Avaakai - the mango pickle

Avaakai  is the name for the raw mango pickle prepared in Andhra, and is possibly the BEST pickle in India and the world - at least for me.

My memory of Avaakai and why its so good is because it was made at home by my mom and her neighbor, and the batch they produced (lasted nearly a decade) was the BESTEST one ever ever produced in the world.

The Brun Maska Chaai of Mumbai

When I worked in Mumbai as a bachelor I was at the mercy of what Mumbai had to offer and usually very hard to replicate what ghar ka khaana and swaad for me.  Neither is good food easily readily available, affordable nor is it healthy. (one of my friends who used to eat from a road side idli supplier was infected by hepatitis – he learnt it the hard way). 

Priya Tendulkar – India’s first TV superstar

Television in India bloomed pretty late and even after it took off it took forever to get traction.  Today some of the best talent in India work in television, right from production to scripts to acting – and this is across both Hindi General entertainment to regional TV content. I think Indian talent is among the best globally and they work hard and try and be as professional as they come.

However the first ‘star’ in the true sense (at least for me and folks of my generation) would be the late Priya Tendulkar.