South Indian Classical Dance
Guests at Cardamom County are usually out and about enjoying the Periyar Tiger Reserve, the town or the spice plantations during the day, but in the evening there’s a lot of excitement at Cardamom County, especially as we head in to the holiday season. Continue reading
Photo Credit: Surfingindia.net
Oftentimes I find myself daydreaming of the saltwater breeze that accompanies the rolling bass of the heavy waves in the ocean — and I imagine those perfect waves… blue, crisp, clean and glassy, and the hollowest of tubes; peeling along the coastline in an epic demonstration of nature’s power. This is a common dream for those who understand the absolutely humbling experience of surfing; it is a burning desire and need to envelope one’s self in the soothing serenity of the water.
Photo credits: Renuka Menon
Diwali is the biggest and brightest Hindu festival of India. For 5 days all the homes are illuminated with lights and all the streets with firecrackers. For Hindus of all sects Diwali is the one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year. Since it is based on a lunar calendar the actual dates vary, but generally Diwali is celebrated each year during October to November. This year all Indians celebrating Diwali today, (November 2nd 2013). Continue reading
Click the image above to go to the video, and the blog post, highlighting this couple’s approach to the entrepreneurial conservation of heritage, practically in the form of a sacrament:
“I remember when Alice, at Chez Panisse, switched to grass-fed beef. It seemed so crazy at the time,” Chad Robertson, the co-owner of San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery, says between bouts of kneading dough. He stands at a long wooden counter toward the back of the bakery, where bins of various heights populate the shelves and floor. Inside the containers are grains of assorted colors and sizes, waiting to be sprouted or ground into flour and then transformed into hearty loaves. “Now look at grass-fed beef,” Robertson continues. “The price has dropped. It’s in the restaurants, and it’s everywhere. The same seems to be happening with these grains.” Continue reading
When I walked into Jacob’s Trade in Thekkady to get myself a bottle of cold water, I couldn’t help but notice the stack of potato chips that contained pretty much all the colors of the rainbow!
Here in Southern India, you can find many unique flavors of potato chips that you wouldn’t find in the States: “India’s Magic Masala,” “West Indies’ Hot ‘n’ Sweet Chilli,” “Spanish Tomato Tango,” “Chile Limon,” and even “Mastana Mango”! It is interesting to see how even regular Lay’s chips are all spiced up with the seasonings that are loved in India. Continue reading
Photo credit : Sindhu J
Margam Kali is one of the traditional group dances of Kerala practiced by Syrian Christians. The dancers wear the traditional Kerala Christian dress (white dhoti and blouse) while singing, dancing and rhythmically clapping around a lighted lamp. The dance form dates back to the 16th century during the Portuguese era, telling the story of the arrival of St. Thomas to the Malabar coast. Continue reading
Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Last year we were a bit “off calendar” in honoring one of our favorite American Masters, this year less so. The good news is that his music and his relentless work on behalf of less fortunate people and the communities they were part of is so vast that, luckily for us, it will take some time to exhaust the full measure of his recordings.
For decades, we’ve had the Smithsonian recordings (with the help of Alan Lomax and Moe Asch) to thank for preserving both the musical and oral history of the nation. In honor of this less symmetrical birthday Rounder Records has released additional works from the archives, this time focusing on the part of Guthrie’s canon that was written for the American government.
In the Library of Congress recordings, the young musicologist and historian Alan Lomax made recordings of songs and stories in the 1940s of many of the country’s most colorful and important musicians, including Guthrie.
Along with John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” it is one of the single greatest resources for understanding Depression-era Oklahoma: how the pioneer spirit reacted when confronted with crushing poverty. Continue reading
Photo credits: Sooraj
Kummattikali is a folk dance celebrating the arrival of King Mahabali to visit his subjects during Onam. Kummattikali is famous in the north of Kerala, especially the region of Thrissur. It is believed that the presiding deity of Vadakkuumnathan Temple in Thrissur asked the attending spirits to perform for him. The dance they presented came to be known as Kummattikali. Decorated masks carved from wood adorn the face while the body is covered with a grass skirt . Continue reading
Photo credits: Aaradhana
A Para is a traditional measuring vessel associated with the rice paddy system in Kerala. Customarily the vessels are made of either brass or wood. Filling a Para to overflowing with a paddy offering to God is an important ritual by many devotees. Continue reading
Raxa interns and Amie, pre-mixing!
Christmas is still two months away and Cardamom County is nowhere close to a location that receives snowfall, but we still rang in the holiday season a little early by holding the unakka pazha kootu ceremony. Unakka pazha kootu is a mixture of dried fruits, spices, and liquor, which is used as the core ingredient to make Christmas cake and pudding.
Setting the alcohol and mixture on fire
A MASSIVE amount of dried fruits—dates, cherries, cashew nuts, black current, sultanas, apricot, plums, fig, ginger peel, and orange peel—were elaborately and colorfully organized on top of carefully plastic lined tables laid out side by side inside the conference hall. Then, Shinou, our bakery chef, lit up a candle and literally set the fruits and alcohol on fire! Continue reading
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Vidyarambham is a traditional Hindu ritual conducted in the first week of October at the time of Navaratri, Vijayadshami day. Vidyarambham means the beginning of education. The Goddess Sarasvati is worshiped all over the country as the Goddess of learning. Continue reading
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Dakshina Mookambika Saraswathi Temple is dedicated to Goddess Saraswathi, the patron Goddess for learning and arts. The major festival of this prominent Saraswathi Temples is the Saraswathi Pooja that takes place in September or October, depending on the annual Malayalam calendar. Continue reading
Our house… boats
This past week the new intern (EJ) and I got the chance to try out Raxa Collective’s collection of overnight houseboats (River Escapes for those interested) on the serene backwaters of Kerala. With an influx of water hailing from the Ghats, these backwaters are the lifeblood of a significant portion of Keralan rice farmers; generations upon generations of these farmers have mastered their craft in a terrifically unique environment , and thus, a magnificently odd community unlike anything you would ever see state-side has emerged upon the banks of these backwaters.
As countries go, India is just about as varied as they come. With a history of people coming here to either lose themselves or find themselves, it’s simultaneously colorful, soulful and gritty.
This offering by the Indian tourism board will take your breath away!
Photo credits: Tintu
Toddy shops are not just about toddy. They are also known for the food they serve, mainly the spicy variety. The particular dishes vary from the region to region. The eastern part of the state favours dry food while in the central and southern districts seafood is preferred. Continue reading
Slow Food, Slow Cities, Slow Travel…the element of time and how we either squander it or savor it has become a meme for the movement toward the local, the artisanal, the responsible. The idea that doing something slowly and carefully and taking the time to enjoy it can be almost universally applied.
There’s enough evidence that the stress of fast-paced, over-programed lives take a toll on our health and happiness, no matter what our age. Continue reading
Photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Dedicated to the Goddess Kali, Neelamperoor Pooram Padayani is celebrated at the Bhagavathi Temple near Alappuzha. Padayani is a ritualistic dance popular in the central Kerala region but it differs from other Padayani performances as it features a swan motif called “Annan Kettu”. Continue reading
The 20th annual World Porridge Making Championships will take place in the Scottish Highland village of Carrbridge on Saturday 5th October 2013.
We should have known such an event existed. Now that we do, but being stuck in south India with no time to witness it first hand today, we will watch it from afar; but we have marked the calendar for next year’s championships. Meanwhile, you might find interesting how we came to know about this event.
A hazy Kochi view
Thirty hours of rigorous travel and claustrophobic flights could not prepare me for an equally strenuous culture adjustment; however, that is the appeal of being a Western foreigner today — the luxury of being able to experience contrastingly different ways of life should not be squandered, rather embraced positively — here is a chance to engage in a learning experience unparalleled by classrooms in a university.
It is always amusing to me that even before arriving in a particular foreign destination, airlines attempt to mediate “culture adjustment” by serving airplane-food versions of that culture’s culinary specialty; I actually regret not taking a picture of said “food,” but I am sure it is not hard to imagine the quality.
Among the more interesting revelations, during his tenure as Editor of the New Yorker magazine, is that he is a big fan of The Boss. He has posted on the magazine’s website several times following his profile of Bruce Springsteen in the magazine last year. We normally shy away from posts about music on this site, for the same reason we shy away from cute kitten videos: you do not need more of that. But David Remnick’s writing is different. It is about community as much as it is about music. And his post today about this event in New York is not only about community, but about keeping heritage alive by infusing it with innovation–that is, entrepreneurial conservation:
When it comes to “Inside Llewyn Davis,” the new Coen brothers movie, I’ll respectfully leave the critical work to my colleagues Anthony Lane and David Denby, except to say that the movie’s appreciation of its great subject—the folk-music scene in Greenwich Village in the period just before Bob Dylan’s arrival—is wry, but full and soulful. Inspired by Dave Van Ronk’s wonderful memoir, “The Mayor of MacDougal Street,” and many other sources, the Coens have their fun about the scene, but their love for the music—the depth and variety of it—could not be more evident. Continue reading
Organikos 
