The World of Krupa

Hello everyone. I am announcing that this blog is no longer going to get regular updates. This is because I no longer have the time nor the inclination to do so. Aside from this, I am going to be very busy with my new job that I cannot give this blog the attention it needs.

That’s right. I have a new job and this job is very exciting. Not only will I be able to do something that I truly enjoy and that I am actually good at. I also get to travel to a place that I have loved and is close to my heart for a very long time. I am traveling to India!

I have been hired to be a cultural consultant of a major company with resources and assets in India. I applied for this job a few months ago and I actually forgot about it. It was only a few weeks ago that somebody called me up to set up an interview. Even with the lack of preparation, I was still able to ace the interview to the point that I actually got the job. While I am officially based in the US, my new job requires me to visit India from time to time.

Aside from this, I am required to spend a few months over in India to familiarize myself regarding the company’s operations over there. Because of this, I will no longer be able to blog on a regular basis. I’ll be uprooted and I’ll be too busy not only working in India but also checking out some of the sites while I am over there.

If you are expecting regular blog posts, I am sorry to disappoint you. While my travels to India may lead to many subjects and topics to blog about, I will not have the time to do so. Because of this, I am putting everything on hold in terms of blogging. Maybe in a few month’s time, I will be able to find the opportunity to blog. But at this moment, the chances are quite slim. So goodbye for now!

One of the way to keep a healthy and fit body is to exercise. True enough, exercise does wonders for the body. It keeps the blood pumping, muscles developing and losing fats all together. It also doesn’t excuse any age. Everybody must have an ample amount of exercise to maintain a sound mind and body. But does exercise differ in each country?

In India, Yoga has been practiced from hundreds of years. People there have been accustomed with this is way of living, so much more that they have even mastered how to be serene, calm and tranquil even in times of chaos. Because of this, a high standard of discipline has been establishment by Indians unlike any other neighboring nation. You get to see obese people running around the streets of Mumbai. Yoga is not just an exercise, rather it is a lifestyle. People are much more composed, cool and calm hence they don’t need food to comfort them.

While in New York, people have been exposed to so many times of exercise not to mention specials techniques and diets to lose weight. Due to the diverse culture and liberation they have, they barely get along thus doesn’t have the discipline like most Asian countries have. True that have various options comes to weight loss, but what usually happens is they get bored and eventually quit the program. No wonder obesity is being considered as an epidemic in the US. People usually also practice sedentary lifestyle which isn’t commendable.

Fast foods are great, if you are super hungry. A little few bites, then suddenly you are full. New York has a lot to offer when it comes to food. Almost every cuisine in the world can be found right here. They even have Indian cuisine. But they don’t really cook the same way as people in Mumbai which makes me miss home even more. Let me tell you a little something about the Indian dishes that I miss.

Indian cuisine is made of thousands of regional cuisines that goes back thousands of years. The dishes of India are mainly made up of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also famous for the vegetarianism in Indian society. Each family of Indian cuisine has a wide selection of dishes and cooking techniques thus making me miss my own family’s cooking, especially these dishes:

Tandoori Chicken

I wish I could cook Tandoori Chicken anytime I feel the urge to eat some.

Chicken Tikka Masala

This is a delicious dish in which pre-marinated pieces of chicken that are grilled and goes perfectly with a thick creamy gravy.

Rogan Josh

The name may sound funny but the dish’s heat is lessed down by the lushious cream that is added.

Malai Kofta

A vegetarian alternative to meatballs. Must be called veggie-balls instead.

Chole

Best served piping hot with pooris

Writing has always been my passion. My mom even told me that I wrote my own name when I was just three years old. Since then, I started writing my heart out. At school, I would always excel in every writing task given to me by our teacher. Whether its in English or Hindi, I always ace it. Some of my teachers even say I’m a little too advance for my age when it comes to writing.

When I got into high school, my love for writing even grew more. I became the editor-in-chief during my second year, probably because of my impressive works and achievements before. Even though eyebrows were raised by the Juniors and Seniors, I really didn’t mind. All that matters is I can still write my heart out. I was sent to various writing conferences and conventions by my school, which even broaden my knowledge and skill in writing. It was even reinforced when I got into college, since I started dreaming working in New York City.

I always dreamed of living in New York. Basing from what I see on TV shows, New York is something one can be proud of. After graduation, I started looking for writing jobs in New York online. Good thing I found a publishing company is hiring assistants for copyrights. I immediately applied, got hired and the rest is history.

Now, I can truly say I am living my American Dream. For 4 years, I have been accustomed to New York’s way of living. Who would Imagine a little girl from a small town in India would end up as a fabulous New Yorker? I did.

India teeming with unique and rich cultures coming from it’s different regions. Although most may differ from one another, one thing for sure, Indians are very traditional. Even in this modern world, they have managed to bridge the gap between traditional customs but still living and adapting to the changes around them. They usually don’t have problems with foreign tourist but still there are certain actions that one must observe while visiting India.

 1. Never wear indecent or revealing clothes.

Indians have a very conservative dress code standard, until today. Tourist must have their legs and shoulders covered. Tight tops and tight-fitting jeans are a huge no-no.

2. Don’t remove footwear after you’ve entered an establishment.

Taking off of footwear is done before stepping inside the house, a temple or mosque. This shows good manners. Indians love their temples, mosques and their homes; hence, they are strict not only when it comes to cleanliness, but also with being barefoot in certain places.

3. Never point using your feet.

Feet are considered stained and unclean for most Indians. If done by accident, apologize immediately.

4. Don’t use your left hand when eating or passing stuff.

The left hand is also thought to be unclean in India. The left hand is only used in the bathroom.

5. Don’t over react if they tend to be blunt and asking too many questions.

Usually, Indians are inquisitive. They’re used to have no regard for much personal space and privacy. They also tend to be vocal and blunt with their opinions.

The chessy dialogues, the dances, the music and the head bopping. These are the elements that make a true Bollywood movie. Indians have found it amusing to combined such elements probably because of the Western influence of musicals done in the 60′s. Uniquely, Indian fused their own take on musicals by adding their own style of pop music and traditional dances which clicked into the mind of the Indian public.

Truth of the matter is, Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, India. The word was derived from Hollywood which change into Bollywood to make it more Indian. Bollywood is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest centers of film production in the world.

During the last decade, Bollywood made popularity in the world. This made the nation to upgrade filmmaking to new heights. Filmmakers developed quality, cinematography and innovated story lines  incompassing technical advances in areas such as special effects, animation, and so on.

Bollywood even made it’s way to Hollywood. Not so long ago, Slumdog millionaire, which was an Indian movie which focused on the poverty issue of India and how can a man change his destiny, was hailed as best movie by the Academy Awards. This is the highest honor any movie could ever receive. This was the proudest moment of India, where the whole world paid homage to their unique and stylish film industry.

When it comes to fashion, India can be credited with giving the world paisley, calico, cashmere, crewel and the various techniques of printing on cloth. Because of India is slowly making its way on the global map of fashion.

Fashion gurus and couture experts have been keeping an occasional flurry of interest in Bollywood’s frothy excesses even on the beauty line of Bolly women that has been hailed Miss Universes throughout the years.

The fashion world has been slowly turning their eyes towards Bollywood country, not because of their movies and songs, but because of their clothes this time. Indian fashion has become more prominent in the world market now a days. It is even slowly making it’s way to New York’s fashion circle

True enough that New York’s influence continues to represent fabric but not fashion. More than a decade after the country joined the global market it immediately sky rocketed to fame. Truth of the matter is that western designers have been coming to India and mimicking their designs for almost 50 years. Thus making it unfair that  American designers gets the glory for Indian ingenuity.

India is a big country with a lot of sights and sounds that awaits tourists. This amazing country is a melting pot of various Asian cultures that rolled into one. So many places to see, people to meet, Bollywood movies to watch, spicy foods to eat, music to listen to, I mean the possibilities are endless. The sky is the limit. Aside from the great Taj Mahal, one of the most famous tourist spot in India in Mussoorie located outside of Mumbai.

Mussoorie holds the most beautiful nature walk called as the “Camel’s Back Road”. Because it looks like a shape of a camel’s hump. You’ll pass by a solemn cemetery which is found mid-way on the loop. The can also be passed by “Gun Hill”. For years, a canon was used to sound out midday. Another amazing site to behold is the oldest Christian church in the Himalayas, which is St Mary’s. Conveniently right above Mall Road, but this is currently undergoing restoration.

Kempty falls is a favorite Indian picnic spot closely followed by the Company Garden, which are both popular tourist destinations in Musoorie. In pick seasons, the garden is full of amazing and exotic flowers and plants. These are just a few places which you can enjoy in Mussorie alone. Come to Mussorie, today!

Indians are religious people. They take their beliefs as precious as their own lives. They value beliefs and traditions and take them seriously. Despite the various regions that have different upbringings and styles, they all strongly believe in reincarnation. But is reincarnation really possible?

Reincarnation is described after the death of the body the soul or spirit is believed to return to live in a new human body In other versions, either as a human being, animal or plant. This belief is a central tenet of Indian religious traditions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

Recently, a lot of Europeans and North Americans took interest in reincarnation. Feature films contemporary books, as well as popular songs, usually mentions reincarnation. Even university researchers, have touched the issue of reincarnation and present reports of children’s memories of earlier lives in various journals and books. Up to this day, researchers are still puzzled and have questioned about the possibilities of reincarnation but haven’t proven anything yet.

Indians have been known to be romantic and passionate. They are never shy to show their true emotions, especially when it comes to love. Even in the past, Indians have been awfully romantic. They would even go to greater heights even after death.

The Taj Mahal, which literally means “crown of palaces” is a white Marble mausoleum seen in Agra, India. It was commissioned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely known d as “the jewel of Muslim art in India”.

In 1631, Emperor Shah Jahan during the Mughal Empire, in the 1631, which is the period of greatest prosperity, was too depressed when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died while giving birth of their 14th child, Gauhara Begum. The love story traditionally held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal. The mausoleum was done in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later.

The Taj Mahal combines and showcases the designs of Persian architecture and Mughal architecture. This Indian wonder attracts thousands  tourist every year. Hailed as one of the remaining seven wonders of the ancient world, the Taj Mahal has indeed made an amazing mark in history.