Onlookers at the Matrimandir in Auroville - City of Dawn

Faces of Auroville

Auroville. We were fascinated that there is a place (and people) on this blue earth existing for the sole reason of promoting human unity. We made a brief visit to Auroville in 2014 before returning in 2016 for a better understanding of this unique place. In order to make the connections we value, we needed …

Sun Salutation Puducherry

Puducherry – The Top 10 Things We Love Here

There’s much to love about Puducherry. Called Pondicherry until 2006, it’s now mostly known as Pondi. The city was the French capital of India from 1674 to 1954 and as such is decidedly different than any other part of India.

Cooking French Creole in Puducherry with Anita Goubert and Sumeet Nair

Creole. In North America, we associate the word with Louisiana. We see it as a sultry mix of cultures and food, a blend of races, spices and language. It’s where French (and Spanish) colonials met with African-Americans and Native-Americans, free or enslaved, in the heat of the south and everything melded together, willingly or unwillingly. …

Kadala Curry and Paratha.

Kadala Curry

Mariya Family Restaurant Bakery and Ice Cream is a favourite roadside cafe in Kerala. It’s located in Pullapara on Highway 183. This road leads from the coast near Kottayam to Periyar in the hills and depending on which way you are headed it seems to be ever-ascending or descending.  It’s a hairpin turn infested snake …

Bitter guard pickle

Bitter Gourd Pickle

All Indian food goes better with an astringent chutney or pickle on the side. This is a quick and easy recipe for a pickle that can be as hot or as mild as you like. We used one teaspoon of the chilli powder but the recipe from chef Jerry Matthew at Spice Village called for …