks Vaporub. It works like a charm to keep the pesky mosquitoes away.

10. Handy in an emergency

Photo Source

Take a photo of a list of all the medications used by the members of your immediate family on your cell phone. It's handy to have in the case of an emergency or even when you take them to see a new doctor. You can also add other important details, like their allergies and blood types, to the list.

11. Get your stuff back

Photo Source

If you often forget about the stuff you have loaned to others and to whom, this hack is for you. When friends borrows a tool or a beloved book, snap a photo of them holding it. Next time you need something and can't remember who you gave it too, the photo will help you get it back.

12. Stop chilli from burning a hole in your taste-buds

Photo Source

While chillies can bring amazing flavor to Indian foods of all kinds, nobody likes the fiery sensation of a chilli burn. Since capsaicin, the compound which causes the burn, repels water, it is not something you can simply treat with water. Milk, yoghurt and bread are a better and more effective option when it comes to cooling your burning taste buds.

Feature Source

Also Read: Green Living: 20 Ingenious Ways to Reuse Plastic Bottles Instead of Trashing Them

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

The past can never be outdated as it has our existence rooted in it. The same is true for Indian eateries that have been around since pre-Independence days as well. While restaurants have begun experimenting and embracing global cuisines across the country, these time-tested eateries carry with them a whiff of nostalgia that never fails to charm their loyal diners. Though many of them have evolved with time,these quaint eateries make for an interesting stop for every traveler looking to get a taste of history and local culture along with lip smacking food.

This Independence day, take a step back in time with these 24 eateries that take you on a gastronomic journey through pre-independence India.

1. Tunday Kababi, Lucknow

Photo Source

Globally famous for its exquisite Galouti kebabs, kormas and biryanis, Lucknow's Tunday Kababi is believed to be established in 1905 by Haji Murad Ali, the one-armed star cook of the Nawab of Lucknow. Tucked away in the narrow gullies in the old area of Lucknow, the eatery still uses the same age-old intricate blends of spices to make its sensational non-vegetarian gourmet preparations.

2. Indian Coffee House, Kolkata

Photo Source

Tucked away amidst the dingy bylanes of College Street (Kolkata's academic hub), Indian Coffee House has long been an intellectual hangout and meeting place for students (and ex-students) of the Presidency College and other institutions. Great personalities like Rabindranath Tagore, Amartya Sen, Manna Dey, Satyajit Ray, Ravi Shankar and several others frequented this place. Mutton cutlet and chicken kabirazi are the must haves on the still-very-cheap menu.

3. Britannia and Co, Mumbai

Photo Source

One of the Mumbai’s most loved restaurants, Britannia first opened its doors to British officers stationed in the Fort area in 1923. A cult restaurant, Britannia is where Mumbaikars head to when they are need for some seriously traditional Parsi fare. The place still retains its age-old charm and heritage furniture with the added bonus being the personal touch of the current owner, the immensely charming Boman Kohinoor, who hangs around making small talk and personally taking orders. Must-trys include their outstanding Mutton and Chicken Berry Pulav.

4. Mavalli Tiffin Room, Bengaluru

Photo Source

Founded by Parampalli Yajnanarayana Maiya and his brothers in the year 1924, MTR is a culinary landmark in Bengaluru. Serving wholesome fare that has its origins in the Udupi cuisine of the coastal Karnataka, MTR has quite a reputation for its high standards of hygiene and cleanliness. During World War II, a significant shortage of rice supply resulted in MTR inventing the Rava Idli, a much-loved breakfast dish of south India.

5. Delhi Misthan Bhandaar, Shillong

Photo Source

Located in downtown Shillong's bustling Police Bazaar, Delhi Misthan Bhandaar has been serving the locals with mouthwatering sweets, savouries and a lot more since 1930. The dedicated sweets section serves arguably the best jalebis and gulab jamuns one can get in town. The shop entered its name into the Guinness Book of World Records in the year 2008 for frying the world's largest jalebi ever that was 75 inches in diameter and 15 kgs in weight.

6. Leopold's Cafe, Mumbai

Photo Source

Established in 1871, Leopold's (popularly known as Leo's) is one of Mumbai's most iconic cafes and a must visit for anyone who visits the maximum city. A symbol of the old world charm of Bombay, Leopold's also plays a central role in the 2003 novel by Gregory David Roberts, Shantaram. The restaurant is always abuzz with people indulging in scrumptious meals that include everything from burgers with beer to decadent desserts.

7. Glenary's, Darjeeling

Photo Source

Opened by an Italian named Vado, Glenary's was later brought by the family of a local worker who became the manager here. The quaint 100-year-old bakery cum restaurant is over a 100 years old and is a hit with both locals and tourists alike. Known for its baking, the desserts at Glenary's are par excellence. Do not miss their stewy apple pies, sticky cinnamon buns, fresh meat pies and Darjeeling tea.

8. Karim's, Delhi

Photo Source

Established in 1913 by Hazi Kareemudin, Karim's has won multiple awards and many accolades for its lip-smacking non-vegetarian fair. Bang in the middle of Chandni Chowk, with the beautiful Jama Masjid just around the corner, Karim's has an arsenal of recipes carried forward from the days of the Mughal empire. The flagship items on the menu are the mouthwatering Mutton Nihari and Chicken Jahangiri.

9. Favourite Cabin, Kolkata

Photo Source

Best known as the haunt of the freedom fighters such as S C Bose and poets such as Kazi Nazrul Islam, the Favourite Cabin at 69B Surya Sen Street was founded in 1918 by Nutan Chandra Barua and his elder brother Gaur Chandra Barua. This unassuming tea cabin is north Kolkata’s oldest tea stall and has been quenching Bengalis' thirst for chai and adda for over 94 years. The staple here is still the same even after all these years - hot tea, complemented by biscuits, cakes and different toasts.

10. Joshi Budhakaka Mahim Halwawala, Mumbai

Photo Source

Joshi Budhakaka Mahim Halwawala is a little sweet shop, nestled in the bylanes of Mahim, that was started close to 225 years back! The founder, Giridhar Mavji, used to sell a special halwa that gradually became extremely popular across Mumbai. Today, people from all over the country visit the shop to buy the famous Mahim Halwa. Unlike the traditional halwa, the preparation involves rolling out a cooked mixture of wheat, sugar and ghee in the form of sheets that is cooled and cut into delicate squares.

11. Rayars Mess, Chennai

Photo Source

Located in a cramped nook in Mylapore, Rayars Mess was established in the 1940s by Srivivasa Rao (called the Rayar by the locals) and has been spinning a delicious tale for over 70 years. The mess serves fluffy idlis, crisp vadas(with ghetti chutney), and scalding-hot degree coffee to its loyal customers as well as to many foodie visitors for just a few hours every day. Despite this, the unbeatable hygiene and exceptional taste of food at this tiny eatery is why people don’t mind travelling long distances to eat here.

12. Hari Ram and Sons, Allahabad

Photo Source

Tracing its origins to the year 1890, Hari Ram and Sons is one of the oldest street food shops in Allahabad. The more-than-a-century old shop has a fan following that includes many eminent personalities and is only growing bigger with every passing day. The shop is famed for its delicious snacks made in pure ghee and lip-smacking chaat, palak ki namkeen, masala samosas, and khasta kachauri.

13. Flury's, Kolkata

Photo Source

Situated on Park Street in the heart of Kolkata, Flurys was founded in the year 1927 by Mr and Mrs J Flury. This pre-independence tea room of the British has a beautiful old world charm and is famous for its rum balls, meringues with cream and a delicious English breakfast. Satyajit Ray used to visit Flury’s every Sunday morning for breakfast and is rumoured to have maintained a credit account at the eatery.

14. Dorabjee and Sons, Pune

Photo Source

A charming, old restaurant in Pune, Dorabjee and Sons was started by Dorabjee Sorabjee back in 1878. Initially a humble little tea stall, the eatery soon started serving traditional lunches that quickly became popular. A little restaurant with a simple exterior, Dorabjee and Sons uses time-tested recipes handed down through generations to create signature Parsi specialties such as Dhansak, Patrani Machchi and Salli Boti.

You May Also Like: Parsi on My Plate: How Bawa Cuisine Is Adding Spice to the Indian Palate

15. United Coffee House, Delhi

Photo Source

Established in the year 1942, United Coffee House holds an important place in the hearts of food lovers in Delhi. Located in Connaught place, it was one of the first few restaurants that offered fine-dining in the capital city. The place has retained its pre-independence antiquity and is still frequented by diplomats, bureaucrats and tourists. The indulgent menu, though, has evolved over the years and today offers a plethora of options - from international and Indian classics to the recently added Oriental cuisine.

16. Shri Sagar (CTR), Bengaluru

Photo Source

Established in 1940s, Shri Sagar, better known as CTR, is one of the most famous restaurants in Bengaluru. Known for the filter coffee and its unparalleled masala dosas, Shri Sagar is Malleshwaram's landmark thindi joint, the local lingo for small eating places that offer quick South Indian bites. Must-trys include the benne masala dosa and the feather light idlis.

You May Also Like: Food Secrets: Eat Your Way Through Thindi Beedi, Bengaluru’s Favourite Eat Street

17. Chafekar Dughdha Mandir, Nagpur

Photo Source

Set up by Vasudev Govind Chafekar and his friend Narayan Sakharam Palkar in 1931, Chafekar Dugdha Mandir was a meeting point for freedom fighters of Nagpur. A functional eatery with a simple decor, the restaurant has a steady and loyal stream of customers which keeps it bustling with activity all day. The eatery is famous for items like dahi misal, sabudana vada, shrikhand, khichdi, masala milk and the local favourite, piyush.

18. Shaikh Brothers Bakery, Guwahati

Photo Source

Established by Shaikh Ghulam Ibrahim way back in the late 1800's , Shaikh Brothers Bakery quickly became one of the most preferred bakeries in Guwahati, not only for the locals but also for the British administrators. It was also a favourite of Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. According to a report in The Telegraph, cheese sippers from this bakery were regularly served on Nehru's breakfast table (he was extremely fond of it) when he visited Guwahati.

19. Mitra Samaj, Udupi

Mitra Samaj-Udupi Krishna Temple-Must Dine there

Photo Source

Believed to be almost 100years old, Mitra Samaj is an authentic Udupi restaurant famous for its delicious dosas, bullet idlis and Goli Baje, also known as Mangalore Bajji. The eatery follows the Udupi tradition of temple cooking under which the use of onion, garlic and radish is prohibited. For those visiting this simple eatery for the very first time, the must-try items should also include Mangalorean Bun, Masala Dosa, Dakshin Kannada-style Khasta Kachori and badam milk.

20. Nizam's Restaurant, Kolkata

Photo Source

The pioneers of making the first Kolkata Kati Rolls, Nizam's was set up in 1932 by Raza Hassan Saheb who named the place after his only son. The story goes that one day a customer, a foreigner, was in a big hurry and he asked for something light, dry and minimally messy that he could take away quickly. Thus was born the Nizam’s kebab roll. The tender flavours of meat entwine in a freshly fried parantha to create these rolls that truly deserve their iconic status!

21. Bademiyan, Mumbai

Photo Source

Opened in 1942, the Bademiyan Stall moved several locations during the tense pre-Independence years before finally settling down at Colaba in Mumbai. It was started by Mohammed Yasin who came to be known as Bademiya for his long flowing beard. The shop is famous for its spicy succulent kebabs and biryani, and is always jam-packed till late in the evening.

22. Kesar Da Dhaba, Amritsar

Photo Source

An iconic dhaba of Amritsar, Kesar Da Dhaba was established by Lala Kesar Mal and his wife in 1916 in Sheikhupura, Pakistan. It moved to Amritsar after the partition of India in 1947 where it was frequently visited by Lala Lajpat Rai and Jawaharlal Nehru. The dhaba's velvety dal makhani, slow-cooked overnight and garnished with fresh creambefore being served, is legendary. The creamy palak paneer, stuffed parathas and the sinfully rich phirni are also a must-try.

23. Confeitaria 31 De Janeiro, Panaji

Photo Source

Located in the gorgeous old Latin Quarter of Panaji, Fontainhas, the 80-year-old Confeitaria 31 De Janeiro is one of the oldest bakeries in Goa. The cozy little shop serves traditional Goan sweets and savouries like the moist date and walnut cake, the scrumptious bebinca, the creamy sweet rolls, the crumbly prawn risois and other teatime treats.

24. Pancham Puriwala, Mumbai

Photo Source

Pancham Puriwala was set up over 150 years ago when its founder, Pancham came from Agra to Bombay to try his luck selling savouries. His crispy golden puris were so popular with the locals that his shop survived and expanded over seven generations. This tiny, two storeyed eatery is always crowded with eager clientele clamoring for mouth watering delicacies that include khichdi, kadhito (crispy bhindi curry), potato curry and truckloads of different types of puris.

Also Read: From Colleges to Diplomatic Enclaves, These 14 Iconic Canteens Are Among the Best in India

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

In the early years of British Raj, no other community in India offered such heroic resistance to British rule or faced such tragic consequences as did the numerous tribal and peasant communities of India. Simple, hardworking, and peace-loving folks who lived mainly off their agricultural land or forests, these communities rebelled fiercely against the land grabbing and economic exploitation that came with colonial rule. Though these revolts were often unsuccessful in uprooting the British, they prepared the ground for the struggle that ultimately led to independence.

Here are 14 popular uprisings that laid the foundation for a widespread freedom movement and hastened the end to years of colonial rule.

1. Sanyasi Rebellion

Dandi-Sanyasi,-a-Hindu-Ascetic---Eastern-Bengal-1860's

Photo Source

The establishment of British control over Bengal after 1757 led to increase in land revenue and the exploitation of the peasants. During the Bengal famine of 1770, impoverished peasants and displaced zamindars were joined by the sanyasis and fakirs ( wandering religious mendicants of Bengal) in a fierce rebellion that continued up to 1802 . One of the best reminder of this rebellion is in literature, in the Bengali novel Anandamath, written by one of India's first modern novelist, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.

2. Tilka Manjhi's Revolt

Photo Story

Tilka Manjhi (or Jabra paharia as he was also called) was the first adivasi leader to take up the arms against the British in the 1789. He organized the adivasis into an armed group to fight against the resource grabbing, exploitation and British tyranny. In the battle that ensued, Tilka attacked and injured the British commissioner who died later.The British surrounded the Tilapore forest, from which he operated, but he and his men held the enemy at bay for several weeks before he was caught and hanged at Bhagalpur.

3. Sambalpur Revolt

3-tribal-revolts-india-before-indian-independence

Photo Source

The British efforts to exploit the the downtrodden tribal people of Sambalpur in Odisha led to the start of the this rebellion by Surendra Sai. A direct descendant from Madhukar Sai, the fourth Chauhan king of Sambalpur, Surendra Sai espoused the cause of the tribals of the region. Debarred from occupying the throne due to his popularity, Sai and his associates rebelled against the Raj and died fighting for freedom from the British.

4. Kherwar Uprising

Photo Source

The founder of the Kherwar Movement, Bhagirath Manjhi once explained the philosophy of the revolt by saying,

“No human being created the Earth, no human being has ploughed our land but we, no human being but we have the right to share the produce.”

Unable to bear the pressure of the exorbitant rents imposed on them, the massive Kherwar movement was kicked off in 1874 with incredible support from Santhal tribals. Village after village resounded with the sound of thousands of Santhals voicing their legitimate right. The movement was suppressed only through brutal punitive measures that were taken by the British.

4. Santhal Rebellion

Photo Source Left/Right

The Santhal rebellion, commonly known as Santhal Hul, was a rebellion against both the British colonial authority and upper caste zamindars who had taken away lands cultivated by Santhals for centuries. Led by the four Murmu Brothers - Sidhu, Kanhu, Chand and Bhairav - thousands of Santhals took to guerrilla fighting. Though the Santhals were outstanding archers, they were no match for the musket and cannon firepower of the British. Over 15,000 were killed, tens of villages were destroyed and the two celebrated leaders Sidhu and Kanhu were killed to subdue the rebellion.

5. Indigo Revolt

Photo Source

The Indigo revolt (or Nilbidroha) was an agrarian uprising of indigo farmers or ryots against the British indigo planters that arose in Bengal in 1859. Dinabandhu Mitra’s play Nil Darpan (The Mirror of Indigo) reflected the peasants’ feelings, who were forced to cultivate without remuneration, towards the indigo planters. Planters were publicly tried, indigo depots were burned down and the ryots went on strike. Though it was ruthlessly suppressed, the revolt had a strong effect on the government, which appointed the Indigo Commission in 1860.

6. Munda Uprising

Photo Source

The name of Birsa Munda is cherished in India as one of the greatest freedom fighters. He raised his voice against the transformation of the tribal agrarian system into a feudal system that had led to the alienation of the lands held by the tribals. To the twin challenges of agrarian breakdown and culture change, Birsa along with the Mundas, responded through an ulgulaan (or revolution) under his leadership. After a series of uprisings, Birsa was captured and he died in jail in 1900. His portrait hangs in the Central Hall of the Indian parliament, the only tribal leader to have been so honored

7. Tana Bhagat Movement

Photo Source Left/Right

Tana Bhagats was a small tribal community formed by the Oraon saints of Jharkhand, Jatra Bhagat and Turia Bhagat. The Tana Bhagats opposed the exorbitant taxes imposed on them by the British and staged a type of civil disobedience movement in 1914 that was anti-zamindari, anti-missionary and anti-British. Followers of Mahatma Gandhi, and believers in ahimsa (nonviolence), were later closely associated with the Non-Cooperation Movement of the Indian National Congress.

You May Also Like: Go Back in Time to Pre-Independence India with Marathi Movie ‘Nilkanth Master’

8. Rampa Rebellion

1-tribal-revolts-india-before-indian-independence

Photo Source

The Rampa Rebellion of 1879 was an insurrection by the hill tribes in the Rampa region of the Vizagapatam District against the British government of the Madras Presidency. The 1882 Madras Forest Act had restricted the free movement of tribal peoples in the forest and prevented them from practicing their traditional podu agriculture. It was led by the revolutionary, Alluri Sitarama Raju who was called Manyam Veerudu (hero of the jungle) by the locals. He was eventually trapped and executed by the British in the forests of Chintapalli.

9. Rani Gaidinliu's Rebellion

Photo Source Left/Right

"We are free people, the white men should not rule over us.”

This was 13-year-old Rani Gaidinliu’s clarion call to the ethnic Naga tribes from remote hills of North Eastern region when she joined the Heraka religious movement of her cousin. Under her guidance, the movement later turned into a political movement seeking to drive out the British from the region. She urged the people not to pay taxes, not to work for the British and even went underground to lead many attacks on the British administration. Gaidinliu was arrested in 1932 at the age of 16, and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the British rulers. Jawaharlal Nehru met her at Shillong Jail in 1937, and gave her the title of Rani. Released in 1947 after India's independence, she continued to work for the upliftment of her people ans was honored with a Padma Bhushan.

11. Tebhaga Movement

Photo Source

The Tebhaga movement was led by the share croppers of the Bengal region against the oppressive jotedars (land owners) in 1946-47. At that time, share-cropping bargadars (essentially, tenants) had to give half of their harvest to the owners of the land. The demand of the Tebhaga (sharing by thirds) movement, led by Bengal Kisan Sabha, was to reduce the share given to landlords to one third. Among the unique feaures of this movement is the large scale participation of landless and poor women who formed fighting troops called the nari bahini that took a front role in countering the repression of the state. Though the agitation was not immediately successful, the East Bengal State Acquisition and Tenancy Act was passed in 1950 due to the initiation of the movement.

Also Read: A Taste of Nostalgia: 24 of India’s Most Famous Pre-Independence Eateries

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

Here are 5 honest and dedicated civil servants of India who have made us all extremely proud by never taking the easy way out, despite unceremonious transfers and threats. This Independence Day, let's salute these true heroes. Corruption may be a widespread scourge in Indian governance but there are some incorruptible officers who stand out from the norm. Transferred and threatened by their political bosses, these honest officers never buckled under the pressure and continued to work undeterred.

Here are 5 amazing bureaucrats who have been fighting injustice and corruption to give us the hope that even a few good officers can make a difference in the country.

1. Poonam Malakondaiah, Andhra Pradesh

Photo Source

Poonam Malakondaiah is a remarkable bureaucrat who fought her way through nepotism, chauvinism and many lackadaisical set-ups. A low-profile 1988 batch IAS officer, she has proven to be a hard nut to crack for politicians, lobbyists and businessmen used to officers yielding under pressure. Seven transfers in six years failed to deter her as she continued to fight corruption in whichever department she was assigned - from agriculture to transport to education to civil supplies. The forthright and fiery lady dragged the multinational seed company, Monsanto, to the MRTP Commission as the agriculture commissioner following which the MNC was forced to reduce the price of BT Cotton seeds.

2. Manoje Nath, Bihar

Photo Source

Manoje Nath was just 2o years old when he wrote the Indian Police Service (IPS) exam and ranked third in the country and first in Bihar in 1973. Thirty-nine years on, when this topper retired from the Bihar police in 2012, he was one of the longest-serving IPS officers who had never been considered for a key post in his entire career. An upright man, he failed to fit into the political class’s scheme of things, particularly when it comes to appointing the Director General of Police (DGP). In the year 1980, as the Bokaro SP, he had arrested the then Bokaro Steel MD in a corruption case, for which he was handed a transfer order within 24 hours, after only four months in the office. For his refusal to fulfill political whims, he was transferred over 40 times in his 39-year long career and superseded at least thrice by officers much junior to him.

3. G R Khairnar, Maharashtra

Photo Source

Govind Ragho Khairnar is a former Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officer known for his uprightness and fearlessness while carrying out his duties in the face of political opposition. As the deputy municipal commissioner, he systematically targeted illegal encroachments across the city. As a result, he was suspended and brought to trial for supposed insubordination and heavy-handedness but the High Court cleared him of these charges. After winning the case against the BMC for his unjust suspension, he was reinstated as the Deputy Commissioner.He continued to fight back land mafias and clear public land of encroachments, even suffering injuries while doing so, once again, living up to the title the locals had given him, One Man Demolition Army. During his suspension from BMC, he also wrote his autobiography Ekaki Zunj (The Lonely Fight) in Marathi.

4. Samit Sharma, Rajasthan

Photo Source

In 2009, more than 12,000 government employees in Rajasthan's Chittorgarh district went on mass leave to protest against the transfer of District Collector Samit Sharma. The officer had been shunted out simply because he had refused to sack a lower divisional clerk for not standing up when a local MLA entered the office (as an official circular had ordered). Despite the protest, Samit Sharma was transferred but he didn't let it deter him from doing good work. A doctor who practiced for 5 years before taking the IAS exam, Sharma used his experience to pioneer the generic medicine project (that provided affordable health care, medicine and surgical items to the poor) in Rajasthan.

5. Rajni Sekri Sibal, Haryana

Photo Source

Rajni Sekri Sibal, an IAS officer from Haryana cadre, first said a firm no when offered a bribe by the political powers who wanted her to change the results of 3200 Junior Basic Training (JBT) teachers in 1999-2000. Then, when her transfer was ordered, she wrapped the steel almirah with the actual list of results lying inside, with a four-metre-long cloth and bandages, making it impossible for anyone to open the almirah and tamper with the list. She then got five of her officers to sign the bandage in different places, thereby marking it uniquely, and stuffed the key in an envelope which she sealed and hid after that. This simple action led to the list not being tampered with, brought attention to huge scam (now known as JBT Recruitment Scam) and an eventual CBI investigation into the matter that implicated several people in high places.

Also Read: 10 Amazingly Dedicated Indian Civil Servants You Will Be Proud To Know

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

In a country like India where infrastructure, education and health care are still pressing needs for most of the population, the budget for sports is limited. Facilities for sportsmen and women, good coaches, international quality equipment - these are all out of reach for even the most talented of Indians. Despite a huge population of nearly 1.3 billion, India hasn't achieved much success in the international sporting arena, with the notable exception of cricket. Most Olympic summer sports like athletics, swimming, gymnastics, basketball, cycling, and volleyball are completely ignored in India. As for winter sports - they remain completely undeveloped! And yet, India has some tenacious, determined and gritty raw talent that defies all odds to fight its way to the top and surface on the international stage. Witness the Deepika Kumaris, Dipa Karmakars, Lalita Babars, and Dattu Baban Bhokanals who made it to the Rio Olympics after practising in the rural backyards of our country. Many of India's promising athletes face financial difficulties that threaten the realisation of their sporting ambitions at an early stage. This chronic lack of resources has undermined Indian performances at top events for a very long time, with the country’s athletes getting the backing of only a few private sector sponsors.

This year, however, it was heartening to see private companies taking baby steps to support competitive sports in the country (apart from cricket) and promoting individual athletes. For the 2016 Rio Olympics, as many as nine private sector companies signed up as sponsors for the Indian contingent, the country's largest ever.

amul-associates-with-indian-olympic-association-1467195566-800 (1)

Photo Source

While India is still waiting for its first medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with many of its star athletes having failed to finish on the podium, many have come agonisingly close to clinching medals, including Dipa Karmakar, whose outstanding performance in gymnastics has made her a role model for all Indian sportsmen and women.

You May Also Like: #ChasingTheGold: Meet Dipa Karmakar, the First Indian Gymnast to Qualify for the Olympic Final

Dipa's Olympics story is all the more remarkable, given that she competed in her first gymnastics competition without shoes and in an ill-fitting costume. There are many Indian athletes like her whose careers have been marred by lack of basic equipment, apathetic sports officials, non-availability of indoor and outdoor arenas to practise in, government corruption, etc.

Lalita Babar was India's Olympic qualifier in the 3000m Steeplechase event. The 26-year-old long-distance runner, for whom drought is a more common sight than water in the Mohi village of Maharashtra, has broken barriers and shifted disciplines to train for this sport but still has to buy running spikes on her own.

Photo Source

The government did not agree to pay for the shoes that cost over Rs. 10,000 per pair and last only one month. Moreover, they have to be ordered from abroad as Steeplechase specific spikes are not available in India. The much-needed help for the shoes finally came, but not from the government. Anglian Medal Hunt, a Delhi-based sports management company that nurtures young talent and prospective medal winners, has been paying for Lalita Babar's shoes during her Olympic preparation.

Also Read: 5 Things About Lalita Babar – 1st Indian to Reach Steeplechase Finals, World Athletics Championships

Soumyajit Ghosh, India’s top-ranked men’s paddler from Siliguri, trained for the Olympics in Sweden with a personal coach who charged Rs. 1 lakh per month. The payment was entirely managed by Ghosh and his parents.

Photo Source

Ghosh also worked for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and played for a local league in Falkenberg to meet the expenses, but this was still not enough to pay his coaching fees. Help came only when his employer BPCL stepped in to pay for two foreign trips a year and provided the tickets for training at overseas venues, and TIBHAR (a table tennis equipment company) decided to sponsor his equipment. The private sector's backing for the Indian contingent this year deserves applause. Much of India's sporting talent comes from underprivileged or middle class backgrounds. What private sponsorships bring to the table for these athletes is good training and equipment that can help them compete in the international arena. This can make a huge difference to the athletes' preparation, as they can focus on their training and no longer run from pillar to post trying to arrange funds for their Olympic sojourn. Among the companies sponsoring Indian athletes this year are Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, Amul, Tata Salt and Herbalife, etc. These companies have extended their support to lesser-known athletes who are representing India at the world’s largest sports extravaganza through life insurance covers, nutrition education, product and equipment packages, and promotion on social media.

When Edelweiss, the principal sponsor of the Indian contingent at Rio 2016, heard that 20-year-old sprinter Dutee Chand did not even have running shoes for the event, it decided to step in.

Photo Source

With less than a month left for the Olympics, Edelweiss employees scoured Mumbai to find just the right pair of shoes for Chand, the first Indian woman to compete in the 100 metres event at the Olympics after almost 36 years.

Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance has also offered a life insurance cover of Rs 1 crore for each of the athletes representing India at the Rio Olympics.

Photo Source

Herbalife International India, the official nutrition sponsor of the Indian Olympic contingent to Rio 2016, has provided personalised nutrition packages. The Indian Olympics Association also roped in sporting goods company Li Ning as the apparel partner, Tata Salt as the nutrition partner and Amul as the dairy partner. Total sponsorships for the Indian contingent to the Rio Olympics added up to Rs 10 crore - that’s eight times the amount paid by Amul and Samsung, the only two team sponsors in the 2012 London Olympics. Anju Bobby George, who represented India in Long Jump at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, also reiterated how things have changed from her time as an Olympian. In an interview to Firstpost, she said,

“In our time we struggled a lot for getting funds, but now it is getting easy. Even in the last Olympics, there was private support but this time there is more support and it’s good because this way they can focus on training rather than running here and there for support and money. This will help athletes deliver their best."

In an encouraging move, India Inc has entered the country's sporting arena, and by filling in the gaps in funding and facilities for Olympic sports, is changing the way the nation plays. But has it extended enough help to ensure India reaps some rewards on the winners' podium? That, for now, remains to be seen.

Also Read: #ChasingTheGold: How OP Jaisha Went from Eating Mud for Survival to Competing at the Olympics

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

Eating well is easy with fresh produce but it can be a challenge when shopping for packaged food in the local super market. Let's admit it, we've all gulped down that carton of juice and snacked on a packet of chips without taking the time to read the list of preservatives that go into them.

For the uninitiated, preservatives are a type of food additive that is put into packaged food to prolong its shelf life, enhance the taste or keep the colour and nutrients of the product intact.

Photo Source

While a majority of these additives have been deemed safe for consumption by food authorities (in limited amounts), some of them have come under fire due to their long-term health impact.

It is a good idea for everyone to learn more about these additives, look for them on the labels of the food to be consumed, avoid them as much as possible, and search for information on healthier alternatives. Here's our comprehensive guide to eating healthy without additives:

Reading the Label

In harmony with the global food standards of Codex Alimentarius Commission and WHO, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has laid down several regulations for the use of preservatives. FSSAI, under the Health Ministry, has fixed the maximum limit for use of additives in various food groups to ensure the acceptable daily intake is not exceeded. It has also stepped up measures to strengthen quality standards while reviewing the existing rules for caffeine content, metal contaminants and other residues in food products. It is mandatory for a food business operator to declare the preservatives used on the label of a packaged food product. The label, normally found on the back of the package, lists ingredients in the order of their quantity in the food and preservatives (used in small amounts) are most often listed at the bottom.

Additives to Avoid

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

Photo Source

Cheap, sweet and produced in abundance as compared to regular sugar, HFCS has crept into food supplies over the past few decades. HFCS can increase your bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, leads to obesity and contribute to the development of diabetes.

2. Aspartame

Photo Source

If you think you’re eating healthy because you’ve replaced your sugar with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, you may want to think again! Problems attributed to these sweeteners include severe headaches, nausea, vertigo, slurred speech, memory loss, blindness, ringing in the ears, loss or change of taste.

3. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Photo Source

MSG, a salt form of a non-essential amino acid, is a flavour enhancer and common food additive. An excitotoxin, MSG works by triggering the brain to produce excess quantities of the feel-good drug dopamine. Excessive ingestion of MSG can damage cells and result in overeating, which leads to obesity.

4. Potassium Bromate (E924)

Photo Source

Potassium Bromate is added to bread as a flour enhancer - to make it rise better and give it a uniform consistency. On cooking and heating, it breaks down into bromide, which, when consumed in excess, can inhibit the metabolism of the iodine and is regarded as a possible carcinogenic in countries like Canada, Brazil, Peru, and South Korea. A study by the Centre For Science and Environment (CSE) found that nearly 84 % of commonly available brands of packaged breads in India tested positive for potassium bromate. Following the study, this additive was banned by FSSAI.

5. Diacetyl

Photo Source

Diacetyl imparts a buttery taste to food. It is a chemical that is naturally present at low concentrations in a wide variety of foods such as dairy, beer, honey and fruits. However, artificially made diacetyl is added to impart the buttery flavour and aroma as well as to delay rancidity in packaged popcorn. The buttery steam of heated diacetyl can directly reach the lungs and excessive amounts can cause lung disease.

6. Sodium Benzoate (E211)

642x361-Is_Sodium_Benzoate_Really_Bad_for_My_Kids

Photo Source

Often used as a preservative in many foods – including soft drinks, juices, cereals and meats – sodium benzoate is known to kill bacteria in acidic conditions. Several studies have linked sodium benzoate to headaches, stomach upsets, asthma attacks and hyperactivity in children. Combined with ascorbic acid (vitamin C), this salt can form benzene, which has been linked to increased risk of leukemia and other blood cancers. Read the label to check if the product contains ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate together.

7. Colour Additives

An assortment of colorful candy on full frame background with jellybeans, gumdrops and other jelly candies

Photo Source

Food dyes are one of the most widely used and dangerous additives. Most of them are petroleum-derived and may contribute to behavioural problems in children like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Some have even been implicated as possible carcinogenics. The use of certain colours in food is permitted but the concentration of these colours has been limited to 100 parts per million. It has also been made mandatory for manufacturers to specify the use of colours on their packages. Now you know why you need to stay way from food and drinks that look unnaturally coloured.

You May Also Like: Now Get Safer, Healthier, Pesticide-Free Food On Your Plate Without Burning A Hole In Your Pocket

Natural Healthier Alternatives

While it's best to ditch the boxed stuff and go for real foods whenever you can, here are some foods that act as natural preservatives for other foods and are healthy for you too!

Using them in your kitchen can help keep leftovers fresh, keep food items from spoiling quickly and even prevent bacterial growth.

Photo Source : Cinnamon, Lemon, Cloves, Garlic

While you probably use some of them already, there may be others that you haven’t thought of as preservatives. 1. Cloves: Used for thousands of years in India as a natural preservative, cloves contain high amounts of phenolic compounds that have antioxidant properties and also keep food from going bad by preventing the growth of fungus and bacteria. 2. Lemons: Lemons are a natural source of citric acid, an antibacterial preservative found in their peel and flesh. To use them to preserve your food, squeeze them into cold dishes or on top of items right after you cook them. 3. Oregano – Oregano is generally used for its warm herby flavour, but it is a preservative too. It has antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties that can be used to preserve meats. 4. Garlic: Garlic is a potent anti-viral food that’s incredibly good at fighting bacteria — both in your body and in your food. Using garlic in a curry, soup, a dip, or anything else will help ward off harmful bacteria and prevent the food from spoiling quickly. 5. Sage: Sage is used in several cultures as a natural preservative to keep meats and cheeses from going bad. While the herb has antioxidant and antibacterial properties, it needs to be used sparingly to avoid overpowering the food with its strong flavour. 6. Vinegar: Like lemon juice, vinegar is also extremely acidic and is commonly used to preserve pickles and canned foods. The high amounts of acetic acid in vinegar kill microbes and prevent food from going bad. 7. Cinnamon - This aromatic spice has long been used to flavour and preserve food. However, its preservative properties work only against certain microbes and hence, it is best used along with other preservatives. 8. Thyme – Thyme has preservative and antioxidant properties and can be used to prevent food from decaying. However, like cinnamon, it is most effective when it’s used along with other natural preservatives.

Also Read: Fresh Flavours for Your Food: How to Start Your Very Own Herb Garden at Home

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

"India is so unique, one can find three different recipes for the same dish in the three houses lined in the same row. Every kitchen has its own cook book, unlike the rest of the world."- Author Unknown

The quintessential Indian thali is a cultural exploration on a plate. A complete meal in itself, a thali packs in small portions of a multitude of dishes on one salver.

Each region has its own take on the thali and as you move from one region to another, you’ll be welcomed with a new platter, with its own elaborate menu. That makes the thali, where you get to eat a little bit of everything, the best way to explore any regional cuisine.

Photo Source

As diverse as they are, all Indian thalis serve local and seasonal food and showcase popular indigenous cooking techniques like dum (steam entrapment), baghar (tempering), zammin doz (baking), and dhunnaar (smoke seasoning), to name a few.

Here are 20 delicious thali meals from across India that celebrate the culinary specialities of each region.

1. Aalohir Exaj / Assamese Thali

775789_10151040912469567_2004698467_o (1)

Photo Story

A traditional Assamese meal starts with a unique dish called khar (a curry of raw papaya, lentil and powdered dried banana skins). It is followed by pura ( smoked meat or fish), poitabhat (cooked rice that is soaked overnight and garnished with mustard oil, onion and chillies), pitika( a kind of mash), shaak bhaji (green leafy vegetable), bor (fritters) and pickle. The meal ends with a signature Assamese preparation, tenga, a lightly spiced sweet and sour fish curry that will have you licking your fingers. Great Place to Try: Delicacy at Ganeshguri, Guwahati

2. Andhra Thali

Photo Source

A quintessential Andhra thali is complete only when served on a banana leaf. An Andhra meal begins with a liberal dose of hot neyyi (ghee) served on piping hot rice along with mudda pappu (lentil). This is followed by charu ( a version of rasam), avakaya (mango pickle), parippu podi (powdered lentil with spices), vankaya kothamira kaaram (brinjal preparation), dondakayya veppudu (an ivy gourd preparation), before finishing off with a sumptuous dose of perugu (curd rice). Great Place to Try: Andhra Bhawan on Feroze Shah road, Delhi

3. Bengali Thali

Photo Source

The flavours of a blissful Bengali thali stay with you long after the meal is over. A veritable feast for the fish lover, the Bengali thali includes signature delicacies like the begun bhaja (pan-fried brinjal), patol bhaja (pointed gourd fry), shukto (a bitter-sweet medley of vegetables), shaak (green leafy vegetables), alu bhate (mashed potatoes), chholar dal (lentil curry), bhaat (rice), maach bhaja (fish fry), maachher kalia (fish curry), kosha mangsho (mutton in thick gravy), and payesh (rice pudding). Great Place to Try: Kewpie's Kitchen at Bhawanipore, Kolkata

4. Bhojpuri Thali

Photo Source

A predominantly vegetarian thali, the Bhojpuri thali is as diverse and awesome as the state of Bihar. One of the main ingredients used is sattu (roasted Bengal gram flour) while the main technique involved is bhoonjna or light frying. A typical Bhojpuri thali includes bharbhara (green gram fritters), dahi chura (yoghurt with rice flakes), sattu ka paratha, litti chokha (doughballs of wheat and Bengal gram flour), kaale chane (Bengal gram curry), gurma (raw mango chutney), rasiyaaw (sweet rice), and balushahi (a sweet). Great Place to Try: Potbelly Rooftop Cafe at Shahpur Jat, Delhi

5. Chettinad Thali

Photo Source

One of the spiciest and most aromatic thalis in India, the Chettinad thali has a distinctive place on the culinary map of the country. The fiery thali from Tamil Nadu includes murungakkai kara kozhambu (drumstick sambar), palakkai pirattal (raw jackfruit stir fry), kootu (lentil with vegetables), poriyal (dry vegetable), meen kuzhambu (fish curry), kozhi varuval (pepper chicken), appalam (papadam), rice, curd and pickle. Simple, spicy and very traditional! Great Place to Try: The Bangala at Devakottai Road, Karaikudi

You May Also Like: Food Secrets: Exploring the Spicy and Spirited Cuisine of Chettinad

6. Goan Thali

Photo Source

Goans are known for their sheet kodi nustea (fish curry rice) that will blow your mind with its mix of spices and rice. The seafood lover's favourite thali, a Goan meal includes boiled rice, kismur (a salad of fresh grated coconut and pan-fried dry prawns), kodi (fish curry), prawn caldin (mild curry), tisreo sukhem (small clam stir fry), mackerel rawa fry, cabbage foogath (steamed cabbage vegetable), poi (butterfly shaped Goan bread), and the refreshing sol kadi (kokum-coconut milk drink). Great Place to Try: Ritz Classic on 18th June road, Panaji

7. Himachali Dham Thali

club-mahindra-kandaghat-himachali-thali-and-a-cooking-class-recipe.1024x1024

Photo Source

The Himachali dham thali, laced with an assortment of traditional herbs and spices, is incredibly delicious. The dham starts with patore (steamed and fried colocassia leaves), mhani (boiled raw mango mashed with jaggery and rock salt), madrah (yogurt-based chickpea curry), mathri choware (lentil fritters in spinach gravy), mash dal (dark lentil) and khatta ( a sweet-sour sauce) that is served with rice and khus sidoos (poppy seed and jaggery). The non-veg delicacies, if included, are khatta murg (chicken with local spinach, malora) and chaa ghosht (lamb in a yoghurt gravy). Dham invariably ends with the delicious mittha, a dessert of sweet caramelised rice, liberally mixed with raisins and dry fruits. Great Place to Try: Himachali Rasoi at Middle Bazaar, Shimla

8. Kannadiga Oota Thali

Photo Source

A typical Kannadiga Oota (Karnataka thali) is a beautiful blend of different flavours. Brimming with variety, this thali includes jolada roti (sorghum flatbread), akki roti (rice flatbread), padavalkayi masala (snakegourd curry), badane ennegai (stuffed brinjal), ranjaka (chilli-garlic chutney), gattisoppu (lentils and greens), mirchi bhajji (chilli fritters), kosambari (moong dal salad) and a bowl of homemade yoghurt. Great Place to Try: MTR on Lalbagh Road, Bengaluru

9. Kashmiri Thali

Photo Source

The rich, redolent dishes steeped in traditions adorn the heavenly Kashmiri thali. The ultimate ceremonial feast in Kashmir is known as Wazwan and its preparation is a art in itself. This thali includes kebab nadir shahi (lotus stems kebabs), rajma rismise (slow cooked kidney beans), methi chaman (cottage cheese with fenugreek), Kashmiri dum alu (potatoes in a nutty gravy), haak (green leafy vegetables), khatte baingan (spicy and sour brinjal), mutton rogan josh (signature Kashmiri lamb curry), Kashmiri pulao (spicy rice with nuts), al raita (bottle gourd in yoghurt) and doon chetin (apple chutney). The feast ends on a decadent note with phirni, a rose and saffron flavoured rice custard. Great Place to Try: Mughal Darbar at Residency Road, Srinagar

10. Kathiawadi Thali

Photo Source

Straight from the heart of Kathiawad, the classic Gujarati thali has much to offer. Most Gujarati dishes have a subtle sweet taste to them that makes them truly distinct from other Indian cuisines. This thali includes khatta dhokla (Gujarati snack), gajar mirch sambhaar (pickled carrots and capsicum), sev tamatar nu shaak (sweet and spicy tomato gravy), rigna palak nu shaak (spinach in brinjal curry), dal dhokli (dhokla in lentils), Kathiawadi stuffed onion, methi thepla ( a flatbread), kadhi khichdi, kesar shrikhand (saffron flavoured yoghurt sweet) and chaas (buttermilk). If you are lucky and its mango season, this thali will also be accompanied by a luscious aamras (mango pulp) dip. Great Place to Try: Gopi Dining Hall, Ashram road, Ahmedabad

11. Kumaoni Thali

Photo Source

The simple and seasonal Kumaoni thali is a regional culinary gem. This traditional thali from Uttarakhand includes gahat ka shorba (lentil soup), alu ke gutke (spicy potato fry), kappa (green leafy vegetable), phanu ( complex gravy of three types of lentils), jholi (curd and chickpea flour gravy), thechwani (radish and potato mash), bhatt ki churkhani (black soy bean gravy), kafuli (spinach-fenugreek curry), sana hua nimbu mooli (tangy radish salad), lesu (finger millet stuffed bread), meetha bhaat (sweet rice), jhangore ki kheer (local millet pudding), and singal (sweet semolina spirals). Great Place to Try: Club Mahindra at Binsar Valley, Almora

You May Also Like: Food Secrets: On The Trail Of Kumaon’s Culinary Wonders

12. Maharashtrian Thali

Photo Source

The Maharashtrian thali beautifully showcases the traditional and scrumptious staples of the state. Ranging from mild to very spicy, this lip smacking thali includes rice, bhakri roti (a millet flatbread), bharli vangi (stuffed brinjal), amti (spicy tangy tur lentil), pitla ( thick chickpea flour curry), kothimbir wadi (corainder cutlet), chawli chi usal (black eyed beans curry), pandhra rassa (chicken in white gravy), mutton kolhapuri (fiery mutton gravy), kosimbir (salad in yoghurt), and kheer (rice pudding). Great Place to Try: Gajalee at Vile Parle, Mumbai

13. Manipuri Thali

Photo Source

The Manipuri (or meitiei) thali is simple, tasty and centred around fish, seasonal vegetables and sticky rice. Manipuri or meitiei thali includes eromba (fermented hidol fish and vegetables), sinju (cabbage and local greens salad), thanbou (lotus stems), ooti (peas curry), chareng (a fish curry), pakora thongba (gram flour curry), manikha (a mix of brinjal and fish oil), kangsoi (veg stew), chambut (boiled papaya), kangsoi (boiled dry fish) and, of course, a mustard chutney. The perfect end to the meal is provided by chak hao kheer, a beautiful purple hued black rice dessert generously laced with cardamom powder. Great Place to Try: Luxmi Kitchen, Wahengbam Leikai Road, Imphal

14. Kerala Sadhya Thali

Photo Source

A multi course meal served traditionally on banana leaf, the sadhya or traditional feast is an integral part of Onam, the biggest festival of Kerala. The sadhya thali includes a variety of traditional dishes like sambhar, parippu curry (lentil curry), puliserry (cucumber in yoghurt), olan (white gourd in coconut milk), aviyal (mixed vegetables), thoran (veg stir fry), kalan (flavoured yoghurt curry), kichadi/pachadi (cucumber and coconut in yoghurt), as well as scrumptious desserts like ada pradhaman (rice and jaggery pudding) and sharkara varatti (banana chips with jaggery). Great Place to Try: BTH Sarovaram Hotel on Bypass Road, Kochi

15. Oriya Thali

Photo Source

The rustic and robust Oriya thali, with its emphasis on copious amounts of vegetables and restrained use of spices and oil, is among the healthiest thalis in India. The thali includes roti, rice, phakala (rice in fermented and spiced curd), dalma (signature lentil and vegetables dish), karela bhaja (bitter gourd fries), alu posto (potatoes with poppy seeds), baingan chatka (roasted brinjal mash), phulgobi kosha (dry cauliflower curry), tamato khatta (sweet sour tomato and date chutney), and the divinely delicious kanika or meethi khechudiya (sweetened rice-lentil khichdi). Great Place to Try: Dalma on Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar

16. Parsi Bhonu

Photo Source

A cracker jack of a thali, the Parsi bhonu thali brings together Iranian, Gujarati and British influences in food. It includes rice, saria (Parsi papad), patrani machchi (mildly spiced steamed fish), dhansak (signature mix of lentils, meat and vegetables), salli chicken (chicken curry), farcha (fried chicken), mutton cutlets and lagan nu (wedding-style) custard. An eclectic mix of hot and sweet, nice and spice! Great Place to Try: Jimmy Boy at Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

You May Also Like: Parsi on My Plate: How Bawa Cuisine Is Adding Spice to the Indian Palate

17. Punjabi Thali

Photo Source

Punjab is a state synonymous with food and its thali is a lot like its people - rich, robust and full of life. Bold textures and hearty ingredients are what make up this popular thali that includes Amritsari aloo kulcha (stuffed flatbread) or naan, kadhi pakode (fritters in youghurt gravy), pindi chole (spicy chickpea curry), shahi paneer (rich cottage cheese gravy), jeera rice, dal makhni (black lentil) and sweet lassi. The much loved star delicacies of the non-veg platter are butter chicken and Amritsari machchi (deep fried fish). Great Place to Try: Kesar Da Dhaba at Chowk Passian, Amritsar

18. Rajasthani Thali

Photo Source

A traditional Rajasthani thali is an elaborate spread of gourmet preparations that would delight one and all. The local hits on this thali include dal baati churma (round breads with lentils), missi roti (lentil-wheat flatbreads), gatte ki sabzi (gram flour nuggets in gravy), panchmela dal (combination of 5 types of lentils), laal maas (fiery meat curry), bhuna kukda (slow cooked chicken curry), goond ka laddoo (a kind of edible gum sweet), boondi chaas (flavoured buttermilk). To add another delicious level to the meal, there are salads, papads, pickles, and chutneys to choose from. Great Place to Try: Four Seasons on Subhash Marg, Jaipur

19. Sikkimese Thali

Photo Source

Bursting with flavours, the Sikkimese thali is a foodie's delight. It includes momos (steamed dumplings), Dalle chili and tomato chutney, thukpa (noodle soup), gundruk (fermented leafy green vegetables), chhurpi ka achaar (yak cheese pickle), ningro curry (fiddle-head curry gravy), sel roti (doughnut shaped bread), shimi ka achaar (string beans and sesame pickle). Great Place to Try: 9'INE Native Cuisine on M G Marg, Gangtok

20. Tamil Sappadu

Photo Source

There is no classic Tamil thali as each district and community in the state has its own signature recipes but the sappadu does have some much loved staples. They include poriyals (curries), kootu (mixed vegetable), mangai pachadi (mangoes with tur dal), paavakai (stir fried bitter gourd), kuzhambu (stews), thakkali rasam, chinna vengayam (small onion) sambar, thayir (curd rice) and utterly delicious pal payasam (rice pudding). Add this to the culinary specialties of each district and you know why this thali promises to be a gastronomic adventure! Great Place to Try: Tanjore Restaurant at Mylapore, Chennai

Also Read: From Colleges to Diplomatic Enclaves, These 14 Iconic Canteens Are Among the Best in India

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

"Even just a few spices or ethnic condiments that you can keep in your pantry can turn your mundane dishes into culinary masterpieces." - Marcus Samuelsson, world renowned chef.

Spices are fascinating condiments. They wrap within them a sea of flavour that adds magic to almost every culinary preparation and lifts it from the ordinary to extraordinary.

India has a plethora of spices that are ground, powdered, dried, soaked or used as they are, to create some of the most special and popular delicacies in the country.

Photo Source

Spices may be called the “heartbeat” of an Indian kitchen. Each region in the country adds a sprinkling of its secret mix of local spices to cooking pots to enhance flavours and accentuate the colours of the dishes. For example, sambhar in Karnataka is so very different from how it is made in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Similarly, fish curry made in West Bengal is nothing like the one made in Goa.

If your spice cabinet just has staples like cumin, mustard, cardamom, cinnamon, etc., it's time to add more variety. Here are 14 unusual spices that will add some complexity to your cooking. And yes, even though they might take a bit of work to find and get used to, your taste buds are sure to thank you for bringing something new to the table!

1. Kalonji (Nigella Seeds)

Photo Source

Ever wondered what those black seeds on your naan and savoury biscuits are called? Nigella seeds or kalonji are tiny, triangular, jet black seeds that have a faintly bitter flavour with a touch of sweetness. Apart from having medicinal properties, kalonji is a superb spice, used to flavour a variety of traditional dishes, including pickles. Other than being an essential ingredient of the Bengali five-spice mix known as panch phoran, kalonji is also used to temper lentils, greens and other curries. It is generally dry-roasted or tempered in cooking oil before being added to such recipes. Also known as: Kalo jira, Krishna Jeerige, Kalzira, Karim Jeerakam, Mangrail, Charnushka.

2. Bhut Jolokia/Raja Mirchi (Naga Chilli/Ghost Chilli)

Photo Source

In the year 2007, bhut jolokia was certified by the Guinness World Records as the 'hottest chilli pepper in the world'. Deep red in colour, this blazing hot chilli is a star ingredient in some of the most sensational preparations of North East India. The smallest amount of bhut jolokia can flavour a dish so intensely that even a nibble will make tears run down your face. In fact, in 2010, the Indian military decided to use this chilli in hand grenades for crowd control! Also known as: Ghost pepper, Raja mirchi, U-morok, Red Naga, Naga jolokia, Bih jolokia.

3. Radhuni (Dried Fruit of Wild Celery )

Photo Source

Often confused with ajwain, caraway and celery seeds due to its similar appearance, radhuni is actually the small dried fruit of trachyspermum roxburghianum or wild celery, a flowering plant that grows extensively in South Asia. Radhuni smells similar to parsley and tastes quite like celery. In Bengali cuisine, whole radhuni is quickly fried in very hot oil until it crackles. It is also a part of the Bengali five-spice mix, paanch phoran. Also known as: Shalari, Ajmud, Ajamoda.

4. Kalpasi/Dagad Phool (Black Stone Flower)

Photo Source

Kalpasi is a type of lichen with a mild woody fragrance. It is mostly used in Chettinad and Maharashtrian cuisines. Though it has no taste of its own, kalpasi adds a mysterious flavour to whatever food it is added to. The blackish purple flower is often blended with other spices to make some indigenous masalas. For example, in Maharashtra, it forms a part of the famous goda masala, while in Lucknow it is used to make the potli masala. It is also believed to be a part of the traditional garam masala but not many manufacturers care to include this spice. Requiring a slight elevation above sea level for cultivation, only a few places in Tamil Nadu - Ooty and Kodaikanal - grow this rare delight. Also known as: Shaileyam, Dagad Phool, Raathi Pootha, Kallu Hoovu, Patthar ke Phool

You May Also Like: Food Secrets: Exploring the Spicy and Spirited Cuisine of Chettinad

5. Lakadong Turmeric (Dried Curcuma Longa Root)

Photo Source

A high curcumin turmeric exclusive to Meghalaya, Lakadong turmeric is counted among the finest turmerics in the world. The root and rhizome (underground stem) of the Curcuma lomba L. plant is crushed and powdered before being sold in the local markets of Jaintia hills. The curcumin content (known for its many health benefits) in Lakadong turmeric is between 6 to 7%, which is one of the highest, as against a mere 2 to 3% in most varieties of turmeric. Also known as: Chirmit Lachein (yellow), Chirmit Ladaw (yellow-orange), Chirmit Lakadong (yellow red)

6. Kanthari Mulagu (White Bird's Eye Chilli)

20-capsicum-annuum-kanthari-mulagu-seeds-white-bird-s-eye-chilli-bird-s-chili-3 (2)

Photo Source

Grown in Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu, the super hot, ivory coloured kanthari mulagu chilli is mainly cultivated as a homestead crop. A rare variety of Bird's Eye Chilli, kanthari mulagu has traditionally been used to stimulate appetite, control cholesterol levels and ease arthritis pain. In Kerala, this chilli is used in relishes, pickles and curries.

7. Jaiur (Winged Prickly Ash Seeds)

Photo Source

A uniquely flavoured spice of Meghalaya, you probably know jaiur by its more common name, Szechuan pepper. Not very hot or pungent on its own, it has slight lemony overtones and creates a tingly numbness in the mouth that sets the stage for hot spices. The tiny seed pods are toasted before being crushed and used in chutneys. Only the husks are used and the gritty black seeds are discarded. In Meghalaya, it is added to a traditional side dish of fermented fish called tungtap. Also known as: Timur, Tumbru, Jimmi, Tejphal

8. Kodampuli (Garcinia Cambogia/ Malabar Tamarind)

Photo Source

Kodampuli is a sun dried fruit used to flavour curries in Kerala. When the Garcinia Cambogia fruit ripens, it's removed from the vine, seeded, and left to dry in the sun till it turns leathery. The skins are then smoked, infusing them with a complex aroma. After a brief rinse and soak, the skins are added to curries,where they contribute a pleasant sourness to the sauce, with hints of sweetness, astringency, and the faintest whiff of smoke. Also known as: gambodge, Malabar tamarind, fish tamarind

9. Jakhiya (Cleome Viscosa Seeds)

Photo Source

A tiny, dark brown and granular seed with a beautiful earthy aroma and a unique flavour, jakhiya is the seed of Cleome Viscosa, little known wild edible plant of the Indian Himalayas. The seeds, which are dried in the sun before they are sold, are used for tempering almost all types of vegetables and curries in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Because of their sharp pungent smell and crunchy taste, most Garhwalis prefer jakhiya over cumin and mustard seeds for tempering.

You May Also Like: Food Secrets: On The Trail Of Kumaon’s Culinary Wonders

10. Ratanjot (Alkanet Root)

Photo Source

Alkanet root, better known as ratanjot, is a dried herb grown in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Traditionally used to add colour to Indian food, ratanjot is the natural food colouring that gives the famous Kashmiri dish, Rogan Josh, its signature crimson colour. It is also used as a tint in the tandoori chicken marinade. Over the years, the use of ratanjot has been replaced by synthetic colours.

11. Kokum (Garcinia Indica Fruit)

Photo Story

Essentially a halved and sun-dried fruit, kokum imparts a pretty pink-purple colour and sweet-sour taste to food. Usually available as a dried rind, kokum resembles a thick plum skin with its dark purple to black colour, sticky texture and curled edges. The kokum is native to the Konkan coast India (Maharashtra and Goa) and is rarely seen beyond this area. A key property of kokum is its cooling nature, and during the parched summer months in these states, large glasses of kokum sherbet are downed to beat the heat. Also known as: Kokambi, Aamsul, Kaatampi, Punarpuli

12. Maroi Nakupi (Asian Chives)

Photo Source

A grass-like herb similar to chives, maroi nakupi is used as a substitute for garlic and onion in cooking in North East India, especially in Manipur. The flat leaves, the stalks, and the unopened flower buds are all used as flavouring in local delicacies such as as eromba, bora, singju, and ametpa. The juice of crushed leaves is also used as a traditional folk medicine for the treatment of fungal or bacterial infections. Also known as: Dunduko Saag

13. Maratti Moggu (Dried Kapok Buds)

Photo Source

A spice indigenous to the Chettinad region, maratti moggu is the unopened flower bud of the Red Silk Cotton tree (Ceiba Bombax). Dark brown in colour, with an appearance similar to a larger version of the clove, maratti moggu is used in Karnataka's much loved dishes bisi bele baath and saagu. It is usually fried in oil before use to release its full flavour, which is similar to that of a combination of mustard and black pepper. Also known as: Karer, Shalmali, Semul, Andhra Moggu

14. Anardana (Dried Pomegranate Seeds)

Photo Source

Quite simply, anardana is dried pomegranate seeds. Retaining many of the qualities of fresh pomegranate seeds (and the juice surrounding them), anardana lends a mildly sweet and tangy flavour that adds to the richness and depth of a dish. A variety of wild pomegranate called daru, which grows in the southern Himalayas, is reputed to yield the best anardana. Interestingly, this spice also has preservative qualities (similar to the properties of lemon juice) and can also be used as a thickening agent. Also known as: Daalim, Dalimba, Mathalam Pazham, Dannima Pandu

Also Read: Food Secrets: 20 Ultimate Indian Thalis that Take You Straight to Foodie Heaven

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

"The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau." - Dan Rather

Ask a successful person about someone who helped them become great and most will mention a teacher. There’s no question that teachers can have an incredible impact on the lives of their students. Great teachers can spark ideas, inspire hard work, cultivate confidence, and instil values that last a lifetime, well beyond the confines of a classroom. For many Indian celebrities and public figures, their teachers inspired them to go after the impossible, to dream big dreams, and to remain diligent in the pursuit of their passions and talents.

Here are the stories of 10 amazing teachers who made a difference in the lives of their extraordinary students.

1. Sagar Mal Dhayal

president-pranab-mukherjee-presents-the-451118

Photo Source

Sparring partner, mentor and father figure to M C Mary Kom, Pinky Rani and L Sarita Devi, Sagar Mal Dhayal is a man who has played many roles in his 10-year coaching stint with India’s women pugilists. He has led a largely understated coaching career except for the infamous 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, where Sarita Devi hit the international headlines for breaking down and refusing to accept her bronze medal after a controversial semifinal loss. Throughout the episode, Sagar Mal Dhayal supported her unflinchingly, an action for which he had to later face disciplinary charges. He was eventually exonerated by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

“ I don’t regret anything. I was her coach, the person responsible for women boxers there, I had to stand by her, I couldn’t have left her. She was distraught and it was our responsibility to take care of her. When I saw her crying there in front of the judges, I felt how a father would feel for his daughter. It was an emotional moment,” said the 1994 batch National Institute of Sports (NIS) coaching course topper in a Press Trust of India interview.

Dhayal, a superb boxer himself before becoming a coach in 1995, has been awarded the Dronacharya award this year.

2. Pullela Gopichand

Photo Story

As India goes gaga over P V Sindhu’s amazing Olympic achievement, there is one man who is quietly savouring the moment – coach Pullela Gopichand. The former champion has honed the skills of all of India’s top badminton players, right from Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu to P Kashyap and Kidambi Srikanth. Gopichand is a recipient of the Arjuna Award, the Dronacharya Award and the Padma Bhushan, besides being the only second Indian shuttler after Prakash Padukone to win the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001. He became the national chief coach of the Indian badminton team after suffering a pre-quarter final loss in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He made Saina a force to reckon with over the years, and is still moulding Sindhu to become one of the greatest. Other players like Srikanth, P Kashyap and Prannoy Kumar too have been playing well recently, and the coach's motivational words, strategy, tenacity and persistence have been integral to their success. The ride so far has not been easy for Gopichand as he has made numerous sacrifices and taken tough risks to reach this position. He went on a Ketogenic diet (a high-fat, average protein and low-carb diet) for a whole year just to check if his proteges would be able to take it!

"When I started out as a coach, there were many who dissuaded me saying the system will not let you succeed. But I feel it is important to keep pushing. I saw ourselves as world beaters and I wanted to prove the sceptics wrong,'' he was quoted as saying by Firstpost.

You May Also Like: A Behind the Scenes Look at How Gopichand Prepared P V Sindhu to Win Big at Rio

3. Pradeep Kumar

Photo Source

Unassuming S Pradeep Kumar has been the face of Indian swimming for a long time – not as a swimmer but as the coach guiding young and upcoming swimmers of different age groups into the Indian teams for various international competitions. In 1986, as a young swimming coach, Kumar left Palode, a remote hamlet near Thiruvananthapuram, to chase his dreams in Bengaluru. Armed with determination, sincerity and passion to fight a flawed system, he charted a new course for Indian swimming at Bengaluru's Basavanagudi Aquatic Club (BAC), working tirelessly for nearly three decades. Once the lone coach at BAC, Pradeep now heads a group of 17 mentors who have overseen the training of budding Indian swimmers. These include the swimmers who represented India at Rio - Sajan Prakash and Shivani Kataria – and four Arjuna awardees – Nisha, Abhijit J, Rehan, and Prasanta Karmakar. The veteran may have coached swimmers to Olympic qualification, but he derives more joy from watching underdogs triumph. Speaking to The Hindu in an interview, he said:

"It's been a fantastic journey. It has seen a lot of sound and fury, to borrow from Shakespeare. As a coach, you go through a lot of emotional stress. You cry when your swimmers lose, and you're overjoyed when they win. However, my happiest moment has always been seeing some children who have never won a medal finally get on the podium."

4. Bishweshwar Nandi

Photo Source

Till recently, Bishweshwar Nandi had one key prize to show off – his student Dipa Karmakar, who has been making waves in Indian sports with her path-breaking gymnastic feats. Now, he has another feather in his cap - the 2016 Dronacharya award. Not only did Nandi spot Dipa's talent, he also helped her train for the dangerous Produnova vault event once she was firm about her choice. Nandi went the extra mile many a time – travelling to Delhi with Dipa several time for her training and not sparing any efforts to acquire expensive equipment for her with the government’s aid. His efforts paid off when Dipa became the first Indian to ever qualify for a gymnastics event at the Rio Olympics.When Dipa lost the bronze by the tiniest of margins, it was an equally crestfallen Nandi who comforted his inconsolable student. Nandi was himself an accomplished gymnast in the 1980s, winning the national championship five times and representing India in the 1982 Asian Games. In a Times of India interview, Nandi said:

"I remain unfazed by criticism as well as any recognition. I'm more comfortable working with my wards in the gymnasium. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a gymnast perfect a routine and win laurels for the country. My mission is to discover more Dipas and bring them into spotlight."

5. Nagapuri Ramesh

Photo Source

Hyderabad's Nagapuri Ramesh has been churning out champions on the athletics track and sports field for over 15 years. Though his passion for athletics earned him a name at the state and national levels, Ramesh, who once worked with Kakatiya High School in Warangal as a physical education teacher, never planned his career as a national coach. A direct recruitment in the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Hyderabad for topping the diploma course in 1991 changed Ramesh's life. The next few years were fruitful for him as he produced some excellent athletes like M Madhavi, long jump winner at the Junior Asian Championship in Delhi in 1996. Ramesh spent months on end away from his family so that he could hone the skills of some of India’s best sprinters. His efforts have been instrumental in shaping several Olympians, most notably Dutee Chand, who became the first Indian to achieve the qualifying mark for the women’s 100 metres at the just-concluded Rio Games. In fact, Ramesh has mentored Dutee through a punishing ordeal arising out of hyperandrogenism and put her back on track. During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Ramesh was the fitness trainer of the Indian hockey team where Mukesh Kumar scored the fastest goal — in 30 seconds — in the opener against Australia. He was also the personal fitness trainer for cricketer VVS Laxman when the latter scored an epic 281 in Kolkata, which helped India pull off a memorable come-from-behind victory against Australia. Speaking to the Deccan Chronicle, he said:

“I am thankful to my wife and daughters who have put up with my busy schedule for a decade-and-a-half. The athletics season runs from January to December and one has to be on the move all the time. I have spent more time at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala than at home but my family is supportive.”

You May Also Like: In Azamgarh, One Coach Nurtures the Dreams of 18 Girl Wrestlers to Help India Win at the Olympics

6. Ramakant Achrekar

Photo Source

If there’s one photograph that Sachin Tendulkar would have loved to display on his wall at home, it would probably be an image of himself sitting behind Ramakant Achrekar while the coach rode his Lambretta to take him from one match to another in the mid-1980s. The legendary batsman has even tweeted a picture where he is seen bowing down to his beloved coach as a mark of unwavering respect. Born in Maharashtra, Achrekar quickly found out that he was not cut out for playing the game. After a few initial failures, he moved on to a higher aspect of the game – coaching. In 1964, he began coaching with full zest, determined to mould India’s future heroes, and he has never looked back. Based out of Mumbai's Shivaji Park, Achrekar began the gruelling training of some of India's best cricketers, determined to shape them into world class sportsmen. The results are there for everyone to see. He was awarded the Dronacharya Award in 1990 and the Padma Shri in 2010 for his outstanding contribution to Indian cricket. Remembering the defining moment of his cricketing career, Tendulkar once said that it was the time when Achrekar slapped him for skipping a practice scheduled for him at Shivaji Park and instead going off to Wankhede Stadium to cheer his school playing in a final.

"When we were leaving the stadium, my friend and I saw Sir near the dressing room. We thought of greeting him but he was angry and produced his famous "late cut" on my cheek. I had a tiffin box in my hand and it flew in typical Hindi movie style and I juggled to catch it. It was then that he told me, 'If you concentrate on your own game, one day people will come and clap for you'. I think that was the defining moment of my cricketing career. I also remember how Sir would keep a coin as a reward to those who could get me out at the nets. I still have all those coins," said the cricket legend.

7. Mahavir Singh Phogat

Photo Source

A once-promising wrestler from Delhi’s famed Chandgi Ram Akhada, Mahavir Singh Phogat has provided the country’s wrestling contingent with almost half a dozen top notch grapplers. His daughters and nieces – Babita, Geeta, Ritu, Sangita, Vinesh, and Priyanka –are scripting a revolution in Haryana with their wrestling exploits A former member of India’s national wrestling team, Phogat’s love for his girls is reflected not just in words but in his actions too. He quit his job to train his daughters for the Commonwealth Games. He has also built a gymnasium in a large hall loaned to the girls by a local college and bought high-tech gym equipment that the girls use to train. His hard work and perseverance paid off when Geeta won gold and Babita won silver in the Games held at Delhi. Two years later, they also won a bronze each in the World Championships. In 2012, Geeta became the first Indian female wrestler to compete in the Olympics and in 2014, Babita Kumari and Vinesh won gold medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Though Vinesh's Olympic run at Rio ended in an unlucky injury, she has made the country proud with her stellar performances. Today, it isn’t just Mahavir’s own family, but several girls from Balali and nearby villages also, who turn to him for training. The inspiring father and coach was honoured with the Dronacharya Award in 2016 for his outstanding contribution to women's wrestling in India.

You May Also Like: Here’s Why Mahavir Singh Phogat Totally Deserves to Have Aamir Khan Play Him in #Dangal

8. Kuldeep Malik

Photo Source

Having represented India at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Kuldeep Malik is one of the most experienced freestyle wrestling coaches in the country. Coached by Kuldeep Malik, India's Sakshi Malik wrestled her way into history books as she claimed a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics 2016. A Dhyan Chand Award winner, Malik served as the chief coach of the Indian women’s freestyle wrestling team from 2011 to 2015. Under his watch, the women’s team reaped a rich harvest of medals in continental as well as global championships. In June 2015, Malik was named chief coach of the Indian men’s freestyle team and played a vital part in Narsingh Yadav’s bronze medal eﬀort at the 2015 World Wrestling Championship. The former Olympian cherishes the moment when Sakshi won the bronze medal and waved the tri-colour while sitting on his shoulders.

"My disciple ended India's nightmare at Rio with a Bronze and the memories of the way India celebrated that medal is something I would love to carry to my grave. No amount of reward is bigger than those moments. I saw on TV that how people were celebrating Sakshi's victory and no reward is bigger than making 1.3 billion people feel proud in one go," said an elated Kuldeep Malik in a press interview.

9. Rajkumar Sharma

Photo Source

“The next time we come here, you will be getting the Dronacharya Award and I'll be applauding from the audience,” Virat Kohli said to his childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma when he was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2013 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Raj Kumar Sharma, who has recently been conferred the prestigious Dronacharya award, has been Virat Kohli's coach since he was a child. He has seen Kohli grow from a chubby 10-year-old lad to a 19-year-old who led India U19 to a World Cup victory, to a fit, lean and dapper looking skipper of the Indian Test team.

Recalling Virat's first day as a 10-year-old in an interview to PTI, Sharma said, “I still remember the day when a 10-year-old Virat came to my coaching camp. Today, as an Indian captain, when he comes for a net session, I don't find any difference. He is still the same old little Virat for me. Nothing has changed for him.”

For Sharma, his job as a coach is not over yet and his current focus is on producing the next batch of good competent cricketers who will catch the attention of the cricket lovers.

Kohli acknowledged his debt to his mentor when he tweeted his congratulatory message to his childhood coach, “Congratulations Raj Kumar Sir. All the hard work behind the bigger picture never gets noticed."

10. Satpal Singh

Photo Source

At 33 years of age, Satpal Singh became the youngest ever Dronacharya awardee. For the past eight years he has helped the Indian para-athletics contingent garner over 80 international medals across events such as Commonwealth, Asian and Paralympic Games. He was the athletics coach at the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China, where India won one gold and four silver medals. At the International Blind Sports Federation World Championship in Turkey last year, the team won one silver and four bronze medals. Singh also has the distinction of coaching two Arjuna awardees — Jagseet Singh and Ram Karan Singh — in 2010. Singh, who has been a cornerstone for the success of Indian para-athletes, has not been paid a single penny for his achievements till date. Unable to find sponsors for their participation in events held abroad, many para athletes would not have been able to compete at these events if not for Singh, who paid for their equipment, travel and food expenses out of his own pocket. In an interview to Noida's community radio station, Salaam Namaste, he said:

"I choose to train para athletes because somehow I feel that coaches hardly pay attention to persons with disabilities. I encourage them to compete with normal athletes. Irrespective of whether an athlete is blind or not, all of them should train together."

This Teacher's Day, The Better India is supporting a bunch of passionate teachers who want to make a difference in the lives of street kids and help them get access to good quality education too. You can do your bit to help India's first registered "Signal School" help 36 kids who have never been to school before, study and learn like all of us. Unable to view the above button? Click here

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

People have been fascinated by fossils for thousands of years. Fossils are evidence of ancient life forms or ancient habitats; they are actual remains of once living things, such as bones or seeds, or even traces of past events such as animal footprints, or ripple marks on a prehistoric shore.

Whether a fossil is the skeleton of a dinosaur or the stony remains of a tree that lived long ago, it can transport us back through the eons, giving us a glimpse of life the way it was ages before we came into existence.

Photo Source

There are several paleontolological sites across India where one can see fossils of the the country's earliest residents. However, as fossil sites are often exposed to the risk of plunder or destruction, they are protected by the Geological Survey of India.

Here are some of the best places in India to take a trip back in geological time. From the country's first dinosaur to the oldest human ancestor, these sites show an impressive range of fossils that are crucial in understanding Earth’s history.

1. The world’s most diverse marine animals - Zanskar Valley, Kashmir

Photo Source

Around 550 million years ago, trilobites, a species of arthropods, lived in great numbers in virtually all the oceans. They were possibly the most diverse animals on Earth, with more than 15,000 known species of trilobites. Then, around 250 million years ago, most trilobites went extinct. Less than 10% of all species survived, making this one of the largest mass extinctions on Earth. The trilobites at the Kurgiakh region of the Zanskar Valley are from the early Cambrian age and are similar to those found in south China and parts of Pakistan. They are also proof that millions of years ago the Himalayan mountains were certainly submerged under the Tethys sea.

2. First dinosaur fossil site in India with flora, fauna intact - Waddham, Maharashtra

Photo Source

Waddham, a reserve forest, is a well-known fossils site where a full-fledged skeleton of a dinosaur was found near the Godavari basin in Maharashtra, bordering Telangana in 1959. The well preserved Barapasaurus skeleton is at present kept in the museum of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Kolkata. Named the Waddham Fossil Park, this Jurassic period site houses the fossils of flora that existed when sauropods, the giant ‘vegetarian’ dinosaurs, walked this stretch of the Indian subcontinent. This has given the park the unique distinction of being the only dinosaur site in the Indian subcontinent to have fossils of both flora and fauna from that time.

3. A sanctuary of marine fossils - Manendragarh, Chhattisgarh

Photo Source

The Marine Gondwana Fossil Park is a unique exposure of fossiliferous marine Permian rocks of the Talchir formation dating back to around 280-240 million years ago. Located in the Manendragarh area of Chattisgarh's Koriya district, the fossil faunal assemblage is indicative of the transgression of sea in this part of India about 20 crores of years ago. The park has plenty of fossils of marine bivalve molluscs and other marine fauna.

4. India’s first unique dinosaur species - Balasinor, Gujarat

Photo Source

In 1981, scientists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) accidentally discovered fossils in the sedimentary rocks of Raiyoli village in Balasinor. Since then, researchers have uncovered fossils of about 1000 dinosaur eggs, belonging to at least 13 species of dinosaurs, making Raiyoli in Balasinor the third largest dinosaur hatchery in the world. The site is also where Rajasaurus narmadensis, the first species of dinosaur (the gigantic, horned, 30-foot-long carnivore) unique to India, was identified in 2003. A very rare example of non-dinosaurian predation on dinosaurs was also found in the form of a fossilized dinosaur-eating snake named Sanajeh indicus.

You May Like: From Royalty to Relics: The Fascinating Story of India’s Dinosaur Princess, Aaliya Sultana Babi

5. One of a kind fossil park at the actual site of fossil discovery - Suketi, Himachal Pradesh

Photo Source

Lying on the bank of River Markanda in Nahan, Suketi Fossil Park is a one of its kind park fossil park with a collection of prehistoric vertebrate fossils and skeletons recovered from the upper and middle Siwaliks' geological formations. This place is best known for its six life-size fibre glass models of extinct Mesozoic mammals that once roamed the area. There is also a museum, within the precincts of the Park, where the unearthed fossils are curated and exhibited.

6. Perfectly preserved ancient trees - Thiruvakkarai, Tamil Nadu

Photo Source

Around 35 km from Puducherry, the National Fossil Wood Park at Santhanur in Perambalur district has a rare collection of 200 fossilised trees. The petrified tree trunks are believed to be over 120 million years old and are evidence of the presence of a sea during the Cretaceous period in this area. Some of the fossilised tree trunks are up to 28 m in length and 5 m in girth. The majority of the fossil wood belong to conifer, gymnosperm and angiosperm species. Fine woody texture, the annular rings, the pit structures and the knots are intricately preserved.

7. India’s earliest human fossils- Hathnora, Madhya Pradesh

Photo Source

On December 5, 1982, a team of scientists of the Geological Survey of India stumbled upon a fossilized piece of a skull bone at Hathnora on the banks of the Narmada in Madhya Pradesh. It turned out the bone was of a female hominin, the first early hominin fossil, an ancestor of modern humans, found in the Indian subcontinent. In 2012, another set of hominin fossils - a long bone of the arm and a thigh bone - were found at Netankheri, 3 km from Hathnora. While researchers are not sure as to which species of Homo the fossils belongs to, stone tools unearthed from the region date back from 800,000 to 10,000 years ago, indicating a long history of human presence at the site.

Also Read: How One Indian Organization is Trying to Preserve Ancient Indian Rock Art Found in Caves

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

On August 15, 1947, India finally became an independent nation after years of colonial rule. But it was a triumph that opened a social, historical and geographic wound that has yet to fully heal: the new Indian state was partitioned into two.

Up to 17 million people were eventually displaced and 1 million killed in the sectarian violence that followed the Partition.

11280656_men-killed-their-own-women-and-children_c60af5c6_m

Photo Source

Yet, there were people in India and Pakistan who did not just refuse to join the murderous mobs but took enormous risks to save people of other religious communities. The stories of these people, who never lost their humanity, are reminiscent of Oskar Schindler, the brave businessman who saved more than a 1,000 Polish Jews in Nazi Germany.

Here are a few stories of the largely unknown, mostly unsung real-life heroes from both nations who barely finding a mention in the pages of history. The names have been selected from Ishtiaq Ahmed’s The Punjab: Bloodied, Partitioned and Cleansed. Eyewitness accounts mentioned here were recorded by him.

1. Harijan Baba who saved abducted women

india-pakistan-partition-1947-visual-story-06

Photo Source

During the Partition, at least 12.5 million frightened people, displaced from their ancestral homes, fled across newly delineated borders depending upon their faiths. One of the most horrific aspect of the violence that followed was the abduction of an estimated 100,000 women. After India and Pakistan signed the Inter-Dominion Treaty on December 6, 1947, operations to find the abducted women were mounted in both the countries. As a result, 200 Muslim women, who had been rescued from the violence, were found in Delhi. Some had been helped by social workers, some rescued by the police but most of them had been rescued by one man, working alone. Described by the rescued girls as an old Harijan (the caste that is now called Dalit), the noble man rescued scores of abducted girls and secretly returned them to their homes. Despite many attempts by grateful survivors to find out his identity, his name remained a secret.

2. The anonymous Khaksar who died preventing a riot

13832_allama_mashriqi_founder_of_khaksar_movement-jpg

Photo Source

A few months before India was partitioned, pages torn from the Quran were found strewn in the area outside Rawalpindi’s Gordon College. A member of the 'Khaksar' collected them and put them in a well to prevent the city from erupting in violence. He also entered a local colony to calm people down but was stabbed to death. Formed by Inayatullah Khan Mashriqi to drive the British out of India, the 'Khaksar' was a militant Islamic group created with the aim of freeing India from foreign rule. Non-Muslims were also allowed to join the Khaksar Tehrik and the Tehrik was kept free of prejudice against any people, regardless of caste, colour, creed, or religion. During the sectarian violence during the Partition, the Khaksar commander in Rawalpindi, Ashraf Khan, asked his followers to take a vow that they would do all they could to protect whoever was in distress. Inspired by their leader, the Khaksars saved many lives, including those of Hindus and Sikhs, during the riots.

3. The doctors who risked their own lives to save others – the Dutt brothers and Dr Abdur Rauf

Boy sitting on rock ledge above refugee camp.

Photo Source

In the horrifying violence that followed the Partition, the angry mobs didn't even spare hospitals. When an Amritsar hospital was attacked by a Hindu-Sikh mob, Dr Purushottam Dutt and his brother, Dr Narain Das, took out their guns and confronted the assailants.

The brothers are quoted by eye witnesses as having have told the attackers, “This behaviour of yours is very cowardly…. You can even now repent and leave..for as long as we are alive and our rifles have bullets, we will never let you touch the Muslim patients in this hospital.”

Unnerved by the courage of the two doctors, who went beyond the call of duty to protect their patients, the mob dispersed. It was a very different logic that prompted Amritsar’s Muslim doctor, Dr Abdur Rauf, to save 200 non-Muslims who were cornered in the Katra Karam Singh locality. Asked to decide on their fate, Dr Rauf invoked Islamic teachings of moral conduct to counter those who wanted to avenge the mistreatment of Muslims in other parts of Amritsar. His words led to all the non-Muslims being set free.

4. The Sikh who sheltered hundreds of Muslims

india-pakistan-partition-1947-visual-story-01

Photo Source

In June 1947, riots erupted in Amritsar and many localities witnessing pitched battles between Hindus-Sikhs and Muslims. Many Amritsari Muslims who survived the riots gratefully recall Bawa Ghansham (a Sikh member of the Communist Party of India) as the man who saved their lives. At great risk to himself, he gave refuge to hundreds of Muslims in his house during the escalating violence in the city.

4. The police officer who guarded a mosque and a boy who never came back

rare-images-of-india-pakistan-partition-2

Photo Source

In August 1947, in Firozepur in East Punjab, around 300 Muslims took shelter in a local mosque. They chose it for its proximity to a police station. They had been warned by their Hindu friend, Lala Dhuni Chand, about an attack that was being planned. Sure enough, the attack soon began. The station head officer, Trilok Nath, was quick to post armed Muslim guards outside the mosque. While most police officers had turned partisan in Punjab, Nath was an exception because he remained neutral and true to his duty, even during the Partition violence. His efforts were the reason why the mosque wasn’t attacked. During the nerve wracking hours the Muslims spent hidden in the mosque, an elderly man, who had forgotten to carry his insulin injection to the mosque, became visibly ill as his sugar levels continued to rise. At 3 in the night, slipping through the city under curfew, Dhuni Chand’s son Amarnath came to the mosque to inquire whether their family friends were safe. Informed of the old man's deteriorating condition, Amarnath offered to fetch insulin from his father’s medicine shop. The young boy never returned. It was later learned that Amarnath was shot dead by the angry mob for helping Muslims.

5. An ashram that became a refuge from marauding mobs

Photo Source

It was during the Partition riots in Delhi that the small ashram of Swami Saroopanandji of Narela became the refuge of Muslim peasants. Not only did the spiritual leader protect them from marauding mobs, he even accompanied them across the river Yamuna to their relative's home to ensure that they were not attacked. When the violence abated, he worked tirelessly to facilitate their return to their earlier homes. He secured permission from Gandhi to rehabilitate the Muslim peasants who remained in his ashram for months, while he persuaded the landlords to restore their customary tenancy rights.

6. The Tapiala Dost Muhammad Village Peace Committee

rare-images-of-india-pakistan-partition-26

Photo Source

A village located in Sheikhupura district of Lahore, Tapiala, had a largely Muslim population with a small community of Khatri Hindus and Sikhs. Wary of the rising violence, the village residents organised a peace committee to protect their Hindu-Sikh neighbours in case of any attack. In August 1947, Tapiala was attacked by some 1500 armed outsiders. Two houses, in which a few non-Muslim families had barricaded themselves, were set on fire before the peace committee's efforts to repel the attack succeeded. In the following days, three more attacks were launched against the survivors sheltered in the village but each was repulsed by the peace committee, which was now better prepared. If not for this community effort, many more lives would have been lost in the mindless violence that gripped this region during the Partition.

7. The man who saved film star Sunil Dutt’s family

rare-images-of-india-pakistan-partition-27

Photo Source

Khurd, near the Jhelum town of present-day Pakistan, was the ancestral village of the late film star Sunil Dutt. He was brought up by his uncle who was among the principal landholders there. Deeply attached to his village, Dutt's uncle refused to leave when the army evacuated the Hindus from the village due to rising tensions in the area. But soon, the ensuing violence compelled Dutt’s uncle to shift the family to his friend Yakub's home in an adjoining village. When their absence from Khurd was noticed, the attackers swooped in on Yakub’s residence. But, for Yakub and his brothers their guests were dearer to them than their own lives and they took out their guns, ready to protect the Dutts till their last breath.

8. The family who saved cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq’s parents

rare-images-of-india-pakistan-partition-16

Photo Source

On a tour of India, the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, Inzamam-ul-Haq, met a young man who gave him the telephone number of his mother, Pushpa Goel, requesting that he hand it over to his parents in Multan. The cricketer conveyed the message to his parents and sure enough, the call from Multan came. Inzamam’s father hadn’t forgotten Pushpa, whose parents had sheltered him and his family from a murderous mob in Hissar in Haryana during the Partition. Mrs Goel was invited to visit Multan in 1999 to attend Inzamam’s wedding. Overwhelmed by the hospitality she received, she said,

"It was like coming back to one’s own family. I can never forget my visit to Multan.”

It's been almost 70 years since the independence of India and Pakistan from the British but the tension and mistrust between the two countries remains a sad and enduring legacy of the Partition. Both nations seem to have forgotten these unsung heroes whose conduct during the horrific Partition violence remains a lesson to us about what it means to be human. Remembering them may be the first step towards healing the wounds which, after three generations, live on in the collective memories of both nations. (Please note that all images used in this article are for representational purposes only.)

Also Read: TBI Blogs: I Am an American-Born Pakistani but Only in India Did I Feel at Home with My Name & Identity

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

"You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy books and that’s kind of the same thing." - Anonymous

There will always be something magical about the printed word. Even as iPads and e-readers become the norm, nothing can quite compete with a good old-fashioned book. That's why, for book lovers, there is no place as captivating as the local book market where one can while away hours browsing and looking for bargains.

Street shopping for books is always engaging – although sometimes it involves digging through endless piles of unreadable tripe to unearth something fun.

Photo Source

Many Indian cities are home to hidden lanes that are little-known treasure chests of books. These streetside markets, with their steals and deals on all kinds of books, are a dream come true for bibliophiles.

Here is a list of 7 book streets across India where, with a little bit of patience and a lot of bargaining, book lovers can pick up their favourite reads!

1. Daryaganj Book Market and Nai Sadak - Delhi

Photo Source

The national capital has two prominent book markets - the Daryaganj book market and Nai Sadak in old Delhi. The Sunday book market at Daryaganj is famous for being a one-stop bazaar for all book lovers. Books of all genres, that too at great prices (though a little bargaining doesn't hurt), are available to avid bibliophiles. This place was Khushwant Singh’s favourite haunt; a little known fact is that it is still in existence only due to the efforts of the late author. The market was supposed to be shut down as it interrupts the flow of traffic, but Singh personally wrote to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to not close it. The Nai Sadak market's attraction is that it is open on all days except Sunday. It has double storey buildings throughout the street and the lower storeys of these buildings house bookshops. This street is mostly known for its large-scale wholesale and retail markets of mainly school and college textbooks.

2. College Street - Kolkata

mile-long book stalls on college st in calcutta

Photo Source

Kolkata's historic College Street is India's largest book market, lending it the endearing nickname Boi Para - Book Town. With an area spanning almost one million square feet, College Street is also the largest secondhand book market in the world. The mile-long avenue is dotted with hundreds of bookstores, big and small, and is also home to many of India's biggest publishing houses. The bookstores range from standard brick-and-mortar affairs to small makeshift stalls made from bamboo, canvas, or sheets of metal. College Street's main draw is that it boasts a collection of almost every single title to ever have been sold in Kolkata. Rare books are sold at dirt cheap prices and extensive bargaining is the order of the day. When perusing the stores at this book market, be sure to browse carefully: you might find a first edition Dickens nestled among the latest Dan Brown thrillers. Remember to drop in at the famed Indian Coffee House for a cup of chai, a samosa, and the weekly gossip.

3. Avenue Road - Bengaluru

Photo Source

A trip to Avenue Road is a rite of passage for Bengaluru students. Walking through this busy street one can find books stacked up to a height of 9 ft. and as far as the eye can see. There are books on every possible subject - from management and medicine to the latest fiction novels. It is a common sight to see bibliophiles leafing through these books and the sellers adroitly finding them the ones they want. Located close to Chickpet, this perpetually crowded one-way street is packed with heritage buildings, food carts and hundreds of shops selling whole sale stationery, jewellery and textiles. It is also one of the best places in Bengaluru to sell your old textbooks (including the ones you never opened and never plan to read)!

4. Koti and Abids (on Sundays) - Hyderabad

Photo Source

When one talks about book bazaars in Hyderabad, the first name that comes to mind is the Sunday Abids book market. As the shutters go down on shops in Abids on Saturday, the area - the road starting from Taj Mahal Hotel all the way till the post office - gets transformed into a bustling market with roadside vendors selling clothes, fruits and books. While haphazardly stacked tomes nestle alongside paperbacks at the roadside stalls, the main book market can be found inside the nearby complex. Here, one can find various hardbound gems such as the now discontinued Reader’s Digest collectibles, abridged versions of popular classics such as David Copperfield, and more. If you are specifically looking for academic books, a 10-15 minute drive away from Abids is the Koti book market. At one point, Koti used to be the go-to place for textbooks, and the weekends would be packed with medical and engineering students in search of second-hand versions of their expensive reference books. While the main focus of booksellers in this area was and still is academic books (because of its proximity to colleges), many of the roadside sellers also sell novels, magazines and children’s books today.

5. Moore Market - Chennai

Photo Source

Located near the ever busy Central Railway station in Chennai, Moore Market is the local hot spot for second hand books. This slightly seedy market is packed with several small stores where students and voracious readers can find a mind-boggling collection of books, including classics, comics, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, magazines, college text books, and more. The bustling market also sells everything from vintage vacuum cleaners and aquariums to antique collector items. Add to that the sellers' impressive knowledge about the books they sell and you know the reason why Moore Market is the go-to place for Chennai bibliophiles when it comes to bringing in their monthly book haul.

6. Flora Fountain - Mumbai

Photo Source

Flora Fountain at Fort, the heart of Mumbai city, is a book lover’s fantasy and piece of heaven for any bibliophile. Busy booths at this street side market stock second hand books by authors ranging from Vikram Seth to William Shakespeare to Robert Edwards, author of Technical Analysis of Stock Trends. The bookseller's customers include students searching for used textbooks, commuters looking for literary diversions from their daily routine of train travel and tourists who have read about the famed 'Book Lane' in their guidebooks. They all come to buy books, both originals and counterfeits, at 20-60% of the listed publisher's price. The moment Churchgate subway ends, the first scene is huge piles of books everywhere. The piles of books are so tall and spacious, that the sellers have created little open fortresses with walls made of books for eager readers to browse. Ranging from rare classics, modern bestsellers, academic texts or even comics dating back decades, Flora Fountains has something for everyone. In fact, if you're lucky you might even spot some really expensive coffee table books too.

7. Appa Balwant Chowk - Pune

Photo Story

Pune’s Appa Balwant Chowk, or ABC as it is lovingly known, is also an important name in the world of Indian book markets. This book market is regarded as the Mecca for Pune students who are either in search of a lost edition of an academic bestseller or want a new book that has just released. Other than the book bonanza that greets visitors at Appa Balwant Chowk, the famed cream rolls and puffs sold at the New Poona Bakery are the reason why it’s hard to come out of the market empty handed. These much loved book markets all over the country are ideal stops to pick up books at bargain prices and rediscover the joy of reading.

Also Read: The Interesting Story of How a School Dropout Bookseller & His Customer Wrote a Book Together

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

It has been a wet August for the country with heavy downpours and rain-like conditions persisting for days on end. Puddles of stagnant rainwater, left in the wake, have turned several cities in India into breeding grounds for mosquitoes. As a result, mosquito-borne diseases like chikungunya and dengue are taking their toll on the National Capital Region and a few other cities across the country, with hospitals overwhelmed by affected patients.

Both chikungunya and dengue are viral diseases that are transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. The symptoms for both diseases are similar but there are some key differences that set them apart, which, if not detected and treated on time, may prove fatal.

20130330_lihoradka_denge_v_tailande_3-640x424-1

Photo Source

There are no clear treatments for the diseases, nor is there a vaccine against them, so the best way to remain safe is to prevent them from occurring at all.

Taking a few important steps to keep yourself, your family and your friends safe can make a huge difference in the battle against dengue and chikungunya. Here is all you need to know about the symptoms, key differences, treatment, natural repellents, immunity boosters, and preventive measures for these diseases.

1. Causes

Dengue: This viral disease is transmitted to human bodies through the bite of female Aedes mosquitoes. It can also be transmitted from one infected human to another through blood transfusion and mosquito bites. However, it is not contagious, that is, it cannot be transferred directly between humans. The Aedes mosquito typically attacks during the day time and its favourite spots are below the elbows and below the knees. Chikungunya: Chikungunya is caused by the same female Aedes mosquitoes that cause dengue. This ailment mostly affects the muscle cells of the body.

2. Symptoms

Photo Source

Dengue: The symptoms of dengue only appear 3 to 14 days after the mosquito bite and not immediately. A flu-like illness that affects infants, young children and adults alike, dengue patient suffer from fever for the initial three-four days, followed by body pain. Retro-orbital pain, that is, pain behind the eyes, is also common. In acute cases, decreased urine output, respiratory difficulties and increased bleeding tendencies also accompany the usual symptoms. A more severe manifestation of this illness, dengue hemorrhagic fever, tends to affect children under 10 years of age. It can cause abdominal pain, bleeding, and also affect the circulatory system. People with weakened immune systems are also believed to be at greater risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever. Chikungunya: The prominent symptoms of Chikungunya include excessive body pain or myalgia, swelling in the joints and rashes across the body. The body pain, in this case, is more severe than in dengue cases. Other than this, the symptoms for both mosquito bite-borne diseases are the same. Note: Not all fevers lead to these diseases, with 90% non-specific virus illnesses settling down in 2-3 days. However, a consultation and blood test are advised if the fever continues after three days.

3. Treatment

Photo Source

While for malaria, anti-malarial drugs like chloroquine and artemisinin are available, dengue and chikungunya are viral diseases and do not have treatment drugs as such. The treatment for dengue and chikungunya is symptomatic and, therefore, doctors wait for the symptoms to become evident in the body. Chikungunya and dengue patients are given paracetamol for the fever to subside, but not in the first three days. This is because the body’s platelet count becomes lower than normal when affected by these diseases. So taking tablets like Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID) or painkillers in the first two-three days can lead to bleeding in some cases. Also, it is important to monitor the platelet count of the patient. Usually, the count goes down on or after the seventh day of the fever. However, the diseases can take a different route with children and the elderly. At home, patients can rest, drink lots of water and maintain a high nutrition diet. It's very important to increase the patient's intake of fluids (water, fruit juices and electrolyte solutions) as dengue and chikungunya patients are prone to dehydration. In case of very high fever, the patient should be covered with a wet sheet to bring down the temperature rapidly. This is because high fever (105-106 degrees) for a considerable time can lead to organ damage.

Also Read: 7 Ways This New Website Can Help Dengue Patients in Gurugram

4. Prevention

Photo Source

Turn over empty pails and buckets, so that they do not collect excess water. If the container that contains water cannot be emptied, remember to cover it well when not in use.
Remember to clean out empty flower pots and not to over water potted plants. It is advisable not to have any stagnant water around as it acts as a breeding ground for the mosquitoes.
Ensure that no rain water is collected in discarded objects (broken containers, tanks, old tyres, bird baths, coconut shells) in your premises.
Report locations of stagnant water to the local health officer or disease control room immediately.
Apply mosquito repellents on all exposed areas, during the day as well as at night on a regular basis during disease outbreaks.
If you are going out during the day, ensure that you wear light coloured clothes that cover the extremities of your bodies well. This is especially important for the elderly, who tend to take a stroll in the park, and for children, who play outdoors.
Mosquitoes tend to stay indoors, so install a mesh or any other sort of barrier on your windows to keep them out.
If you use a cooler, remember to empty out and clean the water tray regularly, even when not in use.
Always cover your trash can or dustbin when not in use.
Use natural repellents to keep mosquitoes at bay.

5. Natural Ways to Keep Your Home Mosquito-Free

Photo Source

Neem oil: If you have been wondering how to kill mosquitoes, neem oil mixed with coconut oil in a 1:1 ratio acts is a great indoor mosquito-repellent. Other than being a potent antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral, and anti-protozoal agent, neem oil lends your skin a particular smell that wards off mosquitoes. Eucalyptus and lemongrass oil: Recommended by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) as an effective indoor insect-repellent, the mixture of lemongrass oil and eucalyptus oil is extremely effective in repelling mosquitoes naturally. Lemongrass oil and eucalyptus oil work well due to their active component cineole, which has both antiseptic and insect-repellent properties when applied to the skin. Camphor: Made from the extract of a tree, camphor has been found to have the longest mosquito repellent activity when compared to other natural products. Burn camphor (or camphor oil in a diffuser) in a room and close all the doors and windows. Leave it this way for about fifteen to twenty minutes for a mosquito free environment. Tulsi: According to several studies, tulsi is extremely effective in keeping mosquitoes away. Simply planting a tulsi shrub near your window can prevent mosquitoes from entering your house. Garlic: Garlic may have a strong and pungent odour but that is exactly why mosquitoes stay away. Crush a few pods of garlic, boil them in water and sprinkle the water in the room you want to keep mosquito free. Citronella Oil: Citronella oil is one of the essential oils obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon (the lemongrass family). A natural insect repellent, citronella can be used in the form of a diffuser oil or as a balm that can be directly applied on skin. Tea tree oil: A very powerful antibacterial and antifungal agent, tea tree oil is also perfect to drive mosquitoes away. Mix it with coconut oil to rub it on your skin or add a few drops of it to a vaporizer to let its smell permeate the house. Mint: Mint oil and mint extract are effective indoor mosquito repellents. You can use the oil in a vaporizer to help fill the room with its invigorating scent, apply the oil on your body or plant the shrub outside your room’s window. Lavender: Not only does it smell divine but it is also a great way to keep those pesky mosquitoes at bay. To use this as a natural repellent, use a mix of lavender oil and water as a natural room freshener or apply it on your skin (you can mix it with your cream). Plant mosquito-repellent vegetation: Planting the right kind of shrubs and trees can go a long way in keeping your home mosquito free. Shrubs of tulsi, mint, marigold, trees of lemon and neem, and citronella grass are all extremely effective in preventing the breeding of mosquitoes in your surroundings.

You May Like: 4 School Girls from Nagpur Develop an Eco-Friendly Mosquito Repellent System

6. Immunity Boosters

10458122_10204574582117355_1906907974589169104_n

Photo Source

Papaya Leaves: Papaya leaves are believed to help increase platelet counts. Papaya leaves also contain important nutrients that support the immune system, including vitamins A, C, and E. Simply crush and squeeze a handful of papaya leaves to extract the juice. Consume 1-2 tbsp of the juice every day in the morning and night. Giloy (Guduchi): Giloy or Tinospora cordifoila is an important anti-inflammatory and antipyretic herb in Ayurveda. Take branches of this climbing herb, cut them into small pieces and boil them in water. When the mixture reduces to half, let it cool down to room temperature. Mix it with orange juice before giving it to the patient twice a day. Fenugreek Leaves (Methi): These leaves are known to reduce fever, ease pain and promote more restful sleep for patients. Soak the leaves or mix powdered fenugreek in water and then drink it. Tulsi Ginger Tea: While tulsi enhances endurance, increases oxygen utilization, boosts the immune system, fights infection and provides a rich supply of anti-oxidants and other nutrients, ginger is very effective in combating fever induced nausea and weakness.

7. Diet Tips for Dengue and Chikungunya

Photo Source

More Fluid Intake: Maximum intake of fluid is the first thing to include in the diet for dengue patients. It's advisable to include nutrient rich fluids apart from liquids such as ORS, sugar cane juice, tender coconut water, lime juice, fresh orange juice, and various fruit juices. Drinking plenty of fluids helps in removing toxins from the body. Increase Vitamin C Intake: Vitamin C can aid in improving cellular immunity and preventing dengue hemorrhagic fever. Fruits like orange, pineapple, strawberry, guava, and kiwi boost the production of lymphocytes, which fight the viral infection. No Spicy and Oily Food: Spicy, oily and processed foods are a big no for patients recovering from dengue fever. Not only are they difficult to digest, they also aggravate the symptoms of fever. Instead, snack on dry fruits like raisins and dates. Caffeine and alcohol, known for their diuretic properties, are also best avoided to prevent dehydration. Diet Rich in Protein: Low fat curd, egg whites, cottage cheese, chicken, and fish are highly recommended foods for patients recovering from dengue and chikungunya. A protein rich diet helps the body regain essential nutrients, aiding quick recovery.

There is a need for a multi-pronged campaign to rid the country of dengue or at least to reduce the deadly impact of these diseases that spike every year during and after monsoon.

Photo Source

Also, it is important that their prevention and control happens throughout the year and not just when figures rise to epidemic proportions.

Here are a few steps that can make a difference:

A proactive surveillance system: There is a need to keep looking as to where the first cases emerge from and report them immediately. All clinics and hospitals, both government and private, should be able to inform the authorities immediately, when there are suspected cases of dengue or chikungunya.
Rapid response emergency vector control: With a focus on eradicating breeding places, prompt action should be taken to spray and fog suspected breeding grounds.
An awareness campaign to ensure that patients seek early hospitalization during an epidemic: When dengue and chikungunya cases start appearing, people need to be aware of what they should do at the first signs, such as seeking treatment from proper hospitals with facilities for blood tests.
Health personnel training: Health personnel should be given continuous training in the management and monitoring of dengue patients.
Involve communities in long-term control of mosquito-borne diseases in their areas: This bottom-up approach that should be in place throughout the year can help stop the spread of dengue. It would involve keeping homes and neigbourhoods free of garbage, stagnant water, and containers such as foam boxes, broken pots, disposable containers, coconut shells, old tyres, etc.

The contact details for Government Control Rooms for dengue and chikungunya in major cities are given below: Delhi Control Room Number: 011-22307145 Bengaluru Control Room Number: 080-22660000 Kolkata Control Room Number: 033-22861212 Thiruvananthapuram Control Room Number: 0471-2552056

Also See: VIDEO: ‘Dengue-Free’ Coolers Introduced in Delhi to Check Spread of the Disease

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

"Behold, the flag of independent India is born! It has been made sacred by the blood of young Indians who sacrificed their lives in its honour. In the name of this flag, I appeal to lovers of freedom all over the world to support this struggle." - Bhikaji Cama

On August 21, 1907, an International Socialist Conference was being held at Stuttgart, a city in Germany. One thousand representatives from across the world had come to attend the conference. It was on this occasion that Bhikaji Rustom Cama unfurled the first version of the Indian national flag—a tricolour of green, saffron, and red stripes. The fiery lady then announced,

“This is the flag of independent India. I appeal to all gentlemen to stand and salute the Flag.”

Surprised by the dramatic incident, all the representatives at the conference stood up and saluted the first flag of independent Hindustan. Madam Cama had wanted to bring the poverty, starvation and oppression under the British Raj, as also India's thirst for freedom to the attention of the international community and she had succeeded. This was no mean achievement. Indian independence was 40 years away, and the world was still unaware of the burning patriotism of the thousands of young Indians who were ready to lay down their lives to free their country from colonial rule. Also, back then, the Britishers were trying their best to punish revolutionaries by bringing in ordinances, bans and imprisoning them for life. Madam Cama's actions and words were treason for the British Raj and had they caught her, she would have been deported to Andaman's dreaded Kala Pani jail.

This is the fascinating story of this indomitable lady who played an important role in the early years of India's freedom struggle.

[caption id="attachment_69326" align="aligncenter" width="500"] 800px-madam_bhikaiji_cama

Madam Bhikaji Cama[/caption]

Photo Source

Bhikaji Cama was born on September 24 1861 into a large, affluent Parsi family. Her father, Sorabji Framji Patel, was a famous merchant who was at the the forefront of business, education, and philanthropy in the city of Bombay. Influenced by an environment in which the Indian nationalist movement was taking root, Bhikaji was drawn toward political issues from a very early age. She had a flair for languages and soon became proficient in arguing her country's cause in different circles. In 1885, she married Rustomji Cama, a well-known lawyer, but her involvement with sociopolitical issues led to differences between the couple.While Mr Cama adored British, loved their culture and thought they had done a lot of good to India, Bhikaji was a nationalist at heart and believed that the Britishers had ruthlessly exploited India for their own profit. It was not a happy marriage, and Bhikhaji spent most of her time and energy in philanthropic activities and social work. In 1896, bubonic plague broke out in the Bombay Presidency and Bhikaji immediately volunteered to help the team working to save plague victims. Hundreds were dying in Bombay and Bhikaji too caught the deadly disease. Though she recovered, the disease left her in poor health. She was advised to go to Europe for rest and recuperation and in 1902, Bhikaji left India for London which was to become her home for the rest of life.

During her stay there, she met Dadabhai Naoroji, a strong critic of British economic policy in India, and began working for the Indian National Congress. Cama also came in contact with other Indian nationalists, including Lala Har Dayal, and Shyamji Krishnavarma, and addressed several meetings in London’s Hyde Park.

From Left: Lala Har Dayal, Dadabhai Naoroji, Shyamji Krishnavarma

During her stay in London, she got a message from the British that her return to India would be prohibited unless she would sign a statement promising not to participate in nationalist activities. She refused to make such a promise and remained in exile in Europe. The same year Cama relocated to Paris, where—together with Singh Rewabhai Rana and Munchershah Burjorji Godrej—she co-founded the Paris Indian Society. Together with other notable members of the movement for Indian sovereignty living in exile, Cama wrote, published and distributed revolutionary literature for the movement, including Bande Mataram (founded in response to the British ban on the patriotic poem) and later Madan's Talwar (in response to the execution of Madan Lal Dhingra). Banned in India and Britain, Bhikaji managed to send the weekly magazines to Indian revolutionaries. She also helped the revolutionaries in every way possible, whether with money, material or ideas. The British Government were unable to check her, despite their best efforts.

On August 22, 1907, Madam Bhikaji Cama became the first person to hoist Indian flag on foreign soil in Stuttgart in Germany. Appealing for human rights, equality and for autonomy from Great Britain, she described the devastating effects of a famine that had struck the Indian subcontinent.

[caption id="attachment_69327" align="aligncenter" width="471"] madam_bhikaji_cama-artoflegendindia-com_

Madam Cama at Stuttgart[/caption]

Photo Source

The flag she unfurled was co-designed by Cama and Shyamji Krishna Varma, and would later serve as one of the templates from which the current national flag of India was created. In the flag, the top green stripe had eight blooming lotuses representing pre-independence India's eight provinces. 'Bande Mataram' was written across the central saffron stripe in Hindi. On the bottom red stripe, a half moon was on the right and the rising sun on the left, indicating the Hindu and Muslim faith.

The same flag was later smuggled into India by socialist leader Indulal Yagnik and is now on display at the Maratha and Kesari Library in Pune.

[caption id="attachment_69325" align="aligncenter" width="565"] india1907flag

The flag unfurled at Stuttgart[/caption]

Photo Source

After Stuttgart, Bhikaji went to United States where she traveled a lot, informing Americans about India's struggle for independence. She also fought for the cause of women and often stressed on the role of women in building a nation. Speaking at National Conference at Cairo, Egypt in 1910, she asked,

"Where is the other half of Egypt? I see only men who represent half the country! Where are the mothers? Where are the sisters? You must not forget that the hands that rock cradles also build persons."

When First World War broke out in 1914, Bhikaji took an anti-British stand. She visited the army camp at Marseilles and asked the Indian forces there,

"Are you going to fight for the people who have chained your motherland?"

Since France and England were allies in this war, she was asked to live outside Paris and to report to the police station once a week. Unshaken, the indomitable lady continued to maintain active contacts with Indian, Irish, and Egyptian revolutionaries as well as with French Socialists and Russian leadership.

You May Like: 10 Names from the Indian Freedom Struggle You Might Not Know. But You MUST.

Cama remained in exile in Europe until 1935, when, gravely ill and paralysed by a stroke that she had suffered earlier that year, she petitioned the British government to be allowed to return home. Knowing that she was not in a condition to participate in the freedom struggle, she was granted permission to return to India after 33 long years. In November 1935, 74 year old Bhikaji finally returned to Mumbai, but did not live for long. Having fulfilled her desire of seeing her motherland once again, she breathed her last nine months later on August 13 1936. She had bequeathed most of her personal assets to the Avabai Petit Orphanage for girls. The nation had lost a fearless leader. On 26 January 1962, India's 11th Republic Day, the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department issued a commemorative stamp in her honour. In 1997, the Indian Coast Guard also commissioned a Priyadarshini-class fast patrol vessel named the ICGS Bhikaji Cama. An unsung name among the stalwarts of Indian Independence Struggle, Madam Bhikaji Cama's conviction, courage and integrity took the message of Indian freedom struggle to the world with a force and clarity it had never had before. As the fiery lady had once declared,

'Do not forget the important role of women play in building a nation.'

Also Read: From a Child Bride to India’s First Practising Woman Doctor: The Untold Story of Rukhmabai

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). To get positive news on WhatsApp, just send 'Start' to 090 2900 3600 via WhatsApp.

Whether you’re an at-home tourist or a habitual globetrotter looking for a temporary fix, these books are a great way of embarking on a bit of armchair travel across India.

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” - Dr. Seuss.

Whether you’re jet-setting around the world, or staying planted at home, books can take you anywhere. Reading books from faraway places ignite of one’s imagination, fosters an appreciation of cultural differences and offers a newfound perspective on life at home. India, with its vibrant and diverse literary heritage, offers unparalleled opportunities for cultural exploration. Inspired from author Ann Morgan’s TED Talk, in which she shares her experiences of reading one book from each country in the world over the period of one year, we decided to make a Book Map of India.

The TBI Book Map is a great way of getting a taste of life around the country through 34 excellent works of literature that vividly evoke the regions they describe. Scroll over the map for reading suggestions.

So this World Tourism Day, get ready for some serious armchair travel with the TBI Book Map!

1. Short Stories from Andhra Pradesh by Malathi Nidadavolu (Andhra Pradesh )

A compilation of beautifully written short stories, this book invite readers unfamiliar with the culture of Andhra Pradesh to appreciate its centuries-old traditions in the face of change. The thematic threads in these stories are taken from experiences of ordinary middle class people caught in the crevice between traditional and modern ways of life. Translated from Telugu, this book is a gem! Get the book here

2. Arunachal Pradesh: The Hidden Land by Mamang Dai (Arunachal Pradesh)

A tropical land hidden in rain and mist, a place where life and legend intertwine, Arunachal's tribal society and traditional culture has undergone rapid transformation since India's Independence. The indescribable loveliness of this landscape is unveiled in this beautifully illustrated book, revealing a people who, since life began, have lived in complete harmony with their unique environment. The book also attempts to document the rich oral tradition of the various tribes of this fascinating, forbidden land. Get the book here.

3. The Shadow of the Kamakhya by Mamoni Raisom Goswami (Assam)

The Shadow of Kamakhya is a collection of stories set in Assam. Handpicked by the celebrated author Indira Goswami (who writes with the pen name Mamoni Raisom), the stories are invested with a wealth of detail which evoke a feel of the region. The themes explored, however, are wide-ranging and poignant - the pain of thwarted passion, blighted hopes, the struggle for existence - and they transcend the ambiance of the book with ease. Get the book here.

4. Patna Roughcut by Siddharth Chowdhury (Bihar)

Patna Roughcut is both an elegy to the intimate Indian neighbourhood and a poem of protest. It is also a story of love, idealism and sexual awakening. With ironic, delicate humour, the author peels away layers of sepia-toned memories to arrive gently at the heart of an aching, throbbing Bihari youth. A delightful little book about the uniqueness of Bihar, Patna Roughcut is the kind of book you hate for being only 180 odd pages long. Get the book here.

5. Inside Chattisgarh by Ilina Sen (Chattisgarh)

A book by Ilina Sen, a well-known rights activist, academician and researcher, Inside Chattisgarh provides a broader perspective about Chhattisgarh, its past, socio-economic and political scenario, its people and their struggles. The author takes us through life in Chhattisgarh before it got statehood, as well as the present years. Not just a personal memoir, this book is also a fascinating political biography of the state. Get the book here.

6. Ferry Crossing: Short Stories From Goa by Manohar Shetty (Goa)

Twenty-seven engaging stories from the heart of one of India's tiniest states come together in this engrossing book. This anthology introduces the reader to the true Goa, a place rich in history and tradition where the business of living is as serious and humdrum as it is anywhere else. Included here are the finest short stories from Goa translated from Konkani, Marathi and Portuguese, all remarkable for their rare freshness, and many marked by sparkling humour and a contagious lightheartedness. Get the book here.

7. Saraswatichandra by Govardhanram Tripathi, Translated by Tridip Suhrud (Gujarat)

After 128 years, Saraswatichandra, the classic Gujarati novel by Govardhanram Tripathi, was translated into English, by Tridip Suhrud. Written by Tripathi between 1887 and 1901, this novel (a love story woven around characters Kumud, Kusum and Saraswatichandra) shaped intellectual consciousness in Gujarat and laid the foundation of modern Gujarati literature. Get the book here.

8. Come, Before Evening Falls by Manjul Bajaj (Haryana)

Set in the year 1909, Come, Before Evening Falls is a powerful tale about the passion and perils of forbidden love, conflicting loyalties and devastating betrayal. Set in the Haryana of a century ago, in a village that is named after a stud bull, this book depicts rural Indian life with great authenticity: the author has done some impressive research, and the readers are the richer for it. Each charachter is lovingly depicted with a light and sure touch in this riveting story. Get the book here.

9. Himalayan Wonderland: Travels in Lahaul and Spiti by Manohar Singh Gill (Himachal Pradesh)

In the summer of 1962, a restless young Indian administrator, Manohar Singh Gill, made an arduous journey from the north Indian plains to the farthest reaches of the Indian Himalayas— the Lahaul and Spiti valleys— and spent a year there, living and working amongst the people. Gill went on to a distinguished career in the civil service, but his experience of the relentless beauty of these spectacular Himalayan deserts and the generosity of the people of this land changed him for life. Part memoir, part travel book and part anthropology, Himalayan Wonderland is a witty, opinionated account of Gill's lifelong affair with this extraordinary region. Get the book here.

10. Curfewed Night: A Frontline Memoir of Life, Love and War in Kashmir by Basharat Peer (Jammu and Kashmir)

A powerful memoir about growing up in war-torn Kashmir, Curfewed Night: A Frontline Memoir of Life, Love and War in Kashmir won the Crossword Prize for Non-Fiction and was chosen among the Books of the Year by The Economist and The New Yorker. Basharat Peer, an eminent and renowned Indian journalist, provides a vivid account of the Separatist Movement that has engulfed Kashmir since 1989 and which led to more than seventy thousand people being killed in the battle between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. Get the book here

11. The Eternal Mystery by Santosh Kiro (Jharkhand)

Santosh Kiro’s The Eternal Mystery is a deep look into the tribal world and life of Jharkhand, particularly the Munda world. Numerous legends from the state's rural hinterland form an important part of the book. With elements of mystery, thrill, suspense, romance and tragedy, this is one book that keeps the reader hooked till the very last page. Get the book here.

12. Hayavadana by Girish Karnad(Karnataka)

One of Karnad’s most remarkable works, Hayavadana was influenced by Thomas Mann’s The Transposed Heads, which in turn is borrowed from Kathasaritsagara, an ancient compilation of stories in Sanskrit. Culture defines society and this play has various cultural implications that are relevant even today. An interesting combination of folklore, mythology and drama, the book revolves around Man's search for his own self among a web of complex relationships.

Get the book here.

13. Where the Rain is Born: Writings About Kerala by Anita Nair (Kerala)

An interesting and alluring anthology, smartly edited by Anita Nair – this collection of stories, essays and poems bring out the true essence of Kerala- its heritage, culture and people. This collection is made special vy the contributions of eminent authors like Pankaj Mishra, Kamala Das, Arundhati Roy and several more who describe their lucid memories of ‘God's own country’. In addition to each author recording a dissimilar subject, the book also carefully covers the societal ethos and cultural of this gorgeous state. Get the book here.

Also Read: This FB Group Helps Book Lovers Get the Best Deals Online & Also Connect with Other Bibliophiles

14. A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi (Madhya Pradesh)

Rich in insight into Bhopal's culture and psychology, A Breath of Fresh Air resonates with meaning and the abiding power of love. In a landscape as intriguing as it is unfamiliar, the protagonist's struggles to reconcile the roles of wife and ex-wife, working woman and mother, illuminate both the fascinating duality of the modern Indian woman and the difficult choices all women must make. Based on Bhopal's gas tragedy, this thought provoking book doesn't disappoint. Get the book here.

15. Maximum City by Suketu Mehta (Maharashtra)

A native of Mumbai, Suketu Mehta gives us an insider’s view of this stunning metropolis. He approaches the city from unexpected angles, taking us into the criminal underworld of rival Muslim and Hindu gangs; following the life of a bar dancer raised amid poverty and abuse; opening the door into the inner sanctums of Bollywood; and delving into the stories of the countless villagers who come in search of a better life and end up living on the sidewalks Get the book here.

16. Mother, Where’s My Country? By Anubha Bhonsle (Manipur)

In her powerful, poignant book, Anubha Bhonsle examines the tangled and tragic history of Manipur. Drawing upon extensive interviews with personnel of the Indian army and intelligence agencies, politicians and bureaucrats, leaders of insurgent groups, Irom Sharmila and her family and ordinary people across Manipur, the author has produced a compelling and meticulously researched book that is one of the best non-fiction works from India in recent years. Get the book here.

17. Boats on Land by Janice Pariat (Meghalaya)

Boats on Land is a collection of 15 folklore infused short stories from Meghalaya. Spanning a sweep of centuries, from the mid-1800s to the present day, these colourful stories work as a historical, sociological documentation of a place and its people, interweaving the mundane and the extraordinary. Bringing out the myths, legends, customs and traditions of the region, this book offers a new way of looking at the little-known world of Meghalaya. Get the book here.

18. Zorami by Malsawmi Jacob (Mizoram)

Zorami is the first novel ever written by a Mizo writer in English (The Mizos are a tribal community in North East India). Thematic strands of Mizo culture and identity are woven together with the inner 'rites of passage' of the protagonist, Zorami, a Mizo woman subjected to rape and displacement during a time of violent political upheaval and her journey towards personal healing and discovery of a new identity via a spiritual encounter. A story straight from the heart of Mizoram! Get the book here.

You May Like: Meet Malsawmi Jacob – First Mizo Author to Write an English Language Novel

19. When the River Sleeps by Easterine Kire (Nagaland)

In When the River Sleeps, Easterine Kire transports her reader to the remote mountains of Nagaland in northeastern India, a place alive with natural wonder and mythical folklore. She tells the story like a fable, only the essential, without embellishments, inviting us into the lives and hearts of the people of Nagaland: their rituals and beliefs, their reverence for the land, their close-knit communities, and the rhythms of a life lived in harmony with their natural surroundings. Get the book here.

20. Chasing the Rainbow: Growing Up in an Indian Village by Manoj Das (Odisha)

This beautiful collection of memoirs recounts the author's childhood experiences in the quiet and supine world of Indian villages. Set in Sankhari, the author's village by the sea in Orissa, the vividly written reminiscences are imbued with a childlike sense of wonder. A great imagery of the way country life used to be half a century ago and how the modernization changed the essence of life in this part of the world. Get the book here.

21. I Shall Not Hear the Nightingale by Khushwant Singh (Punjab)

Shall Not Hear the Nightingale is a colorful and moving pageant of an ancient people about to throw off the yoke of foreign rule. Essentially, it is the story of Buta Singh, a shrewd and wily official working with the British, and of Sher Singh, his vain and ambitious son driven to rebellion against the foreign master. Set in Amritsar, at the height of India's freedom struggle, this book is widely considered one of Khushwant Singh's best books. Get the book here.

22. Chouboli and Other Stories by Vijaydan Detha (Rajasthan)

The rollicking, folk-based tales of Rajasthani writer Vijaydan Detha included in this book have been winning awards in India since the 1970s. Detha's tales combine the local Rajasthani storytelling idiom with narrative technique from the modern short story to set a new standard for contemporary writing in India. Bollywood director, Amol Palekar's movie, Paheli, was based on one of these stories -a ghost falls in love with a young bride and assumes her husband's form so convincingly even her in-laws are fooled. Get the book here.

23. Legends of the Lepchas: Folk Tales from Sikkim by Doma Yishey (Sikkim)

With its almost mystical aura, this book about Sikkim inspires imaginings of the Himalayas: Of sharp, snowy peaks, of thangka art perhaps, dragons, lotuses and prayer flags, even stories of the fabled yeti. The 24 folk tales in this fascinating anthology, painstakingly collected by Doma, reflect the cohesive and traditional world of the Lepchas, where gods, goddesses, animals, people and nature live in perfect harmony. Get the book here.

24. Thirukkural by Thiruvalluvar, Translated by M.Rajaram (Tamil Nadu)

Thirukkural a collection of 1330 couplets organized into 133 Chapters written by Thiruvalluvar is considered to be the most important literature of Tamil Language. This iconic collection talks about statecraft, ethics, importance of cultivating moral values and almost everything that human beings would require to lead a peaceful life. There have been a number of translations of Thirukkural by many authors but M.Rajaram's translation is unique in its simplicity,elegance and maintenance of poetic rhythm. Get the book here.

25. Father May Be an Elephant and Mother Only a Small Basket, But... by Gogu Shyamala (Telangana)

In Father May Be An Elephant And Mother Only A Small Basket But…, Gogu Shyamala, a highly respected activist and Telugu writer from Telangana, offers vignettes that offer glimpses into the life of the Madiga community. Focusing on the women in the Madiga household, the author also works her stories around issues that have been at the epicenter of the Telangana campaign: irrigation and water resources. Evocative settings, songs and incidents populate this interesting read. Get the book here.

26. The Maharaja’s Household: A Daughter’s Memories of Her Father by Binodini Devi (Tripura)

Part memoir, part oral testimony, part eyewitness account, Binodini's The Maharaja's Household provides a unique and intimate view of life in the erstwhile royal household of Manipur in northeast India. It brings to life stories of kingdoms long vanished, and is an important addition to the untold histories of the British Raj. The author entrances er readers with her stories of royal life, told from a woman's point of view and informed by a deep empathy for the common people in her father's gilded circle. Get the book here.

27. Kaleidoscope City: A Year in Varanasi by Piers Moore Ede (Uttar Pradesh)

As with Suketu Mehta's Maximum City, author Piers Moore Ede tells Varanasi's story by allowing inhabitants to relate their own tales. Whether portraying a Dom Raja whose role it is to cremate bodies by the Ganghes or a khoa maker, who carefully converts cow's milk into the ricotta like cheese, he explores the city's most important themes through its people, creating a vibrant portrait of modern, multicultural India. Get the book here.

28. With Love From the Hills by Ruskin Bond (Uttarakhand)

A wonderful collection of vignettes from Ruskin Bond’s life, this delightful book recollect the author's memories and observances of his life in the Himalayan foothills. Written like a diary, this book is also about the man himself and what makes him what he is today. As is the norm with every Ruskin Bond book, this one too has a simple style to it that keeps you hooked. The reader craves to be in the author's shoes, up in the lap of the hills of Uttarakhand. Get the book here.

29. Galpaguchchha: Kabuliwala and Other Stories by Tagore , Translated by Ratan Kumar Chattopadhyay (West Bengal)

Set in rural Bengal, Galpaguchcha includes some of Tagore's most memorable stories like the ‘The Pedlar from Kabul’, ‘Broken Nest’, ‘Punishment’ and ‘The Postmaster'. The Nobel Laureate conveys the story of every character's heart in a lucid manner, making the book soothing, poignant, and absolutely spellbinding. Definitely a masterpiece that shouldn't be missed! Get the book here.

30. The Last Wave by Pankaj Sekhsaria (Andaman and Nicobar Islands)

In his debut novel, The Last Wave, researcher and veteran ANI-specialised activist Pankaj Sekhsaria employs a wide canvas to join the minutiae of the Andaman story. As many things seem to fall in place and parallel journeys converge in this engrossing story, an unknown contender appears-the giant tsunami of December 2004. This is a tale of lost loves, but also of a culture, a community and an ecology poised on the sharp edge of time and history. Get the book here.

31. Maharaja in Denims by Khushwant Singh (Chandigarh)

For a state that is almost always intoxicated with the joy of living, Punjab's historical narrative has seen very poignant and turbulent moments. This is the essence of the life and times of Punjab that famous author Khushwant Singh tries to capture in this modern tale told in a bold, moving and racy narrative. A true page-turner indeed! Get the book here.

32. City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple (Delhi)

Sparkling with irrepressible wit, City of Djinns peels back the layers of Delhi's centuries-old history, revealing an extraordinary array of characters along the way-from eunuchs to descendants of great Moguls. With refreshingly open-minded curiosity, William Dalrymple explores the seven "dead" cities of Delhi as well as the eighth city—today's Delhi. Entertaining, fascinating, and informative, this book about India's capital is an irresistible blend of research and adventure. Get the book here.

33. Lakshadweep Adventure by Deepak Dalal (Lakshadweep)

A breathtaking adventure tale of scuba diving, sharks, windsurfing, survival, sea turtles and sabotage, Deepak Dalal's Lakshadweep Adventure is set in one of the most beautiful locales of India. By and large, though, the book reads more like a travel brochure; elaborate descriptions of lagoons, and the natural fauna and flora of the islands introduce you to a world which few people are aware of; a service indeed, to those of us who’ve not had the good fortune to actually visit Lakshadweep. Get the book here.

34. A House In Pondicherry by Lee Langley (Pondicherry)

Other than being a meticulously researched account of Pondicherry and its history, the novel is also a moving account of changing worlds. The third of Langley's novels set in India, the story traces the journey of Oriane, a young French girl who meets a political agitator seeking sanctuary under the French flag at Pondicherry. It is also a remarkable account of the rise of the town’s two greatest spiritual projects, the Aurobindo Ashram and Auroville. Get the book here.

Also Read: 7 Street Side Book Markets in India That Must Be on the Bucket List of Every Book Lover

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). NEW! Click here to get positive news on Whatsapp.

If you take a stroll through a supermarket’s perishable produce aisle, you might be forgiven for thinking that you have an impressive variety of fruit at your fingertips. In reality, however, these fruits are only some a small sample of the wide variety of delicious and exotic fruits that exist out there.

Did you know that India holds the distinction of being the world's second largest producer of fruits?

Photo Source

With a climate that ranges from Himalayan to tropical, India has much to offer in terms of fruit diversity. While major fruits like mango, banana and citrus varieties are grown in abundance in many parts of the country, there are several unique and increasingly rare minor fruits that are collected from the wild and eaten mostly by the locals. It is only during the searing summers and cold winters of the subcontinent that some of these fruits appear on the rickety carts of street hawkers in Indian towns. A reminder of changing seasons and childhood summers, here are 15 little known fruits from India that can open up an entirely new world to you. So go on, take a look, and be sure to comment below with your experiences, favorite fruits, and any others that we’ve missed!

1. Jungli Jalebi/Kodukkapuli (Camachile)

Photo Source

The spiralling green-pink pods of jungli jalebi (or kodukkapuli) contain about 6-10 shining black seeds enveloped in a thick sweet edible pulp. While the pulp can be eaten raw or made into a drink similar to lemonade, the tangy seeds are used in curries. It is due to the fruit's resemblance to the Indian sweet jalebi that the plant has been given the name jungli jalebi. Grown in: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal

2. Carambola (Star Fruit)

averrhoa_carambola_ripe_fruits_at_ciat_1

Photo Source

Carambola is a fruit with a waxy skin and a green to golden yellow color. The ripe fruit has a distinctly yellow colour, with slightly brown ribs, and it makes a great preserve or pickle. Unripe ones are lime green, taste sour and are best eaten when sliced and sprinkled with a mixture of salt and chili powder. Grown in the months of September-October and January-February, India is one of the largest producers of this fruit. Grown in: Throughout India (especially in South India)

3. Buddha's Hand (Fingered Citron)

Photo Source

A stunning fruit, Buddha’s hand looks like a lumpy lemon with elongated, yellow tentacles (that resemble gnarled human fingers) protruding from the base; hence, its name—Buddha’s hand. Buddha's hand has a mild yet zesty flavour and is wonderfully aromatic—it is known to fill rooms with its fresh floral perfume. Believed to have originated in the lower Himalayas, botanists are unsure if it’s native to the region in India or China - some scholars believe that India’s migrating Buddhist monks carried the fruit with them to China in 400 AD. Grown in: Northeastern India

4. Langsah/Lotka (Langsat)

Photo Source

A small, translucent, orb-shaped fruit, langsah is most often found in South India. They can be quite sour when unripe, but are perfectly sweet when ripe with a taste similar to a bittersweet grapefruit. Even though this fruit's demand skyrockets when it is in season, its cultivation does not extend beyond a handful of regions in the south. Grown in: Throughout eastern and southern India (especially in the Nilgiri hills)

5. Mangustaan (Mangosteen)

Photo Source

A fragrant tropical fruit about the size of a small orange, mangustaan's leathery purple-maroon shell surrounds a moist, snow-white and sweet fleshy interior. Though it is the national fruit of Thailand, it is believed that the trees of this fruit used to flourish in southern India throughout the 18th century. Mellow and earthy, mangustaan is similar to mango in taste and is completely ripe only when its woody, leathery purple rind yields to the touch. Grown in: The Nilgiri hills, the southern districts of Tirunelvely and Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

6. Japani Phal (Persimmon)

Photo Source

A temperate fruit, Japani phal is the local Himachal name of the exotic, deep orange-red-coloured and luscious persimmon. Strikingly similar in appearance to a tomato, a completely ripe japani phal is soft, sweet and tasty. The fruit, which is a native of China, spread to Korea and Japan and was initially introduced in India by European settlers in the early 20th century. Grown in: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Nilgiri Hills

7. Ambarella (Indian Hog Plum)

Photo Source

Also called wild mango, a ripe ambarella has the puckering acidity of an unripe mango and the gentle sweetness of pineapple. Ambarellas can be enjoyed in every imaginable form: as a juice, as a pickle, as flavouring in fruity cocktails, and as simple slices, sprinkled with salt and red chilli powder. Grown in: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Goa

You May Like: This Ex-Microsoft Director Returned to India to Put Jackfruit on the Superfood Map .

8. Bael (Wood Apple)

Photo Source

An extremely versatile fruit, bael can be eaten fresh or dried or even made into a drink. As the name suggests, this fruit has a woody exterior that you need to break open with a knife or pestle. Inside, you will find a sticky pulp, with a taste that ranges from very tart when raw to sweet-and-sour when fully ripe. Commonly eaten with a little jaggery to temper the acidity, the fruit is also used to make jam, chutney or sherbet. Grown in: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and the western Himalayas.

9. Chalta (Elephant Apple)

Photo Source

One of the favorite fruits of wild elephants, chalta thrives in the wet soil and humid atmosphere of swamps and semi-tropical forests. The knobby grapefruit-sized fruits are yellow-green, and ripen to get a leathery brown covering. Mildly sweet and acidic in taste, most locals value elephant apples not for their jelly-like pulp, but rather, their crunchy outer petals. Unripe fruits are often pickled or used for chutney. Since they are a major source of food for elephants, monkeys and deer, it is prohibited to collect them from the core areas of the forest. Grown in: Assam, Kolkata, Bihar, Odisha and the sub-Himalayan tract from Kumaon to Garhwal.

10. Chakotra/Batabi Lebu (Pomelo)

Photo Source

An unusual member of the citrus family, chakotras or pomelos have the taste of a slightly sour grapefruit without the bitterness and acidity, coupled with gorgeous floral overtones. Pomelos came to India from Balavia in Indonesia, which is the reason for their other local name, Batabi-Lebu. The fruit even features in cultural celebrations - in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, locals perform a "pomelo dance", which entails spinning a cord-tied pomelo around the waist. Grown in: Northeast India, West Bengal and some areas of Karnataka and Kerala

11. Karonda (Carandas Cherry)

Photo Source

A nutrition rich wild berry, karondas are pink coloured fruits with tiny seeds at its core. The flesh of the raw fruit is firm with a tart flavour that tastes delicious when eaten with a sprinkling of rock salt. Becoming tender, luscious and purple tinted as they ripen, karondas a good substitute in recipes that call for cranberries. A great source of natural pectin, these berries are also commonly used in jams and sweet pickles. Grown in: The Siwalik Hills of Bihar and West Bengal, the Western Ghats and the Nilgiri Hills

12. Bilimbi (Tree Sorrel)

Photo Source

A relative of the star fruit, bilimbis are bright green and firm when raw and becomes yellowish, glossy and tender as they ripen. The Indian variety of bilimbis have tart, tangy, acidic, and sharp notes that pack quite a punch. Many bilimbi lovers make a lemonade-type drink to capitalize on these refreshing attributes. To reduce its acidity, the fruit is often pricked first and soaked in salt water for a short period, before being used in chutneys, pickles and jams. Grown in: Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Goa.

13. Targola/Taal (Ice Apple or Sugar Palm fruit)

Floyd Cardoz India, Floyd Cardoz Goa, Chef Floyd Cardoz, Jacqueline Raposo, Bombay Duck, Jowar, Tadgola, Ice Apples

Photo Source

A type of palm fruit that grows in clusters, targola or taal has a stiff brown exterior and a jelly-like interior. On cutting open, each fruit has jelly-like segmented seeds with a soft off-white skin that darkens to a light brown when exposed to air. Removing the thin skin can be tiresome, but the effort is well worth it. A cooling treat in the hot summer season, biting into a targola releases the refreshing sweet juice that resides in the center of each segment. The fruit is also used to make toddy, a local alcoholic beverage. Grown in: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, and Kerala.

14. Phalsa (Indian Sherbet Berries)

grewia-asiatica-phalsa-fruit-plant-56d175a7a1fc8_l

Photo Source

A tiny dark purple fruit that beautifully balances sweet and sour flavours, phalsa will remind you of blueberries. Extremely rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamin C, phalsa is a super fruit with an effective cooling effect that is perfect for summers. It is mostly eaten ripe and fresh, with a sprinkling of salt and black pepper. However a syrup or a squash of the fruit is also prepared, so that one can enjoy this healthy fruits' benefits for a longer time. Grown in: Throughout India

15. Khirni/Rayan (Mimusops)

Photo Source

Golden yellow berries with a melting fruity sweetness, khirni or rayan is a member of the Sapotaceae family found across the tropics (that also includes sapota or chikoo). Available only for a very short period in May, just when the summer season begins, khirni is often sold alongside the more popular purple-hued jamun, the reason why many people assume it has a similar astringency. It does, but the puckering sourness disappears when you let it ripen almost to the point when rot sets in. Grown in: Central India and the Deccan Peninsula

You May Like: Food for Thought: Unpeeling the Mango’s Interesting History in India

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). NEW! Log into www.gettbi.com to get positive news on Whatsapp.

A little-noticed culinary gem, freshly made flatbreads are an integral part of traditional Indian home-cooked meal. Deceptive in their simplicity, these Indian cuisine essentials seem easy to make but they actually requires a complex balance of textures and flavors. stuffed-paratha

Photo Source

There are several theories about the origin of flatbreads in India. One theory says that the earliest flatbread, roti, originated in the erstwhile state of Awadh. A coarser and thinner avatar of the plumper Persian flatbread, barbari, it is believed that roti for ancient travellers, was like a bowl that helped one hold the curry while enjoying the meal, thus negating the need to carry utensils while travelling.

Another interesting version states that roti is the Indianised version of an unleavened flatbread that travelled all the way from the Swahili people of East Africa.

Photo Source

However, various ancient Indian texts suggest that round flat breads existed in ancient India. Vedic texts mention purodhashas (the word believed to the precursor to the words pataha or paratha) as thick pancakes, stuffed with dry lentils or vegetables, offered to deities during Vedic rituals. The word rotika has been mentioned in the 16th century medical text Bhavaprakasa to describe a bread used to eat curries with. Flatbreads resembling bowls have also been described in Tulsidas's 16th century epic poem, Ramcharitamanas. Kannada literature between the 10th and 18th centuries also talk about an unusual method of roasting flattened wheat dough that is then eaten with sugar and edible camphor - these methods mentioned are still used in making the rotis today! During the medieval period, the roti is believed to have been a royal favourite. Abul Fazl's Ain-i-Akbari mentions that Mughal Emperor Akbar was extremely fond of eating the thin, roasted, wheat flatbread with ghee and sugar.

The first mention of naan in India has also been found in the medieval-era notes of the Indo-Persian poet Amir Kushrau. According to his memoirs, naan-e-tunuk and naan-e-tanuri (accompanied by keema and kebabs) were very popular as breakfast food in the Mughal court.

[caption id="attachment_73137" align="aligncenter" width="634"] article-2404549-1b815a05000005dc-916_634x363

Royal feasts of the Mughals[/caption]

Photo Source

The story goes that by the time Shah Jahan came to power, chefs in the royal kitchens had started replacing naans with kulchas stuffed with vegetables and meat. However, his son Aurangzeb had more austere tastes and preferred palm-sized rotis over lavish flat breads like the kulcha. It is believed that rotis finally became popular during his reign. During the colonial era, the phulka (roti roasted on fire till it puffs up) became popular in the dining rooms of the British army. It is also believed that the staple food for the armies of Tantia Tope, Rani Lakshmi Bai and Kunwar Singh during the revolt of 1857 was the humble combination of chapati (another name for roti) and jaggery.

You May Like: Chapati Movement: How the Ubiquitous and Harmless Chapati Had Terrified the British in 1857

Today, India has a vibrant assortment of delicious traditional flatbreads that stand testament to the diversity of flavors and food traditions in the country.

For those of you who have wondered about the difference between the dhebra and the rotla, here is an article that explores India's bread basket and more!

1. Akki Roti

Photo Source

A delicious spicy flatbread from Karnataka, akki roti is traditionally made by flattening the rice dough on a banana leaf. It is then cooked on a tawa with the leaf resting on top of the roti - this helps it cook evenly and gives the dish a distinct flavour. Get the recipe here.

2. Bakshalu/Puran Poli/Obattu

Photo Source

If you're looking for a balance of sweet and salty flavors, look no further than the mouthwatering puran poli. Bakshalu, obattu and bobbatlu are the other names of this traditional flatbread that is made by stuffing a mouthwatering mix of jaggery and roasted chana dal (bengal gram) inside the dough ball. A generous smear of warm ghee just plays up its subtle sweetness! Get the recipe here.

3. Baati

Photo Source

Baatis are traditional Rajasthani wheat breads that are first boiled in the water and then baked in a tandoor (clay oven). Hard in texture and round in shape, this bread is very different from the other regional breads in India. Baatis traditionally served with the delicious Rajasthani panchmela dal. Get the recipe here.

4. Bhakri/Jolada Roti

Photo Source

A round flat unleavened bread flavoured with ghee and cumin seeds, bhakri is widely eaten in the western coastal states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. Generally made of jowar (sorghum) flour, bhakris can be of two types— one that is cooked like a biscuit and the other that is puffed up and served with ghee. Rich in fibre and several other nutrients, this flatbread is also called jolada roti in Karnataka. Get the recipe here.

5. Bhatura

Photo Source

Who doesn't like dark, fabulously spiced chole served with sliced onions, green chillies and fluffy bhature? The delicious Bhatura is a thick leavened fried flatbread that is counted among the classic traditional dishes of the Punjabi cuisine. Get the recipe here.

You May Like: Food Secrets: On The Trail Of Kumaon’s Culinary Wonders

6. Bakarkhani

Photo Source

A thick Kashmiri flatbread with a biscuit like texture, bakarkhani gets it’s name from a legendary tragic love story between a general named Aga Bakar and dancer named Khani Begum. Flaky on the inside, with a soft sesame seed sprinkled crust outside, the bakarkhani is usually served in quarters with accompaniments like korma (creamy, mildly spiced curris) or kaliya (Kashmiri stew). Get the recipe here.

7. Thepla/Dhebra

Photo Source

A lightly spiced Gujarati flatbread, thepla (or dhebra) is prepared from wheat flour, gram flour and fenugreek leaves. A delicious wholesome bread, theplas have a great shelf life and taste absolutely lip-smacking when eaten with chunda (sweet mango pickle). Get the recipe here.

8. Kulcha

Photo Source

A soft, fluffy and tangy flat bread made from a dough infused with sour curd, the Punjabi kulcha is a bread that hums in sweet harmony with decadent Indian gravies like Amritsari chole, shahi paneer and nalli nihari. Get the recipe here.

9. Luchi/Puri

Photo Source

A deep fried puffed flatbread made of wheat flour, luchi is a much loved delicacy of the Bengali, Assamese, Maithili and Oriya cuisine. A softer whiter version of the puri (eaten across the Indian sub-continent), the luchi is the perfect bread to mop up traditional delicacies like the aloo dum and cholar dal. Get the recipe here.

10. Naan

Photo Source

If there is one single flatbread that has been the front runner in terms of addictiveness across India, it is the ubiquitous naan. Baked in a clay oven, this restaurant staple has a crisp exterior, a fluffy core and a distinctive charred flavour, making it the perfect bread to soak up any rich, spicy Indian gravy. Get the recipe here.

11. Rotla

Photo Source

A simple flatbread made from pearl millet flour, rotla is traditional specialty of Gujarat's Kathiawad region. A winter favourite, this super healthy gluten-free flatbread tastes greats when smeared with fresh homemade butter and jaggery. Get the recipe here.

12. Makki ki Roti

Photo Source

Makki ki roti topped with a dollop of ghee and served with sarson da saag is an iconic Punjabi dish that needs no introduction. A corn meal flatbread, spiced with green chillies and ginger, makki ki roti is generally made and consumed during the winter months in northwestern India. Get the recipe here.

13. Sheermal

Photo Source

A mildly-sweet, saffron-flavoured flatbread of the Awadhi cuisine, sheermal is greatly influenced by Mughlai and Persian culinary traditions. This versatile flatbread has a light, creamy texture and can be eaten with aromatic curries as main course, as a dessert with fresh cream or yogurt, or even as a simple snack with a cup of tea or coffee. Get the recipe here.

You May Like: TBI Food Secrets: 10 Lucknowi Delicacies and the Best Eateries to Savour Them

14. Taftan

Photo Source

Flakier and lighter than the normal naan, taftan is a royal flatbread of the Awadhi cuisine. A leavened flatbread baked in a tandoor or a clay oven, taftan is often flavoured with cardamom, saffron and poppy seeds. Get the recipe here.

16. Warqi Paratha

Photo Source

A tastier cousin of the lachcha paratha, warqi paratha is a flatbread that is all about its sweet and savoury layers. While this flatbread needs quite a bit of time and patience for its elaborate preparation (almost like making a puff pastry), it tastes heavenly with almost every kind of Indian dish. Get the recipe here.

17. Khamiri Roti

Photo Source

A Mughlai version of sourdough bread (khamir means yeast), khamiri roti is soft, thick, chewy and very similar to pita bread. Though khamiri roti can be eaten with various Mughlai curries, it is absolutely delicious with dal makhni and mutton keema. Get the recipe here.

18. Girda / Tchot

11041750_409627179211381_4962062026056407911_n

Photo Source

A traditional Kashmiri special, girda is a type of baked bread that is often served as breakfast along with noon chai (salted tea) on cold mornings. With a crispy, furrowed exterior and soft, squishy interior, the girda can also be relished with an array of vegetarian and non-vegetarian gravy recipes. Kashmir also has several delicious versions of the traditional baked bread, including the chochwor/teliwor ( a bland bagel-resembling bread), katlam (a flaky flatbread with generous quantities of vegetable fat) and lavaas (a lighter version of pita bread used to wrap barbecued meat). Get the recipe here. Traditional flat breads have a unique place in Indian cuisine and selecting the right one as an accompaniment to a dish is as important as infusing the dish itself with that perfect flavour. So the next time you want to try something new from India's bread basket, do check out the many delicious flatbreads on this list!

Also Read: Food Secrets: 20 Delectable Indian Sweets You Probably Haven’t Heard Of, But Must Try Right Away!

Feature Image

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). NEW! Log into www.gettbi.com to get positive news on Whatsapp.

The news comes like a sledgehammer into the stomach: "I'm sorry to tell you, but you have cancer". Every year, lakhs of Indians are devastated by news of cancer. On an average, more than 1,300 Indians succumb to the dreaded disease every day. With new cancer cases or its incidence in India estimated to grow by 25% by 2020 (according to the cancer registry released by the Indian Council of Medical Research), cancer has become one of the major causes of death occurring in the country. Women, especially, are being increasingly diagnosed with cancer. Yet, when the topic comes up in drawing room discussions or family gatherings, it's delicately brushed under the carpet.

With the deadly disease striking deep roots in India, it is important know about cancer and what you can do about it. This Cancer Awareness Day, increase your knowledge of this disease.

Photo Source

What is it?

Cancer is the name given to a collection of related diseases that are caused when a group of abnormal cells begins to grow uncontrollably, often forming a tumour. There are two types of tumours. The first is benign tumours that do not spread into, or invade, nearby tissues. When removed they usually don’t grow back. An important fact is that unlike most benign tumors elsewhere in the body, benign brain tumors can be life threatening. The other type of tumours are malignant, or tumours that invade nearby tissues, sometimes spreading to distant areas of the body (known as metastasizing). This tumour are more dangerous as they give rise to new tumours and can recur even after removal. The good news is that if cancer is detected in its early stages, it can be treated and an individual can lead a healthy life. Also, advances in treatment and awareness of symptoms mean that 85 per cent of those diagnosed live beyond five years.

The cancer scenario in India

The number of cancer cases in India is increasing every year. According to WHO's Cancer Report, in India, lung, oral, lip, throat and neck cancers are the most common among men while women suffer more from cervix, breast and ovarian cancers. In the elderly, the most commonly occurring cancers are kidney, intestine and prostate cancer. Here are some informational statistics. cancer-2_2_650_020114021033

Photo Source

Are you at risk?

It is usually not possible to know exactly why one person develops cancer and another doesn’t. However, research has shown that certain risk factors may increase a person’s chances of developing cancer. These include things people cannot control, like age and family history. Lifestyle choices that increase your chances of contracting breast cancer are the usual suspects such as smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and poor diet. [caption id="attachment_74233" align="aligncenter" width="460"] cancerprevention

Some causes of cancer[/caption]

Photo Source

Cancer is notoriously stealthy, so its important not to miss those cues. Ignorance and denial leads to delayed diagnosis and treatment; most Indians change doctors when asked to go in for a screening or biopsy. Other than the fear of invasive treatment, disfigurement and financial burden, the ill-placed belief that a cancer patient will always die makes patients and their families refuse specialised treatment. The importance of awareness can be seen from the fact that in highly literate Kerala, 40% cases are detected early, a fact that ultimately leads to fewer deaths. Hence, when it comes to cancer, its important to remember that early treatment is the best treatment. Experts suggest that if you notice any other major changes in the way your body functions or feels, you should see a doctor, especially if the changes persist for more than three weeks or gets worse. It may not be cancer but its safer to get it checked out. Here's a chart of common symptoms that may be a cause for concern. cancer-2_1_650_020114021033

Photo Source

You May Like: Checkmating Cancer: Meet 7 Indian Startups Fighting This Dreaded Disease

A Geographic Pathology Study of Cancer in India

Regional variation in cancer incidence and mortality is driven by multiple factor. Other than internal factors like genetic, hormonal and poor immune conditions, external or environmental factors like food habits, industrialization, pollution and lifestyle can also cause cancer. This is why a geographic pathology study can give some indication of the proportion of cancers that could be prevented by modifying specific harmful lifestyle or environmental factors.

Photo Source

Combating cancer

Cancer is slowly becoming an epidemic. Here are some things you can do to aid prevention and early diagnosis of this disease. 1. While thinking ‘it could be me’ is scary, its a though that can do more good than harm. Pay attention to symptoms and get check-ups regularly. 2. If some of your family members or parents are reluctant to get checked, take the responsibility upon yourself and ensure that they do what is necessary, however reluctant they may be. 3. Women, especially those over 40 years old, should go for regular screening for early detection of breast cancer. The table below shows the four types of cancer where screening is recommended and have been proven to be effective. cancer-screening-1

Photo Source

4. Using any type of tobacco puts you on a collision course with cancer. Avoiding tobacco — or deciding to stop using it — is one of the most important health decisions you can make and also an important part of cancer prevention. 5. Proper filtration of tap water can reduce your exposure to known or suspected carcinogens and hormone-disrupting chemicals. 6. Vaccines also help lower cancer risk. The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine helps prevent most cervical cancers and several other kinds of cancer, and the Hepatitis B vaccine can help lower liver cancer risk. 7. Drinking plenty of water and other liquids may reduce the risk of bladder cancer by diluting the concentration of cancer-causing agents in urine and helping to flush them through the bladder faster. 8. Making changes such as eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise is an important step towards cancer prevention. Eat organic and load up on antioxidants. The following guide will help you do this!

Fortify Yourself Against Pollution by Including These Antioxidant Rich Foods in Your Diet

A Second Chance

Cancer is difficult to beat but its not impossible. Manisha Koirala bravely fought ovarian cancer to recover from it completely. Diagnosed at the age of 54, Mumtaz bravely fought and survived breast cancer. Yuvraj Singh returned to cricket after beating germ cell cancer and Lisa Ray bounced back after defeating an aggressive bone marrow myeloma. Anurag Basu was given two months to live but he fought and survived fought an acute promyelocytic leukemia. Having been given a second chance, these cancer crusaders know the vital importance of early detection and are now campaigning to raise awareness about it. With a cancer epidemic haunting the nation, Indians need to arm themselves with knowledge. Experts say that the future of the battle against cancer depends about people's awareness about their body the lifestyle changes they make. This article is an effort to raise much-needed awareness about this deadly disease. Don't let cancer take you by surprise! YouWeCan is an initiative taken by Yuvraj Singh foundation to fight against cancer by creating awareness about the disease, its prevention and raising funds.

Like this story? Have something to share? Email: contact@thebetterindia.com, or join us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia). NEW! Log into www.gettbi.com to get positive news on Whatsapp.