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Cabaret in the city

India, June 5 -- On the evening of November 30, 1919, the premises of the Napier Hotel near Poona Cantonment were thick with anticipation. Men and women dressed in their best attire arrived in horse-d... Read More


Jazzy in Poona: Cabaret in the city

India, June 5 -- On the evening of November 30, 1919, the premises of the Napier Hotel near Poona Cantonment were thick with anticipation. Men and women dressed in their best attire arrived in horse-d... Read More


Taste of Life: Doer of Gandhiji's philosophy of decentralised democracy

India, May 22 -- The Government of India Act of 1935, a landmark piece of legislation, brought about significant democratic reforms in India. It granted a large measure of autonomy to provinces, ended... Read More


Taste of Life: Europeans love for hill stations set foot on Mahabaleshwar

India, May 15 -- The Ladies of Mahabaleshwar Have strawberries for tea. And as for cream and sugar, They add them lavishly; But Poona! Oh, in Poona, Their hearts are likely to break For while th... Read More


Taste of Life: How wartime blackouts affected domestic chores, public dining

India, May 8 -- When Great Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, few Indians believed that it would reach their doorsteps. But India soon had to function as a military, indu... Read More


Taste of Life: How ginger beer quenched thirst in Poona summer

India, May 1 -- Last month, I received an email from a college student in Bhubaneshwar who was working on a project that involved theorising food slang. She had compiled quite an impressive list and w... Read More


The tradition of baking hot cross buns on Good Friday

India, April 17 -- Human life largely centres on networks of interpersonal relationships that food strengthens and sacralises. We see our identity, traditions, laws, and holidays in terms of the food ... Read More


Canned food and poisoning in 19th-century Poona

India, April 10 -- In January 1885, shopkeepers in Poona and Bombay stocking European and American canned foods were suddenly and unexpectedly faced with customers returning their unopened cans or can... Read More


Taste of Life: How copper toxicity sparked quest for safer cooking alternatives

India, March 27 -- Cooking utensils play a vital role in shaping the flavours and techniques of regional cuisines. They reflect and shape cultural and culinary practices. In 1888, the Duke of Connaug... Read More


Taste of Life: A player's talent dismantled the caste barrier

India, March 20 -- Caste has been a powerful tool for social exclusion in India. Whose food you are allowed to eat and who you can eat with is decided by your caste. In the late 19th century, a young... Read More