07 Indian street food you can never resist to eat

- Dewanshu Pande

When it comes to food, there is no other heaven than India. We Indians are considered to be the experimentalists when trying new cuisines. Be it Chinese, Mexican or Thai, if we do not add our own flavor to it, our appetite is never satisfied. 

Our love for food is not just confined to high-end restaurants, but takes us to places we have never been before. We are not afraid of trying, and our country's streets are filled with vendors cashing into our this weakness. From the mouth-watering taste of Raj Kachori, Bhel Papdi or Dhahi Bhalle to relishing delights of Paani puri, Papdi Chaat and Sev puri, every nook and corner has its own creative spin on it.

We bring to you seven such INDIAN STREET-FOOD that one can never resist to eat. 

Golgappa/ PaniPuri/ Puchka

Pani-Poori is a popular street snack in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. It consists of a round, hollow puri, fried crisp and filled with a mixture of flavored water ("pani"), tamarind chutney, chilli, chaat masala, potato, onion and chickpeas. It is generally small enough to fit completely into one's mouth. You can try this snack at every round-about in India. 

Vada Pav

Vada-Pav is a vegetarian fast food dish native to the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is made up of a deep fried potato patty with some coriander and spices and was originated as a cheap street food in Mumbai. However it is now offered in stalls and restaurants throughout India.

Bhelpuri 

Bhelpuri is a savory Indian snack, and is also a type of chaat. It is made out of puffed rice, vegetables and a tangy tamarind sauce enough to stir your taste-buds. Easy to prepare and serve, it is one of the most favored Indian snack in the central and western parts of India. 

Poha-Jalebi

Famous for its simplicity but still a relishing taste, Poha-Jalebi forms an integral part of breakfast especially in the central India. Best served when hot, it can be savored with a cup of tea in an early winter morning. 

Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji is a fast food dish from Maharashtra, India, consisting of a vegetable curry served with a soft bread roll.

Samosa - Kachori 

A samosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savoury filling, such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, and/or minced meat (lamb, beef or chicken). Its size and consistency may vary, but typically it is distinctly triangular or tetrahedral in shape. Indian samosas are usually vegetarian, and often accompanied by a mint sauce (raita) or chutney.

Kachori or Kachauri is a spicy snack popular in various parts of India including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bengal and Orissa. 

Papdi Chaat 

Papdi Chaat is a north Indian fast food. Chaat, a Hindi word which literally means lick, is used to describe a range of snacks and fast food dishes; papri refers to crisp fried dough wafers made from refined white flour and oil. In Papri Chaat, the papris are served with boiled potatoes, boiled chick peas, chilis, yogurt and tamarind chutney and topped with chaat masala and sev. The popular dish is often eaten from travelling food vendor stalls.

Sources & References - 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFJVGzKMJ_Q

http://food.ndtv.com/lists/indian-fast-food-top-10-chaat-recipes-707615

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panipuri

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vada_pav

http://www.whatshot.in/cities/the-delhi-mumbai-food-exchange-c-1400

http://www.dazzlingwallpaper.com/post_fullview_new.php?id=1886

http://www.reckontalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/792x400xIndian-Street-Food-Poha-Jalebi.jpg.pagespeed.ic.pmrJmgUcf5.jpg

http://probeexclusive.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Pav_Bhaji_big.jpg

http://www.manusmenu.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/3-Papri-Chaat-8-1-of-1.jpg

10 places to visit in India before you die

- Dewanshu Pande

India - a land of rich cultural and geogrophic diversity. These geographical variations make it a perfect destination for travel and tourism for people from all around the world. 

From the architectural masterpieces of the Pink City, Jaipur to the Man Made Marvels in the form of Meghalaya's Living Bridges, India boasts of its rich heritage offerings for the tourists. Visiting this land of diversity will just make your bucket list a bit longer! With so many experiences to seek and places to visit in a country as varied and as beautiful as India, one can just not get enough in a trifle. Yet we try to bring you 10 breath-taking places in India one must visit at least once in their lifetime ... 

Nubra Valley, Ladakh 

A tri-armed valley located to the north east of Ladakh valley, Nubra is a high altitude cold desert with rare precipitation and scant vegetation except along river beds. Siachen Glacier lies to the north of the valley while the Sasser Pass and the famous Karakoram Pass lie to the northwest of the valley and connect Nubra with Uyghur. Much to the visitor's joy it is also connected by road with Leh.

Nohkalikai Falls, Cherrapunji

It flaunts to be the tallest plunge waterfall in India. Its height is 1115 feet (340 metres). Located near Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on Earth these falls are fed by the rainwater collected on the summit of comparatively small plateau. The name of the falls in Khasi language meaning "Jump of Ka Likai" is linked to a legend about local women Likai who jumped off the cliff next to the falls.

Leh, Ladakh

Leh, the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh is best experienced via road trips from New Delhi. The mountainous region of Ladakh in the North Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, is like no other place in the World. Because of it’s unusual terrain and barren landscape it’s sometimes referred to as ‘Moonland’. 

Tungnath, Uttarakhand

Located at an altitude of 12, 073 Feet, at Tungnath mountains you can also find the oldest Hindu shrine of Lord Shiva. Tungnath is the highest Shiva temple in the world and is one of the five and the highest Panch Kedar temples located in the mountain range of Tunganath in Rudraprayag district, in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The temple is believed to be 1000 years old and is the second in the pecking order of the Panch Kedars.

Great Rann of Kachchh

The Great Rann of Kachchh is a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar Desert in the Kachchh District of Gujarat, India and the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is about 7,505.22 square kilometres (2,897.78 sq mi) in size and is reputed to be the largest salt desert in the world.

This is one of the hottest areas of India - with summer temperatures averaging and peaking at 49.5 °C. Winter temperatures reduce dramatically and can go below 0 °C (32 °F). The Government of Gujarat hosts an annual 3 month long festival called the Rann Utsav (festival of the Rann), where tourists can see the various sights of the Rann as well as get a taste of the local culture, cuisine and hospitality. Specially built local houses are also used to house tourists to give them a taste of them.

Meghalaya’s Living Bridges

Witnessed in Cherrapunji, Laitkynsew, and Nongriat in Meghalaya, these magnificient bridges are created by the Khasi tribes people by using pliable roots of the Banyan Fig tree and weaving them through the solid trunks of other trees.

Sundarbans

The Sundarbans in West bengal is the world’s largest single block of tidal mangrove and home to a wide variety of animals including the precious Bengal Tiger.

Dal Lake, Kashmir

Officially known as the 'jewel crown of Kashmir', it is known to be an integral part of tourism & recreation. It offers everyone with a breath-taking view & people who visit this place keep coming back for more.

Deodar Forest, Himachal Pradesh

Among Hindus, as the etymology of deodar suggests, it is worshiped as a divine tree. Deva, the first half of the Sanskrit term, means divine, deity, or deus. Dāru, the second part, is cognate with (related to) the words durum, druid, tree, and true. Forests full of Deodar or Devadāru trees were the favorite living place of ancient Indian sages and their families who were devoted to the Hindu god Shiva.

Hampi

Located in Karnataka, the erstwhile power centre of the Vijayanagara Empire is now the town of exotic ruins. From the powerful temples to the erotic sculptures and even the curious marketplaces, Hampi is a place that unravels itself slowly.

Sources and References - 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus_deodara
http://www.scoopwhoop.com/inothernews/beautiful-places-in-india-you-must-visit/
http://www.indiamarks.com/20-places-see-india-before-you-die/#
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nubra_Valley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nohkalikai_Falls
http://imghtlak.mmtcdn.com/blog/sites/default/files/dal-lake.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Rann_of_Kutch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungnath
http://grabhouse.com/urbancocktail/places-to-visit-in-india-before-you-die/
http://s561.photobucket.com/user/merapahad/media/HIMALAY%20KI%20GAUD%20MAIN%20UTTARAKHAND/TheTempleofTungnath.jpg.html
http://www.gujarattourism.com/file-manager/photo-gallery/large/rann_utsav_new_001.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/09/09/article-0-0DC446D300000578-83_964x603.jpg
http://fishtalesindia.org/wp-content/uploads/SundarbanTiger_P-Vyas-imp.jpg

10 things that make every Indian proud

- Dewanshu Pande

image courtesy - http://lighthouseinsights.in/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Incredible_india.jpg 

India is a land of diversities. From a highly distinct topography and terrain to varied cultures, cuisines, languages and lifestyles, vividity reflects in every aspect of this nation. We are no less to any other world superpower in terms of Research and Development in the fields of Science, Technology and Medical Studies and have from time to time proved our mettle in both the "Battle-Field" and the Field of Sports. Though the list of what India as a nation has achieved over the years is endless, here is a list of 10 things that makes every Indian proud. 

MEDICINE

image courtesy - https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/default/files/images/accar.jpg

India has a long and rich tradition of Medicinal Research and development. Some of the noted developments in Indian Medical history includes the evolution of Ayurveda during the Iron Age and Siddha medicine. Ayurveda is still practiced today as a form of complementary and alternative medicine. It means "knowledge for longevity".

Moreover, "Cataract surgery" was known to the Indian physician Sushruta. Philosophers and scientists from as far as Greece and Mesopotamia, traveled to India where these surgeries were performed by physicians. In addition, the removal of cataract by surgery was also introduced into China from India.
India can also boost of its knowledge in the domains of Plastic surgery, which was being carried out in India by 2000 BC. Once again the surgeon Sushruta contributed mainly to the field of plastic and cataract surgery.Also the Indian (Bengali) medical practitioner Upendranath Brahmachari was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

[reference - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_inventions_and_discoveries#Medicine]

ARMY AND DEFENCE

image courtesy - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/NSG_Commandos_Republic_day_2015..jpg

India boasts proudly to be one of the largest army in the world, close behind the ranks of USA, Russia and China. India’s ranking is largely due to its large labor force and large number of service members. It also has a large fleet of aircraft and tanks as wells as a highly respectable navy. It's elite force of Paramilitary Commandos is one the most lethal elite forces in the world. Interestingly, India’s Border Force is the only modern military force that maintains a camel-mounted regiment.

MANAGEMENT GURUS

image courtesy - http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/

From Satya Nadella [Microsoft] to Sundar Pichai [Google] India has given the world some of the most eminent corporate leaders and global CEO's. To name a few are - Indra Nooyi [PepsiCo], Ajay Banga [Mastercard], Shantanu Narayan [Adobe], Sanjay Mehrotra [SanDisk], Rakesh Kapoor [Reckitt Benckiser] and Ivan Menezes [Diageo]. 

SPORTS

image courtesy - http://lyp.passionconnect.in/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/worldcup.jpg

India has an array of achievements in the field of sports. Be it the national game Hockey, Cricket, Air Rifle Shooting, Badminton or Tennis, India has produced some of the finest players of all times. To name a few are Sir Sachin Ramesh Tendulakr, Major Dhyanchand, Dhanraj Pillai, Sunil Chetri, Baichung Bhutia, Abhinav Bindra, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati. 

India's List of a few notable Achievements in Sports include - 

Cricket 

• World Cup Winners 1983
• World Cup Winners 2011 
• T20 World Cup Winners 2007

Hockey 

• Gold - National team - Netherlands 1928 Amsterdam
• Gold - National team - United States 1932 Los Angeles
• Gold - National team - Nazi Germany 1936
• Gold - National team - United Kingdom 1948 
• Gold - National team - Finland 1952 Helsinki
• Gold - National team - Australia 1956 Melbourne
• Gold - National team - Japan 1964 Tokyo
• Gold - National team - Soviet Union 1980 Moscow
• World Cup Winners 1975 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tennis

• Leander Paes 16 Grand Slam trophies
• Mahesh Bhupati 12 [Doubles and Mixed Doubles] Titles
• Sania Mirza - currently ranked world No. 1 in women's doubles

Badminton

• Sania Nehwal - Career title(s) 16 (Super Series and Grand Prix)

Highest ranking 1 as on (2 April 2015 )
Current ranking 2 as on (11 June 2015)

LARGEST DEMOCRACY

image courtesy - http://factchecker.in/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/6886404209_1f745ab7ba_z.jpg

India is the world's largest democracy with a voter count of nearly 1.2 billion people. Did You Know that India’s first general election was carried out in 1951. The voter turnout was 45.7%. 2014 elections in India had a total of 814.5 million eligible voters and a turnout of 66.38% totaling over 540 million voters. 

A LAND OF RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY 

image courtesy - http://www.luxoindia.com/pictures/tour/2450/arti-at-ganga-ghat.jpg

It is the birthplace of the 3rd (Hinduism), 4th (Buddhism), 7th (Jaininsm) and 10th (Sikhism) largest religions of the world. Besides that it is the largest Zorastrian and Bahaii country, 2nd largest Muslim country in the world, 4th largest Christian country in Asia. It is also probably the only place in the world where Jews never faced a historical persecution.

[reference - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_India]

OLDEST HUMAN CIVILIZATION

image courtesy - https://indusvalleyproject.files.wordpress.com/2012/

India is land to one of the oldest and largest civilizations that flourished approximately 5000 BC to 1500 BC. The Indus Valley Civilization was an ancient civilization located in what is Pakistan and northwest India today, on the fertile flood plain of the Indus River and its vicinity. It has been the home to religious practices approximately 5500 BCE as well as to farming settlements began around 4000 BCE and around 3000 BCE there appeared the first signs of urbanization. By 2600 BCE, dozens of towns and cities had been established, and between 2500 and 2000 BCE the Indus Valley Civilization was at its peak. 

[reference - http://www.hellotravel.com/stories/11-things-about-india-makes-every-indian-proud]

THE ACADEMY NOBEL

image courtesy - http://data1.ibtimes.co.in/en/full/267029/r-rahman.jpg

India has set its mark on some of the grandest stages in the world. We have produced, over the years Nobel and Academy Award winners, excelling in their field of work. As of 2013, fourteen Indians have been nominated for a total of twenty Oscars, five Indians of whom have won a total of six Oscars. Three Indian films have been nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Satyajit Ray is the only Indian who has received an Honorary Academy Award, and A.R.Rahman is the only Indian who has won more than one Academy Award. 

If we look at the Nobel Prize recepients over the years India has a tally of nine winners, in varied fields of Literature, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Economic Sciences. India has also won the Nobel Prize for peace twice in the years 1979 and year 2014. 

• Kailash Satyarthi, Peace, 2014
• Venkatraman Ramakrishnan*, Chemistry, 2009
• Amartya Sen, Economic Sciences, 1998
• Tenzin Gyatso, born in China, Peace, 1989
• Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar*, Physics, 1983
• Mother Teresa, Peace, 1979
• Hargobind Khorana*, Physiology or Medicine, 1968
• C.V. Raman, Physics, 1930
• Rabindranath Tagore, Literature, 1913

BOLLYWOOD

Something for the movie lovers to be proud about. Fatima Begum was the first female director in 1926 when she directed the film, Bulbul-e-Paristan. Moreover, India is also home to the most number of movies made, with almost 1100 each year, far ahead of its western counterpart Hollywood and a little ahead of the Nigerian Film Industry - Nollywood. 

LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY

image source - http://www.siddharthdasari.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/prtypo.jpg

According to Census of India of 2001, India has 122 major languages and 1599 other languages. The 2001 Census recorded 30 languages which were spoken by more than a million native speakers and 122 which were spoken by more than 10,000 people. The official languages of the Union Government of the Republic of India are Hindi in the Devanagari script and English.

The Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists 22 languages, which have been referred to as scheduled languages and given recognition, status and official encouragement. In addition, the Government of India has awarded the distinction of classical language to Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia.

"India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only."

These are not our words. These are the words of the great Mark Twain. And the above mentioned 10 Indians facts support this statement completely.
To discover this beautiful heaven on earth visit - https://www.facebook.com/incredibleindia.ind