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Holidaying in India is definitely on everyone’s bucket list. Its vibrant culture, beautiful traditions, colourful festivals and exotic food is quite intriguing! With an aim to cover all of this in one trip is not enough – perhaps you need to come here more than once in order to explore everything that this country has to offer. Whether you are looking to soak up some sun on a beach or want to have a selfie at the iconic Taj Mahal, there is no doubt that this beautiful country will steal your heart. The pristine beaches of Goa backed by swaying palms, cascading waterfalls, magnificent temples, the majestic Thar desert and green paddy fields await you in Incredible India. And, there’s so much more to talk about when it comes to the tastes and flavours here! While the local curries are sure to tingle your taste buds, you may be weary of tummy troubles, especially if you’re not used to eating a lot of spicy food. But don’t worry! We’ve got your back.

 It is always a better choice to stick to vegetarian dishes, especially when it comes to street food. Unless you are an expert, you can’t say how long the meat has been sitting out before it was used to prepare the dish. However, there’s always a room for exceptions. Here, we’re talking about small stands that have kebabs and tikkas on offer that are grilled right in front of your eyes. A crowd around the stall will tell you that this stuff moves fast and its unlikely that there’s any stale food being sold. Don’t mistake the chunks of meat hanging on skewers for stale food, most Indian tikkas and kebabs need to be marinated for hours to get their distinct juicy flavours. At popular stalls, meat is marinated during the day to be freshly grilled and skewered during ‘business hours.

In Lucknow, where I grew up, the arrival of winters was signalled by moongphali wallas doing their daily rounds. We would call out to them, from our sun-soaked gardens, buy 250 gram of freshly roasted, still-warm groundnuts, and make sure that the moongphali peddler put in at least two to three pouches of different kinds of flavoured salt with the groundnuts. The salt was the real reason why we sat out in the sun, shelling the nuts, eating them painstakingly one at a time. We would licking the red rock salt off our fingers, or the peppered and spiced up version that our favourite peddler made himself with God-knows-what. It was a very satisfying snack indeed.Moongphali wallas are now a vanishing lot. In big city retail, you can get neat little packets of roasted peanuts still in their shells from stores but it’s not the same. There’s nothing like the joy of eating peanut in their freshly-roasted warmth and in the flavoured salts that accompanied them. Nevertheless, this is hardly the only snacking ritual we associate with winters.Most peanut sellers would also bring little rounds of til-patti or gur-patti– sesame and groundnuts set in sugar or jaggery. The rounds were rough, not always brittle enough, home-made by small-time retailers. A more sophisticated version of the same family of snack is of course the gajak, which continues to be a popular signifier of the change in season, when the days get colder and shorter and the body starts to crave more sugar and warming nuts and oils.

Gajak or gazak, it could be conjectured, gets its name from the generic Arabic word for snack. In northern India, it signifies a class of sweets—usually, a confection made from sesame and jaggery, or sugar. Both sesame and jaggery/sugar are winter ingredients in India and their use in popular snacks and confections shows the seasonal nature of Indian cuisines, whether it be for kings or commoners.
My UP family always favoured the brown gur gajak over the “nouveau” (that’s my reading of their tastes) sugar one studded with cashews and almonds. The white sugar gajak, a later day invention, lacks the depth of flavour of the less refined jaggery confection, at least to my mind and palate. But that may only be because of Lucknow food memories.We also pronounced gazak with a “z”, not gajak, as many others did. The “z” connoted cultural sophistication of the Urdu speakers, but also perhaps pointed to the historicity of the gajak, when it may have been concocted as an Indian seasonal snack but on the lines of similar sesame-sugar-nuts confections we see all over the Arab world.Many towns specialise in gajak making, which is quite an art – sesame is broken with hammers, the jaggery or sugar set in layers, and the end result needs to be absolutely brittle and light. But it was Meerut that was designated as the most famous and revered centre for getting this winter treat. If boxes arrived from Ramchandra Sahai, a shop that is more than a century old in that city, it would be considered quite a treat.

Street food is varied and diverse across the country. No two cities in India will have the exact same street food, as there are regional differences in the styles of cooking. The culinary repertoire of India has such a wide range that the street food changes with the seasons too. Just when winters arrive, we see roadside stalls popping up selling a variety of hot, tangy chaats. Aloo Shakarkandhi ki Chaat is also one such delicious street food item which is a winter favourite street-style recipe.

Shakarkandhi (or Sweet Potato) is a tuber which is available during the winter season. There’s no denying that seasonal vegetables are enriched with vital nutrients which are a must-consume during the time they arrive in the markets. Sweet potato is known to have a high fibre content as well as an abundance of Vitamin A. Many studies suggest that the tuber is also recommended for a diabetes-friendly diet. The humble Shakrakandhi thus finds its way into a wide range of Indian recipes. One of the most popular recipes is Aloo Shakarkandhi Ki Chaat. This wonderful chaat recipe is a unique winter treat which will tantalise your tastebuds with every single bite.

Indian street foods are known worldwide for their taste, diversity and easy accessibility in various cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore to name a few. Few street dishes like kathi rolls, daulat ki chaat, chhole bhature and misal pav are quite famous.

“Main toh raste se jaa raha tha, main toh bhel puri kha raha tha.” Most of you would be familiar with this very famous 90s Bollywood track. Not only does it aptly depict the actual Indian street food scene, but is also enough to make you grab a plate of bhel puri right away. When it comes to street food, India tops the charts. Food and beverages that are usually sold on streets by hawkers and vendors in portable stalls and carts is what is termed as street food. Move over aloo chaat and tikkisas India has got lots to offer. Be it north, south, east or west, every region of India has its own speciality. Made with a melange of exotic spices and ingredients, Indian street food is one of its kind. Apart from Indians, a lot of foreign travellers swear by Indian street food as well. If you happen to be a die-hard street food lover who just cannot resist the urge of digging into roadside delights, then this article is going to tantalise your taste buds in just no time.

Known to have originated in the Kutch region of Gujarat, dabeli is an interesting blend of softness and crunch in one go. Enter Gujarat and you’ll see big streets and narrow lanes thronged with dabeli stalls. This scrumptious cousin of vada pav is prepared by stuffing spiced potato mixture in buttered paos that are grilled on a tawa. A special dabeli masala goes into the making of this delight along with garlic and tamarind chutney. To add an extra crunch to the dish, generous portions of sev gathia and juicy pomegranate seeds are sprinkled over the same. This Indian street food is also very common in the state of Maharashtra and is immensely loved by locals.(Also Read: Dabeli: The Gujarati Street Food That is Spicy Yet Sweet)There is no denying the fact that Kolkata thrives on its kathi rolls; a look around Kolkata’s streets is enough to justify the same. Made with a delectable filling of kebabs and raw veggies, kathi rolls are not only a treat to the eyes but to the palate as well. The filling is stuffed inside a maida-based paratha, which is flaky and crispy. A stroll through Park Street in Kolkata is only complete after having a dose of kathi rolls.

Mushrooms are the kind of staple that work with everything – stir-fries, pasta, soups, or gravies. They have a deep, savoury bite and can soak up flavours like a dream. But what makes them even more impressive is their nutritional profile. High in fibre, low in calories, and packed with antioxidants, mushrooms are the unsung heroes of quick weekday meals and wellness-friendly cooking. But here is the twist: mushrooms are also one of the very few non-animal sources of Vitamin D. And not just a trace amount – they can become significantly more beneficial if you use them right “Mushrooms contain ergosterol, a compound that converts into Vitamin D2 when exposed to sunlight,” says consultant nutritionist Rupali Datta. In simpler terms? You can increase the Vitamin D content in mushrooms just by leaving them out in the sun before cooking.

And yes, the sunlight trick really works. Research has shown that exposing mushrooms to direct sunlight for 15 to 30 minutes can dramatically boost their Vitamin D2 levels. Think of it as a five-minute beauty routine for your dinner ingredients – with health benefits that matter.

The Houston stop of Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” tour took a tense turn on Saturday night when a technical issue caused her mid-air car prop to tilt dangerously during her performance, reported Variety.

According to the publication, while singing “16 Carriages” at the NRG Stadium, Beyonce was riding a flying car– a special prop she uses to get closer to fans — when it suddenly started tipping to one side. The crowd gasped and screamed as the car leaned further, raising concerns for the star’s safety. However, Beyonce was safely and quickly lowered to the ground. After she returned to the stage, the singer reassured fans with a smile, saying, “If I ever fall I know y’all would catch me.” The crowd responded with loud cheers and applause.

Mallika Sherawat has shared a no-makeup selfie video to make a strong statement against using botox and artificial cosmetic fillers. Mallika’s video came just two days after reality show star and actor Shefali Jariwala’s untimely death at the age of 42.

While initial reports into Shefali Jariwala’s death suggest she died of a cardiac arrest, the exact cause is yet to be determined. According to the medical probe, the actor’s death is said to have been “due to low blood pressure, cardiac arrest and heavy gastric condition”.

• Mallika Sherawat, 48, shared a selfie video on Sunday (June 29) on her Instagram page.
• In the video, Mallika says, “Good Morning. I just woke up and thought I will make this selfie video and share it with you all.”
• “There’s no filter I am using, there’s no makeup I’ve put on. I haven’t even brushed my hair yet,” she added 
• “This is the first thing I am doing. I am sharing this video with you so that we all can say together, “No to botox, No to artificial cosmetic fillers, and yes to life, yes to a healthy way of living. Love you all,” the Murder star appealed to fans and followers in the clip.
• Mallika captioned the video, “Saying NO to Botox & Fillers. Instead of chasing youth with these artificial procedures, I’m nurturing it from within. Eating clean, hydration, sleeping early & exercises are some of the practices I regularly follow. Let’s embrace our natural glow.”

Tunisia, where the Arab Spring began, did not wait or depend on external forces to engineer a change. It was implemented by Tunisians themselves. Any Iranian Spring, too, must begin in Iran.

Once again, regime change is back on the agenda. What began as a military operation by Israel for the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities soon morphed into calls for a regime change in the country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recorded video messages directly appealing to the people of Iran, assuring them that Israel had nothing against them and that it was their regime that Israel was against.  Even the US joined in the chorus with President Donald Trump saying on Truth Social, “It’s not politically correct to use the term, “Regime Change,” but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!”

Meanwhile, missiles and drones flew back and forth between the Jewish state and the Islamic Republic till the US intervened. It first bombed the three main nuclear sites, including Fordow, buried under a mountain  – the effectiveness of these strikes is still being analysed –  and then declared a ceasefire, bringing the 12-day war to an end, at least for now.

The same grotesqueness has translated into slander against New York City’s first Indian-origin mayoral candidate, who’s almost set to occupy the office. Suddenly, many Indians’ urge to claim anyone even remotely Indian in terms of their genetic makeup for achieving anything on the global stage has turned into outright hate. It doesn’t matter anymore that the 33-year-old Zohran Kwame Mamdani is the son of National Award and Padma Bhushan-winning filmmaker Mira Nair. It also doesn’t matter that his platform has promised to make New York a livable city for everyone, especially those who cannot cocoon themselves in the sense of safety their wealth buys – the immigrants. 

In 2022, a dear friend took me to an Independence Day reception in New York City, which we both immediately regretted attending. It was an extremely high-profile event with Mayor Eric Adams and a foreign president as chief guests, excellent waterfront views, exquisite cocktails, and great-looking food. The said friend and his wife are mild-mannered stalwarts of the Indian community in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. We were horrified by the way many of the community members behaved during the reception. The guests’ speeches were interrupted by the chants of an Indian political leader’s name. The hosts’ addresses were eologies dedicated to the same leader. One almost forgot the geographical location of the gala. To this day, I remain awestruck by my friend’s patience and good humour with which he tolerated that evening’s grotesqueness. The same grotesqueness has translated into slander against New York City’s first Indian-origin mayoral candidate, who’s almost set to occupy the office. Suddenly, many Indians’ urge to claim anyone even remotely Indian in terms of their genetic makeup for achieving anything on the global stage has turned into outright hate. It doesn’t matter anymore that the 33-year-old Zohran Kwame Mamdani is the son of National Award and Padma Bhushan-winning filmmaker Mira Nair. It also doesn’t matter that his platform has promised to make New York a livable city for everyone, especially those who cannot cocoon themselves in the sense of safety their wealth buys – the immigrants. 

Actor-model Shefali Jariwala died on Friday night at the age of 42, with initial reports suggesting that she died of a cardiac arrest.

The death of ‘Kaanta Laga’ fame Shefali Jariwala, who reportedly died due to a cardiac arrest last week, has once again put a spotlight on the rising cases of heart attacks in adults in India. The disturbing increase of cardiovascular diseases in even those people who keep themselves seemingly fit, is a cause of concern – and triggers a question: are fitness therapies and workouts enough?

Dr Dhirendra Singhania, Principal Consultant of Interventional Cardiology at Yashoda Super Speciality Hospitals in Kaushambi, spoke exclusively to NDTV on the issue, saying the major causes of risk in heart attacks are: steroids, lack of sleep, and hormonal therapies (especially for women).

“Everyone, whether a celebrity or a common man, if they are not following the rules of the body, they will have problems. In celebrities, they all try to maintain their body for fit appearances. Many times, we don’t know what they do to achieve that. Lack of sleep has been known as a cardiac risk factor – many celebrities are awake for almost the whole night at times,” he said.

Dr Singhania added, “Steroids, drug overdoses, and hormonal therapies for women, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT for menopause) and oral contraceptives, can contribute to heart attack risk.”

Additionally, the cardiologist said stress and social media addiction contribute to increased blood pressure and cortisol levels – which eventually lead to cardiovascular diseases.