#MANDUAAO,
#mandumekhojao. These hashtags kept doing rounds in my mind as I stepped out of the airport into a waiting car to take me to the ancient city of Mandu in Madhya Pradesh, also known as the City of Joy. I was part of a group invited to experience the Mandu Festival, organised by the government of Madhya Pradesh.
A two-hour drive from Indore and some sugary tea later at a roadside dhaba, the car finally entered the sleepy town of Mandu, about 29km in area with a single lane going through the town. After a bumpy ride and some confusion as to where exactly our experience of the festival would begin, we are all taken to a very rustic set up by the Sagar Talao or lake.
Here, under a giant banyan tree, lunch had been organised of local delicacies — crab soup, green lentil curry, local pilaf, country chicken curry (karaknath chicken), maize flour cakes roasted on open fire of dried cowpat and paddy stalks, corn and spinach curry, millet flatbreads and some beer to beat the heat.
Savitri Bai, a local farmer, was supervising the making of maize flour cakes called paniya and flatbreads on the chulha (firewood oven) in the makeshift kitchen as her other women relatives expertly kept stacking the freshly-roasted paniyas and flatbreads on a plate. “I have never been to Delhi. I was told people are coming from Delhi to see how we live in a village. I grow maize and millet here and during festivals when city folks come here, I get some money for preparing local food and hosting guests,” Savitri said breaking into a smile and pointing to her low roofed mud hut and adding that the walls of her home and the courtyard had been freshly plastered with cow dung as is the custom before a householder receives guests for an occasion.
Bu hikaye The MAN dergisinin March 01, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The MAN dergisinin March 01, 2021 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
The 2023 Bucket List
Before the world as we know it changes forever, here's a partial list of experiences to try in the year ahead
Do You Have The Time To Read Your Watch?
Audemars Piguet Starwheel Code 11.59 is the latest among watches with unusual layouts
THEY CAME THEY RODE, THEY CONQUERED
FOUR WOMEN BIKERS TRAVERSING THE UNTOUCHED TERRAIN OF EASTERN ARUNACHAL ON THEIR DUCATI MULTISTRADA BIKES. THE 'EXPLORE BEYOND' BIKING EXPEDITION WAS AN INITIATIVE OF ARUNACHAL TOURISM TO SHOWCASE THE STATE AS A SAFE DESTINATION FOR SOLO WOMEN TRAVELLERS. THE RIDE WAS FLAGGED OFF BY CM PEMA KHANDU FROM THE BANKS OF THE SIANG AT PASIGHAT AND WOUND UP AT THE ORANGE FESTIVAL OF ADVENTURE & MUSIC, DAMBUK, WHERE THE BIKERS LET THEIR HAIR DOWN AND PARTIED LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW. YUP, GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN, AND IN ARUNACHAL THEY CAN - SAFELY
ΤΗΕ RIGHT ΤΙΜΕ
AS CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY BECOME BURNING ISSUES, WATCH BRANDS TOO ARE DOING THEIR BIT TO SUPPORT CAUSES, BOTH THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL THE TIMEPIECES THEY ARE CREATING AND THE INITIATIVES THEY ARE UNDERTAKING
THE GOLDENPASS EXPRESS
A LUXURY SWISS WINTER ESCAPE ROUTE
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
WITH BOUTIQUE LODGES AND ΝΟ CROWDS, THE MORE EXCLUSIVE TEHLA ZONE OF SARISKA NATIONAL PARK IS EMERGING AS THE DESTINATION OF CHOICE FOR WILDLIFE ENTHUSIASTS
LAMBORGHINI HURACAN EVO SPYDER TOP-DOWN ADRENALINE MACHINE
A machine sculpted to perfection, the Lamborghini Huracan EVO Spyder is a sensational car in every sense. It is fast, it's beautiful, and it is just special
CARS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2023
WITH THE devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the acute supply chain disruptions caused by it beginning to ease, the automotive industry is rapidly accelerating out of the deep crisis it found itself two years ago.
DATING A SINGLE MOM
IT’S A COOL Friday evening. She is sitting with a cup of hot chocolate and unwinding with her phone. Her dating app has 10 unread messages. She hopes that at least one match will lead to a conversation and a date that weekend.
YOUR SHIP HAS COME IN
Go-karting, the world’s first freefall dry slide on sea, musical shows, spa, artwork... this new ship has raised the bar on many levels!