Life & Style

AI-generated image /ChatGPT An old pressure cooker and a household mixer-grinder may seem unlikely tools for making tea. But for 51-year-old farmer Ratan Ray from Assam, these everyday appliances became the foundation of an improvised machine designed to solve a practical problem faced by small tea growers: the high cost of specialised processing equipment.Ray, who…

Photo: @RajeevOjha13/ Instagram Have you ever wondered how a snake with no hands, no teeth for chewing, and no claws to bite down on prey can swallow an animal much bigger than its own head?It sounds impossible, yet pythons do it with their bodies, which are built for exactly this way of hunting. It doesn’t…

Amla is one of those trees many Indian households grow up with, whether it stood in a grandparent’s courtyard or just appeared in jars of pickle and bowls of murabba. It’s also tougher than it looks. The tree copes with heat, doesn’t need much fussing, and can fruit well even in a large pot on…

Sharmila earned an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Columbia University. As a child growing up in Kolkata, Sharmila Mona Sinha often felt that being the third daughter in her family came with expectations she could never quite escape. She recalled wanting to be a boy and do the things boys did. Decades later, after…

Photo: sanjeevkapoor/ Instagram Sharad Navratri this year began on Sunday, October 11, and the nine days of the festival run until October 19, concluding with Vijayadashami on October 20. The air is filled with the festival sounds of Navratri as people rejoice, get dressed up, shop, and fast.Just like all the celebrations surrounding the festive…

Stars are typically associated with the sky and are known for their mysterious sparkle. Even though science has provided enough explanations for their twinkle, they are still fascinating. The star shape appears in a few other forms on Earth, such as star fruit and starfish. Surprisingly, there are a few beaches in southern Japan where…

Rugs and carpets quietly collect everything that comes through the house, dust, pet hair, spilled chai, muddy footprints and a fair bit of stale air. They don’t always look dirty, but they often smell a bit tired, and that’s usually when it’s time for a proper clean. You don’t need an expensive cleaning service for…

Bala Hanuman Mandir, Jamnagar (Image Credit: ourtemples.info) Jamnagar in Gujarat became famous for a high-class wedding recently, with the presence of Indian and global celebrities. But, it should be known for this pristine site that holds devotional contributions from thousands of people. You may have attended a number of religious chantings and devotional singing sessions,…

LVMH misses quarterly sales estimates as China slowdown weighs on Louis Vuitton Just when the luxury industry appeared to be finding its feet again, the latest numbers from LVMH have raised fresh questions about how soon a recovery can take hold.The French luxury group, which owns Louis Vuitton, Dior and Tiffany & Co., reported a…

There’s nothing like a crisp biscuit with a hot cup of chai. But store-bought packets often come loaded with refined flour, sugar and palm oil, and the ingredient lists get longer every year. The good news is that you can bake biscuits at home using things already sitting in your kitchen, such as atta, ragi,…