INDIAN FOODS



 BENGALI FOOD


Bengali cuisine is appreciated for its fabulous use of panchphoron, a term used to refer to the five essential spices, namely mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed, aniseed, and black cumin seed. The specialty of Bengali food lies in the perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors.

 
 GUJARATI FOOD


The traditional Gujarati food is primarily vegetarian and has a high nutritional value. The typical Gujarati thali consists of varied kinds of lip smacking dishes. Gujarati cuisine has so much to offer and each dish has an absolutely different cooking style. 


 KASHMIRI FOOD


Kashmiri food that we have today in the restaurants has evolved over the years. Highly influenced by the traditional food of the Kashmiri pundits, it has now taken some of the features of the cooking style adopted in Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan. 


 MUGHLAI CUISINE


Mughlai cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines, whose origin can be traced back to the times of Mughal Empire. Mughlai cuisine consists of the dishes that were prepared in the kitchens of the royal Mughal Emperors. Indian cuisine is predominantly influenced by the cooking style practiced during the Mughal era. 

PUNJABI FOOD

The cuisine of Punjab has an enormous variety of mouth-watering vegetarian as well as non vegetarian dishes. The spice content ranges from minimal to pleasant to high. Punjabi food is usually relished by people of all communities. In Punjab, home cooking differs from the restaurant cooking style. 


 RAJASTHANI FOOD


The cuisine of Rajasthan is primarily vegetarian and offers a fabulous variety of mouthwatering dishes. The spice content is quite high in comparison to other Indian cuisines, but the food is absolutely scrumptious. Rajasthanis use ghee for cooking most of the dishes. Rajasthani food is well known for its spicy curries and delicious sweets. 


SOUTH INDIAN CUISINE

The cuisine of South India is known for its light, low calorie appetizing dishes. The traditional food of South India is mainly rice based. The cuisine is famous for its wonderful mixing of rice and lentils to prepare yummy lip smacking dosas, vadas, idlis and uttapams.

INDIAN CLOTHes

Traditional Indian clothing has come into prominence once again. Well, if you notice the trends in fashion industry, you'll realize that modern fashion has aped the styling and designing of the bygone eras, the period of royalty, when Maharajas and Ranis used to spend extravagantly on their clothing. Whatever the royals chose to go in for was reminiscent of splendor and luxury. The creative fashion designers of today are in a lookout for ethnic designs that take us close to our cultural roots and remind us of the glorious past. Well, in this section, we will provide you with information on the different kinds of traditional clothing in India, so read on…

INDIAN ETHNIC WEAR

DHOTI


Dhoti kurta is the traditional Indian clothing of men. Unlike other dresses, it is an unstitched piece of cloth usually 5 yards long that is tied around the waist and legs. The knot is tied at the waist. Dhoti is known by different names at different places such as Laacha in Punjabi, dhuti in Bangla.

 KURTA


Kurta is a term used to refer to a long loose shirt, the length of which falls below or may be just above the knees of the wearer. In the olden times, it was primarily worn by men, but today, it has become a unisex dress that both men and women can wear. 

 INDIAN SALWAR KAMEEZ


Salwar kameez is the traditional Indian clothing for women. Due to its high popularity in the region of Punjab, shalwar kameez is commonly referred to as Punjabi suit. The fashion of Shalwar Kameez in India is not new. Since the past many few centuries, women have been wearing this wonderful attire. 

INDIAN SARI


Sari is one of the most wonderful dresses worn by Indian women. Infact, when one thinks of a typical Indian woman, the first thing that strikes the mind is a woman clad in sari, who is wearing the solah shringar including bindi, chudi, kajal etc. 


SHERWANI FOR MEN


Sherwani is a long coat resembling achkan in styling. It is buttoned upto the collar and lengthwise it is usually below the knee. It adds to the charm and grace of men, especially the taller ones. Indian men spend lavishly on buying the sherwani suit for the special occasion of their wedding. 

TURBAN


In India, one can spot many men wearing turban. Well, turban is tied not for the sake of fashion, but because it has a lot of significance in the lives of Indians. The hair turban is a headdress that basically consists of a long piece of unstitched cloth, which is wrapped around the head. 

INDIAN LANGUAGES

There are several languages in India belonging to different language families, the major ones being the Indo-Aryan languages spoken by 75% of Indians and the Dravidian languages spoken by 20% of Indians.[1][2] Other languages spoken in India belong to the Austroasiatic, Tibeto-Burman, a few minor language families and isolates.[3]:283 More than three millennia of language contact has led to significant mutual influence among the four predominant language families in mainland India and South Asia.

The official languages of the Union Government of the Republic of India are Hindi in the Devanagari script and English.[4] 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 (formerly known as Oriya).

According to Census of India of 2001, India has 122 major languages and 1599 other languages. However, figures from other sources vary, primarily due to differences in definition of the terms "language" and "dialect". 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.[5] Two contact languages have played an important role in the history of India: Persian[6] and English.[7] Hindi, the most widely spoken language in India today, serves as a lingua franca for much of the country.

DANCES OF INDIA

CLASSICAL DANCES

BHARATANATYAM DANCE

Bharatanatyam is a classical dance style of South India that combines artistic expression with a sense of spirituality. There are highly trained dancers who perform precise hand gestures, use intricate footwork, vivid facial expression, and fluid movement.

KATHAK DANCE

Kathak belongs to North India, and emphasises the telling of stories with the help of mime and body technique. It is danced by both the sexes.

KUCHIPUDI DANCE

Kuchipudi dance form in India originated from a hamlet in Andhra Pradesh, called Kuchelapuri or Kuchelapuram. It was initially introduced as a dance drama, but its present day dispensation tells a different story altogether.

MANIPURI DANCE

One of the most known Indian classical dance which is one among the six classical type of dances is Manipuri. Manipuri is a graceful dance style performed by both men and women, from the tiny state of Manipur in North-east India.

MOHINIATTAM DANCE

Mohiniattam dance form was nurtured in the region of Kerala in southwestern India. Mohiniattam literally means 'Dance of the Enchantress,’ which has a mesmerizing quality.

ODISHA DANCE

 Odisha is the traditional dance form of Odisha which owes its origin to the temple dances of the ‘Devadasis'. Odisha performances are replicate with the lores of the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, Lord Krishna.

FOLK / TRIBAL DANCES

BHANGRA DANCE

 Bhangra is a traditional and lively form of folk dance which originated from Punjab. People in Punjab traditionally perform Bhangra while celebrating the harvest.

DANDIYA DANCE

 Dandiya Raas is the most popular dance of not only Gujarat but also all the states throughout India. It is a special feature of the Navratri festival. Dandia is a dance form usually performed in a group, by both men and women.

GARBA DANCE

 Garba is the popular dance from Gujarat and is being performed not only all over India but all over the world by the Gujaratis. Garba is an Indian form which has originated in the Gujarat region.

GIDDHA DANCE

 Giddha is popularly called a Lokh Naach for people in Punjab specifically for women. It majorly derived from an ancient ring dance, which was performed by Punjabi women at social gatherings.

LAVANYA DANCE

 The word Lavanya meaning Beauty which tries to put the various social aspects in an entertaining form. The Lavani Dance form is a combination of traditional song and dance. It worked as a morale booster for the war soldiers in the 18th century