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Gulab Kaur to Potti Sriramalu: Unsung heroes of the Indian freedom struggle

How 700 kg of legendary gulab halwa is handmade every day in India

<ul><li><keyword id="48505" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ncert" source="Orion">NCERT</keyword>) Director <keyword id="13105606" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Dinesh-Prasad-Saklani" source="Orion">Dinesh Prasad Saklani</keyword> on Tuesday clarified that chapters on <keyword id="133453" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="mughals" source="Orion">Mughals</keyword> had not been 'dropped' from CBSE books, and said that its a "lie".</li><li>He said that even today students are studying the history of the Mughals in NCERT's class 7th book.</li></ul>NEW DELHI: National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani on Tuesday clarified that chapters on Mughals had not been 'dropped' from CBSE books, and said that its a "lie". "It's a lie. (Chapters on) Mughals have not been dropped. There was a rationalisation process last year because due to Covid, there was pressure on students everywhere," the <keyword id="116349" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ncert-director" source="Orion">NCERT director</keyword> told ANI. The NCERT chief further said that expert committees examined the books from standards 6-12. "They recommended that if this chapter is dropped, it won't affect the knowledge of the children and an unnecessary burden can be removed...The debate is unnecessary. Those who don't know can check the textbooks...," Saklani said. He said that even today students are studying the history of the Mughals in NCERT's class 7th book. "Along with this, the history of Mughals is being taught in Empires in section-2 of the 11th class book. And in the class 12th book there were 2 chapters on the history of the Mughals, out of which theme nine was removed last year, while theme eight is still being taught to the students. This year no chapter has been removed from any book," Saklani further said. "We are working as per NEP (National Education Policy) 2020. This is a transition phase. NEP 2020 speaks of reducing the content load. We are implementing it. NCF (National Curriculum Framework) for school education is being formed, it will be finalised soon. Textbooks will be printed in 2024 as per NEP. We have not dropped anything right now," the NCERT chief said while stressing the National Education Policy. On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi also denied the reports claiming of removing the chapter of the Mughal Sultanate from CBSE and UP Board. "There is no change of any kind in our syllabus. Those who are running this type of misleading news, I request them not to run such news," Gulab Devi said. If there will be any further changes under the new education policy, then it cannot be said. At present, there is no change. The curriculum which was in 2022 will remain the same this time in 2023-24, she said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/cert-in-warns-of-high-severity-vulnerabilities-in-apple-products-urges-immediate-action/articleshow/99231900.cms">CERT-In warns of high-severity vulnerabilities in Apple products, urges immediate action</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/googles-new-features-to-simplify-travel-planning-including-a-mobile-friendly-hotel-browsing-feature-a-price-guarantee-badge-for-flights-and-more/articleshow/99235884.cms">Google’s new features to simplify travel planning, including a mobile-friendly hotel browsing feature, a price guarantee badge for flights, and more</a>

Chapters on Mughals have not been dropped, NCERT chief clarifies

If you're one of those people who believe it's possible to fall in love with food and would rather have a plate of burger and fries for company than people, well we have a question for you- exactly how much are you willing to spend for a food item? 
 
Okay, before you answer- allow us to give you some background. 
 Let's start with what's considered the cheapest and most widely available food item in India- the <keyword id="6436690" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paan">paan</keyword>. A paan is an Indian traditional mouth freshener consisting of <keyword id="739459" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="betel-leaves">betel leaves</keyword> and a host of ingredients intended to give you a minty, fresh feeling. These are usually priced as low as Rs 10, going up to Rs 200 and are usually consumed without much thinking. 
 
But what if they have a price tag of Rs 5,000? Nope, this is not a prank. 
 
As it turns out, Tara Pan Centre in Aurangabad run by a tall, white-bearded man called Mohammad Sarfuddin Siddiqui houses the country's most expensive paan which will set you back by Rs 5,000. 
 
The shop which has stood its ground since the last three decades is considered one of Aurangabad's iconic landmarks, giving stiff competition to the Ajanta and Ellora caves in the same vicinity. 
 
What's so great in this paan, you ask? Well, for starters, the paan in question, christened the Kohinoor Paan has travelled the world and been eaten in Kuwait, Jeddah and Dubai. Once upon a time, bundles of this paan would be air-freighted to these countries first thing every morning. 
 
But, thanks to the strict security measures which ended up spoiling the ingredients, the practice of exporting the Kohinoor Paan had to be stopped. 
 
However, that had no effect on its popularity, which has remained unmatched ever since its inception. 
 
Maybe the reason could be that the paan, as its name suggests, is sold in pairs exclusively for couples, also serves as an aphrodisiac, whose effect, Sarfubhai maintains, will last for TWO WHOLE DAYS. 
 
He attributes the paan's unexpected popularity to the fact that couples nowadays are not hesitant to try out props when affection is lost between them, and believe it or not, the demand for this paan soars high during weddings. 
 
Even though Sarfubhai has a team of 23 people to help him out with all the assorted paans that are available at his shop, the Kohinoor Paan is infact prepared solely by him. 
 
This paan, which comes in a pair is typically sold in a colourful pack with three compartments. The paan meant for the male differs from the female one. Besides the secret ingredients that he zealously guards, the male paan comprises mush, a Rs 70 lakh per kg musk, agar, a liquid fragnance found only in West Bengal with a price tag of Rs 7 lakh per kg, saffron at Rs 2 lakh per kg, 80,000 per kg gulab- all wrapped in Kolkata's famed meetha paan patta. 
 
On the other hand, the female version of the paan consists of gulab, safed musali, a root used as an aphrodisiac soting about Rs 6,000 per kg , less quantity of saffron, among other things- all wrapped in the same paan leaf. 
 
There's more. The pack also contains a bottle of musk-scented ittar, which can be found in the third compartment and the paan has some strict instructions- The couple must consume it two hours before the intended action. Meanwhile, the ittar should be judiciously applied on themselves, their pillows and bed. Lastly, the paan can't be spit out. It needs to be consumed completely. 
 
Not surprisingly, the first question Sarfubhai asks anyone looking for the Kohinoor paan is whether they're married!

This Rs 5000 pan may just improve your sex life

October to February is when India sees high spikes in both domestic and local tourism across India. This is the time when charter flights to Goa begin landing, this is when the hotels near the coffee plantations in south India hike their rates. This is also when domestic carriers typically increase rates – this year rates increased by almost 24% in October alone. Other than cooler climes, this is also when most of India’s large festivals are celebrated, many of which are linked to agrarian cycles of harvesting or sowing. 
 
There’s Dussera, Diwali, Christmas, Pongal and Chhath Puja celebrated during this period (Onam is another biggie but that was celebrated in September this year). Smaller ones such as Janmashtami or Govardhan Puja also happen during this time. Many of these festivals are celebrated in situ, and are becoming increasingly popular for non-traditional tourists who converge at temple towns to participate in the festivities and seek blessings. 
 
I’ve travelled across many of these towns and interacted with temple priests, tourists, shop-owners, craftswomen and craftsmen, local residents, hotel owners and finally the most ‘in-you-face’ category of people, the local tourist guides to understand how modern influences are affecting traditions in these temple towns, especially that of oral story-telling. Interestingly and contrary to what most of us might think given the immediate access to information we have via our smartphones, the demand for local stories has dramatically increased over the last few years. 
 Part of this is due to more tourist footfalls (including that of foreign tourists) while the other is due to a demand for more engaging narratives. A demand for more anecdotal and topical stories rather than just a historical narrative. Often this topicality is derived from local <keyword id="1225445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="folk-tales">folk tales</keyword> and <keyword id="22258" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Folk-songs">folk songs</keyword> of that particular region and will be completely missing in the historical information dispensed in the formal tourist brochures. 
 
Take Govardhan Puja or Janmashtami, for instance. You have tourists converging at all places with important Krishna temples across the country. So there would be tourists flocking to Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh or other important temples such as the Guruvayur temple in Kerala, Dwarkadish in Gujarat, the ISKON temples (across India) or the Rajagopalaswamy Temple in Tamil Nadu among others. Domestic tourism is the economic mainstay of many of these towns, driving the local economy and providing a livelihood to the local population. In many of these places, the narration of folk tales and folk songs is an important local occupation. Yet, tourism, consumerism and other influences are subtlety influencing these tales and folklores – impacting both content and context. 
 
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Braj in Uttar Pradesh, the region associated with Lord Krishna’s early years and interestingly the region where he spent time with consort Radha. The ancient texts, epics, and folklore within this region create culturally (though not politically) defined borders and demarcations, so that Braj can be said to cover an area of approximately 5000 sq. kms. Braj ranks high in popularity as a pilgrimage destination and tales of Krishna and Radha abound in every household and resonate off every tongue. 
 
I would like to refer to a folktale that is narrated at two different towns of Braj Region, Gowardhan and Barsana. Radha and Krishna are at the focal point of many of narratives. While Barsana is recognized as the place where Radha grew up, Krishna is said to have spent his later childhood days at Nandgaon, 8 kms away from Barsana. Radha is considered to be Krishna’s ‘Shakti’ (strength). The folktale I refer to tells a very famous tale of adolescent Krishna at Gowardhan. In this, he lifted a hill named Giriraj or Gowardhan parbat on the tip of his little finger for seven days and nights to shield the Brajwasi (people of Braj) from a deluge of rain sent down by an angry Lord Indra. Most Indians are familiar with this narrative. However in neighbouring Barsana, where Radha grew up, the same folktale recounts the same plot and form but includes an important element missing in the other tale. It recounts that it was Radha, the embodiment of ‘Shakti’ (female supernatural power) who was the actual enabler of Krishna’s heroic act. The tale states that it was Radha who supported Krishna by giving him her divine power to lift the hill. The power came from her left eyelashes and also enabled her to remain invisible. 
 
The transmission of the folktales and folk songs from one generation to the next results in variations which leads to effective narration for eager audiences. The authenticity of these variations cannot be challenged as each version seems to be true. The narrators comprise the Pandas or Goswamis (local priests) and the local tourist guides. Unfortunately I did not find any female priests or female guides. The use of quotes, proverbs, folk metaphors, and other linguistic clichés is fairly common, depending on the narrator. The story-teller weaves in elements from festivals, social events, occasions and human relationships from across the region. The folk tales are so much a part of the cultural ethos of the region that they have also been converted into folk songs, sung by the young and old alike with local CD renditions of it – always in high in demand by tourists and locals both. Interestingly, the modern renditions of these popular folksongs have even used western songs and musical instruments – such as a popular version called ‘Happy Birthday Radhaji’. Symbolic references to other religions also creep in, often well integrated within the folktale itself. For example, in Barsana, local folklore includes the narratives of Gulab Sakhi, a Mughal soldier who became a devotee of Radha. Local narrators delight in highlighting the tale of Radha staying with an old soldier named Gulab Sakhi, disguised as his daughter. Gulab Sakhi’s own daughter had left him after her marriage and he missed her desperately, and was longing to see her. When Radha got to know this, she disguised herself and lived with him as his daughter. He eventually realized this and subsequently became one of her greatest devotees. 
 
It is through oral transmission that the stories continue to form the textures of the lives and livelihoods in these regions and many other regions as well. Elements of social justice, fairness and humanity combine into a rich tapestry enabling these traditional narratives survive. While it is interesting to see how the telling of these tales, many of which originated in oral traditions, continues to flourish, it will be fascinating to see how continuing modern influences will affect these narratives in times to come! 
 
 
(The article is authored by Tulika Chandra, Associate Professor, Shiv Nadar University)

India’s folk tales – Thriving in a digital age

<ul><li>Indians love to have that ‘extra’ <keyword id="425731" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="FREE-FOOD">free food</keyword> with each delivery, according to Eat Cravings Report 2019 released by UberEats. </li><li>Extra Sauce’ topped the charts as the most popular food delivery request, followed by ‘Spicy’ and ‘Extra Onions.’ </li><li>According to a report by RedSeer Consulting, India’s food delivery industry is going to be worth $2.5-3 billion.</li></ul>When ordering food, Indians want a pinch of extra with everything be it extra sauce or extra mayo or even extra cheese. This is what a report by UberEats called Eat Cravings Report 2019 said. The report says that every order came with a special instruction. Topping this list is requests to make it ‘spicy’ along with extra onions. Chicken Biryani re-emerged as the favourite late night craving food in Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. As per a report by <keyword id="6358977" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="swiggy">Swiggy</keyword> in May too, chicken biryani was the top favourite. Ludhiana topped the dessert category, as it received highest orders for Gulab Jamun. Meanwhile, Bengalureans who spend hours in traffic don’t want to wait for too long for their food. The city ordered two-minute food, Maggi in large numbers from UberEats. As the world celebrates International Sushi day, Swiggy too released a report which said that Delhites love Japanese dish. But cities like Guwahati, Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Amritsar seem to prefer Sushi dinner. According to a report by RedSeer Consulting, India’s food delivery industry will be worth $2.5-3 billion. <keyword id="830092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato">Zomato</keyword> and Swiggy are the leaders in the space with their volumes hitting millions per month. In a report released earlier this month, Swiggy has <a href="https://qz.com/india/1635965/in-2018-swiggy-beat-zomato-olas-foodpanda-uber-eats-by-a-mile/">36% market share</a>, followed by FoodPanda with 32% while Zomato was trailing at 23%. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chennai-super-kings-mumbai-indians-final-swiggy-orders-and-zomato-predictions/articleshow/69290747.cms">From Chicken Biryani to Samosas, here’s what Indians ate while watching the IPL</a>

UberEats is making some 'extra' money while pushing its main menu into Indian homes

<ul><li><keyword id="191457" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Haldirams">Haldirams</keyword> will now be available for sale in the US, through Amazon’s Global Selling Program.</li><li>For Haldirams, the US was already a big market forming 40% of its annual revenues from offline exports.</li><li>The partnership with Amazon will give Haldirams greater access to the US market.</li></ul>From its bhujia to its gulab jamun and the soan papdi, Haldirams is an iconic Indian brand that has made it way to every nook and corner of the country. And it’s not a rare sight to see an Indian settled abroad, stuff his or her suitcase with Haldiram packets before leaving their home country. Now the 37-year old brand is making its way to the US, through Amazon’s global selling program. For Haldirams, the US was already a big market forming 40% of its annual revenues from offline exports. The partnership with Amazon will give Haldirams greater access to the US market. “Our loyal customers have helped us retain our leading position in the market for over ten years, and we want to further expand our presence amongst our global customers. With Indians settled across the world, there is a growing appetite for snacks that remind them of home,” said Pankaj Agarwal, MD Haldiram Snacks. Within a week of its launch, Haldiram’s products Nut Cracker and Soan Papdi have already become a hit in the US. “Haldiram’s is one of the most trusted and beloved FMCG brand in India, and through the Global Selling program, we offer them end-to-end solutions to cater to the growing appetite for quality ‘Made in India’ products amongst global consumers,” said Mr. Abhijit Kamra, Director and Head - Global Trade, Amazon India. Amazon Global Selling Program was launched in 2015 and is already making $1 billion in cumulative exports. It expects the number to go up to $5 billion by 2023.

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Gulab Kaur to Potti Sriramalu: Unsung heroes of the Indian freedom struggle

Prerna Tyagi

How 700 kg of legendary gulab halwa is handmade every day in India

Insider

Chapters on Mughals have not been dropped, NCERT chief clarifies

ANI

This Rs 5000 pan may just improve your sex life

Poulomi Das

India’s folk tales – Thriving in a digital age

Guest Author

UberEats is making some 'extra' money while pushing its main menu into Indian homes

BI India Bureau

You can now order Haldirams bhujia, soan papdi in the US through Amazon

Sanchita Dash

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