Expresso Lifestyle News Highlights of the week

Let's begin. The nine-day-long Karaga festival concluded in the wee hours of 7th April in Bengaluru‘s old city area. Celebrated annually, the 300-year-old Karaga festival has its roots in the Hindu mythological epic Mahabharata. Karaga festival is celebrated to mark the return of Draupadi in the form of Adishakti. As part of the celebrations, devotees take out a large procession, carrying earthen pots on their heads. The procession begins from Shri Dharma Raya Swamy temple in Nagarathpete. One of the traditions associated with the festival also includes a visit to Astana e-Hazrath Tawakkal Mastan Shah Saharwardi Dargah, as a symbol of unity between the Hindus and the Muslims.

Up next, Twinkle Khanna recently combined her love for books and designing by sharing tips to transform your boring boring bookshelf from dud to fab. These include: 1. Leave space between stacks of books to display mementoes. 2. One can add candles and artefacts as bookends. 3. Group books by using colour or size for an interesting aesthetic. 4. Crafting horizontal and vertical stacks can increase visual appeal. 5. Placing beautiful pieces on top of their stacked books. 6. Plants and flowers can add softness and break symmetrical lines, and 7. Introducing texture with baskets and ceramics.

King Charles and Camilla, the queen consort were joined by senior British royals at Windsor Castle for their traditional Easter service on 9th April, the first celebration in the new monarch’s reign. The royals, including heir Prince William, his wife Kate and their three children, walked from the castle to the nearby St George’s Chapel. The occasion, one of the few events which bring all the royals together in public, is particularly poignant this year, being the first since the death of Queen Elizabeth II and also falling two years to the day since her husband Prince Philip died.

Moving on, several Mexican crafters created devil-like cardboard figures popularly known as “Judas,” for the annual “Burning of Judas,” a celebration that takes place in Mexico on Holy Saturday every year. People across the country gather in public plazas to light fireworks that destroy these colourful figures made as symbolic embodiments of evil. This festivity — filled with satirical humour — is not associated with the Holy Week celebrations led by the Catholic Church in this mostly Catholic country. Researcher Abraham Domínguez, in an article published by the National Institute of Anthropology and History, wrote that this ritual originated in Europe during the Middle Ages and reached America with the Spanish conquest.

In some fashion news, a Kyrgyz environmental activist has found a way to combat toxic fumes choking her city by literally turning trash into treasure, and sewing clothes out of the waste that would otherwise be burnt in a landfill or someone’s stove. Cholpon Alamanova came up with a solution that makes use of a traditional patchwork sewing technique called "kurak" to recycle the textile waste into colourful blankets, clothes and accessories. Her workshop has become part of a global ongoing “trashion” trend promoting the use of recycled, used, thrown-out and repurposed elements to create garments, jewellery and art. Alamanova said the task motivated her to help keep the tradition alive.

Meanwhile, the launch of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre recently in Mumbai was attended by many celebrities. Among them was Liza Koshy, American actor and Youtuber, who graced the event in a stunning mermaid-fitted lehenga set designed by Shubhika Sharma, founder of Papa Don’t Preach. Koshy's dress paid homage to all the karigars and their sheer hard work that made her dress become a reality. This was done by a 20-inch label attached to the dupatta of the lehenga that featured the names of the artists who worked on the outfit. Sharma said that they wanted to take the micro piece of fabric usually hidden away at the back, and blow it up for the world to see.

In the culinary world, cheese is a beloved food ingredient across nations. Its versatile and delicious nature makes it a favourite among foodies and chefs alike. A list of ’50 best-rated cheese dishes in the world was recently released by Taste Atlas, an experiential travel guide for traditional food that collates authentic recipes, food critic reviews, and research articles about popular ingredients and dishes. In the rankings, six Indian paneer dishes, including shahi paneer, paneer tikka, matar paneer, palak paneer, kadai paneer, and paneer makhani, found spots at 3rd, 4th, 24th, 30th, 40th, and 48th positions respectively.

Lastly, on 8th April, Buckingham Palace announced an Indian-origin chef, who works with a senior citizens charity in the UK, is among the British Empire Medal winners on the royal invitation list for King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Coronation ceremony in London next month. Manju Malhi was awarded a BEM for services to the community in London during the COVID-19 response. Malhi is a professional chef who, since 2016, has acted as the Resident Chef for the charity Open Age, which champions an active life for older people in London. The palace stated that Manju turned Open Age’s kitchen into a cookery school and restaurant for members and staff, and offered remote cookery classes during COVID-19.