Month: December 2017

Rootsandleisure_Chiang Mai_Thailand Travel

Faces | Traveling Like a Local In The City of Chiang Mai, Thailand

Published by Imtee Jamir

  “On a hot afternoon in Chiang Mai, my friend and I were wandering about and exploring the old city area of Chiang Mai. All we needed after walking around in the sun for a while was definitely a cold and fresh coconut drink. On our way, we spotted an alley with lots of graffiti wall art and a phone kiosk along the lane. To the locals, this phone kiosk might look vandalised, but to me, it was this super cool spot with an amazing aesthetic appeal to take a nice photograph in! Plus, my coconut drink seemed like the perfect prop to use in this picture to blend in with the city and get a real sense of the life out here. Why not travel like a local but take pictures like a tourist, right?” ~ Manki Lai, @ohmanki

RootsandLeisure_HomeMadeBeku

My Journey From Being an IT Engineer to Yoga Teacher & Vegan Baker: Ekta Minocha | Homemade Beku, Bangalore

Published by Shweta Rao

If recent news reports are anything to go by, veganism just got trendy. To the committed carnivores among us, adopting a vegan diet aka no meat, no fish, no dairy, and no eggs, sounds like a dramatic step.  But even if you made the necessary relevant changes to your lifestyle and diet, following through it outside the confines of your home in India gets challenging. That’s where vegan bakers like Ekta Minocha are passionately helping their customers enjoy their journey through veganism. We first came to know of Ekta Minocha and her vegan baking venture, Homemade Beku, through her Instagram profile. Her beautifully decorated, moist, and delicious looking baked goods and vegan savories will make your mouth water. Minocha has also started a blog recently, called The Vegan Birdie, that is already a name to reckon with in Bangalore’s baking community. Whoever said the vegan food was boring? When and why did you decide to become a vegan baker? I started out in the corporate world in Bangalore as an engineer in 2007. Since then, my …

RootsandLeisure_HornibillInternationalMusicFestival_2017

Celebrating Hornbill International Rock Festival 2017 | Dimapur, Nagaland

Published by Kumti

  Hornbill Festival, 2017 has officially wrapped up but the memories of the events, music festival, local food, folks songs and dances etc. still remains fresh! The Hornbill International Music Festival (HIMF) took place at Agri Expo, 4th Mile, Dimapur from 3rd December till 10th December, witnessing one of the most exciting shows organised this year. The rock contest was held from 5th to 8th December amongst a buzzing and bustling crowd. The crowd’s favorite and much deserved Avora Records won the contest and our very own Yellow Beacon from Nagaland won the best band of HIMF, 2017. The 8-day event winded down with an EDM night. Here’s an overview of some of the best moments from the show! The bustling and enthusiastic crowd at the Hornbill International Rock Festival Finale, 2017, Dimapur One of Northeast’s best blues guitarists, Rudy Wallang of  Soulmate band, performing for the crowd at the Blues Night concert on 9th Dec, 2017. Rudy Wallang(left) with his daughters, Andrea(center) and Elaine Wallang(right) enthralling the crowd at the Blues Night concert. Ranchi-based rock band, Highway 69 was one of the crowd’s favourite …

Rootsandleisure_Recipe_Eromba

Recipe | Manipuri Dish: Paan( Colocasia/Arbi) Eromba

Published by Imtee Jamir

Eromba is one of the most popular dishes Manipuris prepare for their lunch/dinner. It is a local-favourite dish, enjoyed by people from other parts of Northeast as well. It’s usually made with boiled vegetables mashed with ngari (fermented fish) and chillies. Vegetables like yongchak (tree beans), soibum (bamboo shoots), yendem (buckwheat), belandri (lady’s finger), lafu (banana stem) and Paan (colocasia/arbi) are commonly used to make different varieties of eromba. Our recipe today, is the Paan (colocasia/arbi) eromba contributed by our lovely R&L follower, Impala Ayekpam. This is a simple dish you can easily make using ingredients available around your kitchen! Paan (Colocasia/Arbi) Eromba Prep Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 15-20 mins  Ingredients: 250gm of Paan/colocasia/arbi (washed and peeled) 10-12 Dried red chillies/1-2 king chillies (whichever is preferred) 5-6 Ngari/fermented fish 2-3 smoked fish (optional) Salt to taste. Garnish :  Fresh 1/2 u-morok/ghost pepper (thinly sliced) and Spring onions/corrainder (chopped) Directions to cook:  Add 4-5 cups of water in a pressure cooker and boil the arbi and chillies.  Let it whistle  for about 4-5 times  Cool it down and drain the water  Roast the …

RootsandLeisure_VitotoSakhrie

Living The Photographic Dream : Vitoto Sakhrie | Photographer | Nagaland

Published by Shweta Rao

  “If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps you moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.” – Martin Luther King Vitoto Sakhrie is a man with many strings to his bow. He is a self-taught creative graphic designer, serves at his local church, and is now somebody who counts photography as one of his biggest interests – particularly since he rekindled a dead but intense childhood dream from a decade ago. Tell us a bit about yourself. I was born and brought up in Kohima in a big family. So big that people often recognize us by just our ‘serial number’ among the kids. I am the 9th oldest kid in the family and am 35 years old. I am currently working as a graphic designer in our church at Kohima and just started work as a freelance photographer Is photography your full-time occupation? I am a full-time church worker. I love my …

RootsandLeisure_HornbillFestival2017

A Quick Tour Through the Food and Craft Stalls At The Hornbill Festival 2017, Nagaland

Published by Imtee Jamir

The food, art and crafts stalls are a big part of Hornbill Festival; locals and tourists flock in to indulge themselves in some local food and drinks every year, experiencing the rich culture and traditions of different Naga tribes. The food stalls offer some delicious food items prepared by chefs who are ardent food enthusiasts themselves! For the arts and crafts junkies, the Bamboo Pavilion displays a variety of handicrafts, decor products, handmade necklaces, books by Naga writers, etc. for sale. Here are few of the MANY interesting stalls we came across this year at the festival. Chefs Asin Shurhozelie (Left) and Asen Jamir (Right) of ‘The Bowl’ welcoming visitors to their food stall at Kisama Heritage Village, Nagaland  Volunteers Paudwa Elunglung (Left) and his friends from the ‘Benreu Students Union’ preparing some mouth-watering barbecued food at the Kohima Night Bazaar food stall. Macramé (patterned lacelike webbing made of hand-knotted cord,yarn) curtains by Lem on display inside the Bamboo Pavilion stall at Kisama. The ‘LEM’ stall offers a range of beautiful macrame wedding backdrop products, home decor supplies like macrame wall hangings, hanging chairs …

RootsandLeisure_Faces_HornbillFestival2017

Fashionable People Spotted at the Hornbill Festival 2017 in Nagaland

Published by Imtee Jamir

The Hornbill Festival 2017 kicked off on the 1st of Dec in Kisama, Nagaland – officially welcoming the festive season! Amidst the excitement of the festival goers, the stall operators, the dancers and the tourists from all over the world, we spotted some really well-dressed people in the crowd – making the festival even more colourful!  Check out these fashionable locals spotted at the Hornbill Festival 2017!

RootsandLeisure_CafeKalimpong

Creating a Space to Promote Kalimpong’s Culture – Meet the Founders of Cafe Kalimpong

Published by Shweta Rao

“Welcome to the home you never knew you had,” says a writing on a wall of Cafe Kalimpong, the newest addition to a growing number of hipster hangout spots in the tiny tourist town of Kalimpong. Earlier known for its temperate climate, Buddhist temples and traditional handicrafts, Kalimpong is undergoing a silent cafe revolution. A revolution that has set afoot thanks to local entrepreneurs like Praveen Chettri, Navin Chettri and Yawan Rai, young and ambitious owners of Cafe Kalimpong. Tell us a bit about Cafe Kalimpong and its founders. When was it launched? Cafe Kalimpong was launched by the three of us – Praveen Chettri, Navin Chettri and Yawan Rai (me) – on 19th March 2017. “Café Kalimpong” was an obvious choice to name the cafe as our main motive is to promote Kalimpong. Our core idea behind launching this cafe was not just to serve good food but also to create a space to promote Kalimpong by telling stories about our rich history, unique culture and sharing life stories about our beautiful people. What inspired you to launch a cafe?  As …

RootsandLeisure_FashionDesigner_Zimik

How This Young Designer from Ukhrul Is Breaking Through The Clutter In The Fashion Realm | Easternlight Zimik

Published by Imtee Jamir

  “It is said that a person’s personality is reflected through the clothes they wear and that it depicts your true self. Each piece of a clothing has its own story to tell. As a person we wear a different face every day, wherever you go you are a different person and the clothes you wear tell a different story, the real story.” ~Fierce Berry Easternlight Zimik is a fashion designer, illustrator and print designer who draws inspiration from music, poetry and Japanese holistic fashion. Zimik graduated from NIFT, New Delhi and aims to create a voice through his designs where concept meets commercial value. He is currently working as a head designer for a brand called ZINGRIN in Delhi. Tell us a little about yourself. Hi ! I am Easternlight Zimik from Ukhrul, Manipur. I am working as fashion designer, fashion illustrator and print designer. I am in my mid-twenties. I did my graduation from Delhi University and fashion designing at NIFT Delhi. I am currently based in New Delhi working as a head designer for the brand, ZINGRIN. Besides …

RootsandLeisure_Recipe

Recipe | Chicken Chutney

Published by Imtee Jamir

  Need a light and hearty meal to cook for lunch today? Here’s your answer. Today, we have a special Chicken Chutney recipe made with simple ingredients you can easily prepare. We hope you enjoy trying this recipe! Prep : 15 mins Cooking time: 40 mins   Ingredients: 1 Kg. chicken (boneless) 3 green chillies 3 pieces of  fermented fish (ngari) 1 inch of young ginger knob 1 small onion 3 cloves of garlic A handful of ginger leaves A handful of coriander leaves Salt to taste Directions to cook : Boil the chicken in a pot for about 30min Dice the boiled chicken into small pieces and keep aside Roast the green chilli on low medium heat Roast the fermented fish on low medium heat  Chop the onion into small pieces Pound the garlic using a mortar and pestle Add the roasted green chilli, ginger, fermented fish and mash it Mix the diced chicken and other ingredients together in a large bowl Add ginger and coriander leaves Salt to taste  Voila!  Your chicken chutney …