Tofu

TOFU was discovered about 2,000years ago by a Chinese cook who accidently curdled soy milk when he added ‘nigari seaweed’.

It contains all eight essential amino acids and lots of protein  It is also an excellent source of iron and calcium and minerals  ——- manganese, selenium and phosphorous.

The soy protein in tofu may be beneficial for heart health, menopause, and is also known to fight breast cancer.  Like cheese, there is more than one variation available of tofu.  There is ‘silken tofu’, extra soft, firm, medium and extra firm too.  Also, owing to its generally neutral taste, tofu is culinary chameleon, lending itself to an infinite number of food preparations ——- it can be pickled, fermented, stir-fried or even used in miso soup.

Tofu is packed with water, then it is packed in water.  We need to get that water out and replace it with flavour.  Not pressing the water out of the tofu is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.  Open the package and drain the water.

In Japan, a common lunch in the summer months is HIYAYAKKO  —— silken or firm Asian tofu served with freshly-grated ginger, green onions with soy sauce.  In winter, tofu is frequently eaten as YUDOFU, which is simmered in a clay pot with some vegetables.

In China, tofu is traditionally used as an offering when visiting the graves of deceased relatives.  It is claimed that since the spirits (or ghosts) have long lost their chins and jaws, only tofu is soft enough for them to eat.

Tofu soaks up all the flavours you cook it with.  You can quickly toss it with a sauce just before cooking, or let it soak up all the flavours of the dish you are using it in.

One of the founding fathers of the US, Benjamin Franklin, was the first American to mention tofu in a letter dated January 11, 1770.

Not much is known about the art of pairing tofu with wine, probably because of its versatility.  When soft and silky, it pairs well with light white wines, while the firmer versions cooked with spicy ingredients call for more robust whites or reds.

Silken tofu is very creamy, almost like custard.  It is used to make delicious desserts  ———- from chocolate pudding and pumpkin pie to cheesecake.  —————–

supriya.sharma2@timesgroup.com

Bocche di Cattaro

BOCCHE di CATTARO, in Italian (Bay of Kotor), BOKA KOTORSK (Serbian and Montenegrin) , known simply as BOKA (The Bay) is a winding bay in the  Adriatic Sea in south-westernmost Montenegro, just off the coast of Puglia, where it is wedged in a fjord coast for about 28km, creating a unique landscape suspended between sea and mountains.  Here is a great lake in which ships are moored .  These boats are precisely created for the sea and certainly not for closed waters.

The bay is about 28km long with a shoreline extending 107.3km.  It is surrounded by two massifs of the Dinaric Alps : the ORJEN mountains to the west and the LOVCEN mountains to the east.  The narrowest section of the bay, the 2,300metres long VERIGE STRAIT, is only 340mts wide at its narrowest point.  The bay is a RIA of the vanished BOKELJ River that used to run from high mountain plateaus of Mount Orjen.The outermost part of the bay is the Bay of TIVAT.  On the seaward side is the Bay of HERCES NOVI.  The inner bays are the Bay of RISAN to the northwest and the Bay of KOTOR to the southeast.

Going down to the sea level, you can discover a small, but ancient city, declared  World Heritage by UNESCO in order to preserve the historical centre, its walls its Churches and the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon with its 12 squares and the TORRE DELL Clock.

The Flour Square includes the PIMA Palace and other buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.  The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon dominates another town square (originally built in the 9th century) after the catastrophic earthquake of 1667.  The remarkable façade with 2 towers is a unique example in Montenegro and frescoes dating back to the 14th century.  Near the Cathedral you can visit GRGURIN, a building that houses the maritime museum and its impressive collection of historical records of all the civilisations that have flourished in the Bay of Kotor.  Continuing along the road that runs along the Salt Lake, you can meet the surreal PERAST ( a small village) full of ancient buildings and fronted by two small islands, dominated by four Churches.  Continuing further, you go to RISAN, a town of ancient origin, in which the Romans built exceptional buildings  ——- whose mosaics are still visible ——- with the marble from Greece.

Most of the inhabitants are Orthodox Christians, declaring themselves on Census Forms as either Serbs or as Montenegrins, while a minority are Croatian.  The Bay region is under the protection of UNESCO due to its cultural heritage.  Today, the Boka has about 100 Catholic Churches and about 200 Orthodox Churches.

Panchagni Vidya

PANCHAGNI VIDYA, the Theory of the Five Fires, is central to the understanding of the laws of the Universe.

The CHHANDOGYA UPANISHAD lays down a unique template which maps out each activity in the Universe through the prism of chants.  The term CHHANDOGYA  is etymologically derived from CHHANDA (poetic metre).  Even as it presents a five-to-seven fold chant structure, through which all human and natural phenomena are seen, the CHHANDOGYA, at another level, goes deep into the metaphysical dimension of the empirical world.

The doctrine of PANCHAGNI through the story of Svetaketu, the highly learned and educated son of Sage Uddalaka, who, in the course of his travels, turns up at the court of king Pravahana Jaivali.  Having welcomed the learned young man, the King poses some questions to Svetaketu to comprehend how much the young man has learned.

His first question, “Do you know where mortals go to after death ?” perplexes Svetaketu, who is at a loss for words. The second question, “Do you know from where people come when they are reborn ?” confuses Svetaketu.  The third and fourth question, “Are you aware of the two paths through which the soul ascends ?” and “What is the reason this world is able to contain so many people yet not overflow ?” further stumps the young scholar.

The last question, “Are you aware of the Five oblations that are offered, and how the fifth as water / liquid becomes a human ?” leaves Svetaketu at his wit’s end.  He realises that there are fundamental principles of which he is unaware.  So he turns to his father, but he too has no insight into such matters.  His father turns to the King for answers.

The King initiates Sage Uddalaka into the principal of the Five Fires, in which the COSMOS / SKY is in itself metaphorically seen as a great altar, into which the fuel of the burning sun is offered, from which rises the moon.  The Upanishad lays down this as the first Fire stating that all existence follows this cycle of fire.  The next altar is of CLOUDS, where the fuel is the air from which arises rain.

The third altar is EARTH, where the fuel is time, from which arises food.  The fourth altar is MAN, where the fuel is food, from which arises semen (seed).  The fifth and last altar is WOMAN, to who the seed is offered as oblation, and from whence arises the foetus.

The CHHANDOGYA views Creation at all levels as a sort of YAJNA (sacrifice), where every activity is interconnected.  The birth of a child is not just a simple outcome between man and woman.  The CHHANDOGYA states that the child is conceived from every cell of the universe, and this prompts us to look beyond the obvious, to delve deep into the

fundamentals of whatever we see, hear or touch.

TAT TVAM ASI is the grand chant of the CHHANDOGYA, the MAHAVAKYA that each of us COMES FROM and ARE that Self, the ATMAN, nothing less.  ———

————-Pranav Khullar.

What should we ask God for?

When people are able to connect to the Divine and to benefit from Divine Grace in their endeavours, the mind gets perplexed as to what it should ask for.

In the Bhagawad Gita, Lord Krishna says that devotees worship him for different reasons-some people only want worldly possessions, power or relief from illness.  There are others who want to understand the mystery of the Cosmos.  And finally there are those who remember the Divine out of sheer affection.  Lord Krishna states further that He loves all devotees and fulfils their wishes in different ways, but the ones who pray to Him just for the sake of love are closest to His heart.

In the Ramayana, when Kevat ferried Lord Rama across the Ganga, He offered Kevat a precious ring in return for his service.  But Kevat was enlightened and knew that there was something far more precious that Lord Rama could bestow upon him.  So he prayed that in return for his service, he may be freed from the cycle of birth and death and be granted eternal devotion.  An overwhelmed Lord Rama accepted Kevat’s request.

According to Sri Aurobindo, the only way to this realisation is through self-unification and evolution.  Sri Aurobindo saw the self as consisting of the physical or body, the vital or emotions, the mental or reason and cognition and the psychic or the dynamic representation of Atman.

Often the voices of the physical, vital and reason are so dominant that they bind us in a false identity and we often express ourselves through this falsehood.  The psychic voice is a very faint one, but when we neglect it, it gives us a sense of unease.  We should let our physic see all our parts, movements, thoughts, emotions, desires and will and then accept only that which takes us close to the Divine.

—– Pulkit Sharma.

Piplantri

PIPLANTRI is a village located in RAJSAMAND District in Rajasthan State.

The villagers of Piplantri plant 111 trees every time a girl child is born, and the community ensures these trees survive, attaining fruition as the girls grow up.  Over the years, people have managed to plant over a quarter million trees on the village’s grazing commons, including neem, sheesham, mango and amla among others.

To ensure financial security, after the birth of a girl child, the villagers contribute 21,000 rupees collectively and take 10,000 rupees from the parents and put the amount in a FD, which can be broken when she is 20 years old.  To make sure the child receives proper education, the villagers make the parents sign an affidavit which also restricts them from marrying her off before she attains the legal age for marriage.

 

Shyam Sundar Palwal, the former Sarpanch (village head) started this initiative in memory of his daughter (Kiran) who died a few years ago.  The initiative begun in 2006 has turned Piplantri Village into an oasis.  The planting of the trees have raised the water level.  IT has also helped the village economy.  To keep termites away from the trees, many of which bear fruit, the village has planted more than 2.5million Aloe Vera plants around them.  Gradually, the villagers realised that Aloe Vera could be processed and marketed in a variety of ways.  So, the community now produces and markets Aloe Vera products like juice and gel, pickle and other items.  So, for the last several years, Piplantri is quietly practising its own home-grown eco-feminism and achieving spectacular results.  On an average 60 girls are born every year in Piplantri.

People also plant 11 trees whenever a family member dies.  The Village Panchayat, which has a studio-recorded anthem and a website of its own, has completed banned alcohol, open grazing of animals and cutting of trees.  Villagers claim that there has been no police case since the last seven or eight years.

Piplantri is well-known for its marble mining industry.  In this Gram Panchayat, the famous R. K. Marbles is located whose name is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Record for maximum production of marbles.

The village was awarded by the Rajasthan Government and included in Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Adarsh Gram Yojna and it is the only village from Rajsamand to get selected for it.

—————- Mahim Pratap Singh for The Hindu. 

Giethoorn

GIETHOORNS ( Goat Horns), the name originated from the first inhabitants’ discovery of hundreds of goat horns. 

Giethoorn is a village in the Dutch Province of OVERIJSSEL.  It is located in the municipality of STEENWIJKERLAND, about 5km southwest of STEENWIJK.

It used to be an auto-free zone, but nowadays, exceptions are made.  It became locally famous, especially after 1958, when the Dutch film-maker Bert Haanstra made his famous comedy FANFARE there.  In the old part of the village, there were no roads (though a cycling path was eventually added), and all transport was done by water over one of the many canals.  The lake in Giethoorn was formed by peat-unearthing.

Tourism has had a relatively small influence on the old traditional town.  The village, still only fully accessible by boat, is one of the several places commonly known as the Venice of the North or Venice of the Netherlands.

Giethoorn has 180 bridges.  Giethoorn is a very popular attraction among Chinese tourists.  The village of only 2,620 inhabitants sees between 150,000 to 200,000 Chinese tourists every year.

Since all transport is done buy boat, Giethoorn has punts (traditional flat-bottomed boats that are used for transport over the canals.  Giethoorn has a long shape and is separated into three tiny settlements : NOORDEINDE, MIDDENBUURT & ZUIDENDE. The DORPSGRACHT is the central canal that connects these separate settlements.  The farms and houses are separated from each other by small canals.  The BULTRUGBOERDERIJ is a common type of farm in Giethoorn.  It seems to have a large bump because the barn is larger than the house in front.

Giethoorn is so peaceful, so different and has such simple beauty, that it hardly seems real ——- gently gliding along small canals past old, but pretty, thatched-roof farmhouses.  You can turn down a side street (another small canal) and drift under a wooden bridge where an elderly resident may be strolling over to see a neighbour.

Giethoorn is Holland’s “water village”, and the loudest sound you can normally hear is a quacking of a duck or the noises made by other birds.  The little village is so dependent on its waterways that many houses cannot be reached by road.  When the postman delivers the mail, he travels by punt.

Boating has been a popular tourist attraction here for years, with 90km of canoe trails and scores of motorboats to rent, but now, instead of conventional outboard motors, the hire shops stock so-called WHISPER- BOATS ———– dinghies driven by electric motor.  There are three canal-side museums to visit and the SCHREUR shipyard, where the Giethoorn punt is built.

Kampong Ayer

KAMPONG AYER or the WATER VILLAGE (Malay : KAMPONG AIR) is an area of Brunei’s capital city BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, that is situated over Brunei Bay.  39,000 people live in Kampong Ayer.  This represents roughly 10% of the nation’s total population.  All of the Kampong Ayer’s buildings are constructed on stilts above the Brunei River.

As part of His Majesty’s plans to improve the standard of living for the people in Kampong Ayer,  King Hassanal Bolkiah decreed to build modern 2-storey stilt houses made of concrete in the centre of Kampong Ayer, starting around 2013 – 2014.  These houses would be given to the people in need of a new house who were not wishing to live on land.

Built entirely of stilt houses and wooden walkways, this cluster of 42 villages, housing more than 30,000 inhabitants, is the world’s largest Water Village.  The Water Village is really made up of small villages linked together by more than 29,140metres of foot-bridges, consisting of over 4,200 structures, including homes, mosques, restaurants, shops, schools and a hospital.  36kms of board-walks connect the buildings.  Private water taxis provide rapid transit.  Most of these taxis resemble long wooden speedboats.  From a distance, the Water Village looks like a slum.  It actually enjoys modern amenities including air-conditioning, satellite television, Internet access, plumbing and electricity.  Some of the residents keep potted plants and chickens.

The district has a unique architectural heritage of wooden with ornate interiors.  People have lived in Kampong Ayer for over 1300 years.  Antonio Pigafetta dubbed it the “Venice of the East”, when the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan visited in 1521.  The district is a culturally important part of Brunei that preserves the nation’s river dwelling origins.  According to geography Professor Abdul Aziz of the UNIVERSITI BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, this is the largest and most famous water settlement of Southeast Asia.  It was historically the very core of Brunei and one of the most important centres of trade in Borneo.

In order to preserve Kampong Ayer as Brunei Darussalam’s  most valuable heritage, the Government, through the District Office, has provided it with numerous facilities including foot-bridges, concrete jetties, piped water, electricity supplies, telephones, a school, mosques, clinics, a police station and a marine fire station.  All of the six Water Village MUKIMS (districts) are collectively known as the Kampong Ayer, but are identified as separate MUKIMS for administrative purposes.

Kampong Ayer retains much of the historical features of the 16th century.  The traditional lifestyle of its inhabitants ——– fishermen, river traders (PADIAN as they are called in the Malay language) and artisans making and selling traditional handicrafts (silverware, brassware, wood carvings and cloth weaving) ——- has remained unchanged. since then.

Visitors can have a personal experience of this heritage by taking one of the many water taxis that ply daily between the water taxi jetty in front of the Yayasan in the centre of town and the Water Village itself.

Forgotten cities

FORGOTTEN CITIES or DEAD CITIES were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, under the name of Ancient Villages of Northern Syria.

They are a group of 700 abandoned settlements in north-west Syria between Aleppo and Idlib. Around 40 villages, grouped in eight archaeological parks, provide an insight into rural life Late Antiquity and during the Byzantine Period.  Most villages which date from 1st to 7th centuries became abandoned  between the 8th and 10th centuries.  the settlements feature the well-preserved architectural remains of dwellings, Pagan Temples, Churches, Cisterns, Bath-houses, etc,.

The Dead Cities are situated in an elevated area of limestone known as limestone Massif.  These ancient settlements cover an area 20 – 40km wide and some 140km long.  The Massif includes 3 groups of highlands : 1st Northern Group of Mount Simeon and Mount Kurd; 2nd group of HARIM Mountains and 3rd group of ZAWIYA Mountains.

Chris Wickham (framing : The Early Middle Ages — 2006) argues that these were settlements of prosperous peasants.  The impressive remains are the result of the prosperity of peasants who benefited from a strong International Trade in Olive Oil at the end of Antiquity.

Another argument is that these prosperous cities flourished because they were located along major trade routes in the Byzantine Empire.

The majority of the Dead Cities are well-preserved and tourists can access the sites quite freely despite the on-going excavations and some restoration work, though some them are quite difficult to reach without a guide.

 ** KALOTA CASTL & CURCHES : —— The Castle was originally built as a Roman Temple during the 2nd century AD.  After converting to Christianity, the Temple was turned into a Basilica within the 5th century.  There are two well-preserved Churches near the Castle : the Easter Church built in 492 and the Western Church of the 6th century.  ** KHARAB SHAMS Basilica, one of the oldest best-preserved Christian structures, dates to the 4th century.

** FAFERTIN CHURCH : A half-ruined Roman Basilica, dates to 372AD and is located 22km north-west of Aleppo.  It is among the oldest-dated Churches in the world.  ** SURQANYA Village, located 23km north-west of Aleppo, preserves the remains of an old Byzantine settlement and with a half-ruined 6t century Chapel.

** KAFR KIRA, located 24km north-west of Aleppo, has many half-ruined Churches dating back to the 4th and 6th centuries.  ** SINHAR Settlement, known as SIMKHAR, is located 24km north-west of Aleppo, is an isolated valley.  Its Basilica is among the oldest Churches in Syria and dates back to the 4th century, while the nearby Chapel is 6th century.

** MUSHABBAK BASILICA, a well-preserved Church from the 2nd half of the 5th century (around 470) is located 25km west of Aleppo, near the town of DARET A’ZZEH.

** BARAD, an ancient settlement, 32km west of Aleppo, has many old Basilicas.

** AIN DARA TEMPLE, an Iron age Syro – Hittite Temple, dating between 10th and 8th centuries BC, is 45km north-west of Aleppo.

Many other Sites and Dead Cities in the area are located at various distances around Aleppo and Idlib..

Sringeri

SRINGERI, also written as SHRINGERI, is a hill town and taluka headquarters located in CHIKKAMAGALURU District in Karnataka.  It is the site of the first MATHA (SRINGERI SHARADA PEETA) established by Adi Shankara, Hindu theologian and exponent of the ADVAITA VEDANTA Philosophy in the 8th century CE.  It is located on the banks of the River Tunga and is also an historical temple (1,200-years-old).

The name SRINGERI is derived from RISHYASHRINGA —- a nearby hill which is believed to have contained the hermitage of RISHI VIBHANDAKA and his son.  The Rishi appears in an episode in the Ramayana, where a story narrated by VASISHTHA, relates how he brought rains to the drought-stricken Kingdom of ROMAPADA.

According to legend, ADI SHANKARACHARYA is said to have selected the site as the place to stay and teach his disciples because when he was walking by the Tunga River, he saw a cobra with a raised hood, providing shelter from the hot sun to a frog about to spawn.  Impressed by the place where natural enemies had gone beyond their instincts, he stayed here for twelve years.  He also established MATHAS in the northern (at JYOTIMATH, near Badrinath), eastern (at PURI) and western (at DWARKA) quarters of India.

SRINGERI is home to a number of historic temples.  Of these, SRI SHARADAMBA Temple & SRIVIDYASHANKARA and PARSHWANATH Jain Temple are prominent.  Other historic temples nearby are HORNADU, KOLLUR & KALASA.

(1) SHARADAMBA TEMPLE, dedicated to the Goddess of learning and wisdom, has grown from a simple shrine dating to the time of Adi Shankaracharya.  In the 14th century, VIDYARANYA is said to have replaced the old sandalwood image with a stone and gold image.  The Temple structure itself continued to be made of wood till the early 20th century.  After an unexpected fire that damaged the structure, the current structure was built in the traditional South Indian CHETTINADU Style of Temple structure.

(2) VIDYASHANKARA TEMPLE was built in commemoration of the Pontiff Vidyashankara, around 1357 – 58 CE.  It was built by Vidyaranya, patron-saint of HARIHARA & BUKKA, the brothers who founded the VIJAYANAGARA Empire.  The niches in the Temple have a number of sculptures from Hindu Mythology.  Inscriptions in the Temple record contributions made by several Vijayanagara Emperors, but the Temple was probably built on an earlier Hoysala site as it combines Hoysala and Vijayanagara architecture features.  The Temple architecture is also an exhibition of the astronomical expertise of Medieval South Indian Temple builders.  The main Temple Hall features  12 pillars designated for the 12 signs of the Zodiac.  Windows and doors along the Temple walls are arranged such that EQUINOXES sunrise views reach the Deity.  The northern and southern gates enable the sunrise view from the Hall during SOLSTICES.  The Temple was built in the year 1338 AD.  It stands on a high plinth and commands a magnificent view from the hills and the slopes all around.  It is more or less a rectangle with  APISIDAL east-west ends.  On the western side is the GARBHAGRIHA, with VIDYA GANAPATI on one side and DURGA on the other side of the entrance.  On the other three sides are shrines to BRAHMA, VISHNU & MAHESHWARA with their consorts.  In the eastern half of the structure is a MANTAPA with 12 pillars, huge monoliths carrying large figures and carrying heavy projecting CORBELS on top.  The central ceiling is an exquisite piece of workmanship with lotus and pecking parrots.  The VIMANA over the GARBHAGRIHA rises magnificently with SHIKARA, MAHAPADAMA & STUPI.  The rest of the roof is made up of sloping channelled slab.  The basement is elaborately sculpted with animals, Siva, Vishnu, Dasavatara, Kali, Shanmukha and so on.  To a student of Hindu Iconography, this Temple is a veritable storehouse of sculpture.

(3) THE ZODIAC PILLARS, in the Vidyashankara Temple, are popularly known as RASHISTAMBHAS (Zodiacal Pillars).  Among the many delicate carvings, lions that are engraved in biped positions on the pillars may be mentioned.  There are stone balls inside the growling faces of the lions and they can be moved inside their mouths.

Since SRINGERI is situated in the MALNAD Region, the best time to visit is between October and March.