CRITICAL REVIEW OF SARLA RAZDAN’S “KASHMIRI CUISINE-THROUGH THE AGES”

While hunting for more books on Kashmiri cuisine, I came across the book by Sarla Razdan. The title of her book is “KASHMIRI CUISINE-THROUGH THE AGES”. It has a foreword by M.J.Akbar. It was published in the year 2011. The ISBN is 978-81-7436-692-4. It was published in India by Roli Books Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. It was printed and bound in China. The cost of the book is Rs.396.

To begin with, the book has a beautiful image of a painting of the culture of Kashmir (I understood it when I observed the details of it and saw lots of SHIKARAS in it). There is a yellow “CHINAAR” leaf (with its characteristic turmeric color and giving the author’s name, title and to attract the readers the name of “M.J.Akbar” (who himself is half-Kashmiri: his mother is from Kashmir). The immediate page after the front cover sheet justifies the title of the book.

The book consists of good number of photographs covering the following:

a)      Scenic beauty of Kashmir Valley

b)      Black and white “vintage “photographs (very precious ones giving us the historic details of the Jewellery, clothes, culture and traditions of the Valley from 1900 onwards)

c)       Good photographs of the popular guests of the author like Sachin Tendulkar,Farooq Abdullah, Lata Mangeshkar, etc. and their appreciation letters applauding the food prepared for them

d)      Coloured photographs of her own dishes.

Sarla Razdan dedicates her book to her father-in-law who really motivated her to bring forth the book into the reality. Further on, the author acknowledges the credits to her family members.

The Contents are simple and to the point. There are no extra details and nothing ornamental by nature. The enlisted recipes are the following:

a)      7 Snacks

b)      31 Recipes prepared by using the meat of the Lamb

c)       3 Chicken , 1 Egg Dish and 7 Fish Recipes

d)      37 Vegetarian Recipes

e)      6 Rice Recipes and 3 varieties of Breads

f)       7 Chutneys and 4 Pickles

g)      3 Desserts and 2 Teas

h)      32 Low Calorie Recipes

Wow! I was feeling after reading the contents of the book. I knew that I am indeed learning a lot about the Kashmiri Cuisine. However, I was not very happy with the FOREWORD by M.J.Akbar. It was more of a historical reading rather than about the book. I was depressed about it. Once I completed reading the section on “AUTHOR’S NOTE”, I noted the following points:

1.       Number of hours taken by her mother for cooking the Kashmiri dishes

2.       No Pressure Cooker was used in the cooking of the food at her maternal home (though she herself used it in her kitchen).

3.       She belonged to the Saraswat Brahmin family.

4.       There are two varieties of Kashmiri Pandits-NEN BATTAS (individuals who ate meat) and DAL BATTAS (individuals who ate pulses).This was a discovery for me. I knew, from my research, that there are individuals in the Valley of Kashmir who are pure vegetarians so much and so that they consumed only the dried food-all kinds of vegetables, fruits, grains and lentils-they belonged to the successors of Rishi Nand. Apart from them very few (infact countable individuals) following strict SUFISM in the Valley. However, the great book of Hindu Kashmiris called “NILAMAT PURANA” discusses good number of dishes to be cooked in each season, in different weather conditions and in different kinds of festivals for Hindus. And these dishes are not necessarily focused on vegetarianism. There are a good number of other non-vegetarian foods mentioned in the book. These will be discussed in depth in my own book.

5.       The author mentions about a dish called “TAHAR” in the book. Again I am full of praises for the author. According to her, this is a rice preparation cooked on the birthdays of the family members. What is so importance of it? It is not only relished by the immediate family members, however, it is distributed to the families present in the neighborhood by the person celebrating his or her birthday. This kind of distribution is not restricted to the world of human beings only. Nevertheless, the food was given to the non-human animals also. Isn’t it wonderful! I will comment that “IT IS INDEED THE ATTITUDE OF ECO-CARING TOWARDS ONE’S OWN ENVIRONMENT”. I really liked it. The author enjoyed the process of her birthday celebrations. I am also going to imbibe this attitude and tradition of celebrating my birthday.

6.       She discusses about her Islamic friends and neighbors present in the Valley.

Let us look at the positive points from the book:

1.       She discusses about the BASIC PREPARATIONS required in the Kashmiri kitchens and helps us in the cooking of the dishes.

2.       She gives us the detailed method for the Kashmiri Garam Masala.

3.       She offers us two varieties of VER MASALA- one prepared with ASAFOETIDA and other prepared with GARLIC and Shallots. These spicy condiments are discussed only in superficial manner in other books on Kashmiri Cuisine; however, Sarla gives detailed measurements for the preparations of them. I myself tried preparing them at home and was successful in it.

4.       She gives us a simple two liner preparation of “ASAFOETIDA LIQUID”. I observed my own mother preparing it at home. I am going to give her THUMBS UP SIGN to her. This is a great tip for all of us.

5.       She gives us tips for cleaning lotus stems. I am going to present it step by step in my book.

6.       She introduces us to the process of cleaning leafy vegetables and in a very superficial manner. The details were shared with me by another Kashmiri Family from the Valley and going to be published in my book.

7.       I came to know, after meeting and talking to other Kashmiri families, about USING MUSTARD OIL in the preparations of the cuisine. It not only enhances the tastes of the dish; however, it increases the overall appearance of the dish and reasons to maintain good health. Sarla gives us again good tip on “HOW TO USE AND PRESERVE MUSTARD OIL” in the kitchen. I learnt it from the book only. I thank her for the valuable tip to all.

8.       In the Section focusing on SNACKS, I am going to give her full marks for sharing with us the recipes of

a.       Fried Fish With Almonds

b.      Wangen pakora

c.       Nadir Monjvor

9.        In The Section on recipes prepared from Lamb, credits are given for the following :

a.Minced Meat Balls stuffed with apricots

b. Minced Lamb in Macaroni

c. Bitter Gourd Stuffed With Minced Lamb

d. Alubukhar Korma

e. Vost Haakh t, Syun

f. Bukvetch Chagil t, Charvaan

g. Pachh Raas

10.   In the Section on Vegetarian Dishes, one needs to recognize the efforts of the author for

a. Tchok Nadir

 b. Wangen Yakhni

 c. Razma Hemb t, Wangen

 d. Karel t, Wangen Dued Lagith (while reading this recipe, I was taken by surprise and something I admired and got attracted towards the dish that I prepared to taste it back at my home)

e. Gurdol t,Oluv

f. Verifol t, Oluv

g.Al Kanej t, Wangen

h. Muj Pattar t, Wangen

11.   In the Section on Chutneys and Pickles, I liked some of the recipes shared by her like Talith Muj Chetin, Munj Achar, etc.

12.   She discusses good number of recipes pertaining to daily cooking of food in the kitchens. It has good collection of varieties of dishes.

It is time for identifying few negative points from the book:

1.       The Author does not discuss about the festive recipes.

2.       No mention about the wedding feasts and food traditions.

3.       No mention about the food given to the pregnant women till the delivery of the child and the food cooked during the rituals and ceremonies during this phase.

On the whole, I liked the manner in which she has contributed some of the recipes and concentrated on the “CHINAR” culture of the Valley. Though it is not the cuisine through the ages, rather it is restricted to the partial culture of Saraswat Cuisine and missing certain more recipes.

CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE BOOK “TRADITIONAL KASHMIRI CUISINE WAZWAAN”

In this review, I will be focusing on the book titled “TRADITIONAL KASHMIRI CUISINE WAZWAAN-SECRET RECIPES FROM THE RENOWNED WAZA REPERTOIRE”. I PURCHASED THIS BOOK ON 22^ND June, 2012. I took almost five years to write a review on this book because of my own research on Wazwaan Cooking in Kashmir. The book is a work of Rocky Mohan who earnestly dedicated himself to the three popular cooks of WAZWAAN CUISINE and they are:

a)      Khan Mohammad Sharief Waza

b)      Khan Mohammad Shafi waza

c)       Khan Mohammad Rafiq Waza

The book was published in the year 2007 and by the publishers are Roli Books, New Delhi. The ISBN is 81-7436-171-5. The cost of the book is Rs. 600. It is dedicated to their father Bismillah Irahman Irahim-who popularized the WAZWAAN in the world.

Before purchasing the book, I asked my friend living in Srinagar to suggest few books on Wazwaan Cuisine. I was dumbstruck when she revealed that there is ONLY ONE AUTHENTIC AND GENUINE book on it and she has a photocopy of the book. She could not share it with me though she informed me about the author and the outlook of the book. Finally I had to purchase it online and tried some of the recipes. I was lucky enough in it.

The cover age is excellent showcasing the traditional TRAMI with the awesome way in which the food is laid out in the typical style of Wazwaan. The background is the traditional Kashmiri cloth called the DASTERKHAN. The book has many GOLDEN CHINAAR LEAVES-depicting the possessiveness of the culture itself. This was something I normally do for the Kashmiri theme based dinner parties at my place. I learnt a lot from these photographs. I miss out on certain utensils and the cutlery used in the normal Kashmiri places. This is one of the ways in which one can learn a lot about the culture of a place.

The Contents are simple and no extra layout in it. In the Introduction of the book, the Author discusses about the following and I give full credit to him for this:

1.       A short introduction of the Valley itself wherein one comes to know about many things.

2.       The Valley is the place for the Buddhists, Shaivism, Shaktism, Islam, Sufism, Sikhism and British culture. This means that the culture of valley is diversified in itself. I raised a question to myself immediately-Why restrict the food to Hindus and Muslims only?

3.       Kashmiri Cuisine is “greatly influenced by the Mughlai style of cooking”. Or a question for me- Does this mean that there is non-Mughlai style of cooking present in the history of cuisine of the Valley?

4.       Timur arrived into the Valley from Samarkand with good number of cooks. The descendants of these cooks are called WAZAAS. They in turn are the MASTER CHEFS of Kashmir.

5.       The meaning of the word “WAZWAAN” is derived from two words-“WAAN” means “SHOP” and “WAAZA” means the cook. Therefore, the meaning of the word “WAZWAAN” means “A COOK SHOP” or “RESTAURANT”.

6.       While reading the paragraph number 7 of the Introduction, one more point which grabbed my immediate attention was the religious connection towards the first activity of the WAZWAAN cooking and it is that “the animals are slaughtered ceremonially and expertly according to Muslim customs, and the waza (the chief cook) personally supervises the preparation of each dish that emerges from his kitchen…and much toil and effort ensures that each dish is a culinary masterpiece”.

7.       The Author mentions that there are 36 courses in the entire WAZWAAN preparations of the food. However, there are 45 dishes in total shared from the side of the Author.

Let us explore the next Chapter on “SPECIAL KASHMIRI CULINARY INGREDIENTS”. The Author mentions about the various ingredients needed in the cooking of the Wazwaan food. He explains each of the following:

1.       Cashew Nuts

2.       Walnuts

3.       Red Kidney Beans

4.       Shallots

5.       Zirish

6.       Red Chilli Pepper (the author states that “there are 100 known varieties that are grown and used in the cooking”).

7.       Almonds

8.       Tamarind

9.       Dried Plums

10.   Pistachios

Under the Section titled “Kashmiri Spices and Condiments” the Author introduces “MAWAL” or “The Dry Cockscomb Flower”. Its importance is shared in another Section on “BASIC RECIPES”. It is a dark red colored flower and gives us beautiful dark red(similar to the color of turnip) color when it is dried and added to the boiled water. This extract is used for the typical red color in some of the food preparations. Other information is also shared under the same title on garlic water, cooked yoghurt, etc. which is otherwise not known to many individuals.

Under the Section on “RECIPES”, there are:

1.       17 Lamb Preparations

2.       4 Fish Preparations

3.       2 Chicken Preparations

4.       15 Vegetarian Preparations

5.       1 Recipe of Puloa

6.       4 Chutney preparations

7.       2 Desserts

Positive points in the book are:

1.       A detailed and clear photograph for each recipe has been shared and the reader can learn the manner in which it has to be laid and presented on the tables or dastarkhan.

2.       The book is exclusively meant for the Wazwaan dishes only.

3.       The recipes are meant for grand and themed style of cooking of food.

4.       A short and lucid book on genuine cooking of Wazwaan.

Negative points in the book are:

1.       No explanation on Waza and his team.

2.       The reader may like to know more about the process of cooking the recipes mentioned in the book. For example, the Author might discuss on 

a. How many helpers are required by the Waza? 

b. How much time is required to collect all the things? 

c. What is the religious ceremony required to slaughter the animal? 

d. What kind of utensils is required to cook the dishes?

 e. What kind of fire or gas burners is required by the Waza?

Overall the book is a good introduction to the Wazwaan cooking of Kashmir.

Critical Review of Movie "Baahubali-The Conclusion"

I received a call from my younger sister that the tickets had been booked and the family would be watching the movie “Baahubali-The Conclusion” in Telugu language on April 29^th, 2017 at Eros Theater in New Delhi. As usual, I was excited and assured her that I will be reaching the theater directly after my working hours or I would take the permission to join them at the theater. However, it was decided that I must reach home and accompany them. Each one of us was excited. However, my sister, who was at the driver’s seat, was proud to announce that she has seen the movie in the Hindi language on April 28^th, 2017. She was hyper about it as though it was a great achievement for her. Moreover, she wanted to compare the movie in both languages. She promised me that she will not share the story with me.

The theater was jam packed and everyone wanted to watch the movie without losing a single scene. Each one of the individual arrived in time and took the possession of their sets. I wish we were so punctual in our classes too! Children demanded their parents for the large pack of popcorn and soft drinks. How could I miss them? I wanted to do two things together-watch and munch! Thanks the movie began on time.

According to the Central Board of Film Certification, the name of the movie was “Baahubali-The Conclusion”. It was in Telugu language. It was colored and was cinemascope one . The date of release was April 24^th, 2017 and under the Universal category (that is meant for both adults and children). However, it was clearly mentioned that the movie must be watched under parental guidance. The name of the applicant to sign was Shri Y.N.Sobhandari for M/s Arka Media Works Entertainment LLP, Hyderabad and other signee was Shri Pahlaj Nihalani, Chairperson, CBFC, Mumbai. The duration of the movie was for 167 minutes and 30 seconds.

Wow! I liked the titles of the movie for following reasons:

a.       Computer graphics and dummies were used for various kinds of animals shown in the movie like horse, elephant, parrot, pig, oxen, birds, ducks, bison, boar, falcon, swan, etc.

b.      The team thanked agencies, digital cinema, travel partners, currency exchange office in Hyderabad, health care partner, social media channels, accommodation partner ,chocolate and confectionery partner, nutrition, mobile, communication, Reliance Fresh to get various goods, multiplex and Jewelry  partner, location and experience partner, stationary, messaging partner "hi", agency partner ,beauty partner to "Lux", fitness partner, Make a Wish Campaign, merchandising and licensing through ICICI Bank, Simba, etc., insurance providers, their bankers were IDBI and Kotak Bank, Hyderabad, their financers, media and radio partners, etc. They did not forget the contribution and participation of single person also. That’s something to be appreciated for the success of the movie.

c.       Very elaborative and distinctive background was shown in the titles. This is must for capturing the attention and focus of the audience. Kudos for their thinking powers.

d.      The movie was a combination of both real shots and multimedia graphical frameworks. Thus, attention of the children was at its maximum level.

e.      Titles were providing, associating and linking the connectivity between Baahubali Part 1 and Baahubali-The Conclusion. The short story of the part One of the movie was showcased in the Titles of the movie (one must have perceived the audience in the theater-I perceived that all of them were dumbstruck and not even a single person was blinking their eyes-I thought movies indeed play a major role in learning and educating ourselves, and there is no need to work hard with the individuals. This will do wonders in the classes of Law, Literature, History, Sociology and Journalism and Mass Media.).

The movie was presented by K.Raghavendra Rao, production of an Arka Mediaworks and creative film by S.S.Rajamouli. The lyrics and dialogues were written by Manoj Muntashir. The music was by M.M.Keeravani. The cinematography by K.K.Senthil Kumar. Vivid colored sketches were introduced at the beginning of the movie with the song at the background. The producers of the movie were Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni. The screenplay and Direction was by S.S.Raja Mouli. The main star cast was Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Sathyaraj, Ramya Krishna, Nassar and Tamannaah.It was distributed by Arka Media Works for Telugu version, K.Productions for Tamil version, Global United Media for Malayalam version and Dharma Productions for Hindi version. It was released in 4K high Definition format.

Once the titles are over, the story begins for us. Our hero-Amarendra Baahubali- achieves his victory in the battlefield. The Queen Mother is proud of this achievement and declares that he will be crowned as the future king of Maahishmati. Her words turned out to be the festival moments for the people in the kingdom. However, her own and real son Bhallaladeva and husband are against her wishes. Her husband starts instigating Bhallaladeva against her. This is the turning point in the movie.

The Queen Mother instructs Amarendra and Katappa to take the tour of their kingdom in order to gain more knowledge of their subjects and well-being. Amarendra meets Devasena and is attracted by her charm and skills. They fall in love with each other. Soon this information reaches to Bhallaladeva and he makes a plan to create the differences between Shivagami and Amarendra. He tells his mother that he has fallen in love with Devasena and expresses his desire to marry her. The proposal is sent to Devasena from the side of Shivagami and is rejected by Devasena. The Queen is enraged at this attitude of Devasena and instructs Amarendra to capture, bind her as prisoner and present her at the court of Maahishmati.

Amarendra helps and protects the kingdom of Kuntala from their enemies called Pindaris. With his excellent skills, Amarendra overpowers Pindaris and saves the kingdom. Devasena was curious to know about the truth and demands to reveal his identity. She comes to know that Amarendra is the future king of Maahishmati and refuses to be the prisoner. He promises to protect her modesty and marries her. Both of them leave for Maahishmati. Shivagami comes to know about the truth and is not happy about it. At this time, she feels guilty for not keeping her promise to Bhallaladeva. This is the first point where the turning point of the story can be observed in the movie.

. The differences between Shivagami and Amarendra kick off from this point. Soon Shivagami asks Amarendra to leave the kingdom with his pregnant wife. With the help of evil ideas, Bijjaladeva is successful in creating more differences between them. In one scenario, he declares that Amarendra is trying to assassinate Bhallaladeva in order to be the King. She orders Katappa to kill Amarendra secretly so that the kingdom is saved from disharmony between the royal family and the subjects. As a result, Amarendra is stabbed to death by Katappa, the queen is informed about the treacherous ideas of Bijjaladeva and Bhallaladeva and her mistake in judging her own people. In the meantime, Devasena gives birth to a baby boy and arrives to the palace after knowing the death of her husband. Shivagami announces that the new borne baby is Mahendra Baahubali and future king of Maahishmati.

Bhallaladeva is surprised and orders his soldiers to capture the Queen, kill the baby and imprison Devasena. The Queen escapes from the palace and dies soon. The baby is rescued by the common people and called as Shivudu. Soon he comes to know about his imprisoned mother Devasena from Katappa and falls in love with Avantika. He fights against the injustice and is victorious in the end.

Positive points of the movie:

a) No animal was hurt or exploited in any scene. They get full marks from all animal lovers, environmentalists and eco-caring philosophers and feminists.

b) This means that creativity was at its highest level in the media laboratories for the team members.

Otherwise they might have missed on the minute details of the particular scene. There is a need to applaud the entire team.

c) The Police Commissioner and his team were specially thanked for allowing the film unit to work on areas of Rachakonda in Andhra Pradesh for the shooting of some of the scenes in the movie.

d) The audience were clapping and enjoying the comic scenes present in the movie.

e) Elaborate efforts were taken to create awesome visual and audio effects in the movie.

.f) Game was also developed on the release of the movie.

g) Care had been taken to portray the realities of the historical era9as this was a historical movie though not filmed on any particular king or queen or kingdom).

h) The Prince had been trained and educated in all the respective skills required for the future king in the movie .For example, the Amarendra Baahubali knew how to take risks, tackle the situations-both intentional and spontaneous one, presence of the leadership qualities, minute observation skills (for example when Prince visits the kingdom of Kuntala, he observes that the villagers were using their strong-built cattle for various purposes and same skill was helpful and used when there was the need of the hour to fight against the powerful army of Pindaris), being alert and helping the army of the other kingdom without delegating the work to others, etc.

i)Sensitivity of the Prince towards his own love, keeping promises, fighting against the evils, nurturing his own subjects, maintaining various kinds of relationships, sacrificing his own life for the sake of the kingdom and mother, protecting weak subjects and women are valuable and learning lessons for all.

j) No marginalization of the individuals was observed in the movie. This is the need of the hour in the contemporary society wherein women and children are equally treated and no partiality in giving or sharing of the knowledge. For example, Amarendra observes that Devasena is eager to learn about a special skill in archery and he readily teaches her the skill. This helps both of them to protect and fight against the enemies.

h) The individuals chosen for the respective characters are excellent and they matched with their roles.

i) Elephants were used in the battlefields in the historical times. Out of the 64 branches of learning in the traditional schools of education, it was mandatory for the Princes to learn about the treatment and rearing of certain animals like horses and elephants. This is something observed in the movie and eye-capturing one(one can compare this with the scene in the movie Jodha-Akbar wherein Akbar takes the initiative to control the mad elephant and this will be presented in another article of mine as a comparative study).

j) Medicinal value of turmeric powder and its remedial usage for the mad elephants is brilliantly showcased in the movie.

k) The feelings of the animals especially the elephants are shown in the scenes wherein the prince is equally sympathetic and cares for the royal elephant. Another point secured from the side of the environmental ethicists and philosophers.

l) The attitudes, qualities and characteristic features of the royal family have been very well depicted in the movie.

m) The importance of the non-communicative language has been very well captured in the movie and it is part of the human and animal culture. For example, "the warming" gesture shown by the Prince towards the "calmed down" elephant is very natural one. Elephants love their masters and other individuals caressing their trunks with hands. The different feelings exhibited by Devasena towards Amarendra in various scenes are appreciable from my side.

n) Extraordinary skills and techniques are observed in the movie. For example, while sitting on the elephant, Prince Amarendra pulling and shooting the flame carrying spear to burn the effigy of Raavan;

shooting of three arrows, using natural surroundings to fight against their enemies, etc.

o) Rights of the women and children are shown in the movie.

p) The world wide gross collections for the movie is Rs1725 crores.

Negative points in the movie:

a) Lot of time must have been spent by the individuals on the detailed working on each and every frame of the movie shot wherein the animals were used.

b) Children did not like too much of the fighting scenes in the movie.

c) First of the movie was the flashback and was interesting to watch. However, the second half seemed to be slightly artificial with the fighting skills of the army.

d) Why did not Devasena fight against her enemies as she herself was trained enough with various skills and possessed the leadership qualities? It was surprising.

e) The Queen Mother was very knowledgeable and always took her decisions in an intelligent manner rather than in an emotional way. However, the turning point of the movie was understood immediately when she was emotional for her very own son and unconscious feelings for love of her son soon manifested in the choice of her daughter-in-law.

f) There are many questions raised after watching the movie and they are-

1. Can a husband plot against his own wife in order to become the king?

2. Can a father instigate his own son to be against his mother?

3. Can royal male members speak in an abusive language?

g) Audience is under strong assumption that there will be a third part of the movie.

In the end, I will like to summarize my review in the following way:

1.       No doubt there are spectacular visual effects and they indeed mesmerized the audience throughout the movie.

2.       There was breathtaking suspense created in the movie for the audience. As the movie was running further on, one may feel the real suspense and uttering of the words” Oh! No”.

3.       The mood was of the audience was spell bound and atmosphere was amazing one in the theatre.

4.       There were certain poorly placed scenes in the movie and they were not required at all.

5.       There was no question of unsuccessful attempts in the movie. Otherwise, there could not have been an earning of an amount of Rs 1725 crores collected within 6 days of the release of the movie.

6.        The details of the movie are narrated in a nice and clear manner.

7.       There were exuberant sceneries in the movie.

8.       The overall make up, dresses and Jewellery shown in the movie is simply irresistible.

9.       There were perfect action and team coordination in the entire production of the movie.

10.   One cannot tend to forget certain moments shown in the movie.

11.   The plot was really good and different from the current movies because of which it has been a big hit with the audience.

12.   This movie has been compared to the other popular movies like Sholay.

13.   The movie was wonderful with the characters selected and their presentation in the movie.

14.   There was hilarious momentum created through some scenes in the movie and enjoyed by the audience.

15.   There were indeed some unexpected plot twists present in the movie.

16.   There are certain scenes which are unbelievable and are pure creation of the imagination and hardwork.

17.   It is indeed a phenomenal movie in South India as well as in North India.

18.   Similar kind of hypes was present in the mythological movies of N.T.Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageshwara Rao in the past in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

19.   The characteristic feature of Raj Mouli’s movies seems to be rotating around suspense in each and every part. There is an assumption that Part III of the movie will be more suspensive by nature and this is confirmed by the film crew members.

20.   The music was not very disappointing one.

21.   There are elements of confusion in the movie. For example, if Bhallaladeva never married anyone, then how come his son was present in the story?

22.   One can conclude that there was some kind of imitation present in the movie (due to the fact that earlier mythological movies were directed in Andhra Pradesh).

23.   It is a typical South Indian movie.

24.   Prabhas-the main hero of the movie-was a very moving portrayal of the character and it suited his personality also.

25.   The quality of the film was awesome and I was impressed by its credible shots and creative ideas in the making of the movie.

26.   This will be one of the classic and captivating movies for the coming years in the Indian history.

Welcome to the WORLD OF REVIEWS.Here one can see the reviews for the following:

a) Book Reviews

b) Movie & Documentary Reviews

c) Drama Reviews

d) Musical Concert Reviews

e) Dance Recital Reviews

f) Hotel & Restaurant Reviews

g) Electronic Gadgets and Other Products(purchased from the markets or by online shopping)

h) Art and Building Reviews

i) Festival and Exhibition Reviews

j) Article Reviews

k) Research Paper Reviews

l) Magazine Reviews

m)YouTube Video Reviews(Restricted Cookery,Educational and Motivational Videos)

n) 30 Minutes Movie Reviews

o) Short Movie Reviews

p) Cartoon Reviews-Taken From Different Children(various backgrounds and ages)

q)Travel Reviews

If someone is interested in submitting their contributions, then please contact me at ramaniswarna@gmail.com.

Critical Review for the Book Titled “Zaika-Kashmiri Pandit Cuisine”

I was searching for some good books on Kashmir cuisine. At this time, I came across the book on Kashmiri Hindu Cuisine titled “Zaika-Kashmiri Pandit Cuisine”. I wanted to purchase the book online. However, it was a futile attempt for me. The name of the author for this book is Sonya Atal Sapru. Somehow I got her contact information and placed a call to her. I told her about my interests in Kashmiri Cuisine and my attempts to get a hold of her book. In a very polite manner, she added on to me that she has one copy of the book and she may like to gift it to me. Nothing could prevent me now other than reaching to her place, meeting her and get the copy of the book. Finally she gifted me the book with her blessings. It took me nearly five years to write the review of her book (I was lazy enough). I read it six times till date.

The book is not very thick one. The total number of pages is 70.It was published in the year of 1999.it was published by Harper Collins, India. The ISBN is 81-7223-341-8. The cost of the book is Rs.195. The cover page is a photograph with two frames combined together-one with the photograph of Kashmiri Puloa and fennel seeds and second one is the photograph of a typical Kashmiri Pandit lady wearing a saree with full blouse, typical Kashmiri Jewellery with the characteristic long chained jhumkas and handmade fan in her hands. The back side of the book is the awesome photograph of the author with her child in her lap. The author claims the authenticity of the genuineness of the recipes shared in the book. She thanked her mother-in-law –Smt.Gita Sapru- for her help and guidance.

The book has been divided into six sections and they are the following:

a.       How to plan a Kashmiri Meal(original contribution)-There are in total four ways in which the menu can be set for the day

b.      Kashmiri Garam masala( separately discussed in the entire book)

c.       16 Non-vegetarian recipes

d.      12 Vegetarian recipes

e.      5 Dals and 4 Rice dishes

f.        2 Chutneys,2  Raitas and 4 Desserts

The excellent points in the book are:

1.       There is good number of rare and unique family photographs exhibited in the book. These are well kept and black white in color showing the period during which they were clicked and shared with not only the future family members; however, with each and every reader of the book. They are rich in showcasing the culture of the Kashmiri Pandit families. The author states “portrait of an ancestor and found in an old chest of photographs”.

2.       The author has taken time to mention total number of servings, preparation time and cooking time for each and every recipe in the book.

3.       She has explained every recipe in simple English language.

4.       The manner in which she acknowledges to her family members for their contribution towards the publishing of the book.

5.       The best recipes are: mutton cooked in milk with green almonds, liver cooked in sour curd(khatti kaleji), meat cooked in plums(stuffed passande dum), mutton cooked in coriander powder(dhania ka shufta), jackfruit kababs(kathal kababs),fried pieces of lotus stem( nadru ki kurkuri), colacassia cooked in curds(khatti arvi), sour lentils(khatti arhar dal), mixed vegetable biryani(sarvari) ,baria, kishmish raita, and meethe chawal.

The weak points of the book are:

1.       Very few recipes have been shared and presented in the book.

2.       Festive recipes are missing in the book.

On the whole, the book is small and with few pages. It exhibits the recipes and their contributors. The book is a mixture of recipes and culture of Kashmiri Pandits shown via the rich and detailed photographs from the author’s family.

CRITICAL REVIEW FOR THE BOOK TITLED “COOKING DELIGHTS OF THE MAHARAJAS –EXOTIC DISHES FROM THE PRINCELY HOUSE OF SAILANA”

I was reading a book, few years ago, in which it was mentioned that the food was different from one group or class to another one. I did not understand it (though it was not completely described here also) till the time I was indeed reading the book titled “Cooking Delights of the Maharajas –Exotic Dishes from the Princely House of Sailana”. It was written by His Highness Shri Digvijaya Singh-from the palace of Sailana and Sailana is a small city present in Madhya Pradesh. It was published in the year of 1982 in India. It was published by Vakils, Feffer and Simons Pvt.Ltd, Mumbai. The price of the book is Rs.400. The ISBN is 978-81-8462-026-9. The total number of pages is 198.

The moment I read the title of the book, I was really impressed for various reasons:

1.       One may be delighted after reading the book and trying to cook the dishes mentioned in it.

2.       The word “The Maharajas” meant more than one king. I assumed that the recipes were different and handed over from one generation to another.

3.       The dishes are exotic by nature.

4.       The recipes will be from the land of Sailana exclusively.

The cover page was adopted and depicted one of the popular paintings of the Royal family of Sailana (though it is not mentioned anywhere in the book).The backside of the book gives us the details of the author and his qualities and skills. The 15^th edition of the book was published in the year of 2015.The photograph present on the 3^rd page exhibits different kinds of copper vessels utilized for cooking various dishes in the royal kitchens of the city. My attention was towards the beautiful rectangular box meant for keeping all kinds of spices and powders. Now I hardly find one available in our country. I wish I had one of them in my possession and adding beauty to my kitchen also.

The author has dedicated he book to his father-Late Highness Raja Sir Dilip Singhji of Sailana. One may see the stamp of the royal family placed above the photograph of author’s father. I had never seen one in my life! The author acknowledges other royal families present in India like Prince Shivaji Rao Holkar and Princess Shalini Devi Holkar of Indore. The foreword has been written by none other than Late Her Highness Gayatri Devi- Rajmata of Jaipur. According to her, the author is” not only a gourmet but a superb cook”. There is good number of coloured photographs of various dishes cooked and presented for the royal feasts.

The section on the contents is given in detailed manner and these are enlisted in the following manner:

a)      54 recipes prepared by using meat or mutton

b)      9 recipes prepared by using chicken

c)       10 recipes prepared by using fish

d)      8 recipes prepared from the flesh of animals after hunting them

e)      21 recipes using different grains like rice, millets, etc.

f)       50 recipes prepared from various kinds of vegetables

g)      12 varieties of sweet dishes

I liked the section on “Preface” of the book. The secrets of the royal families are given to the readers and the best ones are:

1.       The Maharajas were the connoisseurs of good food (mentioned in the 2^nd paragraph).

2.       Fine kitchens and best cooks are hired (mentioned in the 2^nd paragraph).

3.       There is a separate cook for each and every recipe (again mentioned in the 2^nd paragraph) (I was imagining the total number of cooks present in the royal kitchens. No wonder the royal families of Turkey had dedicated one large palace to the cooks and guides meant for cooking, chopping of the vegetables, tasting, guiding other cooks, measuring the quantities, etc.).

4.       It was the “status symbol” for the kings to display the “the most unusual kind of dishes” to their guests.

5.       The secrets of cooking various recipes were never shared by the cooks and passed on from one generation to the other (usually from father to son only).

6.       Some of the exotic recipes and the process of cooking exotic dishes are lost as they were not passed on from one to another individual.

7.       The author gives the credit to his father for collecting the recipes from the past 100 years. He collected them from various cooks present across the country and had ancient recipe books in different languages like Sanskrit, Urdu and Persian. He translated some of them.

8.       Cooking is not an art however it is a scientific process.

9.       The differences present in different kinds of spicy powders or masalas is due to the quantity used in their preparation in the kitchens.

10.   The author has taken pain to share some of the recipes only to his readers (I don’t know about the other recipes and the time when those would be shared with us).

In the section on “Helpful Hints”, the author discusses on the following points:

a.       He explicitly denies the usage of stainless steel and aluminium pans for cooking purposes. They were used only for boiling things (Oh! My God; we use these metallic utensils for cooking in the contemporary times).

b.      Different kinds of utensils used are –

dekhchi-pot kind of utensil used for cooking meats

 tapeli-broad utensil used for cooking and boiling rice and curries

kadhai-deep and large pan.

Pressure Cookers-for preparing dishes from lentils, rice and to tenderize hard meats like trotters

c.       Differences between

i)bhunao is the process of cooking ground spices in little amount of oil, at high temperatures and adding small quantities of water after few minutes

ii) Baghar meaning tempering or seasoning

iii) Dhugar means smoking technique

iv) Dum means cooking on low flame and the utensil is covered with lid and sealed with dough

v) Kalia is a curry prepared with water or milk

vi) Korma is a curry prepared with ghee or oil

vii)do pyaza means cooking with some vegetable like cauliflower, green peas,potato, etc.

d) Details had been discussed with respect to the quantities used for preparing pastes, seasoning or for enhancing the taste of a particular dish.

The weak points of the book are:

a)      The recipes are not exclusively from Sailana only.

b)      The author mentions about other recipes from other regions also like Rajasthan, Bhopal, Delhi, Jhabua, Kashmir, Persia, Nepal, Hyderabad, etc. They are 24 in number.

c)       The recipes shared for the dishes prepared from the flesh of hunted animals are confined to rabbits and wild boars. During those days, the hunting of animals was not restricted to these animals only. The recipes for other dishes are not mentioned in the book.

d)      There are other exotic dishes from other royal families across India. Why they were not mentioned? I am wondering about other dishes from the royal kitchens of Lucknow, Gujarat, Jammu, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Bengal which are worth mentioning in the book(may be in the footnotes).

e)      The sections on recipes for the snacks, salads, chutneys, curd preparations, pickles and soups are missing in the book. Apart from this, there are various dishes prepared separately in each and every season. This is not mentioned anywhere in the book.

f)       In the photographs, three to four dishes are placed and clicked together in the book. This was not really good. The colors of the dish depicts haziness and not very appealing to the eyes.

The excellent points to be noticed in the book are:

a)      The sections are divided as per the themes and sub-themes in the book.

b)      Minute details about the preparation of the dish have been pointed out in the recipes.

c)       Meanings of certain words have been given from the side of the author.

d)      Photographs are given in good number in the book (though not upto the mark).

e)      Some of the rare recipes are shared in the book like mutton ke dahi badas, porridge prepared with garlic, etc.