Festival dates in Jyaishtha month – June and July 2026 Adhika Jyaishtha (17th May - 15th June) Vata Savitri Vratha / Phala Poornima - 29 June 2026 Kara Hunnime / Bhoomi Hunnime … [Read More...]
Avocado Chutney Recipe – Avocado Spread Recipe
Avocados are available in the South Indian market from April onwards. There is an abundance of desi Avocados in the market. Apart from making Guacamole, you can make many types of … [Read More...]
Flower Arrangement – Solitaire
You do no need a bunch of flowers to create a flower arrangement. A single flower can be a garden as well as a good flower arrangement. Ikebana rules can be sometimes applied to freestyle … [Read More...]
June 2026 Hints
Make a organic insecticide by adding onions and garlic to a jar of water, let it stand for a week, and spray plants with it. Used tea bags sprinkled on rose plants will make them blossom faster … [Read More...]
Nambhi Narayana Temple, Thodanur
The Nambhi Narayana/Lakshmi Narayana temple is the largest and the oldest temple in Thodanur. This was originally a Jain basathi/temple. Hoysala king Bittidevaraya, who was a Jain was influenced … [Read More...]
Akeel Dip Recipe
Yes, like you I was intrigued hearing the name of this dip. Akeel Dip is from Yemen and is similar to Indian Raitha with its own unique twist. This dip can be served with any of the crisp starters or … [Read More...]
Song on Lord Panduranga
This song is in praise of Lord Panduranga of Pandharpur. Panduranga appeared in Pandharpur to bless his devotee, Pundalik, who was busy serving his parents when the Lord arrived, … [Read More...]
Flower Arrangement – Windy
The wind blown arrangement is the nearest you can get to nature. This arrangement is one of my favorite. This arrangement gives an illusion of a tree laden with flowers blown to a side by … [Read More...]
Dinner with Pumpkin – Roti platter with Pumpkin
Light dinner keeps you agile the next day. Early dinner the better. Though this is easy said than done! Pumpkin is a powerhouse of fibre and when teamed with Roti is a perfect way to … [Read More...]
Black-eyed Susan Vine
The attractive flowers of Black-Eyed Susan Vine are like a pop-up in any garden. The profuse flowers are attractive and add the much needed colour among the other trees and plants. The … [Read More...]
Needle Rock View Point, Gudalur, Ooty
Needle Rock View Point is known as Soochi Malai. Soochi in Tamil means needle and Malai means hills. The name needle is derived from the rock that narrows to a sharp needle tip. As you wind up … [Read More...]
Boondi Burani Raitha Recipe – Boondi Raitha Recipe
Raitha is a dish prepared using Yoghurt in India. This is served as an accompaniment with Indian Bread and Pulav or Biryani (Spicy flavorful rice). During summer this is a prepared dish in most of … [Read More...]
May 2026 Hints
To preserve your expensive shoes, slide each separately into zip bags and hot blow over them to get a perfect shoe cover. To unclog shower pores, place a paper towel over the shower head, pour … [Read More...]
Festival dates in Vaisakh month – April and May 2026
Festival dates in Chaitra month – March and April 2026 Vaishākh (April – May) Akshaya Tritiya – 19 April 2026 Basava Jayanthi– 20 April 2026 Ramanujacharya … [Read More...]
Vegetarian Recipes
Mulberry Juice Recipe – Hippunarale Panaka Recipe – Shahatoot Ki Sherbat
Though Mulberry is grown extensively in Mysuru - Bengaluru region (the silk belt), we never see Mulberry fruits in the market. I was delighted to get some this year and here is this unique … [Read More...]
Kheer Kadam Recipe – Ras Kadam Recipe – Khoya Kadam Recipe
Diwali the festival of lights is just round the corner and kitchens in India are in full swing making delicious sweets. Here is a recipe of Kheer Kadam to make your Diwali celebrations … [Read More...]
Mangodi Kadhi – Lentil Dumplings in Yoghurt Recipe
Mangodi Kadhi is a yoghurt based side dish. This creamy dish is healthy with vegetables and lentil dumplings. Cuisine: Rajasthan Time required: 20 Minutes Ingredients: 6 Cups … [Read More...]
Fruity Salad
Fruity salad is tangy, sweet, and salty. Tasty and low calorie, this is a great starter or eaten along with Bread or flavored Rice. Time Required: 10 Minutes Ingredients: 6 - 8 … [Read More...]
Jackfruit Payasa Recipe – Chakka Payasam – Palapazham Payasam – Halasinahannina Payasa
Jackfruit payasa is a very tasty Indian sweet and is prepared during auspicious occasions and festivals. On 21st August 2020 is Swarna Gowri Pooja and this payasa goes very well with all the other … [Read More...]
Pineapple Sweet Chutney
Pineapple tit bits cooked in sugar syrup and spray of chili flakes. Time Required: 25 Minutes Ingredients: 1 Cup Pineapple, chopped finely 1tsp Saunf 1tsp Mustard Seeds 1tbsp Oil ½ Cup … [Read More...]
Dum Arbi – Calocassia in Gravy Recipe
Dum Arbi is Calocassia cooked in a gravy. Cuisine: North Indian Time Required: 30 Minutes Ingredients: 7 – 8 Arbi / Calocassia / Kesuvina Gadde ½ Cup Curds 1tsp Jeera / Cumin Powder ½ … [Read More...]
Maledi Undi Recipe – Maldi Unde Recipe – Churma Laddoo Recipe
This is a sweet dish from North Karnataka. This dish is offered to Lord Shiva during Shravana Somavara Pooja and Solah Somvara Vratha / observance. Time Required: 30 … [Read More...]
Travel
Shivanasamudra
The route of River Cauvery’s journey from her birthplace Talacauvery to Bay of Bengal is dotted with picturesque waterfalls, pilgrimage centers, islands and confluence of rivers. Picture1 - … [Read More...]
Rashtrapathi Bhavan – New Delhi
One of the most majestic residences of India is the Rashtrapathi Bhavan, New Delhi. It is the residence of India’s honorable President. Rashtrapathi Bhavan took 17 years to build and was inaugurated … [Read More...]
Wayanad – Kerala
Wayanad district is the hilly, picturesque part of North East Kerala at altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100 meters above sea level. The hills spread over 2,132 square kilometers are part of the Western … [Read More...]
Heritage buildings of Mysore – Part II
Mysore or Mysooru is a place of interest for tourists, historians, archeologists, academicians and architects. There are innumerable heritage buildings in Mysore, which add a fairy tale touch to the … [Read More...]
Kodachadri
I cannot keep away from my beloved Western Ghats for long. The hills beckoned and we readily drove to explore Kodachadri hill ranges. Words fail to explain the enchanting beauty of Kodachadri. The … [Read More...]
Kalahalli Bhoo Varahaswamy Temple
The ancient Bhoo Varahaswamy Temple built by the Hoysala king Veera Ballala III was undiscovered and unprotected until a few years back. It must be either a divine intervention or that we Indians have … [Read More...]
Sirimane Waterfalls
When we planned to visit Sringeri again, I was determined to visit Sirimane waterfalls, which is around 20 Kms from Sringeri. So, even before we entered Sringeri we drove to the waterfalls and the … [Read More...]
Festivals
Mahavir Jayanti
Mahavir Jayanti is also known as Mahavir Janma Kalyanak and signifies the birth anniversary of the last and 24th Jain thirthankara Lord Mahavira. Lord Mahavira was born in 599 BCE on the thirteenth … [Read More...]
Bharat Hunnime
Bharat Hunnime is a festival celebrated by the devotees of Lord Mailaralinga (Shiva). The festival falls on the full moon day of the Hindu month Magha, which is around December-January according … [Read More...]
Lakshmi Devotional Song – Arathi Hymn – Varamahalakshmi Festival
This devotional song was sung by my mother's aunt during arathi to Goddess Lakshmi. You can use any tune suitable to sing this song. In Kannada script: ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀ ಆರತಿ ಹಾಡು ಸುಕಾಂತೆರಾರತಿ … [Read More...]
Gombe Habba – Forest Arrangement
During Dasara, many households had the ritual of arranging dolls in the house for 9 days in Mysore region. This would bring out a lot of creativeness among the people. The … [Read More...]
Dasara Gombe – Doll arrangement – Golu – 2024
Ten days of festivities begins in India with great devotion. Dasara is celebrated in different ways in various regions of our country. The celebration is the same, which is "Good over … [Read More...]
Phala Gowri Vratha – Molake Gowri Vratha – Gowri Festival
Phala Gowri Vratha (observance) also known as Molake Gowri (Sprout Gowri) falls on the Sharvana Amavasya day in the Hindu month of Shravana. August – September according to Gregorian calendar. For the … [Read More...]
Deepavali – Diwali
Deepavali (“avali” means rows and “deepa” means lamp) or Diwali is a festival of lights much loved by one and all. It is the time for sweets, savories, family get-together, new clothes, crackers and … [Read More...]
