Last letter from India: Manipur

Note: This is an on-the-road blog post. To find out more about why I am on this trip, please read, Next book: From Kerala to Shaolin.

————————————————

A continuation of Letter from India: Gatka

The first time I hear about Manipur is when I am doing my preliminary research into Indian martial arts, and something called “Thang-Ta”, which doesn’t sound very Indian at all, shows up. Subsequently, as I travel across India, different martial arts gurus insist that I must visit Manipur to see one of the country’s finest martial arts.

Having never been there, my perceptions of India’s Northeast are superficial. I believe it is a region of hill stations, tea plantations, and a thousand separatists; but beyond that I know little. If you look at a map of South Asia, you will see that the long journey of nationalism and statehood has left India with this chunk of territory, the Northeast, connected to the rest by an extremely narrow passage, which almost looks like India’s little pinky, holding on desperately (see map). Continue reading “Last letter from India: Manipur”

Culinary post from India: Battle of the Biryanis

The top three destinations for biryani are:

1. Hyderabad

2. Tamil Nadu

3. Kerala

(Hope my paternal relatives don’t kill me.)

In chronological order

Babu Uncle
Trivandrum, Kerala: The first time. Good, simple biryani at Babu Uncle’s house, though not as flavourful as the subsequent ones.

Tony

Calicut, Kerala: The biryani at Tony Joseph’s house had great balance. Short grain rice.

Continue reading “Culinary post from India: Battle of the Biryanis”