Hiatus until further notice

India Like This Only will be taking a break from posting for the month of November through till the end of the year. We will resume posting content very soon.

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Mumbai Memories of Cutting Chai

" What on earth is Cutting Chai?" Most people in America give me this incredulous look when I speak of the iconic Mumbai street food experience. I don't blame them honestly. I have the same look when Yoga Mom decked out in Lululemon asks for her "Grande nonfat chai latte extra foam with 3 pumps of caramel". I resist the urge to bury my head in my hands as she happily swipes her card for her 6 dollar mid morning pick me up. If you happen to be in the Chai Latte loving camp, I suggest you stop reading right now, as I don't wish to offend your delicate sensibilities. Please return to the article about the perfect form for the downward facing dog. Consuming chai is an integral part of being Indian. We consume on average, at least four cups of chai every day. Your morning newspaper moment is just not quite the same without it. The mid morning breather is the perfect excuse to inhale a quick cup before getting back to the tasks at hand. The four o'clock slump ...

The call every Immigrant dreads

I got the call over the weekend. The one that every immigrant is terrified to receive. Mom is not feeling well. She is experiencing terrible abdominal pains and had to be admitted to hospital. My sister has flown down to Mumbai from Bangalore to be with her. I must stay ready to come down if the situation worsens. A certain feeling of helplessness and fear takes over. I wish I could be there right now more than anything, so I could help with the care process. However given the state of the pandemic, the need for quarantine after travel and the limited space in our two bedroom Mumbai apartment, I would only be more of a burden than a solution as of now. This is the scourge of the immigrant. When you choose to be an immigrant, you choose to always be an outsider. There isn’t a true home for you anymore. You no longer belong in the country of your birth, but you don’t really belong in the new country you have chosen. You really don’t truly belong anymore. Perhaps this was what led me to b...

Thandai: An Indian 'Trip' to celebrate Holi

It's springtime!!! This is when when Indians all over the country celebrate the curious festival of Holi. This is when children of ages 5 to 95 get out on the streets and partake in a literal explosion of spraying color and water. Holi encourages you to connect with your inner mischievous child, which is probably why it is celebrated with such vigor, irrespective of religious affiliation across India. Everywhere you look, you will see clouds of red, green, pink, yellow and purple, erupting all over the place. The 'Puchkari's' are brought out for this occasion, which is basically India's answer to a Super-soaker. Into this hugely overgrown syringe is suctioned colored water, which is then sprayed on the unsuspecting participants of this childish ritual. Kids spend hours the night before, filling little balloons with water, and gathering them in buckets to declare war on the neighborhood, not much different from a snowball skirmish around Christmas. From the bonfire c...

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