In Native American culture, the steady beat of a drum represents a heartbeat. A heartbeat is the first sound anyone hears, and it’s heard while developing in a womb. It’s a unifying sound. The beat is the same as Mother Earths heartbeat. When a drum is sounded, it is a call for all living things to unite with a single purpose, single mind and single heartbeat.

Drums are communal or personal. Communal drums are large enough for several men to strike at once. The booming drums at pow-wows invite everyone to participate. Personal Continue reading →

You’ve watched Slumdog Millionaire on Directtv and now you’ve got a hankering for some real, quality Indian food. If you really want to make it yourself you should try – it’s not as hard as you might think! Here are a few traditional dishes to start off with:
Chicken Tikka Masala – You can actually buy Masala sauce in a jar in the grocery store and trust us, it’s worth it. You won’t have to buy all the weird spices and keep them around and the jarred stuff is actually really good, just brown the chicken and make some rice!
Naan – Don’t be intimidated by the thought of making bread – all you need for this is some bread flour and some yeast. Naan is a great accompaniment for your chicken tikka masala, too, and it’s pretty impressive.
Chutney – Chutney is an easy way to make dessert or just something to have with a meal! Put some sugar, garlic and fruit in a pot and let it stew on the eye for about an hour – instant chutney and it was the easiest dish of the day!

Indian cuisine has a deep tie and a deep cultural history to the people, and to the country. Many of the spices and extracts which are used in the most famous Indian dishes, are those which are either from India, or were originally imported to the country from settlers, or brought in by travelers who founded the country. So, if you want to learn the history of a dish, it is something that is going to trace back several years, and in many cases, as far back as Continue reading →

Indian music sounds very strange to American listeners. This is in large part because harmony as we know it plays no large part” and also because it makes use of a microtonal scale, with notes that differ by intervals of less than a half step.

But precisely because it sounds so exotic, the music of India holds a special fascination for us. And indeed, the Hindus have a whole mythology relating to the origin of music: Legend has it that a sage named Bharata (modern India Continue reading →

Wooden crafts have been a part of Indian culture since ancient times. Writings in the Rig Veda, dated to at least 1500 BCE, refer to a variety of vessels and objects made from wood. In India-s classical Gupta Age, from 320-647 CE, the royal families were avid patrons of the arts and frequently commissioned crafts in woodcarving and sculpture. The Medieval period leaves us with many artifacts and buildings that show a clear appreciation and flourishing of the arts. Temples from this historical era are marked with Continue reading →

Since time immemorial, people, especially the Indians, have believed that gold is only meant to be used by those who have high positions in the society such as rulers, emperors, and many others. In the Indian culture, it is also believed that gold is a symbol of wealth and power. If you are an Indian women set to marry an Indian man, it has been said that brides bring gold as a dowry. If the bride is able to give gold Continue reading →