Longtime Brahmin-Lover!
340594
The real McCoy! Awesome! Got a purse addiction...this very functional and spacious.
2973393
This is an interesting book that crossed our path recently, a kind of large novella. Maravan is living in Zurich, having left his homeland of Sri Lanka, though he can never quite sever himself from his roots and particularly from Great Aunt Nangay who inspired him to cook. Meeting up with Andrea, a waitress working at the renowned restaurant Chez Huwyler, where he too worked for a time, they form a plan to provide sumptuous Ayurvedic meals for couples who need to stimulate their sex life. ("Ayurveda is a type of medicine which is many thousands of years old. It has eight disciplines. The eighth is called Vajikarana. It's all about aphrodisiacs. This includes certain food dishes").They encounter arms traders and prostitutes along the way, all set against the current political and economic events of the late 2000s, both in Europe, Switzerland and in Sri Lanka, whilst all the while trying to preserve their own moral values. And of course therein lies the rub!
We defy anyone reading this book not to salivate and if you feel motivated, there are some of Maravan's recipes included at the back. If you are looking for a book set in Switzerland (Zurich and St Moritz) and you like food, then this is for you!
4586608
There's definately a DEARTH of good narratives and good writers on the subject of Indian mythology and specially the lesser known stories and symbols, Dr Patnaik has magically appeared on the Indian Non Fiction Mythology scene as a saviour! Kudos to the writer for creating a crisp and to the point concise writeup(yes! Its that crisp!) about the lesser known nitty gritty's of the Ramayan and the Mahabharata, with some snatches also from the Bhagvad Gita,The Skanda Purana and The Linga Purana.. I totally recommend it to you even if you do not read mythology regularly/don't know much about..Give this a go and you'll be hooked on to it...and hey, a little extra knowledge never hurt anyone ;) It may just give you a little extra brownie points in front of the elders!
2130445
and suprising that it comes from Betty Crocker of all people! one of my best friends got me into indian cooking a number of years ago, and me being the inspiring chef that i am wanted the recipes so i could make them at home whenever i wanted. some of my favorite dishes (Aloo Gobi & Rasmalai) are included in this book as well as many others. This is the first indian cookbook that i have come accross to include recipes for those 2 favorites. I just love that it includes those common every day recipes that first introduced me to indian cooking that are so hard to find in other cookbooks. I love the REAL indian cooking, not the "american-ized" versions. This book does great justice to the cusine of India!
1097333
I absolutely love Jaya Lakshmi & Ananda and their new album Saraswati Dreams.  I couldn't wait to hear it and first heard the Om Namaha Shivaya chant while I was in a store and was singing with it all over the store.  It feels so great!  They are definitely in the top of the spiritual music and chanting genre.
1874822
Wonderful!. Excellent!. It left me stunned with spontaneous tears of joy!!!.  I am a Tamil speaking Dravidian and could not differ on her theory of continuity of Indus culture in the present day South India.

For example, Lord Shiva, a Dravidian God, is being worshiped till today. ( Yogi Indus seal in Harappa )

Lord Shiva is also mentioned in our old Tamil epics.

The recent discovery of iron age tools with Indus Script in Nagapattinam, South Tamilnadu has proved beyond doubt that South Indian Dravidian culture is in fact Indus!!!.

She seems to have a deep understanding of our culture. Hats off to her!.
1616225
Soorya Giri is a smart, educated, young woman. Soorya Giri went to college and became a lawyer. Though Soorya Giri may seem like she has everything, there is one thing that she desires more...a husband.

The Full Moon Bride is the latest novel from author, Shobhan Bantwal. If you like Indian culture and stories than you have to check this author out. I have been reading Mrs. Bantwal's books for a while. Each one brings something different to the table but almost always Mrs. Bantwal sticks to her roots of being raised in India and adds her influence to her books and characters. The women in each book are strong and independent. This is not something you would probably typically associate with the women of this country but being strong does not always mean being loud. I must admit that the last book I did not care for but this book is a step in the right direction again as to why I like this author.

After seeing how much trouble Soorya Giri went though to find a husband, she was almost better off having an arranged marriage. If she had, she would have avoided all the drama and losers she had to meet. Of course, if this had happened than I would not have gotten to know Soorya Giri as well as I did. As I was reading this book I could not help but notice how much detail Soorya Giri got when she explained things. Soorya Giri tells the story from her perspective. The Full Moon Bride is a book that you will say "I Do" to over again and again!
4793703
I couldn't put this book down after I started it. Satsvarupa dasa Goswami is open, honest and humble in presenting glimpses into his life before and after meeting Srila Prabhupada.
I'm eagerly awaiting the next volumes in the series to be released. Haribol!
4551555
Royina Grewal and her husband Ajit chose to leave Bombay and exchange their metropolitan existence for a rural one in the village of Patan in the Alwar district of north eastern Rajasthan. Royina, who also authored Sacred Virgin about a trip on the Narmada river, and her husband have decided to rebuild a run down farm and using experimental agricultural techniques they are attempting to grow crops on arid land. While her husband tends to the farm and the reconstruction of the house Royina, aware of Rajastahn's reputation for its renowned fortresses and palaces, decides to go on a bit of a tour of the countryside. Its an amusing tour. In Rajasthan, which is one of the least modernised areas of India,  it is very rare to see a woman traveling alone so her presence brings out many interesting females who are enthused by her boldness in a land where women are rarely free to choose the course of their own lives. Royina even tours the countryside on the back of a motorcycle in one scene. She claims to feel the nomadic spirit which may be true but she also feels the shopping spirit as well as she makes purchases here and there(including a pair of leather boots that are made for princes) that she is careful to note most Indians cannot afford. This is perhaps one of the problems with this book, Royina only leaves home for an eight week stretch and then writes her book. Other travel writers spend years in India before writing about it. She was born in India, given an education, and one surmises has always had a fair amount of money and freedom(she is careful to note her marriage was not an arranged one). She is one of the privileged westernized few and for her roughing it is a matter of choice and really she is not roughing it for she more often than not stays in the renovated and converted former palaces of the Rajasthan princes with their elaborate gardens. More a vacation than a tour of India I would say. Still she relates a lot of valuable and interesting information along the way and she has some good stories to tell and listens to others tell theirs. She no doubt has a real interest in womens liberation and that theme runs through the book. Nothing gives her greater pleasure than to see a woman asserting her independence(very rare in Rajasthan) and nothing hurts her more than to see a woman or girl in some form of bondage to a husband or small minded community or a religion. Royina places her hopes in the education system and she is touched to see a young tribal girl wearing a school uniform beneath her sari. As Royina says change happens very slowly in India but you have to keep chiseling away. A good book (perhaps designed to encourage tourism to the area) though compared to other Indian travel books(Norman Lewis, William Dalrymple)pretty light fare.
1502510
The author gives us her own eyes, ears, taste buds, and thoughts to experience the wonderful strangeness of India from a Westerner's perspective.  I love how she is brutally honest about her own sometimes less-than-spiritual reactions to the inconveniences and challenges of this country.  She has a delightful sense of humor and a vast capacity for vivid description.  It made me feel I was there in her experience with her and I loved it!  She obviously has fallen in love with India and she made me love it too.  I hope Ms. Kjos has many more books to come.
3774080
The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone, The: The Emerging 21st-
Century Power, Shashi Tharoor - We Indians are often so starved for some
metric -- any metric, really -- of validation that we blindly embrace
Indians of all stripes residing outside India.  What else could explain
our head-long rush to claim Bobby Jindal as one of our own while
demonstrating obvious restraint for Mr. Shashi Tharoor? (For those
readers who may not know Mr. Jindal, he is the Indian-American
governor of the US state of Louisiana.)  Unarguably, and just as
unfortunately, present the names of Mr. Jindal and Mr. Tharoor to any
Indian in the US and the chances are better than even that they have
pride in Mr. Jindal while drawing blanks when Mr. Tharoor's name is
mentioned.  This is an egregious sin, for Mr. Tharoor revels in being an
Indian as much as Mr. Jindal repudiates it.  This revelry in all things
Indian is evident in Mr. Tharoor's latest book.

He staunchly believes and defends the Indian notion of secularism, which
he maintains is not the absence of any religion, but the proliferation
of many religions, all equally protected under the constitution (a point
he makes in other books as well, most notably in India: from midnight
to the millennium).  Going further, he makes the point that where
else can you find a political landscape so diverse that in the 2004
Indian elections, a Sikh (Manmohan Singh), representing a Congress party
headed by a Catholic (Sonia Gandhi),  was sworn in as prime minister by
a Muslim president (A.P.J. Abdul Kalam)!  It is certainly hard to argue
against that now, isn't it?

The book is great reading.  Besides the weighty issues of politics,
religion, constitution, and culture, Mr. Tharoor also makes detours to
cover the light-hearted issues of ever-changing city names in India
(Bombay becomes Mumbai, etc.), and the desire to add extra consonants
and vowels in soap operas because the producers believe that this extra
letter will certainly and undoubtedly lend an air of success to the
endeavor!  Oh, did I mention the fascination that Indians have with
cricket?

Any student of modern India -- be it in the political arena or cultural
one -- can ill afford to eschew the ruminations of Mr. Tharoor.  My
advice: if you are Indian and really want to be proud of it, read Mr.
Tharoor and leave Mr. Jindal to his devices.
3258373
Beautiful bag, as all Brahmins are but too large for me. I have a 9" wide cross body Brahmin and am searching for a 10" wide purse for a little more room. Absolutely sold on Brahmin quality!!
4120023
Love, love, love my Ujals!!!  It's hard to pick my favorite character because they're ALL so yummy.  I plan to finish this series of books; I'm hooked!!
4305049
As an Indian vegan, I'm so excited about this cookbook. I've been a fan of Richa's blog for years, and this cookbooks is equally amazing. The photos are gorgeous and plentiful, and the Kindle version is very well organized.

For those on the fence about buying another Indian cookbook (as I was): Do it! I've already bookmarked more than half of the recipes to try soon. What makes this book unique to me is that it has a lot of recipes I've personally found difficult to veganize from non-vegan Indian cookbooks, but it looks like Richa's done it! Specifically, the Dahi vada (black gram fritters in yogurt), malai peda (saffron cream fudge) and pista kulfi (pistachio ice cream).

The breakfast section looks incredible. I'll be making the Savory Pan-Fried French Toast (bread pakora), Spicy South Indian Tofu Scramble, and Savory Oats Hash (poha) soon.

My boyfriend is Assamese and it's rare to impossible to find Assamese recipes in Indian cookbooks. I'm going to make him the Assamese Greens and Potatoes!

The fusion dishes look very creative, particularly the Makhani Vegetable Pot Pie and the Spicy Red Lentil Cauliflower Potato Casserole. Will save these recipes for nights when I want Indian food but don't want to be chained to the stove.

I love Indian curries with tofu, tempeh, and seitan. The Butter Seitan Curry (seitan makhani) will be the first recipe I try from this section. Also intrigued by the Andhra-Style Tempeh Curry. I bet they'd be amazing with the Avocado naan.

I really bought this book for the dessert section though ;) I'm usually not a huge fan of Indian sweets, but I'm sad when I crave them occasionally and can't have them because they're not vegan. I'm so excited to try out this chapter!
2607060
First of all, this author needs no introduction. If you've read any of her books (my favorite being Sister of My Heart), you know that you won't be disappointed with this one. Mahabharata is my favorite Indian epic and Chitra Banerjee Divakurni did the story justice. It is written beautifully and is so much more exciting reading it from Draupadi's perspective. I remembered watching the series as a child and this was much more valuable because I could use my own imagination and I was better able to remember the plot and many characters. It was no different from the author's other works as it kept me so engaged and engrossed not wanting to put the book down even when my train stop had arrived. I looked forward to getting on the train every morning and continue reading, and would think about Draupadi and her experiences (the author has a way of writing that pulls you into the lives of her characters). I truly enjoyed this book and was disappointed when it was over. I've read all of this author's books and don't think she can write fast enough for me to read! This is truly a gem and I've recommended it to all my friends after receiving it as a birthday gift in December. I guarantee you'll love this one, especially if you know the story of the Mahabharata, India's greatest epic!!
4456112
I am still in the process of reading this book, but it is definitely a good read. I've come to admire this dynamic actress, whose artistry continues to grow and makes the world take notice. I love and appreciate Taraji's real and brassy quality, which makes her beauty luminate even more and is admired especially by women of color.
If this "around the way girl" continues to DO THE DAMN THING, as we say it, she' s going to become an "around the world girl!"
I recommend that readers get to know her by ordering this book. So, Iet me get back to mine ...happy reading!
4070279
I am loving the heroine and all her flaws, esp that she's 50 and still reintroduce her life out !!! I would just ADORE reading a lot more about her and her fabulous sounding vineyard. Keep'em  coming.=)