Recently I traveled to Indonesia and surprised to learn that culturally Indonesian are very close to us. Even their food has certain commonality. And interestingly I come to know that our very own Idli has its origin in Indonesia. Let us start with religion. Hindu and Budhist influences arrived in this archipelago much before birth of Jesus Christ. It is however unclear that how the cultural and spiritual ideas from India were diffused in the area. It appears that there had been regular trade links between southern part of India with Ceylon, Java, Sumatra, Bali as well as many other Islands in Indian as well as Pacific ocean. The traders from India brought their cultural, culinary and religious influences. Java legends refer to Saka-era, traced to 78 AD . Stories from the famous epic Mahabharat have been traced in Indonesian islands to the 1st century; whose versions mirror those found in southeast Indian peninsular region. The Javanese prose work Tantu Pagelaran of the 14th cent...
I met Punit Pania yesterday at Independence Brewing Company. an happening watering hole in Lokhandwala area just before his stand-up comedy act. In fact he was generous enough to share his space with The Book Club event on first floor of pub, he shared his journey from a safe Corporate Den to the wild world of stand-up comedians. Punit is a Non-Gujju born and broughtup in Gujju dominated Society in Kandivali East as a protected child, where his parents did not allow him to travel any place beyond the reach of auto rikshaw ! Not only that her mother was so protective that she was happy to concede her son's intent to start a pathological lab in the area so that he come every day for maa ke haath kaa dopahar ka khana ! But destiny thought otherwise, after spending seven years in Corporate World , Punit became a stand-up comedian. Protected, safe and secured years of salaried existence, he came out of the closet. Punit is the single man behind Chalta Hai Comedy – a...
I visited Sammamish Art Fair today at City Hall. It is now fall time but the day was sunny. So the Fair attracted big crowd of art lovers. While going from stall to stall, seeing paintings, photographs, artifacts made by the local artists, I decided to sit in a cozy corner to relax for a while. An attractive young man was busy in his fixing his guitar and soundbox for his musical performance, a young, attractive tall lady was helping him in the process. He started playing jazz music along with a saxophone and cello player. The lady sat next to me after the everything fixed for the performance. Conversation started. The young guitar player runs a music school in Issaquah downtown. The lady sitting along with me was his wife. It started with a very formal kind of conversation. She asked about my job and background. When she knew that I am from India, her facial expressions changed and I could feel warmth as if she did find some one from her own fraternity. Her name is Huma ...
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